"Shut up," Mia huffed, still giggling. "I don't understand why they might be interested in me if they're actually lovers."

"Ever heard the term bisexual?"

"Of course I have." Mia pondered that for a second, following with, "Oh."

"Exactly. And it's really not as uncommon as you think."

"Really? Well, there was this one story..." Mia thought back to the story she'd read about Tarik and Phoenix together.

"Clearly I'm falling behind on my reading. What story?"

"Apparently Phoenix took home some chick, and according to her, things got a little freaky. Something about his bodyguard going down on him." Mia worried her lip for a moment, thinking about that as she recalled the article. The mental image that she came up with had her feeling the need to fan herself. It wasn't a bad feeling, which surprised her. She'd never been into that. Then again, with Damien, she hadn't really been into anything. When it had come to their sexual encounters, she'd been generally left lacking, although he'd tried to turn it around and blame her most of the time. These days, she was at the mercy of the books she read. Well, those and her trusty vibrator.

"Earth to Mia. You're still blushing."

Mia focused on Alex's face, the mental image dissipating. "So, you really think they're bisexual?" she asked, her curiosity unmistakably piqued.

"You know them better than I do. What do you think?"

"I don't know them that well," Mia admitted.

"Well, honey, if I were you" - Alex's smile widened as she held up her glass for a toast - "it's time you get to know them better. Just go for it. I mean, hell, what do you have to lose?"

Her heart.

That was what she had to lose. But she didn't bother to tell Alex that. She was her best friend; she already knew how Mia's heart worked.

Chapter Sixteen.

A week and a half later MIA COULDN'T BLAME the annoying beep of her alarm clock for waking her before the sun was up. It hadn't even gone off when she found herself lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mind replaying the dream she'd been woken from.

She almost wondered whether or not it had only been a dream - it had seemed so real. So much so that she really wished she hadn't woken, so she could see where it might lead. In all her life, she'd never experienced anything like what had happened in her sleepy brain.

Apparently she'd been thinking too much about the whole threesome, menage, bisexual stuff. She'd actually spent the better part of the weekend doing even more research because it fascinated her. Why, she had no freaking clue. The idea of two men sharing one woman... Well, it seemed... The only fitting word would be hot. Yes, it was hot.

Touching her lips with the tips of her fingers, she smiled at the memory of her dream. Her entire being had been affected by what had happened. In her dream, she'd been in her kitchen, and Phoenix and Tarik had both been there. It had started out innocent, the three of them simply talking, but it had quickly escalated into something significantly ... hotter, for lack of a better word. Phoenix had kissed her, overwhelming her with his scent, his touch, the way his lips moved over hers - very similar to the way it had been when he'd kissed her for real. But then Tarik had pressed up against her back. She'd felt the warmth of his lips on her neck, his calloused hands along the skin of her stomach as he touched her, pulling her against him while they both proceeded to pleasure her beyond anything she'd ever known before.

Turning her head now, she looked at the blue numbers on the clock. She should be asleep. She didn't have school on Tuesdays, which meant she had the opportunity to sleep in, yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her eyes closed. That dream... It'd felt so real. And part of her was scared to give herself over to it once again, fearful that she'd want something she knew she wasn't equipped to handle.

Maybe she should go to the gym. She'd put it off since she'd moved in, always coming up with one excuse or another, but it all boiled down to, she didn't want to put forth the effort. But maybe it would help to get her mind out of the gutter and back where it needed to be. She was supposed to be focused on herself, on her education, not dreaming about wicked sexual encounters with not one but two men.

A rumble of thunder echoed outside her bedroom window, and Mia turned her head to the opposite side. The pitter patter of raindrops against the glass was soothing, but not enough to lure her back to sleep, so she did the only logical thing she could come up with. She kicked off the blankets and forced her legs over the edge of the bed. When her feet hit the floor, she stood and went to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, she was dressed in her workout clothes - the ones she'd had to take the tags off of when she'd pulled them from the back of her closet. Feeling determined, she practically skipped into her kitchen.

Pulling the carton of orange juice, along with an apple, a mango, and the leafy kale from the refrigerator, Mia realized she was humming. Retrieving a banana from the holder on the counter and the small jar of protein powder she'd picked up last week, she headed for the cabinet. Pulling out a glass, she hefted her items over to the sink and set everything on the cutting board. She smiled. She'd always wanted to make a smoothie, and she'd heard that they were good for her, so why not?

That could be considered living in the moment, couldn't it?

It only took her a few minutes to prepare the fruit and to get the juicer set up. Once that was done, she tossed everything inside, adding two scoops of protein powder and some orange juice, then set her glass in the designated spot and hit the power button.

"Yuck." The kale caused it to turn green instantly, looking not at all appetizing.

Figuring she had come too far to turn back now, Mia flipped off the switch when it was finished and picked up the glass. She swirled the nasty-looking liquid around as she studied it.

"Now or never," she said aloud.

