by Gia Star
“The risk is a little too great to ignore for the sake of a power play, Owen. There are plenty of other people you can amuse yourself with.”
Owen thought for a moment. “And what happens if Marty tries to sue us for wrongful termination?”
“I think we could plead our case well enough before it got to court,” Oliver said. “Just tell him the truth. She’s too much of a distraction and rather than let ourselves be tempted, we respect him enough to let her go with good recommendations before anyone got hurt – why are you looking at me like that?”
Owen’s eyes were locked onto his now. “Ourselves?”
Oliver rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh.
“So, you like her too,” Owen asked. “Is that why you’re so eager to get rid of her? Think you’re going to fall prey quicker than me?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Oliver said a bit dismissively. “She’s still Marty’s daughter and I don’t want to deal with the consequences of that.”
Owen put his drink down and came closer to his brother. His eyes shown with a new interest.
Oliver shook his head, knowing he wasn’t going to like this.
“Tell me what you like about her,” Owen said in a hushed tone.
“It’s not important.”
“Come on, now,” Owen pushed, getting very close. “I’ve told you what I like. It’s only fair.”
“I don’t think I need to point it out,” Oliver said. “It’s plain enough for anyone to see.”
Owen shook his head with amusement. “No, I want to hear you say it. You like to play as much as I do, Oliver. But I haven’t heard you suggest dismissal for someone you actually like before. Just how bad is it?”
“Not as bad as yours, I can assure you.”
Owen circled around behind him. “Have you been picturing her in your head? You thought of that new outfit to compliment her features, you must have gotten a good look at her shape.”
Oliver stared blankly ahead as though bored.
“And you would have had to undress her in your mind to get rid of all that beige.”
“Are you trying to get me to change my mind?” Oliver asked flatly. He raised his drink to his lips, but Owen’s hand closed around his, stilling it just in front of his mouth.
“She drinks Classic Roast, she says. Wouldn’t that be something, to coax her out for a hot drink on a chilly evening? To keep the contrast of the fresh heat on her lips with yours against the cold?”
Oliver’s jaw tightened with agitation. Owen lowered his voice to a whisper and spoke into his brother’s ear. “I’ve run my fingers through her hair, Oliver. It feels as marvelous as it looks. Wouldn’t you like to feel it too? Pressed against your body as you held her tight?”
“Owen…”
“Don’t you want to see that strong resolve crumble? That determined arrogance to give way to surrendered bliss? Oh, the resilient ones are always the most fun to break, aren’t they?”
Oliver’s breath shuddered a bit before he could stop himself.
“When professional ‘Mr. Jones’ turns into breathless pleas of ‘Oliver. Oliver!’”
“Stop!” Oliver pulled away from his twin, “This isn’t right, we shouldn’t be doing this. And you know it.”
Owen’s smile grew bigger. “That makes it even more thrilling.”
“Owen, we can’t. Not to Marty.”
“He doesn’t need to know.”
“How do you expect to keep something like that secret?”
“I doubt they’re still living together, Oliver. She’s in her twenties.”
“And what about her?” Oliver asked. “What if she’s not open to the idea?”
“Oh, one can only hope.”
Oliver glared at him. “Owen, stop that.”
The elder brother rolled his eyes. “Relax. I wouldn’t force myself on a woman, you know that. But I would make it near impossible for her to resist.”
Oliver shook his head again.
“Relax,” Owen said, coming closer again, more sincerely. “It’s not like we’d bag her by tonight. That wouldn’t be any fun. We’ll have time to feel this out.”
“We?” Oliver looked up at him. “You want to share her?”
“Of course,” Owen said. He laughed a little at the look he was getting. “Did you think I would just keep her all to myself?”
Oliver’s expression fell and Owen’s humor disappeared. “Oliver,” he stepped right up to his counterpart. “I would never steal something you wanted from you. You know I wouldn’t.”
“I know,” Oliver said very quietly.
“Look at me,” Owen turned his head to meet his eyes. “Never.”
His eyes searched his brother’s, and his gaze became much softer. “There is nothing more important -”
“I know,” Oliver cut him off.
“And you know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do -”
“I know, Owen,” Oliver said, giving his brother a weak smile. “It’s alright. I understand.”
Both Owen’s hands found the sides of his head. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do,” He turned his head to face the other directly. His eyes turned sympathetic and he placed his hands over his brother’s. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Chapter Five
Lori worked for several hours before Owen’s office door finally opened. She’d become so focused on her assignment that she’d actually forgotten that both of them were in there.
She looked up as Oliver came out, and he turned to her.
“How’s it coming?” he asked.
“Going good,” she said. “I’ve filled in more of the categories I wrote up before -”
“That’s great, listen,” he interrupted. “Owen’s still in his office and he’s bound to be for some time, he has a lot to go through. So, I don’t want you disturbing him, understand?”
She was a little taken aback.
“If you absolutely must knock on the door, knock on mine.”
