Butcher

Chapter 13

13

BUTCHER

Just after four, I climbed out of a rideshare, walked into my building, and took the elevator up to my floor as I wheeled my suitcase next to me. The entire time, I looked around, hoping I’d run into Sexton. I didn’t want to seem desperate and knock on his door, so I went into my place, took a shower, and unpacked from my trip to Miami.

I was anxious to see him and Kaylee. Sexton’s texts the night before made me excited to have the conversation and decide where we all wanted to go with what we were doing behind closed doors. It sounded as though we were all on the same page and I’d hoped that was the case.

As I went to the kitchen to throw stuff together for dinner, I began to wonder, while we may all want the same thing, how would it work? Were we together? Were Sexton and I ready to tell our teammates we were into dudes? Because it wasn’t only him who had never shared that we were attracted to more than just women. Of course, we had different circumstances. Sexton was coming to terms with his newfound sexuality and I’d purposely kept mine hidden my entire life. Were we going to tell Coop and Ford? What would they think?

I settled on making a spicy peanut chicken noodle dish that was one of my go-to dinners because I usually had the ingredients on hand. I started to gather everything together for the sauce, only to realize I had no idea if Sexton and Kaylee were allergic to anything; like peanut butter.

Grabbing my phone, I created a group chat and sent them both a text:

Are either of you allergic to peanuts?

Kaylee was the first to respond:

No. Whatcha makin? ??

An Asian spicy chicken noodle dish. It has peanut butter in it

Kaylee: That sounds yummy!

Sexton: Sounds good to me too. Are you home?

Yeah

Before I could send another text, there was a knock on my door. Leaving my phone on the island, I went to the door, and opened it to see a gorgeous Levi Sexton standing on the other side. My eyes roamed up and down his body as I took in his white sleeveless shirt that hugged his broad chest and his dark blue basketball shorts that I’d hoped had nothing under them.

“Hey.” I smiled.

“Hey.” He grinned.

I wanted so badly to pull him by his shirt and kiss him, but instead, I stepped aside so he could enter. “Does this mean Kaylee is on her way too?”

He never told me what time they were coming over and the good thing about the noodle dish, was the sauce could be made in advance then everything else would come together in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

“I told her six.”

“Okay cool.” I shut the door behind us and walked toward the kitchen. “Want a beer or something?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, taking a seat at the island. “I just got off the phone with my mother so I could use a few.”

“That bad?” I reached into the fridge for two bottles of Sam Adams.

“Just the same shit.”

I handed him a bottle, and we both twisted our caps off. “They will flip if you ever tell them about us, huh?”

Sexton paused mid-sip and then pulled the bottle from his lips. “My father would probably never speak to me again.”

I walked to where he was sitting and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry. Are you sure you want to continue things?”

“Yeah. I’m going to wait to tell them anything until we see where things go.”

“Okay.” I took a drink of my beer. “And what about the team?”

“Right. The team.”

“We don’t have to tell them, you know?”

“I know but if they find out, don’t you think they’ll be pissed?”

I considered his question carefully, swirling the beer bottle between my fingers as I leaned back against the granite. “It’s hard to say. As you know, because of Coop, some are open-minded, but we might deal with new players who aren’t, since it involves both of us. I think we’d be taking a risk. But if we keep it private, it might just add more stress.” Like every year, we had new teammates who would start the season with us and then some who would get traded. It was hard to know how others would react.

Sexton sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on the counter. “Yeah, and I don’t want to be the center of gossip. It’s one thing to deal with this on our own, but facing the judgment from everyone we work with—that’s a different story.”

I nodded, understanding his concern. “It’s a lot, for sure. And maybe we don’t tell anyone for a while? See if we can even make this work.”

“You mean the three of us?”

“Yeah. I’ve never dated someone serious before, and you and I spend a lot of time together during the season.” And off-season since he was now my neighbor. Fuck . What if we didn’t work out? Not only did we play together, but we had to see each other because we shared a wall.

“Right. I think we should hold off until we know for sure.”

“Okay.” I gave him a reassuring smile and lifted from the island to grab a bowl to make the sauce.

“Can I help?” he asked.

“Sure. I’m just gathering everything for the sauce.”

“Seems simple enough.” He grinned.

“Only if you measure correctly.” I chuckled.

“I think I can manage that.”

I grabbed all the ingredients we needed, the measuring spoons and measuring cups, and we started to whip up the sauce. Was this what couples did? What about the three of us? How was I going from never having been in a relationship to being in one with three people? I wasn’t sure how it happened, but the thought of not seeing either of them romantically and sexually again made me sad.

“What if Kaylee wants to tell people?” Sexton asked, pouring soy sauce into the bowl.

“If we’re all committed to making this work, we need to talk about how we’ll handle everything, but I think she’ll understand us wanting to keep it a secret for now.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I think so too.”

We heard another knock on the door. “Must be Kaylee,” I said and walked to the door. I opened it to find her standing there with a bright smile, her toned legs extending from a short skirt and a pink box in her hands.

“Hey!” she greeted me cheerfully. “I brought something sweet to go with dinner.”

“Hey,” I said, stepping forward to hug her. “Hope it’s something chocolate.”

“It’s a peanut butter fudge cake.”

“Sounds delicious.” I took the box from her, and she followed me toward the kitchen, hugging Sexton too. “Would you like beer or a glass of wine?”

