by Lisa Bilbrey
“Oh, please don’t.” Sadie smiled. “They’re lucky you were here.”
“That’s what I told them!” he exclaimed, grinning. “Anyway, they should be along in a few minutes, but we can go ahead and get started.” Samuel took a seat at the table and opened his binder, pulling out a stack of papers. “Now, I’m assuming that since you’re here, that you’ve agreed to my terms?”
“Yes, sir,” Elle said.
“Ugh, don’t call me sir. It’s Samuel. We try to keep the work environment around here relaxed,” he insisted. “As long as we’re respectful of each other, there isn’t a need to be formal.”
“Okay, Samuel. Yes, we agree to your terms,” Elle replied.
He nodded and slid half the papers in front of him over to Elle, and the other half to Sadie, but before he could speak again, the door to the conference room opened. Looking over her shoulder, Elle’s mouth fell open when she saw Callum and Derek stroll into the room like they were meant to be there. The men looked from Samuel over to Elle, stopping in their tracks when they spotted her and Sadie sitting at the table. With the way their eyes popped open, it was clear they hadn’t expected to see them sitting at the table, either.
“Callum, Derek, thank you for joining us,” Samuel said, standing up and gesturing to the two men. He turned back at Sadie and Elle, both of whom were flabbergasted. “Elle Reid, Sadie Williams, this is my son, Callum Davis and his friend and business partner, Derek Flores.”
It wasn’t until Callum cleared his throat and shifted his eyes to his father that Elle realized Samuel had been speaking to her. Pushing her chair away from the table, she stood up, thrust a shaky hand toward Callum. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Ms. Reid.” Callum smirked as he wrapped his fingers around hers, and Elle could feel her cheeks warm. He shifted his eyes over to Sadie. “And you, Ms. Williams.”
“Call me Sadie.” She stood up. “And the pleasure is mine. Ours, actually.”
“I was just about to explain the details of their contracts,” Samuel stated, drawing attention to the fact that he was still in the room.
“Of course,” Derek said, moving around the table and choosing a chair across from Sadie.
Callum followed his lead, sitting it the seat next to him and across from Elle. The women shared a look before they returned to their chairs and tried to figure out what was going on here. Callum and Derek worked at Davis Architecture and Design? Callum was Samuel’s son? And Sadie and Elle had slept with them. Trying to calm her racing heart, Elle dropped her hand into her lap, clenching her fingers into a tight fist. One night spent with the men of their dreams and now their careers could be over, all because she and Sadie had seized the moment.
“As you know,” Samuel started, drawing everyone’s attention to him, “I am offering your company thirty percent of the commission my firm will be bringing in for the project, which works out to be about two and a quarter million dollars, give or take. It all depends on how well we are able to stay on schedule and budget. Now, on top of the commission, I am offering you both a ten percent bonus if the work is done by the deadline. The contract states that we have six months to get our plans finalized and approved by the zoning committee. Then, we have a year to get construction completed on at least two-thirds of the houses. If we can manage to achieve that task, we both will make a hefty paycheck. Of course, all of this is pending the developer’s approval of your plans, but I don’t think Gabriel Alvarez will be a problem.” Samuel leaned back in his seat once he was done. “So, what do you say? Are you in?”
Elle picked up the contract, pursuing the information laid out in black and white. The offer was more than generous, and they would be paid a salary along with the commission and bonus, but could she and Sadie work at Davis Architecture and Design given the fact that they’d slept with the men sitting across from them? Sighing, Elle shifted her eyes over to Sadie, who gave her a look that was clear to mean: say yes! She placed the contract back on the table and brought her hand up to her chest, toying with the buttons on her ivory blouse.
“Of course we agree,” Elle said, smiling.
Samuel’s responding grin matched hers as he passed them a pen. “Excellent! Just need you to read through the contracts and sign next to the X’s. Once we have the paperwork in order, Callum and Derek can show you to your office.”
Elle and Sadie read through the stack of papers before signing along the dotted line. When Elle stood up to slide the contracts across the table to Samuel, she noticed Derek and Callum shifted their eyes to her ass, almost causing her to smirk.
Samuel gathered both contracts and placed them inside his binder before standing up. “I’ll get these submitted to our legal department, and you will have copies in your hands by the end of the day. Now, I hate to do business and run, but I have meeting to get to, and seeing as I’m already late, I’d better hustle.” He paused and looked over at Callum. “Do me a favor and call your mother. She’s been complaining all weekend about how she hasn’t seen you in a month and is about a breath away from coming down here. And the last thing we need is for that woman to come here.”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll call her.” Callum laughed, shifting his eyes to Elle.
“Good.” Samuel turned to Elle and Sadie. “Ladies, I’m looking forward to seeing your work.”
“Thank you for this opportunity.” Elle offered him her hand, which he took. “It means a lot to us.”
“You’re welcome, I suppose,” he said before releasing her hand and walking out of the conference room.
Ella and Sadie looked over at Derek and Callum, who had stood up.
“How about a quick tour of the floor?” Derek suggested, raising an eyebrow.
