Page 1 of Room One Hundred and Twenty Nine

Chapter 1

Haruko

I have a crushon my bosses. All three of them. I have three bosses and for some fucked up reason, they all have to be handsome and nice.

Parker Kincaid. Nicholas Bateman. Elijah King.

Three men who have no business looking so good. And they all look good in different ways.

Parker is that boy next door kind of guy. Sweet, kind, with soft eyes and a charming smile. Parker’s the guy your dad likes, but would kick out of the house if he ever found out what you do in the bedroom. I can see it in his eyes. He has a kinky side. For sure.

He makes a lot of jokes with sexual innuendos, and while I laugh, I secretly get turned on, thinking he might be serious. Like when he made a joke about the length of a contract being as long as his dick. Sure, it might be inappropriate for a boss to make jokes like that, but Parker is different. He’s not creepy and knows when to joke around.

Nicholas has a similar vibe to Parker, but in an “older man” sense. If Parker is a golden retriever, then Nicholas is a German Shepard. Serious and playful. He’s my softball coach as well as my boss and I’ve seen the way he goes from dominant to easy going, depending on the situation. He’s got floppy dark hair that hangs over his forehead, deep chocolate eyes and a wicked smile that makes panties drop to the floor.

Then there’s Elijah. If he’s a dog, he’s a Saint Bernard. Big and grumpy. Makes me want to curl into his broad chest and snuggle. He’s stern and most of the time, he’s got a scowl on his face. I don’t see him much, which is probably good since I’m hanging on by a thread.

I want all three men to take me on a daily basis. But I’m friends with one of them. One is my boss. And I think one might not like me.

Elijah is my dad’s best friend, so he sees me as his friend’s kid. Thankfully, he didn’t recognize me at the interview, which means I didn’t get hired as a favor. I talked about my mom instead, not naming her, but I told them she is a real estate agent and she’s taken me on the job with her sometimes. It’s not the same thing as they do here, but I wanted them to know I’d learned something about the business.

Whatever me or my resume said, I got the job. I was so happy. I had just gotten out of college and was looking for literally anything. Any job. I wanted to start paying off student loans and really adulting. My parents seem to think of me as a child, but now, at twenty-four, having a house, bills, insurance and a job, they finally think of me as a grown woman.

I can’t believe that I got a job working for a multi-billion dollar company, but I won’t question my luck.

Parker comes out of his office, scratching his head, pulling at his neck as he frowns at the paper he’s holding.

“What’s wrong, Parker?” I ask.

He lifts his head and smiles. “Nothing,” he says.

I sigh. “Now don’t do that. I’m the assistant. Maybe I can help.”

He leans against my desk. His cologne hits me, and it makes my mouth water.

“I don’t know. How good are you at convincing someone to sell us their building?” He hands me the paper, and it’s the history of a building here in Seattle. It was built in the 1950s as a hotel. It hasn’t been touched since the 90s when the hotel shut down. Raymond Diamond bought it and so far, he’s done nothing to it. But given how many renovations and the money coming into that part of the city, it could be worth something.

“He’s not budging?” I ask, returning the paper.

“Unfortunately, no. I suspect he feels he could do something with that old hotel, but I’m not sure he has the resources to do it. I don’t think he’s a money guy. He wants to make something special.”

“What if you offer to collaborate on the building with him in exchange for partial ownership rights?”

Parker cocks his head to the side, his blue eyes lighting up. “I could try,” he says. “Thanks for the idea. I’ll talk about it with Nicholas and Elijah. See if they go for it. You know those guys, they’re not fans of negotiating. Especially Elijah.”

I nod my head, knowing full well what he’s talking about.

Thankfully, between the three guys, negotiations happen. Because without negotiation, there can be no successful business.

Parker gives me a wink and heads to Elijah’s office.

God, he’s pretty. I sigh, leaning against my fist. I scan his body, his broad shoulders, short dirty blond hair cropped close to his head, and a very nice ass. I once saw him come to the office from the gym and he was all sweaty with a tight T-shirt. It was so hot. I’ve never wanted to lick someone so bad.

That night, I imagined him fucking me against the wall of his office. His back muscles working, his butt clenching, his hands gripping me, his lips everywhere…

Something dings and I’m pulled from my daydream as Nicholas comes out of the elevator. He’s wearing a light blue dress shirt, a loose tie and slacks. He’s carrying a takeout bag from the restaurant down the street. Pulling out a sandwich, he hands it to me and says, “Pastrami on rye?”

I take it with a nod.

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