by J P Books
“Fiona?” I say after the shock clears enough for me to realize I know the woman inside the box, and the woman is my receptionist.
“You know her?” Harley screeches, making me wince.
“Fiona?” I repeat, staring stupidly into the box, still trying to figure out what’s going on.
She’s shaking her head, and mumbling something, refusing to come out of the box.
I look at Harley. “What is my receptionist doing in a box in our beach house?”
His face goes white. “Your receptionist?” he repeats.
He’s never met Fiona, but I’m now 100% sure that is who is cowering in the box. I nod my head.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” His eyes are wide with fear or regret and now he’s covering his mouth with his hands.
I still can’t figure out what’s going on. I know I’m missing something, but I just can’t put it all together.
“Can you please tell me what’s going on?” I say, trying my best not to sound harsh. “And Fiona, will you please come out of the box?” I take a step back, giving her space.
I can see her shaking her head again, and I look at Harley, at a loss for what to do now.
“How about you wait for us, Dex…in the bedroom.” Harley leans over the box and starts murmuring to Fiona. I can hear her answering back, but I still don’t know what’s going on.
I decide to let them work it out and wait for an explanation in the bedroom, as he suggested.
As I sit down on the bed, my brain starts to work again. I don’t like the thoughts that are coming to mind. The explanations I can guess at.
Had Harley brought Fiona here for me? On our anniversary? How did he know I’d been fantasizing about her? Was she here for sex? She popped out of a box wearing a dress that I can only assume Harley picked out for her. It has his sense of drama written all over it. The cake wrapping paper. The Marilyn Monroe dress.
What has he done?
But if he had brought her here for me, why was she hiding now? And why did he sound surprised that I knew her?
I need answers and I start to bounce my leg in frustrated impatience, waiting for them to come tell me what was going on.
After what seems like hours, Harley pokes his head into the bedroom.
“Harley!” I shout at him, not meaning for it to come out so loud. In a more controlled voice, I ask, “Will you tell me what’s going on now?”
“I didn’t know she was your receptionist,” he answers with his hands in the air as if that explained everything.
I shake my head, still not understanding. “If you didn’t know she was my receptionist, what is she doing here? How do you know Fiona?”
“I wanted to give you something special for our anniversary. Something you can’t have every day. Something I can’t give you.” He has a pleading look on his face. My heart goes out to him, I hate it when he looks unhappy, but I’m starting to see where this is going, and I steel myself against the emotional hold he has on me.
“You wanted to give me something special. So you got me a woman?” I ask, still thinking it sounds too ridiculous to be true, but unable to come up with another answer.
He just stands there, nodding his head and looking like a shameful puppy dog.
“And what, exactly, was I supposed to do with this woman who you didn’t know was my receptionist?”
He shrugs and opens his arms indicating anything and maybe everything. Then he gives me a sly smile.
I frown in reply. “What were you thinking, Harley?” I ask, stupefied.
“I’m sorry,” he sags. “I wanted you to have a night with a woman. It’s been 7 years, baby, and I know I can’t do for you everything that you used to get with your girlfriends. I just wanted to let you have one guilt-free night of passion.”
“A guilt-free night of passion? And what do you think all my nights with you are?” I ask. I don’t want to be hurtful because I know this gift has come from a place of love, but I can’t help but feel a little thrown.
“I know you love me, and I know we have great sex. But I thought you might want sex with a woman. And, I thought it might be fun for me to maybe watch or, I don’t know what. I just wanted to give you something different, that’s all. I didn’t know she was your receptionist.”
He looks so pitiful that my steely determination cracks and I put my arm around him. He wanted to watch?
“Harley, don’t you know by now you’re the love of my life. I don’t need anyone but you.”
“It’s not about need,” he says. “It’s just about sex. I know you love me, and I know I’m enough, but that doesn’t mean that there can’t be…supplementation, every now and then. It’s just another way to explore our sexuality together. It’s not about love, not with her or without me, it’s about sex.”
I know he’s always felt like there was a difference between love and sex, but I’ve always had a tough time separating the two. Sure, in my younger days I’d had flings, but in my core, I always enjoyed the sex more with someone I had feelings for.
And now Harley thinks I want to supplement. A pit is growing in the stomach. I have been lusting after her. Could he somehow tell? Is that why he organized this?
Or maybe he wants to supplement himself, and this is a way to set a precedent. “Harley?” I say quietly.
He looks up at me, still looking ashamed. “Do you want to supplement?” I ask.
“No!” His answer is too quick. He obviously sees the disbelief in my face. “No. This is not about me wanting other people. But I’ve only ever wanted men. I’ve never known anything different or wanted anything but a rock-hard cock to play with. And you’ve got the best cock on the planet,” he smiles at me with a semblance of his usual dirty charm.
“But it’s not like that with you. You used to love women. You only gave them up for me. I just wanted you to have an opportunity to remember what it was like to be with a curvy, soft, female body. I just wanted to give you something special.”