“Wine would be great.”

“Riesling, okay?” I asked.

“Perfect.” She beamed.

I went to the wine fridge, grabbed a bottle, and uncorked it. “Dinner can be ready at any time, but should we talk now?”

Kaylee and Sexton shared a look and then both nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s talk first,” Sexton replied.

I poured Kaylee a glass of wine and then we all settled in my living room on my sectional.

“So, who wants to start?” I asked, looking at them.

Sexton cleared his throat. “I think I can start since I’ve had conversations with both of you.”

“Okay.” I gave him a brief nod to continue.

“I think it’s safe to say we all really like each other and are interested in a relationship between the three of us.” I squeezed Kaylee’s hand, and we both smiled. Sexton continued. “But the question—or at least one of them—is how will it work?”

I snorted a laugh. “I think we know how it will work.”

“You know what I mean.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we can walk down the street holding hands.”

“True.” I turned to Kaylee. “We were talking before you got here and Sexton and I have a lot to consider when it comes to our team.”

“I bet.” She nodded. “Ford told me how Coop was also in the closet and didn’t come out for a long time. I totally get it.”

“Yeah and with us”—I motioned between me and Sexton—“I think it would be different because the guys are around us a lot. And not saying we will, but if we fight or break up, it could cause issues within the team.”

“So, what are you saying?” she asked.

“We don’t want to stop what we’re doing,” Sexton stated.

“Right,” I agreed. “We just want to keep things between us for now until we get a handle on how all of this will work.”

“I get it and that’s okay with me.” She took a sip of her wine.

“That’s not to say we have to stay hidden in our apartments,” I clarified.

“Okay, but I was curious, and I’m totally cool with it, but will you two do stuff when you’re on the road?” Kaylee wondered.

I blinked and then glanced at Sexton. We hadn’t thought that far, but when there was a long road trip, it was very possible. “I …”

“It would be new for us,” Sexton admitted. “But I think it’s important we all have our own relationships with each other too. That what we’re doing isn’t only when it’s the three of us.”

“Yes, that would probably be a good thing to do,” I agreed.

“I like that sound of that,” Kaylee declared. “And none of us will be with other people?”

I shook my head as Sexton said, “No. I think we all just keep this between us. Safer that way, and I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

“100%.” I took a sip of my beer. “I don’t want to be with anyone else either.”

“Are you still on The Click?” Sexton asked, looking at me.

The Click was a dating app Nystrom had told us about when Coop came out to our little circle of friends. Nystrom had suggested he get on the app to start dating and all of us had signed up that day. I had hooked up with a few people I’d met from it, but I was ready to deactivate it if it meant being with Kaylee and Sexton exclusively.

I lifted a shoulder. “I am, but haven’t logged on in forever. You?”

“Same, but I’m willing to delete it.”

We pulled out our phones. “All right. Let’s do it.”

After we both took the app off our phones, we set them down and Kaylee asked, “What about condoms? Because I’m on the pill and clean and?—”

“Then we should all get tested,” I stated, looking at Sexton and thinking about filling him with my cum for his first time.

“I’m fine with that.” He nodded.

“Um …” Kaylee took a sip of wine. “I have to confess something.”

Sexton and I shared a worried glance and then he prompted, “Okay?”

She grimaced. “I might have told Ford already.”

“Told Ford what exactly?” I asked.

“Just that we all three slept together.” She held up her hands in front of her. “Not that you two did anything together, or that we were dating. It was before the ESPYs that I told him about Vegas.”

Sexton and I looked at each other again and then I lifted a shoulder. “Coop knows I’m bi. I’m okay with them knowing if you are.”

Staring me in the eyes, Sexton thought for a moment. I watched his Adam’s apple slide up and down his throat until finally he said, “I’m okay with them knowing.”

“Then we should tell them all together,” I suggested. “I can invite them over for dinner.”

“Speaking of dinner, you said it won’t take long, right?” Kaylee gave a wide grin.

I shook my head with a smile. “No, not at all. Are you hungry, sweetness?”

“I’ve been thinking about peanut noodles since you texted,” she admitted.

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “All right. Give me about twenty and it will be ready.”

“We can help.” Sexton stood.

“Yeah. I can chop something,” Kaylee agreed.

“Not much to do but having two hot sous chefs is a plus.” I winked and then headed to the kitchen.

We spent the next few minutes finishing up the meal preparations, Sexton and Kaylee set the table while I stir-fried the ground chicken, noodles, spinach, and peanut sauce. The kitchen filled with the aroma of Asian flavors, and soon enough, the three of us were seated around the dining table.

We chatted about Kaylee’s work, the upcoming season, and what day would be best to invite Coop and Ford over to let them know the news. Kaylee promised not to tell Ford at work. We also agreed to make appointments to get blood tests done to make sure we were all ready to go bareback.

When we finished eating, we all cleaned up the kitchen and then Kaylee went to use the bathroom. Sexton and I were left to chat in the living room.

“I’m glad we talked,” he said, leaning back on the couch. “It feels like a weight has been lifted.”

“Me too,” I agreed, sitting beside him. “It’s good to have everything out in the open.”

Kaylee joined us shortly after, carrying the peanut butter fudge cake. “I hope you saved room for dessert!”

The peanut butter fudge cake wasn’t the only dessert I had in mind.