TWO BOSSES

ELLE EVERTON

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 Contents

Copyright

TWO BOSSES: MMF Bisexual Romance

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30

Also by Elle Everton

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

About the Author

Copyright © 2016 by Elle Everton

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use
of brief quotations in a book review.
 TWO BOSSES: MMF
BISEXUAL ROMANCE

Best friends, business partners,

billionaires. Two men used to getting
what they want – until they want the
same woman.
Rob Avondale and Liam Bradley are on
top of the world – a billion-dollar
company, a lifelong friendship, chiseled
good looks, and a reputation as some of
the city’s most eligible bachelors. They
have it all – and they certainly don’t
intend to give it up by falling in love.

Especially not with the same woman.

Curvy twenty-something Adelaide

Williams is the reigning queen of bad
decisions. Fired from her last job and
dumped by her fiancé, she’s now
determined to make the best of her new
temp job as a secretary at Avondale &
Bradley. No screw-ups, no mouthing off
– and no falling in love with the boss.
 And definitely not with two bosses.

Despite their best intentions, Liam and

Rob find their feelings for Adelaide
deepening, and in a moment of passion, a
thrilling new possibility presents itself –
one that just might offer up more than any
of them have ever dreamed of. But can
they convince Addie that being with
them is more than just another bad
decision?

Two Bosses is a super-steamy

standalone MMF bisexual menage
romance with explicit scenes of MF,
MM and MMF.
 HEA Guaranteed.

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bonus chapter!
 CHAPTER 1

A D EL A ID E

Y ou know how sometimes you

watch a movie or read a book, and
the main character has no idea why she’s
so unsuccessful in life and love? Like,
just no clue, even when it’s painfully
clear to the audience that she’s an Ice
Queen or a Bimbo or just a Naive Twit?
Well, that’s not me. I am one hundred
percent aware of all my flaws. I stare
them down multiple times a day.
In no particular order, they are:
1. Big ass
2. Big mouth
3. Terrible choice in men
Actually, the first flaw isn’t so bad.
It admittedly turns off certain men but
usually only the ones I don’t care about.
Although it does make it hard to buy
jeans. Very hard. Tears-in-the-changing-
room hard.
The second flaw, my big mouth, is
probably what led to me being fired last
week. Apparently calling your boss a
limp-dick moron in front of the video
conference with the Japan office is a
career limiting move. Or in my case, a
career ending move. I’m not too broken
up about it because I hated that job
anyway, but the weekly pay check was
sort of an important part of my whole
‘not being homeless’ plan.
The third flaw, my terrible choice in
men, is undoubtedly what led to my
fiancé leaving me for his yoga instructor
last month. But really, that one’s on me.
Who agrees to marry a guy named
Willow? I was practically begging for
this to happen, right? I should have
walked away the moment I realized he
looked better in yoga pants than I did.
See what I mean? Terrible choice in
men.
My fourth flaw is what got me here
tonight.
“Bottoms up,” Daphne shrieks, as
we both throw back another vodka shot.
Oh, did I forget to mention my fourth
flaw? It’s being easily talked into doing
incredibly stupid things. Like getting
trashed on a Monday night at a bar in the
downtown financial district. A bar filled
with arrogant suits with watches bigger
than my face. These men definitely like
drunk women but I can guarantee they do
not like drunk women like us. Daphne
and I are too big, too loud, too
unpolished for this bar, but we ended up
here because she thought it would be a
good place for me to network.
 Network.
After six vodka shots.
Obviously that was a good idea. And
obviously I went along with it because:
see flaw number four.
I cringe as the drink hits the back of
my throat. So far I’ve been able to
restrain myself from talking to anyone in
here except Daphne and our waitress,
which is probably for the best. But as
I’m trying to shake off the burn in my
throat, I look around and see a man in a
suit staring at me.
He looks hot, but I can’t tell if that’s
reality or just the vodka talking.
“Daph,” I kick her under the table.
“Ten o’clock. Yay or nay?”
Daphne, subtle as she is, spins her
head around wildly. When she looks
back at me, she’s cringing.
“Oh God, Addie, I don’t know
whether to buy you another shot or cut
you off.”
“So ... nay?”
“Big nay, honey. Big nay.”
I glance back at him again, squinting
to try to see what Daphne sees. He still
looks okay to me — a little short,
maybe, and a little big in the nose area.
He’s smiling at me and part of me
considers getting up and going over there
to talk to him, but then I remember flaw
number three. Horrible taste in men.
Maybe I’ll just rely on Daphne’s call
on this one.
I look around the bar to see what
else looks appetizing, because by this
point I’m kind of drunk and horny as
hell. Everyone in here seems to look the
same. Dark suits, receding hairlines, red
faces. Are they red from the drinking or
from the perpetual anger issues? Tough
to say.
It’s mostly men, but the women in
here aren’t much different. They don’t
have receding hairlines but instead have
their hair cut in neat, practically
geometric layers, and they wear white
shirts starched into oblivion. They’re all
in groups, sitting at hightop tables and
trying to talk over one another.
In contrast, Daphne and I are nestled
into a rare booth. We’re at least ten
years younger than most people in here
and we’re both wearing actual colors —
she’s in a purple top that shows off the
girls and I’m in my favorite red dress
because it makes me feel sexy and
confident and I needed that tonight. We
probably have on more eye makeup than
all the women in this bar combined.
We’re also laughing too loudly and we
dance in our seats every time a song we
like comes on over the speakers.
Oh, plus we’re doing shots. So
we’re getting a lot of stares, and unlike
the guy who was checking me out
earlier, most of them are not so
approving.
Oh well.
“I have to pee,” Daphne announces.
“Thanks for sharing.”
 She scoots out of the booth —
awkwardly, because that’s how we do
everything — and makes her way to the
bathroom.
Alone in the booth, I take out my
phone. I would never admit this to
Daphne, but I keep hoping I’ll hear from
Willow at some point. That he’ll tell me
this has all been a huge mistake and the
he really wants to be with me and not
that yoga bimbo, Janine.
I realize there is about a zero percent
chance of this happening. I also realize
that even if it did happen, I’d be a moron
to take him back. But the hurt part of me
can’t help hoping it’ll happen anyway.
Maybe that’s flaw number five.
Eternally optimistic, despite all
evidence to the contrary.
After I check my phone and realize I
have nothing of interest, I start scanning
the bar again. The guy who’d been
checking me out is nowhere to be found
and I feel a small pang of
disappointment. He was my ace in the
sleeve in case everything else went tits
up tonight — which at this point, it kinda
seems like it is. No cute guys, nobody
swooping in to offer me a job, not even a
single free drink sent our way. Is that
even a thing that happens in real life?
Not to me, obviously.
As my eyes flit across the crowd,
they come to rest on a pair of shoulders I
hadn’t noticed before. They’re nice
shoulders, great shoulders, encased in a
dark grey jacket. The owner of said
shoulders is sitting at the bar and has his
back to me, so I can’t see much else, but
the jacket is slim cut and shows off the
fact that those shoulders taper into a
strong back. He has dark hair that’s a bit
mussed. From where I’m sitting I can
just make out a sliver of his arm. Nice
big watch — I swear they must hand
those out at the door because everyone
here seems to have one — and a strong
hand holding onto a neat glass of what
I’m willing to bet is scotch.
He looks … tasty. That’s the only
word I can think of at the moment,
mostly because I’m drunk and horny and
he looks like the complete opposite of
my ex and that’s exactly what I want
right now. Willow hated these kinds of
men. He would probably picket a bar
like this in protest, raging about how all
these suits were ruining the world with
their corporate greed or whatever.
Thinking of Willow reminds me of
flaw number three though — horrible
taste in men. There’s no point going over
there to talk to Mr. Shoulders when he’ll
inevitably just turn out to be a jerk. Once
burned, twice shy, as they say.
Or in my case, a hundred times
burned, finally starting to wake the fuck
up and shy away from that shit.
Daphne comes back to the table.
“My turn,” I tell her.
As I make my way to the bathroom, I
can’t help but sneak another peek at Mr.
Shoulders. Fortunately (or unfortunately,
depending on how you see it), he looks
as good from the front as he does from
the back. He’s handsome, with a strong
nose and a chiseled jaw and the perfect
amount of stubble. He’s sitting all by
himself at the bar and there’s an empty
seat beside him and for half a red hot
second I consider sitting down next to
him and striking up a conversation.
While I’m entertaining that daydream
I walk straight into the waitress. The tray
of drinks she’s carrying nearly goes
flying out of her hands but somehow,
between the two of us, we manage to
keep it upright. That doesn’t stop her
from glaring daggers at me.
“Sorry,” I say, embarrassed.
 She’s kind enough to smile then, at
least a begrudging exhausted sort of
smile.
“It’s okay — this corner is the worst.
Zero visibility. Just be careful.”
I find the bathrooms. I’m grateful that
this bar is fancy enough that it has
singles bathrooms so I don’t have to
worry about someone overhearing me in
the next stall. Once I’m in the bathroom
with the door closed, I take a moment to
collect myself.
I realize that, while I’m not as drunk
as I thought I was, I’m also not as okay
as I thought I was. The events of the past
couple of weeks haven’t really caught up
to me yet. Losing my job and my fiancé
— my whole future — in the same month
has been devastating, but I’ve been going
through the past few weeks on auto-
pilot.
Everything’s fine, same as always.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
That’s what I keep telling everyone.
It’s too embarrassing to admit that my
life is this much of a disaster.
I mean, look at my sister Sarah. She
has the perfect life — a doting husband,
a beautiful house in Westchester, and a
baby on the way. Everything seemed to
fall into place so effortlessly for her.
Her life worked out exactly the way it
was supposed to.
Me, on the other hand? I’ve been on
this planet for twenty-seven years and I
have virtually nothing to show for it
except a snarky attitude. I don’t even
have a damn cat.
Of all things, it’s the thought of the
cat that does it to me. A cat would be
nice. A cat would be something. She
would be black and named Coco, she
would keep me company when my five-
hundred-square-foot apartment felt too
big and too lonely.
Suddenly I’m tearing up, right there
in the bathroom at Clinton’s. I feel like a
failure — at life, at love, at work, even
at non-existent cat ownership.
I let myself have a moment but
eventually I brush the tears away and
shake my head. Enough. This bathroom
wallow-fest isn’t getting me anywhere. I
go to the sink and wash my hands, splash
some cold water on my face. I grab my
compact out of my purse and dab it
around my eyes so that I don’t look like
the crazy drunk lady who’s been crying
in the bathroom, even though I kind of
am. A touch of lipgloss. A sweep of
mascara.
Once I look presentable enough to go
back out into the bar, I swing the door
open. I come out around the corner and
…
Crash face first into someone.
Not just someone.
Mr. Shoulders.
I’ve slammed into him in exactly the
same spot I ran into the waitress earlier.
Except that time, she managed not to
spill the drinks she was carrying.
 This time, we’re not so lucky.
The glass he’s holding goes flying,
spilling scotch all over both of us.
I look up at him in horror, but then it
hits me how hot he is, how absolutely
fucking gorgeous. Deep brown eyes,
tanned skin, a jaw that could cut
diamonds. Pillowy lips that you could
just imagine … well, you could imagine
doing quite a few things with those lips.
Of course, there’s also the fact that
he’s absolutely enraged right now,
standing there dripping scotch.
Grrrrreat.
 CHAPTER 2

ROB

“J esus Christ. Jesus fucking

Christ.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!”
Scotch drenches the front of my shirt
and the sleeve of my jacket. I don’t know
whether to be more upset about the suit
or about losing a glass of forty-year-old
Glenfidditch. Damn, that was a good
scotch. I can’t believe this clumsy bitch.
As if I needed this on top of everything
else that’s happened today.
Of course, losing a two hundred
dollar glass of scotch doesn’t quite
compare to losing a ten million dollar
contract, but still. I’m pissed. I shake my
hands, sticky droplets flying, trying to
get the worst of it off of me.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I
glare at her. I’m surprised to find that
she doesn’t flinch. That same glare has
brought down many a woman (and man,
for that matter, at least in the
boardroom.) Just today I reduced our
secretary to tears. It was so bad she
actually quit.
Of course, I was going to fire her
anyway, so that actually worked out
well. For me, at least.
“I said I was sorry,” she snaps. “It
was an accident.”
“You’ve still ruined a perfectly good
suit,” I point out.
She has the audacity to roll her eyes.
“Maybe try dry cleaning, like the rest of
the human population.”
God, she has a smart mouth. I watch
as a dribble of my very expensive scotch
runs down her chest and into her
cleavage. My cock twitches at the sight
of it.
Hey, I might be covered in scotch,
but I’m still a man. And she’s a woman.
And what a woman she is. Damn. I
take a second to fully appreciate the
view. Tight red dress and curves for
miles. Not usually my type — her hair is
long and flows down over her shoulders
in dark waves, and she’s spilling out of
that dress in all kinds of places. I usually
go in more for the Met gala type than the
Hooters type, but there’s something
about her.
Even with that smart mouth.
She reaches in to her purse for
something and I almost laugh when she
pulls out a handful of Chipotle napkins.
She moves closer to me, trying to dab at
my suit.
“Come on,” I say. I grab her by the
shoulders and force her bodily into the
bathroom. The door swings closed
automatically behind us.
“You can barely see it,” she says,
gesturing to my shirt. “It’s not even going
to leave a stain.” She’s already running
the sink and wetting the handful of
napkins underneath the tap. She’s the one
who looks annoyed now, even though
I’m the one who got the brunt of the
booze spilled on me.
I take off my jacket and move her out
of the way so I can run the sleeve under
the water. Then I unbutton my shirt. I’m
going to have to go home or back to my
office to change anyway, but I’d rather
be wet than sticky in the meantime.
I notice her gaze move to my chest as
I unbutton my shirt. I give her a cocky
grin. I work out enough that I know I
look good, and I’m glad to see she
appreciates it. I slip the shirt off my
shoulders and run it under the sink.
She takes another look but then turns
away. She starts dabbing at her chest
with the soggy napkins.
I’ll say it again: Damn.
“I’ll replace your drink,” she says,
as she’s dabbing those gorgeous milky
white tits. “It’s the least I can do.”
“It was a two hundred dollar glass of
scotch.”
She stares up at me.
“Well, that’s just stupid.” She folds
her arms, as if she’s personally offended
by my taste in drinks.
 “Quality costs money,” I say with a
shrug. I consider my options here. This
is not exactly the situation I expected to
find myself in tonight, but I’ve gotten
ahead in life by taking advantage of
whatever scenario presented itself.
“I can think of another way you can
make it up to me,” I tell her.
The expression on her face in that
moment is perfection — confusion and
then a flash of lust and then pure
indignation.
I take a step towards her and take the
napkins out of her hand. She still looks
offended but she wordlessly lets me. She
also doesn’t stop me when I run a finger
along the top of her dress and let it slip
in between her tits, catching that drop of
scotch I had been eyeing earlier. I bring
my hand to my mouth and lick the drop
of scotch off it.
She looks dumbstruck. And she isn’t
composed enough to hide it. There’s
something I like about that. Most of the
women I’ve been with have been
icebergs personified. You learn to be
that way when you work in finance. But
this woman is clearly not a part of that
world.
I take her chin in my hand and kiss
her.
I can feel her surprise for the first
second or two, but that soon dissipates
and she’s kissing me back. Her lips are
plump and smooth and I enjoy taking
them over, forcing my tongue into her
softness. My dick is already hard
thinking about taking over her body in
other ways.
She twines her arms around my neck
and presses her tits up against my bare
chest. Her body is as soft as her lips. I
move my hands down to her ass and pull
her against me completely. I know she
can feel my dick pressing against her,
feel how much she turns me on.
Even though I like kissing her —
maybe even more than I’m comfortable
admitting — what’s about to go down in
this bathroom isn’t about romance. I turn
her around so that she’s facing the
mirror, resting her hands on the sink. I
lift up the back of her dress and yank
down her panties. Damn. Now that’s an
ass. I use one hand to massage her
creamy white ass cheeks while I use the
other to unbuckle my belt and unleash my
dick. It springs out eagerly, heading right
for her. A compass needle to true north.
I slip on some protection, then
spread her ass apart gently and nudge the
head of my cock up against the entrance
of her pussy. She’s so wet that I know
I’m going to slide in easily, like butter,
but I still catch her eye in the mirror and
wait for her to give me a slight nod. A
breathless sigh.
Go time.
I plunge my dick in slowly, savoring
the sweet slide until it’s in there all the
way up to the hilt, her slick walls
wrapped tight around me.
 Fuck, she feels good.
I almost blow my load right then
which is totally not like me. I take a
deep breath and try to pace myself. I
slide in and out. My balls bounce against
her ass with every thrust.
I look up to the mirror to watch us
and I realize she’s doing the same. Our
eyes meet in the glass and I feel a jolt of
something I can’t even name. Her dark
eyes are hooded, her red lips parted.
Her creamy white tits have spilled out
her dress and she’s using one hand to
pinch one of her pert pink nipples.
Fuck. The sight of her doing that
undoes me. I slam against her harder. I
reach one hand around and find her clit,
full and hard, and run my middle finger
over it, pressing it against her slick heat.
When I feel her start to clench around
me, making these fucking hot mewling
noises, I lose it.
I groan as we come together, leaning
against her back so I can get as deep
inside of her as possible for those last
few seconds of bliss.
We stay like that for a minute, bent
over the sink together, catching our
breath. When she shimmies her ass
backwards a bit, I start to get hard again,
and I know this is my cue to leave. Once
is for fun — twice is a commitment.
I pull on my shirt, even though it’s
still wet. I don’t bother putting on my
jacket, just grab it off the sink.
I look at her face in the mirror and I
feel again that thing I can’t name. My
mind flashes to an image of her waking
up in my bed, her dark hair draped over
my white sheets, her face sleepy,
morning sun peeking in through the
blinds.
What the fuck? I shake my head to
get rid of the image. I can say with
certainty that that’s never going to
happen. It’s been years since anyone but
me woke up in that bed and I intend to
keep it that way. It might be a king-sized
bed, but it’s only big enough for one.
But before I leave, I figure I’ll throw
out one last flamethrower, just to make
sure she doesn’t get any ideas.
“Thanks,” I tell her, as I open the
door to the bathroom. “That was almost
worth the cost of dry cleaning.”
Her face drops but I don’t wait
around for the fallout.
I’m gone and that’s how it’ll stay.
 CHAPTER 3

A D EL A ID E

O h god.My head.
Owwwwwww.
Last night was …
Oh god.
 Owwwwwww.
What is that noise? Is this real life?
Oh god, it’s my phone. Where did I
put it?
There it is, stuck inside my bra that
is draped over an orange juice container
that is on my bedroom floor. Obviously.
I grab for it and miss. Grab for it
again. Hit the button to answer it.
“Hello?”
My voice is that of an eighty-year-
old lung cancer patient.
“May I speak to Adelaide
Williams?”
“This is me. I mean, that’s her. I
mean. Fuck. Yes?”
“Miss Williams,” the woman on the
other end of the phone sounds
concerned. “This is Vanessa calling from
Temping Opportunities?”
Oh shit.
“Right, hi. Hello.” I’d registered
with a bunch of temp agencies last week
after I got sacked, but I hadn’t actually
heard from any of them yet. I try to sit up
in bed. I smooth down my bedhead
which is stupid because we’re on the
phone and she can’t see me, but it makes
me feel marginally more professional.
“We have a last minute opportunity
at Avondale & Bradley Financial
Holdings, if you’re available. They’re
looking for an administrative assistant
with general word processing and
secretarial skills. Two weeks minimum
with the possibility of extension, and
…”
“Yes,” I say immediately, even
before she finishes describing the job.
“Yes. When would I start?”
“Well, they’d need you this morning.
It’s a last minute situation, that’s why we
haven’t had much luck finding anyone
else…”
Fuck. I can’t go in this morning. I
have a hangover the size of Mount
Rushmore and I feel just as dour as those
old stone dudes. But I do need the money
… and I don’t like the way Vanessa from
Temping Opportunities just implied that I
am far from their first choice here.
“That’s fine,” I tell her. “I’ll take it. I
can be there in an hour.”
She doesn’t answer right away.
“Alright.” She sounds reluctant. “Sooner
would be better, if you can.”
“Absolutely,” I tell her. “I’m already
on my way.”
As soon as I hang up the phone I hop
out of bed and straight into the shower.
My head is throbbing and my mouth
tastes like I’ve been judging sandcastle
competitions with my tongue.
God, why had I let last night get so
out of control? Oh, right. Flaw number 4,
remember? Easily convinced to go along
with bad ideas. Maker of poor life
choices.
Fucking Mr. Shoulders in the
bathroom after I’d dumped scotch all
over him is a prime example.
Why oh why had I done that?
 I mean, he was hot.
(Wow, was he hot.)
And it was good.
(Wow, was it good.)
But then he turned out to be such an
asshole. That comment about the dry
cleaning? Seriously? What kind of
human being says that to another human
being? My face flushes with shame just
at the memory of it. How stupid I had
been to think we had some sort of
connection.
Of course he turned out to be an
asshole, though. I don’t know why I’m
even surprised. Flaw number three —
horrible taste in men.
I couldn’t even bear to tell Daphne
what had happened when I got back to
our table — I was too embarrassed.
“Sorry that took so long,” I had said
but she’d waved me off, giggling.
“Don’t tell me,” she squealed. “I
don’t want to hear about how you had to
do number two.”
I had nearly choked. “Well, there
was definitely some bullshit involved.” I
didn’t elaborate further, and thankfully
she didn’t ask.
It was all too humiliating. All my
flaws, on full display last night. Another
classic Adelaide move. Reigning queen
of bad decisions.
It’s no wonder my life is such a
fucking disaster.
I shampoo my hair as quickly — and
angrily — as possible. This has got to
stop, I think to myself. I’m too old to still
be this much of a fuck-up. I’m going to
go to this new temp job and I’m going to
kick ass. I’ll be a model employee, and I
won’t call a single person a limp-dick
moron. Or any name at all really. In fact,
I’m going to keep my big mouth firmly
shut.
My legs too, for that matter. No more
random hook-ups. No more sex at all
until I meet someone that actually has the
potential to be ‘the one’.
After I get out of the shower I pull on
a black pencil skirt and my least
wrinkled button-down shirt, which is
unfortunately still pretty wrinkled. I
ignore how tight they both feel — I must
have gained ten pounds since I got fired,
because this outfit fit me perfectly two
weeks ago. Stupid heartbreak Haagen
Daaz. Maybe I should add ‘lose ten
pounds’ to my list of things to do.
Then again, let’s not go too crazy
here. If I’m swearing off men, I’m going
to need ice cream in my life.
I slick on some make-up, do a half-
assed job blowdrying my hair, and I’m
out the door forty-five minutes after I
hung up the phone with Vanessa.

I ARRIVE AT AVONDALE & Bradley

Financial Holdings only half an hour
late, which I personally think is pretty
good, considering how little time they
gave me to get there. I ride the elevator
up to the twenty-eighth floor. Vanessa
had told me to ask for Erica Desrosiers,
the HR manager, when I got there — but
of course, there’s no one at the front desk
for me to ask. Typical.
I wait at the desk for a few minutes,
but no one comes out. There’s a huge set
of glass doors off to the right of the
reception desk so I walk through them.
Past the doors is a long corridor with
office doors all along either side. I
slowly start making my way down the
hallway, looking for Erica’s office. All
of the offices are empty though, and
when I finally spot Erica’s nameplate,
her office turns out to be empty too.
I keep making my way down the
hallway, looking for anyone at all who
can help me. Where is everyone? Did
this entire place go bankrupt since
Vanessa called me?
“Can I help you?” A deep voice
draws my attention to the office to my
left.
I whip around and am faced with one
of the most imposing and gorgeous men
I’ve ever seen. He could even give Mr.
Shoulders a run for his money. (Don’t
think about that, Addie, I warn myself.)
I swallow and take in his elegant
black suit, the broad shoulders, the
perfectly styled blonde hair, the iciest
blue eyes I’ve ever seen. He uses those
devastating eyes to look me up and
down. His gaze lingers on my hips,
which are stretching out my pencil skirt,
and my chest, which is nearly bursting
out of my button-down. I tuck a strand of
hair behind my ear, flustered under the
intensity of his gaze. Inside my sensible
black pumps, my toes are curling.
“I’m looking for Erica?” I say. His
expression doesn’t change. “My name is
Adelaide — Adelaide Williams?”
I hate the way everything out of my
mouth is coming out as a question but I
can’t seem to help it. “Temping
Opportunities sent me?”
Understanding finally dawns on his
face. “Right, the admin position. Well,
you walked right past the reception desk,
you know. It’s the big desk out at the
front.” Sarcasm drips from his voice.
“Yes, I know,” I try to explain.
“There was no one there? I was looking
for Erica?” And a pair of balls? God, he
is terrifying.
And fucking hot. Yes, despite the fact
that I’m quaking in my heels right now, I
can’t help but notice the raw masculinity
he exudes. I imagine that under that suit,
he has the body of an MMA fighter. I
swallow. Hard.
“Erica’s delayed due to a family
emergency.” He pauses a moment, his
eyes still roaming my body. “This will
be your desk, here. You can get seated.
I’ll tell IT to contact you about access to
the computer.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. I walk over
to the desk, legs shaking. Without even
looking back at him I can feel his eyes
on my ass. Put a few drinks in me and
I’d be strutting for all I’m worth, but I’m
too intimidated to do anything but walk
demurely to the glossy white desk.
When I’m seated behind the desk —
my ass safely out of view — he folds his
arms. “You should be able to manage
until Erica arrives. I’m second on the
intercom but … don’t call me unless it’s
an emergency.”
“Of course,” I assure him. I don’t
add that I don’t want to call him any
more than he wants to be called.
He steps into the office that’s just to
the left of my desk, and once he’s gone I
breathe out a deep sigh. My head is still
killing me and I feel at least a little bit
like throwing up. But I made it this far,
and with a little determination (and
maybe some Gatorade) I’m sure I can
make it through the rest of the day.
The desk I’m seated at is in a small
open area just off the main office
hallway. The man’s door, which is now
firmly closed, thank god, is to my left.
Another closed door is to my right.
Behind me is a bank of windows. I creep
up to it quietly, not wanting to draw the
attention of the beast of a man in the
office next to me. Outside the window is
a gorgeous view of Central Park. It takes
my breath away and I almost forget
about my hangover for a second. Almost.
I can’t log in to the computer yet, so I
busy myself with looking around at all
the notes and lists tacked up around the
desk. There’s a huge printout that says
DON’T FORGET TO SET UP FRIDAY
TELECONFERENCE along with a
phone number and a set-up PIN.
Note to self: set up Friday
teleconference.
I look around some more and see a
tiny note taped to the bottom of the
computer monitor.
“Don’t cry,” it says. “You are smart
and capable and nothing either of them
says matters.”
Oh boy. That doesn’t sound
promising.
I see a ‘frequent numbers’ list pinned
up near the phone and I scan the names
on it. Erica’s number seven, so I pick up
the phone and dial it, just in case she’s
come into the office since I’ve been
here. No answer. I scan the rest of the
list quickly, and then back to number
two, remembering the intimidating man
sitting on the other side of that frosted
glass wall.
Number two. Liam Bradley, Chief
Operating Officer.
Bradley. As in “Avondale &
Bradley.”
Great. Making an ass of yourself in
front of the Chief Operating Officer is an
excellent first day move. I’m pretty sure
I read that in an advice column once.
Operation Life Improvement is going so
well so far.
There’s still no sign of IT so I
continue going through some of the
papers on the desk. There’s an inbox
with mail and file folders that are all
addressed to different people at
Avondale & Bradley, so I assume I’ll
need to distribute those at some point.
There’s also an outbox, but it only has
one envelope in it.
I pick it up and look at it. It’s a thick
manilla envelope — it must have at least
a hundred pieces of paper in there.
There’s a post-it note stuck to the front
that says, “URGENT: DELIVER
BEFORE 10AM.”
I look at my watch — it’s 9:38. Shit.
I creep over to Liam’s door but
through the glass I can hear him talking,
and I know he’s on the phone. I don’t
know if this constitutes an emergency or
not but I decide not to interrupt him. To
be honest, I’m too scared to.
I scan the back of the desk and see a
note that has contact info for a bike
courier service. I call them up. I don’t
have our account info or anything but I
figure that can be sorted out later.
Unfortunately, the woman on the
other end of the phone just laughs when I
tell her I need a pick-up and delivery
before ten.
“We need at least an hour, sweetie,”
she says. “Your best bet at this point is
to put it in a cab.”
Argh. I hang up in frustration. For
half a second, I debate just putting the
envelope back where I found it — after
all, I’m new and no one’s even
acknowledged that I work here yet. I
would hardly be blamed for missing this
delivery deadline.
But no. I’ve fucked up pretty much
everything else in my life at the moment,
I don’t want to lose this job too. It was
sheer luck that they called me this
morning — who knows when another
temp opportunity is going to come up?
I look back at Liam’s closed door. I
can still hear him talking inside. I bite
my lip, chew on it for a second while I
think. Then I grab the envelope and my
purse. The address on the envelope
actually isn’t that far away — if I’m
lucky I can get a cab and make it there
before ten. I grab the elevator and rush
downstairs, feeling like the office
superhero.
Of course, once I’m out on the street,
I’m screwed. I can’t get a cab to save my
life. Or my job in this case. A few drive
by but their lights are off and I can’t get
any of them to stop.
Screw it. If I really book it, I can
make it there on foot before the deadline.
I hightail it east and make it to the
building with a few minutes to spare,
then ride the elevator up. I shove the
envelope into the receptionist’s hands.
She looks at her watch and sniffs.
“You’d think you’d want to leave a
little more leeway when you’re
delivering a bid for a twenty million
dollar contract,” she says snootily.
“Especially when you would have been
disqualified from the competition if
you’d gotten here one minute later than
you did.”
Twenty million dollars? Sweet baby
Jesus.
I ride the elevator back down and try
to catch my breath. Now that the
adrenaline has passed, my hangover has
reared its ugly head back up and I feel
slightly nauseated. I decide to stop and
get a coffee and a green juice on the way
back to the office.
Back at the office, I hop in the
elevator and hit the button for the
twenty-eighth floor. Hopefully Erica
will be back by now and I can actually
get settled.
The doors ping open and I make my
way down the hallway to where my new
desk is. I step around the corner into the
vestibule area — and for the second
time in less than twelve hours, I crash
right into Mr. Shoulders.
 CHAPTER 4

ROB

I start my day off in a pissy mood

and it doesn’t get any better as the
morning trickles on. Eighteen emails
from the Texas office about an
accounting issue, a mix-up at the coffee
shop where I ended up with some sort of
caramel abomination instead of my usual
black, and then traffic basically tail to
tail all the way to the office.
But what’s really pissing me off the
most this morning is that I can’t stop
thinking about that girl from last night.
Girl? Woman?
Angel?
I keep picturing her face when I
dropped that nasty little bomb on my
way out of the bathroom. I wanted to hurt
her and I thought I did, but I’ve been
replaying her expression over and over
since last night, and I realize that it
wasn’t hurt I saw. It was surprise,
initially, and then something else.
Disappointment, I think. A general
weariness.
And fuck me if I can’t stop
wondering if it’s me she’s disappointed
in, or the whole damn world.
I pound the door of the car with my
fist, and the cab driver looks at me in the
rearview mirror with his eyebrows
raised.
“Anything we can do to get there
faster?” I ask him, not wanting to let on
as to the true source of my frustration.
He shakes his head. “Sorry, sir.
Looks like there’s a pile-up on
Lexington. I can try going west but
there’s no guarantee we’ll get there any
faster.”
“At least we’ll be moving,” I snarl.
“You got it, boss.”
 When we finally get to the office, it’s
past ten o’clock. I had already messaged
my two morning meetings, to let them
know I’d be unavailable until later in the
afternoon. I wasn’t in the mood to deal
with clients right now.
I make my way down the long
hallway to the office area I share with
Liam. His office is on one side, mine on
the other, and between us, an area where
our shared secretary sits.
Or should sit.
The desk is empty when I arrive. I
thought Liam said Erica was going to
have that job filled by this morning.
Apparently no one but me can get
anything done around here so I add that
to my list of things to be in a bad mood
about.
I’m still standing there in the
vestibule area, debating whether I want
to just turn around and go to the gym
instead, when I hear footsteps turning the
corner behind me, and someone walks
straight into me.
Not just someone.
Her.
Fuck.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
I can barely keep the shock out of my
voice.
I’m wondering if she followed me
here and how I feel about that. I don’t
have time for crazy chicks but there’s no
denying they make great fucks.
“I work here,” she says disdainfully.
“What are you doing here?”
I can tell she’s trying to sound
confident but her face has pinked up to a
shade of red remarkably similar to the
dress she was wearing last night. It’s
sickeningly hot.
“You don’t work here,” I say. Who
does she think she’s kidding? “You know
how I know? Because I work here.”
If possible, her face goes an even
deeper shade of crimson. I can’t help but
notice that the flush goes straight down
her neck and across her cleavage. An
image of her in the bathroom last night,
bent over the sink and pinching her
nipples, comes to my mind. A rush of
blood goes straight to my cock at the
thought.
 “I just started today,” she says
defiantly.
“Who hired you?”
“Erica. Well, I haven’t spoken to her
yet. I’m with a temp agency. They called
me this morning. I spoke to Liam
Bradley.”
At Liam’s name, my nostrils flare
involuntarily. I should have known this
was somehow his doing.
“Speak of the devil,” I say irritably,
as he strolls out of his office and into the
center area.
“Robbie, finally. VanCleesen is not
happy that you bumped his meeting.
Again.”
“Liam, who is this?” I nod towards
the woman standing between us.
 Liam looks at me like I’m an idiot.
“Well, I don’t know her name,
obviously, but she’s our new assistant.
Erica hired her.”
“My name is Adelaide,” she pipes
up helpfully.
I shoot her daggers.
“Well, I’m firing her,” I tell my
business partner.
Liam just rolls his eyes. “No, you
aren’t. You just fired the last one.”
“No, I didn’t. She quit.”
“After you screamed at her for an
hour.”
“She lost us a ten million dollar
contract.”
“Touché. But I’m sure this one will
be better. Erica was under strict orders
to get someone good.”
“Good? She’s sashaying in here at
ten past ten with a coffee and …
whatever that thing is,” I say, gesturing
towards the bottle of green sludge this
woman — Adelaide, I guess — is
holding.
“Excuse me, I didn’t just sashay in
here,” she says, setting both her bottle
and coffee cup down on the desk. “I was
out delivering a contract. For you. So
you wouldn’t miss a deadline on a
twenty million dollar deal.”
The blood drains from my face. The
Peterson account. The last assistant was
supposed to have taken care of that
before she left, but I guess she decided
to give us one last fuck you on her way
out the door.
“Wait, so they got the contract in
time?” I ask her, just to be sure. I grab
her arm and the warmth of her skin under
my palm, even through the fabric of her
shirt, sends a shock along my nerves. I
let go almost as quickly, and Adelaide
folds her arms.
“Yes.”
Liam looks pointedly at me. “See? I
told you she was good. She’s staying.”
Once Liam decides something,
there’s really no stopping him. He’s like
a dog with a bone. I put my hands up in
mock surrender — I’ve already spent
way too much time arguing about this.
And anyway, if having her here is
going to be bad, letting her know how
much it bothers me would be even
worse.
“Fine. Whatever. But don’t screw
up,” I say to Adelaide.
I walk away before she can come up
with some smart ass comment and then I
lock myself in my office for the rest of
the morning.
I think that’s the end of it, but I can’t
seem to concentrate. The harder I try to
focus on work, the more I think about
Adelaide. I know she’s sitting out there,
just beyond the frosted glass wall of my
office. I can’t stop picturing her bent
over that sink, with her creamy white ass
up in the air, just waiting for me. And
now here she is in my office, in that too-
tight skirt that shows off that perfectly
round ass.
It also didn’t escape my attention that
Liam had taken note of her generous
assets as well. This could get …
interesting.
Instead of working on accounts, my
mind is rifling through the places in the
office that I could fuck Adelaide — in
my office, the photocopier room. The
bathroom, of course …
By the time lunch rolls around, I
have to go online and distract myself by
reading a couple of news stories about
idiot politicians just to get my erection
to go down. I’m starting to get the feeling
that having her here might actually be
rather inconvenient.
I have to shake this off. I have
neither the time nor the desire to get
invested in chasing a woman right now,
even one with Adelaide’s luscious
curves. It just isn’t worth it — if it’s sex
I want, I can find a willing woman any
night of the week. And I don’t ever want
anything more than sex anyway.
While I’m at lunch, I decide that I’ll
let her stay on two weeks as an assistant,
until we can find someone more
permanent to replace her with. I’m sure
I’ll have no problem avoiding her in the
meantime — I never even learned the
last assistant’s name, so it’s not like I’m
going to have a lot of immediate contact
with her.
I’ve already put her out of my mind,
and after two weeks she’ll be out of my
life completely.
When I get back from lunch I go into
my office and see something on my desk.
I poke my head back out the door.
Adelaide isn’t there and Liam’s door is
closed.
I close the door to my office and
pick up the bottle of green juice that’s
sitting in the middle of my desk.
The label calls it “Colon Cleansing”
and there’s a post-it note on the side.
I peel it off and read it.
“Maybe this will help you get that
stick out of your ass.”
I toss the note in the garbage and
stare at the bottle. This girl has a smart
mouth and nerves of steel.
Too bad she’s going to have to learn
that no one talks to Rob Avondale that
way and gets away with it.
I march over to Liam’s office and
open the door without knocking. He
looks up at me and rolls his eyes.
“What?”
“I’m firing her.”
He rolls his eyes. “We’ve been over
this. You’re not firing her.”
“I’m the CEO.”
“And I’m the Chief Operating
Officer. What’s your point?”
“My point is I can fire her if I want
to.”
“And why do you want to? She
saved our asses this morning with the
Petersen bid.”
“She’s insolent.”
 “In what way? She seems to be
perfectly terrified of both of us.”
I don’t want to tell him about the
juice. “She just is.”
Liam peers at me from behind his
desk. He folds his hands behind his head
and leans back, chuckling.
“You want to sleep with her.”
I can feel my face redden, just a bit. I
cross my arms. “If I wanted to sleep
with her, I would.”
Liam studies me harder. I can feel
myself wilt a little under his gaze. Liam
and I have known each other so long that
sometimes I feel like he can actually
read my mind. I try to keep my face as
neutral as possible, but he bursts out
laughing.
 “You dog. You already slept with
her.” He looks at his watch. “It’s barely
two o’clock. That has to be a new
record.”
I grudgingly slip down into the dark
leather chair across from his desk. “It
was actually yesterday,” I admit.
“Before I knew she worked here.”
“Impressive, Robbie. Banging them
before we even hire them. I admire your
efficiency.”
I can tell Liam is enjoying this,
which makes me feel all the more surly
about it. He taps his pen thoughtfully
against his desk.
“I wouldn’t have pegged her for your
type.”
I shrug again. Neither would I, to be
honest. But she’s definitely…
“More my type.” Liam finishes my
thought. There’s a wicked gleam in his
eye. I look away. The last thing I want is
for him to know that …
“This bothers you, doesn’t it?” He
chuckles.
There’s no hiding anything from
Liam. We’ve known each other too long
and have worked our way through too
many women.
I shift in the seat and he laughs again.
“What’s really going on here, Rob?”
The wry grin has left his face, and his
genuine interest is almost worse than the
ribbing.
“Nothing’s going on here,” I tell him,
nonchalantly. “I slept with her. It was
supposed to be a one-night stand, not a
job offer.” I meet his gaze, so that he’ll
see she doesn’t mean anything to me, that
I don’t give a damn about her.
Liam taps his pen thoughtfully
against the desk.
“Okay,” he says, but there’s a note of
disbelief in his voice. I look down and
see that I’m gripping the arms of the
chair so tight that my knuckles have gone
white.
 CHAPTER 5

A D EL A ID E

A ssight,
soon as Mr. Shoulders is out of
locked in his office, I let out
the whoosh of breath I’ve been holding.
Today is turning out to be perfectly
hellacious. How in the world did I end
up working at the same office as that
asshole? I swear the universe has it out
for me.
The other man — Liam — had
called him Robbie. I scan through the list
of names on the company directory. My
heart sinks immediately.
There’s a Robert on here, and only
one. His name’s right at the top —
Robert Avondale. President and CEO.
Fuck me.
Oh, this is bad. So so so bad.
I don’t have time to dwell on it,
because just then IT arrives to set up my
computer access. I sit nervously while
they do their thing, glancing between
Robert and Liam’s closed doors, but by
the time IT leaves, neither man has
emerged and I have a temporary email
address and access to the appointments
database.
By that time, the HR manager, Erica,
has arrived. She calls me into her office.
I head down the long glass hallway.
Erica’s office is small but it has wall to
wall windows that show off the New
York City skyline.
“Not too shabby, right?” She smiles
when she sees me ogling.
Erica is blond and has her hair
pulled back into a severe ponytail, but
her face is friendly and for the first time
since I walked into this building I feel
like I can relax by a fraction of an inch.
I sit down and she walks me through
the details of the job — although I’ve
already figured out most of it. My desk
is smack dab between Liam and
Robert’s offices, so whatever they need,
I’m it.
Erica doesn’t say it in so many
words, but basically the job is to be
their bitch. Officially, I take calls, book
appointments, get their paperwork ready
in between meetings. But, as Erica
explains, the more important part is all
the rest of it — getting coffee, picking up
dry cleaning, and basically trying to
anticipate their every need.
So basically an office bitch, but
psychic too. Super.
“You’ve probably already noticed
that they can be … challenging,” Erica
says, seeming to choose her words
carefully. Her thin hands are perfectly
manicured in a deep red, and she keeps
them pressed flat against the desk as she
speaks. “They are demanding bosses, but
it’s only because they have very
demanding roles themselves. They
require support staff who can actually
support them. Liam was very happy that
you were able to get the contract
delivered on time this morning, so
you’re off to a good start.”
The rest of her sentence goes
unspoken, but I can hear it plain as day:
so don’t fuck it up.
Still, I have to admit that I feel a
little thrill at the thought that Liam was
pleased with me. Now if only Robert
was equally impressed.
 Addie, no. Ugh. I can’t let my mind
go down that road.
After my meeting with Erika, I go
back to my desk. Liam appears to be out,
and Robert’s door is closed. It stays that
way all morning, until lunchtime when
finally the door swings open and he
walks right past my desk without looking
at me.
Well, this is going to be a wonderful
couple of weeks. I consider going back
to Erica’s office and telling her I can’t
work here, but I force myself to take a
deep breath and a step back. I need this
job. I’m going to make this work.
I use the time with him and Liam
both gone to sneak out and get some
lunch of my own. My stomach is still a
little queasy and all I want is salt and
grease. I find a food truck and mow
down an order of french fries with extra
ketchup.
I feel remarkably better afterwards.
On my way back to the office I stop and
pick up another bottle of green juice. I
spot a colon cleanse one and snatch it up
immediately. I know a certain person
who could use this.
I know I said I would keep my big
mouth shut, but technically this isn’t me
saying anything, right?

I START PEELING my clothes off the second

I get in the apartment that night. After
two weeks of living in yoga pants, I’m
finding that actual work clothes are kind
of cramping my style. I’m already
wracking my brain over what I’m going
to wear tomorrow — do I even have
anything that’s clean and fits and doesn’t
have penguins printed on it? I hope so,
because there’s no way I have it in me to
face the building laundromat tonight.
Though to be honest, I’m surprised I
even have a job to go back to tomorrow.
I was sure I was going to get canned
after that colon cleanse incident. I
couldn’t help but smirk every time I
pictured him reading the note I’d left
him. I hope it wiped that smug grin off
his face, even if just for a second. It still
wasn’t payback for the dry cleaning
comment, but it was something.
 To my surprise though, no one had
said anything to me. I knew he had to
have seen it — he was in and out of his
office all afternoon, and when I snuck a
peek in at the end of the day, the bottle
wasn’t on his desk anymore.
I guess I should be grateful that I
wasn’t sacked — I really can’t afford to
lose this job and I know I should be on
my best behavior. I just couldn’t let him
get away with thinking that he
intimidated me in any way.
He did, of course.
I had never known anyone like him
in my life. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I
knew plenty of arrogant assholes. But I
didn’t know many who had the goods to
back it up. I hated to admit it, but Robert
was the whole package — smart,
successful, smoking hot.
Too bad he had the personality of a
shit stain.
That’s the part I have to keep
focusing on.
I don’t know why I can’t stop
thinking about him. He was an asshole to
me. And whatever flaws I might have,
tolerating guys who think they’re doing
me a favor by being with me is not one
of them.
Yet there was something about that
moment we shared last night in the
bathroom— when I met his eyes in the
mirror, I saw something there. I’m sure
of it.
It doesn’t matter though. Because I
am determined to keep this job —
despite him. I have blown up everything
in my life this month, but now I have a
chance to prove I can be a real grown-
up. I might not have a fiancé or a career
— or even a dumb cat — but at the very
least, I can hold down a stupid temp job.
Once I’m down to my bra and
underwear, I flop down on to the couch.
The ceiling fan is on and I stare blankly
at the blades as they thuck-thuck-thuck
rhythmically. It’s early autumn, but the
air inside the apartment is still warm and
stuffy. The smell of garlic permeates
everything in the building, thanks either
to my neighbor’s cooking or to their
vampire slaying.
I realize that what I really need right
now is Daphne. No one can talk sense
into me like she can.
“Emergency drinks?” I text her.
I wait a minute while I watch the
bubbles that indicate she’s typing. It
takes forever but finally she comes back
with:
“Ughhhhhh.”
“Is that a no?” I write back.
“It’s more like the sound my liver
makes when it’s fighting for its life. I’m
still recovering from last night.”
I fight off a wave of disappointment.
We definitely went through the wringer
last night, so I can understand her not
wanting to go out again.
“Haha. Me too,” I reply. Although
actually, the green juice and the day’s
adrenalin have done a fairly good job of
burning away the hangover. “Rain
check?”
“Definitely. Sleep tight.” She signs
off.
Okay, I tell myself. You don’t need
Daphne to tell you what to do here. What
you have to do is you have to keep your
horrible taste in men in check. You have
to keep your tendency to self-destruct in
check. And you have to be the best damn
temp Avondale & Bradley Financial
Holdings has ever seen.
I go to bed feeling determined and
optimistic.

