White Hot Holidays 11: Holiday Love Lessons Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Holiday Love Lessons

  ISBN # 1-4199-0466-3

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Holiday Love Lessons Copyright© 2005 Trista Ann Michaels

  Edited by Ann Leveille.

  Cover design by Syneca. Photography by Dennis Roliff

  Electronic book Publication: December 2005

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Holiday Love Lessons has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  HOLIDAY LOVE LESSONS

  Trista Ann Michaels

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Starbucks: Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC

  Durango: Daimler Chrysler Corporation

  Drakkar Noir: Parfums Guy Laroche Corporation

  Jell-O: General Foods Corporation

  Chapter One

  “I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this,” Caitlin whispered as she made her way down the hall toward Jonathan and Tim Trelain’s offices.

  Jonathan Trelain, Caitlin thought with a grin. Gay or not, if there was one man she wanted to give her sex lessons it was him and his sexy bisexual brother, Tim.

  She, Tim and Jonathan had worked together for about eight months now. Jonathan was gorgeous, and she’d had the most unbelievable crush on him until she found out from her coworkers that the man was gay.

  At first she didn’t believe it. How could someone as gorgeous and masculine as him be gay? But the rumors continued and he never did anything to deny it. She had heard he’d dated women in the past, before coming out of the closet, so to speak.

  Eventually, she got over her crush and moved on. She just moved on with the wrong man.

  Her mind wandered back to one month ago when her boyfriend, Colin, had broken up with her. The things he’d said had devastated her and she’d sought refuge in her office, burying herself in her work. That’s where Jonathan had found her, crying her eyes out. He didn’t push her to explain. He just held her, silently letting her know he was there for her.

  That was Jonathan. He was nice, easy to talk to and always there for her. Especially at work. He’d helped her to talk her way through more than one artistic block in her time at Morgan Publishing. The latest had been the cover for the newest erotic ménage that was due to be released next month. Working on the cover had been where she got the idea for her plan.

  Staring at the woman and two men entwined together had made her realize just how lacking her sex life had been. She’d never experienced mind-blowing orgasms or passion that could make you lose control. She barely even got excited, much less lost control. And she wanted to.

  She wanted to learn how to be sexy and seductive. She wanted to experiment and see just how far she could go and what would turn her on beyond reason. What better two men to teach her than the two most gorgeous men in town? And the fact that they were bisexual—well, that just made them safer than a straight man she might end up giving her heart to. The three of them were friends, so there would be no emotional attachment other than that friendship, which meant no expectations and no worries. It was perfect.

  But which one did she approach first? Tim, she decided. He was much less intimidating than Jonathan and when it came to propositioning a man for sex, less intimidating was definitely better.

  Taking a deep breath, she headed down the hall toward Tim’s office. Raising her hand, she fingered the gold lettering across the wood. Timothy Trelain, Co-Executive Vice-President. He and Jonathan shared the position but Jonathan worked more with the cover artists and advertising, where Timothy handled the marketing and money side of the business.

  “You can do this, Caitlin,” she mumbled to herself then knocked softly.

  “It’s open,” Tim called from inside.

  Trying to still her shaking hands, she took one final calming breath for courage then opened the door. “Hey, Timmy,” she said with a smile.

  Tim stared at her over the top of his glasses, his amber-colored eyes shining in amusement. “So it’s Timmy, is it? What do you want, darlin’?”

  Caitlin shrugged and stepped farther into the room. “Nothing major.”

  He removed his glasses and set them on his desk. Sitting back in his chair, he brushed his shaggy, dark blond hair from his brow and smiled up at her. “Whenever someone says it’s nothing major, it usually is. Spill it, doll.”

  “Well,” she began and chewed at her lip, trying to decide just how to broach the subject. “I have a request.”

  “Oh god,” Tim sighed in mock exaggeration. “When do you need it and how much is it going to cost me?”

  Caitlin laughed. “It’s not something you can buy. I want to spend the weekend with you and your brother. I want the three of us to have a ménage.”

  Tim’s eyes widened, and he choked, coughing loudly. “I’m sorry. You want to what?”

  * * * * *

  “She wants to what?”

  Jonathan stared at his brother in a mixture of shock and pure excitement. Had he really heard him correctly? Caitlin? The adorable redhead he’d been fantasizing about for months wanted to have a ménage?

  “I told her that I would broach the subject with you. So, brother,” he added with a snicker. “Think you can step away from your gay lifestyle and help me accommodate the girl?”

  Jonathan frowned. “You know damn good and well I’m not gay.”

  “I can’t for the life of me figure out why you let these rumors continue.”

  “You know why. It keeps the money-grubbing women away.”