He looks so beaten that I believe him, and my heart softens fully. I pull him closely to me and stroke his face. “Oh Harley, I have no idea how to keep up with you. Thank you. For trying to give me something special. But you are as much special as I think I can handle.”
He chuckles into my chest and hugs me back. “She’s horrified.” He starts to sound guilty again. “She thinks you’re going to fire her now. This is all my fault, please don’t take it out on her, even though I know you never would, but please. I organized everything.”
While making up with Harley, I had sort of forgotten that Fiona was still out in the living room. How am I going to fix this, I wonder.
“Harley, will you make me a promise?”
“What kind of promise?”
“Buy me books for gifts from now on.”
CHAPTER 6
Fiona
I’m huddled in the corner of the couch with my head resting on my knees in a semi fetal position when the men come back into the room.
I want to crawl under a rock and die. Dexter. My boss. I just popped out of a box in a dress meant to suggest promiscuous, extra-marital sex for my boss.
This is so much worse than serving him at a country club.
When I can’t put it off any longer, I raise my head to make eye contact and take the consequences for my actions. I’m desperately fighting back tears.
“I’m so sorry.” My voice came out in a whisper.
Dexter sits down on the couch beside me and I put my feet down and straighten my dress. “I’m so sorry,” I repeat, having no other words to offer.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” he says calmly. He always sounds calm in a crisis. But I’ve never been the cause of the crisis before, and my heart is racing.
“I’m the one who’s sorry,” Harley joins in. “I never even considered the possibility that you’d know each other, let alone work together.”
Dexter clears his throat. “This was
all something of a misunderstanding. I’m really sorry to have made you so uncomfortable. I hate the idea of losing you at work because of this, I’m really not the kind of boss who tries to molest his employees.”
“Please don’t fire me,” I beg. I can’t lose this job. “I can act like it never happened, I promise I’ll be professional, and no one will ever know. I won’t ever say a thing.”
“I’m not going to fire you,” he says, with his hands up. “You’re the best receptionist I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine the office without you. I’d understand if it would be awkward for you to stay, but I don’t want to lose you. I promise I’ll be the picture of a perfect boss from this day forward.”
“Oh, thank you,” I breathe a sigh of relief. It probably will be awkward, but not as awkward as telling my landlord I can’t pay my rent and getting myself evicted.
“I swear this is the first time I’ve done anything like this, I’m not a hooker or anything like that. I just…” I don’t know how to explain myself to him. What is he going to think of me now?
“Fiona, don’t forget that my husband is the one who arranged all this. You have nothing to be embarrassed about, though I have a feeling all three of us are going to keep apologizing to each other if we can’t move beyond it. I’m not entirely sure what Harley had planned, but how would you like to join us for dinner and drinks? The restaurant has the best lobster on the planet and I’m sure they have enough wine to help us all drown our humiliation.”
I nod, not sure what else I can do. I know I have the driver’s number but calling him now and running away might make things even worse come Monday morning.
It might be better just to eat, drink and find a way to laugh about it. Oh god. How is this happening?
The three of us walk silently to the restaurant, which is only about 3 minutes away.
We smile at each other awkwardly as the host welcomes us and shows us to our table. Harley orders a bottle of wine before even sitting down.
As soon as the server leaves, the silence descends on the table.
This is worse, I decide. I should just find a new job and never face Dexter again.
As if he can sense my downward spiraling, he smiles at me and his husband. “Well, this is better, isn’t it? Awkward and silent in public is much better than awkward and silent in a tiny beach house.”
Harley snorts and I can’t help but chuckle myself.
The server comes back with our wine. I try not to chug it, but I’m so glad when Harley says, “Better bring another right away, thank you.”
“Alright then, you two. Let’s chat it out. Harley, how about you tell me how you came to meet Fiona?”
My cheeks are flaming by the time his explanation about Sugar Daddy and our coffee date is out in the open.
I’m blushing furiously, but something of the ease and comfort I felt when I first met Harley comes back. He’s just so darn likable. And the man can tell a story.
Even I laughed out loud when he came to the bit about me grabbing my boobs in public.
“I’m not one to judge anyone else’s relationship preferences, but I have to admit, I’m a little surprised that you’d be looking for a sugar daddy. You have all the men at the office wrapped around your finger. Or maybe that’s part of the appeal, in a date?”
And the focus is back on me suddenly, and I’m ashamed of myself all over again. But I guess he deserves an explanation, now that we’re all in this predicament together.
“I’m not,” I start saying. “Not really into sugar daddies, that is. Or at least, I don’t know if I am. I’ve never done it before.”
I take a deep breath and decide to tell them everything. It can’t get more embarrassing than this.
“I broke up with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. It was well overdue and a huge relief. I finally felt like myself again, you know? I wanted to try something new. Let loose a little. Only he stole my savings and lost it all in Atlantic City so if I wanted to try anything, not to mention feed myself and pay my rent, I needed to find a way to make a little extra cash. I don’t normally use men for money, but I figured if I met someone who got a kick out of spoiling me, what’ve I got to lose? Sugar Daddy just sort of checked a lot of boxes. And when I met Harley, he seemed so perfect! How could I not want to meet his husband? I had no idea it would turn out like this.”
