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kathierif_ficback to part 1
It was always an interesting experience, Eliot thought as he glanced down from the slightly raised stage at the crowd of people gathered around them, to watch his teammates in different environments.
This upscale bachelor auction was definitely right up Sophie’s alley, and she had done everything in her power to transform Parker from the ugly duckling into a beautiful princess.
Parker’s dark green dress only enhanced the porcelain-like paleness of her skin. She looked good, and if he didn’t know her and worked with her, Eliot was sure that he would at least try to hit on her.
Maybe.
But then, he knew Hardison as well, and he worked with him, but that hadn’t stopped them from trying to hook up, if not for Parker’s knack for interrupting them when things were just starting to get interesting.
The thing was, Eliot knew Parker. He knew how she ticked. Years of working side by side with her had taught him a thing or two about her, about how she saw the world and how she tried to operate in it, especially when she found herself in a situation she had no experience with.
Another sweep across the room revealed Nate at the back of the crowd, snapping pictures of couples and single women. Sophie was at the other end of the room, smiling her most convincing fake smile while talking to an older gentleman. Eliot’s trained eye dismissed him as threat almost immediately. If he tried anything funny, he was sure Sophie and her shoes would be more than able to deal with it.
He stepped up to the edge of the stage when his alias was called and smiled down at the crowd, focusing on one particular woman in a white, short dress who showed a lot of cleavage and leg. He deliberately kept his eyes up and looked her in the eyes while trying to tune out the details of his cover.
The less he was annoyed with Hardison, the better.
The bidding began, and things developed just as Eliot had expected and Nate had planned. The woman in white went along with his flirting and seemed adamant on outbidding everybody else and winning, when suddenly, a pale arm in the back shot up just as the host, who had taken the role of the auctioneer, seemed ready to close the bids.
“Parker, what are you doing?” Nate hissed, but Parker didn’t reply. She simply raised her hand again, and again.
The woman in white had a determined expression on her face as she raised her own bids, but Eliot started to recognize the look in her eye.
She wouldn’t go much further before dropping out.
Someone had to stop Parker before she ruined the entire con.
Turning slightly aside, as if he wanted to gloat to his fellow bachelors, Eliot clenched his teeth and snapped, “Parker! Don’t ruin the con, dammit!” without moving the muscles of his face.
He didn’t know if it was the tone of his voice, or the thunderous expression on Nate’s face as he made his way over to where Parker was standing, but when the auctioneer glanced in her direction again, clearly waiting for her to raise the bid again, she simply hunched her shoulders slightly and shook her head.
“And…sold, to the lady in the front!” The glee in the auctioneer’s voice was impossible to miss, and although the blood rushed loudly in Eliot’s ears, loud enough for him not to catch how much this woman was actually willing to pay for the right of what was basically a drink and a dance, he knew it was a lot of money.
He gave the woman his nicest smile and offered her his arm. He knew how to be a gentleman after all.
~*+*~
“Parker, what are you doing!” Sophie’s voice held more than a hint of frustration, which was the first thing that forced the majority of Eliot’s attention away from his date and to the stage area.
Hardison was up, he saw, the confident grin on his face a clear sign that he was using the same strategy as Eliot. He was flirting with a woman to his left and almost completely ignoring the pale arm in the dark green sleeve at the back of the crowd.
“Parker, the con!” Nate reminded her. He sounded baffled, Eliot thought, unsure as to what had happened to his plan but still busy adjusting things and trying to save the house of cards he’d erected around them.
“What?” Parker whispered back. “I have money! I can do this if I want!”
“Oh my.” That was Sophie, and Eliot found himself silently agreeing with her. Parker admittedly was a thief because she liked money, not stuff, and if she was willing to part with her money for Hardison, she had to be serious about it.
Him.
Both of them, he thought, uncomfortably aware of the fact that Parker had tried to outbid his current date as well.
He didn’t want to think too closely about what that meant, for him, for her, for the three of them, but before he could do just as much as blink, he could hear Hardison’s voice over his ear bud.
“Parker,” he said soothingly, “you know that this isn’t for real, right? Listen, you know that we will both come back to you, I promise you that. You believe me, right?”
Parker didn’t answer, but her hand didn’t shoot up again, and while the auctioneer finished off with his business and Hardison moved his long limbs down to the lucky woman who had won him in a way he probably thought looked sexy, Eliot was busy not freaking out about what Hardison had said.
About what he had just revealed to Nate and Sophie.
About the things Eliot would be more comfortable keeping under wraps.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it again. Suddenly, sweat started to prickle at his palms and along the line of his spine, and he felt hot and cold at the same time.
Things couldn’t be helped now, and he needed to focus on the con and make sure that at least the rest of it went according to plan, even if his heart and mind wasn’t in it.
He just had to get through the evening in one piece, and then he could deal with Hardison and his big mouth.
Eliot knew exactly how he wanted to deal with that.
And this time, he would not stop for anything. Not even for Parker, but if he read the situation correctly – and there was only one logical way to read it, in his opinion – she wouldn’t want him to stop anyway.
~*+*~
It was late when they finally managed to get away from the job. Eliot had been moving on autopilot for most of the job and he took a second to thank God that it had gone off without a hitch and without him having to fight anyone.
He suspected Hardison, who was twitchy and nervous in the passenger seat, twisting his fingers together and fumbling with his phone, his leg twitching up and down with nervous energy, felt similarly.
Without taking his eyes off the road ahead of him, he reached over and placed his own hand on Hardison’s knee, to still the jiggling before it annoyed him enough to snap at Hardison.
Hardison exhaled sharply, but he made an effort to keep still.
Eliot appreciated it.
“You think she’s safe? I didn’t see her there, in the end,” Hardison finally voiced what he was worried about.
Eliot gave him a small smile. “She’s fine,” he said. “Saw her slip out the back. She’s probably at home already, eating God knows what. Crazy girl.”
Hardison breathed a weak, tired laugh and turned his face away, to look out of the passenger side window at the lights flying by as Eliot navigated his way through the streets and toward Hardison’s apartment.
Eliot had been right. By the time they entered the apartment, Parker was already waiting for them. She was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest and her hair tumbling down her shoulders in gentle waves. She had changed clothes, out of the dress and into familiar and more comfortable black pants and a long-sleeved shirt, but she hadn’t bothered brushing out her hair.
