Page 24 of Puck Yes

As Gage wipes down the bar, he gives me a chin nod. “So, other than winning your game tonight, how’s your first week?”

Busy. Good. And frustrating. I home in on the latter. “Let’s see. I met a cute girl in the elevator. Flirted with her. Turns out I work with her.”

Stefan jerks his gaze to me with avid interest in his eyes.

10

FARMER STEFAN

Stefan

He might mean Parvati. Maybe he’s referring to the general manager, Violet. Or possibly the new yoga instructor, Briar. But if I know Hayes’s taste as well as I think I do, he’s keen on our new mascot.

But I don’t let on right away. I want to have some fun with this intel. After I take a drink of the ale and set it down, I shoot him a curious look. “Jessie? Really? I never pegged you for the type to go after the boss. But more power to you.”

Hayes rolls his eyes. “Yes. I flirted with the team owner in the elevator. That makes perfect sense.”

I clap his shoulder sympathetically. “She’s married, my man. Maybe best to shut that crush down?”

“Don’t think you fooled me right now. I know you know it’s Ivy,” Hayes says.

Well, cracking that case was easy. “Only because it’sthatobvious.”

Gage cackles as he sorts some glasses. “This I have to know. Tell me how Hayes made his new puppy-love crush known to everyone.”

Hayes drops his head to the bar. “Why did I come here?”

“Because it’s better than The Great Dane,” Gage says.

I let my jaw drop in over-the-top shock. “Those are fighting words.”

“I know and we’ll fight later,” Gage says, then turns his focus back to Hayes. “Now. Spill.”

Hayes lifts his face and turns to me, then Gage, looking dejected. “She’s feisty, she’s fiery, she’s funny. She likes gardening and standing up for herself. And she’s hot as sin. I’m starting to avoid my own building. I’ll probably have to live here soon just to resist her,” he says, gesturing behind the counter as Gage grabs some glasses from the dish rack.

“Cool, there’s a sleeping bag under the bar,” Gage says.

I take another drink, and already the wheels in my head are turning. This is better than I’d hoped for. This is fan-fucking-tastic. I had no idea he was into Ivy, but then I shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve always had the same taste in women.

Excellent taste.

“So, why not pursue her?” I ask, feeling him out.

Hayes grimaces. “An office romance is not a good look for the new guy. Besides, I should focus on hockey. Fitting in with the team.” I know that matters to him. He wants to find a place to call home, though he’d never put it in those terms. I want him to, as well. “But she’s…something else. We just vibed.”

That explains the moment I saw passing between them in the hallway the other day. A twinge of jealousy curls up in me. I want that spark with her too, but she was a little cool with me. Or perhaps just professional? I’m not sure where she stands with me or if she’s interested.

I’m the wild card here.

Hayes is into her. She’s into Hayes. I’m into her. Would she be into me the way I suspected at the calendar event? And if so, would she be interested in us sharing her?

It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve shared a woman in bed. Or even the second or third. But this is a delicate situation, being a workplace tryst and all. It’ll require finesse.

But, like I told her, as Number18, I’m up for the challenge. And I’m particularly savvy with these sorts of arrangements.

I draw a deep, satisfied sigh. At last, I have a project to keep me truly busy. Flirting with Ivy, feeling her out, and laying the groundwork for a special night where my friend and I can introduce her to the most mind-blowing sex there is.

Doubling her pleasure.

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