Page 775 of One More Kiss

“Ah-huh,” Thomas says, sarcastically.

William throws his hands in the air, rolls his eyes, and says, “This guy!”

“Seriously, that is it! I brought her here, undressed her, and put her in my bed to sleep it off. Yes, I would have loved to have fucked her again, but she was drunk. I don’t do drunk pussy. I need a woman to be fully coherent and alive, to remember the events from the night before.”

We all laugh a little at my last statement, but quickly regroup. Both of my brothers suggest that I immediately break this off, because it’s immoral, against policy, and too dangerous for the company. I agree and assure them I will take care of it. I also make sure to not let William off the hook.

“You, Sir, need to do the same. You and that little secretary of yours have to end things. And anyone else you’re romping around with that works for this company, end it now!”

With no arguing, William simply replies, “Done.”

I have a split-second moment of reflection about Riley.

“Besides, according to Riley, she has a boyfriend.”

Thomas asks, “Who, the guy fromlast night?”

William is all over the answer before I can respond. “Yep. And wasn’t that the same guy who just picked her up from here?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Hmph, he’s a really understanding boyfriend. He takes her to a party, leaves her, and then picks her up, nearly naked, from another man’s house? Yeah, I doubt that he’s her boyfriend, and I’d bet my last paycheck that he’s swinging for the other team.”

It all flabbergasts Thomas. “Wow, I thought my shit was bad. The two of you seem to live in deep shit. A woman will be your biggest downfall if you don’t get a hold of your dicks. You all better not let this get back to Pops. You better clean all this up. Immediately!”

William and I assure Thomas that we’ve got everything under control.

“Like I said, I will take care of this. And William, I’m not playing, man. You need to end things with your secretary. It’s too risky, and I’m certain that everyone in the office is aware of what’s going on. All it takes is one person to get their panties in a bunch and we could very well end up with a sexual harassment lawsuit.”

“See, here we go. Pot calling the kettle again.”

“No, William, this is not the same thing.”

“How is it not? Bottom line, you and I are sleeping around with women in the office. I mean, what can a person expect? It’s like being a kid in the candy store. When you are constantly surrounded by candy, pretty soon, you’re going to have a taste. A man can only follow the rules and behave for so long. The temptation is too much to bear. And besides, where else are we supposed to find women to date? We spend all of our time at work.”

“You have valid points. As a man, I understand your thought process. However, we cannot put the company at risk like that. It’s too dangerous and irresponsible. We’ve all worked too hard to let our dicks be the reason that it all comes crashing down. You want to keep your secretary as your lover, then fire her.”

“That’s a good idea, but I don’t know.”

“Well, you better figure it out. And for the record, our situations are not the same.”

Thomas quietly looks on as William and I argue our cases.

William and Thomas get up to leave, but before they walk out of the door, I ask them to join me in performing our childhood pact routine and promise to keep this debacle between the three of us. All of us stretch out our hands, one on top of the other. We raise our hands and say, “All for one and one for all,” and then blow a kiss in the air.

Now that my brothers are gone, I can take a minute to relax, reflect, and figure out how I’m going to deal with Riley. Hell, I will have all weekend to think about it. Sure, I am having her moved to another project, but that does not change the fact that I still want her... bad. Monday can’t get here fast enough.

* * *

Finally,Monday has arrived. I awaken to beaming sunlight peeking through my windows. I’m anxious to get to the office to talk to Riley, so I get up, get myself together, and head out for the day. I can only hope she’ll show up at work today, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t.

I walk through the building and see that everyone is back at the office, including Riley. I continue walking past employees and go directly into my office. My secretary calls into the intercom and asks if I am ready for my coffee. I tell her I will get it myself today. Walking around in the common area will give me a better opportunity to run into Riley.

To my surprise, my plan works. A few minutes later when I walk into the common room and find her standing at the coffeepot, pouring herself a cup. Walking over to her slowly, I reach for the pot once she’s done and pour myself a cup of the regular, while she purposely ignores me.

“We need to talk, Riley,” I whisper.

“We have nothing to talk about.”

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