“Lead the way,” Sadie purred, and Elle struggled to keep from laughing. The attraction between the two of them was obvious.
For the next half hour, Derek and Callum gave Sadie and Elle a tour of the tenth floor of Davis Architecture and Design. There were a dozen offices on that level, and they found themselves meeting so many people, Elle knew she wouldn’t be able to keep them straight. Callum explained that the legal department was located on the first floor, accounting on the second, and the rest of the building were associates who worked in different departments, such as hotels, shopping centers, and residences. Almost everyone greeted Sadie and Elle with a smile, but there was one woman — with bleached-blond hair and way too much make-up on — who gave them a hateful glare before turning her attention to Derek and Callum.
“You were supposed to call me,” the woman grunted, placing her hand on Callum’s chest. If his face hadn’t contorted in pure disgust, Elle might have been furious about her touching him. Not that she had any right to be upset. It’s not like he was hers or anything. He had left without saying goodbye, nor had he called her, after all.
“And I told you I had no intension of ever calling you,” he replied, brushing her hand away. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to show Elle and Sadie to our office.”
The woman shifted her eyes back to Elle and Sadie. “Hmm,” was all she said before she batted her lashes at both men and walked past them, but not before brushing her breasts against Callum’s arm. If it wasn’t so pitiful, Elle would have laughed. It was clear the woman wanted more from either man, but based on the grimaces that filled their faces, they didn’t return her feelings.
“Who in the hell was that?” Sadie groused, her irritation evident.
Derek laughed. “Oh, honey, don’t give Trixie another thought. She’s … Well, she’s desperate. She’s hit on every man that has stepped foot on this floor, and probably every other floor, too. She’s harmless, though. Just an incessant flirt.”
“If you say so,” she quipped. “Well, should we continue with the tour?”
Once Sadie and Elle had been shown every inch of the tenth floor, Derek and Callum led them down to their office. They motioned for the women to go in first, which they did knowing the men would be staring at their asses. The offi
ce was large — bigger than Elle had expected to be given. There were four desks, two of them empty while the other two covered with notepads, folders, a laptop, a phone, and other office supplies. In the middle of the oversized room was a round table with several chairs around it, and beyond the table were two drafting benches. On the walls were several cork boards, half of which were covered with sketches, and there was a large white board with a bunch of numbers written all over it. The floor to ceiling windows on the far side of the office brought in the sunlight from outside, and gave them a beautiful view of the building next door.
“Wow, it’s nice,” Sadie said, turning to look at Derek and Callum. “And spacious.”
“It works for us,” he chuckled, closing the door behind him and Callum.
Gasping, Elle realized just what he meant. “We’re working on this project with the two of you?”
Callum glanced at her with a frown. “Did you not know that after we came into the meeting?”
“No, I assumed that you and Derek were a part of a committee or something,” she grumbled, wondering if they’d made a mistake by signing the contracts without considering all their options.
“Dad makes those decisions on his own since it’s his project.” Callum’s tone slow and careful, and Elle felt like an even bigger fool.
“Suppose that makes sense.”
“Is it going to be a problem? Us working together, I mean?” Derek asked, but before she could respond, Sadie spoke.
“No, of course not.” She gave Elle a look that meant they’d talk about it later. “So, which desk is mine?”
Derek looked from her to Elle and back before he smiled. “Whichever one you want, honey.”
“I’ll take this one.” Sadie walked over and slid her hand across the desk closer to the window, and looked over at Elle. “Is that okay with you?”
Elle nodded, unable to say anything more. A sickening feeling washed over her, and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about Leo. The difference between now and then, of course, was that Elle wasn’t a naïve college girl, but there was more than just her education on the line. Her career was in jeopardy.
“Well, this is awkward.” Callum sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “It’s clear that the four of us need to … discuss our relationship, so why don’t we have lunch together? My treat.”
“Sounds good,” Sadie agreed before turning her attention to her. “Elle?”
Biting on her bottom lip, she shifted her eyes from Sadie to Derek, and then onto Callum. “I guess we do need to talk, and I’d rather not do that here at the office, so lunch is fine, but I insist on paying for me and Sadie.”
Callum looked like he was going to protest, but then nodded. “Okay, it’s a date.”
Five
Just before noon, Sadie and Elle followed Derek and Callum to the elevator, where they waited for the doors to open. Though she knew she was being paranoid, Elle couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone in the office was staring at them, and that they knew she and Sadie had slept with the two men. It was ridiculous, of course. Unless Derek and Callum told anyone, there was no way they could know, but the last thing Elle wanted was for people to assume she used sex as a tool in order to win the account.
The doors to the elevator opened and the four of them stepped inside. Elle leaned against the back wall, keeping her eyes locked on the floor. For two years she’d been careful about who she came into contact with, always worried about letting herself get hurt again, and now, after giving into her lustful urging, she’d put both hers and Sadie’s careers at risk by acting with reckless abandonment.
“How’s Chinese sound?” Callum asked, drawing Elle’s attention away from the floor as the doors to the elevator slid open. “There’s a place just a few blocks away. Best Chinese in the city.”
“That’s fine,” she murmured.
