"Plus, there's some of you and your date. I can't remember her name,” she finished.
"He probably doesn't either," Ryan quipped.
I remembered her name. Her first name anyway. I also remembered how I regretted bringing her as a plus one to my brother’s wedding in Thailand. I'd broken my one night only rule so that I could have a ready and willing woman with me during our stay there. But, of course, as often happened, when she got a taste of the lavish life that the Strong family offered, she wanted to hold onto it when I was ready to let her go on our arrival back to San Diego. It was a reminder that I had rules for a reason. One woman one night. That's it.
"You two stop trying to sell all this love-crap, and I'll stop reminding you all that it’s a bunch of bullshit. Love and marriage is for suckers."
Kellie’s brows arched in surprise.
Ryan had a single brow that rose. "Careful Hunter. You are precariously close to offending my wife."
I looked at Kellie and tried to be apologetic. "Sorry."
"Falling in love can be scary. It's definitely a vulnerable feeling, which I guess is similar to feeling duped or being suckered. But it is so worth it." Kellie grinned at my brother. He reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.
I rolled my eyes. "You guys should go get a room."
"Good idea. But first, what's up with the marketing deal?" he asked.
I sighed and picked up the crumpled letter. "Liz quit. She's like you - getting married and going off to living in wedded bliss in Fiji or something. That’s actually what her resignation says. Wedded bliss." I tossed the letter aside with disgust wondering if I could write her a not-so-glowing recommendation based on her use of “wedded bliss.”
"Is it the wedded bliss that pisses you off, or the fact that she's quit?" Ryan asked.
"Both."
"You’ve got a whole team of people, Hunter, surely some of them will be able to come up with something. But it had to be good. The best work you’ve done."
I looked over at Ryan wishing I was ten and could punch him. "You know you’re not the boss of me, right? We are all equal in this company. I know how to do my job."
Ryan held his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that, Hunter. It’s just we had to go through a lot to get this distribution deal in Europe and I wanted this to go off well."
I gaped at the both of them. "Well, lucky for you, I can do my job without fake marrying my assistant."
Ryan scowled. Kellie stood and took his hand, giving me a cheery smile that she soon gave to Ryan as well. "Maybe we should go. He can figure this all out."
"Yes, you should go and let me do my job." I waved my hands, shooing them out of my office.
I was relieved when they both turned and headed towards the door. Ryan exited before Kellie, but she turned back to look at me. "You know you should talk to my sister, Natalie. She's very artistic. Plus, I'm sure she could use the opportunity to expand her portfolio."
I gave Kellie a nod and said thank you, and then watched as she left my office shutting the door. I considered what she'd said. I met Natilie briefly at the wedding. She definitely was the artistic type. In fact, upon first introduction, I sort of regretted having brought a plus-one with me to their wedding in Thailand. Natalie was a looker, just like her sister, but in a very different way. She had her sister’s same round slate-gray eyes, and high rosey cheekbones. Kellie had long wavy brunette hair, but Natalie had a head of short wild curls that were some shade of purple. It should've looked ridiculous, but it hadn't. Natalie's mouth wasn’t quite as wide, but her lips had that perfect cupid bow shape making them perfect for cocksucking. The final difference was that whereas Kellie was more professional and tailored in her dress, Natalie wore wildly colorful clothes that were usually baggy, except during the wedding where she wore a dress that hugged her body like it was painted on. In fact, it was the image of her in that dress with this Cupid bow lips that got me off that night when I was fucking my plus - one date. See I was an asshole.
I considered Kellie’s idea for a moment, but then when I remembered how I fantasized about Natalie, I knew it wouldn't be wise to bring her on staff. I was a strong man, but I also was smart enough to know that I needed to stay away from temptation. I had a powerful libido that sometimes got the best of me. I kept in check by following strict rules, such as only one woman one night. Another important rule was to never hire anybody that I wanted to fuck.
2
Natalie
I finished putting on my eyeliner and stood back looking at the end result. I looked like a million bucks, I thought as I grinned at myself. I put my eyeliner away and ran my fingers through my thick large curls. They looked a bit wild, but it actually took a little effort to make them look like this.
I was excited for my date tonight. It was only my third date with Stephen, but the first two dates had gone so well I was eager to see where things went between us. He was sweet and smart and interesting. I'd been nervous about finding a date through a dating app, and to be honest, I was not quite sure why I signed up. I wasn't the type of woman to think she needed a man to complete her life. But now that my sister was married, it was a little lonely here in the apartment all by myself. And while yes I had girlfriends I could hang out with, seeing my sister Kellie and her husband Ryan, I supposed I had a longing for a love in my life as well.
Ryan was the perfect guy and I wanted to find one just like him. He had three brothers, but as far as I could tell, none of them were like him. Hunter was basically a horndog fucking any and every woman he came in contact with. At least that was what the gossip was. His other brother, Carter, I couldn't get a good read on, but he seemed too stuffy for me, so he was out. Noah could be interesting. He was the wild child, the black sheep of the family. But Kellie said Andi warned her about him, and didn’t think he was a good choice, so all the other Strong men were out. Hence signing up for a dating app and meeting Stephen.