Smiling to herself, Mia tipped the glass to her lips and took a drink, nearly spewing the juice through her nose when it proved to taste as disgusting as it looked. Her nostrils flared as the aftertaste lingered in her mouth. Lunging for the open carton of orange juice still sitting on the counter, she took a swig.

Okay, so maybe health drinks weren't her thing. She probably looked ridiculous. Did people really drink that stuff?

Staring down at the green liquid, she scrunched up her nose at the memory of the taste. She was procrastinating; she knew that much. That was what she did. Especially when she was about to go do something she dreaded, like exercise.

Figuring she would never get it done if she didn't just go, she grabbed her iPod, her headphones, and her house key before venturing out into the hall. Waiting for the elevator was an exercise in futility, and she was half tempted to go back to her condo rather than wait. But finally, it arrived on her floor, blessedly empty.

She hit the button for the second floor and waited, watching the countdown of numbers above the doors. When they finally opened, Mia stepped out into a plush entry that rivaled the lobby on the first floor, with its dark hardwood floors and soothing taupe walls with bright white, modern trim. There was even a vase of fresh flowers on a small table beside the keypad. Mia moved in that direction and punched in the four-digit code she'd selected when she had moved in. There was a click when the lock on the glass doors disengaged, allowing her entry. She walked in to find there were two people there, one older man on a treadmill and another guy in the corner with the free weights, his back to her so she couldn't see his face. Neither of them were paying her any attention.

Mia didn't really have a preference when it came to cardio equipment, usually favoring no equipment to any of the fancy machines in front of her. But she was there for a reason, so she opted to go with the treadmill because it seemed the least complicated to figure out.

It only took her a few minutes to hit the correct buttons, and then finally the machine came to life, and she began to walk. Well, stroll was more like it. Compared to the older guy running full out, she looked like a slacker, so she upped the numbers until she was moving at a brisk pace, but that was where she drew the line. She could easily do this for a little while.

Somehow she managed to put her headphones in and not fall on her ass, so she kept going. It wasn't long before she realized the older guy had left, and she was alone in the gym with the man still working with the weights. She kept glancing over at him, trying to get a look at his face, but he was well hidden in an alcove lined with varying sizes of weights. Not wanting to get caught staring, Mia focused on the TV in front of her, the one attached to the machine. How did people watch these things? She felt as though she might get seasick trying to keep her eyes focused on the people talking on the screen. She considered stopping, because not wanting to get sick was a viable excuse if she'd ever heard one, but noticed only fifteen minutes had passed. Then again, that was fifteen more minutes than she'd gotten yesterday. And it wasn't like anyone would know.

She was about to hit the stop button when she noticed movement in the mirror in front of her. She looked up into the reflective glass to see...

Oh, crap.

Phoenix was walking toward her, his head down, his headphones in his ears. She didn't think he realized she was there until he got on one of the treadmills several machines down. Without preamble, he hit the buttons, and his machine started up.

Trying desperately not to stare, Mia knew she was failing miserably. And when Phoenix's eyes met hers in the mirror, she knew her first attempt at working out might very well be her last.

To her surprise, Phoenix abruptly turned off the machine he was on and stepped down, then headed toward her. He climbed onto the one beside her, but his attention wasn't on the machine.

Pulling her headphones from her ears, she forced a smile when she noticed he was still staring at her.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Hi," she said, realizing she was breathless and she'd only been going ... three miles an hour. God, she really was a slacker. But Phoenix didn't know that, so maybe he would think that her rapid pulse and lack of oxygen was related to the exercise and not to the fact that she was once again thinking about that kiss they'd previously shared, or the dream that kiss had clearly morphed into. "I didn't know you came here," she blurted out when she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I usually don't. I prefer to run outside since it was the one thing I had to fight Tarik on and actually won. He prefers to keep an eye on me, as you very well know. But" - Phoenix nodded his head toward the windows - "it's raining too hard."

Now why hadn't she thought about that? Thanks to the weather, he was forced inside to work out. If she'd known that, she would've stayed in bed.

Then again, maybe not. Maybe this was her subconscience's way of making sure she saw him.

"Oh," she said by way of response - articulate she was not, but she blamed the treadmill - glancing over her shoulder to look out the window only to notice that Tarik was standing behind her. She squeaked in surprise, grabbing for the rails on the treadmill to keep from going down head-first. Phoenix reached over and stabbed the emergency stop button, saving her from an embarrassing incident. Well, more embarrassing.

"Mornin'," Tarik greeted in that rough tone she'd gotten so familiar with.

"Good morning," she whispered, looking back and forth between the two men. They were both standing on the treadmills on each side of her, sandwiching her between them.

Her heart began a rapid thump against her ribs, and she briefly wondered whether or not they could hear it.

"I didn't know you worked out here," Mia told Tarik, realizing it was the same thing she'd said to Phoenix.

"Every day," Tarik answered, leaning back against the rail of the treadmill and crossing his massive arms over his enormous chest.

Someone seriously needed to turn on the air conditioner.

