Page 39 of Grump and Grumpier

“Romance?” He smirks at this, irritating me yet again.

“Romance is a waste of time,” Jansen says, stepping closer and prompting Derek to make space for him.

“It doesn’t surprise me that you think that, but have you ever even read a romance novel?”

Both of them have their hands on me now.

Instead of answering my question, Derek asks another. “What’s the book about?”

I wasn’t expecting him to ask, and though I feel strongly about the value romance stories add to my life, I can already tell that describing my current read isn’t going to improve their opinions about the genre.

Hands slide up to my chest, and down to my thighs, and I know it won’t be long before I can’t even think straight. Why should I care what they think about the books I read?

“It’s about a woman who gets involved with a security guard, a coworker, and two male strippers.”

Derek’s hands pause as he stops to look into my eyes. “You mean, like a love triangle?”

I shake my head. “No, a polyamorous relationship.”

Jansen’s looking at me, too, though his hands continue to work the buttons on my blouse. “Male strippers? Is that what you fantasize about?”

No,I reply only in my head,lately I only fantasize about the two of you, even while there are so many book boyfriends available out there.

It turns out Jansen was right on the mark about stress relief, because as the two of them bow before me, all of my problems and irritations melt away like butter on toast.

They give me orgasm after orgasm, first with their hands and mouths, then each of them fucking me up against the wall until I turn into a ragdoll in their arms.

The whole encounter is as amazing as ever, but it also puts everything back in perspective. This is how things will be with these men—just sex, no cuddling, and definitely no romance, and not only is that okay, it actually makes things easier.

I may be getting a little bit addicted to their big cocks and their talented mouths, but these aren’t men I can fall for, and that’s exactly how it should be.

Despite my bosses’ unpleasant dispositions, most days, I find a lot of satisfaction in my job. As I head toward the halfway point of my employment atCommunity Bean, there are several opportunities to mentor people and help them thrive in their jobs, and I feel like I’ve been able to help the office function more smoothly.

I’ve put several of my employee satisfaction initiatives in place, filled multiple job openings, and found a woman with thick skin for the newly-created position of office manager.

The holiday season arrives, and at my urging, the CEOs give out bigger bonuses than they have in past years, much to everyone’s delight. Even though I’m not a permanent employee, they give me a generous bonus, too, and I’m excited to be able to buy extravagant gifts for my family and friends.

People in the office are generally in better moods throughout the month of December, and the season culminates with a little office party and a Secret Santa exchange on December 23rd, organized by the new office manager.

I received two more anonymous gifts of dolphin figurines over the past few weeks, and I’m wondering if the gift giver will reveal themselves on the day of the party, but it doesn’t happen. In fact, I don’t receive a dolphin that day at all, just my Secret Santa gift of a handmade scarf and hat from Jackie, who sweetly explained that she traded with Imani so she could have my name.

I’m hopeful that whoever was sending the anonymous gifts got the message that I’m not interested.

In addition to the lovely financial bonus, Derek and Jansen also offer me the week off between Christmas and New Year’s, and I happily accept. I use the vacation to spend time with my family, and to rest.

Marissa and I ask Stella if we can drive up to visit her and Jessie, but Stella says that it isn’t a good time. Reading between the lines, we get the idea that things are getting bad with her family situation, but there doesn’t seem to be much we can do about it.

Despite my concerns about Stella and her daughter, I enjoy my time off, though I do miss Derek and Jansen a little, especially in the evenings.

It’s not really them I miss, though—it’s just the hot sex.

CHAPTER 31

DEREK

After just one day off,on a holiday,my inbox is unreasonably full. There are a lot of junk messages and too many worthless “Happy New Year” greetings from vendors and other random companies.

It’s time for an “unsubscribe” spree, and I’m in the midst of that when my blood goes from ice cold to boiling in the time it takes to read a few lines.

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