Hardison smiled in relief when he saw her and sat down next to her without hesitation. Eliot hesitated and made a slow circuit around the place, to make sure all the windows were closed and nobody was lurking in the shadows, and to give the two a moment for themselves.
When he returned, Parker had plastered herself against Hardison’s side, her cheek resting against his shoulder, and was listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
Eliot shook his head fondly and went to the kitchen. If they were going to do this, they would need to talk first, that much was obvious, about boundaries and when it was okay to burst into a room and when not. And if he was honest, it was not a conversation he wanted to have without a drink in his hands.
He brought a glass of Parker’s favorite wine and a bottle of orange soda back for the other two and settled down on Hardison’s other side.
“So.” It was Hardison who broke the silence first. He had one arm wrapped around Parker’s shoulder and was holding her reassuringly close. “You wanna tell us what’s gotten into you there, girl?”
Parker shook her head slightly. A small frown had appeared on her forehead.
“Parker…” Eliot hadn’t meant his voice to sound so menacing, but Parker’s behavior had been frustrating him for a while now. He wanted answers, and he was used to getting them, one way or another.
“Okay, okay!” She pulled away from Hardison’s body and hunched her shoulders defensively. “I didn’t want these women to have their paws all over you!”
Hardison gave Eliot a long and slightly disapproving look.
“Oh for…Parker, you know it’s just for the job!” Eliot groaned and yanked a hand through his own hair.
“I don’t care if it’s for the job, or for charity, or whatever,” she replied sharply. “I don’t like it, okay? I…” She licked her lip and hunched her shoulders up even more. “I have money. I can have you.”
Eliot sighed. “It doesn’t work that way,” he said. “You can’t just…have people like that. Not for real, okay?”
Parker’s frown deepened. “But…” she said and bit her bottom lip. “But…”
“You can’t make people fall in love with you,” Hardison told her gently before looking at Eliot again.
“Oh.” Parker sounded lost, as if the whole idea was so incredibly strange that she hadn’t even thought about it properly. Knowing Parker, that was probably true. She was crazy, but, Eliot thought, a fierce wave of protectiveness and fondness filling him, she was their crazy girl.
Returning Hardison’s look with one of his own, he nodded slightly. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice pitched low and soothing. “You wanna know why?”
“Why?” She looked at him with wide eyes, and Eliot reached out and gently took her elbow, to pull her across Hardison’s lap and on top of himself. Not knowing how she’d react if he crushed her to his chest, the way he wanted to, to hold her there and protect her and keep her safe, he gently placed his hands on top of hers and pulled them to his chest.
Hardison made an encouraging noise next to them, and then, their lips met. Parker’s were soft and hesitant, but Eliot was patient and simply waited for her to process what was going on and get comfortable with the simple kiss.
Parker made a bewildered sound deep in her throat, but then, she kissed him back with single-minded focus and concentration. His eyes fluttered shut despite his best intentions to keep them open, to make sure she didn’t reach for any forks, but then she leaned more of her weight against his chest and her tongue brushed shyly against his lip.
He smiled and ran his hands down her forearms, over strong muscles and sinews, until he reached her shoulders. From there, he ran them down her back and let them come to rest on her hips while they still kissed.
“Not fair, man,” Hardison muttered next to them, his voice deep and rough with arousal. “Best show ever, but I want in.”
Eliot grinned as he gently disengaged his mouth from Parker’s and pulled back. For a split second, it looked as if Parker wanted to sway in his direction, follow his move and get him back to kissing her, but then, Hardison was close enough, and her attention was diverted.
They looked good together, Eliot decided as he watched them kiss, their skin a sharp contrast, Parker’s jerky movements smoothed out by Hardison’s hands on her face, guiding her and holding on to her. She was still kneeling astride Eliot’s body, twisted to the side to face Hardison, who was pressed against Eliot’s side, and all he needed to do was to reach out to touch both of them at the same time.
He did, brushing a calloused, broad hand under Hardison’s shirt, seeking warm skin and kneading it gently. His other hand gently came to rest on the curve of Parker’s hip, steadying her and making sure she wouldn’t slip off his lap while kissing Hardison.
They looked so innocent together, so young. Eliot swallowed against the tide of emotions rising in his chest that threatened to choke him.
This, he felt, was special. This wasn’t like any of his other conquests, and it hadn’t been for a long time now, not since the first time he’d found himself on Hardison’s couch, with Hardison sprawled over him and their tongues stroking gently against each other.
Hardison made a quiet sound that compelled Eliot to lean over as much as he could and lick at the side of his neck, pressing his lips there and sucking gently.
Parker made a shocked, soft sound that made something in Eliot curl up tight and tense with sudden want and other feelings he didn’t have a real name for yet, and then, Hardison’s lips were on his, surprisingly cool and soft, with a hint of teeth behind them as Eliot’s tongue was drawn into his mouth.
The position was less than comfortable, but neither of them cared as they traded kisses between them, and Hardison blinked at them slowly while Eliot and Parker tried to wrestle him out of his shirt.
Parker’s was next, and Hardison leaned closer to them as his lips trailed down her breasts, along the line of her bra, tongue flickering out teasingly and wetting the cotton while one of his hands found its way into Eliot’s hair, to tug and tease the long strands. The small pain wasn’t enough to distract Eliot, but the way arousal shot through his body at the touch, the weight of Parker’s body across his thighs, definitely was.
“We should move this,” Hardison said, his voice deep and his eyes heavy-lidded. “To the bedroom. Much more comfortable.”
Eliot nodded his agreement, and when Parker made no move to get up, he gave her a gentle shove that made her fall against Hardison’s legs with a giggle.
Hardison grabbed her under the arms and simply pulled her to her feet before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Come on, mama,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”
He held out a hand for Eliot, and for once, Eliot allowed the younger man to pull him to his feet and into the bedroom.
Their way there was hindered by Eliot and Parker trying to get Hardison out of his pants without making him stumble and break his neck, Parker sucking a bruise into Eliot’s shoulder and Hardison fighting with the clasp of her bra.
