Page 19 of Office Affairs

I scoffed. “Oh, come on. I’m not that naive.” Was I? I wanted to have sex with them, sure. But falling for them? As in love, no. I had my heart firmly in hand. Said heart gave a little lurch when I shut down the idea of love. That had never been in the cards for me. I wouldn’t be ridiculous enough to think that the three of them would look twice at me after they’d gotten their fill.

That was all I wanted. Hot, passionate sex. I could take what I needed this weekend and come back to work on Monday without hesitation. Watching Dad through the years taught me how to separate business and pleasure and how combining them could be detrimental to a company.

Miranda stared at me, her dark eyes unblinking. “Are you sure? Because from where I’m sitting, you’re on the edge of falling right into their laps.”

Heat raced into my cheeks. “It’s not like that.” I pitched my voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry. It was exactly like that. I was asking my best friend to watch my son while I spent the weekend getting fucked into blissful oblivion. God, I hoped that’s what Russell planned. If it turned out this was a legit work weekend, I was going to be pissed. I’d do my job, but I wouldn’t be happy about it.

What was it about them that made me willing to throw my good sense right out the window?

“Fine.” Miranda sat back and crossed her arms. “Keith can stay with me. But I want daily check-ins.”

“It’s not like they’re going to kidnap me.” I rolled my eyes, but a thought bloomed in the back of my mind. Not a kidnapping, but I wouldn’t mind a blindfold and some sexy playtime. Good grief. I needed to get a handle on my libido. I’d already put myself in a precarious situation by agreeing. Remembering the look in Russell’s eyes sent a burst of heat into my core. He wanted me. Chase did too. I’d caught the lingering looks he shot my way during meetings. I liked them. More than I should and more than was healthy. But damn if it didn’t feel good to be wanted. They noticed me, watched me. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten that kind of attention, but it was the first time I’d reciprocated.

My one night with Chase proved I’d been missing out all these years by sleeping with boys. I needed a man like Chase. A man who knew what he was doing, with enough skill to make me come multiple times before he found his own release.

Miranda waved a hand in front of my face and snapped her fingers. “Wake up, girl.”

“What?” I batted her hand away.

“I asked what time you’d drop Keith off at my house?”

Oh. Damn. I’d have to talk to Russell and work out the details. Such a tragedy to have to talk to him again. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “I’ll text you later and let you know.”

I’d put myself in a damned dicey situation. How was I supposed to balance my job, my messed up family life, raising Keith, and my seemingly insatiable lust for my bosses? I tried to justify leaving Keith behind this weekend. I hated the idea, but under no circumstances could I risk Keith saying something that would give me away.

The bonus Russell offered was my salvation. With that, I’d have almost enough saved up to move if Bailey really did kick me out of my apartment. I had no choice but to accept his offer.

I filled Miranda in on Bailey’s latest antics and enjoyed the look of consternation that tightened her eyes. “That bitch.”

“Exactly. She thinks she has me trapped, that I’ll have to come beg her to let me stay. I won’t do it.” A riot of anger twisted in my gut. “I won’t let her hold this sword over my head. That’s why I have to go this weekend. I have no choice, I need that bonus.”

Miranda gave me a look like she thought I’d gone crazy. I didn’t exactly blame her. It did seem too good to be true.

“I have no choice,” I said again, hoping that this time I’d believe it.

Why did it feel like a really bad idea?

11

CHASE

What was Russell thinking closing the office? “This is unnecessary,” I said it because I should, even as I tossed the keys to the valet and tipped the man loading our luggage onto a cart.

Heat zapped all the moisture from the air and pressed in on me until I unbuttoned my top button and yanked my tie loose. The three of us looked like a regular bunch of asshats standing around in our three-piece, custom-tailored suits as we stood on the sidewalk outside our hotel.

People eyed us in passing, scouring our faces for any hint of recognition. It wasn’t uncommon to run into a celebrity or two when we stopped here. I had my mind on other things today.

Russell smirked at me and pushed his sunglasses further up his nose. “We’ll see.” His head swiveled toward Sabrina as Garrett held out his hand and helped her from the car. “Sometimes you have to take a step back to see what’s right in front of you.” He slapped me on the back. “This is that step.”

“You can’t just close down the office,” I growled my frustration, running a hand through my hair. “How are we going to catch anyone if we’re not even looking?” My sexual needs didn’t matter in the great scheme of things. What good was sex if I lost my business, my livelihood? Although, sex with Sabrina might make me want to risk it.

Russell shrugged. “It’s for a good cause. We need this. If we’re going to get anywhere on finding our thief, we need to be able to look at the whole picture without getting sidetracked.”

Sidetracked. Right. Like any of us could focus with Sabrina around. As though she felt us watching her, Sabrina ran her hand down her ass and slid her fingers into her back pocket. Fuck it. He was right. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her in the weekly meetings. And seeing her hand in Garrett’s had my mind spinning out of orbit. I wanted to yank her away from him and take possession for myself. “So this isn’t a real work retreat?” I dragged out the words, forcing Russell’s attention back to me.

“That depends on Sabrina and what she wants. We’re paying her for a real work retreat.” His jaw ticked and he pocketed his hands with a deep inhale.

God help us all if she said no. I’d been thinking of her—dreaming of her—since she left my bed.

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