by Ebony Olson
"Well…" Darius frowned and winced at the sharp look in Warren's gaze. "That will not be a problem."
"No," Warren grumbled. "I am not losing her. Business takes priority over your dick. That’s what you have always said to us."
"I resigned, Warren." I focused on taking a slice of pizza. "The night before we got together, I resigned. I was actually in the process of moving out, and was all but out the door when Dare stopped me."
"Why?" Warren looked at Darius angrily.
"Because Dare and I couldn’t be alone together. As soon as we were, we would want to tear each other's clothes off, and, since that wasn't an option, we would fight," I explained.
"For you," Darius interrupted. "That was not an option for you. I always intended to tear your clothes off, employee or not."
"And that's why I couldn't work for him anymore." I rolled my eyes.
"But, it’s all cleared up now," Warren appealed. "You know how you feel about each other, so you can come back to work tomorrow."
"No," Darius sighed. "Mora will not be involved with her boss. Therefore, working for me is not an option. Marshall Blake offered Mora a job, so she will take that."
"Oh, will I?" I looked at Darius with raised brows.
"Yes," Darius answered evenly. "He is a good boss and I do not need to worry about him trying to seduce you. He also has a very strong moral objection to sleeping with employees."
"Gross." I looked at Darius, disgusted. "I'm into older men, Dare, but I also apply the rule that if you can breed them, you don't screw them."
The men started chuckling. Darius patted my leg under the table. "My point remains."
"Yes, well, unfortunately for your plans for my life—thanks for asking me what I want by the way—I've already told Alex I won't be taking the job." I turned back to my pizza.
"Why on earth not?" Darius squeezed my leg as his body became tense. "It is a good, high-profile job, Mora."
"Dare." Zander made warning eyes at Darius. "Blake Industries is in the upper portion of Blake Tower. That is a lot of stairs to run up and down when needed."
Darius looked at me, surprised. "You turned down Marshall Blake all this time because of your claustrophobia?"
I sighed. "Partly. Look I only became an E.A. to help Alex out when he and Stuart started Horizon Marketing. I never intended it to be a long-term career."
"Then why take my job offer?" Darius looked confused.
I swallowed. "Because it was you."
Warren laughed. "You took the job because you were attracted to him, but then your no boss policy prevented you from acting on it?"
"No." I blushed. "I wanted to get to know him." I looked at Darius. "When people talk about you, they use the words brilliant but cold, professional but distant. They are in awe of you, but at the same time, no one talks about you quite like they do Marshall Blake. I wanted to know if you had changed that much or if you were pretending the night I met you."
"Wait, you remember that night?" Warren jumped in.
"You know about that?" I asked, shocked.
"We are Dare's best friends, Mora," Zander explained. "We knew about you the very next day. Who do you think he had trying to track you down?"
"So, why did you pretend you didn't know him?" Warren asked curiously.
"Mora wasn’t sure I remembered her, so she played it cool that day at Horizon's," Darius explained. "By the time she realized that I was very aware who she was, she was working for me and her morals made a relationship impossible, so she let it be."
Zander closed his eyes as if pained.
Warren hid his face in his hands. "Seven months you two have been dancing around each other, pissing each other off, just because neither of you had the guts to say 'hi, remember me? We got drunk and fucked once?'" Warren scowled.
"I wasn't drunk," I murmured.
"Yes!" Zander yelled. "I knew you were not that sort of girl." Zander looked to Warren. "You owe me ten grand."
"What?" I asked, appalled.
Warren cursed, "When Dare told us you were a virgin the first time, Zander and I assumed Dare got you drunk. Why else would you lose it on a one-night stand?"
"Then when we met you," Zander grinned, "I changed my mind. I told Warren you were not the sort of girl to get drunk and sleep with some random guy. Warren still would not believe it, so he bet me ten grand you were drunk."
I rolled my eyes. "I was seventeen, Warren, and the barmen were all very aware of my age and whose daughter I was. No one was going to give me alcohol."
