by Krista Wolf
And then doing it for them.
It was a strange relationship, no doubt. But the important thing was, we’d kept in touch. Corey and Brody had opened The Underground, which was a kickass name for any lounge really, much less one located in Las Vegas. I’d helped them with the signage, the branding, the publicity of their launch. Everything had gone famously, from the chicness of the modern re-design to the B-list actors and actresses Mason dragged down there intermittently, over the first few weeks.
I wish to hell I could’ve gone. That I could’ve been there not just for the celebrity, but for the excitement of their overall success. The guys were busy for a good five or six solid weeks, and there were times I didn’t hear much from them at all. But once the smoke cleared, the initial craziness died down, and the two of them settled into a nicely proportioned routine? They came at me with a vengeance… and promised me unspeakable things upon my triumphant return.
That part always put a lump in my throat. Thinking about seeing them again. About being held in their strong arms, crushed against some soft mattress by the weight of their broad, naked chests. I wanted to kiss them, taste them, have them ravage me any way they wanted to. Mason would come up, we’d already decided. We’d make another entire week of it.
All of these things barreled through my mind, like a dirty little freight train on its daily run. They distracted me. Kept me from succumbing to the mind-numbing politics of daily office life. In fact—
I jiggled the knob to my office door again, making sure the key was inserted properly. Actually, the key only fit half way. The other half wouldn’t go in…
Maybe it was bent, I thought to myself. Or maybe the lock had something jammed in it.
I tried it again. Shook the knob violently, while trying to—
“Lauren…”
I glanced up, and there was Noelle. She was off to the side, crouched down near one of the cubicle walls. Like she was taking cover from a bombing run or something.
“Hang on,” I said, still annoyed. “I need to get in my offic—”
“That’s what I’m trying to say,” she hissed, even lower than before. “It’s not… it’s not…”
Like a ghost, Lilith materialized out of absolutely nowhere. I saw Noelle’s whole face go ashen white. She cringed as our boss walked up behind her.
“It’s not your office,” said Lilith, with more than a little satisfaction. “That’s what she’s trying to tell you.”
I looked up again, and rolled my eyes. Of course it was my office. It was exactly the same door I’d always—
“It’s not your office,” Lilith repeated, “because you don’t work here anymore.”
Her words didn’t register, at least not right away. When they finally did, it was like a punch to the gut.
And then there it was, the wry smile. The little smug look of satisfaction, as she said the words:
“You’ve been fired.”
Fifty
LAUREN
I wandered the rain-soaked streets of New York in a daze, somehow unable to put two coherent thoughts together. I was utterly shattered. Totally blindsided, by what had just happened.
Fired…
Lilith’s words echoed hauntingly in my mind. They came with such satisfaction, too! Such unbridled joy, and a pleasure she wasn’t even trying to hide.
She’d wanted me to come to her office. To ‘explain the dismissal’ and to sign a few forms. I’d wanted to rage at her. To flip over her desk and tell her where she could shove the forms of my exit interview, or whatever the hell she’d been trying to accomplish.
Instead, I’d done something even worse. I’d cried.
That part made me the most angry, now that I was out of the building and down in the street, going over the whole thing in my mind. I’d lost it… right there in front of her. In front of everyone, really, but it was giving Lilith the satisfaction of seeing me lose it that really made my blood boil.
For the first half hour, I’d sobbed uncontrollably. No less than five passers-by had stopped to make sure I was okay, and that was a pretty decent percentage considering the general impassivity of the New York streets.
After that I’d made some calls…
I didn’t even know who I called, or why, or what I’d said. All I knew was that I’d cried into the phone on each retelling. That I’d poured my heart out right there to friends, to family, to anyone who would listen… even leaving voicemails I could only cringe now, thinking about.
Worst of all I pictured Lilith’s twisted smile, as she’d said the words. Noelle’s look of horror and helplessness. She’d tried to tell me. I’d even had text-message warnings from her, sent minutes before my arrival, only I’d been too busy daydreaming to even check them.