Finally, they tumbled in a giant, big heap onto the mattress. Pillows and clothes were shoved off the mattress, Hardison almost tumbled off as well if not for Eliot’s tight grip on his arm yanking him back to the middle of the bed where he rolled into Parker’s body, got a knee to his stomach for his trouble, and then, Parker kissed him again, deep and dirty, her tongue hot and slick and all her earlier hesitation forgotten.
Eliot didn’t have much time to enjoy the sight before he was pulled in again, Hardison spread alongside him and fingers on his fly, pressing the rough denim against his hardening cock and causing it to push even more against the stiff fabric and the teasing touch.
Blinking his eyes open, he watched Hardison work on the button and zipper while Parker made a soft sound and rubbed her fingers across Hardison’s chest, tweaking a nipple before turning half-around and licking a hot, wet path across Eliot’s sternum and down his stomach, until her head hid Hardison’s fingers from Eliot’s view.
He did his best to keep the soft grunts behind clenched teeth, but Hardison and Parker had come to a wordless agreement, at least for the moment, and had teamed up to tease him with teeth and tongues and hands until all he could do was pant and pull away from them for a moment to stop himself from coming too soon.
“Your turn now,” he said and smirked at Parker. He barely recognized his own voice, rough and deep as it was, and Parker shivered when she heard it. Her eyes were almost black with arousal, her hair tangled and wild, and Eliot had a sudden, quick vision of how he wanted this evening to continue.
“Hardison,” he growled. “Alec. Against the wall.” He watched hungrily as Hardison moved, long lean limbs scrambling until he was sitting against the headboard of the bed, his legs splayed out and his cock hard and wet at the tip, where it was laying against his stomach.
He couldn’t resist and crawled over, to dip his tongue into the slit at the crown of it. It was the first time they had come this far, without Parker interrupting them, and he savored the quick whimper Hardison couldn’t hold back as much as the brief, salty taste of him.
There would be time for this later, he knew, when he could take hours to do this properly, but not now.
Now, he had other things to take care of.
Like Parker, who watched him with wide, unblinking eyes.
He grinned at her and pulled her close against his chest, kissing her while guiding her to sit between Hardison’s legs and to lean back against his chest.
He pulled back just enough to start on Parker’s pants, working them open and over her hips without getting distracted by Hardison’s fingers fondling Parker’s breasts gently, as if she was the most delicate piece of computer equipment he knew. His mouth was pressing gentle kisses to Parker’s shoulders, and Eliot felt the coil in his torso tighten even more as blood rushed loudly in his veins, flowing down to his dick.
“We’re gonna make you feel so good,” he whispered as he leaned down, to lick at her navel and then further down.
Parker made a sound that was almost inhuman, a keening noise that made Eliot lift his head from between her legs to check if she was okay, but she was still flushed, her eyes blown, her lips bitten, and her nails clawed into Hardison’s forearms.
“Yes?” he asked.
Parker nodded, and he went back to what he had started, licking and kissing and pressing her legs apart to give himself more room.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when she shuddered against his tongue, the muscles in her thighs trembling and her breath escaping her in a squawk, but he estimated that it hadn’t been that long. He slowed the speed of his licks, but didn’t stop until she started squirming away from him, too sensitive to be touched for the moment.
Eliot leaned up on his elbows, then his hands, to kiss Hardison again, sharing her taste with him and making sure he was still with them.
“What do you think,” he murmured, his mouth close to Hardison’s ear, “you wanna fuck her while I fuck you?”
The thought alone was enough to make his mouth go dry, and judging from the look in Hardison’s eyes, he wasn’t the only one.
“Parker?” Hardison asked hesitantly.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Parker said with a wide, almost manic grin. She looked a little reckless, the same expression on her face she had when she was ready to throw herself off a roof. “We should totally do that.”
“Totally.” Hardison swallowed and closed his eyes briefly, and Eliot chuckled as he kneeled up and leaned over, to start digging through the drawers of the bedside table for condoms and lube.
“What are we waiting for?” Parker asked, at the same time Hardison wanted to know, “How are we going to do this?”
Parker slid out of his embrace and stretched out on her back. “I need a pillow,” she stated and poked Eliot with her toes. “Eliot, I need a pillow!”
He rolled his eyes, but tossed her one before resuming his search for condoms. He was sure that Hardison had remembered to buy some, otherwise, they would have to change their plans accordingly, and he wasn’t sure that either of them was patient enough for that.
“Come here,” Parker murmured behind him, her voice low and sure. The sheets rustled, and Eliot almost lost his patience when his fumbling fingers felt the familiar crinkling foil of a condom, quickly followed by a second one and an almost full bottle of lube.
When he turned back, Parker had pushed the pillow under her hips and had wrapped her legs around Hardison’s waist, holding him close to her while they kissed. Hardison’s back was slightly arched, his posture controlled by Parker’s heels, and seeing him like this did very interesting things to Eliot’s libido.
With a growl, he leaned over and bit down, on the fleshy part of Hardison’s ass, careful not to leave too much of a bruise.
Parker’s fingers tightened against the back of Hardison’s skull for a split second before she relaxed and expectantly held out a hand to Eliot.
There wasn’t much doubt about what she wanted, and he dropped one of the condoms into her palm and brought his attention back to the shift of muscles under Hardison’s skin, quick and fluidly as he squirmed in Parker’s grasp. He watched her shoulders move as her talented fingers worked between them, rolling the condom over Hardison’s cock, the sight hidden from him by Hardison’s body.
Suddenly, he couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to be part of that, wanted to fuck Hardison and watch Parker’s face over Hardison’s shoulder as he fucked her, wanted to kiss both of them and feel them pressed against his skin and hold them tight and never let them go.
It was an overwhelming feeling, and if either Parker or Hardison realized that his hands were shaking when he opened the lube and poured some over his fingers, they didn’t mention it.
He forced himself to go slow, to push in first one finger and then a second, ignoring the impatient squirming Hardison did that Parker’s grip on him couldn’t stop. He carefully stretched his fingers out, adding more lube and listening to the distinctive sounds of pain of distress.
When they didn’t come, he pulled back and rolled the condom on.
“Ready?” he growled.
