That’s Not How These Things Work: An MMF Erotic Romance: Shared With His Friends, #3

By Kristin Lance

Meadow loves romance novels, her husband, and daydreaming about her hot boss. But when she discovers that her boss and her husband once hooked up, she can't stop thinking about the various ways that turns her on. Two men to play with, and every fantasy she's ever had come true? Yes, please.

Now she just has to convince the guys that it's a brilliant idea (because obviously it is).

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristin Lance
• Release date: Sep 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215563793

Book preview

Chapter 1

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Meadow

I was deep enough into a steamy scene in my book that the room I was sitting entirely faded away. Instead of a small, slightly dated motel lobby, I was in the opulent drawing rooms of London. The Duke of Cockington was suggesting a duel with the Earl of Northam over the honor of this Season’s Original, a woman named Lady Annabelle, who was demure and lovely, and yet independent minded enough that I didn’t completely hate her. Hell, I was in it mostly for the duke and the earl, anyway. Would she get to have them both? I needed to know.

I bit my thumbnail and turned the page, leaning forward onto the reception counter as the action started to get good. After the afternoon rush, I could get comfy on the sofa against the far wall.

It wasn’t that I was a terrible employee; it was just that good of a book.

Okay, and I was a medium-bad employee. But no one was around, anyway. My job at the Lotus Motel was temporary, or at least it had been when I’d first started working here in college. Then, I’d graduated and needed a job that was flexible when my pro snowboarder husband traveled to compete. Now, I was still here while Jay transitioned out of competing to launch a snowboard shop in town.

Life was busy — I spent my days in the hotel and my evenings in the shop with him, helping things get set up, or on my laptop, working on the shop’s website. But the money helped.

And by the time I got to work at the Lotus, I needed a break and a good book. It was a good thing we didn’t have very many customers.

I glanced at the clock. It wasn’t a busy day at the hotel, a Tuesday in late January, and the guests that we had were off enjoying the small mountain town, or skiing and snowboarding up at the resort. They’d start filing back in around three o’clock, and collect the complimentary hot cocoa, and we had a few guests set to check in as well, but in the meantime, there wasn’t much to do. I could relax and let myself get fully immersed in the story without interruptions.

The characters had raced outside, hiding in a garden maze. I always wanted a garden maze. The duke inexplicably ripped off his shirt. Part of the fighting, I guessed. I gasped right alongside Lady Annabelle, turning another page. If the lobby stayed this quiet, I could sneak into the bathroom and really, really relax. Ooh, the earl was shirtless now, and Lady Anna was having a case of the vapors. I flipped the page, eager to find out what the duke was going to do with his throbbing shaft. Had it gotten a little hot?

There’s a camera in the lobby, you know. The deep, rumbly voice made no sense for a second, because everyone in the story was British, for one thing.

Meadow. This time, the voice was louder, and I blinked back to reality and glanced up from my book to see a man only inches away from my face, frowning at me.

Understandably startled, I screamed and fell off of my stool, throwing my book at the intruder on the way down. As I hit the ground, my brain caught up with the situation, informing me that the man standing there was a boss. I’d just thrown a book at my boss. Fuck.

He’d deftly caught it, like he was a freaking ninja, which explained how he always entered the lobby so quietly, really.

Railed by the Duke, he read, frowning. Oh and look, there’s a train in the background, so we don’t think it’s about sex. I stood, brushing off my skirt as a flush of heat rose to my cheeks. I’d been picturing Dominic Cheung when I read scenes with the duke in them. They were both wealthy and powerful men, both tall, dark and handsome, with broad shoulders and a square jaw. And I didn’t think the duke was supposed to be Asian, but the story had never mentioned him being not Asian, so I took liberties with my imagination. It wasn’t like I had a crush on Dominic or anything. Not that much of a crush.

The duke is an entrepreneur. His estate was in shambles until he built that railroad. It’s a very moving story. I tried to reach for my book, but he did that thing tall men do, where they keep things right out of reach of us shorter folks. This was why I married a man who was under six feet tall.

I mean, mostly why.

Who’s the other guy? He was still examining the book cover, and I considered climbing up on the reception desk to reach it.

He’s the Earl of Northam, the duke’s greatest romantic rival. Part of Anna’s harem. Or menage? It’s unclear at the moment. Maybe swords will cross.

What? Dominic asked, frowning down at me. His confusion must have caused him to drop his arms a little, because finally I snatched the book out of his hands and ran away.

It was good that I’d gone with something historical instead of my other guilty pleasure, stories about hot, grumpy billionaire bosses. Because, aside from the fact that most bosses in the books also weren’t usually Asian, Dominic fit that stereotype in every single way. The heroines also weren’t usually Black girls like me, but I filled in those details myself. And Dominic was easy to slot in as the billionaire, because he was possibly the hottest boss on earth.

Wait.

Did you just say something about a camera? I asked, looking around as my mind backtracked to the beginning of our conversation.

I asked if you knew that there was a camera in the lobby, Dominic repeated, his voice cold. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach.

Chapter 2

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Meadow

It’s that dome thing, right? I always wondered if it was fake.

It’s not fake. But before we discuss the camera, can we discuss the book throwing? You need to pay attention to the door. What if you had thrown your smutty book at a guest?

Romance is a perfectly acceptable reading genre, I said, folding my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes. He huffed out an exasperated breath.

Meadow, I don’t care what you read. I don’t even mind if you read during the slow times at work. But you can’t throw books at guests. I can’t afford that liability.

I would never… Wait, you can’t afford it? Isn’t your family company super well-insured?

He rolled his eyes. The Lotus is mine, not my family’s. My grandfather left it to me.

Oh, I said. That explains so much about how nosy you are about what’s going on here. This motel was the redheaded stepchild of the Cheung family hotel chain, which included ten massive luxury resorts around Colorado, including a two other properties in Mackenzie Springs that Dominic managed. Both were closer to the mountain, upscale, and far more profitable than the Lotus, and should have commanded most of his time and attention, but he was here a lot, anyway.

Is it really being nosy to check on my property?

I guess not. Sighing, I rested my chin on my hand. I loved your grandpa. He was the best. I reached out and laid a hand over Dominic’s, feeling like a bit of a jerk. Bob Cheung had taken a chance on me when I was eighteen and helped me pay my way through college. I needed to take this job more seriously, in his honor. Don’t worry, I hear guests come in. There’s a bell over the door. You’re the only person who ever sneaks up on me. Has anyone ever told you that you’re very stealthy?

He snatched his hand back, rubbing his palm absently. The bell rang. You seemed… otherwise occupied. He cleared his throat. As for the other matter, the camera feed goes to our security office in the Alpenglow Lodge.

What camera feed? I glanced at the reflective glass dome that hid the camera, then thought about the last time I had glanced at that glass dome, and my heart stopped. Wait, there’s a feed somewhere? Like I thought it was for burglars. Shit, clearly I hadn’t thought that through. Someone would have to actually watch for the burglars. I ducked my head, covering my face with my hands. How much trouble am I in?

For the book or what I saw on video? He stared at me for a long moment, as worry made my stomach churn even more. I swallowed and blinked up at him, taking slow, calming breaths. His eyes were piercing and almost black, and I was pretty sure he was thinking about every bad thing I’d ever done as his employee. My heart pounded at the pace of moderate panic.

You saw the video? Like saw it yourself. I could barely squeak out the words. He nodded, his face serious. What did you see? I didn’t know if there was any coming back from this. Dominic was not