"I offered to get you a drink." Darius cocked his head. "You refused it."
I laughed. "My father was standing right behind you when you did. You should have seen the look you got. I think he was ready to clobber you one. Why do you think Alex was sent to cut in? Dad knew exactly what you were playing at."
"You speak as if your father knew me well." Darius laughed. "I do not even know the man."
I swallowed. "Well..." I opened my mouth to admit he did, and let Darius know Marshall Blake was my father, but Zander cut in.
"Please," Zander chuckled. "Warren and I could tell a mile off you were planning to get under her skirt. Why do you think I pulled you aside at the bar and told you to check her ID. I thought for sure she was jailbait."
"You also told me that if she happened to be underage then I should take her to France for the weekend," Darius smirked.
"France?" I asked, confused.
"Legal age is fifteen." Darius winked.
Zander shrugged. "She was a hottie. I did not say you should pass up the opportunity. And, if you had flown her to France, for sure she would not have run out on you in the middle of the night."
"Was a hottie?" I scolded Zander.
He put his hands up in surrender. "Yes. Now you are a very sexy and beautiful woman. I much prefer you now, in all honesty."
I flushed. "I think we've discussed this enough now."
I opened the pizza box, taking another slice. I then pushed it into the middle of the table, letting the men know I was happy to share. The three of them jumped on it like they were starving.
"So,” I said to the brothers. “Tell me about your Christmas."
Chapter Five
"You look stunning," Darius’ sleepy voice came from the bathroom door.
I looked at him in the reflection of the mirror while I finished the final touches to my makeup. He was still naked—we'd spent the entire weekend naked. I'd left him sleeping in bed, after another mind-blowing sex marathon, to start getting ready.
Darius pushed away from the door and sauntered toward me. "I have changed my mind. You should stay home and wait for me to call tonight. You look too good. Men are going to look at you."
I chuckled. "I will be wearing a dress. It should take some of the attention away. Plus, I now have not one, but three, gorgeous male escorts. No one will notice me next to them."
Darius’ hands slid around my waist. "It was good of you to invite Warren and Zander along with you. I feel better about it."
I smiled. "Alex likes them. It will be good to have their company." I started packing up my makeup as Darius’ hands cupped my breasts through my lace demi bra. "Don't start. I am not doing my hair and makeup again." Darius pushed his erection against my bum. "Dare," I gasped.
"You are not leaving this house without my scent all over you," he breathed in my ear.
"We've had sex how many times today already? Consider me marked. Anyway," I stepped away from him and to the side as I turned toward the door. "You don't want to wear yourself out before the wives suck your dick, do you?"
"What?" Darius looked at me, surprised.
"The private function you are going to tonight is with your swingers’ club, right?" I met his eyes.
"How did you know?" Darius’ brows jumped in surprise.
"The cufflinks." I pointed to the wardrobe where his clothes were hung ready for him to dress. "You always wear the same cufflinks whenever you meet with one of the swinger
s couples. I'm guessing it's the club’s emblem."
I watched Darius cock his head as if he'd underestimated me. "Yes."
I nodded. I'd really done well picking Jasper as my lover. It meant I'd already had years of training in this sort of relationship.
"Well, have a good night." I forced a smile. I walked out to the wardrobe to put my dress on.
Darius rested himself in the doorway to the bathroom, watching me. "You cannot be upset about this, Mora. You knew about the group when you got into this."
"Oh, I'm not upset about that. I just would prefer you to be upfront about you spending the night having another woman service you." I turned and smiled at him over my shoulder. "Just so you know, I wouldn't expect you to service me after I've been serviced by another, and that consideration works both ways."
Darius’ eyes turned hard. "Are you telling me that if I let another woman give me oral sex, even if I do not ejaculate with her, you will refuse to have sex with me?"
I looked at him, blinked, then made sure I held his eyes when I replied, "That is exactly what I'm saying, Dare." I turned back to the mirror and put my jewelry on.
