Garlic and basil filled the air as the men were greeted by Cait at the front door of their home. “Smells great, honey,” Phoenix said as he pulled Cait into his arms and dropped a kiss on her lips. “You’ll make some man a great wife someday.”

She giggled and smacked him in the chest, lightly. “Oh, you!” Cait took his hand and led him and the other men down the dark hallway to the kitchen. “Come on. I’ll pour you guys some of that wine you brought, and you all can take seats at the kitchen table. Our parents went out to play bingo at the church. They took Alex, so it’s only us for the evening.”

“Good,” Phoenix said as he pulled her up closer. “Then we can play house for a little while.”

Cait giggled again, finding it funny that he was talking in such a way. They’d half expected the guys to disappear on them. But they had a notion they’d stick around for the bet.

Ethan pushed the galley door open, finding Kel stirring a pot of bubbling red sauce. “There’s my love!” He went straight to her and picked her up, kissing her with a homey kiss. “I missed ya.”

Griff went to where Jess was tearing up leaves of lettuce in a large bowl. “Look how domestic you are, baby!” He too gave his girl a kiss and a sweet hug.

“I can be quite the domestic goddess when I want to be,” Jess said with a smile.

Griff kissed the tip of her nose. “I bet you can be. Can I do anything to help you?”

“You can pour me a glass of wine while I make this salad.” She kissed his cheek then whispered, “Mom and Dad are out, I plan on taking you up to my bedroom later.”

Griffin eyed her for a moment. He wanted to let the cat out of the bag so damn bad, it ate as his insides. But he pushed that down and said, “I can’t wait.”

With a sweet smile, Jess went back to making the salad as Griff went to pour her a glass of wine. He watched the women being overly sweet to his friends. He knew they thought they were so smart. But they had no idea of the bullshit that was about to be pulled on them.

With what they had planned, no woman in her right mind would want to marry any of them!

Kel handed Ethan the plates to set the table with. He met Griffin at it as he was putting down napkins and forks. Phoenix had been delegated the job of placing the food on the table as the women washed up the dishes they’d use to cook with.

Then all six took seats around the table. Kel took Ethan’s hand, and that of Cait’s who sat next to her. “I think we should start a tradition of saying grace before we eat. It’s what I want our family to do. When I have one that is.” She gave Ethan a giant smile. “Would you do the honors, Ethan.”

He was shaking inside with fury at the woman. Playing on the Lord to gain him as a husband was low. But he smiled and pretended to be impressed with how fantastic Kel was. “Oh, love, yes, please allow me to do the honors. Everyone take hands and bow.” They all did as he said and he too lowered his head. “Oh, Heavenly Father above us all. Please rain down your guidance on us this evening. Watch over our pretenses and silence the fears in us.”

Kel opened her eyes and looked at him. “Ethan, this is no sermon. Bless the food and be done with it.”

“Sorry, my love,” he apologized. “Lord, up in Heaven, our almighty and one true God, please bless this food these lovely, honest, women made for us this evening. Please watch over them and lead them to the light and to your ways, Lord. Help them to understand life and truth.” Another tug on his hand had him knowing Kel was about to interrupt him again if he didn’t wrap it up. “Wrapping it up, Lord, our God, please help these women with their very souls. Amen.”

“I don’t know what that was about,” Kel said. “But thanks for saying the blessing, Ethan.”

“You’re very welcome, my love,” he said then kissed her cheek. At least he’d asked God to help their heathen souls!

Dinner went well, and soon they were finished and retiring to separate, secluded areas of the home. Jess took Griffin up to the bedroom the three young women shared. “Here we are, my room.”

Griff looked at the three beds. “You all share one bedroom?”

“Yes, the house only has three bedrooms. Alex is a boy, so he gets his own,” Jess said then wrapped her arms around his neck. “Wanna make-out?”

Griff was pretty pissed at what Jess was trying to pull, but he might just get her to do more than make-out, and it might lead to him winning the bet then they’d dump the money grubbers and leave town. “Sure, we can make-out, baby.”

She smiled as he kissed her and picked her up in his arms, taking her to the nearest bed, he laid her down and covered her body with his. The kiss grew with his desire, and he was lost in it in no time at all.

Pushing her shirt up, he cupped her bra covered breast, kneading it and salivating as he wanted to have it in his mouth. He decided he was going for it. Pushing the bra up, he uncovered the perfect mound and kissed his way down until he found the nipple hard as a rock and pulled it into his mouth.

Jess moaned and arched her body up to him, “Yes, Griff.”

He dug his fingers into her waist as he sucked and licked her tit. His cock was straining the zipper of his jeans, and he had to have a bit of relief. Taking her hand, he moved it to his cock.

It took her no time at all to unbutton and unzip his pants, setting him almost free. Her hand moved over his underwear, rubbing his aching dick. The sisters had all talked and came up with the idea to give the men almost what they wanted. It was another teasing scheme that was sure to leave the men mad at them and hurry the end of their plan to get them into bed.