BUT THE NEXT MORNING, when I get to

work, there’s a surprise waiting for me
on my desk. A bottle. Not green juice,
but forty-year-old Glenfidditch. Robert’s
drink. There’s a post-it note stuck to the
side.
“Maybe this will help you get some
class.”
My blood boils. What a bastard.
Yet I can’t deny the tingle of
excitement that creeps through me. Just
what game are you playing at, Robert
Avondale?
 CHAPTER 6

L IA M

T hat morning, I step into our

offices just in time to see
Adelaide Williams stuffing a very
expensive bottle of scotch into her desk
drawer. She wears a furtive expression
on her face, and just a hint of a smile.
I chuckle to myself. Rob and I have
done enough drinking within these walls
that I suppose I can’t begrudge our new
secretary if she wants to indulge in a
tipple here and there.
In fact, getting her sauced here in the
office might actually be kind of fun.
I flash her a grin when she catches
me watching her. She reddens to an
alluring shade of scarlet, a flush that
creeps all the way down her neck and
across the creamy cleavage that’s
spilling out of her white button-down
shirt. I resist the urge to lick my lips —
don’t want to scare her too badly.
After all, she’s all Robert’s.
He might think he’s being coy, but the
only person he’s fooling is himself. He
likes this girl, whether he admits it or
not.
And who can blame him? Smart,
amusing, sexy as hell. A go-getter, too.
I’m still impressed that she got the
Peterson bid in on time. I doubt she even
realizes how much she saved our asses
on that one.
Adelaide tucks a strand of hair
behind her ear and busies herself with
straightening some random papers on her
desk. She won’t meet my eyes. I step
into my office, bemused.
The funny thing is, Adelaide
Williams is exactly my type —
curvaceous, with a sweet innocent face,
and the cutest little heart-shaped mouth.
The kind of mouth that’s so clearly made
for pleasure that you can’t help but want
to see it wrapped around your dick.
I wonder if Rob has already gotten to
experience that — lucky bastard.
Somehow the image of that — my best
friend getting his cock sucked by that
gorgeous creature — sends blood
shooting straight to my loins. I shift in
my seat, trying to give that bad boy more
room.
My personal cell phone rings, and I
glance down at the number, knowing it
could only be one of a handful of people.
I groan when I see who it is.
“Hi Claudia.” My erection goes
down immediately at the sound of my
sister’s voice on the other end of the
line.
“God, try to contain your enthusiasm,
Liam,” she whines.
I plaster a smile on my face, hoping
it’ll help me fake enough enthusiasm that
it will come through over the phone.
“Sorry, Claud. I was just finishing up
a with a client who had me a little on
edge. You know I’m always thrilled to
hear from you.”
I hear her sniff and I know she’s
trying to decide whether to believe me
or not. Fortunately Claudia has a healthy
ego in that regard, and she pretty quickly
decides I must indeed be happy to hear
from her. She starts on about the charity
fundraiser she’s been planning for the
last eight months — ever since Mom got
sick. I want to be supportive but we’ve
gotten into it more than once about
whether or not this is a good way to
support our mother. Her cancer
diagnosis had thrown us all for a loop,
but Claudia’s response was to throw
herself into a cancer research fundraiser.
Which would have been fine, except she
always seemed to be too busy planning
this gala to actually go by and visit our
Mom.
I’ve given up arguing with her about
it — even though I don’t like it, I think
this is her way of coping, and Mom has
told me to let it go, so I’m trying.
I manage to tune out most of
Claudia’s ramblings while I boot up my
laptop and open some spreadsheets I
wanted to review.
“And of course you’ll have to invite
Robbie.”
Oh shit. There was that gushy tone
again. She’d always used that soft sing-
songy voice when she’d talked about
Rob, but it had gotten worse over the
last year.
“Maybe,” I tell her noncommittally.
“We’ll see.” I can almost hear her
pouting on the other end of the phone.
“Liam. It won’t be the same without
Robbie. He’s like family.”
“Yes, he is indeed like family,” I say
pointedly. That shuts her up for a whole
blissful half second.
“I can call him myself, you know,”
she huffs.
 “Why don’t you then?”
She doesn’t respond. Claudia is my
sister and I love her dearly, but some
days she makes me want to tear my hair
out. It’s all drama with her. As much as I
hope she’ll find a nice guy who’ll
appreciate her and that she can settle
down with, there’s no way in hell I was
ever going to let that guy be Robbie.
The reality is, there’s no way he’d
miss the fundraiser. He’s almost as close
to Mom as I am, and he’ll want to be
there. But I refuse to give Claudia that
satisfaction. I don’t know why — just
piss in my Cheerios this morning, I
guess.
I try to get her off the phone as
quickly as I can, even though that means
finally having to promise that we’ll
make it to her fundraising event.
Before I can hang up though, she
stops me.
“How’s Mom?” she says, her voice
soft.
I sigh. I want to tell her to just go see
her herself and find out, but I decide to
be charitable. “She’s doing okay. Better.
It’s been three months since the last
chemo treatment, so it’s looking up.”
“That’s great, Liam. That’s really
great.”
“Yeah, it is,” I say, trying to keep the
irritation out of my voice. She’s my
sister and I love her, and I know it
would kill her if anything ever happened
to Mom. But that doesn’t stop me from
wanting to throttle her some days.
As soon as I hang up the phone, I
scrub my face with my hands. It isn’t
even ten in the morning yet and I’m
already tired of this day.
I go back to the spreadsheets I
wanted to review. I had asked our
analysts to pull some data together on a
new company we’re looking at investing
in, because I’m sure there’s market
potential here. Rob doesn’t believe me
though. Since he’s a numbers guy, like I
am, I figure the best way to talk him into
it — or talk myself out of it, if necessary
— is cold hard numbers. And even
though we employ a good number of
analysts here, I’ve always been the type
who likes to get in there and see things
for myself.
So I spend the morning combing
through their financial data until my eyes
are crossing. But by the time lunch rolls
around, I don’t feel any closer to having
the insight I wanted.
I sit back and gaze around my office.
Every surface in the room gleams, from
the pale blonde hardwood floors to the
white steel credenza with the polished
marble top. Everything is new, modern,
pristine. Even without getting up from
my desk I can see the Manhattan skyline
out my windows. Having this company
is the only thing I ever wanted, and being
able to run it with my best friend is a
dream come true.
And yet…
 I go to the window and look out at
the city. There’s no doubt the skyline is
beautiful, with its majestic skyscrapers
and the luscious green of Central Park. I
crane my neck so that I can stare straight
down to the street below. The cars and
people down there look minuscule, like
the kind of toys I used to play with, when
I would invent whole tiny fictional
worlds under our kitchen table while
Mom made dinner and fussed about with
Claudia.
Maybe it’s Mom’s illness that’s got
me thinking about life more these days,
but lately something seems to be missing
in mine.
I glance out my office door to see if
Rob is around, but his door is closed.
It’s been that way all morning. Adelaide
isn’t at her desk either, but I see she has
her little ‘out to lunch’ sign parked on the
edge of her desk.
I go back to my spreadsheets, and
hope that this time I’ll find the answers
I’m looking for.

ROB LAYS low the rest of the week, and I

almost get the feeling he’s avoiding me. I
try knocking on his door a few times,
and even though he invites me in, he
keeps his eyes firmly on his laptop and
answers me in monotone monosyllables,
as if he was an insolent teenager instead
of my best friend and business partner.
I don’t know what’s gotten into him
but I figure the best thing to do is give
him space.
Adelaide seems to be equally
concerned about him. Most days I walk
by her desk, I catch her gnawing on her
pen and staring in great concentration at
his door, as if she could somehow draw
him out with the power of her mind. It
makes me grin every time I see it —
poor girl has it bad.
One day, when I catch her sighing in
the direction of his closed door, I sidle
up to her desk.
“Have I told you yet what a great job
you’re doing?”
She looks up at me in surprise, her
lips forming an open little oh that sends
a rush of blood to my groin. She doesn’t
have enough self-consciousness to close
it, so it stays open, tormenting me, for
longer than is comfortable.
“Thank you,” she says, finally. She
licks her lips which is, if possible, even
more of a turn-on than the open mouth.
I perch on the edge of her desk, even
though my large frame is way too big for
the precarious little white Parsons desk.
I savor the way she shifts in her seat, just
slightly. Women are always intimidated
by my size, but drawn to it at the same
time. Most of the women I’ve ever met
like to feel dainty, and compared to me,
most of them are.
“How are you making out?”
“Good.” She still sounds hesitant.
Suspicious, even. The girl is smart, I’ll
give her that. And to be honest, I’m not
sure exactly what my intentions are here.
I just know that I’m tired of her sighing
after Rob and him ignoring her very
existence. Maybe I can shake the both of
them up.
“Is there anything you need?”
“From you?” A ghost of a smile
crosses her lips.
“Yes. From me. From us.” I pause,
and then smile myself. “To do your job, I
mean.”
“Of course. No, I think I’m good,
thank you.”
“Are you enjoying it here?”
“Very much, actually.” Her tone is
grudging, as if it pains her a bit to admit
that she likes working for us.
 “Good. Because a smart girl like you
could have a real future here. I’ve been
very happy with your performance. I
know Rob is too.” I emphasize the last
part, letting his name linger.
“I’m only here for one more week.”
“For now.”
She leans a little closer to me. “It’s a
two week contract.”
“For now,” I say again.
“What if I have another job lined
up?”
“We’d offer to double what they’re
paying you. Rob already told me he
wanted you to stay, and to do whatever it
took to make that happen.” He’s actually
said no such thing, but I know he’s
thinking it, even if he can’t quite admit it
to himself yet.
That stops her good. She looks up at
me with the most breathless expression,
it sends a small shiver up my spine. It
pains me to admit that I wish I was the
one making her look that way, and not
Rob.
But Rob deserves this. He’s the king
of one-night stands, and in the entire time
I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him get
as flustered around a woman as he does
around Adelaide. She’s gotten under his
skin.
She’s getting under yours too, a
voice whispers in the back of my mind.
It’s a voice I promptly silence.
“I don’t know,” Adelaide says. “It’s
not all about the money, you know.”
 “Oh, I know.” I flash her my most
charming smile. “But I think you’d agree
that working here offers a few other
perks as well. Let me take you to lunch
and convince you. There are other areas
in the company that you could probably
do very well in.”
I tell myself I’m taking her to lunch
because I want her to feel comfortable
and welcome here. The fact that I’m
attracted to her doesn’t factor into it.
There are many attractive women
working in this company and I manage to
have excellent professional relationships
with all of them, so there’s no reason
Adelaide should be any different.
She swings her ankle back and forth,
the one that’s crossed over her knee. I
can’t read the expression she’s wearing
— it seems both intrigued and wary all
at once.
“I’m very busy here, you know.” Her
mouth twitches up in a half smile.
“Not too busy you can’t have lunch
with your boss.”
“What about my other boss?” She
nods towards Rob’s door, which has
been resolutely shut all morning.
I roll my eyes. “You leave that guy to
me. Come on.”
She stands up reluctantly and I
wonder if I haven’t totally misjudged
her. We’ve had secretaries here in the
past who would have been salivating at
the thought of having lunch with either
Rob or me, and here’s Adelaide, looking
a bit like she’s being dragged in front of
a firing squad.
I shake my head. “Come on,” I tell
her. “I’m starving.”
I don’t ask myself what exactly it is
I’m starving for.
 CHAPTER 7

A D EL A ID E

I don’t know what to think when

Liam asks me to lunch.
When he first came out of his office,
I’d been more than a little surprised
when he plopped himself down at my
desk. He was so friendly compared to
Rob — he actually seemed to go out of
his way to make sure I was doing okay
here. Like he actually wanted me to
succeed.
Though I’d be lying if I said there
wasn’t occasionally a hint of something
else. Something I couldn’t quite put my
finger on. A tension between us. A
spark? Maybe that was silly.
Rob, on the other hand, had virtually
ignored me all week. The only time he
seemed to want to talk to me was when
they needed a file or a fresh coffee.
Which was fine by me. My goal here
was to be a consummate professional,
and that was a hell of a lot easier when I
wasn’t face to face with those shoulders,
those eyes, those lips.
Oh God, those lips.
Of course, then he’d gone and
confused the hell out of me by leaving
me that bottle of scotch.
I still didn’t know what to make of
that nonsense. Flirting? Or just being a
jackass? It seemed like, with Rob, there
was a very fine line between the two.
And now, here I am, having lunch
with Liam.
I tell myself this isn’t crossing over
into bad decision territory. This is
strictly professional. And besides, what
choice do I have? After all, he’s still my
boss.
Thankfully, he doesn’t make a big
production out of it. He takes me to the
pita place just around the corner from
the office building. It’s mostly filled
with college kids, but I’ve been here a
couple of times before and they make a
damn good chicken shawarma.
Liam and I both get wraps and I
order a chocolate milk.
Liam looks at my choice and gives
me a funny smile. “No green juice
today?”
I blush, wondering if Rob told him
about the surprise I’d left for him the
other day.
“I feel like I need the pure sugar
pick-me-up today, that’s all.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks, as we take our
trays and slide in to the formica table.
“Late night?”
 He’s staring at me so intently that I
find myself quaking a little under his
gaze. “Just too much Netflix.”
He smiles knowingly. “Oh, I get it.
Netflix and chill.”
I laugh. “Sadly, no. Just Netflix and
… Netflix.”
“So does that mean you aren’t seeing
anybody right now?”
The question catches me off guard,
even though he asks it oh so casually. An
image of Rob comes to mind, and I try to
shake it off.
“Nope. Definitely not seeing anyone
right now.”
“Good,” he says, with a smile that
makes something in my stomach flip
over.
 I’m trying to puzzle out his intentions
but just as quickly, he shifts the
conversation.
“So, Adelaide, where did you go to
school?”
I tell him about my art history
degree, my undying love for Renoir and
his gorgeous color work. He tells me
about going to business school with Rob.
About the time Rob helped him ace his
Statistics course. About the time Rob ran
a campus food drive and single-
handedly convinced the school cafeteria
to turn itself into a soup kitchen for the
day. About the time Rob was supposed
to go to Florida for spring break but
instead drove him all the way back to
New York so that they could go to
Liam’s grandmother’s funeral.
He talks a lot about Rob, actually. A
lot. By the time lunch is over, my brain
is whirring with all these little details of
Rob’s life — and over the depth and
history of their relationship. I find
myself a little awed by it, actually, and,
most strangely of all, a little turned on. It
was one thing when Rob was just dark
and brooding and mysterious. To hear
how Liam talks about him suddenly
paints him — well, both of them, really
— in a very different light.
Just who is this guy who would work
his ass off to feed the homeless, and fuck
a stranger in a bar bathroom? And who
is this best friend of his, who looks like
a beast but seems to have the heart of a
gentle giant?
My mind — and body — hum with
the possibilities.

THAT NIGHT I finally get a chance to meet

up with Daphne. Other than a few text
messages, I haven’t had a chance to
really catch up with her since the night
we went to Clinton’s. The night I met
Rob.
Well, more than met him, really.
I can’t bear the thought of another
loud bar tonight, so instead we meet up
at a cute little wine bar that’s almost
exactly halfway between our two
apartments. She’s already there when I
arrive, looking adorable with her
polkadot dress and messily knotted
blonde hair. She’s sipping on a glass of
red wine and there’s an almost full bottle
on the small table in front of her.
I slide into the seat across from her
and before I can even breathe out a hello
she’s pouring me a glass.
“The way you sounded in your
message made it seem like it was going
to be a full bottle kind of a night.”
I take a big sip, gratefully, and nod.
“Maybe two bottles. Maybe a box. Do
they sell boxes of wine here?”
Daphne laughs and looks around. “I
think they’d kick you out just for asking.”
She’s probably right. This place is a
bit chi-chi. Though not nearly as bad as
Clinton’s, thank God.
 I slip my light coat off and settle into
my seat with a thankful sigh. I always
feel better when I’m with Daphne. She’s
been my best friend, my rock, since I
was six years old and she rescued me
from playground bullies. Being with her
is almost as good as being by myself,
which sounds weird, but is high praise
coming from an introvert like me. I feel
like I can be my totally weird self
around her.
“How’s work?” I ask, not wanting to
launch in to my sordid tale of workplace
scandal just yet.
“Good, good. Only one pair of urine-
soaked underwear this week.”
“Wow, good week!”
She shrugs. “I figured out the
solution. Just cut off their water supply.”
“Daph!” I laugh. Daphne is a
kindergarten teacher, and I know she’s
obviously joking.
We chat for awhile about the kids in
her class and the ongoing feud she’s
having with one of the parents, who
seems intent on finding a way to make
Daphne responsible for every issue her
kid is having, despite the fact that her kid
is a certifiable hell raiser.
I finish my glass of red wine and
start on another one before Daphne
gently steers the conversation over to
me. Only I’m having so much fun hearing
about her kids that I barely want to bring
up my own drama.
“How’s the new temp job going?”
 I shrug.
“That good?”
“It’s fine.”
“Spill it, Williams. It doesn’t sound
fine.”
I shrug again. Take a sip of my wine.
Look around the bar.
There’s no fooling Daphne, of
course.
“Spill it,” she says again, more
forcefully. She moves the wine bottle
over to her side of the table. “Or I’ll cut
you off.”
“It’s fine,” I say again. I swirl my
wine around. “Except for one little
problem. Actually, maybe two.”
Daphne studies me. “Oh sweet
Jesus,” she says. “I know that face. You
have the hots for someone at the office,
don’t you?” She pauses for a minute. Her
smooth pale skin is pinkish in the glow
of the dim bar lighting, and she’s flushed
with vicarious excitement. “That’s okay
though. I mean, it’s just a temp job,
right? Give it two weeks and then go get
yours, girl.”
I laugh at her genuine enthusiasm, but
I shake my head. “I wish it was that
simple.”
“What’s not simple about it?”
“Well, for one thing, it’s not just
anyone. It’s my boss.” Her eyes widen.
“For another thing, I don’t just have the
hots for him. I already slept with him.”
Her mouth drops open.
“For another thing, that boss will
barely speak to me anymore. For yet
another thing, now my other boss — best
friend of the first boss — is being really
nice to me. Maybe too nice. Like, make
me feel fluttery in the tummy nice. Oh,
and they want to keep me for more than
two weeks. So I’m not getting out of this
any time soon, not as long as I want to
keep getting a pay check.”
Daphne has to practically pick her
jaw up off the floor. She pushes the wine
bottle back over towards me. “Here.
You need this more than I do.”
I convulse into giggles, maybe for
the first time since this whole thing
started. Soon she’s joined in and the two
of us are completely losing it, tears
running down our faces. Everyone in the
bar is staring at us, but in that moment, I
couldn’t care less. Daphne always has
the uncanny ability to make me feel like
less of a fuck-up.
“What do I do, Daph?” I moan,
guzzling down my wine.
She sips from her glass just slightly
more reservedly. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“If it was obvious, we wouldn’t be
having this conversation.”
“You do nothing.”
“Nothing?” My forehead wrinkles.
“But what about…”
She cuts me off. “Nothing. There’s
nothing you need to do. Nothing you
should do. You keep your head down,
you do the job, and you get the hell out
of there before you get in any deeper.”
 “So I don’t…”
She’s already shaking her head. “No.
Whatever you’re about to say, just no.”
“But…”
“Addie!” she snaps. She’s using her
kindergartner tone now so I know she
means business.
“You’re right,” I say morosely. I
don’t like it, but she is right. There’s no
way any of this can end well, unless I
just let it be. Act like nothing ever
happened with Rob, like he and Liam
are both just my bosses and nothing
more.
Which is exactly the truth, actually.
“Or,” she says, drawing out the
word. “You know what you could do?”
There’s a wicked gleam in her eye.
 “What?” I lean forward, waiting.
“You could have a threesome.”
My whole body stills. The bar
around us seems to melt away.
“What?” I can’t have heard her
correctly.
“Come on. They both seem to like
you, they’re hot, they’re old friends. It’s
perfect.”
My mind spins. A threesome? That’s
absurd.
Isn’t it?
“But wouldn’t…”
“Addie! I’m kidding!” Daph’s eyes
widen and then she bursts out laughing.
“Oh my God, you thought I was serious.
No. For the record, that was a joke. Do
not have a threesome. That’s probably
the worst thing you could do right now.”
“Right, haha, I thought that sounded
strange.” I take another sip of my wine
and try to look like I’m relieved by her
admission. But inside I feel like a very
forbidden seed has just been planted.
Thankfully, Daphne doesn’t linger on
the conversation. As far as she’s
concerned, I have my answer: I do
nothing.
And she’s right. Of course she is.
Of course.
“So, remind me, when’s your sister’s
shower?” Daph asks, topping up our
wine glasses.
Oh fuck. Right. The shower.
“Two weeks from Sunday.”
“Why do you sound like I just asked
you when your execution date is?”
I swirl my wine around my glass and
sigh. “I’m just dreading this thing. I’m
happy for her, but you know how she is.
It’s going to be this picture perfect affair,
with all her super posh friends bringing
her three hundred dollar baby wraps and
essential oils that cost three times as
much as this bottle of wine.”
“And…?”
“I just don’t have it in me to deal
with them right now. Everyone’s going to
ask about the engagement, how my great
job at Cavanaugh’s is going.”
“Well, I’ll be there with you. I’ll just
tell them you dumped that sorry hippy
and have a smashing new job at …
what’s it called again?”
 “Avondale & Bradley.”
“Right. I’ll tell them you have a
smashing new job at Avondale &
Bradley, and that you’re currently
engaging in a torrid and most satisfying
threeway with Mr. Avondale and Mr.
Bradley.”
My cheeks flame and I’m thankful for
the dark bar so that Daphne can’t see
how her words send a flame through me.
“Maybe don’t mention the threeway
thing. This is what they call ‘polite
company’.
Daphne snorts into her wine. “Any
party that doesn’t appreciate some good
threeway talk is a party I don’t want to
be at.”
I smile, my lips pressed around my
glass. “Too bad. I need you there. We’ll
have our own threeway — you, me and
the champagne.”
“Deal.” Daphne clinks her glass
against mine.
 CHAPTER 8

ROB

W e’re in the bar bathroom again,

only this time it’s bigger. There
is a huge jacuzzi bathtub, a couple of
loungers. Things that make no sense in
the real world, but here in the dream
world seem perfectly sane.
Adelaide is in the bath. I can see
her breasts bobbing in the soapy water
and I imagine the rest of her, naked
below the surface. The ends of her hair
are wet, darkened against her bare
skin. The air smells exotic, like jasmine
and cloves.
I lay on the lounger and watch as
she rises out of the perfumed water.
Liquid pours off her curvy body. Her
skin glistens. She is perfection.
She steps out of the tub and comes
towards me, and my cock hardens
instantly. I want her so badly. I want to
go to her, push her down to the tile
floor, fuck her with abandon. I try to
get up, but I can’t move from the
lounger. I feel frozen in place, as
solidly as if my arms and legs were in
restraints.
Adelaide comes closer. There are no
towels in here, and so water trails
behind her on the slate tile floor. I
smile up at her, wanting to show her
that I want her even though I can’t
reach for her.
She climbs above me onto the
lounger. Her legs straddle my hips. I
realize suddenly that I’m naked too,
and her damp skin is now in direct
contact with mine. I gasp as her warm
wet thighs rub against my hard muscled
ones. As the soft wet skin of her pussy
rubs against my dick.
I want to be inside her immediately,
but she only shakes her head, a soft
smile on her lips. She starts moving her
hips, backwards and forwards, letting
her hot slit rub across my engorged
dick. It makes me ache and I try to
thrust up towards her. She isn’t having
it though. She presses her hands
against my chest, leveraging herself
against me, as she slowly fucks my cock
against her swollen lips.
I try to call out her name, to tell her
how badly I want her, need her. But I
realize I can’t talk any more than I can
move. She is completely in control.
As if she knows it, Adelaide reaches
one hand down between her own legs.
She circles her clit as she continues to
stroke herself against me.
 The door to the bathroom opens and
I freeze, or at least I would if I could
move. Liam walks in, his suit jacket
thrown over one arm.
“Hi,” he says casually, as if there’s
nothing strange about walking in and
seeing me fucking Adelaide.
“Why don’t you join us?” Adelaide
says coyly. She eases up on her rocking,
running her pussy agonizingly slowly
along the length of my dick. It’s enough
to destroy me.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Liam undoes
his pants and unleashes a thick,
already hard cock. It’s monstrous and
veiny, and Adelaide’s eyes widen when
she sees it. I want to tell him to get out,
that he’s cramping my style, but I
realize my dick is somehow even harder
now, that somehow it’s turning me on to
have him here.
When he slides his cock into
Adelaide’s mouth, my own dick throbs. I
try again to reach for her, to pull her at
last down onto my aching prick but I’m
still frozen, immobile. She glances
down at me, her lips forming a smile
around the hard cock in her mouth.
“You want to be inside me?” she
says, taking her mouth off of Liam for a
minute.
Oh God, yes. I try to say it but the
words stick in my throat.
“Tell me what you want, Rob.” Her
tongue runs along Liam’s shaft. They’re
both looking down at me.
 “Just tell her, Rob.”
The words still stick in my throat
but as I struggle, my hands come loose
from whatever’s been holding me. I
grab her by the hips and pull her
forcefully onto my cock.
“Oh, God. Oh, Rob.” She throws
her head back in ecstasy. Her tits
bounce as she moves, more frantically
now.
“Oh, God, Adelaide. Yes.” Suddenly
my voice has returned. I angle my own
hips so that I can drive myself deeper
inside of her. I’ve never felt anything
like this before. Adelaide’s sweet heat,
my best friend fucking her mouth, the
heady exotic perfumes of the room
making me dizzy and delirious.
 I pin her hips to mine and we both
cry out with the sheer bliss of it.
Adelaide leans forward, taking Liam
deeper into her mouth, shifting her hips
in a way that forces me even deeper
inside of her. I keep my hands on her
hips so I can thrust into her, the pure
carnal pleasure of it nearly driving me
insane.
When I feel her start to clench and
tighten around me, as I hear Liam
grunting above me, I have the sudden
thought that I might actually go crazy.
This isn’t just sex, this is a body meld,
this is proof of the divine. I watch the
orgasm overtake her, watch Liam throw
his head back, watch my own stomach
ripple as my balls churn. I close my
eyes, bracing myself…

… I OPEN MY EYES. Oh, shit. So close. I

grab a few tissues off the nightstand and
grip my dick, which is so hard and
swollen that it almost aches. I haven’t
had a wet dream since I was about
fourteen years old, and now look at me.
I jerk my cock desperately, rough
and quick, and it doesn’t take more than
a few strokes before the orgasm rips
through me, ferociously. I’m coming and
coming and coming, shooting off into a
handful of tissues like a randy teenager.
Jesus. This woman has done a
number on me.
And what was that about Liam
showing up? I shake my head. That was
… different. Not bad different, I allow.
My still aching cock is proof enough of
that.
Just different.
I clean myself up and then hop in the
shower. Despite the fact that I just jerked
off, I have the funny feeling that I’m
going to spend the day walking around
with a semi.

ADELAIDE IS ALREADY at the office when I

get there. She looks up when I walk in
and says good morning, but I just give
her a curt nod and stride into my office. I
can’t look at her right now — I’m afraid
that if I do, I’m going to have another
incident on my hands.
I don’t know if I can handle what she
does to me. It’s too much. Even though it
was only a dream, my nerves feel shot,
worn raw with a primal longing.
I close my office door and bury
myself in reviewing a bunch of annual
reports that I was supposed to get to
ages ago. The numbers and corporate
speak are sufficient to distract me for
most of the morning.
Still, every once in a while, I find
my mind creeping back to thoughts of
Adelaide.
I wonder if she’s tried the scotch I
left for her yet. After I had left the bottle
on her desk, I kept waiting for her to say
something about it. In fact, knowing her,
I was expecting her to burst into my
office with some smart-ass comment.
Instead, she was as quiet as a mouse
out there.
I have to admit that I was … a little
disappointed. I was secretly coming to
enjoy her spitfire attitude. Maybe it was
for the best though. The scotch was
probably a mistake. If I’m smart, I’ll just
keep my distance. Wait out the days until
her assignment is over, and then move on
with my life.
Adelaide isn’t at her desk when I
step out for lunch, and she’s still gone
when I get back. A half an hour later, she
waltzes back into the office, giggling and
sipping on an iced coffee.
With Liam.
 My blood surges to see them
together, last night’s dream still burned
in my mind. Yet despite my anger, I feel
my cock start to stiffen and I force
myself to take deep breaths.
Liam and Adelaide have been taking
coffee breaks together almost every day
lately, even though she’s the one who
should be bringing us coffee. He’s too
soft on them, our secretaries. That’s why
they never work out, I think pissily.
Now he and Adelaide are laughing
together over something. They look
friendly. Flirtatious, even.
How had I never noticed this before?
And why does it bother me?
It’s not like I have any claim on her,
or even any interest in having any claim
on her. She was a girl I fucked at a bar, a
one night stand who now happened to
work for me. And yes, apparently I still
had dreams about her, but that’s because
she was smoking hot, not because I
actually wanted anything more to do
with her. I’m a one-and-done kind of
guy. That’s just how it is.
I go back into my office, slamming
the door behind me.
Adelaide doesn’t really talk to me
for the rest of the day. It’s all business.
Somehow that pisses me off more than
anything else, even more than the colon
cleanse juice.
By the end of the week, my irritation
has reached new heights. On Friday,
she’s already sitting at her desk when I
arrive at the office. Today she’s got on a
short black dress that would look
professional except for the fact that it’s
hugging her curves in a way that borders
on obscene.
Damn, she looks good.
As I’m passing by her desk, I stop
and lean in casually. I know I shouldn’t,
but I can’t resist.
“How was the scotch?”
“I sold it.” She doesn’t even look up
from her computer screen.
I almost choke on my coffee.
“That was a two thousand dollar
bottle of scotch.”
“I know.” She seems nonplussed.
“That’s why I sold it. Two thousand
dollars can buy a lot of groceries. And
shoes. And cheap bottles of wine.”
“That scotch was meant for you to
enjoy.”
“I am enjoying it. Just not in the way
you intended. Funny, that.”
Even though I’m pissed, I can’t help
but notice that she has the sexiest smirk
on her face.
I close myself in my office so that I
can fume in private. I can’t believe she
sold that bottle of scotch. I would have
just kept it for myself if I’d known she
was going to do that. It’s not like that
vintage is exactly easy to come by.
Yet somehow … her gall amuses me.
Impresses me, even.
I sit down behind my desk and try to
concentrate on the work in front of me. I
have about eight hundred emails to catch
up on. And that’s not even an
exaggeration. Half my job seems to be
managing emails — responding to
existing clients, connecting with new or
potential ones. Everyone wants to feel
like they have the ear of the CEO and it’s
my job to be that ear. I never thought
when I got into finance that it would
involve so much working with people.
I had gone to business school
because that’s what Liam did, and back
then I did everything he did. He wasn’t
my brother, but he was the closest thing I
had to one. After my parents — well,
let’s just say Liam was all I had when I
was growing up. He kept me on the
straight and narrow all through high
school and it was only thanks to him —
and the generosity of his family — that I
was even able to make it into college in
the first place. So when he suggested that
I follow him to business school, I didn’t
think twice.
And it’s proven to be a good
decision. It turned out that I had a good
mind for business. And, frankly, it was
one profession where being an asshole
helps.
If you really want to get ahead, you
can’t think too long or too hard about the
people you’re stepping on to get there.
And I was pretty much an expert at that. I
had learned very early on in life that
thinking about other people only got you
hurt, so I figured out pretty quickly how
to turn that part of me off.
Who would have thought that that
would lead to opening a billion dollar
company before I turned thirty?
Okay, to be fair, the company was
half Liam’s. His mind for business was
possibly even greater than mine, if you
could believe it. It scared me sometimes
how he could be so single-minded about
the work. It was almost like he wasn’t
human.
I don’t mind admitting that he’s the
one who’s better at this. It was his
choice to take on the Chief Operating
Officer role though. He didn’t want to be
CEO — too public, he said. Too much
people work. I wouldn’t realize until a
couple years in how right he was about
that, but by that point it was too late to
change the corporate set-up.
So now I was the face, and Liam
was the brains. Well, that’s what he
liked to say, anyway. I liked to think I
brought some brains too.
My desk phone rings and my heart
does a funny beat-skipping thing when I
pick it up and hear Adelaide’s voice on
the other end.
“What?” I bark.
“Hello,” she says. I wait for her to
go on.
“What?” I finally say, when she
doesn’t.
“I’m just informing you that ‘hello’ is
the proper greeting when you answer the
telephone.”
 “Thank you, Miss Manners.”
“You’re welcome.” Her voice drips
with sweetness. She doesn’t go on so I
sigh audibly.
“Did you need something?”
“Yes. Your three o’clock is here.”
“You could have led with that, you
know.”
“I know.”
I hang up the phone in irritation. I
have gone through many, many
secretaries in my time here, and none
have been quite so frustrating as her.
The door opens and Gerald
VanCleesen comes in. Shit, I forgot I had
scheduled this meeting for now. I’ve
rebooked him at least three times now
and he doesn’t look happy about it. I
plaster on a fake smile as he closes the
door. Time to do what I do best.
By the time the meeting is done,
Adelaide has left for the day, so I show
VanCleesen out myself. He keeps talking
the whole way to the elevator and I have
to push the ‘down’ button three times
before he actually stops talking long
enough to get onto the elevator. I nod a
quick goodbye as the doors close and
then head back to my office.
When I get there I see that Adelaide
has left my dry cleaning hanging in the
lobby area near her desk. I grab the
green zippered bag and take it into my
office, but as I do, a post-it note flutters
to the floor.
My heart beats a little faster as I pick
it up.
“I feel slightly less offended by
your comment now that I know just how
much you spend on dry cleaning.”
My comment. She’s referring to what
I said to her the other night at the bar. I
am filled with a sudden and bone deep
sense of regret.
For the first time in ages, I find
myself wishing I could take back
something I said.

I SPEND the entire evening composing an

apology in my head. I’ll tell her first
thing in the morning that I’m sorry, that I
was an idiot, an asshole, that she didn’t
deserve what I said to her. I’ll tell her
that I felt something in that washroom,
something that I haven’t felt in a long
time, maybe ever, and that it scared the
living shit out of me. Women like
emotional honesty, right? Maybe I can do
that.
Maybe it would be worth it, for her.
Maybe I…
I flop down onto my leather sofa and
flip open my MacBook. I find an online
florist and place an order for a dozen
roses. I pick the most unique ones I can
find, a bright red that matches the dress
Adelaide was wearing when I first met
her, but with a brilliant pink edging
around the petals. They remind me of her
— soft, yet striking. Pretty and bold.
I go to sleep that night with her name
on my lips, and an apology on my mind.
 CHAPTER 9

A D EL A ID E

I ’m climbing up the steps from the

subway when I see him. It’s rush
hour, and I’m on the verge of being late
for work, and there are a million or so
people in this section of the city, and yet
there he is. My body goes from cold to
hot to cold. A dull ache forms instantly
in my stomach. I snap my head to the
side, pretending to look for a cab in the
rush of vehicles that sail past, but it’s too
late.
“Addie!”
That voice.
The one I thought I would spend the
rest of my life waking up to.
“Willow. Hi.” I force a smile onto
my face, even though my mind is still
reeling, even though I want to pry open
that sewer cover and crawl right in.
He leans in and wraps me into a tight
hug. I tap his back lightly, trying to hold
myself at a distance. His woodsy scent
is so familiar that I feel almost dizzy
with it, with the rush of memories it
brings back. I breathe in deeply, even
though I want to slap myself for it.
This is the man who left you, I
remind myself. The one who broke your
heart.
“You look great,” he says. His smile
is so genuine that it’s all I can do not to
burst into tears. I don’t think it’s even
him that I miss, so much as I miss
knowing that one part of my life was on
track, was solid. He ripped that all away
from me.
“So do you,” I mumble. His long hair
is pulled back into a pony tail, and his
little round glasses are as smudged as
they always were. He smiles, and his
too-large teeth take up a third of his face.
I used to think it was a goofy,
unassuming smile, a smile that once was
for me. But when we broke up, he
showed an ugly side of himself, and now
all I see in that smile is a sad little man
who wants to make himself feel bigger.
See what I mean? Terrible taste in
men.
“How are you?” he asks. “Still
working at the same place?”
I shake my head. “No, that … didn’t
really work out.” I have no intention of
getting into the whole story here on the
street corner with him. Pedestrians are
pushing past us, all in a mad rush to get
to jobs where they’ll sit on their asses
for the next nine or ten hours. For once
in my life, I envy them. I wish I could
just slink away into the crowd, into the
sanctity of Avondale & Bradley. I’m just
two blocks away yet standing out here,
talking to Willow, pre-coffee, it feels
like a light year.
Willow looks at me with something
that looks like pity, and I know right
away what he’s thinking. Adelaide the
fuck-up. Willow fancied himself an
expert in ‘zen’ and he could never
understand my impulsiveness, my need
to spew out whatever popped into my
head. There’s no way I want him to
know I got fired from my last job for
mouthing off.
“I got a better offer,” I tell him. “I’m
at an acquisitions company now. Much
better role.”
 Well. It’s not entirely a lie.
Willow smiles, though it doesn’t
quite reach his eyes. “That’s great,
Addie. Really.”
“How are you doing?” I force myself
to ask. “How is Janine?” Her name is
like a red hot spice, a ghost pepper, in
my mouth, almost enough to bring tears
to my eyes. God, I hate that he can make
me feel this pathetic.
Willow’s smile drops, just a hair.
Good. I hope he feels guilty. He
deserves to.
“She’s great. We’re great. Thanks for
asking.”
“That’s … great.”
We stand in awkward silence for a
moment. The wind is whipping my light
red coat around my thighs and dead
leaves swirl at our ankles.
“Well, great running into you,” I
finally say, only because I can’t take
another minute of this.
“You too,” he says. He sounds
genuine, and that pains me more than
anything else. Isn’t he the least bit upset
about ending our engagement?
He leans in to give me what I think is
going to be a hug, but then he presses his
lips to the corner of my mouth. I can
smell his scent again, pine and cotton
and something almost musty, and I turn
my head away quickly. I give him a
small wave, and then I’m rushing off,
straight for my office. I never thought I’d
consider Avondale & Bradley a
sanctuary, but in this moment, it feels
like exactly that.

I DON’T EXPECT either Liam or Rob to be

there when I arrive — they both had
early meetings, which meant they
wouldn’t be in until later in the morning.
Which meant I didn’t think anything of it
when I walked into my desk area
brushing stray tears out of my eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Liam’s voice from inside his office
scares the crap out of me, and I jump.
“Don’t do that!” I snap, before I have
time to remind myself that, um, he’s my
boss and he can do whatever he wants.
Liam pushes his chair out from
behind his desk and strolls over to his
doorway, where he stands watching me
rummage around in my purse for a tissue.
“Seriously. What’s wrong?” he asks
again.
“Nothing. Just ran into someone I
really wasn’t expecting — or hoping —
to see.”
“Ah.” He nods. “Let me guess — an
ex-boyfriend?”
“Close. Ex-fiancé.”
He looks surprised. He folds his
arms and raises one eyebrow in a
perfect arch. “You were engaged?”
“Once upon a time.” I dab at my eyes
with a tissue. “By which I mean, up until
two months ago.”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t
know.”
I almost laugh at his earnestness. “Of
course you didn’t know. I wouldn’t
expect you to.”
“Come on. Let’s go downstairs. I’ll
buy you a coffee.”
“Aren’t I supposed to be the one
bringing you coffee?”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He’s so good-natured about it that I
can’t say no, even though I’m totally
humiliated about crying in front of him.
We go to the coffee shop that’s in the
lobby of the building next door. Liam is
in surprisingly good spirits — or maybe
he just wants to distract me — and he
keeps me laughing with stories about shit
he and Rob got into back in college. By
the time we get back up to the office, I
once again have tears coming out of my
eyes, but this time for completely
different reasons.
“We were just standing there,” he
laughs. “Praying so hard my poor mother
wasn’t going to open up the bathroom
door and see the inflatable sex doll we
had perched on the toilet. The hardest
part would have been explaining why the
thing was dressed up as a train
conductor. There’s no real way to make
that sound good.”
I clutch my stomach, nearly doubled
over laughing. Suddenly Willow is the
farthest thing from my mind. When Liam
puts his hand on my arm as we step back
into the office, I shiver in delight before
I can even stop and wonder what it
means.
“Morning, Rob,” I say, when I see
that he’s standing in the doorway to his
office, watching us.
He doesn’t say anything, just folds
his arms and stares.
“Liam was just telling me about the
time you guys were pledging the
fraternity in college.”
“I see that,” Rob says. His voice is
neutral, and he doesn’t crack a smile. He
locks eyes with Liam and I look back
and forth between them, trying to figure
out what’s going on between them. If I
didn’t know better, I’d almost think Rob
was jealous.
But that’s impossible, right? He’s
made it perfectly clear that what
happened between us meant nothing to
him. And besides, there’s nothing
between me and Liam to even be jealous
of. He only took me for coffee because
he felt sorry for me.
Liam steps towards his office.
“Yeah, I’ve been telling her all kinds of
good things about you. Making you out to
be a real catch.”
His words are light but I can tell
there’s something else in there. Rob’s
eyes narrow and I feel caught between
some kind of stand-off I don’t
understand.
I slip behind my desk and into my
seat, refusing to get involved in
whatever sort of power games they’re
playing. “Thanks for the coffee, Liam,” I
say, pointedly ignoring Rob.
“It was my pleasure” he says
smoothly, before heading back into his
office and leaving me out here alone
with Rob.
Rob stands in his doorway another
minute or so, surveying the common area
where my desk is. He won’t look at me
so I don’t look at him either, and instead
turn my focus to getting started on the
day’s emails. Before long he turns and
heads into his office. I can hear him sit
down with a huff, and I give my head a
shake.
I can’t — and probably won’t —
ever understand that man.
ROB IS in a bad mood for the rest of the
morning. I mostly ignore him but
eventually I have no choice but to go
knock on his door. I need to ask him
about the invite list for the Greenfield
conference call.
I knock softly on the door and then
step in. I expect him to be working away
but instead he’s staring at the window,
looking out at the city with a pensive
expression on his face.
“Beautiful view,” I say.
He turns and looks at me, then nods
slowly.
He starts back to his desk and I see
his eyes flit to something on the side of
the room. I look over to see what he’s
looking at, and spot a gorgeous bouquet
of roses. Not just any roses though — a
deep red with pink ruffled edges.
“Those are stunning. Who are they
from?”
“From me. For a client,” he snaps.
His mouth twitches.
“Okay…” I let the word trail off. I
have no idea what’s going on with him
this morning, but I have a sinking feeling
that it has something to do with me. I
wonder if, even with my plan to make
only good decisions and keep my mouth
and legs closed, I’ve still somehow
managed to fuck something up.
Looking at Rob right now, with his
arms folded and his face wearing that
vaguely constipated look that he does so
well, it certainly feels that way.
 CHAPTER 10

L IA M

I get to the office in the morning

before anyone else is there.
Actually, it’s so early I’d be surprised if
anyone else was in the building yet.
Even the lobby security guards give me a
funny look and when they ask to see my
building ID, I realize it’s because it’s
still the night guards on duty. I hand over
my badge and when they see my name
and title, they nod politely and go back
to their sleepy stupors.
The twenty-eighth floor, which we
occupy in its entirety, is empty. There’s
not a sound in the whole place except the
soft hum of the climate control. My
shoes barely make a sound as I make my
way to my office.
I like being here by myself. This is
my company — our company. We built
this. Here in the morning, I feel the way
a farmer must, waking early to plow
their fields. Standing at the top of the
hill, surveying their crops. It’s peaceful,
and satisfying, and fulfilling.
At least it usually is.
Today I pause at Addie’s desk. Her
Garfield mug is still sitting on her desk
from yesterday, probably still half filled
with coffee. Her collection of purple
pens. The ivy plant that’s she’s set on the
windowsill, the one that seems to keep
growing and that I’m convinced is
making a bid to take over the office.
Addie seems to be taking over the
office too, infusing it with her warmth
and humor. Those two things have been
uncommon around here lately; most of
our secretaries have been too terrified of
Rob to show any sort of personality at
all. Addie seems to have — well, I
wouldn’t say she’s tamed him, but she
seems to at least enjoy poking the beast.
She’s a good fit for him, I have to
admit. And he’s a good fit for her. Or at
least he would be, if he’d loosen up a
little.
I sigh and go into my office. Close
the door so I don’t have to see her desk.
I’m not sure what’s gotten into me lately.
It must be everything going on with
Mom, I think, not for the first time. I
make a mental note to go see her tonight
after work.
I park myself in front of my computer
and start going through the month’s
expenses. They’ve all been reviewed
and approved by the department heads,
but it’s my responsibility to provide
final sign-off. While I’m sure most
people in my position would just rubber
stamp it, I actually like to look.
I find myself noting some of the more
amusing items so that I can remember to
tell Addie about them later — gummy
worms purchased in bulk, expensed as
dinner. A three-day business trip that
resulted in not one but two receipts for
packages of toilet paper. A receipt for a
single solitary live gold fish. Sometimes
I just have to shake my head. She’ll
enjoy them. I can already hear her
laughing, that loud throaty guffaw that’s
so unpolished and perfect.
I stop myself, looking up from the
files on my desk.
What am I doing?
Rob likes her. I know he does, even
if he can’t admit it to himself just yet.
And I would never do anything to hurt
him, not even if my life depended on it.
He’s been my best friend since we
were little. Hell, more like my younger
brother. He practically grew up at my
house, after his parents died. My parents
treated him like one of their own —
even paid for him to go to college.
So whatever niggling feelings I have
for Addie — and yes, I can admit to
myself that there may be a hint, the
slightest whiff of growing affection for
her — I have to put them aside.
No girl will ever come between Rob
and I. He’s too important to me.
I shake my head. This is ridiculous.
Maybe I need a coffee.
 I lock my computer and step out of
my office, only to come face to face with
…
“Hi Addie.”
“Morning, Liam.” She smiles, red
lips stretching over perfect white teeth.
I stand there awkwardly, watching as
she unloads her purse and coat, then
unwinds the emerald green scarf that’s
wrapped around her neck, unleashing her
wild dark hair in the process.
Get it tofuckinggether, Liam, I hiss
to myself.
“I’m going down for coffee,” I say,
brushing past her.
“Oh, hold on,” she says, looking up,
still smiling. “I’ll come down with you. I
didn’t have time to get one on the way
in.”
I shake my head. “I need you to scan
and file those expense reports that are on
my desk.”
Her smile drops. “Right this
second?”
I grit my teeth. “Yes, Adelaide. Right
this second.”
She’s studying my face but I refuse to
show any hint of emotion. I leave the
office brusquely, leaving her behind to
do the filing.

