Pick Your Pleasure by Jayne Rylon

witness.
    About then she’d realized she
was proud of her passion and the man who managed to magnify its impact on her.
Here among others who understood the need for something more than the everyday
dating drama—something lustier, something more direct, something darker—for
whatever their personal reasons, Linley could be honest.
    Ryder had unlocked that
capability in her. A huge win. She embraced the change.
    Her escort singled out a couple
of the men who’d been watching her closely.
    “Grant, help me get her loose
and you can join us. Todd, I’m going to need you too. You’re both available
tonight, correct?” Her seemingly easygoing guide flashed his inner core of
steel. Authority sat naturally on him, even if he chose not to don the mantle
most of the time. What did he do to earn that? Where did it come from in real
life?
    A tendril of recognition stirred
within her. Part of her related on a level that insisted he hid a heck of a lot
behind his jeans and T-shirt exterior. Or maybe that was her justification for
the fairly major omissions she’d had to make to follow the rules.
    In any case, she didn’t have
long to dwell on the possibilities as Ryder’s two recruits freed her in no time
flat. Having three strong men surrounding her tilted her world on its axis.
Funny enough, she had no trouble telling which person was Ryder. Already they’d
formed a bond.
    Linley felt off balance, both
because of her line of reasoning and because the comfort of her bindings had
been stripped away. She tumbled right into Ryder’s outstretched arms. He winked
down at her as he cradled her against his toasty chest. “Hey there.”
    “Hi,” she whispered with a
smile, growing meek just for a moment. It was either that or admit how much
more than simply her body was in the game tonight. Unwise, she’d come to care
during the evening they’d shared.
    The Basement shifted around her
as Ryder toted her to the appropriate portal. She didn’t notice much of the
surroundings since her stare never wavered from his scruffy jaw. The deep, rich
brown of his hair made her long to run her fingers through it and the matching
trail that lead down his body to his cock.
    All along the way, men and women
alike congratulated the two men now flanking Ryder and her as they made their
way to a private chamber. Some people cursed them or joked about volunteering
to pinch hit.
    Ryder brushed them aside, taking
his dream team into the shadows near the row of rooms. He stepped aside, using
his allies as an extension of himself. Grant depressed the latch-style handle.
He held the door for Ryder.
    When he slipped inside, he
didn’t immediately turn on the lights.
    “I’m glad you decided on this
room, wildcat.” Under cover of darkness, he confessed, “I don’t mind sharing.
Giving my playmate that extra level of pleasure is an honor. And later, I’ll
stake my claim on you privately. I’m not going to lie. Something about you has
me possessive.”
    “You sure you want us to stay,
Ryder?” Smooth and sexy, Todd’s low key question put her a little more at ease.
She didn’t know these men. But Ryder did. And if he trusted them, that was good
enough for her.
    “We can go out the side door so
no one sees if you’re worried about appearances,” Grant offered.
    Ryder looked to her and her
alone. “It’s your call, wildcat. I’m up for whatever you desire.”
    “I didn’t come this far to back
out now. Let’s do it.” She smiled over his shoulder at his friends and tossed
them a timid finger wave.
    They were good-looking guys,
that’s for sure. Grant had a suave air about him. All his motions were fluid
and graceful. Though he wasn’t as tall or as broad as Ryder, he had a lean,
lithe body that tempted her to touch. And that was even before her gaze wandered
over his long erection. “Hello to you too, sweetheart. Ryder sure did hit the
newbie jackpot tonight.”
    Todd grinned. “And us too.”
    Linley switched her focus to