“God, Eliot,” Hardison gasped, but Eliot didn’t give him the chance to say anything else as he pushed into him in one smooth slide.
The rush of blood in his ears was too loud for him to catch Hardison’s answer anyway.
“Eliot,” Parker said, wonder and needy lust mingling in her voice. “I can feel you in him.” She arched her back, wrapped both arms around Hardison’s broad shoulders and allowed Eliot to take her hands, tangle their fingers and hold on to her while he slowly sank deeper into Hardison’s welcoming and tight heat, pushing him down against Parker in the process, into her.
Someone made a quiet noise full of want and need, and he couldn’t make himself find out who it was.
It didn’t matter.
“You good?” he asked Hardison and plastered himself carefully against his back, touching as much of him as he could without putting too much weight on him and Parker.
“Am I good?” Hardison raised his head and rubbed his cheek against Eliot, his skin feverish hot. “I’m fantastic man, move!”
Eliot’s eyes found Parker’s again and held it, until he was sure that she was fine too, and that it was okay to continue, to pull out, take Hardison with him and then push back down again, his thrusts forcing Hardison into Parker.
It didn’t look as if he was complaining about it.
They set a rhythm that was not too slow and not too fast, that allowed Hardison to pull out of Parker far enough to make every thrust count, make both of them feel it in the best possible way.
Sweat started to form between Hardison’s back and Eliot’s front, on the inside of Parker’s knees where she was pressing them against their sides, her foot rising occasionally off of the mattress to slide along Eliot’s leg.
Without planning and without conscious decision, their thrusts sped up, reaching an almost frantic pace.
Eliot felt himself slide deep into Hardison, felt Hardison’s muscles flutter and tighten around him, and he thought about slowing down, about making this last, but his body disobeyed his command, twitching and straining and wanting, and he quickly realized that this was the kind of fight that he didn’t want to win.
He felt close to Hardison and Parker, too close for comfort, lust and arousal and every other emotion he felt for them winding together in a tight rope that pulled at his insides, but instead of painful, it felt different. It was too intense to be an entirely good feeling, but he knew that this was it.
He would do everything in his power to keep them safe and as sane as possible, and he would put his life down for them without hesitation, knowing – hoping – that they would do the same for him, that they felt the same for him.
He kept his eyes and ears focused on the two people under him, on the amount of weight resting against Hardison’s back, the speed of their thrusts, the little hitches Parker’s breath made when she started to get close, the flush that crept high on her pale face and down her chest, the whining at the back of Hardison’s throat, and when he was certain that both of them were getting close, he changed the angle of his thrusts, wormed a hand between them, and touched them, every piece of skin his hands could reach, both Hardison’s and Parker’s, his breath held as he watched them fall apart, straining against each other and his fingers, pressing close and crying out and leaving half-moon shaped imprints in his own skin where his and Parker’s hands were still tangled, holding on for all they were worth, anchoring them together and making sure none of them drifted away, not while they were like this.
Orgasm hit him with the blunt force of a carnival ride, taking his breath and awareness away and leaving him gasping desperately for breath, his hips twitching, his fingers holding on to Hardison, to Parker, with more strength than he could control.
When he became aware of his surroundings again, his forehead was resting against Hardison’s shoulder blade, his hair was a tangled mess in front of his eyes, and he was still breathing harshly, as if he’d gone ten rounds against a worthy opponent, but he felt like flying, endorphins and muscles heavy as lead making his mind swim and dull its razor-sharp edges.
“Eliot,” Hardison’s voice drifted up from under him, breathless with amusement and satisfaction, “Eliot…”
He didn’t need to say anything else. Moving slowly, sluggishly, he leaned up again, taking his weight from them.
His elbows and knees felt weak, trembling slightly as he pulled out of Hardison, making sure there was no injury and taking off the condom with fumbling fingers.
“I could take it,” Parker murmured sleepily as she rolled out from under Hardison and stretched languidly.
Hardison smiled and bent down to kiss her, then Eliot. He brushed Eliot’s hair out of his eyes with soft fingers and grinned at him, a fond, terribly open and vulnerable expression in his eyes.
“You just stay there, man,” he murmured as he sat up. “Let me…” He didn’t finish the sentence, simply walked off, and Eliot smiled as he turned his head to watch him leave, the limp Hardison couldn’t quite suppress distinctive and filling him with pride and love.
He had done that.
Parker curled herself against his side, warm and sweaty, and Eliot allowed himself to pull her closer with his arm around her shoulder.
He would get up in a minute, join Hardison in the bathroom, clean up a little, and make sure that nobody would surprise them tonight.
In a minute.
For now, holding Parker close was more important.
He started to drift off slightly, rousing only when Hardison came back with a wet washcloth and started to clean him up carefully.
They didn’t speak, not even Hardison, who usually couldn’t keep his mouth shut, even when he slurred his words together into an indecipherable mess from exhaustion or excitement.
Parker sighed as she pulled the sheet up around them. Her head was still resting on Eliot’s shoulder, and she twitched when Hardison climbed into the bed behind her. Eliot made a mental note – of course Parker wasn’t used to sleeping in the same bed as another person, not to mention two. She was less used to it than Eliot himself, who didn’t mind spending the night but never slept a lot.
He wouldn’t sleep a lot with the two of them next to him here, either, he knew that already, but for now, he allowed himself to settle, his breathing calm once again, his muscles relaxed.
He could doze a little, he decided, and later, when both Hardison and Parker had fallen asleep, he could sneak away and watch a little hockey. Hardison wouldn’t mind, and if he was right and Parker was as light a sleeper as he suspected, she would join him soon, and they could watch cartoons that were ridiculous and crazy.
Hardison’s arm reached out, to turn off the lamp, not asking any questions. Eliot turned his head slightly, smiling at him over Parker’s head.
Hardison grinned back.
“Hey,” he whispered, his voice pitched quiet. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Eliot exhaled slowly. “I’m good.”
It was, he realized, not a lie, not a half-truth, nothing but reality. He was fine right where he was, and he was sure both Parker and Hardison felt the same.
“Great,” Parker said, her voice bright and happy despite its obvious sleepiness. “That means you make waffles tomorrow for breakfast, right?”
Eliot growled, but it was a friendly growl.