WHEN I GET BACK, Addie is still at the

scanner. She keeps her back turned, but I
don’t know if that’s because she’s mad
or if she didn’t hear me over the noise of
the scanner. I slip silently into my office
and close the door.
I shoot Rob an email telling him that
I need to talk to him as soon as he’s in
the office, and then I dig into a bunch of
nice, boring, mindless spreadsheets.
That should keep my brain occupied for
the next little while.
Eventually there’s a knock at my
door and I steel myself, wondering if it
might be Addie, but when the door eases
open it’s only Rob.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Come in,” I gesture. “Close the
door.”
He slides into the smooth leather
chair across for me. “What’s up?”
“Monthly expenses. Gummy bears,
toilet paper, and a goldfish.”
Rob grins. This is our monthly
routine. “Not too bad. Still hasn’t topped
the woman who tried to expense the
unicycle though.”
“True. She’ll live on in infamy
forever.”
There’s a beat of silence. Rob
squints at me. “So what did you really
want?”
He knows me too well. That’s what
happens after twenty-five years of
friendship.
“This thing with Adelaide.”
He leans back in his chair. Looks
away for a second. Looks back. “What
about it?”
“It’s gone on long enough. You like
her. She likes you, or at least she would
if you’d stop acting like a royal prick
around her.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Bullshit, you’re not interested.”
“I’m not.”
“Every time she walks by, your
mouth hangs open like a fucking teenager
looking at his first Playboy centerfold.”
Rob reddens a little. “Fuck off. And
don’t tell me I’m the only one. I’ve seen
the way you look at her when you come
back from your little coffee breaks
together.”
Shit. Busted.
“She’s cute, I’ll give you that,” I
concede. I know that if I deny it, he’ll
know I’m lying.
 “She’s more than cute,” Rob mutters.
“She’s fucking gorgeous.”
Yes, she is. I’m glad to hear him at
least acknowledge it.
“How about this?” I propose.
“Today you take her on a coffee break.”
Rob looks surly. “Isn’t she supposed
to be the one bringing us coffee? Isn’t
that what we pay her for?”
“Robbie, you’re missing the point
here. Take her for coffee. Just
downstairs. Ten minutes. Have a
conversation with her in which you’re
not growling at her. I think you’ll find
that in addition to being fucking
gorgeous, she’s also pretty funny and
smart.”
Rob is looking at me suspiciously, as
if I’m trying to trick him into something.
“You know I’m the CEO, right?” he
spits.
I sigh. “Yes. And I’m the Chief
Operating Officer. We’ve had this
fucking conversation before. Now get
out of my office.”
Rob stares at me for a beat before
hefting himself out of the seat. He stomps
out of my office, and I can almost hear
him muttering under his breath.
I follow him to the door.
“Addie, have you had coffee yet?”
She turns from the scanner and
shakes her head.
“Good. Rob was just heading down.
Why don’t you guys head down
together?” I give Rob a nudge and ignore
the venomous eye daggers he shoots at
me.
“Really?” she says, looking from me
to Rob. “I thought you only drank the
blood of innocent virgins.”
I crack a smile and shake my head.
The girl’s got balls of steel, I’ll give her
that.
They walk out of the office together,
both a bit hesitant, but the frisson of
electricity isn’t lost on me. I feel a pang
of jealousy, but push it down. It isn’t that
I want Addie, I tell myself, it’s that I
want that.
But if that’s not in the cards for me
right now, I’ll just have to deal with it.
AFTER WORK, I head out to my parents
place. I don’t bother calling ahead
because they’re almost always home
these days. My mother was diagnosed
with ovarian cancer less than a year ago
— after chemo hell and three months of
radiation, she finally seems to be
heading out the other side. They won’t
declare her in remission yet, but the
doctors seem optimistic.
I have a key so I let myself in
without knocking.
“Hello?”
I stand in the hallway for a minute,
listening. They aren’t in the living room,
which is usually where I find them. They
keep the television trained to the twenty-
four-hour news station and they stay
glued to it pretty much all day. I’ve told
them they should watch less of it — it
can’t be good for you, all that depressing
news running constantly in the
background — but I think it helps them
feel more connected to things.
“Dad? Mom?”
“Liam, is that you?” My father’s
voice comes from the top of the stairs. I
look up to see him peering down at me.
He looks as imposing as he ever did, but
I’m struck by how old he seems now.
His hair, which used to be a
distinguished salt and pepper, is now
firmly on the salty side. His eyes, the
same piercing blue as mine, are now
nestled in crow’s feet. I think Mom’s
illness has taken a toll on all of us.
 “What are you guys doing? Is this a
good time?”
“Of course.” He waves me upstairs
and I slip off my shoes and pad up the
carpeted staircase. “Your mother’s just
resting in bed. She’s been quite tired
lately.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine, honey.” Mom’s voice
comes out of the bedroom. It sounds
raspier than usual, but that note of
exasperation is pure Mom. Dad and I
grin at each other and I go in to see her.
She’s sitting in the bed, propped up
by a mountain of pillows. They’ve put a
small television on the bureau and she’s
watching — what else? — twenty-four-
hour news. I study her small frame in the
bed. Does she look sicker than last time
I saw her? Frailer? It’s so hard to tell.
The chemo took so much out of her and
she’s only just starting to bounce back
from that.
“How are you feeling? I sit down on
the bed and pat her leg under the covers.
She waves her hand. “I’m fine. I’ve
just been a bit tired lately. It’s easier for
me to stay up here so I don’t have to be
going up and down the stairs all the
time.”
“I caught her in the living room,
standing on a chair and trying to take
down the curtains,” Dad interjects.
“Mom!”
“They needed to be washed.”
“I will pay someone to come and do
that for you. Anything you need done.
I’ve told you that before.”
I clench my fist by my side, where
she can’t see it. It makes me feel so
helpless to see her like this, but I should
have made sure they had enough
supports here. I’ve offered a hundred
times before, but Mom’s too stubborn. I
should have just ignored her and done it
anyway. She’s just going to end up
hurting herself.
I look at Dad. “I’ll have my
secretary line something up first thing
tomorrow.” I turn my gaze to Mom, wag
my finger at her in a joking way. “I don’t
care what you say. You spent your life
taking care of us. Let us take care of
you.”
 Mom sets her jaw, and I think she’s
going to argue with me, but a coughing
fit overwhelms her.
She leans over, hacking, and Dad
rushes to rub her back. She coughs and
coughs and coughs, a dry, aching cough
that makes my ribs hurt just to hear it.
When it’s finally over, and Dad goes to
get her a glass of water, she gives me a
small curt nod, as if to agree with my
offer of help.
For some reason, that upsets me
more than anything else. I swallow down
something hard, a lump of fear.
My mother has always been a tiger.
Fierce, brave, loyal. She wore her hair
long and straight down her back, even
when all the other mothers had short chic
bobs, even when her dark hair started to
go white. She’d shaved it off before the
chemo started — donating it to Locks of
Love and joking about how she hoped
her silver white locks would make their
way to a teenaged Lady Gaga fan. She
hadn’t shed a single tear, just squeezed
Dad’s hand and had him take a selfie
with her, which she sent to everyone in
our family hashtagged
#baldyandthebeast.
That was Mom.
This was … a sick person. Still
Mom, but…
Fuck. I stand up from the bed and
turn away. It won’t do her any good to
see me upset and I could kick myself for
getting worked up while I’m here.
 “Have you been back to see the
doctor?” I ask Dad, when he returns with
the water.
“We’re going tomorrow.”
“You should have said so. I’ll drive
you.”
“Don’t be silly, Liam. You have your
work.”
“This is more important. Rob can
handle things on his own.”
Mom smiles at the mention of Rob’s
name.
“How is Rob?” He’s always been
like a second son to her.
“He’s good,” I tell her. I almost tell
her that he’s met someone, because I
know it’ll make her happy, but I don’t
want to get her hopes up in case he still
manages to fuck this up, which, knowing
Rob, is incredibly likely.
“Is he seeing anyone special yet?”
Mom asks, as if reading my mind.
I shrug. “Not really. You know Rob.”
“I do. I know you too. Let me guess,
no one special for you yet, either?”
“Who’s got the time?” I mumble.
“You boys.” Mom shakes her head.
“You’ll get there. One day you’ll figure
it out.”
Mom has a funny smile on her lips
and I frown. “Figure what out?”
But she’s lost to another coughing fit.
I get her more water while Dad rubs
her back. Her whole body rocks, her
face going a scary shade of red. I stand
there nervously, trying to resist the urge
to punch a wall or rip the molding off the
door frame. Anything to ease this
helpless frustration.
When the episode finally subsides, I
let her catch her breath and then lean
over to kiss her cheek. “Get some rest,”
I tell her. “I’ll be back in the morning to
take you to the doctor’s.”
Dad gives me a hug before I go, and
although it’s a tight, manly sort of hug, he
gives my arm a squeeze before he lets go
of me.
I wait until I’m back in my SUV
before I let out a deep shuddering breath.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.
 CHAPTER 11

A D EL A ID E

I shimmy myself around in the

elevator and use my elbow to hit
the button for the twenty-eighth floor. I’m
holding my purse, phone, and a tray
piled with three coffees and a bag of
pastries, and trying desperately not to
drop any of them.
Rob was actually nice enough to buy
me a coffee yesterday and managed to
not say a single rude thing to me in the
entire time we were talking, so I figured
today I’d do them the favor of picking up
the caffeine.
But when I get there, no one is in yet.
I set the coffee tray on the corner of my
desk and log into my email. I have a
message from Liam saying that he won’t
be in today. He also asks me to put
together a list of well-reviewed cleaning
services, food delivery, and home
nursing assistants. I hope everything is
okay.
Rob shows up a few minutes later.
 “Liam won’t be in today,” he says,
slipping out of his coat.
“I know, I got an email from him.” I
gesture towards the cups. “I brought
coffee. Is everything okay with him?”
Rob hesitates, and I’m not sure if it’s
because of my question or because of the
coffee, but he steps towards my desk and
picks up the cup.
“Thanks. Next time I prefer the
blood of innocent virgins though.”
I bite back a smile. “Noted. I’ll put
that in my special secretary diary.”
He frowns. “You have one of those?”
I give him a look.
“Sorry, how should I know?” He
takes a sip and gives a contented sigh as
the bitter coffee hits his tongue. It’s a
surprisingly sexy sigh, the kind a man
makes when he lays back in bed after …
My face reddens a little and Rob
gives me a funny look.
I’ve been trying hard to be
professional here at the office, but every
once in awhile I’m reminded of how
sinfully sexy this man is. Actually, both
of them are. Rob with his deep intensity,
Liam with his soulful calm. Both with
bodies to die for, eyes that seem to peer
right into you.
I give my head a shake, trying to
clear it of these thoughts. These are the
kinds of thoughts that are decidedly not
conducive to good decision-making.
“You okay?”
“Yes.” It comes out more like a
croak. My throat is dry, and I take a sip
of my coffee, so hot that it scalds the
roof of my mouth.
“Ow, ow, ow!” I try to fan the roof
of my mouth while Rob rolls his eyes at
me.
“How’s Liam?” I ask again, when
my eyes have stopped watering. “Is
everything okay with him?”
Rob shakes his head. “His mother
isn’t well.”
“Oh, God.” All sexy thoughts have
suddenly rushed straight out of my head.
“Is she okay?”
“I think so. She had cancer, but she’s
through the treatments now. Liam just
said she was a bit under the weather, so
they were taking her to a doctor. He said
it was just a precautionary thing.”
His tone is light but I can read the
concern on his face. He’s worried about
her too.
“I’m sorry, Rob. Do you know her
well?”
He nods. “Very well. She practically
raised me.”
He doesn’t elaborate and I get the
very distinct impression that this isn’t an
area I want to pry into right now.
Instead I nudge the bag of pastries
towards him. “Chocolate croissants and
raspberry turnovers. Take your pick.”
“No thanks,” he says. “Got to keep
the gut off.” He grins.
My mind flashes back to our first
meeting, that night at Clinton’s. I picture
his rippling abs, like something chiseled
out of marble. There is definitely no gut
on this man. Just smooth, taut,
glistening…
By the time I get myself together,
Rob is already back in his office with
the door closed.
Ahem.
I shift in my seat, trying to ignore the
dampness in my panties and the buzz
that’s rushing straight through to my
center.
“No bad decisions,” I mutter to
myself, as I start on the day’s work,
painfully aware of the delectable man
sitting just ten feet and one frosted glass
door away from me.
I SPEND the rest of my day working on the
list Liam wanted, of well-reviewed
help. I realize now it’s for his mother, so
I take the time to call up some of the
better looking companies and get
information on their rates and how they
vet their employees.
I spend the rest of my time prepping
meeting materials for the six conference
calls that Rob has lined up that day.
Since Liam is usually the one who
speaks to the numbers, I know that Rob
is a little more anxious so I take extra
time preparing his notes, making sure he
has copies of all the financial data that
Liam normally brings into these
meetings.
I end the day feeling like Secretary
of the Year, when Rob bursts out of his
office, a worried expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, thinking
instantly of Liam’s mother.
Rob runs his hand through his dark
hair. “I have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“Liam just messaged me that our
lawyers need copies of all the contracts
we’ve signed over the past year — by
tomorrow. With everything with his
mom, he forgot about it until just now.”
“Okay, I can email them over before
I go. Where are they?” I’m already
clicking open the shared drive on the
computer.
“That’s the thing, we never scanned
them. We only have hard copies.”
 “I can call a courier. Someone can
pick them up tonight or first thing
tomorrow. Bring them to the lawyers’
office.”
He half grins. “I wish it was that
easy. Unfortunately we can’t send our
originals. So we either have to
photocopy them all, or scan them all.”
I look at my watch. It’s five minutes
to five. “I guess I can stay and do that.
How many are there?” What the hell, it’s
not like I had anything else to do tonight.
He shrugs, looking a bit sheepish. “I
don’t know. Let’s see.”
We go into his office and he opens a
drawer of a filing cabinet. It’s a wide
drawer and it’s filled with file folders
packed so tightly you’d get a paper cut
just trying to pull one out.
My jaw drops. “All of those?”
“Uh….” He looks sheepish. “And all
of these too.” He gestures to the three
drawers beneath that one.
Just looking at them makes me want
to sit down. We’re talking about hours of
work.
“I feel terrible,” he tells me. He
actually does look like he feels terrible,
unlike my last boss, who would have
delighted in a situation like this.
“It’s fine,” I tell him. “I can stay and
get it done.” I figure each drawer will
take me about an hour, so I can get it all
done by nine or so.
Rob shakes his head. “I’ll stay and
help you.”
 “Please. It’s not the CEO’s job to
scan paperwork.”
“Hey, I’m not afraid of a little hard
work.”
“I never said you were, but come on,
Rob. This is grunt work. Leave it to the
grunts.”
But he insists. He takes off his jacket
and rolls up his sleeves, exposing two
deliciously muscled forearms. I try not
to stare but he catches me and grins.
“See something you like?”
“No.” I fold my arms to prove my
seriousness, but Rob just laughs. It’s a
rare sound in this office, and I can’t deny
that it sends a tickle of something
forbidden coursing through me.
We start hauling file folders out of
the cabinet and taking out the staples
before we feed them through the giant
photocopier near my desk. After we scan
them, we re-staple and re-file. It’s
horribly tedious and annoying but Rob
keeps things entertaining by telling me
amusing stories and gossip about the
clients named in some of the contracts.
The first drawer still takes longer
than expected, and even between the two
of us, it’s more than an hour before we
finish with it.
“I’m going to order us dinner,” Rob
announces. I don’t argue — I’m starving.
“What do you want? Thai? Indian?
Sushi?”
We settle on Indian and Rob calls to
order us butter chicken, mango salad and
basmati rice.
“Diet Coke?” I mouth while he’s on
the phone, and he adds two cans to our
order.
We’ve almost finished the second
drawer by the time the food arrives.
Time for a welcome break.
We go into Rob’s office and he
spreads everything out on his desk. I sit
in the guest chair across from him and
scoop rice and chicken and salad onto
paper plates that I find in the office
kitchen.
“Thanks again for staying to help,” I
tell him. “And for dinner.”
“I really feel terrible about making
you stay,” he says, apologizing again. He
genuinely does seem to feel bad. Who
knew the man was capable of caring
about other people’s feelings?
“This is nothing. At my last job, I
had to stay this late almost every night,
mostly because my boss would
constantly change his mind about how he
wanted things done and me and the other
girls would end up having to stay to fix
it.”
“Is that why you left that job?”
“Um.” My face reddens a little.
“Actually, there was kind of an
incident.”
“Let me guess — you slept with
him.” His eyes glint mischievously.
I throw my napkin at him. “Ew, no. I
did not sleep with him. He was about
sixty years old and had a toupee that
looked like it had been made out of pipe
cleaners.”
Rob laughs. “So what was the
incident then?”
“Um,” I say again. “Well, I kind of
called my boss a name. In front of a lot
of people.”
I tell him the whole story — about
how I’d spilled a teeny tiny bit of coffee
in my boss’s lap during the video
conference with Japan, and how he’d
called me a clumsy bitch as he danced
around the room, his crotch scorching
from the hot coffee, and how I’d
responded by calling him a limp-dicked
moron and saying that it didn’t matter
that I’d burned his penis since he
probably didn’t ever use it anyway.
 By the time I’m done the story Rob is
red-faced from trying not to laugh.
“So you got fired.”
“I got fired. I’m not sure if it was
really because of that or if it was the fact
that when I stormed out of the conference
room, I tripped on the cord for the video
conferencing machine and the whole
thing crashed onto the floor and
smashed. So there was that too.”
“There was that too, eh?” Now Rob
is laughing for real. I’ve seen him smile
before, and I’ve seen him smirk plenty of
times, but this is twice in one night that
I’ve heard him laugh.
I find that I like it.
And I find that that scares the crap
out of me.
 I change the subject.
“How long have you and Liam
owned this company?”
He looks like he’s thinking. “Eight
years now? Nine. Yeah, wow, nine.
Time flies.”
“Is it weird being in business with a
friend?”
He shakes his head. “Not really. It’s
always been Liam and I. We’ve been
best friends since we were six. We grew
up together, went to college together,
roomed together while we were there —
so it seemed natural to start a business
together after we graduated.”
“You must be close.”
He nods without hesitation. “There’s
no one I’m closer to.”
 The intensity of their friendship
always catches me off guard. It’s like me
and Daphne, but on steroids. In some
ways they seem more like a couple than
friends.
Great — now I have that image
running through my mind. Rob and Liam,
their naked bodies tangled up in white
sheets. Rob, lean and tightly-muscled.
Liam, broad and hulking. Their dicks
huge and hard and straining as they jerk
each other off …
I take a long swallow of my Diet
Coke and fight off the urge to press the
cold can to my forehead. I peek at Rob
and he’s giving me the funniest look.
“How about you?” he asks, spooning
more mango salad onto our plates.
“Who’s the person you’re closest to?”
I think for a second. “Probably my
best friend Daphne. I’m not all that close
with my family.”
“No? Why not?”
I’m surprised to find that he seems
genuinely interested.
“I’m sort of the black sheep in my
family.”
Rob frowns. “What do you mean?”
I shrug, glancing away. “My whole
family is sort of perfect. They’re all so
poised and they have everything
together. To them, I’m Adelaide the fuck-
up.”
“Come on. That’s crazy. How are
you a fuck-up?”
He’s looking at me incredulously,
like he thinks the very notion is
ridiculous. It’s almost sweet, but
somehow it makes me want to prove him
wrong.
“It’s just that things in my life tend to
go to shit. I told you how I got fired from
my last job. Well, that’s not the first job
I’ve been fired from. And the same thing
happens with relationships.”
The word ‘relationships’ hangs in the
air between us.
“Why do you think that is?” Rob
asks. He takes a sip of his Diet Coke and
leans forward, as if he’s actually curious
about the inner workings of my psyche.
“I guess I’m just a very flawed
person.” I make my voice sarcastic, even
though it’s the truth. I don’t know why
I’m spilling all this to him, but I guess
it’s typical Adelaide behavior.
“Are you, now?” He has the most
delicious — yet irritating — smirk on
his face. “Tell me about some of these
flaws.”
“Where to begin?” I say
exaggeratedly.
“Anywhere you like.” I realize he’s
being completely serious now.
“Well, first there’s my big butt.”
Okay, this one’s sort of a joke. “My
sister is a beautiful waif-like creature
with perfectly coifed hair and a butt that
always fits into jeans.
“Mmmm,” Rob says, his eyes
crinkling. “I happen to like your butt.”
“Shush,” I say, my cheeks reddening.
“That isn’t the point. Number two is my
big mouth.”
He considers this. “Yeah, okay, I’ll
give you that one.”
I throw another napkin at him.
“Number three, my horrible taste in
men.”
“Horrible taste in men? Remember
that time you slept with me?”
His words send a shock of
electricity through me. Do I remember?
Oh God, I remember. I swallow down
my bubbling desire.
“My point exactly — and you’re my
boss. Tell me that isn’t a horrible idea.
Now it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
“Tell me your three biggest flaws.”
 He seems to consider the question.
He stares into space and taps his chin
thoughtfully.
“I’d have to say one is that I like big
butts.” He has a perfectly straight face.
“And I cannot lie.”
“Be serious!” I admonish him. I wish
I had another napkin to throw at him.
“I am serious. Number two is that I
like big mouths.”
“Rob!”
“And number three is that I like
women with horrible taste in men.”
“You’re an asshole. That’s your
flaw.”
He shrugs. “That’s probably true,
actually. But I want to know why you’re
so fixated on these flaws. Everyone’s got
flaws. And everyone’s got good bits to
them.”
I laugh. “I know. It’s just that I seem
to have a few more flaws than the
average person.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“Have you seen how disastrous my
life is?”
He chuckles. “I would hardly call
your life a disaster. You have a great job
at an awesome company, and the sexiest
man in New York just bought you
dinner.”
“I work a temp job and am having
dinner with my boss.”
“Touché. But what if tonight, I
wasn’t your boss?”
“Who would you be then?”
 Rob leans forward. His face is
suddenly serious, his eyes blazing.
“The man who’s going to make you
come later.”
My entire body hums. My chest feels
tight, my pussy already feeling the soft
ache of want. We stare each other down
across his desk. His lips are parted just
slightly, his eyes hooded as he gazes at
me, and I squirm under the intensity.
“You’re still my boss.” I force
myself to say. Good decision.
“Am I?” he says leaning forward,
closer to me. “Or am I the man whose
name you want to be screaming?”
This time I can’t even say anything. I
just stare at him, trying not to pant. God,
what this man does to me. It’s not even
human.
I open and close my mouth a couple
of times. Rob smirks.
“Do you have something to say?”
I nod. I swallow.
“I think we should get back to
work.”
Rob leans back in his chair. A smirk
replaces the sultry look of earlier, but
somehow it does nothing to dull my
desire.
He shrugs. “If that’s what you want,
Adelaide.”
“It is.” I say it firmly, just as much to
convince myself as to convince him.
“But … you can call me Addie. It’s what
people who like me call me.”
He smiles, a real smile that touches
the corners of his eyes, crinkling them in
a way that manages to be both adorable
and incredibly sexy at the same time.
“Addie it is, then.”

I PICK up our empty plates and take

everything down to the kitchen to throw
it in the trash so that Rob’s office
doesn’t smell like Indian food in the
morning. When I get back, he’s already
back to work on the scanning project. I
join him and we work in near silence,
even though I’m acutely aware of his
body next to mine in the small space
behind my desk. Every time our
shoulders touch, I feel hot and dizzy. The
fire in my nether regions doesn’t
dissipate either, and I look forward to
getting home, if only so that I can, um,
take care of business.
We work for another two hours, until
finally we’ve scanned the last contract.
It’s nearly midnight, and I’m tired
and my hands are raw from handling so
many sheafs of paper, but I’m reluctant
to end the night just yet.
“Celebratory drink?” I ask, even
though I know it’s a bad idea as soon as
the words are out of my mouth.
Rob grins and looks at his watch. “I
guess we could get a cab and go
somewhere.”
I reach into the bottom drawer of my
desk. “I was thinking maybe we could
have a drink right here,” I say, pulling
out the bottle of scotch he had left me all
those days ago.
Rob gives a sudden barking laugh. “I
thought you sold it.”
“I thought about it, but I couldn’t.
When else would I ever get to drink two
thousand dollar scotch? It doesn’t
exactly have a place in my usual grocery
budget.”
“Well, stick with me and I can
introduce you to all sorts of things.” He
raises his eyebrows suggestively, then
holds out his hand. “Here.”
I pass him the bottle and he walks
into his office. I follow him and watch
as he gets two glasses. He pours two
very generous glugs into each glass.
“That’s a lot of scotch,” I say, when
he hands me my glass. “Aren’t you
supposed to savor this sort of thing?”
“Fuck savoring.” He clinks his glass
roughly against mine then takes a huge
swallow. “When you want something,
you want as much of it as you can get.”
His words — and the look in his
eyes when he says them — make me
flush. I take a small sip of the drink to
distract myself. It immediately burns the
back of my throat.
“Good?”
I nod. “It’s good, but to be honest, I
can’t tell the difference between the
expensive stuff and the swill. I think it’s
kind of wasted on me.”
Rob takes a step towards me and
before I know what’s happening, his
hand is twined in my hair, tilting my
head back.
“Nothing is wasted on you,” he says.
“None of it.”
His mouth is on mine then, kissing
me with a kind of passion I didn’t know
was hidden behind his normally steely
exterior. I haven’t seen him like this
before — well, except for the time at the
bar.
The memory of that night adds a new
heat to our kiss and I find myself kissing
him back, crushing my breasts against
his chest, wanting to feel every part of
my body touching every part of his. I feel
my nipples hardening inside my button-
down. The heat of his body against mine
sets me alight.
 We kiss for I don’t know how long.
A long time. Rob doesn’t try to take it
any farther and neither do I, even though
part of me wants to. All I want to do is
find a way to make this moment last
forever.
It feels like it does — until Rob’s
phone rings.
We ignore it, but I can feel him
tensing, wanting to reach for it. It’s to his
credit that he doesn’t, though, and I run
my hands through his short dark hair,
enjoying the way he groans into my
mouth when I do.
When the phone stops ringing, he
relaxes, and we lose ourselves in the
kiss again, tongues lashing, his pillowy
lips soft and full between my teeth as I
nip at them, again drawing a moan from
him.
Until the phone rings again.
This time we pull apart. “Maybe you
should answer that,” I say reluctantly.
He nods. “I’ll just be a second.” He
grabs the phone off his desk and looks at
the display. “Shit. It’s Liam.”
He answers and I bite my thumbnail
nervously. I can tell by Rob’s expression
that he’s worried it’s about Liam’s mom,
and as his frown deepens, I realize it is.
“We’ll be right there.” He hangs up
the phone and slides it into his pocket,
then grabs his coat.
“I have to go to the hospital.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know yet. Liam was upset.”
 “Oh God. I’m sorry, Rob. I hope
everything’s okay. Give my best to
Liam.”
He stops and stares at me. “Get your
coat.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about
me,” I say, waving him off. “I’ll just take
the train home.”
“Addie.” He takes a deep breath. “I
would like you to come. At least to keep
me company on the drive over.”
I can see the worry etched across his
handsome face, the way his jaw is tight,
his fists clenched. How can I say no?
I grab my coat. “Let’s go,” I say.
“Which hospital?”
 CHAPTER 12

A D EL A ID E

W eeyes
drive in silence. Rob keeps his
on the road and I don’t
interrupt him, but I know it isn’t the
traffic that has him so tense. He’s never
talked specifically about his relationship
with Liam’s family, but I know he’s
close to them. He’s said that they
practically raised him. I know this has to
be hurting him.
We get to the hospital in record time
— or Rob time, maybe — and he slides
into a parking spot near the visitors’
entrance.
“Do you know what floor they’re
on?”
Rob looks at his phone. “Fourth.”
We ride the elevator up in silence. It
pains me to see him this way. Rob is
always so confident, so cocky. Now he
looks worried. His face is pale in the
fluorescent light of the elevator, and his
jaw is set. I find myself wanting to run
my fingers along his cheek, to feel the
stubble under my palm, to somehow kiss
away this pain for him. My mind goes
back to where we were just a few
minutes ago, in his office, me on tip toes,
his hands tangled in my hair…
No. That was a mistake. I was lucky
that Liam had interrupted things. Not
lucky about the nature of the interruption,
of course, but the timing was perfect. It
stopped us from going any further than
we should have.
And that was what I wanted, right?
When the elevator doors ping open,
Rob puts his hand on the small of my
back and ushers me out. I resist the
shiver his touch sends shooting up my
spine. Instead we walk grimly down the
hallway, looking for a nurse’s station or
waiting room.
We don’t see any sign of Liam, so
Rob pulls out his phone to text him that
we’re here. His hand comes away from
my back, and the loss of his touch is like
a physical ache. I ignore it. Not the time.
A few seconds after Rob’s text, Liam
emerges from one of the rooms. He’s
way down the hallway from us, but it
isn’t difficult to spot his enormous
frame. Rob and I hurry down the hallway
towards him.
“Thanks for coming,” he says, when
we’re in front of him.
“Of course. Is she okay?”
Liam shakes his head. His motion is
slow and filled with a bone-deep
sadness that I can actually feel, radiating
off of him. I suddenly feel out of place
here. This is a family matter. I don’t
know why Rob brought me here.
“How bad?” Rob asks. His voice is
tinged with desperation.
“Bad.” Liam’s voice croaks, and I
feel my heart twist a little. Without
thinking, I slip my hand inside Rob’s and
squeeze.
“The cancer’s back,” Liam says.
“It’s spread to her lungs.”
“Fuck.” Rob says. I squeeze his hand
tighter. I don’t know what else to do.
“Fuck!” he says again. The rage and
sorrow in his voice is clear, and it’s
echoed in Liam’s expression.
Heartbreak.
Liam looks so alone standing there
that I can’t leave him hanging like that. I
slip my other hand into his and give it a
squeeze. He looks back at me with such
gratitude that I shiver a little under the
intensity of it. I look back and forth
between these two men. Both so
powerful and capable, both brought to
their knees by this primal sadness.
Tears prick my eyes but I refuse to
let them fall. This is not my tragedy, I
remind myself. I empathize with them,
and my heart breaks for what they’re
going through, but the last thing I want to
do is make this all about me.
“Can we see her?” Rob asks, finally
breaking the silence.
Liam glances back into the room.
“She’s sleeping right now. But we can
go in.”
“I’ll wait out here,” I say,
automatically, letting go of both of their
hands.
But Rob looks at me with such deep
sadness that I waffle. “Unless you want
me to.”
Liam nods, and so does Rob, and so
I follow them in.
Liam’s mother is lying in the hospital
bed. She looks tiny and frail, even in the
stiff hospital bed, and for a brief second
I wonder how this woman managed to
produce a son as big and imposing as
Liam.
Liam and Rob walk towards the bed,
almost reverently.
“Rob’s here, Mom.”
 Her eyes crack open.
“Hi honey.” She reaches out her hand
and Rob grabs it instantly, giving it a
squeeze.
“Are you feeling okay, Julia?”
“I was feeling better before they told
me I had a tumor on my lung. That part of
my day was kind of a bummer.”
I crack a small smile. I think I would
like Liam’s mother.
Her eye wanders over to me. “Who’s
your friend, Rob?”
He and Liam exchange a glance, then
Rob nudges me forward. “This is
Adelaide, Julia. Addie. She’s a friend of
mine. Of both of ours, really.”
Julia looks back and forth between
the three of us. There’s something in her
expression that sends a small shiver
down my spine.
“Nice to meet you,” I say, and then I
take a step backwards, wanting to let her
have her time with Liam and Rob.
The two men move in closer towards
her. Their shoulders touch as they lean
in. Rob takes her hand and then I see
Liam move his hand to Rob’s back. He
keeps his palm there, spread wide,
occasionally rubbing Rob’s back lightly.
I fixate on his hand. There is
something so deeply intimate about that
gesture that I almost have to shake my
head to make sure I’m seeing it right.
But no, it’s right.
His hand stays there, splayed against
the back of Rob’s suit jacket. Rob
doesn’t move away or even seem to
acknowledge the gesture, except that he
moves a fraction of an inch closer to
Liam, until their bodies are close enough
to be touching.
It’s nothing, Addie. They’re both
upset, and they’ve known each other a
long time. It’s like one brother putting
his arm around another.
But Liam doesn’t have his arm
around Rob. Not in the way you’d expect
in a situation like this. It isn’t slung
affectionately around his shoulders. His
hand is on Rob’s back. Not quite the
lower back, but somewhere around the
middle. Where you’d put your hand if
you were comforting someone you
loved.
 No big deal, though, right?
Obviously they love each other on some
level. They’re best friends. They grew
up together.
Before I have any more time to
consider what this means, Liam lets his
hand drop. “Dad!” he says, looking over
to the distinguished gentleman in the
doorway.
“Hi Liam,” the man says. “Rob.”
“Hi Jack.” Rob goes over to him,
clasps his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Jack’s face cracks a little, and
although he looks austere in his light
yellow button-down and neatly cropped
silver hair, it’s easy to see the pain
written on his face.
I look away, wanting to give them a
moment. I think again that I shouldn’t
have come, that it’s wrong for me to be
here, but just as I start considering
making an excuse to leave, Liam slides
his hand back into mine.
“Dad, this is Addie. Adelaide. A
friend of ours.”
Jack Bradley reaches out a hand and
I take it and shake. “Pleasure to meet
you, Addie.”
“You too, sir. I’m sorry it’s under
these circumstances.”
He smiles ruefully. “Me too, my
dear. Me too.”
Julia asks for a glass of water and
the three men trip over themselves to get
it for her. I take that opportunity to sneak
into the hallway to get some air. I feel
too weird being here right now. This is
family time. They should be together.
When I catch Rob’s eye, I wave him
out of the room for a second.
“I’m going to get a cab home,” I say,
once he’s in the hallway with me.
“Why? I can drive you.”
I shake my head. “No, you should
stay. I don’t want you to have to worry
about me.”
His face is concerned, but I assume
that’s mostly because of Julia. I reach
out and squeeze his arm.
“Hey, I’m good.” I tell him. “Honest.
You take care of yourself. I’ll see you
tomorrow, if you make it in. If not, I’ll
hold down the fort.” I grin to show him
that he doesn’t need to worry, but his
expression doesn’t change.
Suddenly he grabs my arm, pushing
me up against the wall. His lips are on
mine in a heartbeat, pressing against me,
pushing my head and hair up against the
wall, reckless. His tongue is in my
mouth, feeling me, finding me. I open up
to let him in and feel my knees go weak
with the thrill of it. Rob.
The moment is so intense that I find
myself swooning into him, letting him
cradle my body between his own and the
wall. He keeps me supported, his thick
well-muscled arms holding me up.
“Rob,” I breathe into him, not
knowing what other words make sense
in this moment.
“Addie,” he says, his voice the same
as mine, as lost and confused.
“Rob.” Liam’s voice from the
hallway beside us.
We pull apart instantly, guilty as two
foxes in a chicken coop.
“Everything okay?” Rob asks, his
breathing as labored as mine feels right
now.
“Yeah,” Liam says slowly.
“Everything’s fine. She was just asking
for you.” He’s studying the two of us
with an intense expression I can’t read.
Is he mad that we’re out here kissing
while he’s in there with his mother?
Or is it something else?
I touch my lips lightly, feeling the
way they still tingle with the memory of
Rob’s tongue.
 “I’m going to go,” I say again. “I’ll
see you guys tomorrow. I’m sorry about
your mother, Liam. Give her my
regards.”
They both watch me as I make my
way down the hallway to the elevator. I
can feel their eyes on me with every
step, but I don’t let myself look back.

BY THE TIME I get home, it’s past two in

the morning. I fall immediately into bed,
desperate to get at least a few hours of
sleep before I have to get up for work
again.
But instead of sleeping, I just lie
there. Eyes on the ceiling. I feel
physically and mentally exhausted but
way too wired to sleep.
Poor Liam, I think. He seemed so
upset about his mother.
He seemed upset to find Rob and I
kissing, too. Guilt twists my insides. It
was inappropriate to do that at the
hospital, I chide myself. What were you
thinking?
Only … it didn’t look like Liam was
upset about that part.
I think for a minute, trying to pin
down that expression. Jealousy, maybe?
Was it possible Liam had feelings for
me? Or, heck, maybe feelings for Rob?
But there was no anger there — he
didn’t look mad at Rob for kissing me.
(Or mad at me, for kissing Rob, if that
was the issue.)
 The realization jolts me — he felt
left out.
It wasn’t jealousy painted on Liam’s
face. It was longing.
He wanted — well, I don’t know
exactly what he wanted. He wanted to
be doing what we were doing. He
looked like he wanted us to call him
down the hallway to join us.
To join us.
Daphne’s words ring in my ears. A
threesome, she had said. Well, more
specifically she had said don’t have a
threesome, but I hadn’t taken her
seriously because it had never occurred
to me that it was even a possibility.
Now I wasn’t so sure. The way Liam
had looked at us tonight … the way he
and Rob had leaned into each other at
Julia’s bedside. There was something
there, I was sure of it.
But how did I feel about that?
I test out the idea in my mind.
First I imagine kissing Rob — I
already know how good that feels. His
soft perfect lips between my teeth, his
tongue clashing against mine.
Then I imagine shifting over, kissing
Liam. I haven’t ever kissed him before
but I’ve thought about it. His smooth
cheek under my hand. His lips on me, his
tongue in me. All while Rob watches.
I picture Rob unbuttoning my shirt
while Liam kisses me. Taking my breasts
in his hand and running his thumb over
my nipples. Pinching them between his
fingertips. Moving his head down and
taking one pink bud into his mouth, then
the other.
In real life, my hand slips down
beneath the covers and inside my
panties. My body is already hot and wet
and I can feel my own warmth radiating
off me. I slip one finger between my
lips, moving it up and down, spreading
the slick heat around. My clit pulses
underneath my hand.
I picture reaching for Liam’s cock,
feeling it hard and throbbing underneath
the pants of those designer suits he
wears. I undo his belt and then his
zipper, unsheathing him, watching his
manhood fall out eagerly to meet me.
I imagine pausing so that Rob can
strip off my dress, my underwear. I
imagine both of them watching me, their
lustful gazes burning my skin.
I imagine the smile on Rob’s face as
he spreads my legs. The heat that pulses
through me when he presses his lips to
my pussy. I imagine the way Liam grins
as I take his heavy cock head into my
mouth.
In my bedroom, I move another hand
down beneath the covers. I keep circling
my clit with one hand, and I use the other
hand to circle my entrance, toying with
myself. I imagine Rob’s tongue toying
with me the same way, tickling my clit,
teasing my pussy. I imagine Liam leaning
into my mouth, thrusting his dick to the
back of my throat, his balls slapping my
chin.
Oh God. I slide two fingers inside
myself and I imagine Rob stripping off
his pants, his cock emerging, hard and
huge and ready. I imagine him there at
my entrance, and then plunging inside of
me.
I fuck myself with two fingers,
circling my clit frantically, as I picture
both of those lustful men taking me. Rob
between my legs. Liam in my mouth.
Both of them fucking me furiously,
forcefully.
My body tenses, tightens, and I flick
my fingers against just the right spot. My
whole body arches and I whimper as the
orgasm crashes through me, as powerful
as an ocean wave. In my mind, they
come at the same time, filling me from
both ends with their spent excitement.
We collapse together into an exhausted
heap.
Sweet Jesus. I lie there panting for a
minute, trying to bring myself back to
this world.
Okay, so now I know how I feel
about the idea.
Too bad it’s a terrible idea. A
terrible, horrible, no good, very bad
idea.
I stare up at the ceiling of my
bedroom and blink my eyes a few times.
I’m completely screwed, aren’t I?
 CHAPTER 13

ROB

I ’m surprised to find Liam already

in the office when I arrive the next
day. I stop by his door before I even take
off my coat.
“I didn’t expect to see you today.”
 “There wasn’t much I could do there,
so Mom insisted I come in. I’m going to
go back out after work.”
“How’s Julia?”
He looks up, scrubbing his face with
one hand. He looks exhausted.
“Okay. Coping.”
“And Jack?”
“Same.”
I pause. “And you?” I don’t do well
at this emotional stuff, but I can see the
strain in his eyes.
Liam doesn’t say anything for a
second, just turns to look out the
window.
“I just feel fucking helpless.”
My heart cracks a little. I know how
he feels. I want to say something to him
but I just stand there dumbly, hands
knotted into fists. The silence feels like
it stretches out across lifetimes.
“Same,” I say, finally. A small smile
flits across Liam’s face.
“I just thought we were done with
this bullshit.” His voice is exhausted.
I nod. “She’ll get through this, you
know. She’s a fighter.” Platitudes, but
what else is there to say in a situation
like this?
Liam looks up at me, his eyes soft
and sad.
“I don’t want to lose my mom, Rob.”
“I know, man.” I swallow down the
lump in my throat. “I don’t want to lose
her either.”
We stay like that for I don’t know
how long, Liam sitting behind his desk
staring up at me and me leaning against
the doorframe. There isn’t anything to
say but it’s nice to have someone to not
say it with, someone who understands
everything that words don’t exist for.
The spell is only broken when we
hear humming from down the hall. Addie
bustles into the office, a whir of color
and light. She pokes her head in Liam’s
door, and I can feel the heat of her body
against mine.
“How are you doing?” She looks at
Liam first, and then at me. She holds up
a bag. “I brought pastries. It seemed like
a pastry kind of a morning.” She points a
finger at me. “And don’t tell me about
your gut, Rob Avondale. Eat a god damn
danish for once in your life.”
Liam laughs. “Yeah, Rob. Eat a god
damn danish, why don’t you?”
I throw my hands up. “I surrender.
I’m eating the god damn danish.”
Addie hands out the pastries —
enough for ten people, despite the fact
that we’re only three. Somehow the
sugar smooths everything over, at least
for a little while.
I catch Liam again before we get too
far into our mornings. “A beer later?
Before you head out to your folks’?”
He nods. “I’d like that.”