“Sounds delicious,” Sadie cooed.
Together, the four of them walked out of the building and headed in the direction of the restaurant. For mid-July, the weather was beautiful. Of course the climate in San Francisco was always perfect. It had been one of the main selling points when Sadie and Elle decided to apply to UC Berkeley; the weather and the fact that California was more than fourteen hundred miles from Texas. Neither Elle’s parents nor Sadie’s were happy about them choosing a school across the country, but with acceptance letters clenched in their hands, they packed up everything they could fit in Elle’s car and left town the August after they graduated high school. In the eight years since they’d left, they had only returned to Texas a few times.
“Elle,” Sadie called.
She shook her head and looked over, finding Sadie, Derek, and Callum standing in front of Wang’s Chinese Palace, all three with smiles on their faces. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Callum placed his hand on the small of her back and led her inside.
Elle liked the feel of him touching her more than she should, which made the fact that they now worked together even harder. She had given herself to him, something she hadn’t been able to do in too long.
The hostess led them to a booth in the back corner. While Derek and Sadie were on one side, Callum and Elle sat opposite of them. Their waitress came over, and they ordered their drinks, each of them choosing iced tea. When she placed their glasses on the table, they gave her their lunch orders.
Once their waitress was out of earshot, Callum said, “So.”
“Yeah, so.” Elle bit her lip as she shifted her body so that she was facing Callum. “When we met you on Friday, we had no idea that you were Samuel’s son. I doubt you will believe me, but —”
“I believe you,” he replied, smiling.
“You do?” she asked and he nodded. “Why?”
“Why do I believe you?” Callum picked up his glass of tea and took a drink before he answered his own question. “Because you and Sadie were so wrapped up in each other, you didn’t even notice us until we sent drinks over.”
“I told you they were watching us dance together,” Sadie snickered.
Rolling her eyes, Elle said, “So it’s just a coincidence? We land an account with your father’s firm on the same day that we meet the two of you in a bar? Sorry, but that sounds a little too good to be true.”
“Well, we don’t know what else it could be,” Derek told her. “Callum and I spent the last month working on the final stages of a housing project in Los Angeles. We had just gotten back into town Friday afternoon, and thought we’d hit the club to let off some steam. Samuel didn’t even tell us about your presentation until Saturday afternoon, after he texted Callum and told us we needed to come into the office.”
Elle wasn’t sure what to believe. The look in their eyes told her they were being honest, but how could she know for sure? There was so much at stake for them right now, and this project could change their lives for the better — or the worse if their encounter caused problems with the account. A negative recommendation from Samuel Davis would end their careers before they started. Dragging her fingers through her hair, Elle struggled to control her emotions; the overwhelming panic over making the wrong decision had her trembling.
“Sweetie, I believe them,” Sadie stated.
“How can you be so sure?” Elle asked.
She smiled. “Because I can see the truth in their eyes. Remember how they made us feel?”
Nodding, she shivered as the memories of their night together ran through her mind, causing her to yearn for more. It was irrational and silly, but she’d felt so free when they were together.
“Elle.” At the sound of Callum’s voice, she shifted her attention up to him. He brought his hand up and cupped her cheek. “You can trust us.”
“Yeah?” she murmured, and he nodded. “Our careers, our futures are at stake here.”
“So are mine and Derek’s,” he replied.
“It’s not the same,” Elle scoffed
“How is it not?” Derek asked.
She sighed an
d looked over at him. He had his arm on the back of the booth, and Sadie was turned toward him, a frown on her face. Elle hated that she had to be the voice of reason, but the facts were clear. “First, Sadie and I are trying to get our business jumpstarted by building a name for ourselves, and this project could be the starting point for bigger and better opportunities.”
“And second?” Derek challenged, raising an eyebrow in her direction.
“And second, if this … whatever this,” she stated, gesturing between the four of them, “is ends badly, it won’t be the two of you who are thrown out on your asses. Samuel won’t fire his son, or his son’s best friend.”
Derek stared at her for a moment before shifting his eyes down to Sadie. “And what do you think, honey? Do you think being with us is a mistake?”
“I never said —” Elle tried to defend herself, but Derek silenced her with a look and turned back to Sadie.
“Honey?” he asked.
Turning to Elle, Sadie released a sigh. “No, I don’t think we’re a mistake. It’s not rational — I know it’s not — but it feels right.” She reached over and slipped her hand over Elle’s. “Being with them makes me feel like it does when I’m with you.”
Elle turned her hand over and wrapped her fingers around Sadie’s. “I know. That’s what scares me.”
“I’m afraid, too, you know.” Callum reached over and placed his hand over theirs. “But I like how this feels.”
“And what is this?” Elle asked. “What are we doing?”
“We’re exploring,” Derek said, causing them to look at him. Placing his hand on top of the three of theirs, he sighed. “Look, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’ll admit that all I’ve thought about since we left your apartment on Saturday is you and Sadie, Elle. Friday was the most fun I’d had in … well, forever.”
“So much fun that neither of you called us?” Elle asked, watching at they shifted uncomfortable. “Why should we believe that we are anything more than a quick fuck for either of you?”