Somehow I found the coffee shop. I stumbled through the door dripping wet, still bleary-eyed and half-blind from crying. I had an umbrella, but it had been in my office. Or rather, my former office…
“Hey hey hey…”
Two arms went around me, pulling me close. Holding me tightly against a warm, soft chest.
“I got you.”
I sniffed hard and looked up, right into Bella’s smiling face. Her eyes were glassy and sad and full of compassion. She’d been crying too, just looking at me.
“Over here,” said Bella, guiding me like a wounded soldier. “I got us a table in the back…”
My friend walked me to the most secluded seat in the little coffeehouse, and I went gratefully. I felt better almost immediately because Bella knew the drill. She knew exactly what was needed in every situation, regardless of how tough, or how overwhelming. She was thoughtful and caring and always kept her cool. But Bella could be fiery also, and she knew how to kick unholy amounts of ass.
“You can sit here and say nothing if you want to,” she said, sliding a piping hot cup of coffee my way. “Or you can tell me what happened. It’s entirely up to you, Lauren. Take it at your own—”
“I got fired, that’s what happened,” I said needlessly.
“Yeah, but—”
“Lilith!” I practically screamed. “She just… she just dropped me! She siphoned off all my important work and transferred my clients and—” I stopped halfway, realizing the obviousness of it all. “Holy shit, I’m so STUPID!”
A dozen or more people looked my way, raising more than a few eyebrows. Like a good friend, Bella whirled and delivered a look of such withering contempt they all went immediately back to minding their own business.
“I’m such a fool,” I said, lowering my voice. “A total blind idiot, to not have seen this coming…”
Bella moved next to me in the booth. She took my hand in hers.
“What did your boss say?” my friend asked. “What was the reason for—”
“No reason,” I cut her off. “None. Zero. Zilch.”
“Well… she can’t do that.”
Her words threw me. For the first time I actually started applying logic to the situation.
“Wait… what?”
“She has to have a reason for firing you,” Bella went on. “She can’t just do it because she doesn’t like you personally, or because you copped an extra week of well-deserved vacation time. Especially when you were entitled to it.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” Bella said angrily. “Unless she has some documented proof of insubordination, or you not doing your job, or…”
I lost focus as she went on, listing all the reasons why I should still be working at the firm. Still be working for Lilith. And maybe it took that outside realization, that moment of cool clarity, to finally understand something about myself:
I didn’t want to be working for Lilith. Not even the smallest, tiniest bit.
Hell, I didn’t even want to be working for the firm anymore, either.
“… in any case,” Bella went on, “she’s not allowed to just cut you loose like that. She can’t terminate you without cause.”
I had no idea what excuses the com
pany might’ve made for terminating me, nor did I care. It would be all bullshit anyway. But beyond all that, I was overcome with this incredible sense of relief and freedom. Like my hands had been tied for a long time without me even knowing it, and now suddenly, they were free again.
“You could retain an employment lawyer,” Bella was saying excitedly. She was ramping up now, gaining in speed and momentum. “Open a wrongful termination case against them. Sue for thousands, tens of thousands, maybe even…”
“Or I could just go independent. Open my own firm.”
The words just tumbled out. For a few seconds, they didn’t even have meaning.
“You could… what?”
“I could do my own thing. Take on clients individually. Start my own company.”
Bella was staring back at me in absolute astonishment. It took her a second or two to pick her jaw up off the floor.
“Y—You can do that?”
“Sure I could. I mean, I’ve always wanted to,” I realized absently. My anger was long gone now, along with the sorrow, the embarrassment, the humiliation. Even the resentment I felt for Lilith was subdued, swept away by the surging wave of a thousand exciting new ideas…
“Maybe this is a good thing,” I said, grabbing my coffee. I felt rejuvenated, without even having had a sip. Totally re-energized.