Darius looked pissed. "And you had this same rule with Jasper Jones?"
"Yes," I answered pointedly. "The only time it did not apply is when I agreed to a threesome."
Darius looked ready to hit something. "You were also free to take lovers when you were with Jasper. Are you expecting the same in our relationship, Mora?"
I took a deep breath to stop myself from overreacting. I collected my clutch purse from the wardrobe and shut the door before turning to face Darius. His eyes traveled over the purple velvet dress I wore. The material clung perfectly to every curve, and I knew I looked smoking hot in it.
"It's called equality of the sexes, Dare." I kept my voice neutral. "What is good for the gander is good for the goose, too. You want to have married women suck your cock. Fine. You want to travel with a female escort who will give you happy endings. That is fine, too. I'm not above having a massage with a happy ending myself."
I met Darius’ hard gaze head on with my own. "I am not some ‘50s housewife, Darius. If you are allowed to fool around, so am I. I love you, and I will make sacrifices for that. I will fight to have you in my life, but I will not sit at home, raising your children, while you blow your load all around town. Don't you dare tell me I must accept it because I knew you were a swinger when I entered this relationship."
I turned on my heel and marched to the bedroom door. "Happy New Year, Dare," I grumbled as I walked out.
***
"Are you going to tell me what is annoying you?" Alex asked loudly while we danced on the dance floor.
Warren and Zander were next to us, but both were currently engaged by women dry humping them. I shrugged and closed my eyes, feeling the music flow through me.
"Come on, Mora. I know you well enough to know something pissed you off. My guess is that something is Darius Rafal." Alex gave me that look; the look older siblings tend to have when they think you are being reckless.
I looked over Alex's shoulder and saw Jasper talking to the barman. "Jasper's here," I called to Alex and made my way off the dance floor toward him.
Jasper saw me coming and smiled as I approached. "Man, you are a sight for sore eyes, baby," he murmured as he wrapped me in a big hug, holding me closer and tighter than he had in a while.
I stepped back and looked at him properly. "What's happened?"
Jasper sighed. "Never could fool you, baby. Come to my office." He took my hand and turned, leading the way to the back stairs, which would take him up to his office.
Once inside, he shut the door and the heavy beats of the dance music disappeared. Without asking, Jasper grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to me before sitting down on his black suede sofa. I smiled, remembering all the times I'd done a lot more than sit on that sofa with him. Jasper patted the seat next to him and I sunk down into it.
"She left me, again," he announced clearly. "Took the ring I put on her finger just over a week ago and left me for some banker. Turns out, dating that banker is what caused her last marriage to end as well. He left her for some young thing a month before we reunited, but he turned up last week, wanting her back. She did not even bat an eyelid saying goodbye to me."
"I'm sorry, Jasper." I put my hand on his leg.
Jasper shrugged. "I cannot believe I carried a flame for her all these years. Maybe I needed this to happen so I could finally understand she was a bitch, and that I should move on."
I squeezed his leg understandingly. The moments Darius had been an absolute asshole over the past seven months, I'd wondered if I'd got him all wrong. Thankfully, the good moments outweighed the bad. Plus, I knew I'd caused half of the arguments.
Jasper touched my cheek, bringing his mouth to mine. He kissed me tentatively. I pulled back gently.
Jasper sighed. "I should have known if I let you go someone would pick you up quick enough." He stood up and moved away, leaning back on his desk to talk to me. "Darius Rafal, right?"
"How'd you know?" I asked quietly.
Jasper snorted. "You should have seen the look in his eyes when I told him we'd broken up months earlier. I suspect that's who you hooked up with on your birthday, who you were with in Germany?"
I nodded.
"Why didn't you tell him we'd stopped seeing each other?"
I exhaled, long and hard. "I was trying to keep it professional. Fighting, actually. He was determined that wasn't going to be the case."
Jasper tapped the desk, obviously thinking hard. "So, is it a monogamous thing with you two?" Something in the way Jasper avoided my eyes told me he knew damn certain it wasn't on Darius’ part.