IN A FUNNY TURN OF EVENTS, we end up at

Clinton’s, the same place I met Addie
that night. I can’t even look back
towards the bathrooms without getting a
surge of blood to my cock. Damn that
girl.
I guess it’s not so strange that we’d
come here — it’s just a block from our
office, and Liam and I have frequently
come here for drinks after a long day.
Perhaps the stranger thing is how Addie
and her friend ended up here that night.
Fate, maybe.
I shake my head, disgusted at my
own corniness. Since when do I even
believe in fate? Was it fate that put my
parents in the path of that drunk driver?
Fate that gave Julia cancer not once, but
two fucking times? Fate is for the weak.
Life is what happens when you make
your own damn choices.
Liam and I grab a high-top table near
the window, where we can watch the
street. The sun’s just starting to go down
and the twilight glow glints off the glass.
Nice ambiance, actually. Almost date-
like. I chuckle to myself. Hey, I’m a
twenty-first century man. I don’t mind if
anyone thinks I’m on a date with Liam.
“I heard from Claudia today,” I tell
him, after the waitress has set down our
pints.
Liam rolls his eyes. “Can you tell
her to go out and see Mom already? She
won’t return my calls.”
“Shit, you’re kidding. Okay, I’ll tell
her. She just wanted to make sure we
were going to the gala.”
 “Christ. She’s a real fucking piece of
work.”
I don’t say anything. I know better
than to insult a man’s sister. And to be
fair, Claudia always seems to mean
well, she just doesn’t quite get the
measure of how to actually help. This
gala is a perfect example.
“You still want to go to the gala,
though?” I take a sip of my beer. “It’s up
to you, I’ll go if you want, and if not,
that’s cool too.”
He grits his teeth. “If I had my way,
no. But Mom mentioned it yesterday,
how hurt Claudia would be if no one
from the family showed up. So since
Mom isn’t going to make it anymore, I
think she really wants us to go.”
 “Done,” I tell him. “What Julia
wants …”
He smiles. “Thanks, Rob.” He takes
a sip of his beer. “Have you thought
about maybe asking Addie to go with
you?”
His tone is casual but I can tell how
he purposefully won’t look at me that
he’s getting at something. I choose the
stubbornly obtuse route.
“No. Why would I do that? Is it
customary to bring your secretary to
these things?”
“Play coy all you want, my friend. I
see you eye-fucking her all day at the
office.”
I take a long swallow of my beer. I
don’t tell him how close I came to
actually fucking her again last night. In
fact, if he hadn’t called …
At the memory, blood rushes to my
face — and to other place.
“Shit, buddy!” Liam laughs, studying
my face. “You’ve actually got it bad for
this girl, don’t you?”
I hesitate for a second but then I
realize that Liam is my best friend. I
should be able to tell him these things.
So I nod, stupidly.
“Well, fuck me.” He’s grinning but
there’s an undercurrent there that I can’t
quite put my finger on.
“I don’t know how it happened.” I
shake my head. I still don’t. I’m always
the one to ghost. One night and I’m gone.
But being forced to spend all this time
with Addie — I don’t know. She’s gotten
under my skin somehow.
“I know how it happened. She’s
spectacular.” Liam’s smile is light but
something about the wistfulness in his
voice makes me stop and look up.
He isn’t smiling anymore. His face is
tense and there is still something in there
that I can’t quite read — sadness,
maybe.
And then I know.
“You like her too.” It’s not a
question, just a statement of fact.
Liam nods. “I’m sorry.”
“You never like anyone. You always
say you’re a lone wolf.”
Liam chuckles. “So do you,
remember?”
 Shit. He’s right about that.
Liam slumps down into his own
chair and we study each other across the
table.
“This is bad, isn’t it?” He asks. He
leans back and rubs his temples.
“Well, it isn’t good.” I stare at the
window for a while. It’s gotten dark
since we’ve been here, so all I can see
when I look out is our reflection in the
glass. “So what do we do?”
“Nothing,” Liam says quickly. “I
mean, I don’t intend to do anything. You
met her first. You should go for it.”
Part of me wants to jump at the
chance. Throw my money down on the
table and race out of there before he can
take it back. We’ve never been in this
situation before, mostly because neither
of us has ever given a shit about seeing a
woman more than once before.
Now we both give a shit. About the
same girl.
“You should go for it,” I say,
swallowing down my beer and a lump in
my throat. “You deserve this right now.
Addie could be good for you.”
“Come on, Rob. I’m not going to
play the cancer card. Not for this.”
We sit in silence for a minute. A
silence that somehow manages to be
companionable, yet fraught with an
undercurrent of tension. This is new
ground for us, new and treacherous
territory.
But then I decide: Liam and I are too
close to fight over a woman, and I would
never feel anything but guilty if I knew I
was with someone that he had feelings
for.
“You go for it,” I tell him. “You
know me. I’ll just fuck it up. I’m good at
being a bachelor.”
“Well, we both are,” he grins. Then
his face softens. “But maybe it’s time to
give that up, hey?”
Something in my gut clenches a little.
“Yeah. That’s why you should go for it.
You might actually be able to have
something real with her.”
He shakes his head. “I couldn’t do
that to you.”
“Do what? It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine, Rob.”
 We sit in silence for a few minutes,
both of us mulling over this dilemma.
“We’re forgetting something really
obvious here, you know.” Liam finally
breaks the silence.
“What’s that?”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “Her
opinion.”
I actually laugh. “Yes, I guess that
would be kind of relevant to the
conversation.”
“So why don’t we ask her?”
“That subtle, eh?”
“Hey,” he shrugs. “We’re all grown-
ups. There’s no point in beating around
the bush or letting anyone’s feelings get
more hurt than they have to. We’ll take
her to dinner.”
 “Together? Won’t that be awkward?”
“Oh, probably,” he grins. “But it’ll
give me a chance to show off my best
moves. Let the best man win, after all.”
I’m glad to see him joking —
especially after the day he’s had — but I
can’t help the way my stomach tightens. I
just don’t see a way that this ends any
way other than badly.
 CHAPTER 14

A D EL A ID E

“I s this too slutty?”

I turn around to show
Daphne the black dress I’ve picked out.
She considers it, tilting her head as if a
sideways view will help her make her
decision.
“No,” she finally declares.
“What about now?” I lean forward
and use my arms to press my breasts
together. “I think it’s too slutty.”
Daphne laughs. “Well, any dress is
going to be slutty if you do that.”
“But this is how I’m going to be
sitting at the table.”
“No, it’s not. No one sits like that.
You look like you’re wearing a
straightjacket. Just sit normally and
you’ll be fine.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I
grumble, but I don’t change out of the
dress.
“So what’s this dinner for, anyway?”
Daphne asks. She’s munching on donut
holes from the bakery down the street,
and I really want one, but I’ve heard that
the restaurant we’re going to has the
most amazing mango and shrimp summer
rolls and there’s no way I want to fill up
before I go.
“I don’t really know,” I admit. “They
just said they wanted to take me out.”
When Liam and Rob had told me
they wanted to take me to dinner, you
could have picked my jaw up off the
floor. Ever since that night at the
hospital, we’d all kept our relationships
at the office purely professional. I hadn’t
even gone for coffee with either of them,
although they had been kind enough to
renew my contract for another month.
Operation Don’t Be Homeless was still
going strong.
“Maybe it’s to thank you for doing
such an awesome job there,” Daphne
suggests, licking powdered sugar off her
fingers.
“Maybe,” I allow. But for a temp job
I’ve been working at for only a couple of
weeks? It sounds a bit ludicrous.
Then again nothing about working at
Avondale & Bradley has been normal so
far, so I guess I should expect the
unexpected.
“Did you bring the purse?”
“Oh, yeah!”
Daphne hauls a small little black
clutch out of her handbag and passes it
over to me. “I even left a little present in
there for you.”
 I open it up and find a small foil-
wrapped condom. “Oh God. Daphne!
I’m not going to need this.”
“Good. I wouldn’t actually use it, to
be honest. I think it’s been in there for
about six years.”
We both dissolve into giggles. I’m
glad that I had her come over here. If it
had just been me here getting ready by
myself, I probably would have psyched
myself out by now, wondering exactly
what Rob and Liam had up their sleeves.
Instead, it’s old condoms and donut
holes. That’s what happens when you’re
best friends with someone like Daphne.
I snatch one small glazed donut hole
out of the box. After all, one won’t kill
me, right?
I TAKE a cab to the restaurant because I
feel weird about having either of them
come pick me up. And in this
neighborhood, they’re just as likely to
get their hubcaps stolen while they wait
for me to come down, which would
probably not get the night off to the best
start. Probably just best for me to meet
them.
They surprise me with the restaurant
they’ve chosen — I had initially
expected something posh and expensive,
one of those must-eat places that takes a
month to get a reservation for. Instead
they chose an authentic Thai restaurant
on the East side, one where the front
entrance is shrouded in bamboo and
hyacinth plants, where you can barely
see the red and gold door peeking out
from behind the foliage.
It feels like walking into another
world. As soon as I step inside the door,
the smell of lemongrass and coconut
milk envelops me. It’s rich and exotic
and I want to just stand there and breathe
it in, but the cute hostess is waiting
expectantly.
“I’m not sure if my party is here yet.
Avondale & Bradley?” At least I assume
that’s the name they put it under.
Her face lights up. “Oh, yes. Very
handsome men. Lucky girl.”
I smile to myself as she leads me to
the back of the restaurant. Liam and Rob
are tucked away at a small table, almost
hidden from view from the rest of the
room. There is more bamboo back here,
and bright flowering plants in full
bloom.
Both men stand when they see me.
God, yes. Very handsome men, indeed.
After seeing them at work every day, I
had almost — almost — learned to deal
with how good looking they were. But
tonight, seeing them outside of the office,
it all comes back to me.
Liam is in a navy jacket and dark
jeans. His blonde hair is brushed neatly
to the side. He fills up the space here at
the small table, crowding everything
else out with his huge frame, his
imposing presence.
Rob is wearing jeans too, and a
black button-down shirt. The simple
look plays up his smoldering intensity
and I feel his eyes burning into me as
both men watch me approach.
To my surprise, Liam leans in and
kisses my cheek, giving me a quick hug.
Then Rob does the same thing.
The three of us sit at the same time.
It’s a tight squeeze at the small round
table but at least we aren’t crowded by
other patrons back here.
As soon as we’re seated, the waiter
comes by. Liam orders a bottle of wine,
a crisp Pinot Grigio from New Zealand
that he swears is a perfect
accompaniment to the food we’re about
to eat. I don’t tell him that my wine
pairing skills consist of: red when it’s
cold out, white when it’s hot.
While we wait for our first course to
arrive, I ask Liam about his mother.
“She’s doing okay. Thanks for
asking.” He glances over at Rob. “The
tumor in her lung is still fairly small, so
they think they’ll be able to remove it.
Just a few more tests before they can
officially clear her for surgery. Then
she’ll have to start another round of
chemo after that, of course. It’s not great
but at least they don’t think she’s a lost
cause.”
“That’s great, Liam.” Relief swells
through me. “For both of you,” I say,
glancing over at Rob too. He gives me a
tight smile.
Our summer rolls arrive and they’re
every bit as delicious as I had hoped
they’d be. Sweet mango, briny shrimp,
sharp cilantro and …
“Is that fresh coconut?”
Liam pops half a roll in his mouth.
“Incredible, right? Cracked open and
shredded on site.”
I resist the urge to devour the entire
plate, wanting to at least appear cultured
to Rob and Liam. Though when they
offer me the last roll, I can’t say no.
Our main courses appear soon after
— green curry, chicken satay, a spicy
squid pai ki mao. We have no sooner
started digging in when Liam and Rob
glance at each other. Then they turn to
look at me, their faces serious.
Liam takes a sip of wine and sets his
glass down. His composure intimidates
me. Nothing seems to faze him, and he
looks me in the eye, unblinking.
“A situation seems to have arisen at
the office,” he starts.
Oh shit. This is about work. I
suddenly know that I’m going to be let
go. Despite the fact that it’s just a temp
job, I feel overwhelmingly sad at the
prospect of not being able to go in to
Avondale & Bradley anymore. Somehow
I’d actually managed to get attached to
the place.
Or to the people, a voice inside me
whispers. Two people in particular.
I wrap my hand around the deep
crimson napkin, just to give myself
something to occupy me.
 “It seems that both of us have
become rather enamored with you.”
I had been twisting the napkin tighter
and tighter, almost cutting off the
circulation to my fingers, but now I let it
go and it falls into my lap.
“Come again?” I say, not knowing
any other words to describe the shock
I’m feeling right now.
“We’re as surprised as you are.
You’ve managed to charm both of us. It
became clear to us that it’s not good for
our work environment if we’re both
harboring these feelings.”
I still have no idea where he’s going
with this. Maybe I am being fired after
all? But I’m being fired because … they
like me?
 “We’d like you to choose.”
If I would have had wine in my
mouth, this is the moment I would have
spit it across the table.
“Are you crazy?”
Liam looks taken aback, which
makes me want to laugh out loud. Did he
really think he was posing a reasonable
question?
“What kind of answer do you
reasonably expect me to give here?” I
ask.
“It’s a simple question really. Just
two possible answers. Rob or me.”
“Well, here’s a third answer,” I say,
throwing my napkin onto the table and
standing up. “I choose neither.”
Liam’s face falls. “But why? It’s
obvious to everyone at the office that
you and Rob like each other. And maybe
I’m crazy, but I think you and I have a
connection too. All we want to know is
which one you want to pursue.”
I swallow. Hard. Are my feelings for
them that obvious? I feel my cheeks
pinking up again.
But what he’s asking me to do …
I look back and forth between them.
Rob, so dark and mysterious and
intense — but when he looks at you with
those smoldering eyes, you feel you’re
the only girl in the room.
And Liam — so imposing at first
glance, but with a sweet heart and gentle
humor, a kindness that runs deeply
through him.
 I shake my head. “I can’t choose.”
That’s the truth. “You’re best friends. I
don’t want to do that to you.”
That’s the truth too, though it’s not
the whole truth. The whole truth is much
more complicated.
The whole truth is that I can’t choose
because I like both of them. Because, in
my mind, I can’t separate the two of
them. It’s like asking me to choose
between peanut butter and chocolate.
The lump in my throat is growing,
and though I swallow and swallow, I
can’t make it go away.
“I’m sorry. I think this was a
mistake.”
I push my chair out so hard that it
scrapes loudly across the floor, causing
everyone in the restaurant to turn and
look in our direction. I don’t care
though. My heart is racing. I grab my
purse, my coat, and I walk away.
I force myself not to look back, even
though I can hear them both scrambling
behind me.
I push open the heavy door and step
out of the restaurant. The cool night air
is a shock to the system after the steamy
exotically-scented interior of the
restaurant. I take a few deep breaths,
trying to steel myself.
What have I done? Did I just make a
terrible mistake?
I don’t even get a moment to myself
to process though, because the door flies
open behind me and Liam and Rob fall
out of the restaurant. Their faces look
panicked until they see me standing
there.
“Wait,” Rob says, even though I
haven’t taken a step. “There’s a fourth
option.”
“What?”
He and Liam look at each other. I see
a small nod pass between them.
“A fourth option,” Liam echoes.
“Oh? And what’s that?”
Rob takes a deep breath. “Think
about this for a second. Option one is
me. Of course.” He can’t resist flashing
a grin, to which Liam and I both roll our
eyes. I almost smile.
“Option two is Liam. Option three,
as you pointed out, is neither.”
 “We’ve been over this part. What’s
option four?”
Rob’s eyes gleam in the night air, the
street light above us cutting a sharp part
through his dark hair. He takes a step
closer to me, and then Liam does too.
The heat of their bodies blocks out the
crisp evening, and I can smell the
hyacinths from the entryway of the
restaurant. As they press closer to me, I
feel like I’m on the verge of something I
don’t yet understand.
“Both,” Rob says, his breath warm
against my ear.
I look up in surprise, to see if he’s
serious. Everything in his face says he
is, and when I look to Liam I get the
same impression.
 I grab onto Rob’s sleeve because I
suddenly feel so dizzy that I fear I might
keel over.
“Both,” I echo in a whisper, looking
back and forth between them.
“What do you say, Adelaide?” Rob
is pressing his lips to my neck. “Want to
see what’s behind door number four?”
 CHAPTER 15

A D EL A ID E

W ea tumble into Liam’s penthouse,

mess of arms, legs, hands, lips.
It’s all happening so fast that I don’t
even have time to ask myself whether
this is a good idea or not. My body is
definitely on board — in the cab ride
home, they couldn’t keep their hands off
of me and I didn’t want them to. Liam’s
hand on my inner thigh, Rob’s cupped
behind my neck, both of them taking
turns kissing me. Our mouths hungry with
mutual need. The cab couldn’t drive fast
enough for any of us.
Now that we’re here, I suddenly feel
nervous. What if this is a huge mistake? I
think of Daphne’s words at the wine bar
the other day — words that suddenly
now seem prophetic. Having a
threesome would be the worst idea ever,
she’d said.
But when have I ever made good
decisions? What’s one more bad life
decision on an already looming pile?
 Liam unbuttons his coat and throws it
over the back of the sofa, then reaches to
peel mine off my shoulders. His
fingertips on my bare shoulders are
electric. I hold my breath as he lets his
fingers graze lightly down my arms, then
folds his hand around mine and
squeezes. My palm is tiny inside his.
“You good?” he asks. I know this is
my chance to back out if I want to.
I look at Rob and then back at Liam.
I meet his gaze.
“Better than good.”
He grins wickedly. “Good.”
He twines his hands in my hair. His
lips are on me, suddenly, crashing
against mine like waves against a rocky
shore. He presses my mouth open,
slipping his tongue between my lips. I
melt into him. He is as immovable as a
marble statue. Fixed. Steady.
I’m just getting lost in his kiss when I
feel Rob’s hand, twisting in my hair.
Moving me over, replacing Liam’s lips
with his own. I struggle to adjust to the
sudden cast change. Rob’s mouth is so
different than Liam’s — and I can feel
the difference in how he kisses me. it’s
more intense, in some ways, but also
darker, like a deep hole you could fall
forever down into.
Liam’s hands are on my body while
Rob is kissing me. I’ve never been in
this position before, never had one man
kissing me while another palmed my
breasts. Never had one mouth on my lips
while another slowly licked the edge of
my collar bone. It’s foreign, and intense,
and … delicious.
I moan against Rob’s mouth, and he
chuckles.
“Good?”
“Very good.”
The dress I was so worried was too
slutty now seems impossibly demure and
downright burdensome. I reach down for
my hem and pull the dress up and off in
one fluid motion, leaving both men
momentarily agog.
“What?” I shrug. “Am I moving too
fast for you?” I throw them a teasing
grin.
Rob and Liam take one look at each
other, raise their eyebrows, and then
zero in on my exposed skin. Rob scoops
one of my tits out of the cup of my bra,
while Liam takes the other. They both
bend their heads simultaneously,
greedily.
Two tongues flick out at my nipples.
Two lips make tight circles around them
as they harden into tight little buds. Two
sets of teeth nip at the sensitive skin.
I run my hands through their hair, one
against each, tugging them closer to me.
The thrilling realization of what we’re
doing hits me: these are my two bosses,
and we’re about to get very down and
dirty.
Oh God. These are my two bosses.
And we’re about to get very down and
dirty.
 I swallow hard. Trying to convince
myself that this is okay, that I’m not
about to fuck everything up beyond
belief.
“Wait,” I say.
I pull them both up, even though it
physically pains me to pry their sweet
mouths away from my tits.
They both stop and look up, their
eyes filled with question and concern.
“What’s wrong?” Liam asks.
“Are you okay?” Rob says.
I bite my lip and nod. “I’m okay, but
…”
“But what?”
They’re both looking up at me so
expectantly, so eagerly. Like they’re
willing to do anything to make this work,
to make me comfortable right now.
“You go first.”
Now they both stop. Their jaws go
slack.
“Go first at what?” Liam says.
They’re both standing up now, and their
full height is intimidating. I take a step
backwards, until I’m backed up against
the sofa.
“At this. If I’m going to put myself in
a vulnerable position, so are you.”
They look back and forth at each
other and then at me.
“What, uh…” Rob clears his throat.
“What do you want us to do?”
My mind reels. I haven’t exactly
thought this through. I just know I don’t
want to be the only one going way
outside of my comfort zone tonight.
“Kiss,” I say finally.
They both look at each other. The
incredulous expressions painted across
their faces is almost funny. I try not to
laugh.
“Come on,” I say. “This part is
easy.”
I grab the back of Rob’s neck, lead
him toward Liam. He doesn’t resist,
although he doesn’t go of his own
volition either. I press him forward, until
their lips touch. I’m reminded of when I
was a kid and used to mash my Ken
dolls together, pretending they were
kissing. I suppress a nervous giggle.
Rob’s lips move tentatively against
Liam’s. His eyes are scrunched closed.
 It’s like a lit match.
The second their lips touch, it’s like
something goes off and they just … go
for it. Liam’s hand twines around the
back of Rob’s head and I see lips,
tongues, gnashing teeth. A moan comes
from one of them, though I can’t tell
who.
It’s fucking hot. I almost don’t mind
being on the outside because watching
them discover each other is a revelation
in and of itself. These two strong men,
these playboys — suddenly finding a
heat they never knew existed before.
I slip in between them, running my
lips along Rob’s neck and then across
Liam’s jaw. I take Liam’s hand and
entwine my fingers with his and then we
move to Rob’s groin, cupping his shaft,
rubbing against him as he hardens
beneath our hands.
Rob pulls back abruptly and looks
back and forth between Liam and I. Our
hands are still pressed against his dick,
and he looks incredulous. Almost …
amazed.
There’s a moment.
Just as he gave me a moment before,
a moment to change my mind, we give
him one now.
The three of us stand there, poised
on the edge of that moment, until finally
Rob throws his head back and groans.
Yes.
Yes.
Liam and I take a step forward and
then the three of us are kissing. It’s
different with three, and more confusing,
but more wild too, and free, when you
don’t know whose tongue is in your
mouth and you don’t know whose teeth
are gently pulling at your bottom lip.
There are hands everywhere, it seems,
and slowly, Liam and Rob’s clothes are
making their way to join mine in the pile.
Then the three of us are naked and
suddenly there’s a moment again.
“I want to touch you,” I whisper.
“Both of you.”
They step towards me together. Both
of them are sprouting massive erections,
and I can’t help but lick my lips as I gaze
down at them. Although I’d slept with
Rob already, I’d hadn’t really gotten to
see his cock, and now that I do, I’m
impressed. It’s long, thick, perfectly
proportioned. It looks heavy, bobbing
and weaving away from his body.
Liam’s cock, on the other hand, is
bigger, meatier, veinier. It’s also
throbbing out towards me. Part of me
just wants to throw myself down on the
sofa and let them take me, let them
ravish me with these thick beautiful
cocks.
But I also want them to feel this too.
“Come here,” I say again. I take one
in each hand and slowly slide my hand
along the length of them. I draw them
closer to me, until their shoulders are
touching, and then I bring their cocks
together.
 They both gasp in unison as I touch
the heads of the cocks together. I grin up
at them, enjoying the shocked and
undone looks on their faces.
“Do you like that?” I whisper, but
they’re too dumfounded to say anything.
I press their cocks together and try to
wrap my hand around both. It doesn’t
really work, but I stroke them together as
well as I can and then drop to my knees
in front of them.
I swirl my tongue around each head,
letting it linger on the underside, just
along the ridge where the head meets the
shaft. They both throw their heads back,
groaning.
I take them in my mouth, or as much
as I can. With two, I can only really fit
the heads in, but I know they can feel
each other too, and that it’s enhancing
whatever I’m doing with my mouth. I see
Liam rub his hand along Rob’s back,
running it along the naked skin, dropping
it down to cup his friend’s ass. I grin up
at them, my mouth stretched around their
cocks.
Liam reaches his other arm out and
grabs me, lifting me to my feet. He leads
us both into the bedroom. I take in the
massive king sized bed, the spectacular
view of the city. It all pales in
comparison to the visual feast of the two
beautiful naked men beside me.
I scamper up onto the bed and Rob
follows me. His face is serious, intense.
He pushes my shoulders down so that
I’m laying across the smooth white
cotton sheets.
“Want to play, do you?”
His words send a shiver through me.
Rob straddles my hips and then
works his way up my body until his cock
rests against my lips. He stares down at
me. His eyes are hungry, his cock
throbbing. I part my lips and he pushes
forward, filling my mouth.
He thrusts his hips slowly, in and out
of my mouth. I keep my jaw soft, letting
my tongue stroke the hard length of him.
His eyes are hooded in the dim light of
Liam’s bedroom, and I marvel again at
this moment.
At this madness.
Rob pulls Liam towards him, until
Liam is kneeling on the bed beside my
head. He runs his hand along the smooth
plains of Liam’s chest and then lets it dip
down to Liam’s groin. I follow his hand
with my eyes, watching as he takes
Liam’s throbbing cock into his fist. My
eyes widen as he starts to stroke it. Rob
watches me, gauging my reaction.
It’s hot. It’s really fucking hot. I want
to slip my hand down between my legs
but Rob’s body is in the way, so instead
I settle for gripping his hips, urging him
deeper into my mouth as he jerks Liam
off.
“Mmmm,” I say, but it’s more of a
desperate plea. I want to feel at least one
of them inside me so bad. My pussy
aches with wanting. My heart races in
anticipation.
I push Rob’s cock out of my mouth.
“Please,” I pant. “Please. Somebody
fuck me.”
Rob and Liam exchange a glance,
and then Rob moves down the bed until
he’s positioned over my hips again. He
rubs his dick over my cleft. His cock is
wet from my mouth, but he still runs it
over me until it’s coated in my juices
and then he hovers there, poised outside
my entrance.
I want to beg him. I want to feel him
inside me, up to the hilt. Please, Rob.
Please fill me with your cock.
Rob slides in slowly — achingly so.
My body adjusts around him, making
room for his fat heavy cock. As soon as
he’s half way in, I wrap my legs around
him and pull him even closer to me,
forcing him deeper inside.
Rob grunts as he thrusts forward, but
as soon as he’s all the way inside he
stops. He pulls Liam towards him so that
he’s reclining a bit on the bed, and then
he leans forward.
His face is so close to Liam’s groin.
So close. I can see the moment again.
The moment they both pause. The
moment they both go over the cliff, the
place from which their friendship will
never be the same.
Rob reaches out his tongue and
tentatively flicks it against Liam’s cock.
Liam gasps, and I do too.
I clench my pussy tight around Rob
and hold his hips, keeping him still
inside me while he explores Liam with
his mouth. I watch as he runs his tongue
lightly along the length of the shaft, and
then swoops around the ridge. When he
takes the full head in his mouth, I feel my
own pussy quiver in response.
He’s tentative at first, but soon he
takes Liam deeper and deeper. I watch,
mesmerized, as he swallows him. Liam
has his head back, his eyes closed, and
the look of pleasure written across his
face is a sight to behold.
Rob starts slowly moving his hips,
sliding in and then grinding his hips
against me before sliding slowly back
out again. As he picks up the pace, he
takes his mouth off of Liam, sitting up so
that he can better angle his hips. He
thrusts, faster, harder, and our skin slaps
together, echoing through the cavernous
bedroom.
I reach over to grab Liam’s cock, not
wanting him to be left out, wanting to
feel his heavy dick against my mouth. He
shifts over and lets his cock sink in
between my lips. It’s still slick and I can
taste Rob on him, faintly.
“Mmm.” I moan against his velvet
skin. He moves his hips against my face,
while Rob fucks my pussy. They find a
rhythm and pin me between them. Liam
leans forward and grabs Rob by the back
of the neck and pulls him towards him
and kisses him. I watch them above me,
tongues crashing together as their cocks
move in and out of me. Sweet Jesus.
I reach down to rub my clit but Rob
brushes my hand away and replaces it
with his own. His thumb runs tight little
circles around the sensitive bud and I
feel my hips start to buck in time to the
pressure.
I grip his cock, my sheath tight
around him.
“Oh, fuck, Addie,” Rob grunts into
Liam’s mouth.
I use my legs to pull him tighter to
me, and he thrusts deep, deeper, so deep
I can feel him behind my bellybutton,
and then all my muscles are clenching,
my stomach rippling, limbs stiffening,
my whole body a live wire as electricity
courses through me.
 Rob throws his head back and
groans as he pounds his hips harder still.
He grips my knees as he smashes into me
and his fingers dig in, hard enough that
I’ll have bruises tomorrow.
“Fuck,” he says again. “Fuck.” And
then his face contorts and he’s coming,
coming with me, dropping his hot seed
inside me as I pulse and clench around
him.
I don’t even have time to come down
from the high before he’s sliding out of
me, Liam crawling down the bed to take
his place. He slides into me fast, hard,
burying himself up to the balls, and I cry
out at the sudden shock of it. Jesus, he’s
big.
Maybe it’s because he was already
close, or maybe it’s the thrill of being
inside me so soon after Rob, but it takes
Liam only a few thrusts before his body
arches and then bows towards me. He
groans against my neck and then props
himself back up so that he can look into
my eyes as he comes. The expression on
his face is one of bliss, awe and …
gratitude.
He sighs as he rolls off of me and
then pulls me into his arms. I pull Rob
down with us, so that I’m snuggled in
between the two of them. I lie there
grinning like an idiot for a couple of
minutes, until Rob turns over.
His dick is heavy against my thigh
and I realize he’s hard again.
“Almost ready for round two?” He
arches his eyebrows.
I giggle, but my giggling quickly
fades as Liam reaches his arm around to
cup my tits, his fingers pinching at my
nipples, and then presses his lips against
my neck.
And then we’re off again.

I PRY MY EYES OPEN. They’re heavy with

sleep and sex and maybe a light
hangover. My body aches, but in a good
way, and my pussy is raw and swollen in
a way that makes me hyper aware of
every single nerve ending.
I roll to the side and see Rob, flat on
his back, naked torso spread against the
crisp white sheets. Behind me, Liam is
curled, his massive frame enveloping my
entire backside. I shiver with the
delicious wrongness of everything that
just happened.
I can’t believe I did that.
I can’t believe they did that.
I can’t believe we all did that. Jesus
fucking Christ.
I stare up at Liam’s ceiling and take
in the way the sunlight from the window
paints geometric patterns across the
room. They are complex, intricate,
shadows and light playing off each other.
I sigh and snuggle down between these
two sinfully seductive men.
Liam cracks one eye open and sees
that I’m awake. “Good morning.” His
voice is hoarse. He leans over and
kisses my naked arm.
“Good morning.” I nuzzle into him.
“Good morning,” Rob mutters from
the other side, throwing an arm over his
eyes.
“He’s not a morning person,” Liam
laughs.
“Really?” I say sarcastically,
snuggling down under Rob’s arm and
poking him. “Because he’s normally so
filled with sunshine and light.”
Rob tightens his arm around me
without opening his eyes, pulling me
closer to him so that our skin touches.
“Are you saying I’m not a cheerful
person?”
“I’m saying Nosferatu has a sunnier
disposition.”
 “I take offense to that. I’ll have you
know I shoot sunshine out of my ass.”
I snort. “That ain’t sunshine.”
The three of us dissolve into giggles,
and then somehow Rob’s hand is on my
breast, Liam’s moving between my legs.
Their cocks press against my inner
thighs, hot and heavy and huge.
I still have no idea what happened
last night but I’m about to find out what
it looks like in the bright light of day.

WHEN IT’S OVER, I root around for my

clothes. I find most of them in Liam’s
living room, though my panties are in the
bedroom and kicked so far under his bed
I abandon them for lost.
 “Should we get breakfast?” he asks,
after we’ve showered. “I know a great
brunch place a few blocks from here. Or
I can have something delivered through
Uber.”
“I have to get going.” I tug on the
dress I was wearing last night as I watch
their expressions fall. “I have to run
errands for my sister’s shower,
remember?”
“We can come with you.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to spend
an entire day picking out the exact right
shade of pink for the napkins.”
Liam and Rob exchange a look.
“She’s got a point there,” Rob says,
though there’s a note of … what?
Something I can’t place. Wariness,
maybe.
“When can we see you again?” Liam
asks.
“Monday morning, nine a.m.” I grin.
“We still work together, remember?” I
keep the smile painted on my face, even
though I can see confusion working its
way through theirs.
“Sure, Addie,” Liam finally says,
with a quick glance at Rob. “We’ll see
you Monday.”
I slip out of his condo as soon as I
can. I don’t know why I just blew them
off like that. I wanted to still be there. In
fact, I would have happily spent the
entire day with both of them. I guess
that’s what worried me. This was
already a bad decision — no need to
prolong it by fawning around, acting like
some sort of couple.
Couple? Triad?
I shake my head. When you don’t
even have a name for what just
happened, that’s a pretty good sign that
you’re doing it wrong.

I SPEND the rest of my day running

errands for Sarah’s impending shower.
Mom had given me a list of tasks to do
and things to pick up, so I spend a good
two hours browsing a party planning
store and picking out paper plates,
napkins, party favors, and extremely
elaborate balloons. I really do spend
way too much time deciding on the
perfect shade of pink. When I’m done, I
cash out and then place an order for the
balloons so that they can be filled with
helium on the day before the event.
I can’t believe it’s already coming so
quickly. Before I know it, Sarah will
have a baby. A real baby, a whole other
person to care for and be responsible
for. It seems crazy. I still don’t even
have a cat.
I sniff a little, thinking of Coco, the
cat that never was.
Then I think about Sarah and her
husband Dave, and what they would say
if they knew I had just crawled out of
bed with two men. Two men who happen
to be my bosses, actually.
Hey Sarah, ever have a threesome
with your employers?
I’m betting I know the answer to that
question.
My phone buzzes and I fish it out
anxiously, wondering if it might be Liam
or Rob.
Instead it’s Daphne. I suck in my
breath as I read her message — she’s
getting drinks later with some of her
teacher friends, and do I want to come?
I’ve met her friends from the school
before, and they’re all lovely, but I’m
not up for it tonight. I know that as soon
as I saw Daphne she’d know something
was up, and before the evening — or the
first bottle — was through, she’d have
found a way to get it out of me.
I wasn’t ready to talk about what had
happened just yet. Not about the way that
being with them made me feel, not about
the way watching them together had
made me feel. I had too many of my own
thoughts to sort out first.
 CHAPTER 16

ROB

A fter Addie leaves, Liam and I are

alone in his penthouse. Silence
descends around us, as heavy and
beating as rain.
“Well,” I say, hunting around for my
clothes.
“Well,” he says, as he sits on the
edge of the bed watching me.
“This has been … uh, different.”
“I’ll say.”
I take a deep breath, but keep my
eyes on the floor on as I look for
yesterday’s pants. “I didn’t plan that, you
know.”
“What?”
“When I followed her out of the
restaurant. I was just so — I didn’t want
to see her go. So when I told her there
was another option …” I trail off. Words
don’t come easy for me and this seems
particularly fraught. I wish I was at least
wearing clothes while we’re having this
conversation, but I still haven’t found my
pants yet and my dick is hanging low
against my thigh, still a bit hard from this
morning’s round of activities.
“Oh, I know,” Liam says quickly.
“Me either.”
“Cool, yeah. It’s just a thing that
happened.”
“Yeah, yeah, for sure.”
I finally locate my pants — in the
kitchen of all places. I pull them on and
then go back into the bedroom to get the
rest of my things. Liam is still sitting on
the bed quietly. I can’t help but sneak a
glance at his naked body.
I’ve seen him naked before, of
course. We play racquetball together and
have showered together at the gym
probably hundreds of times before. But
I’ve never looked at him like this before.
Like a man.
Like a lover.
Liam is bigger than I am. While I’m
long and lean, he’s built solid, like a
tank. Broad shoulders, broad chest. A
light smattering of blonde hairs across
his chest — that was different, the
feeling of hair under my hands, under my
tongue. His hips narrow, a dramatic vee,
tapering from the vastness of his upper
body, and at the apex, a thick, veiny
cock. Big. The kind of a cock you’d
expect from a guy who had hands the
size of baseball mitts. I’d seen his dick
before, but not fully erect, and I had to
admit it was a revelation. Feeling it in
my hand last night, in my mouth, his salty
skin of my tongue. Watching it slide in
and out of Addie’s tight pussy …
I wanted that dick. I suddenly knew
that without a doubt. I wanted to know
what it would feel like to have Liam rip
apart my asshole with his monstrous
cock. I wanted to feel him inside me,
owning me.
I just didn’t know how I felt about
the fact that I wanted that.
My dick was getting hard thinking
about it though, and I was glad that I was
wearing the pants to hide it. I had to get
out of here before something else
happened.
“Well,” I said, buttoning up my shirt.
“Well,” Liam echoed. He stood up,
and the sheet fell away from his body,
exposing his muscled thighs, his swollen
cock. I licked my lips, without even
meaning to and Liam caught me. His
mouth crooked into a grin.
“You could stay awhile, if you
want.” His hand gripped his cock and he
started to slowly stroke it.
“I should go.” My mouth was dry,
watching him, but somehow it didn’t feel
right to indulge without Addie here. “I
have that thing.”
“That thing?”
“You know, the thing.”
“Right.” He smiled. “You’re okay,
right, Rob?”
I let my shoulders relax. “Yeah. I
think I am.”
“Good. Me too.”
I SLIP out of Liam’s apartment and gulp in
the fresh air out on the sidewalk. I feel
like I’m still in a sex fog. I get a flash of
worry, thinking about Addie’s abrupt
departure, but I can’t blame her for
feeling a little intimidated. There was a
part of me that wanted to run like hell
too.
But for the first time ever, more of
me wanted to stay. Wanted to see where
this would go. Just how high could the
three of us get?
I wasn’t exactly lying to Liam when I
said I had a thing today. Our client,
Gerald VanCleesen, had invited me to
his charity golf game. I didn’t golf —
couldn’t stand it actually — but I had to
at least show up. I go home to shower
and change into my ponciest outfit, white
pants and a light blue polo, and head
over to the club.
There’s a big crowd there already,
and I make my way through it, shaking
hands and slapping backs. I settle in for
drinks with a few of the guys while
VanCleesen and his cronies hit the green.
The weather is warm and sunny — a
perfect late September afternoon. I
actually start to relax and enjoy myself,
until my phone beeps.
It’s a text from Claudia.
“Can you call me right away,
please?”
Shit. My mind goes immediately to
Julia. Though I would expect Liam to be
the one calling me in that case. Maybe
something’s happened to Liam?
I excuse myself and find an empty
hallway where I can actually hear
enough to make a phone call. I ring
Claudia right away.
“Hi Rob!”
“What’s wrong?” I’m clenching the
phone with my hand. Claudia laughs.
“Nothing’s wrong, silly. I just
wanted to know if you were still coming
to the gala next weekend.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief — and
irritation.
“Your message made it sound like
something was wrong,” I say, not
answering her question.
“Sorry, baby. So are you coming?”
 Baby. Claudia drives me crazy with
her overly-affectionate terms. I resist the
urge to tell her I’m not anyone’s baby.
“Yes, we’re coming,” I say through
gritted teeth.
“Yay!” She squeals. “I’m so glad.
It’s going to be fabulous. Of course, now
with Mom not coming it sort of messes
up my plan for the evening, but oh well,
I’ll figure that out. Always something,
right?”
I sigh. I know Claudia well enough
to know she’s not this vapid — or cold-
hearted. “Claud, have you been out to
see your mom yet?”
There’s a pause on the other end of
the line. “Not yet. Just so busy with
planning all of this. I’m sure I’ll get out
to see her right after the gala’s over.”
“Right. Make sure you do. It would
mean a lot to her. And to Liam.”
She laughs. “Oh, Rob. You’re so
funny. Always sticking up for him.”
“Well, he’s always stuck up for me
too,” I say, strangely defensive.
There’s quiet on the other end of the
line, and then Claudia’s hushed voice. “I
said seafoam. This is clearly mint. Are
you completely blind or just trying to
give me a coronary?”
I sigh. “What can I do for you,
Claudia?” I ask, trying to steer the
conversation back to whatever reason
she called.
“Sorry, Rob. It’s just so hard to find
good assistants these days. If you ever
find someone who doesn’t fuck
everything up, treat her like gold.”
“Sure, Claud.” I don’t tell her that I
have every intention of doing just that.
“So what was it you wanted again?”
Her voice softens. “So the gala…”
She takes a deep breath. She sounds
hesitant, which is completely unlike
Claudia. “I was thinking maybe you
could be my date. We could go together.”
Her words tumble out in a single
mouthful and it takes me a second to let
it sink in. Shit.
“I’m flattered, Claudia, really, but I
can’t.”
There’s silence on the other end of
the phone, and I realize I owe her more
than that.
 “It’s just that — you’re like a sister
to me. I don’t want to ruin what we
have.”
“What if we weren’t ruining it?” Her
voice is low, sultry. “What if we were
making it better?”
Double shit.
“I really can’t, Claudia. It’s just too
weird. Besides … I already have a
date.” The lie is out of my mouth before
I can stop it.
Claudia laughs lightly, though there’s
no real humor in it. “Well, why didn’t
you say so? Who’s the lucky girl?”
“No one you know,” I say quickly.
“Just someone I know from work.”
Addie’s face flashes through my mind.
“Well, I look forward to meeting
her,” she coos, even though I know she
most certainly doesn’t look forward to
that at all.
“”Absolutely. We’ll see you then,
okay?”
I get off the phone as fast as possible
and make my way back to the bar. My
drink’s been swooped away by an
overzealous busboy, so I order a double
scotch on the rocks.
Liam had suggested asking Addie to
the gala, but now I wonder how last
night complicates things. Is it okay for
me to take her on a date by myself?
Should the three of us just go together?
And if we do, should it be a date or just
friendly?
I don’t know the answer — or even
what I want the answer to be. I take a
deep swallow of the liquid amber in
front of me.
Shit just got real complicated, real
fast.
 CHAPTER 17