“Maybe this is the push I needed.”
Fifty-One
LAUREN
The rest of my day was a rain-soaked blur, filled with cab rides and impromptu meetings as I ran all over the city. I pulled every string I could, to talk to some very high level people. In the process I cashed in a lot of favors, too.
Luckily, I had favors to cash in. One of the benefits of enduring sixty and seventy hour work-weeks was that a lot of people owed me their attention when I finally needed it.
What I wanted to do was feasible. And not just feasible, but probably destined to succeed. The more I dove into what I’d need to set up my own firm, the more I realized I should’ve been doing this all along. Considering my work ethic and the sheer number of contacts I’d made over the years, I was almost an idiot for having stayed where I was.
Hour by hour, the memory of this morning faded away. The shame, the humiliation… the punched-in-the-gut feeling of losing my job. I could still see Lilith’s smug, homely grin, only now it made me laugh instead of cry. It made me anxious to get started on the path to destroying her, dismantling the empire I’d originally built for her client by client, piece by piece…
… and then rebuilding for myself.
The great thing about being terminated was that it released me from my non-compete clause. That part was in my contract, added by one of Rob’s lawyer friends years ago when I signed on to the firm. Most of my clients were signed on through the firm, but when their contracts were up they were fair game. They knew my face well; I’d become virtually the point of contact for everything on most accounts, and best of all they loved me for what I’d done for them. I could easily list a dozen I could pry away, as soon their obligations to the firm elapsed.
As for right now, I’d make do with what I could scrape up. A few accounts were operating on a piecemeal basis with no active contract, and I could steal those straightaway. I was on the verge of making new ones too, and I could now direct those people straight to my budding new firm.
By the time I arrived back at my apartment I was soaked to the bone. I wasn’t cold, though. I was flushed with heat and energy — filled with an unbridled enthusiasm I hadn’t felt in years.
I peeled off my work outfit, dropping the rain-soaked garments right in the middle of the living room floor. It was past sunset, and I hadn’t even eaten. I’d been too motivated. Too determined to finish everything I—
Knock knock.
I was still toweling off when I paused, halfway to the door. I couldn’t answer it like this! Still, I could at least see who it was, and—
Glancing through the peephole, my heart stopped. Then I screamed, scrabbled with the chain, and flung open the door.
“OH MY GODDDDDD!”
Brody and Corey stood in my doorway, each holding a small duffel bag. They wore tight shirts and even tighter jeans. Their faces had been solemn, but upon seeing me they cracked into huge smiles.
“You’re HERE!” I screamed, throwing myself into Brody’s arms only because he happened to be closest. “OH MY GOD YOU’RE ACTUALLY HEEEEERE!”
I kissed him hard, with enough force and passion to nearly knock him over. His strong arms went around me. His hands settled under my ass, to support my weight.
“You’re HERE you’re HERE you’re HERE you’re HERE!”
I planted a dozen or more kisses all over his face, his neck, his nose and chin. Then I climbed into Corey’s arms — somehow without touching the floor — and started kissing him too.
“How did you—” I choked. “Why did you, I mean…”
“We got your message,” said Brody, “and it didn’t sound good. So we packed a few things. Jumped on a flight.”
My heart soared. “You jumped on a—”
“Last minute deals dot com,” Corey chuckled. “Wasn’t bad, actually. We only have three days, but—”
I kissed him again, so hard we nearly fell back into the hallway. Our tongues found each other, and began dancing familiarly.
“Uh… maybe you should ask us inside?”
Brody’s words caused me to look, and there was Mrs. Dodge, standing across the hall, staring at us from her own doorway. I could only imagine what she thought.
“Probably a good idea,” I chuckled. Throwing Mrs. Dodge a knowing smirk, I shoved them through the door and slammed it closed.
