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Vin didn’t seem to buy that sentiment, either, if his scowl was any indication.
“It is what it is for now,” Rogen offered. “Let’s go pack. I’ll meet you at the hangar.”
* * *
Jewel was a nervous wreck.
What had possessed her to invite Rogen and Vin along on her journey to secure the scotch? For the love of God! The three of them in a Gulfstream airplane, in such close proximity to one another for four days? How was she going to keep her hands off them?
And the nights … Sure, Cameron had booked accommodations to lodge the trio. Condos and suites with three rooms each. Could Jewel stay in her own room? Would the guys?
Flashes of The Secret of My Success with Michael J. Fox creeping through hallways during a weekend work retreat, trying to find his girlfriend, who had a boyfriend, who had a wife—and all of them secretly slipping in and out of beds to try to find their desired partners—made her cringe.
Not that Jewel needed to slip in and out of beds to find her desired partner. She knew exactly who she wanted.
Rogen.
Vin.
Together again.
She sighed. Left her office and took a limo to River Cross. She boarded the plane an hour before the guys were scheduled to arrive and settled in with her laptop, trying to concentrate on business. Everything for this trip was in order, but she had two other deals on her plate. So she sent e-mails and reviewed spreadsheets. In the back of her brain, however, thoughts of her two lovers simmered.
Her stomach flipped when visions of the previous evening invaded her mind. Both men naked and so, so hot. Hard. Wanting her.
And Jewel wondering if they’d only just scratched the surface.
She snapped the lid of her laptop closed. Pulled in some deep breaths.
She’d actually been relieved when they’d told her they had an early Board meeting in River Cross the night they’d all gotten together. They’d seemed to know that she needed time alone to process. And to sleep. Lord, they’d worn her out.
But in a really, really good way.
However, the morning after, as she’d stood under the hot spray of water in her shower, Jewel had encountered a serious bout of guilt. For coaxing the men to yield to her whim. It had stayed with her.
Then she’d realized that there truly was no coaxing either of them. Rogen and Vin were strong of mind and will as much as of body. They’d caved, yes. But because they’d both wanted her.
So that wasn’t really what her guilt was about. It’d been festering, and now she considered that a part of it was due to not being able to choose between them. To adding to their internal strife in order to assuage some of hers.
It was selfish to want two men at the same time. Like, at the exact same time.
She tried to placate herself by contending that plenty of women filled their social calendars with more than one man during a given time period. Men did it as well. Nothing new there. Nothing to obsess over. Right?
Besides, Jewel hadn’t established mutual exclusivity with Rogen after they’d made love at his house. Nor had she and Vin made any sort of commitment after Bristol’s.
So what really gnawed at her had to be the emotional aspect of the threesome. The fact that she knew Rogen and Vin had had deep-seated feelings for her long ago, and clearly still held tight to them. And Jewel had intense feelings for them as well. Hence the reason she’d never be able to choose between them.
So then … how would that work in the grand scheme of things? If she couldn’t choose, then should they all just walk away?
Now her stomach churned.
To walk away again …
She closed her eyes. Rested the back of her head against her seat. Tried to find a little inner peace.
She’d existed for ten years without either man being a major force, a major presence, in her life. She’d excelled at SFSU because it had been her sole focus. Ditto with Catalano Enterprises.
In the end, that had left her satisfied professionally. She loved her work, loved when she could execute transactions that made her father proud and contributed to the family legacy.