"I usually don't come here," she said, realizing they probably already knew that, but she couldn't stop herself from nervously rambling. Neither man said anything. Clearly they were already aware of her lack of exercise.

"No classes today?" Phoenix asked casually, mirroring Tarik's stance by leaning against the rail on the other treadmill, his body facing her.

"Nope," she said, looking straight ahead at the small TV screen, doing her best to appear unaffected by their nearness. It wasn't nearly as easy as she'd thought it would be. "I suppose you both have to work?"

"Depends," Phoenix answered with a mischievous grin.

"On?" Mia asked, knowing full well she should ignore him, but she couldn't.

"On whether or not you want to do something today."

"Like? It's raining," she said, stating the obvious. "So that eliminates anything outdoors."

Okay, so evidently this working out thing was affecting her brain. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen that was making her ask stupid things. She should not be encouraging this man. Especially not after the dream she'd had ... the one that, in her opinion, had depicted what her future would hold if she did.

"There are plenty of things to do indoors," Tarik stated, and Mia felt her face flame.

Phoenix chuckled, his eyes pinning her in place when he followed with, "Get your mind out of the gutter, little girl. He wasn't talking about that."

Mia's face felt like it was on fire, and she couldn't take any more. Grabbing her condo key from the small ledge on the machine, she turned away from them both, unable to hide her embarrassment, nor could she keep from laughing.

The next thing she knew, Phoenix's warm hands were on her bare shoulders, turning her to face him. When she looked up into those glittering green eyes, she had expected to see heat, but what she hadn't expected to see was the amount of pure, unadulterated, unprohibited desire reflecting back at her.

No man had ever looked at her the way Phoenix was looking at her now.

Except...

Oh, God. Mia's heart kicked into high gear as she looked up into Tarik's golden eyes as he stood beside Phoenix, looking down at her as though he was waiting for her to say something.

"What do you say? Want to have some indoor fun? And seriously, I'm talking about something away from your place. And mine."

Mia swallowed hard and found herself nodding. "Don't you need to finish your workout?" She looked at Tarik and then Phoenix.

"I'm done," Tarik told her, his eyes lingering on her lips.

"I'm good," Phoenix said quickly. "How long will it take you to get ready?"

Glancing down at her iPod, she noted the time. "An hour?"

Phoenix smirked at her. "Just out of curiosity, do you measure in regular time? Or do you use football minutes?"

Mia laughed, understanding what he meant. "When I say an hour, I'll be ready in an hour," she said lightly. "Not an hour and a half. I promise."

"Then we'll be at your door in an hour. Wear something casual."

"We?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, 'we,'" Tarik said. "It's time the three of us do something together."

Her mind once again barreled right into the gutter, and the thoughts she had weren't related to anything they could possibly do outdoors. Her face flamed once again, and she fought the urge to fan herself as she said, "Okay," in an incredibly shaky voice.

And just like that, Mia found herself giving in to something she wasn't sure she could handle. As she walked out of the gym to the elevator, alone, she realized one very important thing.

She didn't think she was capable of telling these men no.

Ever.

Chapter Seventeen.

PHOENIX PURPOSELY ALLOWED Mia to leave before him. As much as he wanted to be around her, he didn't quite trust himself to be alone in an elevator with her and Tarik. Not just yet. Not after all the scenarios he'd played over and over in his head for the past couple of weeks. He'd been so busy that he hadn't had time to do much of anything except work. That hadn't stopped his brain from working double time. He had used the work excuse to keep his distance from Tarik, as well, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep away from him for too much longer, either.

Hell, had he known Mia and Tarik would be in the gym that morning, he wasn't sure he would have come. He would've preferred to battle the elements outside than to have to face them, knowing that he couldn't touch them the way he'd been envisioning for the last fucking month. As it was, he was having a damn hard time keeping his hands to himself.

And he was pretty sure they both knew that.

Not that he was going to let that keep him from seeing Mia today. He was glad to see that things hadn't fizzled out between them even though quite a bit of time had passed since he'd done anything more than walk her to school. They seemed to still be making progress, and he damn sure wasn't going into a downhill slide because he couldn't seem to control himself when he was around her.

He'd seen the heat generating in her blue eyes when she'd noticed him, the same heat that had flowed like lava when she had realized Tarik was there, as well. He got the strange suspicion that she wanted to see where this might lead as much as they did, although she probably had no idea what that entailed.

Mia had some hurdles to overcome; even he realized that. She'd recently gone through a divorce, and she hadn't been all that keen on giving him the time of day a few weeks ago. Hence, the reason he had managed to put some space between them. He wanted Mia to have time to think, to ensure that she knew what she was getting herself into. Granted, he hadn't expected her to figure it out quite so quickly, but the way she'd been looking at him and Tarik, Phoenix had to believe she was at least entertaining the same things they were.

Not that he should've been entertaining those ideas. He was supposed to be transforming his life, bypassing those desires that would ultimately get him in the hot seat where the press was concerned.