Once inside, I started kissing them again, one after the other. They looked every bit as amazing as always. My hands roamed their bodies, my fingertips coming alive at the memory of every hard curve, each ridge of muscle…
“I can’t fucking believe you’re here…” I murmured into Corey’s mouth, while running my hand up Brody’s shirt. Already I was tingling all over.
“Yeah, well you had us worried!” said Brody. “That phone call… you were hysterical this morning. And you said you lost your job. And you said—”
He jumped as my hand slid over his chest, my fingers toying with one big nipple. I turned and began kissing him again, my eyes pregnant with heat and lust.
“I uh…” he stammered as my hands unbuttoned his jeans. “I guess you’re… feeling better?”
“Much better,” I whispered, sliding my hand inside.
I felt him uncoil immediately at my touch. My cold hand closing over his warm, swollen member provided a contrast that had him stiffening almost instantly.
“And even better than that,” I murmured, reaching to pop Corey’s button with my free hand. “Now that you’re here…”
I unzipped them both, then slid to the floor. From my knees I looked up at them hungrily, yanking their jeans down around their ankles.
“Holy shit Lauren,” Corey chuckled.
“You don’t know the half of it,” I laughed back. “Trust me. I’ll tell the both of you all about it. But first…”
Brody was closest again. I rolled his boxers down and unslung his cock, which unfurled and stood at attention like some glorious flag. I stared at it for a moment, licking my lips. Remembering it, before opening my mouth to swallow him whole.
“MMMMMMmmmmm….”
He groaned hard, falling back with a rattle against my apartment door. I couldn’t believe they were actually here! Right here in my place, right here in my apartment…
“God I’ve missed this,” Brody sighed, his hands sifting through my rain-soaked hair. His friend reached out and pushed it to one side, so he could watch.
I blew him for a minute, but not longer. Then I switched to Corey, who I’d already been stroking and manipulating. I took his even thicker cock down my throat, two, three, four times. Then, abruptly, he lifted me to my feet.
“As much I love that�
��” he growled, pulling me face to face with him. “We came here to make you feel better.”
His arms slid down, cupping my ass through my rain-soaked panties. And then suddenly I was in the air, twisting around. Thrown over one big shoulder, as Corey began traversing the living room.
“Which way is your bed? It’s time to do some damage to it.”
I was still dizzy from kissing and spinning. Somehow I pointed and giggled.
“Thanks for answering the door half-naked by the way,” Corey grunted. He clapped one big hand tightly over my ass. “That’s going to make this even easier.”
Fifty-Two
BRODY
We’d screwed Lauren lots of times, both together and alone. We’d taken turns on her. Shared her ravenously between us, and also with Mason, and beyond.
This night though… this night was different. This time we made love to her, in the warm darkness. Pierced her to the very core in her own bed, while the rain pattered against her apartment windows and lightning flashed across the sky.
Three whole months we’d been without her. It was three months way too long. I could barely contain myself as Corey threw her onto the bed, spreading her legs and burying his face between her luscious, familiar thighs.
He devoured her hotly while I held her down, pinning her wrists to the bed and kissing her while I waited my turn. I couldn’t wait to taste her again. Couldn’t wait to feel her thighs clamp down around either side of my head, as her excitement grew to unstoppable levels.
We’d flown clear across the country to cheer her up, not fulfill our own needs. In other words, we’d come here strictly for Lauren’s benefit. Somehow though, she was in pretty amazing spirits — especially considering the phone call we’d gotten this morning. Somehow, she’d rallied.
Still, that didn’t mean we weren’t here to make her feel good.
I watched her writhe beneath Corey’s oral ministrations, his tongue working magic between her legs. He absolutely devoured her. Made her whimper and cry, causing her to moan into my mouth as I covered her lips with mine. Her body was still a bit cold, from the rain. She was warming up though as I lay beside her, pressing as much of my hot skin against her cool flesh as possible. The transfer of body heat felt amazing. She felt amazing.