  Tim snorted. “Squat good it did. Now they just want to convert you.”

  Jonathan shrugged, a sideways grin lifting his lips. “They try. Some succeed, then after we have sex, I give them the ‘I just can’t do this straight relationship thing’ speech and that’s that.”

  Tim dropped his tall, broad frame into one of the leather chairs flanking Jonathan’s desk. “Man, you’re cold. Are you sure you’re not gay?”

  Jonathan scrunched his nose. “Ha-ha. So what the hell brought this on anyway?”

  “You mean with Caitlin?” Tim asked. />
  Jonathan nodded and closed the file he’d been looking through.

  “I don’t know. She approached me early yesterday evening with the idea.”

  “And you’re just now bringing it to my attention? Why didn’t you call me last night?”

  “Well, I was going to, but I got busy,” Tim replied as he studied his nails. “Carlos popped in for a nightcap and well…stayed a little longer.”

  Jonathan groaned and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “Please, spare me the details.”

  “You’re supposed to be gay, remember? You should be clamoring for the details.”

  Jonathan pinned him with a narrowed stare, making Tim chuckle. “Well?” Tim asked. “You never gave me your answer on the ménage weekend with Caitlin. Yes or no?”

  “Like I’m going to pass this up.”

  * * * * *

  Caitlin walked into her office and threw her purse down on the desk. She hadn’t heard from Tim last night like she thought she would and disappointment had made her irritable. Had they decided not to go through with it? Had she asked too much?

  With a sigh, she dropped into her chair and booted up her computer. She couldn’t spend too much time thinking about it. She had covers she had to do. Her hand bumped into the small Christmas tree on the corner of her desk. The tiny glass decorations clinked against one another and she grabbed one that was about to fall off. As she secured it more firmly, she fingered the bright red ball and watched the office light reflected in the glass.

  Normally she loved this time of year. The first snow of the season, although a little late, had fallen last night, blanketing the streets of Boston in a thin layer of white. Decorations hung from street lamps and front doors. Santas stood outside shops ringing their bells while carolers strolled the streets, their voices raised in song.

  She just couldn’t seem to get into the spirit this year. Maybe it had to do with the fact she still hadn’t gotten over her latest breakup. The one that had finally pushed her to make such a drastic request.

  She frowned at the tree. Was she as cold as he said she was?

  A knock sounded at her door and she glanced up to see Jonathan smiling down at her, a cup of Starbucks coffee in each hand. Her heart flipped in her chest. He was so gorgeous, with the same dark blond hair as Tim, only Jonathan’s was just a tad shorter. Long, thick lashes framed chocolate-brown eyes that almost always sparkled with humor.

  His wide shoulders and trim waist fairly dominated the doorway as he leaned against the jamb. Six-feet three-inches tall and well muscled, he made quite an intimidating presence. “Morning. I thought we could discuss your request over coffee.”

  “Tim talked to you?” she asked and walked over to take one of the cups from his hands. Her stomach fluttered with nerves as she took a sip. She was so uptight the taste of the strong coffee she normally savored didn’t even register.

  “Yes. This morning.” He stepped inside and shut the door behind him with a click. “Coffee good?” he asked.

  Caitlin wondered if he was trying to break the ice and relieve some of the tension that had filled the small room. “It’s great. Thank you.”

  Normally they weren’t this stiff around each other. They were good friends. She just hoped her request hadn’t ruined that. Suddenly, she regretted her impulsive action. “Jonathan, if you don’t want to do this, I understand. We can just forget I said anything.”

  “No way,” he grinned. “I just want to know one thing.”

  “What?” she asked as she sat in her chair, relief swimming through her.

  “Why?”

  “Why?” she asked, surprised.

  Jonathan nodded and leaned his hip against her desk. Her gaze strayed to his hard thighs and ass, but then quickly averted. Noticing the password prompt on her computer screen, she busied herself typing it in to buy some time and compose her thoughts.

  “Well,” she said with a sigh. “I haven’t had the best luck with men, you know that. I just want to experience something wild and completely uninhibited for once in my life without any worry of commitment or fear of someone getting hurt. Especially me. I want you guys to teach me how to be sexy, how to seduce and let go.”

  She chanced a look at him over her computer screen. He watched her thoughtfully, as though mulling over what she’d said in his mind.

  “There’s more to it that you’re not telling me,” he said quietly.

  With a sigh, she rearranged the files on her desk. “When Colin broke up with me he said I was cold, that I wouldn’t know passion and good sex if it hit me in the face. I want to see if he’s right.”

  Jonathan snorted and she frowned up at him. “It was probably Colin that didn’t know passion, honey, not you.”