If things went well tonight, maybe he'd bring me home and we could take this relationship to the next logical step. It had been a long time since I'd been touched by a man, and longer still since I’d been touched by one who really knew what he was doing. Stephen seemed to have confidence in all areas of his life, so surely he must be confident in bed as well.
I gave myself a glance in the full-length mirror at my ensemble. The slinky dress that highlighted my assets without showing too much skin, the cat eye makeup and my wanton curls. If Stephen couldn’t take a hint, he was going to be a lost cause.
I was just spritzing on some perfume when my phone rang with my sister’s ringtone. I picked it up and poked the answer button.
"Hey Nat, how are you doing?" Kellie's voice came through the line.
"You're interrupting my date prep routine."
She laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to let you know that there's an opening in the marketing department at Strong Incorporated that I thought you'd be perfect for."
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes my older sister could be like my mother, always trying to get me into a real job. "You know I'm not a corporate type." I was the epitome of the free spirit. Putting me in an office setting would be like trying to shove a round peg into a square hole.
"Yes, I know that, but this is a lead artist position that would have a lot of creative freedom. Plus it pays well."
Resentment bubbled up at my sister. I knew she meant well and was looking out for me, but I didn’t like that she was highlighting my financial insecurity. I wasn't making a living on my art yet and my job as a part-time barista didn't support me either. Now that Kellie moved out and was living with her husband, I couldn't afford the rent on our apartment, and I hadn’t been eager to find a new roommate. That meant, Ryan was paying the part of the rent I couldn’t afford. As much as I appreciated both of them and their support, I hated that I needed their help. He'd been nice enough to describe the situation as his being a patron of the arts and that I was to pay him in artwork, but we
all knew what it was. Kellie's little sis couldn't support herself.
"I’ll think about it," I said.
She let out a sigh like she didn't believe that I would. But in truth I was going to think about it. No, I wasn't a corporate type, but having a job that would allow me to support myself would be nice and I owed it to Kellie and Ryan to at least make an effort. Plus it could be something I could put on my portfolio, so it could be of benefit in the future. At the very least I could apply. It's quite possible I wouldn't get the job. While many corporate companies needed people who were artistic, they didn't usually like to hire people who were free spirits with purple hair. So I could submit an application and maybe I'd even get an interview, but when I didn't get the job I could at least say I tried.
"I'll submit my application tomorrow. I promise. Now go have fun with your husband so I can go have fun on my date."
Kellie laughed. "You've got a deal."
I met Stephen at the restaurant at the appointed time. As usual, he was already there. He smiled in that sexy way he did, and gave me a kiss on the cheek as we were led to our table.
"So, did you paint any naked people today?" he asked after he gave the maître d' our drink order.
I waved my hand dismissively. "You know, when you've seen one dick, you’ve seen them all," I said, joking.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "You think so?"
A tingle of sensation ran up my spine. Maybe tonight was the night I would find out. I didn't say that though. I didn't want to come off as being too eager.
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, I don't know. As body parts go, it's not the most beautiful."
"I suppose not," he seemed to agree.
"They say the size of a man's hands are an indication of the size of his…" I let him fill in the blank.
"No kidding." Stephen held up his hand to look at it. I looked as well, and while the palm was a decent size, his fingers seemed short and stubby. I wondered how much truth there was to that myth, and what that meant for Stephen’s dick.
Our waiter showed up at the table and I quickly perused the menu to find something to order. As I did, Stephen's phone beeped with the message. He pulled out the device to answer it.
He tapped away at something and then set his phone on the table, looking up at me. "Sorry about that. It's work." Stephen was an accountant which sounded really boring, but in fact he could regale me with all sorts of crazy tales about the way the rich spent their money and the nefarious ways they tried to hide it or scam the taxman.
We ordered dinner and chatted like we normally did, easily and on a variety of topics that made me even more eager to see where this relationship could go. After dinner we ordered more drinks and some dessert.
While we waited for them to come, I excused myself to go to the little girl's room. I rechecked my hair and makeup, and spritzed on more perfume. I tugged the bodice of my dress down just a little bit more so that maybe when I went back to the table, Stephan might get the hint about another dessert that was possible.
As I walked back to the table, his back was to me, his head down like he was checking his phone again. I slinked up behind him and bent over intending to whisper sweet nothings, or maybe sexy somethings, into his ear. My eyes glanced down to his phone screen and I realized that he wasn't responding to work. Not unless his work involved a woman exposing her tits to him.
I'm wet and waiting, Stephen, the text under her picture said.
My dick is hard for you, he texted back as he took a picture of the bulge in his lap.
"You son of a bitch!"
He jerked, turning back to look at me as he put his phone face down on the table.
"Seriously, you're sexting somebody else while you're on a date with me?" I couldn’t decide if I was more angry or more humiliated.
