Page 20 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
But it’s not just the picture of Kaleb feasting on me that’s playing out in my mind. Someone else keeps popping up too. Aiden, watching us through the glass. What would he do if he found us like that? What would Kaleb do?
Fuck. Club Rapture spoiled me. Now I couldn’t find two men attractive without automatically hoping they’d share me. How was I supposed to move on?
Veering off into the bathroom, I splash cold water on my face to stop my thoughts from racing. All week, he’s been a beacon of light in the office. Someone who made me feel valued, whose mere presence didn’t make me nervous, like with Aiden. And if I wanted that comfort with Kaleb to continue, I had to get my mind firmly out of the gutter and focus on my job. On taking care of Calantha and putting myself first more often.
Once I get my shit together, I head to my desk. Kaleb sits alone in his office with a thick stack of papers in front of him. Whatever has him transfixed allows me a moment to study him. His curly brown hair is neatly styled, though I bet if he didn’t keep up with regular haircuts the curls would become unruly. I wonder what it looks like in the morning. Do the curls stay intact, or does it become a frizzy mess?No. It doesn’t matter what his hair does in the morning, Lil. He’s your boss.
He glances up then, his lips curving into a dazzling smile.
Shit. The way he looks at me brings me dangerously close to lusting after him all over again.Okay, fine. So what if my nipples pebble beneath the weight of his stare? It doesn’t mean I’m going to do a damn thing about it.Shaking my head, I grab a notebook and pen, then stride into his office.
“You wanted to see me?”
“I did. How was lunch with your sister?” He closes his laptop and pushes away the stack of papers, giving me his undivided attention.
“It was great. We went to this little taco joint a few blocks over, and it was better than I expected.”
“Macho Taco?”
“Yes. Have you been?”
Instead of Kaleb answering, Aiden’s smooth voice sounds behind me.
“We have. It’s maybe third on our list, after Los Tacos No. 1 and Ponche Taqueria,” he replies, entering the room and handing me a smoothie. “Here. Kaleb told me you really liked this one.”
“Thank you. I-I really appreciate it.” As much as I spoke the truth, because it really was sweet, I couldn’t help but feel put on the spot. It would have been fine if he’d brought everyone smoothies. But he didn’t, and now it’s like there’s a neon sign over my head that reads ‘I fucked your friend once.’ Kaleb can’t find out that Aiden and I knew each other before this, even if only for one night. Fuck!Ugh, stop overthinking, and enjoy your damn smoothie. He’s more likely to figure it out if you start acting weird. Get your shit together, girl.
I set it down on the small table beside me, not bothering to take a sip just yet. “How was your trip?”
Instead of going to his desk, Aiden sits his ass on the side of Kaleb’s desk with all the confidence of a man who gets shit done. It almost makes me smile to witness how Kaleb reacts, or his lack of a reaction, I should say. He doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest, as if it’s normal for Aiden to perch there. Not for the first time, I wonder how these two became friends. In some ways, they’re so similar, but in others, they seem miles apart.
“It could have been a disaster if you hadn’t saved the day.”
He gazes at me with such intensity, it’s as if he can see past my clothes and the walls I’ve built up inside myself to the very core of my being. It’s unnerving. “Seriously, it was nothing. I’m just glad it worked out.”
“It wasn’t justnothing, Liliana. Thanks to you, Allegiance Medical has agreed to sign with us, exclusively. Apparently, the gift basket you sent went a long way in securing favor. We’re hoping you’ll agree to assist with more clients in the future.”
“That you saved them from possibly dying of anaphylactic shock would have gone a long way too, I’m sure. But we’ll keep that as our little secret,” Kaleb adds with a wink.
I nod, a blush heating my face along with a sense of satisfaction. This job, it felt like home, and despite whatever complicated feelings I might have for Aiden and Kaleb, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’ll fight my lust and desire every damn day for the chance to stay.
“I think this calls for a celebration. Dinner tomorrow night. What do you say?” Kaleb asks, his eyes bright with excitement.
“No, no. You guys don’t have to do any of that, really,” I hedge, not liking all the attention.
“Kaleb only worded it as a question for your benefit, but we’ve already booked the reservation,” Aiden says, his voice so stern and commanding that I can’t stop my pussy from clenching.Shit. I really can’t go to dinner with these two.
“He’s right,” Kaleb replies, stepping from around his desk so that he can sit against it in front of me. “We’ve been trying to secure a contract with this company for the better part of a year. This is a huge win for us, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Please say you’ll come.”
My eyes travel between them, from Aiden’s deep gray gaze to Kaleb’s electric blue one. Inside my head, I can practically hear Calantha scream ‘just say yes!’, so I pull up my big girl panties and nod.
“Perfect. We’ll email you the details.” Aiden stands and strides toward his desk, taking his laptop from the bag on the chair and opening it.
“Now, for the initial reason I wanted to meet with you. If you recall, I mentioned special events in your interview.” Kaleb goes back to his seat and pulls out a piece of paper from the top drawer. He hands it to me, and I glance down at the elegant script on the thick cardstock.
“A charity gala?” I ask, looking up at him.
“You’d be surprised how many functions we have to go to, though they’re usually much less formal. We’ve secured a company table and would like for you to join us. Think of it less like a social function and more of a work thing. There will be plenty of people from the health sector there that you should meet.”
