Sunlight edges through the gaps between the blinds. It’s enough light that through my sleep-fogged mind I can see who’s lying next to me. Not that I need my sight to know who it is. From the gentle snoring and vanilla scent, I know it’s Max. I stretch a little, reaching my arms up into the air. Memories of our lovemaking last night come back to me. Sex with these men is incredible, I never tire of it. After a visit to Dr Salahan, I am on the mini-pill, so now there is nothing between my men and me and no danger of any babies being conceived.

From the outside looking in, it may seem strange, my relationship with them all. It is unconventional, yes, but we are all consenting adults. Max, Bryce and Hudson, although they’re brothers by choice, they are not blood related. We hurt no one loving one another, though I imagine some would find it difficult to understand. Honestly, I don’t care. I feel blessed to have their love and no amount of prejudice will ever stop me from loving them. Turning onto my side, my naked body warm and relaxed, I stare at my sleeping beauty. Max’s hair has grown in length. Bryce teases him daily about how he looks like a ‘surfer dude’. I don’t think it’s just his appearance. It’s his relaxed, happy-go-lucky nature as much as anything else.

His eyes flicker open, and it takes a little while for his eyes to focus and for him to wake up fully.

“Morning, beautiful.”

“Hey, Jester. Sleep well?”

“Eventually. A rather sexy secretary had my attention for most of the night.” He grins, pulling me in for a hug. “What time is it?”

“Eight. Early still. I didn’t hear Bryce and Hudson come in last night. Did you?”

“Erm, nope. I was in an orgasm coma.”

“An orgasm coma. Is that a new medical condition I should be aware of?”

“I bloody well hope not, because I sure don’t need a cure.”

I give Max a playful shove. He grabs my wrists and pulls me on top of him. I can feel his morning glory pressed against my stomach.

“I think I might need some more assistance. My secretary seems to be slacking somewhat.”

“Hey, enough of the secretary. I am your personal assistant and I expect to be treated with some respect,” I say in mock anger.

“I can show you respect. In fact, how about some worship, I’m quite happy to worship,” he says, holding me firmly against his chest and flipping me over so that I am lying beneath him. He scatters kisses across my face. “Worship, adoration, love,” he says, following each word with another kiss.

A knock at the bedroom door and a familiar voice has Max’s head dropping and him groaning into my hair. “Bugger it. Just when it was getting interesting.” He slides off me and sits up in bed. “Come in, then.”

The door opens, and Hudson enters. “Hey, Max, don’t give me that look. I thought you’d be pleased to see me.” He winks when Max crosses his arms and huffs.

“Hudson,” I say joyfully, delighted to see him. “We weren’t sure whether you were back or not.” Jumping out of bed, I get up and grab my dressing gown that is strewn across the chaise in the corner of the room. I am fully aware he is taking in my nakedness.

“Hey, there was no need to put that on,” he says, his voice husky.

“There is. As much as I’d love to stay in bed all day, I’m dying for a cup of tea.” I give him a hug, and a lingering kiss that soon deepens.

“Oy, put her down. You’re not the only one who’s missed her,” Bryce says, his large frame leaning against the door.

“Gah, you’re all really bloody annoying,” Hudson moans, though his voice is filled with amusement. He lets me go and I walk straight into Bryce’s arms. He wraps them around me and I lean my head against his chest. It’s funny, when he holds me like this, he is the most tender of the three, but when we make love it is almost always the complete opposite. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, I love his abandon. It’s intoxicating. Bryce is such a contradiction. I guess they all are in their own way.

“When did you get back?” Max asks, getting up and pulling on some pyjamas.

“Early hours. The plane was delayed with fog. I came up to check on you but saw that you were both comatose, so figured I’d wait till the morning to bother you… and snatch Louisa away from you for a bit.”

“Cheers, I guess,” Max says. I can’t help but catch the note of annoyance hidden behind his laugh. Time for this chat, I think. I am not prepared to let them fall out over me. We are a family now and any jealousy or rivalry is misplaced and pointless.

I unravel myself from Bryce’s arms. “Well, I’m glad you’re up. I wanted to have a chat with you all. Shall we go downstairs? I’ll put the kettle on.”

“Sounds serious,” Bryce says, a hint of worry in his eyes, though he hides it well.

“Hey, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve just got some stuff I want to talk about, okay,” I say, briefly touching my fingers against his arm.

“Sure, we’re here to listen,” Hudson says, following me down the hallway.

Once we all have a cup of tea and are settled in the lounge, I decide to bring up the subject of a rota system. “So, I was thinking. We all agree that you are my boyfriends and I am your girlfriend.”

“Yep, I thought we sorted this out a couple of months ago,” Hudson says with a wink.

