Page 29 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

“I don’t know what it will be like when we go back to Seattle.” I let the thought slip out as I grab another sandwich.

Marius gives me a curious look, while I briefly enjoy the idea of the two of us, naked and sharing breakfast. He’s been out of my reach for so long, I still can’t get used to us being like this.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“This foursome thing works beautifully up here. But how will we manage it further? I like where it’s going, I love how we are together…”

“Yeah, me, too. It’s different. Insanely fun. Intimate. Not like anything I’ve ever experienced, to be honest,” Marius admits.

“Right?” I can’t help but smile. “It’s crazy and wonderful at the same time. And so far, we seem to have succeeded in compartmentalizing our relationship… but we’ve passed another threshold up here in Chappaqua, so I wonder… how will we fare in Seattle?”

Marius thinks about it for a moment. “We could just keep it simple and take it one day at a time. We did agree that our foursome should be strictly physical. We keep our expectations low and see where it leads.” He pauses to give me a long, intense look. “It doesn’t mean I plan on letting you go anytime soon, Shay. You and me, we’re a different thing altogether.”

“Are we?” Why do I sound surprised? I’ve been crushing on this man so hard for so long, after all.

“Of course. Don’t you think so? Or am I delusional?” he asks, and I’m compelled to shake my head.

“No, definitely not delusional. I guess I’m just always expecting something to go sideways or horribly wrong. My past experiences haven’t been indicative of great things being great for too long.”

“This isn’t that,” he says, and it instantly makes me feel better.

He looks like he’s got some thoughts of his own on his mind, so I ask. “What’s up?”

“Just some work stuff. I know we aren’t supposed to be talking about it here, but…”

“No, tell me,” I say, reaching out for him.

Marius’s gaze softens as he covers my hand with his. “You know my frustrations about the reception staff already. I’m just worried I’m going to reach a boiling point where I will simply start firing people left and right and be done with it.”

“What happened?”

“I was checking my emails earlier.”

“Earlier when I was in the shower, missing you?”

He gives me a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” I laugh lightly. “You’re never too far from your work, no matter how hard you try. I know what that’s like and I totally get it. So talk to me.”

“It’s just… I got an email from the accountant, and it’s not looking good. There’s a significant loss on the drinks stock, way more than it should be, and none of the reception staff seem to know how it happened.”

My brows furrow slightly. “How can they not know? They work the reception desk. They sell the drinks, the supplements, the gym passes… That’s not a reasonable answer.”

“Right. I agree. The point is, if Richard hears about it, he’ll be pissed.”

“Shit.”

The last thing we need is to give Richard one more reason to consider pulling out of the gym at a time when we need him the most.

Marius takes a deep breath and a sip of his coffee, his eyes searching my face. “I don’t know what to do about this, how to approach the issue with the reception staff without firing all three. It’s not even the first time, as you remember.”

“How much of a loss are we talking about?”

“About a grand.”

“Last time it was two grand, right?”

He nods once. “Yeah.”

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