L IA M

A llshower,
weekend, I whistle. In the
at the gym, even lying in
bed, trying to fall asleep.
Even with all the stress in my life —
Mom’s health, Claudia’s refusal to go
visit her — I feel surprisingly light.
Fulfilled.
Somehow, being with Addie and
Rob feels like everything I ever wanted.
It should have been weird but … it just
wasn’t. It was perfect. And not just
because the sex was hot, though it was.
Really fucking hot. There’s just
something about the comfort of being
with the two of them — an ease and
familiarity that’s been building for
weeks now.
Rob and I go way back, and our
friendship reaches beyond the usual
dude-bro stereotypes. We’ve always had
a connection. But Addie went and lit a
spark to that. Now what the three of us
have is something greater than the sum of
it’s parts.
In fact, I think I could fall … well, I
don’t want to get ahead of myself.
So I whistle.
I get stares while I’m in the gym,
because I’m whistling “Singin’ in the
Rain” while I’m laying into the punching
bag, while everyone else is sweating
buckets and grunting and snorting like
they’re fighting in an MMA match. I
can’t help it. I’ve turned into a Gene
Kelly kind of a guy. Life is too short to
be angry all the time.
Even though I still have plenty to be
angry about. Mom’s cancer coming back
— that’s a bitch and a half. Enough to
make me stop whistling for a minute,
while I slam against the bag. It isn’t fair.
We were supposed to be past all that.
She’ll fight it, I tell myself. She
fought it last time and she’ll fight it
again. She’s a survivor.
She has to be.
As soon as I’ve showered off, I give
Dad a call.
“How is she?” I ask, as soon as he
answers, knowing he’ll forgive my
brusqueness.
He sighs. “She’s okay. She’s
coughing a lot now, and she gets tired so
easily. We’re still just waiting to hear if
they’ll clear her for surgery.”
“Fuck.”
He’s quiet on the other end of the
phone. I clear my throat.
“I thought I’d come by and visit this
afternoon. Will you be around?” Mom’s
home from the hospital now, but they’ve
ordered her to stay on strict bed rest.
“Where else would we be?” The
bitterness in his voice cuts me.
“I’ll come by and see you,” I say.
“Can I bring anything?”
Dad sighs again. “We don’t need
anything.”
“Okay.” I pause. Dad and I don’t
really do this emotional stuff, but the
pain in his voice is obvious. “Hang in
there, okay, Dad? She’s a fighter.”
“I know she is, son.” He goes quiet
on the other end of the line. “I just wish I
could do the fighting for her.” His voice
breaks and I swallow a lump in my
throat.
 “I’ll see you guys soon.”
I hang up the phone. I’m sitting in my
SUV, still in the gym parking lot. Tears
prick my eyes but I brush them away.
This is craziness. She’s fine. She’s going
to be fine.
Back at the office, I’m the first one to
arrive. I go into my office and call
Claudia, but it goes straight to
voicemail. I give her an update on
Mom’s condition. I try to sound serious
without making it sound like Mom’s
about to drop dead tomorrow. “I’m
going out to visit tonight,” I tell her
machine. “It would be great if you could
come. I’m sure she’d love to see you.
We all would.”
I hang up. I don’t really expect to
hear back, but I feel better knowing I put
in the effort.
Rob arrives a few minutes later and
pokes his head through my door.
“Hey.”
He looks awkward, like he isn’t
quite sure what to say, and somehow that
throws me a little off base too.
“Hey.”
Rob runs a hand through his dark
hair. “That was crazy, right? The other
day?”
“Yeah.” I grin. “Good crazy though.”
Rob relaxes a hair, or at least he
seems to. “Yeah. Have you spoken to
Addie yet?”
“Not yet. Have you?”
He shakes his head. “Hope she’s not
too freaked out by the whole thing.”
“Freaked out by what?”
Addie’s voice startles both of us.
Rob steps aside and then there she is, a
vision in a red peacoat, her dark waves
hanging loose around her shoulders.
And, bless her, a tray of coffees.
She hands one to Rob and then steps
in to my office to set the second one on
my desk.
“Freaked out by what?” she asks
again, looking back and forth between
Rob and I. “The other night? Why would
I be freaked out by the fact that I just had
a threesome with my two bosses?”
Rob and I are both shocked into
silence, but then I start to laugh. Rob
laughs too and then, thank God, Addie is
laughing too. Yes, this moment is
awkward, but the three of us can get
through it together.
At six o’clock, I finally drag myself
away from work. If I don’t leave now,
it’ll be too late to see Mom. I make the
long drive out to their place and then go
inside without knocking.
The living room is quiet so I slip off
my shoes and make my way upstairs.
Even from the hallway I can hear the
low buzz of the twenty-four-hour news
channel. I smile to myself and shake my
head.
“Hope no one is indecent in there,” I
call, just before I poke my head into
their bedroom.
Mom is propped up in the bed again,
surrounded by a mass of pillows as if
she’s in real danger of falling out of the
bed somehow. Dad’s sitting on an arm
chair beside her, one they’ve somehow
hauled up from the living room. There’s
an issue of The Economist sitting open
across his knees but he doesn’t look like
he’s reading it.
“Dad, you should have let me help
you with that,” I say, gesturing towards
the chair.
“Oh, it’s okay. The Porters, across
the street, they had their son Danny come
over to help out.”
I don’t tell them that I’m the son who
should be doing these things. The truth
is, Danny is a good kid, and I’m glad
they have people helping out.
 “Oh, here, I brought you something.”
I hand her over a couple of chocolate
bars, imported from the UK, the kind you
can only get in poncy little shops. Mom
went to England once for four days when
she was in college, and now loves to
imagine that she developed a deep
appreciation for British chocolate. The
American stuff just isn’t the same, she’ll
tell anyone who listens.
Now she takes the chocolates but
puts them immediately on her nightstand.
“Thanks, sweetie. I’m sure these
will be delicious once I have some of
my appetite back.”
“You’re not eating? I could have
brought you something else. Those
burgers you love from the North Street
Diner. Or maybe some of those meal
replacement shakes, so you can get
enough calories even when you don’t
feel like eating.”
Mom pats my leg. “I’m fine, honey.”
She looks away, pulling at a stray thread
in the blanket. I notice how small her
hands are. “Have you heard from your
sister lately?”
“Not lately,” I say, not mentioning
that she hasn’t responded to my
voicemail. “I think she’s been really
busy with work these days.”
“You kids work too hard. Just make
sure you’re making time for the good
stuff in life. No one gets to the end of
their life and wishes they’d spent more
time working. Trust me.”
 “First of all,” I say sternly. “You’re
not at the end of your life. The doctors
think you have a good prognosis. We just
have to keep our fingers crossed that
they’ll clear you for surgery.”
“You’re right,” she says, though I can
tell that her smile is forced. “You’re a
good son, Liam. Now what’s the second
thing?”
“What?”
“You said ‘first of all.’ So what’s the
second of all?” This time the grin that
twists up her lips is genuine.
I smile back, and mine is genuine
too. “I was just going to say that you
don’t have to worry about me wasting
my life away at the office. I’m … very
happy right now.”
 Mom perks up. “Does this mean
you’ve met someone?” She turns to Dad,
incredulous. “Jack, he’s met someone.”
I can’t help but laugh. “It’s still new,
so I don’t want to get too ahead of
myself. But yes, I’ve met someone.”
Mom claps her hands together. “Oh,
Liam. I want lots and lots of
grandbabies, okay?”
“Well, I think that’s the very
definition of getting ahead of myself, but,
okay, your request is noted.”
“When can I meet her?”
I don’t know why her question takes
me by surprise, but it does. “Actually…
you already did.”
“That girl at the hospital the other
day.” Her eyes twinkle, and she looks at
Dad. “I told you,” she says smugly. She
turns back to me. “We liked her, Liam,
we did. We just couldn’t figure out if she
liked you or Rob more.”
“Well, uh…” I have no idea how to
get out of this one. “We’ve all gotten
very close.”
Mom studies my face, and the
expression on her own face sends a rush
of blood through me, coloring the back
of my neck. Mom’s always been too
perceptive for her own good.
Finally, she nods. “That’s good. Rob
needs people. People he can trust.
You’re the only person he’s ever let in,
and if he ever lost you to a woman, I
don’t know what he’d do. If you can find
someone willing to let him in the way
that you have — well, I can’t imagine
anything better. For both of you.”
I have no idea if she knows just what
she’s saying — if she’s deduced the
exact nature of our relationship, or if
she’s speaking in a more general sense.
But either way, she’s right. Rob’s fear of
abandonment runs bone deep. I’d seen it
play out over and over again, the way
he’d bail before he got too close to
anyone.
Anyone but me, that is.
Maybe it was because we were
already friends before his parents died,
but somehow he had always been able to
trust me.
And although I hadn’t thought of it in
exactly that way before, I realize Mom’s
words are absolutely true. If I had ever
gotten into a serious relationship with a
woman, Rob would have felt I’d
abandoned him too. Who knows what
that would have done to him?
It makes me wonder if that’s why, on
some level, I’d avoided relationships of
my own, preferring to focus on Rob and
our business. I had always known I
wanted a wife, a family — and yet I’d
never go on more than the odd date, have
the occasional one-night stand.
Addie was the missing piece of the
puzzle. Somehow she’d opened up a
door big enough for both Rob and I to
walk through.
And although I don’t know what the
future holds, I realize, sitting there on
Mom’s bed, holding her thin bony hands,
that whatever happens, there’s no
walking back out that door.
 CHAPTER 18

A D EL A ID E

I stare down at my phone. Daphne

has texted me three times this
week and I haven’t answered a single
one. Her last message was just a long
series of question marks and
exclamation points, which I took to mean
“Where are you, you bitch?”
I don’t know why I’m avoiding her.
But that’s a lie — I know exactly
why. It’s because I don’t want to tell her
about Liam and Rob. Yes, I could lie,
say there was nothing new going on with
me. But as my lifelong best friend, she
has a highly evolved bullshit radar, and I
have no doubt that she’d suss out
something within minutes.
Better to just avoid her. Say nothing
at all.
At least until I figure out what this is.
Liam comes out of his office and I
shove my phone away, maniacally
banging the keyboard to make it look
like I’m working. He laughs and rolls his
eyes.
“Nice cover.”
“What?” I ask innocently. I look up
at him but keep my hands banging
randomly on the keyboard. “I’m very
busy.”
He raises an eyebrow. “If you need
other things to do, I’m sure we can think
of something to keep you busy.” He
draws out the word something, and
waggles his eyebrows. “After all, I’m
pretty sure your job description says
‘other duties as required’.”
“Hmmm…” I lick my lips. “Well, I
am very busy but … you know, I could
be up for more.” I waggle my eyebrows
back at him.
Liam chuckles. “Good. I’ll keep that
in mind. Now … speaking of more, I
have a proposal for you.”
“Oh?” Now I’m really curious. He
actually seems a bit nervous.
“I was going to wait until Rob was
here to ask you this, but he just messaged
me that he’s held up at Quimby Marlow
so he’s just going to go straight to his
next meeting from there instead of
coming back here, and then he has that
lunch with the VP from Angus Carriers
and then…”
“Liam.” I cut him off. “Just tell me
your proposal already.”
He laughs, but again it sounds
nervous. “Well, it’s not really a
proposal, really. More like an offer. Or
maybe an invitation?”
 “Liam!”
He takes a deep breath, which I find
unbelievably adorable. I can’t believe I
actually make this beast of a man
nervous.
“Rob and I were wondering if you’d
go to Claudia’s gala with us. As a date.”
A date. With two men. My two
bosses, in fact.
I can’t decide if this is better or
worse than just sleeping with them.
“It’s okay if you’re not ready,” he
says quickly. “We just thought it would
be fun to get dressed up and go out. Rob
and I have to go anyway, so…”
“I’d love to.” I think. Part of me
would, at least.
But I’d be lying if I said that part of
me wasn’t completely fucking terrified.
A date was something real. A night
in bed, that could be anything. But a date
— that meant something.
But Liam’s face has already broken
into a grin. “That’s great, Addie. This
will be fun, I promise.”
“Isn’t it a cancer fundraiser for your
sick mother?”
He pauses. “Well. Yes. But other
than that part.”
“Are you doing okay?” I don’t want
to pry but I also don’t want him to feel
like he can’t share these things with me.
Just because our relationship is
complicated at the moment doesn’t mean
I don’t care about him and how he’s
feeling.
 He nods. “I think so. It’s rough but
her prognosis is still okay. We’re just
waiting to hear if she can have the
surgery. She’s seeing the specialist
tomorrow.”
“That’s great, Liam. I’ll keep my
fingers crossed for her.”
“Thanks, Addie. I appreciate that.”
He stands there, lingering at my desk
for a minute.
“So about this gala,” I ask, breaking
the silence. “Just how fancy is it?”
He rolls his eyes. “Knowing
Claudia? Ridiculously so.”
Grrrrreat. Looks like I’m going to be
going dress-shopping this week — a task
only one step up from jeans-shopping.
AFTER LIAM’S INVITATION, I finally cave
and text Daphne. Gala dress-shopping is
definitely something that calls for best
friend support. With her help, I manage
to find an emerald green dress that —
shockingly — I don’t hate. I tell Daph
that it’s for a work event, but she spends
half our outing studying me suspiciously.
I’m actually a smidge relieved when we
part ways and I can get out from under
her watchful eye.
Once I’m at home, nestled in with a
glass of wine and some Netflix, I think
about what it means that I don’t want to
tell her about what’s going on. Avoiding
my best friend should be setting off
alarm bells that this whole thing is a bad
decision.
 But what else is new? I’m the
reigning queen of bad decisions, after
all. How many things in my life have I
managed not to fuck up so far? That
would be a big fat zero.
I watch old episodes of Law &
Order on the couch until my eyes burn,
and then I stagger into bed. Burning out
on television feels easier than actually
examining my life choices — that’s a
level of introspection I just don’t have
the energy for right now.

LIAM IS out of the office the next day, and

Rob tells me that he’s accompanying his
mother to her appointment with the
specialist.
 “Are you sure you don’t want to go
with him?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “What? And
leave you here by yourself?” His words
are light though his expression is
worried and distracted.
“What do you think I’m going to do,
accidentally burn the place down? Email
dick pics to all your clients?” I pause. “I
could do all of that just as easily with
you here, you know.”
I’m trying to make him laugh, but he
just looks distractedly out the window
behind me. “Yes, yes, I know.”
I shake my head lightly, but I
sympathize. It can’t be easy waiting for
news about Liam’s mother. I wish there
was something I could do to take away
his anxiety.
A vision of the other night races
across my mind — limbs, mouths, racing
hearts. Yes, that would do it. Sex is the
best distraction, after all. I flush and
pray that Rob doesn’t notice.
I needn’t have worried. He wanders
back into his office without paying me
any mind.
We spend the rest of the morning
working in mutual silence. Liam has
been working on a new market and he’s
got so many annual reports, white
papers, meeting notes, spreadsheets, and
other mysterious papers filled with
numbers and charts and legalese. I spend
most of my time filing the hard copies in
his office, and sorting the electronic files
into some semblance of a folder
structure on the computer. By the time
lunch rolls around, my eyes are crossing.
I’m also starving. I slip on my coat
and grab my purse. I hesitate just as I’m
about to head out of the office, and I go
and knock on Rob’s door.
“Come in.”
“I’m just heading out for lunch. Do
you want anything?”
He blinks a couple of times in
surprise. “Is it lunch time already?” He
looks around the office, as if in a daze,
then down at his lap. “I literally don’t
think I’ve stood up all day.”
“Working hard?”
“Working … to distract myself, I
guess you could say.”
 Poor Rob. “Why don’t you come out
with me? Stretch your legs. We can grab
some lunch. We don’t have to be long,
we can get something and take it back
here.”
Rob glances at his computer, as if
hoping it’ll hold the answers. Finally he
nods. “That’s a good idea. Thanks
Addie.”
“For what? Getting hungry?”
He smiles. “Something like that.”
We go to the same pita place Liam
took me to back in my first week here.
It’s less busy than it was last time, and
Rob nods at one of the tables.
“Do you want to eat here?” His eyes
look clear for the first time all day, like
he’s finally coming out of a daze.
 “Sure.”
We get our food and head to the
small table near the back of the
restaurant. I suddenly feel strangely
nervous to be sitting here with him.
What’s that about?
“Have you heard from Liam yet?” I
ask, to make conversation.
He shakes his head. “Hopefully
soon. Her appointment was around noon,
I think.”
I nod, taking a bite of my wrap and
trying to avoid the inevitable sauce-
everywhere scenario.
“You’re really worried about her,
aren’t you?”
“Her, and him too. This whole thing
has been really hard on him. They’re
really close.”
“I could tell. She seems like a sweet
lady.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t even
know the half of it.”
I pause, mouth poised around the
chicken shawarma I was about to take a
bite out of. “So tell me.”
Rob sighs, looking around the little
restaurant. “I didn’t exactly have the best
childhood.”
I hold my breath. I know he’s alluded
to that in the past, but I’ve never heard
him actually talk about it. I’m afraid to
say anything for fear of breaking the
spell.
Rob, on the other hand, breathes
deeply, almost meditatively, as if he’s
steadying himself from some deep
internal place.
“My parents died. Drunk driver,” he
says. “I was seven. I was lucky in that I
had an aunt living near by. She took me
in so that I didn’t have to go into the
foster system. But she never liked me
very much. At all, really.”
He smiles ruefully. “I suppose she
never wanted kids and she wasn’t very
happy to have ended up with one. She
was … a strange lady. Men in and out of
the house at all hours. Lots of drinking,
yelling. Cops at the door. She never
abused me, not in the traditional sense.
Not unless you consider a daily barrage
of comments about how worthless I was,
what a burden I was.”
 He shakes his head, as if to clear his
mind of still fresh memories. “Anyway,
one day she just …”
He trails off, poking at his food, then
looks up. “She just left.”
“She just left? To where?”
He shrugs. “No idea. She said she
was going to visit her friend in Jersey,
and she just … never came back. She
sent me a postcard once telling me to
sell the television if I needed money to
buy food.”
I stare at him, my own food
forgotten. “What did you do?”
He smiles. “Liam’s family basically
took me in. I was sixteen at that point,
and we’d been friends this whole time,
so they knew I didn’t have it that great at
home. When Aunt Jolene left, they just
let me stay with them. We never told
anyone, because child welfare would
have wanted me to have an official
guardian. They just let me stay there until
I’d finished high school, and then they —
somehow — paid for me to go to
college.”
Rob shakes his head. “It’s pretty
unbelievable, now, in retrospect. They
had two kids of their own, and I was just
this latch-key nuisance but somehow
they made me feel like part of the
family.”
My heart breaks for Rob and his
story. I reach across the table and slip
my hand into his. “They took you in
because they loved you,” I say. “Liam
loves you. Julia and Jack love you. That
much is obvious, even to me, even just
after meeting them for ten minutes at the
hospital. They’re your family.”
Rob strokes my hand with his thumb.
“It’s hard for me to lose people. If
anything happens to Julia, I don’t know
what I’ll do.”
His vulnerability in that moment
floors me. To think this is the same man
who fucked me in a bar bathroom not
that long ago.
I’m still terrified that this whole
thing is a seriously bad idea, but maybe
it’s worth trying.
Rob seems to shake off the moment.
“Liam tells me you’re coming to the gala
with us.”
 Oh God, the gala. I force myself to
smile and nod. “Bought a dress and
everything.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see it — on
my floor.”
I giggle. “You cheeseball. Did you
read that in a handbook of pick-up
lines?”
He shrugs. “Cheesy or not, we’ll see
on Saturday just how accurate it is.”
A shiver runs down my spine.
There’s no denying it — I want him to be
right. Sex with these two hulking men is
beyond incredible. But with every
passing day I get more and more
confused about what I’m getting myself
into.
 CHAPTER 19

L IA M

E arly the next morning, my personal

phone buzzes on my nightstand. Rob
knows better than to text me this early,
and none of my clients have this phone
number. A quick surge of worry shoots
through me, thinking about Mom, but
when I pick up my phone I see it’s just a
text from Claudia. Another one.
“You guys are coming tonight,
right?”
I sigh. She’s been messaging me all
week, as if she thinks I’m going to forget
about her fundraiser. I know what her
real question is — is Rob still coming
tonight? I take a sick sort of pleasure in
denying her the information she wants —
must be a sibling thing.
“I’ll be there.”
I wait a second for her inevitable
follow-up.
“Is Rob still coming?”
I love how she manages to make it
sound casual, like she isn’t dying to
know.
“Yes, he’s still coming. And he’s
still bringing a friend.”
“The more the merrier!” Her text
sounds cheerful but the overload of
smiling emojis she sends after that tell
me she’s covering up. Poor Claudia. I
make a note to go through my client list
and see if I know any good, eligible
guys. It’s tough though — our industry
seems to have more than it’s fair share of
womanizing assholes.
Hell, up until a couple of weeks ago,
Rob and I were two of the worst.
I shake my head, laughing to myself.
It’s amazing what Adelaide has done to
us. Taken two lions and turned them into
house cats.
 Or maybe we just found our lioness.
I drag myself out of bed and head to
the gym, wanting to get in some time on
the bag before my day gets started.
The gym is where I work out all my
frustrations from the week — bad deals,
weasley clients, the lies and misdealings
that are part of the industry. Ever since
Adelaide started working for us, I seem
to have fewer and fewer of those
frustrations though.
Still, it feels good to lay into the bag.
I let my fists fly until my knuckles ache
and my shoulders feel like jelly. I have a
naturally large frame, with wide
shoulders and thick biceps, but working
out with the bag keeps me cut.
I was hoping the workout would help
me stop thinking about tonight, but it
doesn’t do much good in that regard. I
have a cold shower, and that helps a
little, but my nerves and adrenalin are
still high, thinking about what it’ll be
like to walk into that room, arm in arm
with Adelaide and Rob.
What will people think? I never
thought I would be one to pursue an
unconventional relationship, but being
with the two of them feels right. It feels
like … home.
I shake my head, appalled at my own
sentimentality. Please let none of our
clients ever find out that Liam Bradley is
such a fucking sap.
To take my mind off tonight, I spend
the rest of the day working. Nothing like
throwing yourself into spreadsheets and
projection figures to distract a person.
By the time it’s time to pick up
Adelaide, I’m more than ready to see
her. I can’t wait, in fact. I dress in record
time, throw on some cologne that I’ve
been told makes women melt.
I’ve hired a car for the night so that
none of us have to worry about driving
later or trying to hail a cab. I have him
swing by Rob’s place first. He comes
down to the lobby, looking sharp in a
sleek black suit. The shirt is undone at
the top, and I can see a small sliver of
his toned chest beneath. He looks good.
It still feels weird to think of my best
friend in that way, but not as weird as I
would have thought. In a way, this just
feels like a natural extension of the close
relationship we’ve always shared. It
feels almost like it was … inevitable. It
just took Adelaide to bring it out of us.
Rob climbs into the black luxury
SUV, and the driver pulls back into the
road, heading in the direction of
Adelaide’s apartment. She had been a bit
reluctant to let us come pick her up, but I
convinced her there was no way she was
taking the train in heels and an evening
dress.
Rob and I greet each other with a
quick hug — we’re not quite
comfortable showing too much physical
affection yet, at least not without
Adelaide there.
“Nervous?” I ask him as I watch him
wipe his hands discreetly on his pants.
He grins, caught. “A little. This is
weird, right?”
I shrug. “Yeah. But not too weird, I
don’t think.”
Rob thinks about it. “I guess not. And
it’s not really anyone else’s business
anyway, right?”
“Exactly. I’ve never cared what
people think and I don’t intend to start
now.”
“I’ve always admired that about
you,” Rob says.
“I think it comes from knowing that I
could physically crush anyone who gave
me a hard time about anything.”
Rob laughs, a deep belly laugh.
“Yeah, that would do it.”
 Rob is well-built too but he doesn’t
have my size and he’s never used his
physicality in the same way that I do. He
had the pretty face, the charming
personality, at least when he wanted to
turn it on. That’s why I wanted him to be
CEO. Rob can make anyone feel like
they’re the only person in the world he
wants to be talking to.
I can see why Adelaide fell for him.
I can see why I’m starting to.
I give my head a shake, still not used
to these new feelings. We’re quiet for the
rest of the ride, until we finally pull up
in front of a small red brick building.
“Is this it?” I ask the driver, my brow
furrowing.
“This is the address you gave me” he
says.
Yup, this is it. And it’s not good. Rob
and I exchange glances. The window of
the main floor apartment is broken,
sloppily patched with a piece of
plywood, a garbage bag, and some duct
tape. A man in a winter parka is sleeping
on the steps of the building.
We get out of the car. Somewhere
nearby, a couple is holding a screaming
argument, and somewhere a little further,
a car alarm is going off. A siren wails in
the distance.
The thought of Adelaide living here
turns my stomach into knots.
We climb the steps and buzz her
apartment, even though the front door
doesn’t seem to latch properly and we
could just walk right in. When Adelaide
answers, she tells us she’ll be right
down.
We exchange another look. I shove
my hands deep into my pockets to avoid
twisting them anxiously.
But when Addie steps out the front
door, every anxious thought in my mind
evaporates. She looks absolutely
stunning. Her dark wild hair is done up
in an elegant twist, revealing her long
pale neck, and a pair of emerald drop
earrings.
The dress she’s wearing matches the
earrings. It’s a deep green that’s cut low
in the front but somehow still manages to
look classy. I want to bury my face in her
cleavage, feel her soft cushiony breasts
on my cheeks.
I glance over at Rob and see that he
looks as shell-shocked as I feel. I almost
chuckle.
“You look …” I start, but can’t think
of a word that captures this level of
beauty.
“Wow,” Rob says.
I laugh. “That’s what I was trying to
say.”
Adelaide blushes, looking away.
“Thank you. I feel … overdressed.” She
tugs at the dress, hitching the front up so
it covers a bit more of her chest. “Or
underdressed. I”m not sure.”
I lean in to kiss her softly on the lips.
“No. You are absolute perfection.”
When I pull away, Rob leans in to
kiss her as well. “Seconded. You’re
exquisite, Addie.”
“Oh, you guys.”
Rob takes her by the hand and we
start down the stairs.
“Hi Harry,” she says to the man
parked on the stoop. I didn’t notice that
he’d woken up and was watching us.
“You keeping warm enough?”
“Oh, I’m okay.”
“Good. Go get a coffee if it gets too
chilly,” she tells him, reaching into her
clutch and pulling out a twenty. She
presses it into his hand.
“Thanks Addie. You have a good
time tonight. Looks like you’re going
somewhere nice.”
“Yup. Cinderella off to the ball.” She
laughs, a light musical sound.
“Good. You deserve it. Take care.”
“You too, Harry.”
I watch this exchange in awe. It’s not
just her kindness in giving him a few
bucks that blows me away, but the way
she speaks to him like a real person.
There’s no apprehension, no
guardedness. Adelaide Williams is the
real deal.
I shake my head. Keep ahold of
yourself, Liam. You’re already falling
too fast for this girl. Don’t put it all on
the table now, until you’re sure they’re
both in this thing for real.
When we get to the car, Rob runs
around to the other side while I hold the
door open for Addie. She climbs in
easily, as if she’s used to clambering
around in four-inch heels. I slide in
behind her and pull the door closed.
The drive is short but the feel of her
legs pressed up against mine drives me
half-wild with desire. I try to imagine
what she’s got on under that green dress.
A thong? Something lacy? Nothing at
all? It’s all I can do to keep from sliding
my hand up under her dress, finding her
heat, and making her feel as good as she
makes me feel.
I’m almost relieved when we pull up
in front of hotel. Any longer and I might
have told the driver to fuck it and take us
all back to my place.
I get out of the car and once again
take Addie’s hand to help her out. Rob
swings around from the other side and
then the three of us are standing there,
poised in front of the steps.
“Ready?” I squeeze her hand. Rob
takes the other one and the three of us
stand there for a moment.
Addie’s face twists, just by a
fraction. Her eyes take in the swaths of
beautiful people milling around the front
entrance, the valets parking luxury cars
off to the side.
“You okay?” I ask, studying her. She
nibbles on her lip for a moment, then
nods.
“I’m okay.”
We start up the stairs together but
Addie’s steps get slower and heavier as
we approach the crowd.
 I look at her again, puzzled. I follow
her gaze, taking in the way the couples in
the entryway are staring at us. They
stand in groups of two, or four. And here
we are — three.
I slip my hand out of Addie’s.
“I think it’s too soon,” I whisper, just
loud enough for her and Rob to hear.
“Too big of an event. We can take it
slower, ease into this.”
Addie’s eyes widen, but at the same
time I see the unmistakable look of deep
relief etch across her face. “Are you
sure? I can do it.”
I like her even more for saying that,
even when she clearly has reservations.
I nod. “It’s fine. We’ll say you’re here
with Rob. That’ll piss Claudia right off,”
I say, giving Rob a rueful grin.
Addie looks confused. “Your
sister?”
Rob puts his arm around her. “I’ll
explain later.”
Addie reaches out and puts her hand
to my cheek. Her palm is as soft as
anything I’ve ever felt, like a satin sheet,
a rose petal.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I flash her my best and
brightest smile.
“I still want to do this,” she says, her
lip almost quivering. “I just … it’s all a
bit much.”
“Absolutely,” I say again. I take her
hand from my cheek and give it a kiss
before letting it fall, leaving her to Rob
alone.

I PLAN to stay with them once we get

inside, but I find myself drawn like a
magnet to the bar. I wonder why? I order
a double scotch on the rocks and throw it
back quickly, then ask for another.
Addie and Rob have already
disappeared into the crowd. This is
going to be a long night.
I’m disappointed in how things have
turned out already. I can’t blame her
exactly, but it doesn’t mean I have to like
it either.
Actually, what puzzles me the most
isn’t why this bothers her — it’s why it
doesn’t bother me. It’s not like I’ve ever
cared what other people thought about
me, but I’ve also never been all that out
there. And an unconventional
relationship like the one I’m envisioning
… well, it’s pretty out there.
I take another sip of my scotch. Is it
too out there, I wonder?
Why should it be, though? Who
decided two was the right number for a
relationship? The human mind is drawn
to threes. Three acts to a story. Three
sides to a triangle. Three meals a day.
Three …
Before I can think of any more
examples, someone slips into the seat
next to me with a noisy huff.
“Hello, Claudia.”
My sister looks quite pretty, with her
blonde hair down around her shoulders,
and a long mint colored dress that plays
off her blue eyes. I lean over and give
her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Glad you could come,” she says,
although at the moment she doesn’t look
glad at all.
“It’s a lovely event,” I tell her. I
haven’t actually seen anything beyond
the bar, but I’m sure everything else is
great too.
“Oh, thanks.” She sounds distracted.
I ask her if she wants a drink but she
shakes her head.
“I’m good.” She twists her light hair
around one finger. “Who’s Robbie’s
friend?” she asks, with a careful
casualness.
 I chuckle to myself. So that’s what
this is about. I should have known.
“You mean his date? Her name’s
Adelaide.”
“Serious?”
“Am I serious that’s her name?”
She glares at me. “No, I mean … is
it serious? Between them?”
“Asking for a friend, are you?”
She glares at me again, and I feel
guilty for toying with her.
“Yeah, Claudia,” I say gently. “I’m
pretty sure it’s serious.”
At least I hope it is.
She slides off her bar stool with a
hmph.
“That’s great. I’m happy for him.”
I don’t doubt that a small part of her
is happy for him — Claudia grew up
seeing almost as much of Rob as I did —
but that part is a silent minority right
now. I actually find myself feeling a bit
sorry for her, and guilty for ruining her
night.
“Hey, don’t worry about that guy,” I
tell her, patting her arm. “Plenty of fish
in the sea, trust me.”
She mutters something that I don’t
quite catch, and then she’s off, a blur of
minty green.

AFTER ONE MORE DRINK AT the bar, I

realize I have to piss, so I give up my
front row seat and set off in search of the
men’s room. Once I’m in there, I catch a
glimpse of myself in the mirror. God, I
look tired. Or is that defeat?
When I finish up, Addie is waiting
for me outside.
“Hey,” I say, surprised to see her.
She nuzzles up against me. “I missed
you.” Instantly I feel six hundred times
better. I wrap my arms around her waist,
letting my hands dip down to her ass.
Her body under my hands is soft yet
firm, and the contrast drives me wild.
Everything about her is a study in
contrast.
Her lips graze against mine, just
barely. Just enough for me to feel her
breath against me, and then its absence.
I moan and pull her with me against
the wall, out of view of the rest of the
ballroom. She brushes my lips again
with hers, her hand cupped around the
back of my neck. I hunger for her and I
lean forward greedily, crushing my
mouth against hers.
She responds immediately, leaning
into me, her breasts melting against my
chest. I seek her mouth, hungrily, tasting
her, devouring her. I pull her into me, our
bodies locked in a dead heat. My dick
hardens instantly, the way it always
seems to do around Adelaide. I pull her
closer to me so she can feel the other-
worldly effect she has on me.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,
Ms. Williams,” I murmur into her ear,
grinding her against me.
“Oh, I do,” she says, trailing her
hand along my taut thigh.
“Good. Because once you poke the
dragon, the dragon needs to be fed.”
She chuckles, low and lusty. “I hope
he likes to feast on fair maidens.”
“Mmm,” I moan. “It’s his favorite.”
The silliness of it makes it even
sexier, somehow, and I like that I can be
this part of myself with Addie. The same
way it used to be with Rob and I, when
we were young.
“What do you say we go get Rob,” I
say to her. “And get the hell out of here.”
“I’d say that’s the best idea I’ve
heard all night.”
 CHAPTER 20

A D EL A ID E

W eandendthisuptime
back at Liam’s again,
we don’t even
make it to the bedroom. Before the door
even latches behind us, Liam has his
hands on the hem of my dress and is
pulling, tugging it, wrenching it off my
body with a frantic need that makes me
want to yell at him to just rip it already.
Rob is already making his way
through the top of the dress — he shoves
it down roughly and scoops my breasts
out so that they spill over the sweetheart
neckline. Then his lips move to my
nipples and he’s sucking, nibbling,
swirling until they stiffen under his
tongue.
He shrugs out of his jacket and I
fumble with his buttons. I need to see his
chest now, feel it under my hands, his
pecs like thick steaks.
While Rob works my nipples, Liam
drops to the floor in front of me. My
dress is bunched up around my waist
now, exposing the fact that I went to the
gala commando. I look down at Liam
and shrug, and he grins.
“Dirty girl,” he calls me and I shiver
with how right he is.
I spread my legs to give him better
access, leaning up against the wall for
balance.
His tongue travels the length of my
thighs, first one, then the other, trailing a
tantalizing wet pattern along the
sensitive skin. When he lets his tongue
trail across my mound I gasp, arching my
hips so that I can feel his tongue against
my center.
He spreads my lips with one hand
and then stiffens his tongue, flicking it
back and forth across my clit.
 I bite down on my own fist to keep
from crying out, but the sensation of one
man tonguing my pussy while the other
sucks at my breasts is almost too much
too bear. I can’t imagine that I’ll ever get
used to this.
I pull Rob up so that I can kiss him,
wanting to see his face, look into his
eyes while his best friend devours me.
That look of lust — God, it makes me
crazier than anything. I move my hand
along the smooth skin of his stomach,
letting it dip down below his waist to
cup his erection.
“Oh, fuck, Addie.”
I undo his belt and push his pants
down over his hips, freeing his eager
cock. I run my fingers along his
thickness, feeling the veins and ridges
pulse under my fingertips. I grip it with
one hand and stroke the length of him,
making sure he’s ready. When he throws
his head back against the wall, I know.
I gently nudge Liam’s head away
from my pussy, even though the sudden
absence of his mouth sends a shock of
longing through me. I move him gently
towards the left and hold out Rob’s stiff
cock for him.
Liam looks up at me, taboo desire
flashing in his eyes. I smile at him and
nod.
He reaches out his tongue and flicks
at the head of Rob’s dick. Rob’s eyes
widen and then roll back in his head as
he realizes what’s happening. I run my
hands through his hair.
“Does that feel good?” I whisper
against his neck.
“Fuck, yes.”
That’s all the encouragement Liam
needs. He takes his best friend’s dick
into his mouth, riding it up and down,
letting it crash into the back of his throat.
Rob’s balls slap against his chin.
It makes me crazy to see them
together like that. Both of them exuding
such raw masculine energy, and yet both
of them so willing to give in to the
ultimate pleasure. I reach my hand down
between my legs and find my clit,
leaning against the wall for support as I
make small tight circles, pressing the
hood down against the sensitive bud.
 Rob has his hands in Liam’s hair
now, guiding him up and down along his
cock. I can see his body tensing, each of
his muscles painted in stark relief under
his skin. I run my tongue along his collar
bone and he shudders.
“I need you,” he says. He moves
away from Liam’s mouth and grabs me,
throwing me roughly to the floor. I reach
for him, not caring that I’m on the cold
tile, but only wanting to feel the heat of
his body on top of me. I spread my legs
and pull him neatly between me.
His cock is still slick with saliva,
and my pussy drips with my own
lubricant, and when he finally lines
himself up at my entrance, it doesn’t take
anything at all before he’s thrusted firmly
inside of me. I gasp at the shock of it, the
sudden fullness, and grab onto his ass to
pull him even more deeply into me. We
both pause there for a minute, adjusting
to the new reality of our bodies as one.
Liam crouches above Rob, stroking
his cock slowly. He’s somehow
managed to shed all his clothes without
me noticing, and now his huge and
powerful frame towers over us. He
kneels behind Rob and puts his hand on
his upper back.
“This okay?” he whispers roughly
into Rob’s neck. Rob closes his eyes
tightly and nods, and we all brace
ourselves for the thing that comes next.
Liam presses his cock up to Rob’s
asshole and pushes. A grimace crosses
Rob’s face but it’s one that’s tinged with
ecstasy. I hold his hips steady, keeping
him still inside of me and ready for
Liam’s assault.
Liam takes his time, letting Rob
adjust to this new presence. He pushes
in excruciatingly slowly, quarter inch by
quarter inch, until his cock is fully
buried inside his best friend.
We all pause for a moment,
marveling at this miracle, this complete
puzzle. Rob inside of me and Liam
inside of Rob. Somehow it works.
Somehow it’s right.
Rob is the one who first starts to
move. Liam and I keep still, letting him
find a rhythm that works and then
merging our hips with his. We are
connected here, physically but somehow
more than that too.
I arch my pelvis up to meet Rob’s as
he thrusts forward. He keeps his own
hips angled back a bit, just enough so
that Liam can move his own hips
forward. We move together that way, bit
by bit, slowly picking up speed, flowing
into one another, finding one another. I
run my hands through Rob’s hair and
then pull his head to mine so that our
foreheads touch, so that I can watch him,
fucking and getting fucked.
The weight of both men on top of me
is almost crushing, but I keep my feet
firmly planted on the cool tile of Liam’s
front hallway. Later maybe we’ll laugh
about the fact that we couldn’t even
make it past the entryway, but for now
we’re all single-minded in our erotic
pursuit.
The feeling of him inside of me is
exquisite, but somehow it’s even more of
a turn-on to feel Liam’s rhythm as he
pounds his cock into Rob’s ass. My back
slides against the cold tile and I grip my
thighs around Rob’s hips, pulling him
closer to me.
Rob looks down at me. His
expression is fraught, and I know he
won’t last much longer. Sweat coats his
brow. He picks up his pace, grunting,
thrusting. The friction pushes me over
the edge and I feel the orgasm start to
build. My abs clench, contorting my
body, my limbs stiffening as my insides
seem to soften. I grip Rob’s cock with
my pussy, pulling him to me, coating
him, until my release shatters both of us.
Rob slams into me, once more, twice
more, before his body shudders and he
pours his spent excitement into my slick
tunnel.
I cup his face, kissing him on the
lips, while Liam thrusts again and again
into Rob’s ass. I watch as Liam’s face
twists, his knuckles whitening as he
grips Rob’s hips. Even though I can’t
feel it, I can see it on his face, the exact
moment he comes, and I can feel it in
Rob’s kiss, the shock and awe of Liam
shooting a hot load deep inside of him.
The two of them tumble off of me,
and the three of us lay on the cool slate
tile floor. We breathe in unison, all of us
desperate to fill our lungs, to remember
how to be three instead of one.

WE EVENTUALLY FIND our way to the

bedroom and into a fitful sleep, one
that’s interrupted every time one of us
trails a hand lazily along another and we
have to rediscover each other all over
again.
When seven o’clock comes, I’m still
knackered, and nowhere near ready for
the incessant chiming of the phone that
echoes through the condo.
Rob opens one eye. “Whoever’s
phone that is is going to be some serious
trouble.”
 “I’m sorry, I think it’s mine!” I
scamper out of the warm sheets to find
my purse, which turns out to be dumped
on a console table in Liam’s front
entryway. Memories of last night come
rushing back as soon as my bare feet
touch the cool tile. I shiver, and not just
from the cold.
I snatch my phone up out of my
purse. Shit. It’s Mom.
“Hi!” I try to sound as cheerful as
possible, even though my head is
pounding.
“Where are you?”
“I slept at a friend’s.” Not
technically a lie.
“What are you doing there?” she
snips.
 Uhhhh… menaging? Yeah, not
mentioning that part.
“Well, I was sleeping,” I snip.
Mom sighs huffily. “I’m standing
outside your apartment waiting for you,
you know.”
“Why are you …” Oh shit. “Sarah’s
shower.”
“Yes. We’re supposed to be there at
eight to help set up. Or did you forget?”
“I didn’t forget.” I completely forgot.
“I’m just running a bit late. Why don’t I
meet you right at Sarah’s?”
“I was supposed to get the balloons
from your apartment.”
Right. The two dozen helium
balloons that have been clogging up my
living room for the past two days.
 “I’ll bring them over myself.”
“How? You don’t have a car. You
can’t bring those on the train, they’ll get
dirty or popped.”
“I’ll take a cab.” When she doesn’t
sound convinced, I sigh. “Don’t worry,
Mom. I’ll manage. I’ll meet you there in
an hour.”
I wait for her reluctant agreement
before I finally hang up the phone, then I
creep back into the bedroom.
Liam and Rob are both awake. Both
smiling up at me. Both completely naked
and stroking morning-stiff cocks.
“Don’t torture me,” I moan. “I have
to leave. I completely forgot about my
sister’s baby shower. I have to go all the
way home to get the balloons and then
figure out a way to get all the way out to
Westchester with them.”
“We’ll drive you,” Liam says, not
even pausing the movement of his arm.
“But only if you stay a little longer. After
all, we’ve got two cocks waiting to
please you.”
“Not to mention two mouths,” Robs
add. “And four hands.”
The grin on his face is too inviting to
say no to. I suppose I could be a few
minutes late…
I climb back into bed.
Mom’s wrath will just have to wait.
 CHAPTER 21

A D EL A ID E

S omehow we manage to make it to

Sarah’s not too ridiculously late.
The guests aren’t scheduled to arrive
until noon but Mom had wanted to leave
us lots of time for set-up.
 I struggle to wrench the huge string
of balloons out of Liam’s SUV. Both he
and Rob get out of the car to help me,
and I spot Mom watching from the
window.
“I’m sorry I can’t invite you in,” I
say, biting my lip and glancing up
towards the house. “It’s a family thing.”
“Oh, completely understand,” Liam
says agreeably, but there’s a slight
furrow to his brow. I know he’s thinking
about last night, when I panicked at the
gala and let go of his hand. I had felt
horrible immediately after I did it.
Especially when I saw the way he tried
to mask his disappointment, the way he
was so perfectly understanding about it.
The simple truth was, I was scared.
When I was alone with Liam and Rob,
the relationship we were forming
seemed natural. Holy, almost, if you
wanted to get real about it. But looking
up the front steps of the hotel last night,
to all those well-dressed well-heeled
people —
I mean, the whole thing had to be a
mistake, right? One of those stupid life-
decisions I’m so well known for?
Yes, better to keep the whole thing
under wraps until it inevitably goes up in
flames, just like everything else in my
life.
I lean forward and press my lips
against the corner of Liam’s mouth. His
eyes twinkle at my touch and I swell a
little at being able to put a smile back on
his face. I move to give Rob a quick kiss
too, making sure we’re hidden by the
balloons so that no one in the house can
see me kissing both men. That would be
sure to raise questions I’m not ready to
answer yet.
Once Rob and Liam have climbed
back in the SUV and driven off, I trudge
up to the house. Sarah lives in an
imposing house in a big subdivision. It’s
a new house, with an austere grey stone
facade and the greenest lawn I’ve ever
set eyes on. It’s almost fluorescent. She
once admitted that she has Dave, her
husband, out there every weekend,
combing it for weeds and pests, treating
it with organic fertilizers, gently
watering it, and probably reading it
bedtime stories. Sarah is finicky about
things like that, but I admire her ability
to get just what she wants.
Mom already has the front door open
and she ushers me and all the balloons
inside. The interior of Sarah’s house is
even more imposing than the outside.
Even though it’s a new construction, they
spent extra to get authentic details, like
tray ceilings and wainscoting. The living
room — or should I say, the formal
sitting room — has a chandelier that
would probably cost me a month’s rent.
Mom snatches the balloons out of my
hands. “You’re late,” she says, as she
whisks them away to the kitchen.
“Sorry. Bad traffic.”
“That’s a fancy dress,” she says,
looking me up and down.
“I thought this was a nice party.” I
tuck my hair behind my ear, blushing a
little. I didn’t have time to change —
thanks to our extra dalliance this
morning — so I’m still wearing last
night’s emerald green number.
“It’s a Sunday afternoon party. This
is an evening dress.”
“Funny, it didn’t say that on the tag.”
I push past her, heading into the kitchen
so that I can get to work and avoid this
maternal inquisition. Mom is relentless
though. She follows me in to the kitchen,
studying me.
“Who were those men you were
with?”
“Just friends.” I emphasize the just.
 “You kissed one.”
“It was a friendly kiss. To thank him
for driving me all the way out here.” She
still looks skeptical. “God, Mom, I
didn’t shove my tongue down his throat.
It was this kind of kiss.” I peck her on
the cheek. “Now what can I do to help?”
She sniffs lightly, but she seems
appeased. “The cupcakes are all in the
bakery boxes on the kitchen island. If
you don’t mind setting them out? There
are two big cake stands but you’ll need
to set them up first.”
I head into the kitchen and start my
assigned task. My stomach is growling
and these cupcakes look more than
delicious. I arrange them on the stands
so that there’s conveniently one left over.
 “No room for you, little buddy,” I
tell it affectionately. “Guess I’ll have to
eat you.”
Sarah walks in right as I’m taking a
big bite of the strawberry-frosted lemon
cupcake. I try to cover up the fact that
I’m eating her shower treats but she just
laughs.
“Oh, go ahead. It’s not like half of
my friends will even touch these.
They’ve got gluten and sugar in them.”
“Don’t forget about the delicious,
delicious butter,” I grin.
“Better you than me, Addie,” she
says. “You know I could never eat that
stuff. I wish I could be more like you and
not care about my weight.”
A swing and a hit.
 I swallow down the hurt and set the
cupcake aside. Sarah is everything that
I’m not — married and successful and
totally together. We also happen to be
complete physical opposites — where
I’m short and curvy, with untamable dark
hair, she’s tall, willowy, blonde. She
looks like a catalogue ad for J. Crew.
“How are you feeling these days?” I
ask her, not wanting to dwell on the
many ways in which she’s better than
me. I glance down at her bump, which
has grown significantly since the last
time I saw her.
“Oh, exhausted,” she says.
“Everything hurts. Everything is
swollen. My cankles have their own zip
code.”
 I shake my head lightly. “Well, you
look great,” I tell her. “More glowy than
swollen, if you ask me.”
“Oh, you’re sweet to say so,” she
says, putting her hand lightly on my arm.
“I wish Dave saw it that way.” For the
first time, I see a small crack in the
facade, but just as quickly, it’s gone, and
she plasters a bright smile across her
face. “He’s been such a dear, though,
really. The other day he went out to buy
me goldfish crackers at midnight. I’m not
joking, this baby is a carboholic.” She
pats her belly.
Eventually I manage to shoo Sarah
out of the kitchen so that Mom and I can
keep working. Dave is out spending the
morning golfing with his buddies — his
version of a shower, he claimed — so
Sarah takes a rare morning to herself to
read a magazine out on the veranda
while Mom and I work.
We’re just putting the finishing
touches on everything when the guests
start arriving. Soon the living room is
filled with polished, perfect women. I
wonder how Sarah managed to find quite
so many friends who all seem to look
strangely like her.
I breathe a secret sigh of relief when
Daphne arrives.
“Thank God you’re here,” I breathe.
“It’s getting a bit Stepford in there.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll bust out the
drinking games soon enough.” I giggle as
she gives me a hug.
 Then she stands back, examining my
dress. “Isn’t that the dress you bought to
wear to that fundraising thing you were
going to go to?”
“Maybe,” I say, not wanting to meet
her eyes.
Of course, there’s no fooling your
best friend.
“Oh my God. You didn’t go home
last night, did you?”
“Ummmm….”
“Oh, you’re going to have to spill.
One of the men from your office? Which
one? Not your boss!”
“Ummmm…”
She drags me into the kitchen, which
is empty as everyone chitchats in the
living room.
 “Come on, Addie. Don’t hold out on
me. Which one was it? The dark and
brooding Rob? Or Liam, the charming
beast of a man?”
I suddenly regret telling her so much
about them. And I know in about two
seconds, I’m going to regret what I’m
about to say.
“Both.” My voice is a mere squeak,
but Daphne pounces.
“What?!” she shrieks, and I have to
hush her.
“They’re going to hear you!”
“I don’t care if the President himself
hears me. I. Need. Details.”
Before I say anything, I find the
cupcake I set aside earlier, and use a
butter knife to cut in half, passing a piece
to Daphne.
“Thank you, but this is not the kind of
sweet goods I want. Come on, Williams.
Give it up.”
We sit down at the counter island
and I lean my forearms against the cool
marble top. I shrug.
“Not really much to tell.”
Daphne looks disgusted, and I can’t
help but giggle.
“Okay, okay,” I relent. I lower my
voice. “This is actually the second time
it’s happened. It’s … I don’t know how
to describe it. It’s amazing.”
“And you do it with both of them.”
I nod.
“What about them? Do they…?” She
lets the question trail off, but I know
what she’s asking.
“Oh, yeah. Somehow that part’s
almost as hot. Watching them together.”
“Huh.” Her brow furrows. “So are
they gay?”
I burst out laughing. “Definitely not.
They are very into my lady parts.
They’re just also into each other.”
“So they’re bi.”
“I guess so, yeah. But I think it’s just
… them. They’ve known each other
since they were kids and they have this
incredibly intense connection.”
“And you don’t get left out?”
Bless Daphne for looking out for me.
She never did stop being my schoolyard
protector.
“Oh, definitely not. Somehow it just
works between the three of us.”
“Wow, Addie.” She shakes her head,
as if to clear it. “Hey, if it works for you,
then by all means, go get yours. Just
make sure you don’t get too attached.”
“Why not?” I can’t help the
defensiveness that creeps into my voice.
I don’t mention that it might already be
too late for that.
Daphne throws back her head and
laughs, then snaps her mouth shut when
she realizes I’m not laughing with her.
“Addie, come on. You can’t be
serious, right? You want me to spell out
why this is a bad idea?”
“Yes, actually.”
She sighs. “They’re your bosses.”
“It’s a temp job.”
 “Okay. But they’re also best friends.
What happens when you start to develop
real feelings for one of them? They have
a relationship that dates back before you,
and there’s a good chance that if it
comes down to it they aren’t going to
throw that away for a fuck.”
Daphne’s words cut me, even though
I know she doesn’t mean them to. The
truth of it is, she’s right. Their loyalty to
each other is always going to outweigh
their loyalty to me.
“And — let’s say this — best case
scenario, you fall for both of them. They
fall for you. Everyone’s happy. Are you
going to be in a relationship with both of
them? What even is that? Are you going
to get married and have kids with two
different men?”
“No,” I say, even though the real
answer is I have no idea. I hadn’t
thought it through that far. Can you even
get married to two different people? I’m
pretty sure you can’t.
“I’m sorry,” Daphne says, reaching
out and taking my hand. “I don’t mean to
be a buzzkill, and I totally support
indulging in some hot action. I’m just
saying keep it at a distance, okay?”
I nod. I don’t want to admit that I
have no idea if I can do that.
“We should probably go join the
party,” I say woodenly. “Sarah’s going to
think we’re in here drinking all her
mimosas.”
“There are mimosas?” Daphne
brightens. “Well, let’s get on that, shall
we?”