Of course he would.
~end.
It was always an interesting experience, Eliot thought as he glanced down from the slightly raised stage at the crowd of people gathered around them, to watch his teammates in different environments.
This upscale bachelor auction was definitely right up Sophie’s alley, and she had done everything in her power to transform Parker from the ugly duckling into a beautiful princess.
Parker’s dark green dress only enhanced the porcelain-like paleness of her skin. She looked good, and if he didn’t know her and worked with her, Eliot was sure that he would at least try to hit on her.
Maybe.
But then, he knew Hardison as well, and he worked with him, but that hadn’t stopped them from trying to hook up, if not for Parker’s knack for interrupting them when things were just starting to get interesting.
The thing was, Eliot knew Parker. He knew how she ticked. Years of working side by side with her had taught him a thing or two about her, about how she saw the world and how she tried to operate in it, especially when she found herself in a situation she had no experience with.
Another sweep across the room revealed Nate at the back of the crowd, snapping pictures of couples and single women. Sophie was at the other end of the room, smiling her most convincing fake smile while talking to an older gentleman. Eliot’s trained eye dismissed him as threat almost immediately. If he tried anything funny, he was sure Sophie and her shoes would be more than able to deal with it.
He stepped up to the edge of the stage when his alias was called and smiled down at the crowd, focusing on one particular woman in a white, short dress who showed a lot of cleavage and leg. He deliberately kept his eyes up and looked her in the eyes while trying to tune out the details of his cover.
The less he was annoyed with Hardison, the better.
The bidding began, and things developed just as Eliot had expected and Nate had planned. The woman in white went along with his flirting and seemed adamant on outbidding everybody else and winning, when suddenly, a pale arm in the back shot up just as the host, who had taken the role of the auctioneer, seemed ready to close the bids.
“Parker, what are you doing?” Nate hissed, but Parker didn’t reply. She simply raised her hand again, and again.
The woman in white had a determined expression on her face as she raised her own bids, but Eliot started to recognize the look in her eye.
She wouldn’t go much further before dropping out.
Someone had to stop Parker before she ruined the entire con.
Turning slightly aside, as if he wanted to gloat to his fellow bachelors, Eliot clenched his teeth and snapped, “Parker! Don’t ruin the con, dammit!” without moving the muscles of his face.
He didn’t know if it was the tone of his voice, or the thunderous expression on Nate’s face as he made his way over to where Parker was standing, but when the auctioneer glanced in her direction again, clearly waiting for her to raise the bid again, she simply hunched her shoulders slightly and shook her head.
“And…sold, to the lady in the front!” The glee in the auctioneer’s voice was impossible to miss, and although the blood rushed loudly in Eliot’s ears, loud enough for him not to catch how much this woman was actually willing to pay for the right of what was basically a drink and a dance, he knew it was a lot of money.
He gave the woman his nicest smile and offered her his arm. He knew how to be a gentleman after all.
~*+*~
“Parker, what are you doing!” Sophie’s voice held more than a hint of frustration, which was the first thing that forced the majority of Eliot’s attention away from his date and to the stage area.
Hardison was up, he saw, the confident grin on his face a clear sign that he was using the same strategy as Eliot. He was flirting with a woman to his left and almost completely ignoring the pale arm in the dark green sleeve at the back of the crowd.
“Parker, the con!” Nate reminded her. He sounded baffled, Eliot thought, unsure as to what had happened to his plan but still busy adjusting things and trying to save the house of cards he’d erected around them.
“What?” Parker whispered back. “I have money! I can do this if I want!”
“Oh my.” That was Sophie, and Eliot found himself silently agreeing with her. Parker admittedly was a thief because she liked money, not stuff, and if she was willing to part with her money for Hardison, she had to be serious about it.
Him.
Both of them, he thought, uncomfortably aware of the fact that Parker had tried to outbid his current date as well.
He didn’t want to think too closely about what that meant, for him, for her, for the three of them, but before he could do just as much as blink, he could hear Hardison’s voice over his ear bud.
“Parker,” he said soothingly, “you know that this isn’t for real, right? Listen, you know that we will both come back to you, I promise you that. You believe me, right?”
Parker didn’t answer, but her hand didn’t shoot up again, and while the auctioneer finished off with his business and Hardison moved his long limbs down to the lucky woman who had won him in a way he probably thought looked sexy, Eliot was busy not freaking out about what Hardison had said.
About what he had just revealed to Nate and Sophie.
About the things Eliot would be more comfortable keeping under wraps.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it again. Suddenly, sweat started to prickle at his palms and along the line of his spine, and he felt hot and cold at the same time.
Things couldn’t be helped now, and he needed to focus on the con and make sure that at least the rest of it went according to plan, even if his heart and mind wasn’t in it.
He just had to get through the evening in one piece, and then he could deal with Hardison and his big mouth.
Eliot knew exactly how he wanted to deal with that.
And this time, he would not stop for anything. Not even for Parker, but if he read the situation correctly – and there was only one logical way to read it, in his opinion – she wouldn’t want him to stop anyway.
~*+*~
It was late when they finally managed to get away from the job. Eliot had been moving on autopilot for most of the job and he took a second to thank God that it had gone off without a hitch and without him having to fight anyone.
He suspected Hardison, who was twitchy and nervous in the passenger seat, twisting his fingers together and fumbling with his phone, his leg twitching up and down with nervous energy, felt similarly.
Without taking his eyes off the road ahead of him, he reached over and placed his own hand on Hardison’s knee, to still the jiggling before it annoyed him enough to snap at Hardison.
Hardison exhaled sharply, but he made an effort to keep still.
Eliot appreciated it.
“You think she’s safe? I didn’t see her there, in the end,” Hardison finally voiced what he was worried about.
Eliot gave him a small smile. “She’s fine,” he said. “Saw her slip out the back. She’s probably at home already, eating God knows what. Crazy girl.”
Hardison breathed a weak, tired laugh and turned his face away, to look out of the passenger side window at the lights flying by as Eliot navigated his way through the streets and toward Hardison’s apartment.
Eliot had been right. By the time they entered the apartment, Parker was already waiting for them. She was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest and her hair tumbling down her shoulders in gentle waves. She had changed clothes, out of the dress and into familiar and more comfortable black pants and a long-sleeved shirt, but she hadn’t bothered brushing out her hair.