"I don't know what it is. I just know how I feel," I answered honestly.
Jasper nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. "I want to say something to you, but, in this situation, it could be misconstrued as words of jealousy, or that I’m saying it out of selfishness. It isn't. It is what I feel in my core to be the truth."
"You don't approve?" I asked sullenly.
Jasper stood straight and met my eyes. "I care about you, Mora. Always have, always will. If you had shown signs of falling in love with me, I might have developed stronger feelings myself, but we both gave our hearts to another before we ever met." Jasper walked to the window that looked out over the club floor. "Darius Rafal will break your heart, Mora."
I swallowed. Nearly every man I trusted had said the exact same thing to me. Marshall said it six years ago when he saw me dancing with Darius. Alex had said it, and now Jasper. I felt a single tear escape my eye, and I swiped it from my cheek.
Jasper turned to face me. "But you already know that, don't you?"
Could I deny the hesitation that I'd been feeling since Darius re-entered my life? No. "I love him, Jasper. I have from the moment we met. I've fought it for months now, but I need to give this relationship the chance it deserves. What if he is the love of my life, the one I'm meant to be with, and I don't give it a try?"
I fidgeted with my hands. "Even if he's not. If he does break my heart, at least I tried. I can close that door and move on, knowing I gave it everything I could."
Jasper looked so forlorn. He closed his eyes and turned away again. "It will kill me to see you hurt like that, Mora."
I stood up and put my hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for the optimism, Jasper." I let my hand drop and turned for the door.
Jasper caught my wrist and looked at me with those sad eyes of his. "We promised we would always be upfront and honest with each other, Mora. It is why we worked for so long."
I stepped into him and kissed his cheek, lingering while I spoke. "You've taught me a lot, Jasper. In the bedroom and out. One of the things I learned, was what needs to happen for a relationship to survive. I value your honesty, and I trust you implicitly. I'm just asking for you to have hope for me."
Jasper blew out a breath. He took my face in his hands and looked
into my eyes. After a moment, he smiled. "He is the luckiest son of a bitch to get you, Mora. He will never deserve you in my eyes, but I envy him that you love him. I want this to work for you. I want you to find happiness, and love, and that fairy-tale ending that we all truthfully want."
"Thank you." I smiled. "Was that so fucking hard?"
Jasper grinned. "No." He took my hand and placed it to his groin. "It definitely made me hard." Jasper flicked his eyes to the couch. "One for old times’ sake?"
I shook my head with a wicked smile. "Friends only."
"Fuck friends?" Jasper negotiated, moving his body against mine.
I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back a few steps. He went easily, a chuckle freeing his smiling lips. I was glad to see him smile.
"I'm going to go bring in the new year with my brother and friends." I moved toward the door. "Are you coming, friend?"
Jasper rolled his eyes, "Not the way I'd prefer to be coming, friend."
He laughed at the exasperated look I gave him. He slipped his arm around my waist and walked me out to find my group. The new year was ten minutes away. We found Alex first and nestled ourselves into a huddle, counting down the new year as the seconds passed.
Strong arms spun me around as midnight arrived, and I smiled excitedly, thinking Darius was going to surprise me. I swallowed the disappointment when Zander lifted me off my feet into a tight bear hug. "Happy New Year, Mora. May it be your best yet."
Warren followed that up with a brash hug, grope, and kiss. Zander removed his brother from me before he got carried away. I almost got drunk on the fumes of Warren's breath. Alex hugged me then kissed a random girl next to him. I turned around to hug Jasper and found him playing tonsil hockey with a woman. I let him enjoy his new year.
***
I waited thirty minutes after midnight, checking my phone every five minutes. By the time one o'clock rolled around, I was sitting on the train heading home. There was no point staying at the club. The boys had all hooked up, and I'd stopped enjoying myself by the time I was checking my phone every minute for even a Happy New Year from Darius.