Page 45 of Consumed By Desire

“Your job is to make them care. Find the juiciest details that you can and do it fast. We need this and we need it now. Your deadline has been moved up, Elena. You better get on it because you’ve got to rewrite everything. Don’t include anything about their company other than the barest minimum of what it takes to introduce them our readers. Get it done now.”

I blink as she ends the call before I can even open my mouth to try to argue with her. This is the exact opposite of what I wanted. I can’t do that to the guys. I can’t get out of it either.

Chapter 20

Logan

The city flies by as the driver navigates deftly through the heavy traffic. Leaving the office earlier than usual in an attempt to miss the worst part of rush hour is working. Everything’s going smoothly and I feel good. Really good, for the first time in I don’t know how long.

My mind drifts back to the weekend, like it’s been doing all day. Time went by way too fast. Elena and I spent an entire day together. When she went out with Asher that night, I had Julian all to myself. I still can’t quite believe that the four of us being involved with each other in some way is actually working so smoothly, but somehow it is.

Julian doesn’t mind a bit that Asher and Elena and I have something going on. In a way I think he’s relieved that he can still spend most of his waking hours on his work but still have some time with me too. Elena’s enjoying being with Asher and I. Asher’s cool with it all too. Sometimes I have to make sure that I’m not dreaming the whole setup because if someone described all of this to me, I’d never believe it.

Especially the way it’s all becoming about more than just sex. I always wanted more than that with Elena, and now I can see things happening between the others too. Asher and I are getting closer. Even Julian lets his guard down occasionally. Now and then I catch glimpses of him being almost vulnerable.Little fleeting moments where he looks like he’s opening up to some feelings, right before his face snaps shut again.

The best part of the weekend was the end of it, where Elena and Asher and I all ended up in bed together.

All that was missing was Julian. I couldn’t help but want him tobe there too. He was engrossed in a virtual meeting with his lab tech. Even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have joined us.

We’re all so familiar with each other, everything’s easy and couldn’t be more normal. At the same time what we have is all still very new and there’s something fragile about it. It’s as if we’re all holding our breath sometimes and waiting for things to fall apart. So far so good and if I have anything to do with it, that’s how we’ll stay. I want to go on like we are forever.

Forever’s not something that ever crossed my mind with any girlfriend I’ve had before. The only constants in my life have been Asher and Julian, and that was different. This is so, so much more. They were never my boyfriends before.

I’m not entirely sure they are now, but it’s starting feel like it with Asher. We spend most of our time working so nothing’s really changed that much, except how it feels. I want to spend time with him as a boyfriend, not just a close friend anymore.

Julian’s a different story. I’m not sure he’ll ever want to be anything more than friends with benefits. As much as I love that, I want more. I can only hope he feels the same and someday he’ll become open to the possibility. I try to picture JJ kicking back and sipping coffee in bed like the three of us did on Sunday morning, just relaxing with all three of us, or even just me. It’s a fuzzy picture. I don’t know if it’ll ever happen.

Here I am skipping my end of the day workout just so I can get back to be with Elena and Asher. We’re going to have dinner tonight and Julian even agreed he’d join in too. I’ve already got a plan to pry him away from his work just in case he gets too caught up in it and tries to back out. Even if he’s not in the sameplace that I am, I want him to feel like he’s part of our daily life too.

“Thanks,” I say to the driver as he pulls up in front of the building. “See you later.”

I’m on my way up to our floor when my phone vibrates. It’s the chairman of the board. Unusual for him to call me at all, let alone outside of business hours.

“Something’s come up.”

The elevator closes in on me as he speaks in rapid, clipped sentences. His words hit me like bombs. “You’re not serious,” I say. Of course he is. Our chair’s nothing if not serious at all times. Especially about something like this.

“Logan,” he continues. “This is a catastrophe.”

My grip on my phone tightens. That’s the understatement of all time.

Chapter21

Asher

“Unbelievable. Are you absolutely sure?” I don’t have to ask. It’s not a joking matter, even for Logan. The look on his face tells me everything. Everything that I don’t want to know.

His face is grey. “Positive.”

“Say it again.” I need a moment to let the news sink in. The implications are enormous.

Logan presses his hands onto my desk as if he has to steady himself. “Everything’s about to get blown up. City Scan’s publishing a story about us and all of our relationships. The entire board’s spinning out over it. At least two of our major investors are almost certain to pull the funding they promised us.”

“They’re supposed to be a serious news magazine, not a gossip rag.” I rub at my forehead. “Their readership’s enormous. I can’t believe they would release some unfounded, irrelevant rumors. It doesn’t make sense. It’s as if they’re trying to cause a scandal.”

“I know.” Logan rubs at his temples. “It’s not on brand for them at all. I have no idea what they’re thinking.”

Julian clears his throat. He’s as horrified as Logan. “No,” he says firmly. “That can’t be. We can’t let it come out. How do we stop this?”

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