“Oh,” she said, “Alright. Sure.” She watched him head toward his own door. “Is everything alright?”
“He’s fine,” Oliver said. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.” He closed his door behind him, leaving her in the stillness of the empty room.
Well that was weird. Lori looked toward Owen’s office, wondering if something had happened. She hadn’t heard that kind of authority from Oliver before. It was almost like they’d switched places. Her agitation immediately flared at the thought. Was that their next game? Trying to confuse her as to who was who? Her fingers typed a little harder than she meant to as the idea ran through her head. But somehow, it didn’t last. Though they were certainly capable of doing such a thing, somehow, she felt sure that was really Oliver. And something about what he’d said sounded too sincere to doubt. So, what was the big deal then?
Did they have a fight? Was Owen’s temper too hot to handle right now and he just needed to be left alone? She wasn’t sure. And she didn’t find out for several more days.
As before she brought in the four coffees for each of them, left them on the waiting table with new name cards, and got to work. The brothers arrived, muttered good morning and went to their respective offices. When she’d finished inputting all the data from the numerous files of paperwork, Lori found herself at a bit of a loss. She recorded phone messages but left them on the desk in a neat pile until one of the twins came out. Aside from that, there was very little to do. And she didn’t like it.
The following day, she received a new outfit to wear, but didn’t see any sign of the bosses all day. She tried knocking on the doors, but neither answered and both were locked. She went downstairs to the main desk on her lunch break to ask if anyone had seen them, and the receptionist said that they wouldn’t be coming in today. Lori might not have minded if she’d had some heads up, although it still didn’t seem like a terribly big deal.
And the day after that, she was feeling particularly u
nwell and hoped she wouldn’t see the men all day. It was the first day of her cycle, which was always the worst. Despite preparing for it, making sure she was fed and that she’d taken some aspirin for the cramps, she felt much moodier than usual and she didn’t like it. Emotional outbursts were something her father always frowned on, regardless of the cause. And Lori felt that the building stress of not knowing what this rambunctious pair wanted from her would spiral out of control if they decided to mess with her again. Thankfully most of the day was quiet, but she had very little to keep her occupied and the time was taking forever to pass by.
She took a few phone calls, and even felt adventurous enough to call a few numbers from the contact cards on the walls. But still, she didn’t feel any better.
When she did see Oliver emerge from his office for a drink at the water cooler, she spoke up.
“Mr. Jones, can I please speak with you?”
He said nothing but turned around to look at her, his perfect face waiting for what she had to say.
“I would really appreciate if you gave me some sort of assignment to do. This paper pushing is a complete waste of time. There has to be more that I should be taking care of.”
“You think so?” he asked quietly.
“I get that you and your brother are playful and you probably get a kick out of messing with your receptionists, but I had thought you’d at least be able to keep me busy. I hate sitting around and doing nothing.”
Oliver smirked. “You’re Marty’s daughter, alright.”
She frowned a little but let it go. “So, is there something you could assign me to do?”
“Like what?”
She shrugged. “Like… I don’t know. Anything. What do you do in your office all day? Isn’t there something I could take off your hands for you?”
“You still haven’t figured out what to do here?”
“No,” she answered. “There’s no information anywhere, and the papers you gave me are dated years ago, and several of the contacts that are filed aren’t even in business anymore.”
He quirked a brow. “How do you know that?”
“I tried calling several of them. The numbers are either out of service or they’re different companies now.” She felt heat rising in her face again and she hoped she didn’t sound very whiny. “I want to take this seriously, but it’s looking more and more like just a giant farce. I don’t’ understand why you can’t just give me a job to do, tell me how to do it and then let me show you what I can do.”
“Do you think you’ve earned that?” Oliver asked.
She stared at him for a moment. “Yes. Don’t you?”
He shrugged.
“I’m here willing to do the work, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t give it to me.” She said. “Is this about the coffee thing? Did I cross a line somewhere that made you and your brother mad? If so then I’m sorry. I was just trying to –” She stopped herself and tried to swallow the emotion swelling inside of her. She knew there was no real reason to be upset, yet she was having a hard time feeling that way.
“To what?” Oliver asked.
Lori took a deep breath and answered calmly. “I just want to be a good employee. I know I can do better than this, but not if you don’t give me some direction.”
“Hmm,” Oliver took a few steps to the side and she worried he was going to disappear again, but he sat in one of the waiting chairs, eyes glazed over in thought. “Have a seat, Bennett.”
She took a seat opposite him and waited. Oliver took some more time to think before looking her in the eyes. “Humor me for a second.”
“Alright.”
“What would you say if it turned out this was all a farce?”
She studied his face, wondering if he was being serious or not. “Which part?”
“All of it.” He gestured all around him. “You being here, these offices, our business. Us.”
Lori felt a headache coming on and tried to think through it. “I think that’s ludicrous and a waste of everyone’s time. Mine and yours.”
“Not if it’s fun,” Oliver said.