I finish abruptly. Staring into my wine. Cheeks on fire.
“I think she likes me,” Harley says, making me smile again, despite my discomfort.
“You be quiet, cheeky man.” Dexter chastises him, but I can tell they love each other. If I wasn’t so horrified, I’d enjoy seeing them together. They’re adorable.
I had always assumed Dexter had a wife, but now that I see them together, I can’t imagine him with anyone else. They just look right.
“Fiona, I’m so sorry about how this turned out, but I’m glad you told me. If I’d know you were struggling, I’d have thought about some way to help you out sooner. How about you come see me at work on Monday? I’m sure I can find some more responsibilities that merit a pay raise. You really are the best receptionist I’ve ever had, and I want to make sure you always feel secure. I don’t want you looking elsewhere just because you need more money to survive. We’ll figure something out.”
I feel tears prickle behind my eyes. I don’t trust my voice, but I give him a meaningful look, hoping he can intuit how grateful I am.
“For tonight, let’s put the surprise behind us and pretend we’re just three friends having a lovely dinner together. This place does have the best lobster in the world. I hope you’re not a vegan.”
“Oh god no,” I blurt out, thankful that the subject is on safer ground and I don’t have to worry about the seriousness of this situation until Monday. “I love meat.”
Harley snorts. “That’s usually my line,” he says and winks at me.
For the rest of the dinner, the conversation is light and easy. I’m seeing a new side to Dexter that I had no idea existed.
I’ve always thought he was gorgeous and very competent, but tonight he’s funny and kind of sarcastic. And Harley is quickly becoming my favorite person on earth.
I always thought it was cliché in movies where girls always wanted to have a gay best friend, but if we had met under different circumstances, I would want Harley to be my gay best friend.
He’s a hilarious blend of dirty and diva. I secretly think that people who can come up with one-liners in a blink are the best kind of people, and Harley keeps them coming all night long.
By the time we’re draining the last drops of wine from the third bottle, my sides are aching from all the laughter. When I had been huddled in mortification on the couch earlier this evening, I never would have believed the night would turn out this fun.
“Oh my god, my sides hurt! This has been the best ab workout I’ve had all month.” I grin at my companions.
“I hope the night’s not over yet,” Harley says with a new note of meaning in his voice.
Instantly, the energy at our table changes. I’m not sure how to respond.
“We’ve got more wine at the house,” Dexter adds. The way he looks at me sends a thrill straight to my core. I can feel a new warmth spreading through my body that has nothing to do with the wine.
I nod, looking from one man to the other and seeing that they’re both feeling what I’m feeling.
Oh god, now, what am I doing?
CHAPTER 7
Harley
This is happening! I’m nearly giddy with relief that things seem to be turning out ok. I thought I’d be served with divorce papers when I found out Fiona was Dexter’s receptionist.
But dinner had been a complete hit. You can’t go wrong with lobster and fine wine. I’ll have to remember that the next time I get myself in a bind.
Fiona is perfect. If I was straight, I’d ask her to marry me on the spot.
Dex couldn’t take his eyes off her all nig
ht. She’s just his type like I had hoped.
And in other ways, she’s just my type. The sassy pants had me in tears all night long, I can only imagine what she’d be like to work with. A distraction, to say the least.
Now that I know her, I can put into context some of the comments Dex has made about his receptionist over the past year. She’s got all the boys at the yard on a short leash, from what I can gather. And I can see why.
She pulls you in, seeming all sweet and coy and innocent, and then she drops a whammy on you. I’m sure she would have no trouble turning her cheek and charm to a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude at a moment’s notice.
I’d like to see that, I think. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end, but I’d like to watch some poor fucker squirm.
I might get to watch Dex squirm tonight if we all get lucky.
The more I watched the two of them tonight the more I wanted to see them together. They have natural chemistry. If dinner had been in private, I think they would have happily eaten off of each other’s naked bodies.
Mental note, for a future date. That sounds delicious.
As we walk home, I let the two of them amble along beside each other. It’s cute to see how many reasons they can find to touch each other. Her hand lightly grazing his arm, his guiding her along with a touch on the small of her back.
As soon as we’re close enough, I dash inside and have a bottle of wine open before they even get their shoes off. That might be because she can’t work the strap on her new shoes, so he gets down on his knees and helps her.
This is definitely happening.
I’m not sure we even need the wine.
“Should I pour?” I ask, and then add, “Or would you two like to just go get naked?” Why bother beating around the bush? We’re all feeling it, there is no denying what’s going on here.
Dexter gives me a little frown but doesn’t say anything. I know he loves my crass, but he’s always on me to add a little more class when we have company. He looks at Fiona.
He’s still on the floor, looking like he’s about to worship her legs. Or what’s between them. She looks down at him, heat in her eyes. It’s the ultimate vision of romantic.