Hardison smiled in relief when he saw her and sat down next to her without hesitation. Eliot hesitated and made a slow circuit around the place, to make sure all the windows were closed and nobody was lurking in the shadows, and to give the two a moment for themselves.
When he returned, Parker had plastered herself against Hardison’s side, her cheek resting against his shoulder, and was listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
Eliot shook his head fondly and went to the kitchen. If they were going to do this, they would need to talk first, that much was obvious, about boundaries and when it was okay to burst into a room and when not. And if he was honest, it was not a conversation he wanted to have without a drink in his hands.
He brought a glass of Parker’s favorite wine and a bottle of orange soda back for the other two and settled down on Hardison’s other side.
“So.” It was Hardison who broke the silence first. He had one arm wrapped around Parker’s shoulder and was holding her reassuringly close. “You wanna tell us what’s gotten into you there, girl?”
Parker shook her head slightly. A small frown had appeared on her forehead.
“Parker…” Eliot hadn’t meant his voice to sound so menacing, but Parker’s behavior had been frustrating him for a while now. He wanted answers, and he was used to getting them, one way or another.
“Okay, okay!” She pulled away from Hardison’s body and hunched her shoulders defensively. “I didn’t want these women to have their paws all over you!”
Hardison gave Eliot a long and slightly disapproving look.
“Oh for…Parker, you know it’s just for the job!” Eliot groaned and yanked a hand through his own hair.
“I don’t care if it’s for the job, or for charity, or whatever,” she replied sharply. “I don’t like it, okay? I…” She licked her lip and hunched her shoulders up even more. “I have money. I can have you.”
Eliot sighed. “It doesn’t work that way,” he said. “You can’t just…have people like that. Not for real, okay?”
Parker’s frown deepened. “But…” she said and bit her bottom lip. “But…”
“You can’t make people fall in love with you,” Hardison told her gently before looking at Eliot again.
“Oh.” Parker sounded lost, as if the whole idea was so incredibly strange that she hadn’t even thought about it properly. Knowing Parker, that was probably true. She was crazy, but, Eliot thought, a fierce wave of protectiveness and fondness filling him, she was their crazy girl.
Returning Hardison’s look with one of his own, he nodded slightly. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice pitched low and soothing. “You wanna know why?”
“Why?” She looked at him with wide eyes, and Eliot reached out and gently took her elbow, to pull her across Hardison’s lap and on top of himself. Not knowing how she’d react if he crushed her to his chest, the way he wanted to, to hold her there and protect her and keep her safe, he gently placed his hands on top of hers and pulled them to his chest.
Hardison made an encouraging noise next to them, and then, their lips met. Parker’s were soft and hesitant, but Eliot was patient and simply waited for her to process what was going on and get comfortable with the simple kiss.
Parker made a bewildered sound deep in her throat, but then, she kissed him back with single-minded focus and concentration. His eyes fluttered shut despite his best intentions to keep them open, to make sure she didn’t reach for any forks, but then she leaned more of her weight against his chest and her tongue brushed shyly against his lip.
He smiled and ran his hands down her forearms, over strong muscles and sinews, until he reached her shoulders. From there, he ran them down her back and let them come to rest on her hips while they still kissed.
“Not fair, man,” Hardison muttered next to them, his voice deep and rough with arousal. “Best show ever, but I want in.”
Eliot grinned as he gently disengaged his mouth from Parker’s and pulled back. For a split second, it looked as if Parker wanted to sway in his direction, follow his move and get him back to kissing her, but then, Hardison was close enough, and her attention was diverted.
They looked good together, Eliot decided as he watched them kiss, their skin a sharp contrast, Parker’s jerky movements smoothed out by Hardison’s hands on her face, guiding her and holding on to her. She was still kneeling astride Eliot’s body, twisted to the side to face Hardison, who was pressed against Eliot’s side, and all he needed to do was to reach out to touch both of them at the same time.
He did, brushing a calloused, broad hand under Hardison’s shirt, seeking warm skin and kneading it gently. His other hand gently came to rest on the curve of Parker’s hip, steadying her and making sure she wouldn’t slip off his lap while kissing Hardison.
They looked so innocent together, so young. Eliot swallowed against the tide of emotions rising in his chest that threatened to choke him.
This, he felt, was special. This wasn’t like any of his other conquests, and it hadn’t been for a long time now, not since the first time he’d found himself on Hardison’s couch, with Hardison sprawled over him and their tongues stroking gently against each other.
Hardison made a quiet sound that compelled Eliot to lean over as much as he could and lick at the side of his neck, pressing his lips there and sucking gently.
Parker made a shocked, soft sound that made something in Eliot curl up tight and tense with sudden want and other feelings he didn’t have a real name for yet, and then, Hardison’s lips were on his, surprisingly cool and soft, with a hint of teeth behind them as Eliot’s tongue was drawn into his mouth.
The position was less than comfortable, but neither of them cared as they traded kisses between them, and Hardison blinked at them slowly while Eliot and Parker tried to wrestle him out of his shirt.
Parker’s was next, and Hardison leaned closer to them as his lips trailed down her breasts, along the line of her bra, tongue flickering out teasingly and wetting the cotton while one of his hands found its way into Eliot’s hair, to tug and tease the long strands. The small pain wasn’t enough to distract Eliot, but the way arousal shot through his body at the touch, the weight of Parker’s body across his thighs, definitely was.
“We should move this,” Hardison said, his voice deep and his eyes heavy-lidded. “To the bedroom. Much more comfortable.”
Eliot nodded his agreement, and when Parker made no move to get up, he gave her a gentle shove that made her fall against Hardison’s legs with a giggle.
Hardison grabbed her under the arms and simply pulled her to her feet before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Come on, mama,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”
He held out a hand for Eliot, and for once, Eliot allowed the younger man to pull him to his feet and into the bedroom.
Their way there was hindered by Eliot and Parker trying to get Hardison out of his pants without making him stumble and break his neck, Parker sucking a bruise into Eliot’s shoulder and Hardison fighting with the clasp of her bra.