LATER, while we’re sipping on mimosas

that are mostly just champagne and
watching Sarah open baby contraptions
that I can’t even identify, I mull over
what Daphne said.
Am I just asking for trouble here? Is
this just another one of Adelaide
Williams’ infamously bad life decisions?
When I’m with Liam and Rob, I
don’t feel like that. But I can’t deny that
everything Daphne said makes perfect
sense. How can I realistically expect to
make an unconventional relationship like
this into something real?
 I look around the room at Sarah and
her perfectly-coiffed friends. Between
them, there isn’t a hair out of place, a
wrinkle, a dropped hem, a chipped nail.
They’re perfect, and I’m betting that, like
Sarah, they all have perfect homes and
perfect husbands and perfect progeny.
To them, I’ve always been Sarah’s
goofy, awkward little sister. The one
who broke her wrist trying to get a candy
bar out of the vending machine. The one
who rode on the handles of her
boyfriend’s bicycle on the way to the
prom.
The one who shows up to a baby
shower wearing an evening gown,
because she didn’t have time to change
because she was banging two hot guys
who happen to be her bosses.
“Oh brother,” I mutter to myself,
because I realize just how right Daphne
is. What am I doing with them? My goal
when I took that job was to get my life
together, and look at me now. I’m even
farther out to sea than when I started.
“Are you okay?” Daphne whispers.
“You look pale.”
“I’m fine.” I force a smile. But the
question on my mind now is: for how
much longer?
 CHAPTER 22

ROB

A fter we drop Addie off at her

sister’s shower, Liam and I decide
to go play racquetball. It’s something we
used to do almost every weekend, but
somehow we haven’t made it out in
awhile. And with everything that’s been
happening lately — with Addie, and of
course, with Julia — we could both use
the stress relief.
I change quickly and meet him out on
the court, where we proceed to make
every possible effort to completely and
utterly destroy each other. That’s one
thing I like about playing with Liam —
he doesn’t go easy on me, and I don’t go
easy on him. We go for blood.
By the time we’re halfway through,
I’m panting like an old dog.
“What’s the matter, Avondale?” Liam
taunts. “Too many pastries? Addie
giving you a gut?”
I slam the ball as hard as I can,
hitting it just to the corner of the court,
where Liam swings and misses.
“She giving you a blind spot?” I
tease back.
“Better than a bald spot,” he
challenges, letting go with a powerful
backhand.
I instinctively reach a hand to touch
the hair at the back of my head, causing
me to miss the ball, and Liam laughs.
“You loser, that was a joke.”
“Don’t joke about a man’s hair!”
Liam shakes his head and serves up
another ball. We volley back and forth,
losing track of the score, until we’re
both covered in sweat and and breathing
heavier than we were last night.
We adjourn to the changing rooms
and I start stripping off my clothes. It’s
the exact same thing we do every time
we go to the gym together, yet today it
feels different. I notice him sneaking
glances at me as I peal off layers of
sweaty attire, and I can’t help myself
from checking out what he’s got on
display either.
As we walk to the showers, there’s
no hiding the fact that my dick is getting
swollen. I let him go ahead of me, but
then I’m stuck trailing behind, watching
the powerful globes of his ass flex and
stretch as he walks. Fuck, it’s hot. He’s
hot.
We grab the same two showers we
always do, right next to each other at the
end of the line. There aren’t any walls
between them, just a puny curtain that we
never bother pulling closed.
Then again, it never felt like this
before.
I stand under the water and turn it up
so hot it scalds my skin. My cock juts
straight out in front of me, rock hard and
aching for the beast of a man standing
next to me.
Liam looks my body up and down as
he starts soaping his own, and I can’t
help but notice that he has the same
condition. His dick points straight at me,
almost like it’s begging me to drop to my
knees and take him in my mouth.
“Soap your back?” Liam asks, a
salacious grin on his face.
“Sure.” I swallow. There’s no one
else around, but it still feels strange to
let him touch me here in the locker room
shower.
He lathers up his hands and turns me
around, letting his massive hands work
their way across my back. It feels good,
actually, like getting a massage, but I’m
more aware of the fact that I can feel his
dick pressing up against my ass. I take a
half step backwards, pressing myself
close to him, and he chuckles, low and
soft, his lips right up against my ear.
“What do you want, Rob?” he
whispers. “Do you want this?” His
soapy hand trails down to my ass,
spreading my cheeks and running across
my tight entrance. My cock jerks
involuntarily, and I grunt. He chuckles
again, letting his finger circle me.
 “Or maybe you want this?”
His other hand comes around to my
front, grabbing my stiff cock. The soap
lets him slip easily and down the length
of me, slowly jerking me off while his
finger teases my asshole.
I grunt again, almost a whimper this
time.
“We can’t,” I manage to sputter.
“Addie.”
He takes a step back, letting go of
me. “Fuck. You’re right. It feels wrong,
doesn’t it?”
“It’s three or none. At least until we
can discuss it with her.”
He nods. “Christ. You’re right. I kind
of hate you right now, but you’re right.”
His dick is still red, swollen, and I know
he feels as the same physical frustration
as I do.
“Monday,” I tell him, taking my dick
into my hand and stroking slowly. “After
all, what’s the point of banging your hot
secretary if you can’t give her naughty
office tasks?”
Liam grins. “I like your thinking,
Avondale. Monday it is.”
As we head out of the gym, I check
my phone. Damn. Another text from
Claudia.
“Shit, man,” I say to Liam. “What’s
up with your sister? Ever since the gala
she won’t stop texting me. Says she
wants to have lunch.”
Liam rolls his eyes. “Sorry, buddy.
She’s got it bad. And now that she
doesn’t have the gala to throw herself
into, I think she’s making you her next
project.”
“Great.” Because that wasn’t
awkward at all.
“Just let her down gently, okay? I
know she’s been a pain in the ass lately,
but I think it’s a defense mechanism.
She’s a lot more bothered about Mom
than she lets on.”
I promise Liam I will, and then tuck
my phone back in my pocket. I’ll reply
later, when I’ve figured out how to get
myself out of this one.
 CHAPTER 23

A D EL A ID E

W alking into the office on Monday,

I don’t feel any closer to
understanding what I’m doing with Rob
and Liam. Sarah’s shower had been a
painful demonstration of just how much
my life was lacking — and I was sure
that falling into bed with my two hot
bosses was not doing anything to help
the situation.
Sure they might be able to make me
feel like my skin was on fire, like I was
Queen Fucking Cleopatra, but how long
could this last? How could it ever be
anything more than sex? And when it all
inevitably crashed and burned, how
much further behind would I be than
when I started? I’d be heartbroken and
unemployed — exactly where I was
when I first met Rob.
I pick up my usual bag of three
pastries on the way into the office, but I
eat two of them on the way into the
office, and then I throw the third one out
so that no one will be the wiser.
I set the three coffees down on my
desk, and both Liam and Rob emerge
from their offices, as if on cue.
They each grab their coffees — milk
for Liam, black for Rob. Liam pokes at
the empty tray.
“No danishes today?” He looks
disappointed, and I roll my eyes, willing
myself not to blush.
“Just looking out for Rob’s gut,” I
say, with a shrug and a sweet smile.
“Hey, now.” Rob pats his stomach
and looks down. “It’s not that bad, is it?”
I roll my eyes again and laugh. “Rob.
You have a six-pack so deep I could lose
a quarter in there.”
“Why, thank you.” He smirks and
takes a sip of his coffee.
“Must be all those Jane Fonda
workout videos you do.” I grin slyly.
His smirk drops, but Liam laughs.
“Oh, yeah, that’s Robbie. Sweating
to the oldies.”
I laugh and shake my head. Who
would have thought two smoking hot
billionaires would have such a good
sense of humor? Then again, there was
nothing about these two that didn’t
surprise me.
I sit down at my desk and the men
adjourn to their offices. They cross back
and forth with files a few times, but
mostly it’s quiet in the office. Eventually
Liam goes into Rob’s office and closes
the door.
 I glance up at the frosted glass. It’s
rare for them to close the door these
days, unless they’re in with a client. Part
of me wonders if they’re talking about
me in there.
The phone on my desk rings and
when I glance down, I see Rob’s office
line on the display.
“Are you seriously too lazy to get up
and walk out of your office?” I admonish
him.
“Could you come in here please?”
“Why don’t you just tell me what you
want, since you’ve already called me?”
“Adelaide.” His voice is stern. “I
said to come in here.”
“Yes, boss.” I say it sarcastically but
my heart gives off a tremulous thump.
Maybe they were talking about me in
there. I hope I haven’t fucked anything
up. My mind catalogues through
everything we’ve been working on
recently, every meeting, every
deliverable, every contract. I can’t think
of anything I did wrong, but that’s the
bitch of it, isn’t it? You never know what
you’ve fucked up until someone comes
along and tells you so.
I creep over to Rob’s office and
open the door slowly.
He and Liam are both leaning side
by side against the front of the desk.
Both sets of eyes stalk me up and down
as I stand there in the doorway.
“Come in,” Rob says.
“And close the door,” Liam adds.
 “What’s going on?”
“Adelaide!”
I give a small squeak and do as he
says. Something in their demeanor has
changed. It’s gone cold and hard and …
fucking hot.
“Unbutton your shirt,” Rob instructs.
“Excuse me?” I lick my lips, but my
mouth is as dry as a bone.
“You heard me.”
It doesn’t occur to me to question his
instruction. There is something insistent
in his tone, something burning.
I move my trembling fingers up and
undo the top button, then the next, then
the next, until they’re all undone,
exposing my black lacy bra and my bare
white stomach.
 “Good girl,” Rob praises me. “Now
take it off.”
I do as he says and let the material
fall to the floor.
“Skirt too.”
I still don’t question his instructions,
just reach behind me and push down the
zipper of my royal blue pencil skirt and
let the whole thing fall to the floor.
Even though I’ve been naked in front
of both of them before, I suddenly feel
self-conscious standing here in just my
bra and panties.
Yet the hungry look in their eyes
gives me a touch of confidence.
“Anything else?” I say politely.
“As a matter of fact, yes. Take the
rest off too.”
 I bite my lip, but I know that they
aren’t giving me a choice here. I reach
up and unclasp my bra, letting it spring
open. My tits pop free and I let the lacy
contraption fall away. Even from here I
can see their pupils dilate as they take in
my naked chest. My nipples harden
under their gazes.
“You aren’t done yet,” Rob prompts
me. I slip my thumbs under the waist
band of my panties and then hesitate. But
there’s no stopping now. I slip the slinky
fabric off my hips, until I’m standing
there in front of them, naked as the day
as I was born.
“Touch your nipples,” Liam
instructs.
“Just like you did that night at
Clinton’s,” Rob adds.
I reach up with both hands and take
both my nipples at once. I pinch the
small pink nubs, rolling them back and
forth between my fingers.
“Oh,” I murmur, more to myself than
to anyone else.
“Do you like that?” Rob asks.
“I think she likes it.”
I do like it. I keep twisting until my
nipples are hard as little pebbles. I lick
my lips and try to keep my breathing
under control. There’s something about
having them watch me stand here that’s
turning me on beyond belief.
“Come over here,” Rob instructs,
drawing me out of my zone for a second.
I take the four steps across the room
until I’m standing right in front of them.
Neither of them touches me.
“See, Rob and I were talking this
weekend after you left,” Liam says. His
eyes are dark. “And we thought, what’s
the good of fucking our secretary if we
can’t fuck her at the office?”
I giggle, but it’s a nervous, breathy
giggle. They’re so dark right now, so
damn alpha. It reminds me of the first
night I fucked Rob, in the bathroom at
Clinton’s. Joking around with these guys
is great, but there’s nothing like getting
fucked silly by a man who means
business.
Or two men, in this case.
“Get on your knees and take out my
cock,” Rob says. “Liam’s too. You’re
going to pleasure both of us. However
we want. You think you can handle two
men?”
“Yes, sir.” The words sound funny
on my lips, but I like it.
I unzip Rob first, unsheathing his
throbbing cock, which springs heavily
into my hands. I move my head forward,
run my lips around the head of his dick. I
see his eyes blaze as he leans against the
desk.
“Liam too,” he manages.
“Of course.”
I reach over to Liam, unzipping him
too and letting his swollen shaft fall into
my hand. I run my lips over him too,
flicking at the head with my tongue and
causing him to gasp.
 I take one in each hand and start
jerking them off, slowly, enjoying the
thickness of them, the way they’re both
so suddenly helpless, made into putty by
my small hands. My pussy aches with
need but I’m in no hurry. They’re in
charge here and I have to admit, I like it.
“Use your mouth,” Rob instructs, and
I lean in, pressing my lips to his
engorged head. I lick away the drop of
liquid that’s pooled at the head, enjoying
the salty burn in my mouth. Then I take
him completely in my mouth, all the way
to the back of my throat. He grunts in
appreciation, his head thrown back. I
could spend all day worshipping his
cock, but after just a couple of minutes,
he shifts me over towards Liam, who’s
been watching us intently.
“Your turn,” I tell him, smiling
around his cock as I take him completely
into my mouth. He groans at the soft
wetness of my mouth. He’s thicker than
Rob, and my lips stretch around his
meat.
“Oh God. Oh, Addie.”
My name on his lips is heaven. His
cock in my mouth is heaven.
I twist and swirl my tongue, making
sure he gets a real treat. He braces
himself against the desk, head back, the
muscles in his massive legs stiff.
“Mmmm,” I moan against his hot
flesh.
“Come here, you naughty girl.” Rob
grabs me by the arm and pulls me to my
feet. He and Liam step away from the
desk. Rob shoves his laptop onto the
chair and then pushes me down over the
smooth clean surface of the desk.
He comes to stand by my head while
Liam positions himself between my legs.
My nerves are on fire, my whole body
existing in breathless anticipation of
whatever they’re about to do next.
Liam spreads my knees and then
lowers himself to my pussy. He’s
grinning, ravenous, like a man about to
tuck into a seven-course meal. He starts
with my thighs, nibbling his way up the
soft pale skin until he reaches the heat
between my legs. He points his tongue
and flicks my clit. It feels incredible.
Wet and hot and hard. I reach down and
run my hands through his hair as he
works his tongue through my cleft,
sweeping down the length of me and then
back up to tease my clit again.
Rob is standing at the top of the desk
and he turns my head so that I’m facing
him. He’s gripping his cock in front of
me, stroking it slowly.
“Suck my cock, Adelaide,” he
instructs. “Show me what that big mouth
of yours is capable of.”
With pleasure, I want to say, but he’s
already there, butting the head of his
dick up against my lips. I open my mouth
and take him in, sucking like the
obedient secretary I know he wants me
to be right now.
I have to admit, it’s fucking hot.
Lying on his desk, spread open as Liam
tongues my pussy and Rob fucks my
face. Letting them use me.
Liam slips two fingers inside me,
and my entire body arches and bucks.
Rob chuckles lustily.
“I think she’s ready for more, don’t
you?”
“Judging by how wet she is, I’d say
she’s ready to get fucked.”
“Hmmm, let me see.”
Rob leans forward and grabs Liam
by the shirt, lifting him up from between
my legs. He pulls him into a deep kiss
above me. I know he’s tasting me on
Liam’s mouth, and as I lie there and
watch their tongues crash together, I
can’t help my hand from slipping down
between my legs. It’s fucking hot. They
exude a raw male passion that burns
through the entire room.
Rob finally pulls away.
“Yes, I’d say she’s ready.” He grins
and unbuttons his shirt as Liam does the
same, then goes around to sit in his
leather desk chair. He grips his cock in
his hand, stroking it slowly.
“Come here.”
I slide off the desk. My legs are
already jelly, my inner thighs damp and
warm.
“Sit on my cock. Turn.”
Rob turns me so that I’m facing away
from him, and then pulls me down onto
his lap. I sink down onto his cock and he
slides in easily. He fills me, stretches
me. I am hyper aware of his huge cock
inside me as I start to slowly move up
and down. I take my time so that I can
feel every exquisite inch.
Liam comes to kneel in front of us.
He spreads my legs so that they’re on the
outside of Rob’s, and I hook my ankles
behind Rob’s for balance. Liam leans
forward, using his tongue to caress my
clit.
As I move, I realize he isn’t just
licking my clit, but also Rob’s cock.
When I move down, his tongue is on me,
but as I move up, he strokes Rob. Rob
groans, his forehead pressed against my
back.
Liam takes his own cock into his
hands and jerks it as he works us with
his tongue. It’s beyond exquisite, having
Rob inside me while Liam’s hot wet
tongue is on me. Rob holds my arms
behind me, leaving me at their mercy,
and I abandon myself to the pleasure of
these two men.
And they are relentless. Rob keeps
moving his hips up into me, filling me,
while Liam presses his tongue against
my clit long past the point where it feels
light and pleasant. I’m so sensitive now
that every flick is a jolt, every thrust of
Rob’s cock an ache.
Good ache, though. Such good ache.
My body tries to twist away but my legs
are locked behind Rob’s, my arms
pinned behind my back. Instead, I take it.
Again and again. Until…
 Liam sucks my clit into his mouth
and my body explodes. My limbs stiffen,
torso contorting, neck arching, all parts
of me reaching for him like a tree to
sunlight. I shake, almost violently, as
Rob holds me steady. Liam keeps
sucking, prolonging the orgasm, sending
me off on arc after shining arc. My pussy
clenches, clamping down like a vise on
Rob’s cock, and then his thighs are
stiffening under mine and he’s arching
his hips and he’s releasing himself
inside me.
“Fuck,” we both say in unison, when
finally we can catch our breath again.
Liam chuckles, and I look down to
see him gripping his still swollen prick.
I lean back against Rob.
 “I don’t think my work here is quite
done yet.”
“Hmmm, I think you’re right about
that.”
And then, despite my jelly legs, I’m
climbing off Rob’s lap, pulling him up
behind me. We push Liam down into the
seat instead and then Rob and I are
between his legs, working voodoo magic
with our tongues against his cock until
he’s just as far gone as both of us.
We spend the entire morning in
Rob’s office. Not a single file gets filed,
not one email gets emailed — but all in
all, still a most productive morning.

I GET to the cafe just a little after noon.

It’s packed with hipsters and pretentious
artist types. No one moves as I try to
make my way through, and I’m forced to
elbow my way past them to get the table.
My legs are still shaky from this
morning.
“Addie!” he stands up, brushing his
hair back from his face in way that I
used to find incredibly charming but now
find incredibly affected.
“Hi Willow. Do you have the
forms?”
I didn’t want to be here. In fact, I
wanted to be just about anywhere else in
the world right now.
Actually, I really wanted to be one
place in particular — smack dab
between Liam and Rob. Where I
belonged.
“I thought we could have a coffee,
catch up a bit.” Willow sits and pulls the
chair across from him out at the same
time, gesturing for me to sit.
“I’m on my lunch break. I don’t have
a lot of time.”
“Well, have your lunch here. They
make great sandwiches. They even do
those croissandwiches you love.”
I stand there staring at him. “The
papers, Willow?”
He grins, wide teeth gleaming. “Not
until you sit.”
I sit down grudgingly. I do love a
good croissandwich, even if it has to be
in the company of my ex-fiancé.
Willow had messaged me over the
weekend because he needed my
signature on a form. Back when we
thought we were getting married —
foolish, foolish girl — we had taken out
a line of credit to help pay for the
wedding. Now, with no wedding, the
line was just languishing out there.
Willow wanted to use it for something
— I had no intention of asking for what
— and he wanted me to sign it over to
him completely, so that my name
wouldn’t be on it.
Which, I actually had to admit, was
pretty nice of him. Since he could have
just gone ahead and used it anyway.
“So how are things?” he asks,
leaning forward with his chin in his
palms.
 “Things are good. My new job is
good.”
“That’s great. What kinds of stuff are
you doing there?”
Let’s see — oral, vaginal, anal…
“Oh, just a bit of this, a bit of that.” I
can’t keep the smug smile off my lips. I
feel like it’s a smirk even Rob would be
proud of.
“Great, great. Well, it must be really
agreeing with you. You look great.”
I look well and thoroughly fucked,
Willow. But you wouldn’t recognize
that.
I keep that snippy thought to myself,
of course.
“So…” Willow looks down at his
nails. “Are you seeing anyone?”
 “Sort of.” I admit. “Yes.” It feels
weird to say that.
He looks up, his brow furrowed.
“Really? Is it serious?”
Jesus, Willow, don’t sound so
incredulous.
“Well, we’re still figuring that out,
but yeah, I think so.”
I want so badly to tell him what I’m
up to — banging two smoldering hot
men, men who make me feel like a well-
fucked sex kitten. Men who leave me
panting. Two men who can fill me up
and still leave me crying for more.
Oh, the amount of money I’d pay just
to see his face when he heard that.
“How’s Janine?” I ask instead. Good
Adelaide. Finally reining in that big
mouth. Maybe I’m getting somewhere in
life after all.
Willow’s face crumples. “She left
me.” His words come out in a whimper.
Shit.
“I’m sorry, Willow. That’s terrible.”
And to my surprise, I actually feel bad
for the guy. I did love him once, and just
because he broke my heart, doesn’t mean
I want him to suffer the same fate.
I reach out and pat his hand. He just
looks so miserable, tears spilling from
his rheumy eyes, that I have to do
something to comfort him.
But he surprises me by turning his
hand so that he’s clutching mine.
“Addie, I made a mistake.” He stares
deep into my eyes, so deep that I have to
look away.
“What are you talking about?”
“I made a horrible mistake leaving
you. Janine was just — something shiny.
You’re my rock, Addie. You always
have been.”
“Willow, don’t be crazy.”
“No, I’m completely serious. I want
to try again. I know I hurt you and I
swear I’ll spend my whole life trying to
make up for that. What do you say — can
I have another shot?”
A thousand thoughts and images rush
through my mind.
I picture the first time I met Willow,
in the coffee shop on our college
campus.
I picture our first date, holding hands
over the shared armrest when we went
to see a replaying of The Princess Bride
at the cinema together.
I picture Willow on one knee at a
diner outside Ithaca, proposing to me on
a roadtrip to his parents’ cabin.
I look at Willow and see the
desperation in his eyes. He really means
this. I could do this. I could take him
back and we could go back to wedding
planning and I could have a completely
normal life. Not quite as picture-perfect
as Sarah’s perhaps, but a good, normal
life.
That’s the smart decision here, isn’t
it?
Then I picture lying in bed, staring at
Willow’s back after he’d rolled away
from me for the tenth night in a row.
I picture the way he’d roll his eyes
when I came home tipsy and giggling
after a night out with Daph.
I picture him telling me he’d fallen in
love with someone else, that I bored
him, that he was unfulfilled and
unsatisfied.
And of course, I picture Rob and
Liam. Fucking me six ways sideways.
Making me laugh with their dorky banter.
Making me squirm with their criminally
skilled mouths, their huge luscious
cocks.
Rob and Liam might be a bad
decision — a very bad decision — but
so is going back to Willow.
“I’m sorry, Willow,” I say, extracting
my hand from his. “I think that ship has
sailed.”
“Please don’t say that, Addie.”
“You know, once upon a time I
thought marrying you was the greatest
thing that could ever happen to me.”
“It still could be.” His face lifts,
expression hopeful.
But I shake my head. “No. It never
was, that’s my point. I was just doing
what I thought I was supposed to do after
college — settle down and get married.
Probably start popping out babies soon
after. Keep my big mouth in check and
be grateful for anyone willing to
overlook my big ass.”
I take a deep breath. “Maybe
walking away from you now is a bad
decision,” I admit. “But it’s finally one I
feel right about making. I’m sorry,
Willow.”
Willow’s face hardens. “Fine. I
could have given you a good life, but if
you want to just keep on being a fuck-up,
go right ahead. I heard you got fired from
Cavanaugh’s by the way. How’s that
temp job working out?”
The ice in his voice shocks me, and I
shake my head, a whoosh of adrenalin
rushing through me along with the
realization that I just dodged a major
bullet.
“It’s great, actually.” I refuse to let
him get to me. “I’m very … valued
there.” I can’t help the small smirk that
crosses my face. Willow pouts silently.
 I push my seat back from the table.
“I’d like to sign those papers and go.”
Willow looks around the cafe
sheepishly. I sigh.
“There aren’t any papers, are there?
This was never about the line of credit.”
He doesn’t answer me, but I know
I’m right. I give my head a small shake.
“Bye, Willow.”
He doesn’t say anything as I walk out
the door.
I head back to the office, grateful to
be out of the cramped cafe and out into
the cool breeze. It’s really fall now, and
the air is officially more cold than crisp.
I wrap my scarf tighter around me as I
head back to the office.
The truth is, I still have no idea if
Liam and Rob are anything but a bad
decision. A terrible decision, even.
Surely sex this good can’t lead anywhere
else.
But maybe, at least for today, I don’t
have to care about that.
 CHAPTER 24

ROB

“Y ou’re joking,” Liam says. He

stares at me with unblinking
eyes.
I shake my head.
“I can’t believe she got to you.”
Liam chuckles.
“She’s very persistent, your sister.
But I only agreed to have lunch with her
as a friend, obviously. I made that
clear.”
“It’s probably for the best, actually,”
he says. “Let her down gently, will you?
I haven’t seen Claudia with a crush this
bad since season five of The Bachelor.”
It’s my turn to chuckle. “I promise I
will. What can I say, ladies fall hard for
the Avondale charm.”
“Oh, it’s definitely the six-pack, not
the charm,” Addie interrupts, coming in
to Liam’s office to drop off a stack of
papers. She swats at me with a file
folder. “What’s this I hear about you
having lunch with some broad? Do I
have to fight her?”
I laugh — I know she’s joking. One
of the things I love about Adelaide is
that she isn’t jealous. You’d think that in
a relationship of three people, there
would be some jealousy issues, but so
far everything’s been going smoothly.
Better than I could have ever hoped for,
actually.
I can’t help the dark cloud that
swirls around me as soon as I think that.
After so many years, you train yourself
to think people are going to bail just
when you think things are good.
That’s why I’m the one usually doing
the bailing.
I force myself to breathe and then
lean over to nibble Addie’s neck. “Trust
me, you gorgeous creature. You have
nothing to worry about.”
She giggles and then sashays her way
back out of Liam’s office.
“Do me a favor,” Liam says, rolling
his eyes and chuckling. “Can you tell
Claudia that if she isn’t going to go visit
Mom she should at least call her? I’m
about ready to throttle that girl.”
I grin. “I’ll tell her. Can’t guarantee
she’ll listen, but I’ll tell her.”
“Well, she’s more likely to listen to
you than me.”
I smile, but I know he’s right — and
that makes me nervous as hell. This
whole lunch has had me on edge all
week. I knew it was a bad idea when I
first agreed to it. Claudia had feelings
for me — she’d more than made that
much clear. But she insisted on having
lunch — “just as friends!”, her words —
and she’d been so damn persistent. I
eventually ran out of reasons to say no.
And she was Liam’s sister, after all. I
wasn’t about to cut her out of my life
completely just because she had a little
crush.
I’d gone back and forth about
whether or how much to tell her about
Addie. The three of us hadn’t really told
anyone about our relationship yet, but it
was clear that it was getting serious and
it was only a matter of time before it
started to come out anyway.
Maybe today’s lunch would be a
good opportunity to start telling people.
Breaking it to Claudia was going to
suck, but maybe after that, telling anyone
else would seem easy in comparison.
I look down at my watch. Almost
noon. Time to face the music.
I hop in a cab and give the driver the
name of the restaurant Claudia chose.
It’s only a few blocks away but as the
cab pulls over to let me out, I groan. The
restaurant is called Wish and it’s one of
those chi-chi places that I absolutely
fucking hate, where everything is white
and the tables are too small and it’s
filled with women punch drunk off a
single Bellini. Christ, Claudia.
I pay the driver and go inside.
Claudia’s already there and she stands
when she sees me, smoothing down the
light pink dress she’s wearing. Her
blonde hair is tied up in some kind of
fancy doohickey. She looks nice, but in
my mind, I can’t help but compare her to
Addie, with her wild dark hair, her sexy
curves.
Claudia offers me her cheek so I
peck it lightly. I’ve hugged and kissed
her a thousand times over the years —
like I said, we practically grew up
together — but now I feel like I have to
watch every movement, every gesture, to
make sure I’m not doing anything to give
her the wrong idea.
We sit down and I see that Claudia
already has a half-drunk glass of white
wine on the table beside her. A server is
standing next to me almost as soon as
I’m sitting, laying a violet napkin down
beside me and asking if I want a drink.
“Just water.”
Claudia pouts. “Come on, Rob. Live
a little.”
“Fine,” I grumble. I order a beer.
The server looks at me like I have three
heads.
“We don’t serve beer here. It has
gluten in it.”
“Of course you don’t. I’ll take a
vodka on the rocks.”
She whisks away, leaving me and
Claudia alone together again.
“I’m so glad we could finally do
this.” She smiles, taking a sip of her
wine. There are pink lipstick marks on
her glass.
 “For sure. Always nice to catch up
with a friend over lunch.” I emphasize
the word ‘friend’ but if Claudia notices,
she doesn’t show it. “Congratulations on
the gala, by the way. It seemed like a
good turn-out.”
And with that, she’s off, on a twenty-
minute monologue about the hotel’s
event management staff and the myriad
ways they managed to let her down. Our
server comes and goes twice in that
time, once dropping off my drink and a
second time to somehow take our orders.
Claudia stops talking long enough to
breathe out the words chicken, arugula
and salad before continuing on.
I let her talk. It’s easy, actually, to
just sit and listen. A few sips into my
vodka and I actually start to relax.
Maybe I can get through this lunch after
all.
Our food arrives and Claudia finally
pauses for a breath. “Listen to me
prattling on!” She lays her napkin in her
lap. “Tell me what’s new with you.”
I shrug, tucking into my club
sandwich. (A miracle they allow
something as base as bacon in this place.
Gluten-free bread, of course, though.)
“Same old, really. Business is good.
Liam’s working on a deal that I think
could really open up a lot of doors for us
in a new market, so that’s taking up a lot
of our time.”
“That’s great. He’s so smart, isn’t
he?”
 “He is. Couldn’t ask for a better
business partner.” And bed partner, but
I’m not sure Claudia’s ready to hear that
about her brother just yet.
Claudia uses her napkin to dab at a
piece of chicken, until no dressing
remains on it. Then she spears it with
her fork and nibbles at it tentatively, as if
she’s afraid it might bite back.
“Oh, and please tell me you’re not
still seeing that tart you showed up to the
gala with.” Claudia laughs but it’s a
calculating laugh, the kind meant to cut
someone down.
I freeze, icy rage flooding through
my veins. “As a matter of fact, I am. Her
name is Adelaide, by the way.”
“Oh, Rob.” Claudia puts down her
fork and leans forward. “Oh, Rob.
Honestly?”
“Why don’t you say what you want
to say, Claudia?”
She leans back in her chair and
purses her lips together. “I think you can
do better, that’s all.”
I snort. “Like you, you mean?”
She flushes. “Well, as a matter of
fact, yes, I do think I’d be a better fit for
you. But so would half the women in this
city.”
“And why’s that? Because she’s not
a size zero? Because she can eat a piece
of chicken without fucking sanitizing it?
Because she has some damn
personality?”
Claudia’s face goes mean. She leans
forward. “No. Because I saw her kissing
someone else,” she hisses. “And I’m
sorry, but I don’t think you need to be
with someone who would disrespect you
that way.”
I sit absolutely still in my seat,
absorbing her words. The restaurant
seems to fade away around me. Addie
was kissing someone else? My fists
clench and I tuck them under the table,
onto my lap, so that Claudia won’t see
how her words get to me.
“What did you say?” I force myself
to articulate the words clearly.
Her face softens. “I’m sorry, Rob. I
didn’t want you to have to find out like
this. But it’s better to know, right? It’s
just that I think you’re such a good guy
and I wouldn’t —“
“Tell me what you saw,” I say,
cutting her off. “Exactly, Claudia. Tell
me exactly what you saw.”
She swallows. “Just what I said. She
was kissing another guy.”
“Recently?”
“Yes. I don’t remember exactly, but I
only met her at the gala. I wouldn’t have
known who she was before then.”
The gala. Realization dawns on me
and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Was it
Liam you saw her with?” Of course,
Addie could have kissed Liam at the
gala. Since Claudia thought she was my
date, she would have found that
suspicious.
Her mouth twitches at my question.
“No, it wasn’t Liam,” she says tersely.
“Are you sure?”
She rolls her eyes. “I think I would
know my own brother.”
I resist the urge to reach over there
and shake her. “But it was at the gala?”
She hesitates, her mouth twisting
again. Then she finally shakes her head.
“Not at the gala, no.”
“Where then?”
“A restaurant. I can’t remember
which one. I went in for lunch, and there
she was, kissing some guy.”
The ice water is in my veins again.
That plummeting feeling in my stomach.
Is it really possible? Could Addie have
actually betrayed me? Us? She didn’t
seem the type, but she also admitted that
she doesn’t make the best decisions
when it comes to men.
I stand up, throwing the lavender
napkin down on top of my half-eaten
sandwich.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to go.”
“Rob, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt
you. Why don’t you stay, have another
drink …”
“Claudia, I think of you as a sister.
Which is why I feel comfortable saying
this to you right now: fuck off.”
Her face drops, and I feel a fraction
of a degree bad for her, but mostly I just
want to get out of there. I need to get out
of there. I need to get back to the office,
find Addie, and make her explain
herself. There has to be an explanation
for this, right?
Unless it’s just stupid Rob Avondale,
trusting his heart with someone and
getting fucked over in the process.
Again.
I storm out of the restaurant, not
caring that every Bellini-sipping woman
in the place is watching me go.
I don’t bother with a cab. My
adrenalin carries me the short blocks
back to our office building. I had hoped
that walking would burn off some of this
angry energy, but instead it just gives me
even more time to dwell, and by the time
I make it to the twenty-eighth floor, I’m
ready to tear someone a new one.
I storm down to our offices like a
bull on parade.
I walk past Adelaide without looking
at her.
“Come in to my office.”
She hops up from behind her desk
and follows me into the office. I slam the
door behind us.
“Were you kissing someone?”
Her forehead wrinkles. “What? No.
Who would I be kissing?”
“Well, that’s what I was wondering.
Because imagine my surprise when I
heard that you were seen kissing
someone.”
“Rob.” Her face is worried now, as
she realizes how deadly fucking serious
I am. “I haven’t kissed anyone but you or
Liam since we met.”
 “Really? So you weren’t out having
lunch with someone a few days ago.”
The color drains from her face, and I
feel my world bottom out from under me.
So it’s true.
I can’t believe Claudia was right.
“Who was he, Adelaide?”
“My ex,” she whispers. “But nothing
happened.”
“Nothing happened, eh? That’s not
what I heard.”
“I swear, Rob. He said he wanted
me to sign some banking papers so I
went, but then he wanted to get back
together with him and it was all so
confusing…”
She trails off when she sees my
expression.
 “Confusing, was it? So, what, you
had to kiss him to figure it out? Did you
have to fuck him too?”
Tears are falling down her cheeks
now but I can’t be bothered to feel pity
for her. Those are the kind of emotions
that get you into this place to begin with.
I should have run. I should have run,
that night at Clinton’s, the second she
pulled those fucking Chipotle napkins
out of her purse and started dabbing at
my shirt. I knew this would end badly,
and now here it is — ending.
Badly.
“You’re fired, Adelaide. I don’t
want to ever see you again.”
My voice is cold — ice cold. I see it
as it slashes her, as solidly as if it were
a blade. There are tears streaming down
her face, but mostly she looks shocked.
“Where is this coming from? I didn’t
fuck anyone. I didn’t kiss anyone. I
didn’t even think about doing any of
those things. Why in the world would
you think that?”
“I know people all over this city,
Adelaide. You step out on me, I’m going
to find out. That’s just how it is. Don’t
act all innocent now that you got caught.”
She puts her hands on her hips,
indignant now. “You’re being an idiot.
Maybe Liam can talk some sense into
you.”
I turn angrily away from her. My
frustration bubbles over and I lash out,
sweeping everything that’s on my desk
on to the floor.
“What part of ‘get out’ do you not
understand?” I hiss. “If I have to call
security, you’re only going to make it
harder on yourself.”
She stands there, incredulous. I half
expect her to reach for me, try to kiss or
fuck the anger out of me. That’s what
they all do when I end things.
But instead she just stands there
looking defeated. Looking exhausted.
Looking like this was — is —
inevitable.
Then she turns and walks out of my
office.
Forever.
 CHAPTER 25

A D EL A ID E

T ears are trickling down my face.

It’s been two days now and they
haven’t stopped. I’ve had a few bouts,
here and there, of outright sobbing, but
mostly it’s just been a steady stream of
tears, like when you’re sick and your
eyes won’t stop watering.
“It’s for the best, right?” I ask
Daphne for the hundredth time. She came
over to my apartment as soon as I’d got
up the nerve to text her and tell her what
had happened. I felt stupid admitting that
this thing had ended already — worried
she was going to say I told you so or
lecture me about bad decisions.
Of course, I shouldn’t have worried.
Daphne’s been looking out for me since
first grade. Now we’re nestled into my
couch, with blankets and pillows and
three kinds of ice cream. Because that’s
what best friends do.
Daphne hands me another tissue and
nods. “It’s for the best. What kind of
future did you have in that relationship? I
mean, hot sex is all well and good, but
that’s not all you want out of life, is it?”
No, it’s not. But how do I explain to
Daph that it was more than just hot sex?
There was something real there. I was
sure of it.
Still. She’s right about one thing —
what kind of future can you have in a
relationship like that? I knew from the
beginning that this was just a classic
Adelaide bad decision. I just had no
idea it was going to hurt this fucking
much when it inevitably blew up in my
face.
“Maybe I should just call them.”
The words are out of my mouth
before I even realize what I’m saying.
Daphne gives me a look that would slay
a dragon.
“Don’t you dare.”
“Just to explain myself. I still don’t
know why Rob thought something
happened between Willow and I. It
makes no sense.”
Daphne is already shaking her head.
“No, Addie. Listen to me. It’s over, and
it sucks, but calling them is just going to
make it worse. It’s going to make you
look desperate — and worse, it’s going
to make you feel desperate.”
I know she’s right, but that doesn’t
stop my fingers from inching towards my
phone. Daphne slaps my hand away and
wags a finger at me. “Addie. Don’t make
me have to confiscate this.”
 “Fine!” I throw my hands up in mock
surrender. “I won’t call them.”
“Good. Now here’s an important
question.”
I raise an eyebrow.
Daphne grabs the remote for the
television. “Comedy? Tear jerker? Or
man-candy action flick?”
I laugh, for the first time in two days,
and we settle down for a Jason Statham
movie. I can’t follow the plot, but with
abs like that, who needs a plot?