He gave a shrug as he looked around the restaurant. I think he was more worried about me making a scene and embarrassing him than having been caught texting another woman. "We're just having fun, right?"
I leaned forward and as I suspected, his gaze drifted down to the hint of cleavage I’d just created for him.
"I was willing to have fun tonight, but I don't do dogs." I straightened, grabbed the ice water and dumped it in his lap, hoping it shrank his dick. Unable to resist, I said, “Your hands are short and stubby anyway.” Then I turned on my heel, and left the restaurant as fast as I could.
As I drove back to my apartment, I decided I was more pissed than hurt, which was a good sign. It meant I wasn’t too into him yet. I was glad I found out about his cheating ways now before I actually fell too deep. It was a reminder that love like my sister and Ryan had was an anomaly. Over half of marriages failed and there was probably a significant number of those that didn't, that should. Wedded bliss and happily ever after was something sold by jewelers and florists.
It was time to return to my old way of doing things. Casually dating but nothing serious. I needed to focus on my work, on my career. There was no room in my life for love and it was time I stopped looking for it.
3
Hunter
Once I made my decision that I wasn't going to interview Natalie, I thought the issue was done and over with. I knew I'd probably have to bullshit my way through an explanation to Kellie and Ryan, but I figured I could do that by explaining all the stellar applicants we had for the position. But then as I went through all the applications, two issues arose. One was that the applicants were only so-so. The second was there was an application from Natalie.
God dammit. But I didn't immediately give in then. During one of the meetings that all my brothers and I had to discuss business, I brought up the fact that it would be inappropriate to consider Natalie for the position.
"She's perfectly qualified for the position," Ryan said. "She's done some freelance marketing work in the past, and she's extremely creative artistically. I think she would be a great asset."
"She's a part-time barista, part-time freelancer, and part-time artist. This job requires somebody that is looking to have a career, not somebody biding their time until they can finally stop being a starving artist," I argued.
"He has a point," my brother, Carter, said, who for the most part had looked indifferent until this point.
Still, I was eager for the support. I looked over to Noah, my ne'er-do-well brother who had his feet kicked up on the table looking bored. He shrugged in his usual indifference.
"We don't have time to fuck around on this," Ryan said, his voice getting terse. “We’re getting too close to launch in the European market.
I’d have thought that after a free fake Tuscan wedding and a weeklong honeymoon in which he fell in love with his assistant, he'd be in a better mood, especially where this European expansion was involved. The man who would put on this wedding and honeymoon, Christian La Mont, clearly liked Ryan, so why his panties were all in a bunch, I couldn’t figure out.
"There are plenty of people here that we could get involved right away,” I explained.
"This expansion is too important to have any sort of delay. Natalie is somewhat aware of it. She could at least get going, even if she doesn't intend to make this a career,” Ryan prattled on.
I scanned the table at my brothers hoping they would support me, but clearly they didn't care one way or the other.
"Gran put us in charge of each of our departments because we are the best at what we do. I am the head of marketing in this company and I would hope that you would all trust me that Natalie is not the best choice for this job."
"You just want to fuck her, don't you?" Noah finally spoke from his end of the table. “Not that I blame you, she’s hot.”
I shot him a deadly glare. Even though he wasn't wrong.
"Of course, the business has a rule about no fucking the staff, so if that's the case then he can't hire Natalie because if he did, then he couldn’t sleep with her."
Although I didn't like that logic very much. He wasn't wrong, and if it helped me get my way, I would go w
ith it. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but I did give a curt nod.
"Then again, that didn't stop Ryan from fucking his assistant, so maybe the rules are more like guidelines,” Noah finished.
I glared at him, hating that he was always such a smartass.
"I wish you'd grow up," I said to him. Regathering my thoughts, I decided to go with a new tactic before my other brother started asking me if I really did want to fuck Natalie. "The thing is, hiring Natalie would look like we weren’t fair in our hiring practices. It would look like nepotism."
Noah let out a loud laugh. "Look around brother. We are all here because of nepotism."
Dammit. Of course, he was right. We were all in our positions at the company because our grandmother had put us in them.
Not one to give up, I continued on. "She's only family by marriage. She's Ryan's sister-in-law."
Ryan's eyes darkened. "That makes her family."
The tension between Ryan and I grew tighter, thicker, but as I looked at my other brothers, they remained indifferent.
Ryan sat back and his shoulders relaxed a little bit as he rolled them. "Listen, it is your department. You do have to make the decision. All I ask is that you interview her."
"Why? Will your wife withhold bedroom games if I don't?" I knew it was an asshole thing to say but I was feeling ganged up on. I felt like he deserved it.
"No, because Kellie is a nice person, unlike some people at this table. But it is true that Natalie is family and the one thing that has always been important in this company is family. So, give her a fucking chance and if she doesn't work out, fine. But give her the chance." Ryan stood. “Now I have other work to do." He strode toward the door. My other brothers shrugged and stood to follow him out.
Giving In To Love: A Friends with Benefits Office Romance (Strong Brothers Book 2) Page 2