Finally, they tumbled in a giant, big heap onto the mattress. Pillows and clothes were shoved off the mattress, Hardison almost tumbled off as well if not for Eliot’s tight grip on his arm yanking him back to the middle of the bed where he rolled into Parker’s body, got a knee to his stomach for his trouble, and then, Parker kissed him again, deep and dirty, her tongue hot and slick and all her earlier hesitation forgotten.
Eliot didn’t have much time to enjoy the sight before he was pulled in again, Hardison spread alongside him and fingers on his fly, pressing the rough denim against his hardening cock and causing it to push even more against the stiff fabric and the teasing touch.
Blinking his eyes open, he watched Hardison work on the button and zipper while Parker made a soft sound and rubbed her fingers across Hardison’s chest, tweaking a nipple before turning half-around and licking a hot, wet path across Eliot’s sternum and down his stomach, until her head hid Hardison’s fingers from Eliot’s view.
He did his best to keep the soft grunts behind clenched teeth, but Hardison and Parker had come to a wordless agreement, at least for the moment, and had teamed up to tease him with teeth and tongues and hands until all he could do was pant and pull away from them for a moment to stop himself from coming too soon.
“Your turn now,” he said and smirked at Parker. He barely recognized his own voice, rough and deep as it was, and Parker shivered when she heard it. Her eyes were almost black with arousal, her hair tangled and wild, and Eliot had a sudden, quick vision of how he wanted this evening to continue.
“Hardison,” he growled. “Alec. Against the wall.” He watched hungrily as Hardison moved, long lean limbs scrambling until he was sitting against the headboard of the bed, his legs splayed out and his cock hard and wet at the tip, where it was laying against his stomach.
He couldn’t resist and crawled over, to dip his tongue into the slit at the crown of it. It was the first time they had come this far, without Parker interrupting them, and he savored the quick whimper Hardison couldn’t hold back as much as the brief, salty taste of him.
There would be time for this later, he knew, when he could take hours to do this properly, but not now.
Now, he had other things to take care of.
Like Parker, who watched him with wide, unblinking eyes.
He grinned at her and pulled her close against his chest, kissing her while guiding her to sit between Hardison’s legs and to lean back against his chest.
He pulled back just enough to start on Parker’s pants, working them open and over her hips without getting distracted by Hardison’s fingers fondling Parker’s breasts gently, as if she was the most delicate piece of computer equipment he knew. His mouth was pressing gentle kisses to Parker’s shoulders, and Eliot felt the coil in his torso tighten even more as blood rushed loudly in his veins, flowing down to his dick.
“We’re gonna make you feel so good,” he whispered as he leaned down, to lick at her navel and then further down.
Parker made a sound that was almost inhuman, a keening noise that made Eliot lift his head from between her legs to check if she was okay, but she was still flushed, her eyes blown, her lips bitten, and her nails clawed into Hardison’s forearms.
“Yes?” he asked.
Parker nodded, and he went back to what he had started, licking and kissing and pressing her legs apart to give himself more room.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when she shuddered against his tongue, the muscles in her thighs trembling and her breath escaping her in a squawk, but he estimated that it hadn’t been that long. He slowed the speed of his licks, but didn’t stop until she started squirming away from him, too sensitive to be touched for the moment.
Eliot leaned up on his elbows, then his hands, to kiss Hardison again, sharing her taste with him and making sure he was still with them.
“What do you think,” he murmured, his mouth close to Hardison’s ear, “you wanna fuck her while I fuck you?”
The thought alone was enough to make his mouth go dry, and judging from the look in Hardison’s eyes, he wasn’t the only one.
“Parker?” Hardison asked hesitantly.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Parker said with a wide, almost manic grin. She looked a little reckless, the same expression on her face she had when she was ready to throw herself off a roof. “We should totally do that.”
“Totally.” Hardison swallowed and closed his eyes briefly, and Eliot chuckled as he kneeled up and leaned over, to start digging through the drawers of the bedside table for condoms and lube.
“What are we waiting for?” Parker asked, at the same time Hardison wanted to know, “How are we going to do this?”
Parker slid out of his embrace and stretched out on her back. “I need a pillow,” she stated and poked Eliot with her toes. “Eliot, I need a pillow!”
He rolled his eyes, but tossed her one before resuming his search for condoms. He was sure that Hardison had remembered to buy some, otherwise, they would have to change their plans accordingly, and he wasn’t sure that either of them was patient enough for that.
“Come here,” Parker murmured behind him, her voice low and sure. The sheets rustled, and Eliot almost lost his patience when his fumbling fingers felt the familiar crinkling foil of a condom, quickly followed by a second one and an almost full bottle of lube.
When he turned back, Parker had pushed the pillow under her hips and had wrapped her legs around Hardison’s waist, holding him close to her while they kissed. Hardison’s back was slightly arched, his posture controlled by Parker’s heels, and seeing him like this did very interesting things to Eliot’s libido.
With a growl, he leaned over and bit down, on the fleshy part of Hardison’s ass, careful not to leave too much of a bruise.
Parker’s fingers tightened against the back of Hardison’s skull for a split second before she relaxed and expectantly held out a hand to Eliot.
There wasn’t much doubt about what she wanted, and he dropped one of the condoms into her palm and brought his attention back to the shift of muscles under Hardison’s skin, quick and fluidly as he squirmed in Parker’s grasp. He watched her shoulders move as her talented fingers worked between them, rolling the condom over Hardison’s cock, the sight hidden from him by Hardison’s body.
Suddenly, he couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to be part of that, wanted to fuck Hardison and watch Parker’s face over Hardison’s shoulder as he fucked her, wanted to kiss both of them and feel them pressed against his skin and hold them tight and never let them go.
It was an overwhelming feeling, and if either Parker or Hardison realized that his hands were shaking when he opened the lube and poured some over his fingers, they didn’t mention it.
He forced himself to go slow, to push in first one finger and then a second, ignoring the impatient squirming Hardison did that Parker’s grip on him couldn’t stop. He carefully stretched his fingers out, adding more lube and listening to the distinctive sounds of pain of distress.
When they didn’t come, he pulled back and rolled the condom on.
“Ready?” he growled.