WHEN DAPHNE LEAVES THAT NIGHT, it’s

almost two in the morning. I call her a
cab and as she stands at the window
watching the street below to wait for it
to arrive, she gives me a stern look.
“You’re not going to call, right?”
I hesitate.
“Addie, promise me.”
“Fine, I promise.” In that moment, I
mean it. I really do. But as soon as
Daphne leaves the apartment, wrapping
me in a quick but fierce hug, the
loneliness sets in and I can’t help but
pick up my phone and stare at it.
The only thing that stops me is the
fact that it’s two in the morning. I’m not
drunk enough to make the two a.m. call. I
tell myself I’ll wait and see how I feel in
the morning.
Sleep doesn’t come easily though. I
toss and turn until I fall into a fitful sleep
sometime around six. I wake up three
hours later. Tired, groggy, slightly
nauseated from lack of sleep. Tears still
leaking out of my eyes, as regular as
breathing.
I’m going to do it. I have to do it.
I wait until eleven, because that
seems like a good time to call, but then
when eleven rolls around I force myself
to wait for another five minutes so that it
doesn’t look like I decided to call right
at eleven, even though that’s in fact
exactly what I did.
I give my a head a shake, amazed at
the amount of thought I put into this.
These two men have seen me naked,
have been inside me, have held my hand.
Don’t I deserve some kind of
explanation?
 Still, my hands shake as I hit the
button to dial Liam’s personal cell
phone. I wait, breath held, eyes
streaming … and it goes to voicemail.
His voice, even in the canned
greeting, cuts me. I listen for as long as I
can and then hang up just before the
beep. I don’t want to leave a message,
but I can’t help but hope that he’ll see
my name in his missed calls and call
back anyway.
Of course, he doesn’t. I spend the
day on hyper alert, listening for my
phone to ring, but it never does. In the
meantime, I clean the apartment from top
to bottom, even scrubbing the
baseboards and the grout in the shower.
The place gleams, but Liam hasn’t
called, and by the evening, I feel
defeated.
I flop down onto the couch and stare
at my phone, willing it to ring. If you
have any untapped psychic power at all,
I tell myself, now is the time to show
yourself.
The phone rings. It startles me so
badly I drop it and then have to fish
frantically around on the floor, trying to
find it before it stops ringing. I scoop it
out from under the couch and press it to
my ear, not even bothering to look at the
display.
“Hello?” My voice is breathless.
There’s a beat of silence on the other
end of the phone. “What are you doing
over there?” Daphne says suspiciously.
 I collapse back against the couch,
depressed again. “Nothing. I was just
cleaning and I’ve worked up quite a
sweat.” I try to laugh.
Daphne is quiet again for another
beat. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because you’re a jaded hardened
old soul who doesn’t trust people?”
I can hear her crack a smile. “Not
quite, but nice try.” She pauses. “You
called, didn’t you?”
“Well. I didn’t leave a message.” I
know there’s no point in lying.
“Adelaide May Williams.” Daphne
busts out her kindergartner voice. “What
did we talk about yesterday?”
“I know, but I just have so many
questions.”
 She sighs. “I know, sweetie. But now
you’ve called — and I take it he hasn’t
called back?”
I shake my head, even though I
realize she can’t see me. “No.” My
voice is soft and I feel another bout of
real crying coming on if I don’t get off
the phone soon.
“You’ve got to let it go, darling.”
Her voice is kind, and it pushes me even
closer to tears. “I know it’s hard, but
give it some time and soon it won’t hurt
so much.”
“I have to go.” My words are barely
more than a whisper. Daphne promises
to call me in the morning, and I end the
call. I let the tears come, burying my
face in a faux fur pillow and imagining
it’s a cat named Coco. A cat would make
me feel better right now. Less alone, at
least.
But I still don’t even have a stupid
cat. In fact, everything I had feared about
getting involved with Liam and Rob has
come true — I got my heart broken, I’m
back to being unemployed, and I’m no
further ahead than I was that night at
Clinton’s.
I should have just got the damn cat
and been done with it.
Fuck it.
I pick up my phone and press the
number for Liam again. It rings and rings
and then — unsurprisingly — goes to
voicemail. This time I don’t hang up.
“Hi Liam,” I say, with forced
lightness. “It’s Addie. I was just hoping
we could talk about … what happened.
To be honest, I’m still not sure exactly
what happened so it would be great,
yeah, if we could talk about.” Oh God,
Addie. Stop talking. “Well, bye. I mean,
call me back. Bye.”
I hang up the phone and then bang it
against my forehead. Oh so smooth. I’m
sure he wouldn’t roll his eyes at all
when he listened to that message.
Still, I hold out a faint string of hope
that he’ll call back anyway.
But the rest of the evening passes
and then the next day comes and goes
and nothing.
Hope is gone. For a half a red hot
second, I even think about calling Rob,
but in the end I decide there’s no way I
want to risk another tirade from him.
That look on his face — boiling rage.
Like I had somehow committed the
ultimate betrayal.
In retrospect, I should have told them
about having lunch with Willow right
away. In fact, maybe if I had, the three of
us could have just laughed it off. I guess
by not telling them it made it seem more
suspicious than it was — and somehow
Rob had gotten the wrong idea about the
whole thing.
Still, he seemed completely
convinced that I had kissed Willow.
Which I most definitely had not. I rack
my brain, trying to think about who
would have even seen us together, but I
come up blank. The whole thing is
bizarre, and I can’t help but be a bit
angry with Rob for not letting me
explain. For not trusting me when I told
him nothing happened.
That night I sleep fitfully again, lying
awake for huge chunks of time and being
woken by crazy dreams in the brief
periods I do manage to sleep.
I’m deep in the middle of a dream
about being chased by wolves when I’m
woken abruptly by a ringing phone. I
shoot straight up in bed, snatching the
phone off the nightstand before my eyes
are even fully open.
It’s Liam. There’s his name, right on
the display. Light and hope shoot through
me. He called me back. This is good.
 “Hello?” I make my voice sound as
pleasant yet neutral as possible.
“Addie? It’s me, Liam.” His voice
sounds hoarse.
“Oh, hi, Liam. I’m so glad you called
back.”
“Addie,” he says again. Something
sounds wrong with the connection.
“Liam, is everything okay?”
He takes a deep shuddering breath.
“Addie, it’s my mother. She died.”
 CHAPTER 26

L IA M

E verything is dead.
I’m dead, my body’s dead, my
mind is dead, my heart is dead.
I go through the motions. I shower,
shave. Make a pot of coffee that I don’t
touch. Sit down on the sofa. Stand up
again.
My limbs are wooden, like a
marionette being controlled by the one
part of my brain that still seems to be
able to function today.
I walk to the bedroom. I stare into
the mirror. I tie my tie. My fingers still
work, it seems, and muscle memory
makes it surprisingly easy to knot it
neatly around my neck
The tie is black, of course. The shirt
I’m wearing is white, pants black.
There’s a jacket hanging in my closet,
still in the bag. Everything is new. I
couldn’t bring myself to wear any of my
work suits to my mother’s funeral.
My mother’s funeral.
 Even thinking the words brings a
lump to my throat.
This should never have happened.
This is a horrible mistake, a cosmic
cruelty that surely the universe will have
to rectify. No way can she really be
gone, just like that.
She was doing well. Cleared for
surgery, and scheduled for the day after
tomorrow. Then boom. Pulmonary
embolism. Blood clot in her lung.
Dead before the ambulance arrived.
The doctors said the original round
of chemo made her more susceptible to
them. They said there was nothing we
could have done differently. Nothing that
would have stopped it or prevented it.
So just like that, she was gone from
our lives.
I yank my tie off and tie it again,
neater, straighter, more perfect this time,
just to have something to do with my
hands.
I walk back out to the living room,
sit down on the sofa, stand up again. I
don’t know what to do with myself.
I’m startled, and then relieved, when
my phone rings. A task, even a small
one. Answer the phone.
I’m even more relieved when I
realize it’s the front desk reception of my
building.
“Mr. Bradley, Mr. Avondale is here
to see you.”
“Send him up.”
Rob has been here a million times
but they insist on proper security
procedures in this building, and at the
moment I like the rigidity of it.
I wait the few minutes and can
almost count down to the exact second
when Rob will —
Knock. I go to the door and there he
is. His face is as broken as mine. We are
both dead. All dead.
He steps into the apartment and
immediately into my arms. It feels good
to hold him, to be held by him. I kick the
door closed behind him and then let
myself sink into the embrace. Rob’s
shoulders shake and I let my own tears
come too. It feels good to not have to be
strong for a minute. Later there will be
Dad and Claudia to look after, Mom’s
sisters to comfort, a hundred strangers to
shake hands with, to accept condolences
from.
For now there’s just Rob and me and
we don’t have to be anything special.
Just us.
Rob shifts in my arms. His hand
twines behind my neck and then his jaw
is against mine and then his lips are
pressing against the corner of my mouth.
I don’t hesitate. I feel suddenly,
ferociously, hungry for him. I clamp my
mouth down on his, letting my tongue
snake between his lips as my hand grips
the back of his neck. With my free hand,
I’m already pushing off his suit jacket,
moving for the buttons on his crisp white
shirt.
 His mouth on mine is like fire, and I
savor the distracting intensity of it. He
moves his hands to my shirt, clawing at
my buttons, and then we are pulling
everything off, a pile of funeral attire
heaped on the floor beside us.
I let my hands run the length of his
bare chest. His muscles are hard and
lean. His skin is smoother than mine, but
rougher than Addie’s.
Addie. Her name is another painful
jolt to the heart. I wish she was here
with us right now. Being with her would
make this better, easier. But there is only
me and Rob right now, two buoys on a
bay in the storm.
My dick is already hard when Rob
drops to his knees in front of me. He
takes me in his mouth in one swallow,
all the way to the back of his throat. I
lean against the wall and groan. My
balls tighten almost immediately. His
mouth on my cock is heaven. He sucks
frantically, ferociously, as if I might give
him life of some kind.
I grip the back of his head. There’s
nothing gentle about my touch, or about
the way he tries to devour me. We both
need this right now. I plow my hips
forward, forcing him to take me again
and again.
When my balls start to lift and churn,
I slide out of his hot wet mouth.
“Get up,” I growl. “Turn around.”
Rob gets to his feet. We haven’t
made it out of the front entrance so I
bend him roughly over the console table.
A vase of condolence flowers — white
roses — goes crashing to the floor,
spreading water and broken glass and
bruised petals around our feet. I kick
what I can aside, too hungry to care
whether I get cuts on my feet.
My dick is still slick from Rob’s
mouth but first I slide my middle finger
into my mouth and then press it against
his tight asshole. I push it in. I love the
way he takes me.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
“Fuck, yeah.”
I brace my hand against his shoulder
for leverage. I move my other hand away
and replace my finger with my cock,
which immediately strains against his
asshole. I push forward slowly,
carefully, until he opens up to me. He’s
tight but I can feel his body drawing me
in, like it wants me there. Like I belong
there.
“Fuck.” I grunt as I slam into him.
Rob whimpers beneath me. He leans his
weight against the console table which
bangs the wall every time I thrust into
him. Sweat is already pricking my skin,
and my abs slide against his back as I
lean over him.
I reach around and grab his cock in
my fist. It’s hard and heavy in my hand,
and it feels as explosive as a live
grenade. I start to beat him off and he
whimpers again, shimmying his ass
backwards. I bury myself in him over
and over again until my balls hitch and
churn and I empty myself into him, filling
his tight cavity with my spent excitement.
I jerk his cock faster, harder, wanting
to give him a taste of that same sweet
relief. He stays bent over the table, ass
still in the air, my dick softening inside
of him. Finally I feel his body tighten.
His muscles clench. And then he’s
shooting out all over the tile floor, his
seed mixing with the broken glass at our
feet.
We stay there for a second,
breathing. I can feel his heartbeat
through his back. Neither of us says a
word. Eventually I take my clothes into
the master ensuite to get dressed again,
leaving Rob to clean up in the guest bath.
 I look in the mirror as I tie my tie for
the third time that day. Being with Rob
had felt good — and been a welcome
distraction — but it wasn’t the same
without Addie. She had been an integral
part of us, a bit of softness to our steel.
Without her it felt different — like less,
somehow.
I shake my head. I still didn’t
entirely understand what had happened
there. She had been such a good fit for
us, or so I thought — until Rob found out
she’d been fooling around with her ex. It
was still so inconceivable to me, that
she would do that to us, but Rob said he
had it on good authority. He had been
serious about not wanting to see her
again, and he was too important to me
for me to disregard his wishes. I’d
ignored her calls since then, had talked
to Erica about getting the temp agency to
send someone new to fill her role in the
office.
Rob didn’t know I’d called to tell
her about Mom, but … I just couldn’t
not.
I only pray he’ll keep it together
when he sees her at the funeral later.

THE CHURCH IS PACKED. Even though we

get there early we can barely find a
parking spot. Dad and Claudia are
already there, their arms linked around
each other, grief written across their
faces. Rob and I go to them immediately,
the four of us silently embracing. What
words are there for this?
When we pull apart, Claudia wipes
a tear from her eye. I knew she was
feeling guilty about how little time she
had spent with Mom in recent months —
though at least she had been out to the
house to see her a couple of times before
the end came. I couldn’t imagine the guilt
she’d feel if she hadn’t.
I sling my arm around her shoulder
and pull her to me. Her body feels slight
under my arm. She sniffs and smiles up
at me, curling herself against me,
shrinking to almost nothing.
We mingle in the receiving area
while the church continues to fill up with
guests. Person after person comes up to
us, offering condolences and telling us
about how Mom touched them. It’s
wonderful to see the impact she had on
people, and I marvel at the full and
complete life she had outside of our
family. Rob tries to sneak away a few
times, but every time I grab his arm, hold
him with us. I want him here. He’s
family.
I spot her before Rob does. Adelaide
swings the heavy church doors open and
steps inside, sunlight streaming in behind
her, a vision in a demure black lace
dress. We lock eyes across the room and
something in my heart hitches. She’s so
damn beautiful, and we had something so
fucking rare and precious. How the hell
could she have gone and thrown it away
like that? Just seeing her makes me want
to throw her down and fuck out all my
rage and grief.
I squeeze Rob’s arm, wanting to
brace him for what’s about to come. He
looks up at me questioningly and then
follows my gaze to the front door.
He and Addie lock eyes. Rob
stiffens beside me, his whole body rigid.
He watches her while she makes her
way cautiously towards us. He turns to
me, his eyes narrowing.
“Did you know she was coming?” he
hisses angrily.
I look away. “Yes. I called her.”
“And you didn’t think to warn me?”
“Why? So you could decide not to
come?” I say sarcastically. “This isn’t an
awkward dinner party, Rob. This is my
mother’s funeral.” I emphasize the word
‘my’, even though I know it will hurt
him. “I want you both here.”
As Addie approaches, I can almost
feel the rage rising off Rob, like fog on
the bay.
“Liam,” she says. Her voice is soft.
“I’m so sorry about your mother. What a
tragic loss for your whole family.” She
wraps her arms around me and I let
myself melt against her for a moment.
The soft press of her body is so familiar,
so welcome. I feel like I could get lost in
it forever.
She moves on to Rob, and I can feel
her weaken under his withering gaze.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Rob. I know
how much she meant to you.” To his
credit, he lets her hug him, but it’s brief,
stiff and awkward.
She makes her way to Claudia, and
then to Dad, expressing her sympathy
and offering both of them hugs. I’ll hand
it to her — she’s a class act. When she’s
made it through everyone, she makes a
quick and discreet exit into the church to
find a seat.
We head in not long after. Everyone
is seated by then, and we made our way
down the long center aisle solemnly, like
a ghostly wedding party. The front pew
is empty, reserved for us, and we slide
in one after another.
THE FUNERAL ITSELF IS A BLUR. There’s
some music, which Mom would have
liked, and a slideshow of photographs
that has everyone in tears. I get up and
say a few words that barely begin to
encompass the gaping hole that now
exists in my world, in everyone’s world.
A priest says some things that are
supposed to make us feel better. Nothing
makes us feel better.
We file out of the church when it’s
over. Mom wanted to be cremated, so
there’s no graveside service. They’ll just
toast her up and we’ll come pick up
what’s left in a few days. It seems cruel
that it could be that simple.
Dad is hosting people over at the
house after the service, so we all pile in
the car and head over. I’ve hired
caterers who have been there all
morning, under the rigorous supervision
of a couple of the church ladies who had
volunteered to help out.
Once again, by the time we get to
Dad’s, parking is hard to come by. Rob
and I end up parking a block away and
walking back to the house. It’s packed
inside, everyone already nibbling
canapés and drinking wine. Rob and I
make our way, slowly, slowly, to the
kitchen. There’s no one in there but the
catering staff, so we sneak in and I dig
up Dad’s secret stash of scotch.
“Jack always had excellent taste,”
Rob says, as I pour him a glass of
Glenfidditch.
 “Where do you think I got it from?”
We clink our glasses and drink
together in a moment of silence, as the
caterers load plates of breaded shrimp
on either side of us.
Once we finish our glasses, I pour us
a second round, and we’re finally ready
to go back out into the main part of the
house and face the hordes of guests that
will no doubt want to tell us just how
sorry they are for our loss. I’m not
ungrateful for their sympathy — but their
words don’t mean anything to me right
now.
Still, I plaster a polite smile on my
face as I help myself to a spring roll off
a passed tray. We are chatting with the
elderly couple from up the road when I
glance up.
I see her instantly. Her thick glossy
black hair is unmissable, even in a
crowded a room. She leans in,
engrossed in a conversation with my
Uncle Graham.
Rob sees me staring and follows my
gaze. He bristles beside me.
“She’s here too?”
I shrug. “I didn’t know she was
coming but … it was an open
invitation.”
I make my way across the crowded
room, not stopping to talk to anyone and
not caring so much about being polite
this time.
“Liam,” she says when she sees me.
“We didn’t expect to see you here.”
 She shrugs helplessly. “I was sitting
with your Uncle Graham and Aunt
Cheryl. They insisted. I can go, though.”
“No.” I didn’t expect her to be here
but now I’m not sure I can stand the
thought of her walking out the door. “It’s
fine.”
Rob growls beside me, but I elbow
him in the ribs. Thankfully he knows
better than to cause a scene here.
“You look … really nice,” I tell her.
She looks down demurely. “Thank
you.” Her voice is soft, shy. A far cry
from the feisty attitude when she first
started working for us.
Attrition, I suppose. Guilt over what
she had done.
We stand there awkwardly for a
moment.
“Do you have a washroom I could
use?” Addie asks, breaking the silence.
“Of course!” I sound too eager, but
I’m just happy for the distraction.
I walk her to the guest bathroom on
the main floor, but of course it’s
occupied and there’s a line up six people
long.
“Come on,” I whisper. “I’ll show
you to the secret washroom. Upstairs.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” She waves her
hand. “I don’t mind waiting.”
“No, come on, it’s fine.” It’s fine, it’s
fine, everything’s fine.
She shrugs and then follows me
towards the stairs. Rob trails behind us.
When I raise my eyebrow at him, he
shrugs.
“You’re not leaving me down there
alone. Too many cheek pinchers. I’m
going to go stand out on the balcony for a
bit and get some air.”
The three of us traipse up the back
stairway, and then I point Addie to the
washroom. It’s the same one Rob,
Claudia and I used to share as teenagers,
though now it goes relatively unused.
None of the blow dryers and endless
tubes of lip balm and hair gel from our
wild youth. I still remember how much
fun Rob and I used to have, how serious
we used to be, getting ready for a night
out, styling ourselves into boyband
clones with spiky hair and tight t-shirts.
I smile a little to myself, shaking my
head at the memories.
Addie stands poised outside the
bathroom door. “What?” she asks softly.
“Just thinking about what goofs Rob
and I used to be.”
She laughs. “Used to be? You still
are.”
Her voice is tinged with sadness,
and I look up at her face. It’s as beautiful
as ever, but her eyes look tired. Her
mouth turns down at the corners.
Everything about her looks just a little
bit … broken.
And today — today, that’s enough for
me to say fuck it. I feel broken too. I
want to be broken together, with her. I
want to break her, and Rob too, and let
them break me back.
 Because right now, I want to feel any
fucking thing but this overwhelming
grief.
 CHAPTER 27

A D EL A ID E

L iam pushes me up against the

bathroom wall. It takes me aback
— it’s so violent and forceful, but the
hunger in his eyes is unmistakable. And
after a week of missing him, of missing
both of them, like crazy, I want to feast
on him too.
When he kisses me, I kiss him back.
Our tongues clash in a primal dance, a
back and forth woven over and under
with desire and anger and grief.
Then he is just as abruptly pulled
away from me. Rob stands there, holding
the back of Liam’s suit jacket, a look of
pure ice on his face. He makes a sound
so low in his throat that it sounds like
growling.
Liam twists his way out of Rob’s
grasp and turns to face him. I can hear
him breathing. They stare each other
down and then, quick as a lion, Liam
reaches for Rob and pulls him forward,
towards me, and then they are both
kissing me, kissing each other.
I don’t know whose tongue is whose,
whose lips are smashing against my
teeth, who nips at my lips. I don’t know
whose hand tangles in my hair, whose
hand grips my chin, holding me under
their fiery assault. I breathe into it,
giving as good as I get. After so many
seemingly endless days without them, I
want to take as much of them as I can.
Liam slams the bathroom door shut
behind us. The bathroom feels tiny,
suddenly. The flowery smell of hand
soap is almost overwhelming. But all I
can think about, all I can see, are these
two beasts in front of me. Both of them
breathing big heaving breaths, both of
them looking like wild animals about to
go in for the kill. I never thought I’d be
so fucking happy to be someone’s prey.
To my surprise, it’s Rob that steps
towards me first. He runs his hands
through my hair and his touch is
surprisingly gentle. Then he tips my head
back and lunges for my mouth, devouring
me.
His kiss is madness. I lose myself in
the wet heat of his mouth, his
forcefulness. I open up to him like a
flower.
After I don’t know how long, he
pulls back. His gaze is tender. A soft
smile on his lips. Then his eyes darken
again and he whips me around, bending
me roughly over the ivory vanity. I look
down into the clamshell sink as he yanks
up the back of my dress and pulls down
my thong. I feel his hand running across
my ass, then finding my exposed pussy.
His fingers slip through my slit easily,
and I know he knows exactly how wet I
am, how hot I am for him. For both of
them.
There’s a pause and I hear him
unbuckling his belt, then I feel the velvet
tip of his steely cock press up against my
entrance.
I hold my breath, waiting, but nothing
comes. I glance up into the mirror and
find him watching me. I can’t read his
expression, but the moment takes me
back to the first night we met, in the
bathroom at Clinton’s.
I realize he’s waiting for me,
wanting my okay. I hood my eyes, curl
my lips into a smile. Nod. Yes. Dear
God, fucking yes.
Rob slams into me. It’s a shock, to
have him in there all at once, and my
body struggles to adapt to the size of
him. My slick heat envelops him, as his
cock becomes coated in my wetness, his
thrusts become easier, deeper.
His lust is unstoppable. I watch him
in the mirror as he fucks me, the same as
I did that first night. This time, though,
Liam is here with us. I watch him in the
mirror as he watches us. He catches my
eye in the glass and gives me a half
smile, then reaches down and unleashes
his own meaty cock. I can see the veins
throbbing on it from here as his hand
glides up and down the shaft.
Rob slows his thrusts as he catches
sight of Liam in the mirror too. The three
of us watch each other. All of us are
guarded, hurting. But today Liam and
Rob have a bigger hurt, and I suddenly
want nothing more than to take that away
from them.
“Don’t stop, Rob,” I whisper, turning
my head so I can see him straight on,
instead of through the mirror. “Please
don’t stop.”
“Fuck, Addie.” His voice cracks. He
pounds his hips harder against my ass,
and the smacking sound echoes in the
tiled bathroom.
Rob reaches his hand around and
flicks his finger against my clit. I gasp,
my body immediately tightening. He
strokes his finger steadily against me
while he thrusts, and I move closer and
closer to the edge. The edge of reason,
the edge of sanity, the edge of
everything.
“Come for me, Addie,” he whispers
into the back of my neck. “Come for me.
Please.”
The way his voice cracks does me
in. Pushes me right over the edge, into
sheer oblivion. My body thrums, shaking
and electric.
He flicks my clit one more time, and
that does it. I’m coming, gripping the
edge of the vanity, trying to stay upright.
I clench around Rob and I feel him shift
and then he’s coming too, unloading
inside me, before collapsing down
against my back.
He stays there only for a second. Not
even long enough for me to catch my
breath. He slides out of me, leaving my
wet pussy cool and exposed without his
heat there.
But not for long. Liam catches my
eye in the mirror, and his look is so
filled with desire and longing that I nod
to him through the glass. He approaches,
dick still gripped in his fist, and slides
quickly into me. It doesn’t take much —
I’m so wet still that my body simply
envelops him.
I concentrate on holding on to the
vanity while Liam pounds into my pussy.
I know I can’t take another orgasm again
this quickly. My legs are still shaking
from the last one. Yet somehow, as
Liam’s dick stretches me, I find myself
getting excited again, and when he
reaches his hand around to my clit, just
as Rob did, I somehow, unbelievably,
feel my body start to tighten again.
“Oh God,” I whisper, more to myself
than to anyone else.
“Yes, Addie,” Liam hisses. “Good
girl. You’re such a good fucking girl.”
He pinches my clit between my fingers,
so hard it sends a sharp shock up through
my body but oh, it feels good, and when
he grinds his finger against me, oh God.
My climax is abrupt, shocking. Liam
holds me up as it rips through me,
sending me almost into convulsions,
rocking me back and forth on his cock.
“Fuck, yeah.” Liam keeps pounding
into my pussy, even once I’m as limp as
a rag doll in his arms. He pounds out
every bit of grief and heartache, and I’m
glad to be able to take it for him. I want
to take away every bit of sadness he’s
feeling today, both of them, I want to
consume it with my body and turn it into
something beautiful.
Liam groans as he comes, and I can
feel the wet heat as he pours his climax
into me. His groan gets softer, his
thrusting slows, and then he’s still. He
lifts me up, holding my back to his chest,
and leans into kiss my neck.
“Thank you, Addie,” he says, his
voice soft, devoid of the primal
excitement of just moments before.
“Thank you.”
Rob has already straightened himself
out, and now Liam and I fix our clothing
and wash our hands, and then the three of
us move awkwardly to the door at the
same time.
I let them out ahead of me and hang
back.
“Aren’t you coming back
downstairs?” Liam asks, his face
puzzled.
“Um. In a minute. I really did need to
pee,” I say. I give them a shy smile.
When I finally make my way
downstairs, they’re both still standing
near the foot of the staircase. It’s quieter
back here, and I expect they’re trying to
avoid the crowds congregated in the
living room area.
“I should head out now,” I tell them,
looking down at the ivory carpet. I take a
deep breath. “But maybe we could get
together and talk sometime? I mean, not
today obviously, I know you’re both
dealing with a lot right now. But when
you’re ready…”
The words are tumbling out of my
mouth and part of me is wondering if I’m
crazy, because didn’t I already decide
that it was for the best if we just didn’t
see each other anymore? Maybe I’m still
under some sort of sex spell, but being
with them just feels right. Even today,
even when everything is terrible, being
with them feels right.
 But it doesn’t matter. Rob’s face has
already hardened.
“I don’t think so, Addie. Thank you
for coming, but I think this is the last
time we’ll see you.” His jaw is set.
Liam looks helplessly back and forth
between me and Rob. He gives me a
small shrug. I understand it — he can’t
turn his back on his best friend, not
today.
I want to fight him, both of them —
to tell him he’s wrong, that nothing
happened with Willow, that I would
never hurt him — but I realize it’s futile.
Rob has made up his mind. He’s walking
away before anyone else can. And
Liam’s going with him because that’s
how they do things.
 And suddenly, just as clearly, I
realize I have to let them go. I was right
all along — there’s no future here. I was
foolish to ever think there could be.
I steel myself, putting on my most
neutral face. This is one time that I’m
determined not to let my big mouth get
the better of me.
“I’m sorry about your Mom,” I say to
Liam. “And I’m sorry for your loss too,
Rob. I hope you can find strength in each
other.”
And then I walk out the door.
 CHAPTER 28

L IA M … TWO M ON THS L A TER

“S eriously, Claudia. What are you

even going to do with that?”
Claudia clutches the shirt to her
chest. “I don’t care. It was Mom’s.”
I raise an eyebrow but then shrug. If
Claudia wants a t-shirt with the words
“Middlemarch Elementary School
VOLUNTEER” emblazoned on it, then
she’s more than welcome to take it.
Although we’re not making very much
progress in our efforts to help Dad purge
some of Mom’s things. We’re supposed
to be making piles to donate to charity,
but more and more things seem to be
finding their way into Claudia’s ‘keep’
pile.
I can’t say I blame her though. I think
she still feels a lot of guilt about how
little she saw of Mom towards the end.
She’s been making up for it by spending
a lot of time with Dad lately though. I
think it’s been good for both of them.
And since I’m around more too, I’m
getting to spend more time with her as
well. I’m starting to remember all the
reasons I actually like my sister.
“I dare you to wear it to your next
board meeting,” I grin, gesturing at the t-
shirt.
“What, you don’t think I could rock
this? With a little blazer and some
cigarette pants and a pair of killer heels?
People would think I spent two grand on
it at some little SoHo boutique.”
I roll my eyes. She’s actually
probably right about that.
We finish sorting through Mom’s
closet, and despite Claudia’s grabby
fingers, we manage to put together a
good pile for the charity shop.
“I’ll take this over to the drop-off,” I
say. “That’ll save Dad from having to
deal with it. You want to come? We can
get lunch at that Japanese place you like,
it’s just a couple of blocks over.”
“Yasu?” she says, her eyes lighting
up. “Sounds good.”
We load the bags of clothes into my
SUV and head over. It’s early December
now, almost winter, and everything in the
city is a dull grey. A perfect match for
my mood, most days.
Losing Mom had been hard.
Impossible, some days. But we plowed
through, all of us.
Only I couldn’t shake the feeling that
dealing with all of this would be easier
if only …
I give my head a shake. Rob had
made his feelings about Addie perfectly
clear. I couldn’t blame him for being
hurt, but I also couldn’t help but wonder
at her continued insistence that she
hadn’t done anything wrong. I couldn’t
imagine Addie cheating, but Rob was
positive that his information was good.
I sigh, making a left hand turn and
pulling the car around the back alley
behind the charity shop.
“You’re good, right?” Claudia asks,
gesturing to the bags in the backseat.
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I’m good.”
I unload the bags while she stays in
the car, texting away on her phone.
Claudia had come a long way in the last
couple of months, but she was still my
same annoying sister.
 After we’ve — or I’ve — unloaded
everything, I drive us around to Yasu.
It’s hot and steamy inside, with the briny
scent of soy and miso heavy in the air.
It’s packed too, tiny tables crowded with
hipsters and men with dark-rimmed
glasses.
We take a seat at the bar, where we
watched seasoned Japanese masters turn
random ingredients into works of art. I
stare at them for a long time while
Claudia peruses the menu. The shocking
pink of freshly sliced raw salmon feels
like the most vivid thing I’ve seen after
months and months of grey.
After the server has come and we’ve
both ordered, Claudia turns to me.
“How are you doing, Liam?” She
blows on her tiny cup of green tea. “I
mean, really?”
Her concern touches me. “I’m okay.
Or at least, I’m getting there.”
She nods. “Me too, I think. How’s
Rob doing?”
I take a sip of my tea, and it scalds
my tongue.
“He’s about the same.” The truth is,
I’ve barely seen Rob lately. He comes
and goes from the office like a ghost,
very rarely showing himself and only
leaving a trace of his presence behind.
And forget outside of work — I’ve seen
him even less there.
“It’s been hard on him,” I said. “I
think losing Mom hit him harder than he
was expecting. And unfortunately, it
coincided with some other stuff in his
personal life. He’ll come around, he just
needs time.”
Claudia wrinkles her nose.
“Personal stuff? You mean that chubby
girl he was seeing?” She takes a sip of
her tea and shakes her head. “He should
thank his lucky stars he got out of that
when he did. You of all people should
know that.” She gives me a pointed look.
“What does that mean?” My mind is
racing. As far as I know, Claudia only
met Addie that one time at the gala. That
hardly seems long enough to have such a
negative opinion of her.
My sister rolls her eyes. “Don’t play
dumb, Liam. I saw you kissing her.”
I feel like I’ve been kicked in the
balls. “When?” My voice is shaky.
“What are you talking about?”
“At the gala. She was all over you.
So trashy — Rob was right on the other
side of the room.”
The sushi bar is melting away
around us. All I can hear are the short
sharp shocks of the chef’s knives against
the cutting boards as they slice through
the soft flesh of fish over and over and
over. With every thwack, the pieces
come together.
“It was you.” My eyes are almost
crossing in anger. “You told Rob that
Addie had been kissing someone else.”
Claudia looks indignant. “Yes, I did.
He deserved to know the truth. And
don’t worry, I didn’t tell him it was you,
even though you don’t really deserve my
protection.” She rolls her eyes. “I can’t
believe you’d be such a dog, Liam. He’s
your best friend.”
“Claudia…” I have no words. I want
to reach out and strangle her. “You had
no right to do that. There’s so much you
don’t … well, you don’t understand the
situation.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” she
hisses.
The server arrives then with our
food, loaded down with massive plates
of maki and nigiri. She’s a young girl,
not more than twenty, with dark hair
that’s been dyed red. “I’m sorry,” I say,
standing up. “Can we get this to go?”
She sighs but nods, whisking the
food away as quickly as it came.
“What are you doing?” Claudia
whines. “I’m starving. I don’t want to
go.”
“Too bad.” I grab her arm and yank
her up from her stool. “I have to find
Rob. I’ll drop you wherever you want to
go. Take all the food, I don’t care.”

FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, I’m parked

outside Rob’s condo building. I dropped
Claudia back off at Dad’s, with enough
sushi for about six people. I want to be
furious with her — and I am — but I
also know that her heart was in the right
place. She really does care about Rob;
she thought she was protecting him. And
me.
I shake my head. I can’t believe this
whole thing has come down to a stupid
misunderstanding.
I grab my phone and try Rob again.
I’ve called him a few times since I left
the restaurant, but he hasn’t picked up,
and this time is no different. I’m sure
he’s home though. It’s Sunday afternoon
and that’s when he catches up on work.
Many a Sunday he’s called me, and
we’ve spent a good hour on
speakerphone, me at the gym, hashing out
details of something we hadn’t got to
during the week.
I end the call on my phone and jam it
in the pocket of my coat.
Inside Rob’s building, the concierge
greets me with a smile. He knows me
well by now, although I haven’t seen him
in a couple of months.
“Mr. Bradley,” he says, reaching out
a hand. “My condolences on the loss of
your mother. Mr. Avondale thought very
fondly of her.”
“Thanks, Gregory. Is he home?”
“Yes, I believe he is. Let me ring him
for you.”
He dials up Rob and then gives me
the one-minute finger.
“Mr. Avondale!” His voice is
cheerful. “Mr. Bradley is down here to
see you. Shall I send him up?”
His expression turns to confusion.
“Are you sure?” His eyes flit over to me,
and I know that Rob has just said no.
 I reach over the security desk and
grab the receiver out of Gregory’s hand,
ignoring his stupefied expression and his
cries of “Sir!”
“Robert, I’m coming upstairs
whether you like it or not. We have to
talk.” I pause. “It’s about my dad.”
I hate myself for the lie but it’s the
only way to get him to see me.
“Fine.” His voice on the other end of
the phone is irritated.
“Now you’ll tell Gregory what you
just told me?”
“Yes.” He’s pouting. I can hear it in
his voice.
I hand the phone back to Gregory and
mouth an apology to him. He straightens
his jacket and takes the phone.
 “My apologies, sir, he just
reached…” he pauses. “Yes, I
understand. I’ll send him right up.”
After Gregory hangs up the phone he
waves me through, though he doesn’t
look pleased about it.
I ride the elevator up to Rob’s
penthouse and find his door unlocked. I
let myself in.
Rob is there. His hair’s disheveled
and his shirt is unbuttoned, and I force
down a wave of desire at the sight of his
chiseled abs. This isn’t the time.
“What’s wrong with Jack?” he asks,
immediately. “Is he okay? Is it his
heart?”
“Jack’s fine. His heart’s fine.” I
pause. “I sort of lied. I knew that was the
only way you’d let me up here.”
Rob folds his arms. “What do you
want, Liam?”
I take a deep breath, tell myself he’s
not really angry at me. He’s angry about
Mom’s death and Addie’s supposed
betrayal, and seeing me reminds him of
both of those things. He’s hurting.
But I can take away part of that hurt.
“It was Claudia, wasn’t it?” I say.
His face twists in confusion. “What
was Claudia?”
“It was Claudia who told you that
she’d seen Addie kissing someone.”
“Yes.” His jaw is set. “So what?”
“So it was all a mistake. I’m the one
she saw Addie kissing. The night of the
gala. She didn’t want to start a fight
between us so she told you it was some
stranger.”
A thousand emotions flit across
Rob’s face — confusion, hurt, hope —
but then it sinks back into resolute anger.
“Nice try, Liam. Adelaide admitted it.”
I shake my head. “She admitted
having lunch with her ex because he
wanted her to sign something. That’s not
a crime.”
His face doesn’t change.
“Rob,” I risk a step towards him and
he doesn’t back up, which I take as a
good sign. “You know her. You know she
wouldn’t do that.”
“I don’t know her. Neither do you.”
His words are stony but I hear the
fracture starting in his voice.
 “Yes. You do. I do. We had
something real and she would never do
anything to jeopardize that.”
Rob flops backwards onto his sofa
and leans his head back.
“It doesn’t matter.” His voice is flat.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s too late. She left.
Everyone leaves, in the end. Someday
you’ll leave too.”
He won’t look at me, so I slide down
on to the couch beside him. I let my knee
rest against his but otherwise I don’t
touch him.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say
gently. “But you have to stop pushing me
away.”
Rob turns to look at me, and I see
pain etched all across his face. “You
will.” His voice is soft.
“No, I won’t.” I let my fingers trail
through his tousled hair. “And I can’t
promise that things with Addie will last
forever — but the only way to find out is
not to push her away.”
We sit in silence for a minute. My
hand cups the back of his neck but I
don’t make any other movements. I feel
like we’re on the precipice, on the edge
of something big, and I don’t want to
scare him off.
Finally, Rob turns to me. His eyes
are clear, resolute.
“Do you think it’s too late? With
Addie.”
I squeeze the back of his neck and
grin.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
 CHAPTER 29

A D EL A ID E

I t’soffice.
dark and grey when I leave the
It’s dark and grey every day
when I leave the office. Come to think of
it, it’s dark and grey when I leave my
apartment in the mornings too. The sun
could have stopped existing and I
wouldn’t even know it.
I wrap my scarf tight around my neck
as I walk to the subway. It’s December
now, and the wind is bitingly cold.
Normally I love this time of year, as we
lead up to the holidays and everything is
covered in white Christmas lights and
pumpkin spice, but this year it’s all just
leaving me cold.
Literally and figuratively, I think, as I
shiver under the bitter wind.
I was lucky enough to get a new temp
job, though through a different agency
this time. Temping Opportunities wasn’t
exactly happy about me getting
summarily dismissed from Avondale &
Bradley.
 My new job is much more boring
than my last, though I suppose that’s for
the best. I’m essentially a data entry
monkey now. I work for an ad-buying
company and I log ad entries into their
invoicing system so they can properly
bill their clients. Hundreds of channels,
hours a night — all recorded as fifteen
second intervals. It is painfully, mind-
numbingly boring.
But I guess that’s perfect for me
these days. Mind-numbing is good.
Mind-numbing is better than crying all
the time.
I ride the subway home and avoid
eye contact with anyone. Walk the six
blocks back to my building.
“Hi Harry.”
 “Evening, Addie.”
“Not too cold?”
“I’m alright.” He gestures to the
sleeping bag wrapped around his legs.
“You have money to bus over to St.
Mary’s if it gets too cold out?” I ask,
referring to the homeless shelter he
sleeps at some nights.
Harry rubs his jaw but doesn’t
answer. He refuses to ask for money,
even when he needs it. I slip a twenty
out of my wallet and hand it to him, wish
him a good night, and then climb the
several flights of stairs until I’m finally
back in my apartment.
“Coco, stop that!”
I race over to the window. The kitten
has somehow managed to scale half way
up the living room curtains, and I rush to
scoop her off before she falls. Her small
furry body twists in my arms, limbs
reaching for the floor, claws out.
“Ow! God damn it.” I put her down
on the carpet and lick my thumb where
she got me. “You little witch.”
She looks at me with a non-plussed
expression and hops away to her next
adventure. I can’t help but laugh. When I
had decided to get a cat I had imagined a
cute cuddly ball of fur that would curl up
in my lap and purr every time I pet it.
Instead I got the devil incarnate. Oh,
she was cute all right, with her little grey
ears and white face. But otherwise she
was a little spitfire, always racing
around the house, spinning out of my
reach, finding all manner of things to get
her little paws into. She was untamable,
uncuddle-able.
I absolutely loved her.
“You nut,” I tell her affectionately, as
she zooms around my feet.
I slip off my coat and hang it on the
rack by the door, then go to flick on the
television. I’ve started doing that when I
get home in the evenings now. Just for
background noise. The voices make it
seem less empty in here. Coco helps
with that too.
I open two cans — cat food for
Coco, and alphabet soup for me. I dump
the cat food in Coco’s bowl and laugh as
she comes tearing out of the living room
as soon as she hears the fork against the
bowl. Then I dump my tin of soup into a
pot and pour a glass of wine.
I stare out the window and sip my
wine as I wait for the soup to heat
through. This is my routine now. Work,
home, soup, television.
It’s a boring life, but it’s a good one,
I think. It’s simple. Straight forward.
Very little room to fuck anything up. All
my flaws are carefully boxed away, for
my own safety.
Terrible taste in men? Not when you
aren’t seeing anyone.
Terrible life choices? My biggest
life choice these days is what type of
canned soup to buy.
My ass? Well — okay, that one is
probably here to stay.
 But even my big mouth stays firmly
shut these days. They love me at my new
office, because I keep to myself and get
my work done. New Adelaide is way
more successful than old Adelaide ever
was.
But is new Adelaide happy? A little
voice inside me whispers.
“Doesn’t matter,” I mutter out loud,
just as my soup boils.