  “Have you ever been with a woman?” she asked, although she was sure he had.

  “A few.” His lips twitched—adorable. “Purely experimental, you understand.”

  “Oh, I do,” she said, returning his grin.

  “This weekend? The Trelain cabin at the lake?”

  “You’re taking me up on this?” she asked, her heart racing wildly.

  “I believe I am.”

  “Tim, too?”

  He nodded, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

  “You guys are okay with sharing?”

  “Oh, yeah. Tim and I have shared before. Occasionally he gets a wild hair and shows up on my doorstep with a woman.”

  He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and Caitlin giggled. “Wild hair, huh?”

  Jonathan stood and began to walk to the door. “Be prepared. Tim can get some pretty wild hairs.” He smiled at her over his shoulder. “We leave at noon on Friday. Come to the office packed. We’ll take my Durango.”

  “What should I pack?” she asked.

  He grinned wickedly and a slight tremor ran under her flesh. “Doesn’t matter. You’re going to be naked the majority of the time.”

  “Oh,” Caitlin sighed as she watched him stroll from her office, a very pleased-with-himself expression on his face.

  Chapter Two

  Friday arrived and her stomach fluttered with nerves, so much so that when Jonathan knocked on her door at noon, she almost backed out.

  “Ready?” he asked, a teasing glint in his brown eyes.

  “I think so,” she sighed.

  Her fingers suddenly felt ice-cold, and she held her hands together, trying to warm them. Jonathan noticed her pensive frown and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. “You look a little nervous, Caitlin.”

  “I guess I am,” she said with a soft smile. “Never done this before.”

  He came to stand in front of her, the warmth from his body flooding over hers in waves. She caught a whiff of his cologne. Inhaling deeply, she sighed. “I love that cologne. What is it?”

  “Drakkar Noir. Relax, Caitlin. You’ll have more fun.”

  She hummed and smiled slightly, agreeing with him. But for some reason her stomach just wouldn’t listen. Jonathan stepped closer, pinning her against her desk. With a startled gasp, she glanced up at his face and watched helplessly as it lowered to hers.

  The brown of his eyes practically smoldered, causing her heart to jump against her ribs. Every pore on her flesh tingled as his hands came up to frame her face. Softly, tentatively, his lips brushed across hers, sending a jolt of fire to her belly that startled her. With a whimper, she opened her lips and welcomed the gentle invasion of his tongue.

  He tasted of coffee, and she sucked at his tongue as it came further into her mouth. A soft moan rumbled through his chest, vibrating against her own, and he pressed her tighter against the desk. Her hands lifted to settle at his waist, balling the soft fabric of his sweater with her fingers.

  All too soon the kiss ended. She moaned as he pulled his lips away and leaned forward slightly, seeking their warm touch again. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared up into his smiling ones. “There. That’s better,” he said.

  A little shell-shocked, she watched him step awa
y and grab the suitcase she’d placed by the door.

  Wow. What the hell was that?

  “You coming?” he asked over his shoulder as he left her office. “Tim’s waiting for us in the parking garage.”

  “Yeah, coming,” she squeaked. On legs that wobbled like Jell-O, she followed him out to the car.

  * * * * *

  Tim followed them to the cabin in his jeep, which had surprised Caitlin. She’d assumed they would all be going up in the same car. Stepping out of Jonathan’s Durango, she gaped at the log cabin.

  This isn’t a cabin. It’s a damn lodge.

  The massive three-story house stood on a slight hill, the back sloping to the lakeshore behind it. A porch went all the way across the front, with Christmas lights blinking in the setting sunlight. A huge pine wreath decorated with red and gold ribbon hung from the massive oak door. It was beautiful. Like something in a painting.

  “Jonathan, this place is huge,” Caitlin gaped.

  “Yeah,” he sighed as his gaze took in the house. “Thirty-six hundred square feet of Trelain Christmas cheer.”

  Caitlin giggled. “So do we have it all to ourselves?”

  He turned to her with a grin. “Every last foot. Including the oversize bathtub.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Caitlin’s mind went ninety miles per second with lots of sexy and wild images. Her hands shook slightly and she gripped them before her silently, convincing herself she could go through with this. Jonathan must have sensed her unease for he stepped forward and covered her shaking hands with his. “Still nervous?” he asked.

  She licked at her suddenly dry lips. “A little. But I’ll be okay. I want to do this.” She smiled slightly. “I need to do this.”

  Jonathan brought his lips close to hers. His warm breath turned to fog as it hit the cold air between them. She couldn’t stop gazing at his eyes. They were gorgeous and full of hunger and passion. “Good,” he murmured against her lips.