“God, Eliot,” Hardison gasped, but Eliot didn’t give him the chance to say anything else as he pushed into him in one smooth slide.
The rush of blood in his ears was too loud for him to catch Hardison’s answer anyway.
“Eliot,” Parker said, wonder and needy lust mingling in her voice. “I can feel you in him.” She arched her back, wrapped both arms around Hardison’s broad shoulders and allowed Eliot to take her hands, tangle their fingers and hold on to her while he slowly sank deeper into Hardison’s welcoming and tight heat, pushing him down against Parker in the process, into her.
Someone made a quiet noise full of want and need, and he couldn’t make himself find out who it was.
It didn’t matter.
“You good?” he asked Hardison and plastered himself carefully against his back, touching as much of him as he could without putting too much weight on him and Parker.
“Am I good?” Hardison raised his head and rubbed his cheek against Eliot, his skin feverish hot. “I’m fantastic man, move!”
Eliot’s eyes found Parker’s again and held it, until he was sure that she was fine too, and that it was okay to continue, to pull out, take Hardison with him and then push back down again, his thrusts forcing Hardison into Parker.
It didn’t look as if he was complaining about it.
They set a rhythm that was not too slow and not too fast, that allowed Hardison to pull out of Parker far enough to make every thrust count, make both of them feel it in the best possible way.
Sweat started to form between Hardison’s back and Eliot’s front, on the inside of Parker’s knees where she was pressing them against their sides, her foot rising occasionally off of the mattress to slide along Eliot’s leg.
Without planning and without conscious decision, their thrusts sped up, reaching an almost frantic pace.
Eliot felt himself slide deep into Hardison, felt Hardison’s muscles flutter and tighten around him, and he thought about slowing down, about making this last, but his body disobeyed his command, twitching and straining and wanting, and he quickly realized that this was the kind of fight that he didn’t want to win.
He felt close to Hardison and Parker, too close for comfort, lust and arousal and every other emotion he felt for them winding together in a tight rope that pulled at his insides, but instead of painful, it felt different. It was too intense to be an entirely good feeling, but he knew that this was it.
He would do everything in his power to keep them safe and as sane as possible, and he would put his life down for them without hesitation, knowing – hoping – that they would do the same for him, that they felt the same for him.
He kept his eyes and ears focused on the two people under him, on the amount of weight resting against Hardison’s back, the speed of their thrusts, the little hitches Parker’s breath made when she started to get close, the flush that crept high on her pale face and down her chest, the whining at the back of Hardison’s throat, and when he was certain that both of them were getting close, he changed the angle of his thrusts, wormed a hand between them, and touched them, every piece of skin his hands could reach, both Hardison’s and Parker’s, his breath held as he watched them fall apart, straining against each other and his fingers, pressing close and crying out and leaving half-moon shaped imprints in his own skin where his and Parker’s hands were still tangled, holding on for all they were worth, anchoring them together and making sure none of them drifted away, not while they were like this.
Orgasm hit him with the blunt force of a carnival ride, taking his breath and awareness away and leaving him gasping desperately for breath, his hips twitching, his fingers holding on to Hardison, to Parker, with more strength than he could control.
When he became aware of his surroundings again, his forehead was resting against Hardison’s shoulder blade, his hair was a tangled mess in front of his eyes, and he was still breathing harshly, as if he’d gone ten rounds against a worthy opponent, but he felt like flying, endorphins and muscles heavy as lead making his mind swim and dull its razor-sharp edges.
“Eliot,” Hardison’s voice drifted up from under him, breathless with amusement and satisfaction, “Eliot…”
He didn’t need to say anything else. Moving slowly, sluggishly, he leaned up again, taking his weight from them.
His elbows and knees felt weak, trembling slightly as he pulled out of Hardison, making sure there was no injury and taking off the condom with fumbling fingers.
“I could take it,” Parker murmured sleepily as she rolled out from under Hardison and stretched languidly.
Hardison smiled and bent down to kiss her, then Eliot. He brushed Eliot’s hair out of his eyes with soft fingers and grinned at him, a fond, terribly open and vulnerable expression in his eyes.
“You just stay there, man,” he murmured as he sat up. “Let me…” He didn’t finish the sentence, simply walked off, and Eliot smiled as he turned his head to watch him leave, the limp Hardison couldn’t quite suppress distinctive and filling him with pride and love.
He had done that.
Parker curled herself against his side, warm and sweaty, and Eliot allowed himself to pull her closer with his arm around her shoulder.
He would get up in a minute, join Hardison in the bathroom, clean up a little, and make sure that nobody would surprise them tonight.
In a minute.
For now, holding Parker close was more important.
He started to drift off slightly, rousing only when Hardison came back with a wet washcloth and started to clean him up carefully.
They didn’t speak, not even Hardison, who usually couldn’t keep his mouth shut, even when he slurred his words together into an indecipherable mess from exhaustion or excitement.
Parker sighed as she pulled the sheet up around them. Her head was still resting on Eliot’s shoulder, and she twitched when Hardison climbed into the bed behind her. Eliot made a mental note – of course Parker wasn’t used to sleeping in the same bed as another person, not to mention two. She was less used to it than Eliot himself, who didn’t mind spending the night but never slept a lot.
He wouldn’t sleep a lot with the two of them next to him here, either, he knew that already, but for now, he allowed himself to settle, his breathing calm once again, his muscles relaxed.
He could doze a little, he decided, and later, when both Hardison and Parker had fallen asleep, he could sneak away and watch a little hockey. Hardison wouldn’t mind, and if he was right and Parker was as light a sleeper as he suspected, she would join him soon, and they could watch cartoons that were ridiculous and crazy.
Hardison’s arm reached out, to turn off the lamp, not asking any questions. Eliot turned his head slightly, smiling at him over Parker’s head.
Hardison grinned back.
“Hey,” he whispered, his voice pitched quiet. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Eliot exhaled slowly. “I’m good.”
It was, he realized, not a lie, not a half-truth, nothing but reality. He was fine right where he was, and he was sure both Parker and Hardison felt the same.
“Great,” Parker said, her voice bright and happy despite its obvious sleepiness. “That means you make waffles tomorrow for breakfast, right?”
Eliot growled, but it was a friendly growl.
Of course he would.
~end.