DAPHNE TEXTS me later to see if I want to

meet her for a glass of wine, but I tell
her I’m already in my pajamas. Maybe
another time, I type.
“That’s what you always say,” she
types back, followed by a series of
frowny emoticons.
I don’t bother to reply. She’s only
going to try to make me feel guilty about
staying in again.
I turn the television to a Law &
Order episode and settle in, even though
it’s a rerun I’ve seen at least three times
before. When my glass of wine is empty,
I pour another one.
My phone rings, and I assume it’s
Daphne again. I almost don’t even reach
for it, but something tells me to do it.
It’s my sister, Sarah.
I answer right away. With the baby
due less than two weeks from now,
we’re all on high alert.
“Hello?” I answer, unable to keep
the excitement out of my voice. “Is this
the call? Am I getting the call?”
“Addie?” To my surprise, Sarah’s
voice is trembling. She’s crying, I
realize.
I sit up, immediately stressed.
“Sarah, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Is
the baby okay?”
I hear her trying to catch her breath
on the other end of the line. My heart is
in my throat.
“It’s Dave,” she finally manages to
get out. “He left.”
Confusion weaves its way in amidst
the fear. “What do you mean, he left?”
“He left me, Addie. He says he
doesn’t love me.”
Her voice on the other end of the
phone is absolutely wrecked. My heart
breaks for my perfect golden-haired
sister.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I TAKE a cab out to Westchester. I don’t

even want to think about how much it
costs. That’s what you do when family
needs you — and for all of our
differences, I know Sarah would do the
exact same thing for me.
I try to text her on my way there, to
make sure she’s doing okay, but I realize
I left my phone sitting on my coffee
table. Instead I grip the seat of the cab
and count down the minutes until we pull
up in front of her house.
I pay the driver — and swallow
down a wave of nausea at the price —
and then I walk up the path and knock on
Sarah’s door.
It takes her a while to answer. I look
around the house and realize every
single light seems to be on, and I get
more and more nervous the longer I
stand out here and wait.
Finally, she pulls the door open.
“Addie,” she says, and then falls into
my arms.
I hold her while she cries. I’ve never
seen Sarah like this, not ever. She’s
always been so cool and collected, and
now here she is, a raw heaving mess.
She’s wearing a wheat colored
cardigan that doesn’t quite close over
her belly. Grey sweat pants underneath,
and a pair of moccasin slippers.
I wrap my arm around her waist and
we walk into the living room. Once I
have her settled on the couch, I ask her if
she wants a tea or anything. She looks at
me with a dazed expression on her face.
“Tea, it is,” I say.
She follows me helplessly into the
kitchen and slides onto one of the stools
while I root around for tea. I finally find
an ancient box of camomile in the back
of a drawer, and I fill the kettle and put it
on the stove.
I sit down across from her.
“So … what happened? Do you want
to talk about it?”
She shakes her head, but words are
already spilling out of her mouth.
 “He said he wasn’t happy. That we
had no passion. That he felt like a
servant and a sperm donor.” Her voice
cracks as more tears spill down her
face. “He said he wanted a marriage, not
a business agreement.”
“Oh, Sarah.” I squeeze her hand. I’m
shocked to hear that Dave felt all those
things — he and Sarah had always
seemed to have the perfect marriage.
Now, for him to leave her just as she
was about to have the baby — I couldn’t
even imagine the amount of shock and
strain she was under right now.
The kettle whistles and I get up and
take it off the burner. I pour the boiling
water over the tea bag and hand the cup
the Sarah.
 “Careful, it’s hot.”
“Thank you, Addie,” she whispers.
“It’s nice of you to come. I haven’t been
able to call any of my friends yet. It’s
just too humiliating.”
I sit across from her, wishing I’d
made myself a cup of tea too, just so I’d
have something to do with my hands.
“So… did you see any of this
coming?” I ask, not really knowing if she
wants to be talking about this or not.
“No! Nothing.” She blows on her
tea. “Well. Things have been a bit dull
lately. In the bedroom, I mean.” Her face
flushes.
“Well, surely that’s normal. You’re
more than eight months pregnant.”
Sarah looks away. “Well, it was an
issue long before the baby.”
“Oh.” I’m not sure what to say to
that. I probably don’t need to know the
intimate details of my sister’s love life.
We sit in silence for a moment. Sarah
sips her tea and then, suddenly her face
falls and she’s crying again.
“What am I going to do, Addie? I’m
having a baby. I’m alone and I’m having
a baby.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” I tell
her. “That’s the least of your worries.
I’ll help, Mom and Dad will help, your
friends will help. I know you’re worried
about telling them, but they’ll be here,
you can count on that.” I hoped I was
right about that.
Sarah sniffs. Her face is red and
blotchy, but she tries to force a smile.
“Thank you, Sissy.”
I smile. She hasn’t called me Sissy
since we were little and she didn’t know
how to say sister properly.
“I think what you need is sleep,” I
tell her.
She nods, and I lead her upstairs and
help her get ready for bed.
“Are you going to stay the night?”
She asks, after she’s changed into her
pajamas.
“Hmm, I guess I could.” I hadn’t
thought about it. “Oh, shit. Coco.”
“Your cat.”
“Yeah, I forgot to leave her food. I
guess I can call Daphne to go feed her.”
Sarah waves her hand. “No, it’s
okay. Go back into the city. You
probably have to work tomorrow
anyway, right?”
“I’ll come back out tomorrow right
after I finish,” I promise her. “I can stay
over then. Do you want me to call Mom
and see if she can come and stay
tonight?”
Sarah shakes her head. Her long
blonde hair is down around her
shoulders, and without her make-up, she
looks young and innocent. And scared.
“No,” she says, bravely. “I’ll be
okay.”
I tuck her into bed, as if she were a
little girl, setting a glass of water and a
bottle of Advil on the nightstand beside
her. If experience has taught me anything,
it’s that she’s going to have a hell of a
crying hangover tomorrow morning.
I sit on the edge of the bed and hold
her hand.
“You’re going to be okay, Sarah. I
know it doesn’t feel that way right now,
but you’ll get through this. We’re all here
to help you.”
“Thank you,” she says again. She
sighs. “Addie, can you do something for
me?”
“Of course! Anything.”
“Marry someone who makes your
toes fucking curl.”
“What?” Her words shock me. It’s
so unlike Sarah, and yet her voice is
strong and resolute.
“Don’t be like me. Don’t marry
someone because they look good on
paper. Don’t marry someone because
they have great genes or a house in the
Hamptons. Marry someone who makes
your heart explode every damn time you
look at them.”
I force myself to smile and nod, even
though a wave of cold nausea is
spreading through me.
Makes your toes curl. Makes your
heart explode.
Yup, I had that. Times two.
Only I had lost it. And I hadn’t even
bothered to fight for it, because …
Why?
Because it might be a mistake?
Because I might get my heart broken?
Sarah had made all the right choices
in life, and look at her now. You couldn’t
ask for a worse life moment than being
eight and a half months pregnant and
having your husband leave you.
“Sarah, can I ask you something?”
My voice is thick, and I’m worried she
can see the tears pricking my eyes, even
in the soft glow of the lamp. “What if it’s
unconventional? The person — the
people — who make your toes curl,
what if it feels crazy and risky and
wrong? What if it doesn’t seem to make
any sense?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I
don’t think it can be wrong though. Love
has its own sense. It doesn’t follow
rules. If your heart’s in it — and so is
his, or hers, or theirs — you can make
anything work.” She smiles at me, and in
the soft glow of the lamp, her face is
beatific.
As long as your heart’s in it.
I squeeze Sarah’s hand. “Thank you,
sissy. Has anyone ever told you you’re
pretty damn smart?”
“Yeah,” she says, with the first
genuine smile I’ve seen all night. “Once
or twice.”
Once I make sure she’s okay for the
night, I call a cab and head back into the
city. It’s beyond stupid late, and I’m
going to pay for this tomorrow, but
there’s no way I would have missed
being there for her tonight.
Poor Sarah. I shake my head as I
watch the busy highway go by. She’s
going to have a long hard road ahead of
her. I make a vow to be there for her,
whatever she needs.
As the cab makes its way closer to
my borough, I go back again to what she
said to me.
Someone who makes your toes curl.
Love has its own sense.
As long as your heart’s in it.
God damn.
Tears fill my eyes as I look out the
cab window. I try to blink them away but
soon they’re streaming down my cheeks.
I was so worried about making a
mistake, about proving myself and
everyone else right about what a fuck-up
I was.
And I ended up making the biggest
mistake of all.
I should have fought for them. I
should have forced Rob to talk to me, to
understand that I hadn’t — and would
never — do anything to hurt him or
Liam.
Instead I had just … walked away.
As if I really could walk away.
Look at the shell my life had
become, all in an effort to keep from
feeling the pain of being alone.
Soup and data entry and a cat.
Okay, well, I liked the cat. That part
had been a good call.
But the rest of it?
I shake my head, wondering if it’s
too late, but I know it is. Rob made that
perfectly clear at Julia’s funeral. He was
done.
Like Sarah said — everyone’s heart
had to be in it. It wasn’t a parade if you
were just one lonely person walking
down the street with a balloon.
The cab finally pulls up in front of
my apartment.
“Shit.” There are two burly guys
loitering on my front stoop, and no sign
of Harry anywhere. This isn’t the safest
neighborhood to begin with, and this
block in particular has been known to
attract some unsavory characters.
The driver catches me watching
them. “You okay? You want me to drive
around the block a couple of times?”
I’m peering out the window, studying
their forms. There is something familiar
about them, about the way they lean their
heads together, jostling each other.
A smile spreads across my face.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you, though.”
I climb out of the car. The sky is
turning a light shade of pink, and even
though it’s freezing out, a warm glow
spreads through me.
I walk towards the two men who are
waiting for me.
The two men who have finally come
back.
 CHAPTER 30

A D EL A ID E

T he cab pulls away and I walk

shyly towards Liam and Rob.
They don’t notice me right away —
they’re ribbing each other about
something, and their laughter fills the
night air. Or is that early morning air?
I take a deep breath and step into the
fading glow of the streetlamp.
“Hi.” My voice is soft. I want to say
something clever or biting, but that’s the
only word I have.
They stop jostling each other
immediately and whip their heads
around to face me. They stand up from
the stoop so quickly they both almost fall
over, and then they laugh nervously.
I take another step forward. I’m
cautious still — after all, I don’t really
know why they’re here. I’m hoping it’s
good, because it’s almost five in the
morning, and if they’re here for
something bad, then it’s gotta be pretty
damn bad.
 Liam looks up towards my apartment
building. “We thought you were inside.
We’ve been calling all night.”
“I had to go out to Westchester. I
forgot my phone here.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawns on his
face, then he looks sheepish. “Sorry in
advance about all the voicemails and
texts then.”
I laugh. “It’s okay.” Butterflies are
putting on an air show in my stomach.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah! Oh, yeah, everything’s fine.
We just wanted to talk to you.”
“Pretty badly, apparently. It’s, what,
five in the morning?”
Liam glances back at Rob. “Yeah,
well, this couldn’t wait. Or, I guess I
should say, we didn’t want to wait
anymore.”
We stand there in silence again,
while somewhere in the distance a siren
wails, a couple laughs. This truly is the
city that never sleeps, and tonight I’m
among those night owls.
“Well?” I prod. “What is it? What
couldn’t wait?”
Liam glances down. He looks
strangely nervous.
“Can we come inside?”
I hesitate. I still don’t know what
they want, and I’m afraid of letting my
hormones get the best of me. Seeing them
already has my body abuzz.
“Why don’t we go over to Joe’s
Diner? It’s just a block away. They’re
open all night and they have the most
mediocre coffee in the whole city.”
Liam smiles, visibly relaxing. “That
sounds great.”
Rob still hasn’t said anything, and I
can’t help but sneak anxious glances at
him as we walk. Liam asks how I’m
doing and I tell him stories about Coco
and a bit about my new job. He laughs
politely. We all know we’re just skating
around the real conversation.
By the time we get to the diner, I’m
practically shaking. It’s partly nerves
and partly lack of sleep and partly just
the intensity of being near them again.
Liam holds the door open for me and
I slip inside, choosing a booth near the
back. The place is almost empty except
for a couple of older men sitting at the
counter.
Liam and Rob slide in on one side of
the booth, and I sit across from them.
They both stare intently at me, and I
shiver under the heat of their gaze.
A waitress comes by almost
immediately to drop a stack of menus
down in front of us.
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” all three of us say at
the same time.
“You got it.”
After she’s gone, Liam looks around.
“This is a nice place. Exactly how you’d
picture New York in the fifties.”
“Yeah, it’s been around for about that
long, and I doubt much has changed
since then.” I pick up a menu. “I’m
starving. Do you mind if I order
something?”
“Not at all.”
We chat about breakfast items then,
about whether bacon is better than
sausage, and again, we all know we’re
just tiptoeing around all the things we
actually want to say.
The waitress comes back with our
coffees and the three of us order ham and
cheese omelettes.
“Excellent choice,” the waitress
says, though her tone is so bored that I’m
pretty sure she hasn’t found a single
thing to be excellent in years.
Once she disappears again, we all
go quiet. There’s nothing left to chat
about, no more distractions.
“So,” I say, at the same time that
Liam clears his throat. I laugh nervously.
“Go ahead.”
Liam glances at Rob. “Addie, we’ve
been talking, and …” He pauses. “We’ve
come to realize something which is…”
He stops again. Glances again at Rob.
“Addie, I fucked up.” Rob’s voice is
firm, resolute. “I fucked up so bad.”
The butterflies in my stomach kick
up their dance again. I take a sip of
coffee while I try to steady my hands.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I should have believed
you when you said nothing happened
with your ex. I had information that I
thought I could trust, but it turned out to
be bad.”
“So, what? You had spies watching
me?”
Liam interjects. “No, no. Nothing
like that. It was actually my sister.
Claudia. She saw you and me kissing at
the gala and thought you were cheating
on Rob with me. She wanted to protect
Rob but she didn’t want to throw me
under the bus in the process, so she lied
and said she’d seen you with someone
else.”
“Claudia,” I repeat, feeling a bit
dazed. The pieces are clicking into place
in my mind. The night of the gala —
sneaking a kiss with Liam outside the
washroom, because I was too scared to
acknowledge that I was on a date with
both of them.
So it was my stupidity that had gotten
us into this mess. If I hadn’t been so
afraid …
I shake my head, willing away the
tears that start to prick my eyes.
Rob reaches across the table to take
my hand. The touch of his skin is so
deeply familiar and so comforting that it
makes me want to cry even more. How
could I have thought this was a mistake?
How could I have thought any of it was?
His hand against mine feels like …
home.
“One night you asked me what my
biggest flaws were,” Rob says. His
voice is measured and earnest, like he
wants to be sure he says this right. “I
was glib about it. In fact, I think I told
you my flaw was that I like big butts.
Which, by the way, is still true. But I
have another flaw, a terrible one.” He
takes another deep breath.
“I leave. I walk away the minute
anything turns real. I guess it’s because I
got left when I was kid, and maybe
because I was still developing, it left a
deeper mark on me. Or, who knows,
maybe I would have been like this
anyway, even if my parents had lived
and I’d grown up in a well-adjusted
home the way Liam did.
“I’m rambling now, but it doesn’t
matter what caused it. The point is, I
leave, or I push people away. I make
sure no one gets close.” He clears his
throat. “You got close. Really close. I
guess what I’m trying to say is I think I
…”
In a feat of impeccable timing, the
waitress arrives with our omelettes at
that exact moment. Rob clams up and we
all sit in a jagged silence while she sets
our plates down in front of us. She lays
out cutlery, ketchup, salt and pepper, all
so excruciatingly slowly that I want to
hulk smash the table. She finishes putting
everything out and then stands there for a
minute.
“Can I get y’all anything else?”
“No!” We all exclaim in unison, and
then laugh nervously as she throws up
her hands and walks away.
I wait for Rob to go on but he picks
up his fork and starts cutting into his
omelette. Liam looks at him for a minute
but then shrugs and does the same.
Okay. I guess we’re continuing this
conversation later.
I dig into my eggs, suddenly
ravenous, and I manage to clean my plate
before Rob or Liam have even made it to
the homefries. I sneak my fork over to
Rob’s plate and spear one of his
potatoes. He stares at me.
“What?” I think he’s going to bust me
for being a tater burglar, but instead he
gives me the stupidest, goofiest grin.
“Nothing. Just … you.”
“What about me?” I’m smiling back
now.
Rob leans forward. His face is
serious again.
“Addie, I —”
“All done here?” The waitress
interrupts us once again, whisking away
my empty plate and staring expectantly at
Liam and Rob, even though they both
still have food on their plates.
“Yes!” We all exclaim in unison.
This time she just rolls her eyes and then
seems to deliberately take her time
picking up our plates.
“Maybe this place wasn’t the best
idea,” Liam says, with a chuckle, after
the waitress has deposited our bill on
the table. “Maybe we should just walk
back to your place?”
“That sounds like a very good idea,”
I say. My body is tingling in anticipation.
 Liam settles the bill while Rob and I
wait. We keep our hands shoved deep in
our coat pockets, looking down at the
ground, avoiding each other’s gaze like
nervous teenagers.
“Ready?” Liam asks, when he gets
back. We nod and step back out into the
cold air. The sun is all the way up now,
the sidewalks starting to fill up with
people. Rob and Liam stick close to me
on the walk back to my apartment,
blocking me from the worst of the bitter
wind.
We’re quiet on the walk, and when
we get back to the apartment, I hop up
onto the first step. I’m still not tall
enough to be eye level with them, but
closer.
 “Are you coming in?” I ask, biting
my lip.
Liam and Rob look back and forth at
each other.
“Well, that depends.” Liam smiles.
His eyes are bright, even after not getting
any sleep last night.
“On what?”
“On what you think after we say
what we came here to say.”
“Oh.” I swallow. Hard. My hand is
gripping the metal stair rail, and I can
feel the cold even through my mitten.
“So what is it you want to say?”
Liam glances at Rob, who takes a
deep breath.
“Addie, I told you that I run when I
get scared. And I’m scared now. I’m
scared because you’re the most amazing
woman I’ve ever met. I’ve known there
was something about you ever since the
first night I met you, and not just because
you were the sexiest damn woman in that
entire bar. You are …” he pauses, trying
to think of the right word. “Magnificent.”
Rob steps forward, combing his
hand through my hair. “Adelaide
Williams, I’m in love with you. I’m
fucking terrified, but I’m in love with
you.”
I suck in my breath. A layer of
goosebumps cover my skin, even under
my thick winter coat. I touch his cheek
lightly. His stubble is rough under my
fingertips, his jaw hard. He leans his
head gently into my hand, as if in a show
of trust.
I swallow, then look to Liam. He
glances up at me.
“Yeah. What he said.”
We all laugh then, and I realize it’s
the lightest, most carefree sound I’ve
made in months.
Liam reaches out and takes my hand.
“I shouldn’t be glib, I just wanted Rob to
get his moment. But I echo everything he
said, Addie. You’re magnificent. I love
your wit, your brilliance, that thing you
do with your mouth …” he groans
involuntarily at that, and I giggle. “I love
that you’ve somehow opened a door for
both Rob and I — that’s something I
never even knew I wanted, and yet
somehow it feels right. I can’t explain it,
but it feels right.”
I’m nodding furiously because I
agree. I can’t explain it either, but it does
feel right. I don’t know how I could have
ignored that for so long.
“So, Addie — I guess what I’m
trying to say — in a very roundabout
way — is that I’m in love with you too.
With both of you. And I don’t know
exactly what that looks like, or how we
make it work, but I want to try.”
Rob nods. “Me too.”
“Rob. Liam.” I press my hand to
Liam’s face too, so that I’m touching
both of them. Their faces are warm,
waiting. I take a deep breath.
“I’m scared too. I’m scared of
fucking up — but I’m even more scared
of missing out on something amazing. I
never expected to be in this situation and
I don’t have any answers either. But I
love you too. Both of you.”
Rob is closest, so he makes it to my
mouth first, smothering me in a deep
kiss. His lips against mine set off
another wave of goosebumps, and I
wrap my arms around him, wanting to
lose myself in the warmth of his touch.
It’s been so long — too long.
I grab Liam’s coat and pull him into
the kiss with us, until all three of us are
crashing together, until I don’t know
whose lips are whose, whose breath is
whose, whose tongue, whose teeth,
whose hands, whose heart.
An effervescent happiness is
weaving its way through my body,
buoying me up and crushing me against
them. I can’t believe that after all these
years of falling for the wrong men —
somehow I got lucky enough to find two
right ones.
Maybe it’s time to change the way I
think about myself. Maybe my biggest
flaw isn’t my terrible choice in men or
my uncanny ability to fuck shit up.
Maybe my biggest flaw is that I don’t
trust myself enough, that I wasn’t willing
to open myself up to what was right
there in front of me. Happiness was right
there for the taking — two times the
happiness, in fact — and I didn’t trust
myself enough to go for it.
If your heart’s in it, Sarah had said,
anything is possible.
Liam breaks away from the kiss and
then Rob follows his lead. I press my
mittened hand to my swollen lips, which
are still tingling. Desire courses through
me.
“So,” Liam says, with a sultry grin.
“Can we come upstairs?”
I grin back. For once I’m a hundred
percent sure of my answer.
“Oh yes,” I say. “Come inside and
make my toes curl, please.”
Liam and Rob glance at each other.
“With pleasure.”

THE END
WANT TO KNOW WHAT ADDIE, Rob and
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 ALSO BY ELLE
EVERTON

Two Rivals: MMF Bisexual Romance

Page ahead to read three sample chapters!

 Lifelong rivals … until their love for the same
woman forced them to become something more.

Jake Steel and Dylan Frost have been bitter rivals their
whole lives, and now, as CEOs of competing
companies, they war over clients, real estate and
women. It’s safe to say they hate each other with a
burning passion.

But sometimes a smoldering flame just needs a

spark.

Enter Rose Holloway, fledgling event planner. Burned

by love and life, Rose’s only focus these days is on
growing her new business. Working for either Jake or
Dylan would be a miracle — working for both of them
would be a dream come true.

But Jake and Dylan refuse to share, even when it

comes to event planners, and not even for the sake of
their charity galas. So they make a bet — whoever
can bed the feisty redhead first wins the pleasure of
her services.

One Rose. Two rivals.

The bet should have been simple — one winner, one
loser. Instead, sparks fly between the three of them,
and a wild night of unexpected passion sets them all on
a course that will change their lives forever.

Two Rivals is a stand-alone steamy MMF bisexual

romance with explicit scenes of MF, MM and MMF.
HEA guaranteed.

Want a taste of Jake, Dylan and Rose? Enjoy three

sample chapters on the following pages or click to buy
now!
 CHAPTER ONE

ROSE

R ose licked her lips and tried to

concentrate on the presentation she
was supposed to be giving. This contract
could be huge for her, and she was
blowing it, all because the man sitting in
front of her was hot.
No, hot was an understatement.
Dylan Frost was a Greek god in a Hugo
Boss suit. He stretched out the expensive
dark fabric to perfection and she could
almost picture the muscles bulging
underneath every time he shifted in his
chair.
His face matched his body perfectly,
all cool contours and dark stubble. His
dark hair was brushed back, showing off
blue eyes as deep as oceans. He was the
total package.
And speaking of package…
Rose snuck a glance downwards.
Yes, he obviously had a nice one of
those too.
She shook her head slightly, trying to
bring her focus back. She couldn’t afford
to screw this up. Every event planner in
the city wanted this gig and he had
invited her to pitch to him.
Now here she was, sitting on the
other side of his rich mahogany desk.
She took in the wall-to-wall bookcases,
the gleaming black credenza, even the
smooth caramel leather of the guest chair
she was sitting in. His office was
luxurious, perfectly appropriate to the
heritage building it was located in.
And she was here by his invitation,
she reminded herself. She had one
chance to make a good impression.
“As I was saying,” she said, and
cleared her throat. What had she been
saying? God damn this man for being so
distracting. She would have thought
billionaire owners of real estate
development companies would be old
and stodgy, but this was the second time
this week that she’d been tastily
surprised.
“As I was saying,” she repeated. “At
Limelight Events we focus one hundred
percent on client satisfaction.”
Was it her imagination or did his
eyebrows shoot up just a hair when she
said that? Oh God. She really had to get
it together. She took another deep breath,
tucking her loose auburn waves behind
her ear.
Rose was young, just twenty-seven,
but she’d started Limelight on her own
two years ago, after digging herself out
of a very dark place. She might not have
a ton of experience — or apparently,
self-control — but she had passion and
drive and she was determined to get Mr.
Frost to see that.
“All of our events are designed to
make you, the host, look as good as
possible. We don’t want people to
remember us, we want them to
remember you.”
Well, there was no danger of anyone
not remembering Dylan Frost, so at least
if she got the contract she wouldn’t have
to worry about that.
God, she needed to get it together. It
had obviously been too long since she’d
been with a man. This was the second
client meeting in a week that she’d
almost bungled because she’d been too
busy drooling over a CEO.
Still, Mr. Frost looked pleased with
what she was saying, so that was a good
sign. The handsome man in the chair
smiled, steepling his hands together.
“Thank you, Rose. Great
presentation. As you know, Frost
Developments hosts one of the biggest
corporate charity events in the city, and
having everything go well is absolutely
paramount to me.”
His voice was like liquid honey, and
Rose found herself wanting to just close
her eyes and let it wash over her. She
tried to snap herself out of it. Pay
attention!
“While I was impressed with your
presentation,” he continued, “I have to
say that my decision will ultimately
come down to one thing.”
Rose held her breath. What was he
about to ask for?
“We will only hold the event at the
Fairmont Plaza.”
She almost laughed in relief. She had
hosted a number of events there and
knew the managers well at this point.
“Of course. Excellent choice — it’s a
beautiful venue. That shouldn’t be a
problem at all, as long as the date’s
free.”
“We’ll be holding it on June first this
year.”
Rose’s heart sunk. Not June first. Of
all the dates he had to pick … she had
literally just booked that date for another
client earlier this week.
“Is there any flexibility to that date?”
she asked hopefully. The look on Mr.
Frost’s face told her immediately what
the answer to that silly question was.
“None. Although formal invitations
have not started going out yet, we’ve
already had most of our top clients hold
the date. Their schedules are very busy,
as you can imagine.”
“Of course.” Shit. What was she
going to do? Her other client had been
equally adamant about holding their
event at the Fairmont Plaza, so she
doubted there was any way she could get
them to switch.
She knew there was no choice but to
tell Mr. Frost the truth. Maybe she could
sell him on another location. The
Westwood Gardens were beautiful in
June…
“Unfortunately, the Fairmont won’t
be available on that date. I actually just
booked it a few days ago.”
Mr. Frost’s face hardened, his ocean
blue eyes turning icy.
“For who?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Who did you book it for?”
She hesitated. She didn’t normally
give out information about clients, but
she supposed this information wasn’t
exactly confidential. He could easily
call the hotel and find out who had it
booked.
 “It was JS Acquisitions,” she
admitted reluctantly. “They’re having
their annual charity event there.”
Mr. Frost’s eyes blazed. He pounded
his fist on the desk. “God dammit, Steel.
I knew he’d do this.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Rose, do you mean to tell me you’re
working for Jake Steel?” The liquid
honey voice had gone cold.
“Yes,” she stammered. “Why?”
He leaned back in his chair and
laughed, though there was nothing
pleasant about the sound. “I should have
known. I should have fucking known.”
“I’m sorry?” Rose had no idea what
was going on, but it seemed like there
was more to the story than just a charity
event.
She had been shocked when both
Frost Developments and JS Acquisitions
had contacted her last week and invited
her to pitch her services for their
upcoming charity galas. Limelight was a
relatively new company, and up until
then the biggest event she’d put on was a
banquet for a used car dealership.
She had met with JS Acquisitions
first and couldn’t believe her luck when
Jake Steel had actually awarded her the
contract. It had really seemed like her
business was about to take off.
But now it looked like Mr. Frost
wasn’t going to want to work with her,
since she couldn’t deliver what he
wanted.
 But what were the odds of these two
big companies both wanting the same
date and the same venue? Something was
definitely going on here, but she couldn’t
quite puzzle out what it was.
Mr. Frost got out of his chair. He
paced the room. Rose stood up — he
was making her nervous and she didn’t
like him towering over her.
“Mr. Frost…” she started, and then
he was there, right in front of her. His
body mere inches from hers. His face so
close she could almost lean in and kiss
him. Her breath hitched in her throat.
Her skin tingled with his nearness.
“Listen to me, Rose, and listen good.
If you can’t get me the Fairmont Plaza on
June first, then you are useless to me.”
 She squeaked, involuntarily. She
knew if she tried to say anything she was
probably going to burst into tears. She
had had some bad client meetings in the
past, but this one was taking the cake.
Useless. There was an expression
that was good for the ego.
Yet shockingly, her heart still
pounded in her chest. Her body throbbed
at being so close to him. She couldn’t
believe how he affected her. He had just
fired her — or at least refused to hire
her — and still all she could think about
was how close his body was to hers, and
what it might feel like if it was even
closer.
She shivered, and a strange
expression crossed his face.
 “I think you should go, Ms.
Holloway. I don’t believe we have
anything more to discuss.”
Rose still didn’t trust herself to
speak so she simply nodded and
gathered her things. It wasn’t until she
was out in the hallway that she let out a
long shuddering breath.
She still wanted to cry a little, but
she felt more frazzled than anything else.
She felt like Dylan Frost had put a spell
on her in there, one that only broke when
she was finally out of his sight.
Perhaps it was a good thing they
wouldn’t be working together.
She shook her head. She was
disappointed about not getting the job,
but she couldn’t dwell on that. She had
still landed the other big job, so she
would just have to throw herself into that
one. Jake Steel was just as easy on the
eyes as Dylan Frost, and she had a
feeling working with him on his charity
event was going to be a fun assignment.
Still, she lingered in the hallway
outside Mr. Frost’s office for a few
minutes, pretending to check her phone,
half hoping he would come out and find
her there. She didn’t know why she
would want to risk running into him
again, especially after he’d been so rude
to her, yet she was reluctant to walk
away.
When it became apparent that he
wasn’t coming out anytime soon, Rose
sighed, tucked her presentation binder
into her handbag and headed out.
That was that.

ROSE REPLAYED her meeting with Dylan

Frost in her head the whole way home.
She hated to lose a potential new client,
but she was even more irritated that it
was because of something she had no
control over.
She usually tried to learn from her
failures but this time the only thing she
could say she learned was that Dylan
Frost was a God among men.
Funnily enough, she’d learned the
same lesson with Jake Steel earlier in
the week. Maybe her hormones were just
on overdrive this week, but she’d found
herself lusting after Mr. Steel during that
meeting too.
He was very different than Mr. Frost
— all blonde hair and green eyes and an
easy grin, while Mr. Frost, in
comparison, was dark and brooding and
apparently never smiled.
Two very different men, yet the heat
that had surged through her core during
those meetings had been the same.
God damn. Maybe her hormones
were going crazy. She shook her head,
trying to clear it.
Her car’s ‘check engine’ light
flashed and Rose cursed silently. It had
been lighting up on and off all week. She
thought it had gone away for good but
now it seemed to be back.
 She smacked the dashboard and
sighed. She was probably going to have
to take the car in after all. It was an
ancient beater she’d bought when she
opened her business; having a car was
basically a necessity with all the staging
and presentation stuff she found herself
lugging around, but this one was almost
as old as she was and she never entirely
trusted it.
She was relieved to make it all the
way back to her neighborhood, and
thrilled when she spotted a parking spot
just outside her apartment building. Rose
could parallel park like a boss — it was
one of things Danny had taught her
before she died, and she could still hear
his soft voice guiding her every time she
squeezed into a tight spot.
She parked the car with inches to
spare and headed up to her fourth-floor
apartment, lugging her presentation case
up the stairs behind her. She couldn’t
wait to just pull on her sweats and veg
out for the rest of the night.
Although a cold shower might not be
a bad idea first.
Inside her apartment, she took a
moment to relish the silence. She knew
some people would find the stillness of
the apartment oppressive, but she
welcomed it. Rose had always liked
living alone — and ever since Bryan
moved out, she liked it even more. She
liked being able to spread out her stuff
and work on Limelight business late into
the evening, with no one watching
television to distract her, no one trying to
get her to come to bed when she was in
her groove working on a presentation.
Of course she got lonely once in a
while, but that was just a natural side
effect of living alone. It was no different
than the fact that she sometimes had to
push a chair up against the counter to get
something off the top shelf because there
was no one else around to get it for her.
Being lonely was just a temporary
inconvenience, one that came in bursts
and would pass as soon as she had her
next big event to plan.
She knew Jake Steel’s event would
be more than enough to keep her
occupied for a few weeks. Yet as she
looked around her tiny apartment —
with the ivory walls and the midcentury
grey sofa and the blue and white rug
she’d scored from a designer’s discount
outlet — she felt something she couldn’t
quite put her finger on.
Restlessness, perhaps. Anxiousness
about the new contract, about her
intimidating new client. Her crazy
hormones again.
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t
loneliness.
And if it was, Rose was sure it
would pass as quickly as it had come.
 CHAPTER TWO

DYLAN

D ylan Frost paced his office. That

bastard. That fucking bastard.
He poured himself a glass of scotch
and drank it down. It did almost nothing
to take the edge off, so he poured another
one.
He should have known. He should
have fucking known. Jake Steel tried to
one-up him at every turn. Why should
this be any different? It had been this
way since high school. Dylan was
valedictorian, Jake was prom king.
They’d continued their rivalry all
through college, always warring over the
top spot in the class, over who could
bang the hottest or the most chicks.
Then they’d started companies in the
same industry, forcing them to compete
for business. Dylan had lost count of the
number of clients that Jake had lured
away from him — though he’d lured just
as many away from his rival. They were
evenly matched, which made them
dangerous. The fight would never be
over because no one could ever win.
Now this. A fucking charity gala. He
shook his head. There was no low that
Jake wouldn’t stoop to, apparently.
Well, he’d had enough. He picked up
his phone and dialed Jake’s office.
Jake’s secretary picked up.
“Give me Jake Steel.”
“Who may I tell him is calling,
please?”
“Tell him it’s the valedictorian from
Francis R. MacLellan High School.”
“Yes, sir, one moment please.”
Dylan waited impatiently, wondering
if Jake would even take his call. But
soon the line clicked on and he heard his
rival’s grating laughter.
 “Still valedictorian, eh? Well, we
couldn’t all be good-looking enough to
be prom king.”
“Valedictorian is based on verifiable
facts, Jake. Prom king was a bunch of
fucking pity votes.” He felt like an idiot
arguing about titles they’d held in high
school, but that was how crazy Jake
made him. He wanted to get in every
single jab he could.
“Well, what can I do for you now?”
Jake asked lazily. “I’m sure you didn’t
call just to reminisce about the past.”
Dylan clenched his fists, willing
himself to breathe deeply. The last thing
he wanted was to go off like a maniac.
He refused to let Jake Steel get the better
of him.
 “June first. The Fairmont Plaza.”
Jake chuckled. “Oh, you heard about
my gala, did you? I suppose I could see
about getting you an invitation.”
Dylan saw red. Blood red.
“That’s my date. My venue. You
know I always hold my Feed The World
fundraiser there.”
“Do you? I wasn’t aware. I just
thought it was the perfect time to do a
charity event for the city’s homeless.
You know there are people right here in
our very own city that need food too,
right?”
Dylan rolled his eyes, even though
Jake couldn’t see him do it. “Sad, Jake.
Now you even have to convince yourself
your charity is better than mine?”
 There was a beat of silence on the
other end of the line, and Dylan smirked,
knowing he’d at least scored one point.
“What do you want, Dylan?” Jake
finally said, sighing a bit too
dramatically.
“I want my venue back.”
“Sorry. I’ve already signed the
paperwork. I wouldn’t want to have to
forfeit my deposit.”
Dylan took a deep breath. This was
for charity, he told himself. He could
offer a small olive branch.
“I’ll reimburse you for your
deposit.”
But Jake only laughed. “Nice try, but
I don’t think so. My plans are already in
the works, thanks to my very efficient
event planner. That Rose, she’s a real
peach, isn’t she?”
Something in Dylan’s gut flared.
Hearing Rose’s name on his rival’s lips
— there was no reason for it to bother
him this much, but it did.
“How did you end up working with
Rose?” he asked, through gritted teeth.
“Just picked her at random out of the
yellow pages.”
“Sure you did.”
“God’s honest truth. But I’ll tell you,
buddy, I’m so glad I did. She’s quite the
fucking fox, isn’t she?”
Dylan gritted his teeth. He didn’t
disagree — in fact, it bothered him how
much he agreed — but he didn’t like
agreeing with Jake about anything, and
especially not about this. He pictured
Rose’s sweet curves, her dark eyes. And
then he pictured Jake putting his hands
all over her. Jake with his face buried
between her legs. Jake taking her from
behind, plowing his dick into her.
The images made his cock twitch,
even at the same time that they made his
jaw clench, his teeth grind. He tried to
force the images from his mind.
Unfortunately Jake knew him well
enough to know that his silence meant he
was getting to him.
“How long do you think it’ll take me
to fuck her? A day? Two? She’s pretty
into her little business so she might hold
out for a bit longer so that she won’t
look unprofessional.” He paused, as if
he was waiting for a serious reply from
Dylan. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think you don’t stand a chance
with a woman like Rose.”
“Is that a challenge, Frost?”
Dylan tried to unclench his fists. His
knuckles had gone white. What could he
say now? If he said no, Jake would think
he was afraid of losing. If he said yes …
there was that image again, of Jake
fucking Rose, slamming into her over
and over, while her tits jiggled, her
mouth opened in an O…
Fuck.
“Yes, it’s a fucking challenge. And
it’s one you’re going to lose. And once
you do, you give me my venue back.”
Jake laughed. “Raising the stakes? I
like it. You’re on, then. First one to fuck
her gets the plaza. Loser gets … well, I
don’t know. What would you like to
get?”
Dylan slammed the phone down. He
had maxed out on Jake Steel for one day.
Now he just had to get Rose back.
He picked the phone back up and called
her.
She answered right away. “Mr.
Frost!” He heard the trepidation in her
voice. Dylan had a momentary twinge of
regret at dismissing her so harshly
earlier. He just hadn’t liked the way she
shivered when he stood close to her. It
too closely mirrored his own feelings. It
had seemed safer for both of them to just
get her out of his office as quickly as
possible. Now it seemed he had no
choice but to bring her back into the
wolf’s den.
“Rose, I want to apologize for
earlier.”
“Oh!” The trepidation was replaced
with genuine surprise, and Dylan
winced. “That’s okay. I understand
completely.”
“No, no. I overreacted. I would still
like to work with you, if you’re
available. We can book the plaza for
another date in June.”
He didn’t mention the fact that he
planned to eventually trade this date
with Jake Steel, after he’d won his own
spot back.
“Thank you, Mr. Frost. That sounds
great. You won’t regret it.” Her words
came out in a tumble, and he had to
smile at her obvious enthusiasm.
“I’m sure I won’t, Rose. But one
thing.”
“Yes?” There was that hesitation in
her voice again.
“If we’re going to be working
together, you might as well call me
Dylan.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice sweetly
breathless, and he could almost hear the
smile in her voice as she said it. “Okay.
Dylan.”
He hung up the phone, feeling both
smug and a bit dirty. He was confident
he could win the bet — he’d felt the way
Rose had trembled when he stood close
to her, and he was smart enough to know
when a woman was attracted to him. He
just had to somehow get in there before
Jake did.
Dylan finished off the scotch he had
poured. He couldn’t believe that after so
many years, he was still at war with
Jake Steel. He couldn’t deny, though, the
thought of beating him at this particular
game was going to feel especially sweet.
Almost as sweet as nailing dear
Rose.
 CHAPTER THREE

JA KE

J ake almost laughed as Rose

nearly tumbled right into his
office. This was going to be like taking
candy from a baby.
Her hair had half fallen out of the
bun she was wearing, and one arm was
clutching a high pile of binders to her
chest. She pulled a hard-shell suitcase
behind her, one he assumed was stuffed
full of samples of some kind. He almost
wanted to tell her she shouldn’t have
bothered, that this wasn’t exactly the
planning meeting he had lead to her
believe it was. Why else would he have
set up a meeting for after hours?
He’d brought her here for one reason
only — to fuck her.
He’d brought her here so that he
could beat Dylan Frost.
Just thinking of his rival’s name sent
a spasm of irritation through him. Dylan
fucking Frost. They’d been at each
other’s throats almost as long as they’d
known each other, when Frost had
transferred to his school from another
one somewhere upstate.
The irony of it was that Jake had
spent the first few weeks after Dylan’s
arrival actually trying to befriend the
guy. Jake’s number one goal in life — at
least back then — was to make people
laugh, and he had been determined to get
this new stone-faced kid to crack a
smile. Almost a whole month and all his
best material later, Dylan had not even
come close to breaking his expression of
intensity. Jake had gotten increasingly
frustrated, then irritated, then downright
pissed off.
It had somehow spiraled from there.
Soon he couldn’t even look at Dylan
without wanting to punch the guy in the
mouth. And Dylan had done plenty in the
following years to stoke his rage —
from making out with Courtney Brand in
tenth grade to getting Jake kicked out of
the fraternity he was trying to pledge as
a college freshman, to stealing Jake’s top
client last year. He’d even caused Jake
to scratch his SUV one day when he cut
right in front of him for a parking spot
and Jake had to cut the wheel to the left
and ended hitting a garbage can.
Oh, he hated Dylan Frost. There was
no getting around that. So booking his
coveted spot at the plaza was a nice
victory.
Fucking Rose was going to be an
even nicer one.
 Jake reached out to take the binders
from her.
“Thanks.” She dumped the load in
his arms and he set them down on his
desk. She tried to straighten her hair but
too much of it had come undone, so she
yanked the elastic out and shook it all
down over her shoulders.
Jake’s cock twitched. Fuck, she was
beautiful. With her hair down, it made
that fact even more apparent. She was
short — petite, he guessed they’d say —
but she had curves in all the right places.
Allllll the right places. Gorgeous tits,
ass for days, hips you wanted to hold on
to. He wondered if he would take her
from the front, so he could see her tits
bounce while he fucked or, or if he’d
come in from behind so he could smack
that gorgeous ass. Decisions, decisions.
As she bent over to open her little
carrying case, he made up his mind.
Definitely from behind. Damn, that was
a sweet ass.
But as he pictured taking her —
grabbing her hips and slamming into her
tight pussy over and over — the picture
changed. There was Dylan fucking Frost,
getting his huge dick sucked by sweet
Rose.
Fuck. He couldn’t even fantasize in
peace without Frost stealing all the
glory.
He chased the mental picture from
his mind. It didn’t matter anyway. Rose
was here, in his office, and he was going
to fuck her tonight and win the bet. Easy
as pie.
“So I brought lots of samples, as
well as some photos of other events I’ve
done, but I thought we could start off
talking about some of the core elements
before we get too much into the nitty
gritty.”
Jake shook his head. “Huh? Oh,
sure.”
He made his way over to the cabinet
against the far wall as she started laying
the binders out on his desk. He took out
a bottle of thirty-year-old Glenfidditch
— his favorite — and poured them each
a glass.
When he handed Rose her glass, she
looked up in surprise.
 “Oh! I didn’t…” She stared down at
his hand.
“Take it,” he said, nudging it closer
to her. “If we’re going to have to work
after hours, we might as well enjoy it,
right?”
“Right.” She smiled and seemed to
relax as she took the drink from him. He
held his glass out towards her and she
tipped her own glass and tapped it
lightly against his before taking a sip.
“Here’s to new relationships,” he
said, with a smile that he knew had
melted many a pair of panties in the past.
Rose smiled back. She didn’t flinch
at the scotch as she swallowed, which
he had to admire. He liked a woman
who could take it like a man.
 Another image of Dylan came to his
mind again, unbidden. Specifically of
Rose sucking him off. He wondered if
she’d swallow so unflinchingly then. He
thought she probably would.
God, he had to get this bastard out of
his brain. He was going to ruin his game.
Jake looked down at his empty glass
and realized he’d downed the scotch
without even noticing.
While Rose sorted through the
sample books she’d brought he went
back to the cabinet and poured himself
another glass. He was going to enjoy
bedding her tonight, if only to get Dylan
fucking Frost out of his head.
Jake sat down in the leather chair
behind his desk. He felt powerful back
here, and that was how he liked it. He
steepled his fingers together, waiting for
Rose to be ready. When she finally
finished flipping through her binders, she
looked up at him and smiled. He smiled
back lazily. Sexily.
This was going to be so easy.
He let her prattle on for a little while
about the event. Budget, guest list, sit-
down dinner versus passed appetizers.
He nodded when he had to and gave
short decisive answers when needed, but
mostly he watched her. She was so
fucking cute in her earnestness. And
even though he was only half thinking
about the event, he had to admit she had
presented some good ideas. He let her
go on for a full half-hour before he stood
up and stretched.
“I need another drink. How about
you?”
Rose looked down at her drink
which sat virtually untouched on the side
of the desk. She’d been so enthusiastic
about her presentation that she’d
forgotten all about it. That only made her
even cuter to Jake.
“Drink up,” he said. He poured
himself another generous glass. He took
a sip and then went to stand behind
Rose. He leaned over her, under the
guise of looking more closely at her
sample books. He let himself brush
against her shoulder.
He heard her sharp intake of breath
and felt her freeze beside him. He loved
this part of the game. Like cat and
mouse. Would she stay and play, or
would she run?
He reached out his arm as if to touch
her, but only brought his hand to the
binders on the desk in front of her,
turning the pages slowly and brushing
against her each time he did.
“Very good ideas here, Rose,” he
said softly. “I’m very impressed with
you.”
“Thank you, Jake.” He saw her
cheeks flush and the hint of a smile crept
across her lips. Oh yeah. He was in.
He closed the sample book and set
his glass down and then brought his
hands to her shoulders. He felt her tense
immediately but he didn’t say anything.
He kneaded into her shoulders with his
hands.
“You’re a very beautiful woman,
Rose,” he said, as if the idea had only
just occurred to him.
“Thank you,” she whispered again.
He turned her chair so that she was
facing him, and then brought her to her
feet. She moved willingly but slowly,
almost as if she was under a spell.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking
about you,” he said, brushing her dark
locks out of her eyes. “Not since that
first day I met you.” Flattery would get
you everywhere, he knew, but in this
case it wasn’t a line. Rose wasn’t like
anyone else he’d ever met. There was
something about her that was so fucking
sexy, yet so innocent at the same time.
He would have wanted her even if he
had never made that bet with Dylan.
He took Rose’s face in his hands.
Her skin against his palms was so soft.
He wanted to feel the rest of her body
under his hands, the soft curve of her
belly, the full handful of her tits, her
creamy white ass. But he held his hands
there on her face, gazing into her eyes,
trying to communicate to her that
something was about to happen to both
of them.
It worked. She tilted her head up just
as he leaned his in, and then they were
kissing, tongues lashing, teeth knocking,
lips locking. His dick came alive,
straining against his suit pants. He
couldn’t wait to fuck her. But for now, it
was enough to kiss her.
Slowly he let his hands move from
her face into her hair. He knotted her
long locks around his fist and tugged,
tilting her head back further so that he
could devour her mouth. She moaned
into him, her breath coming in hot little
puffs, and he groaned. He wanted to feel
that hot little mouth elsewhere.
He moved his hands down, wrapping
around her waist, pulling her closer to
him. Her hands were in his hair now,
mimicking his movements and tugging at
his short blonde hair. Damn, she was
hot. He let his hands travel up her sides
until they came to her tits and then he
cupped them, letting his thumbs stroke
across her nipples, feeling them harden
into stiff little peaks, even through the
light silk of her top.
She moaned again and pressed her
body against his. He knew she’d be able
to feel how hard his cock was and he
moved his hips closer to her, let his
body grind against hers. She moved her
legs apart, giving him better access,
almost as if she wanted him to fuck her
right then and there.
What did he say, this would be like
taking candy from a baby. He moved one
hand away from her tits and let it travel
down over her hip and then back up her
thigh. He brought it between her legs and
drew it across her apex, groaning as he
felt how soaked her panties were. He
moved his fingers to where her entrance
would be, and pressed against her
through the thin fabric. She sucked her
breath and he pushed harder…
And then she broke away from the
kiss. He froze, hand still between her
legs but not moving, not wanting to scare
her off.
She looked at him with her eyes
wide. “What am I doing?”
“It’s okay. We’re both adults. We
both want this.”
“No. I work for you. It’s wrong.”
“It’s not wrong, Rose. You can’t tell
me this feels wrong.” He pressed his
hand harder between her legs. Her eyes
went hazy for a second and she sagged
lightly against him. He heard her breath
come in short pants and he pressed on,
fingering her through her wet panties.
She closed her eyes for a second, but
then snapped them open again.
“No,” she said. This time she
stepped away completely. “No,” she
said again, firmly. He wondered if she
was saying it to him or to herself.
She turned away and went to his
desk, snapping shut her binders and
frantically trying to stuff everything back
into her little suitcase. He moved over to
help her, but she brushed his hands
aside.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m sorry that
happened.”
She snapped the suitcase shut and
looked up at him. “I hope this won’t
affect our working relationship. I’d like
to continue planning your event.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Of
course. Rose, of course. I want you to do
it. What happened was …” He looked
away, deciding to take the high road.
“I’m sorry. It was my fault. I just find
you incredibly beautiful. I couldn’t help
myself.”
She gave him a faint smile, and then
wagged her finger in mock discipline.
“Well, don’t let it happen again, Mr.
Steel.”
Then she poked his chest gently. One
side of her mouth crooked up in a shy
smile.
“At least not until after June first.”
Jake grinned. It was still on.
IF YOU ENJOYED this free sample, buy
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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elle Everton writes steamy bisexual menage romance.

She likes red wine, coffee, cooking magazines, men
with stubble, crisp white sheets, and the snooze button.
She never met a dog she didn’t want to stop and pet.
She lives in a great big city with her husband, a dog,
and a cat.

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