“Are you actually having fun?” Lori asked. “You both stay locked up all day and I never see or hear any hint that you’re enjoying yourselves. Not since that first day.”
Oliver’s face remained blank.
“I even thought that you might have cameras hidden somewhere, watching me to see when I’d lose my patience. But I don’t think that’s what’s happening either.”
“So, what do you think is happening?”
“I think you’re not telling me everything. I think there’s more going on, but instead of including me in it, you’re just keeping me here to feel empowered over someone.”
He narrowed his eyes a little. “Why would we do that?”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know alright? And these questions aren’t getting anywhere.”
“Your answers would,” he said. “But you don’t seem to be thinking clearly.”
“I’m not,” she admitted, massaging her temple. “I don’t feel well today.”
A moment of silence passed.
“Do you think this place is really a farce, Bennett?”
“This place, I couldn’t say. I know you and your brother have money, because you’ve supported my dad for years. And he wouldn’t work with you for this long, through all of your fooling around if he didn’t see something to respect about you.”
“Have you spoken to him about this?”
“Not really,” she said. “I had hoped I’d have more to tell him then just punching in old information into a computer and playing phone tag between three linked offices.” She sighed again. “I think you do have some sort of business going on, whether it’s actually yours or your family’s. But I don’t think it has anything to do with what I’ve seen here so far. That’s my answer.”
Her eyes glazed vacantly across the room. Oliver let his eyes move down her slender frame, to the exposed legs crossed beneath her skirt.
“And if I didn’t give you any further work for a while, but still wanted you to come in,” Oliver said, “Would you do it? Or would you quit?”
“Quitting would be tempting, I won’t deny it,” she said. “But I’m not a quitter. I would just have to find work for myself to keep me busy until either of you instructed me to do something.”
Oliver watched her for another moment before making a decision. “How would you like to help me with something tomorrow?”
She looked up.
“Maybe that will help you fill in some of the gaps for yourself.”
“What do you need help with?” Lori asked.
“You’ll see. But if you’re interested, then don’t bother booting up your computer tomorrow. I’ll meet you here and we can go from there.”
“Alright,” she said. “Same time?”
“Same time.” Oliver got to his feet and headed toward his brother’s door.
Chapter Six
Lori met Oliver in the office the next morning, noticing he looked much more tired than usual, though it didn’t detract from the fact that she still found him undeniably attractive.
“Alright, let’s get going,” he mumbled. “The car’s waiting outside.”
“Are you alright?” Lori asked.
He nodded with little enthusiasm. “Didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Oh,” she puzzled over this, hoping it didn’t have anything to do with her. She didn’t really see how it could.
“Listen,” he said after the car departed from their building, “I know it’s usually the best method to ask a lot of questions in situations like these. But do me a favor, and try to learn as much as you can from observation, alright?”
“Sure,” she said. She tried to start by identifying what seemed off about him. He looked tired, sure, but more than anything he looked distracted. A couple of times, he glanced her way and saw her looking at him, but he kept his attention out the window.
“Y
ou get along with your dad?” Oliver asked out of the blue.
“Yeah, well enough,” she answered.
“What about your mom?”
Lori shrugged. “I don’t see her that much. She’s an electrical engineer in the Air Force, so she’s busy a lot.”
Oliver hummed in thought. “She’s never seen battle though?”
“No.”
“That’s good,” he said quietly. “Hopefully, she never will.”
She glanced at him again, wondering where this was coming from.
“Anyone in your family see battle?” Oliver asked.
“I think my great grandfather did, but I don’t know much about it. Why? Do you have family in the military?”
Oliver shook his head. “Just wondering.”
“Are you interested in joining?” Lori asked.
“Definitely not,” he said. “I just wonder how people come back from seeing such horrible things.”
Lori furrowed her brow and leaned forward a bit to see him better. “I know it’s not my business, but if there’s something you want to talk about, I’d be happy to listen.”
He didn’t respond. His eyes weren’t even following anything they passed out the window. Ultimately, he gave a hint of a chuckle and replied, “Thanks. That’s nice of you. But I’m fine.”
They arrived at a building that was much larger than the one Lori was working in. It looked more like she expected the twin’s company would look from the outside. Inside was gloriously decorated, and the front desk was run by three women with a much nicer demeanor than the ones Lori had first been introduced to.
They greeted both Oliver and Lori with smiles as Lori followed her boss to the elevators. The building was humming with many people coming and going. In the elevator, Oliver yawned and inspected his face in the mirrored walls. Lori said nothing.
Once outside, she noticed Oliver immediately greeted people with a warm smile and a pleasant, albeit quiet tone. He introduced Lori in passing, saying she was here to learn and assist him for the day.
“Pay attention as much as you can,” he said to Lori.
After that, he hardly spoke to her except to tell her to follow him places. They spent a lot of time riding the elevators up and down to different floors. Throughout the day, people came and went with progress information and updates to give Oliver.