In the living room, Cait had Phoenix on the sofa. The way he was grinding on her was making it hard for her to stick to the plan of teasing him beyond belief without giving in all the way. His warm lips pressed against her ear. “I want you, Cait.”

All she could do was groan. She wanted him too, but there was the little promise she’d made her sisters. Her body undulated to his. Her breasts were mashed against his tight chest. When he grabbed her ass and gave it a squeeze, she almost lost it all.

Kel and Ethan were in the den. He was kissing his way up her neck, muttering, “You smell like Heaven. You taste like sin, and I want to taste every inch of you, love.”

Kel’s body was on fire. She just kept wishing the man wasn’t a liar. She’d give into him with a passion she’d never known before if he was an honest man.

He had her lying on the sofa, and there was a spring in her back that kept her alert, instead of falling into the abyss his kissing was trying to take her to. Ethan made his way down her body, kissing and touching her all over. When he got down on his knees beside the sofa and pushed her skirt up, she sucked in her breath. Should she allow him to kiss her more intimately?

Ethan wasn’t asking, he was taking. Before she could protest, he pulled her panties to one side and had his hot mouth on her. It was his intention to fuck her then the bet would be done, and he could move on from the conniving female.

Kel had lost all track of any thoughts she’d been having. With his tongue stroking her clit, she was in ecstasy. Her hands fisted in his amber waves. She cried out with each deft lick her gave her, “Yes!”

Ethan was in a frenzy of lust and anger that had him being more beastly than he had been with her. His nails pressed into the flesh of her ass as he took it to lift her up so he could kiss and eat her out more voraciously.

Kel was aware of nothing but the intensity that he was filling her with. An enormous wave began in her lower regions, swelling up and moving all the way through her body. She let out a hellacious shriek with the orgasm, “Ethan!”

The man wasted no time, he stood up and dropped his pants as he pulled her around so he could get on top of her and finish what he’d started. It was her weak cry that made him stop. “Are you weeping?” he asked her.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered as the tears flowed like rivers. “It’s just that, damn. It’s… I haven’t…”

“Are you trying to tell me that you haven’t had an orgasm since you and that guy broke up?” he asked her in disbelief.

“I’ve never had an orgasm given to me by anyone. You’re the first person to ever make me have one.” She wept openly and felt so damn odd that it made no sense to her at all.

Ethan pulled his pants back up and sat down, picking her up and cradling her in his lap. “Shh. It’s okay, love.” He had no idea what he should do. The poor thing was sex deprived. How could he just take her then walk away?

Kel cried into his chest as he rocked with her. “I know I must seem like a freak to you.”

“No, never, Kel. Don’t think like that.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I’ve had self-induced orgasms before, but no one has ever brought one on. I thought something was wrong with me. I was wrong. It was just I let the wrong men have sex with me.”

Ethan ran his hand through her hair and whispered, “It seems you have.” His heart was all over the place. He felt sincere feelings for the woman. But she was just after money. A thing he seemed to have forgotten about. Hell, what she was doing was most likely an act!

“Ethan, thank you for stopping,” Kel said as she stopped crying. “You’re a real gentleman. You’re a good man.” She kissed him, softly. “I’m lucky to have you.”

He leveled his eyes on hers, unsure of what he should do. So, he decided to test her a bit. “You don’t exactly have me yet, Kel. Do you really want me?”

Kel was struck dumb by his question. She didn’t know what to say. If she said, yes, then he’d most likely push her to do more. But if she said, no she didn’t know what he’d do. “Ethan, someday I hope you’ll be mine.”

He brushed her hair back off her face. Her eyes were a little red and swollen from crying. Her cheeks were red from where his beard had rubbed them when they’d kissed. Ethan decided it was time to start his plan. “You should know more about my family and me if you really want that, Kel. How about this weekend I take you to meet my grandmother? She has a home in Connecticut. Would you like that?”

Kel was more than a bit shocked that he’d go that far to win the bet. But she was curious so she agreed, “Yes, I’d love that.”

His touch on her cheek as he looked into her eyes made her shiver. “I’ve never taken a woman to meet her before. You’re the first.”

“I am?” Kel asked with surprise. “And what does that mean, Ethan?”

“It means I see more in you than I’ve seen in any other woman. And I want you to be aware of what you get when you get me. It’s not all rainbows and lollipops.” He kissed her again.

Kel had no idea what could be wrong with Ethan or his family. Not that it mattered. This was all a game to him anyway. She was sure he was lying about never taking any woman to meet his grandmother before. Anything to get her to let her guard down and let him into her pants.

When he eased the kiss, she said, “I think I can handle anything that comes with you, Ethan.”

His smile told her she could, and she had to remind herself again that the whole thing was a ploy. It wasn’t real. As much as it felt real, it just wasn’t.

The worst part was she was telling him the truth about him being the first to make her climax. And she hated the fact the one man she’d found who did that for her was never going to be a permanent fixture in her life.

Ethan and his friends were all frauds. All men with a mission to win a bet. And damn the hearts they might break along the way!