Page 23 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“If I remember correctly from your file, you don’t have any allergies, right?” Aiden asks, and I freeze.
From my file? He can’t seriously be referencing the application Calantha had filled out for Club Rapture, right? He wouldn’t. Not in front of Kaleb. Fuck. What the hell is he thinking?
The blood drains from my face as I just sit there. Do I pretend I know which file he’s talking about? Do I just ignore it? Neither of those options sound appealing, and if I keep silent much longer, they’ll know something’s wrong.
“I confirmed with HR before we made the reservation. As long as you were honest in what you filled out at work, you should be safe to get whatever you want from the menu,” Kaleb tells us. My heart finally starts beating again as his words sink in.
Jesus. He meant my file at the office. I have to get my shit together, but my mind can’t quite seem to forget what happened, and instead of going on with my life, I am hyper focused on that one blissful night. Was there even an allergy section in the forms I filled out at work? I don’t remember it, but if Kaleb thinks there was, I’ll go with it.
Just then, the waiter comes back with a tray of drinks. The guys each got what I’m guessing is bourbon, based on the amber coloring, but it’s my glass that has me mesmerized.
“Wow, this is beautiful.” This isn’t just a drink, this is art. The liquid in the glass isn’t clear, which I expected because of the white cranberry juice. What I didn’t expect, however, was the gorgeous single ball of ice that appears to have a pink orchid trapped inside.
Before I have time to taste the striking drink in front of me, Aiden explains to the server that we’ll be ordering from the tasting menu. He only specifies one item, as does Kaleb, and I realize the rest of the menu is set and only the dessert has options. I also notice that of the two options, I only know how to pronounce one of them. Shit. I should have paid more attention when they were ordering. Guess I’m choosing the chocolate dessert.Woe is me, am I right?
After the server leaves, Kaleb grabs his drink and raises it in the air. “To salvaged deals and new beginnings.”
Aiden and I repeat his words as we lift our drinks, clinking them together before we each take a sip. The cool liquid hits my tongue, zapping my tastebuds with a tangy sweet concoction that packs a punch. Holy shit. How much alcohol is in this thing?
I make a mental note to take it easy on the booze, promising myself I’ll only order water after this. No need to stumble out of here and do something foolish. Nope. Around these two, I need to keep my wits.
“Is this a typical Saturday night for you guys?” I ask, hoping to keep them talking about themselves so that I don’t have to speak. Alright, fine. So I’m also curious about the answer. As much as I should probably keep things strictly professional, I can’t help but want to know more about them.
“Nah, not really. We never wanted to be those stuck-up adults who work all the time, so we try to keep our weekends free,” Kaleb says.
“Though we usually have some sort of function at least one or two weekends a month that we have to attend,” Aiden replies, and I picture them at lavish balls and soirees.
“Or stuck at the airport. Fuck, there was one time Aiden ended up stuck in Hawaii for two extra days because of this wicked storm.”
“Holy shit. Hawaii? I can think of worse places to get stuck.” My gaze moves from a smiling Kaleb to a less than enthusiastic Aiden. He opens his mouth to speak but Kaleb interrupts.
“This no-fun oaf did nothing except sit in a boardroom at the hotel.”
“There was a category four hurricane. I was lucky enough to have power and a dry place to stay.” Aiden rolls his eyes, and something about it tells me they’ve definitely been over this a few times before.
“Excuses, excuses.” Kaleb chuckles and leans his forearms on the table. “Back to your initial question. We usually try to relax as much as we can on the weekend. Go to the gym, watch a movie, visit family. Hell, sometimes I don’t even leave the penthouse.”
I laugh, knowing exactly what he means. I won’t lie, though. Part of me is a little shocked that they didn’t spend their weekends at the bar or on lavish dates with women. They are both incredibly attractive, so it’s not like it would be hard to find a companion. Maybe for Aiden, I suppose, if he frequently works at Club Rapture, though I can’t see how with his company. Something that feels a lot like jealousy churns in the pit of my stomach at that thought, but that’s ridiculous. So what if he spends his weekends pleasing women at a club? It’s not like I have any claim to him.
“How about you? How does Liliana Sinclair spend her weekends?” Aiden asks, his deep husky voice igniting a fire in my veins. His words hold a deeper meaning, or at least I take it as such, because he knows exactly how I spent my last Saturday night. Ravished by two strangers, and now here I sit at an expensive restaurant with yet another two men.Shit. Was this becoming a thing?
I focus on his words as they are because I can’t keep adding context to them on my own or I’ll go mad. “Definitely not at places like this, or anywhere else, really. I usually save Saturdays for house work and relaxing, and Sundays are a special day for my sister and I.”
“Special how?” Kaleb asks, leaning forward and giving me his undivided attention. I can’t pretend I don’t like it. Not when he looks at me like I’m holding the moon and the stars in my tiny palm. I shouldn’t like it, but just like everything else so far with these men, I just can’t help it.My little secret.
“It’s silly.” I take another sip of my Cosmo, trying to calm the sudden nerves surging through me.
“Even better,” Aiden says, leaning forward.
I’ve never told this story to anyone, and to be honest, no one’s ever asked before. It’s not like I make a lot of new friends, but even at my old job, nobody ever asked me about my personal life. The cautious pessimist inside me shies away at any notion of sharing such intimate details with my new employers. She urges me not to give them anything they can hold over my head later. But just like I did that night before Club Rapture, I push her down. It’s time I put a little trust in someone who isn’t myself or Calantha.
“Fine, but no laughing. Got it?” They both nod and immediately their faces lose all emotion. I chuckle, take a deep breath, and spill our embarrassing Sister Sunday details.
To my surprise, neither of them laughs, and instead they regale me with stories of their own. When they were in college together, they were the perfect students every day of the week, except on Saturdays. That was their day of junk food, laziness, and video games.
“When was the last time you spent a Saturday like that?” I ask, noticing the server on the other side of the room with a tray full of plates headed toward us.
“Shit. I don’t know. Seven years ago, maybe?” Kaleb looks at Aiden, who only shrugs, not knowing an exact date either.