“Bear with me, there is a point to this discussion.”

“Sorry, carry on.”

“I’ve had boyfriends before, but I’ve never had three all at once and I’m kind of guessing you’ve never had to share before,” I say, feeling my cheeks redden when I suddenly realise that I’ve never asked whether they’ve had a relationship like ours with another girl. “Or am I being a fool, and you’ve all done this before. In which case I’ll shut up now.”

Bryce laughs. “I can safely say that we’ve not done this before, no.”

“Okay, good. Well, it seems to me of late there has been a little tension between you three. Nothing major, just a few sideways looks, or remarks when it comes to who is spending time with me.” None of them say anything to the contrary so I know my intuition is correct. “The last thing I want is to get between you all. You were a family way before I came along and messed up the status quo.”

“You might have rocked our world, but you haven’t messed up the status quo, Icy,” Max says with a bemused look.

Hudson’s face darkens, panic pulling his eyebrows together. “Where are you going with this, Louisa?”

“Hey, nothing like that, okay,” I say, reassuring him. Reassuring them all. “What I’m trying to say is that as much as I love being with you all, all of the time, I know that each of you at some point has said you need time alone with me without the others around. I get that. I completely understand. I absolutely adore being with you all together. It’s wonderful, but that’s me being selfish because I get all of your attention, and at any given moment you only get a piece of mine.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Bryce says warmly.

“I know that too, Bryce. But I don’t want any of you to feel resentment or jealousy. I’m not suggesting you do and, so far, we’ve muddled along okay. This feeling I’m getting is a recent development. You guys know each other well and are thoughtful to each other’s wishes most of the time. But you can’t deny there has been a shift recently. If I can feel that, then I’m pretty sure you can too. So, let’s just lay our cards on the table. Would each of you like a fixed time alone with me, like a designated day, for example? I could draw up a rota?” I say, pulling a face. All three consider me. Max is the first to speak up.

“You’ve got a point. I must admit, being able to spend the last few days with you has been incredible. I felt kind of gutted this morning that it would come to an end,” he says, serious for once. “Don’t get me wrong, I love what we have. But every now and then, I want you all to myself without these two buttheads muscling in.” He makes a tight laugh.

“Buttheads? What are you, like four?” Bryce gives Max a gentle shove and they grin stupidly at each other.

“Okay, so Max thinks it’s a good idea. What about you Bryce?”

“I have no issues, sweetheart. If you hadn’t brought this conversation up, I would have. I think it’s a great idea. Like you said, we’ve never done this before and we need to work out how to move forward as our relationship does. Ironing out these niggles before they become an issue is better than leaving them to fester. So, if a rota is what’s needed, then I’m all up for that.”

“Hudson?” I ask, turning to face him.

He regards me for a moment. “I’m not one for strict rules. This might be a little tricky for me. I mean, what about spontaneity? I don’t want to feel like I need an appointment to see my own girlfriend.”

“That’s not what I am getting at, at all. Look, we can all still be spontaneous. If in the moment we all want to spend the night together, that’s fine. All I’m saying is that it would be good to try and come to an agreement we can all work with. Say, we could have three nights a week where I spend time alone with each of you. Then two nights where we are all together. Then maybe you can all have a weekend each, and one where we spend it together. We can try it out. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll re-evaluate. There’s no harm in trying,” I say.

Hudson sighs. “Okay, fine. I’ll give it a try.”

“Do you think that sounds alright?” I ask Bryce and Max.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Bryce says.

“Yup. I’m all for giving it a try,” Max says.

“Good. That’s settled then. Now, do you want to start this before or after our getaway to Thailand?”

“After,” the three of them say simultaneously.

“After it is, then. Any particular reason why?” I tease.

“We’re on holiday, that’s why,” Max says with a naughty glint in his eye.

“I thought you said it was a business trip?”

“There will be a couple of meetings, yes, but most of the time we’ll be ogling you in your bikini,” Bryce says, his gaze dropping to the gap in my dressing gown.

“I’m not even sure we’ll make it out of the bedroom,” Hudson says, biting down on his knuckles. If I am not mistaken, he looks as though he’s about to jump me.

I look downwards and can see that my dressing gown has parted, showing off an ample amount of cleavage. No wonder they are getting a little hot under the collar, I’m giving them a peep show. Feeling decidedly naughty, I slide my fingers down the centre of my chest, parting the dressing gown even more. The action causes it to slide off my shoulders, freeing my breasts entirely, the cooler air pebbling my nipples.

As I run a hand over my breast, my tongue snakes over my bottom lip. I look at each of them in turn, feeling inordinately powerful. “Who’s up for some spontaneity, then?”