Chapter 10
I woke up to the feeling of two chiseled firemen against me. I stretched, my tits flopping out from underneath the covers as Logan shifted beside me. His beautiful brown eyes opened, his smooth skin shining in the morning sun. I smiled at him as I felt Liam’s arm tighten around me. Then I felt a pair of lips press kisses all along my shoulder.
“Morning, beautiful,” Liam said.
“And good morning to you, too, Liam,” I said, giggling.
“Don’t I get a good morning?” Logan asked.
“Then come here and get one.”
He leaned forward and captured my lips as Liam ran his hands along my body. Their touch felt electric, like I could light up whole city blocks with the energy coursing through my veins. Liam’s arms were wrapped around me as Logan’s leg tangled with mine, and all I wanted to do was lay in bed with them all day.
“I hate to do this,” Logan said, “but we need to get to the fire station.”
“Yeah. We’re probably late already. Time for us to go relieve a couple of the guys for a few days,” Liam said.
“Not gonna lie, that’s pretty hot,” I said.
“Especially when there’s a fire raging,” Logan said, grinning.
“Logan, not funny. People are hurt with those things,” Liam said.
“Just trying to make a joke,” Logan said as he caressed my cheek. I nuzzled into his touch as Liam buried his face in the crook of my neck. I loved their attention. Liam was sensitive and soft while Logan was dominant and unforgiving in all the best ways possible. My hips ached from our activities the night before, and part of me didn’t want to let them go. I felt safe with them here in my bed, especially knowing I had to go into work today. Even with me taking time off, I had to go in and make sure the parties I’d shoved off onto other event planners were taken care of.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?” Liam asked. “You look frightened.”
“I just have to go into work today and I’m concerned Jeremy might be there,” I said.
“Didn’t you take time off through the holidays?” Logan asked.
“Yeah, but there are events I was coordinating that still need to be taken care of. I want to make sure they are the best, and I know I won’t rest easy until things are double-checked. Some of the event planners just don’t take some things into consideration, and a couple of parties requested I personally take care of their events. I feel bad leaving them like that.”
“It takes a strong and independent woman with a heart to care that much,” Liam said. “Do you want one of us to go with you?”
“No, no. Seeing me with a guy, especially a man, would piss Jeremy off if he saw,” I said. “There’s no point in antagonizing him.”
“But should that keep you from living your life? Look, the fire chief will understand if you want one of us to come,” Logan said.
“I promise, I’ll be all right. I’ll text you two afterward. How about that?” I asked.
“Fine. But if we don’t hear from you by noon, we’re coming and looking for you at the hotel,” Liam said.
“Sounds like a plan,” I said, smiling.
The three of us slithered out of bed, much to our dismay, and began to get dressed. I smelled the coffee pot beginning to burn, which meant Courtney had already left for her day at work. She was a waitress at one of the premier restaurants in the area, and while she usually worked double shifts, she also pulled in twice the amount of money I did some months.
It was fucking insane.
I gave the two men kisses before they left, then sent them on their way. I was nervous about going into work, but I knew it was something that had to be done. With special requests for these two Christmas parties, things needed to go off without a hitch. They had specific things that needed to be done, and I was sure the general manager wouldn’t mind me sitting in her office and looking over some things.
Hopefully.
I white-knuckled my steering wheel all the way to work. But when I walked in the door, I was shocked to see that Jeremy’s office remained untouched. The front desk attendant smirked and shook her head when she saw me. She knew what I was here to do despite my vacation, and she ushered me back into the main office without a second thought. I started pulling out the event files and looking for the two parties I had already started planning, but then I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
I froze at the sound of his voice. I slowly turned my head and was sickened by the smile on his face. He was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, and I realized he had me backed into a corner. He was standing in the way of the only exit, and I honestly didn’t know what to do.
Now I wished I had brought one of the guys along.
“Jeremy,” I said.
“Coming to check up on your parties? Are you really that controlling?” he asked.
“No, but I can think of some people who are,” I said.
“If you’re looking for the wedding party event file, it’s been taken by one of the other event planners. The couple is here going over the final details.”
“Could you tell the event planner to make sure that no nuts are in the dishes we cook for them?” I asked.
“No,” Jeremy said plainly.
“Then I’ll leave a note,” I said.
“You do that,” the general manager said.
She walked up behind Jeremy and tapped him on the shoulder. She whispered something to him before she gave him a nasty look. Then he went on his way. I pulled the other file I was looking for and went to sit at the desk. I scribbled a note for the new event planner to see before I started looking through the second file.
“Try not to interact with him,” she said.
“Wasn’t my fault,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter. If you’re gonna nail him, don’t provoke him.”
I whipped my gaze up to her, and she shut her office door. She sat down in the chair across from the desk, her hard eyes on me as I stuck the note about the nuts to the computer screen.
“If that note disappears, I’ll make sure to let the other event planner know,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“The reason HR suggested you take some time off from here is because the police came around looking for Jeremy,” she said.
“Should you be talking about this?” I asked.
“After that little insubordinate altercation? Yes. I had a feeling you’d come in here to check on your events, and I told Jeremy on several occasions to keep away from you,” she said.
“Ah.”
“Look, if he’s doing all this and you really want to nail him, that’s on you. This is a place of business, so if he engages you, don’t fire back. The police are looking into things, but so far Jeremy’s done nothing but play nice with them. I just wanted to let you know that they were around here looking for him, so he’s not out of the loop.”
“You sound like you believe me,” I said.
“There isn’t a soul in this place who doesn’t. Everyone has their faults, and Jeremy’s been known to broadcast his. We’re behind you, all of us. But, we have to do this right. So I’ll have another talk with Jeremy, and this is my talk with you. Officially, I’ve told you to not engage him if he engages you. Unofficially, nail his ass,” she said.
“I will. I’m gonna look over this file, and then I’m out of here for the remainder of my vacation,” I said.
“Lexi, you’re a workaholic who enjoys what she does. I’ll see you in a few days.”
The general manager winked at me before getting up. Then she left the office. Jeremy didn’t attempt to come back in, but every time I looked up, it seemed as if he was staring at me. I’d catch his gaze for a second before he’d avert it. Then he’d go on about his business as if nothing had happened. I was getting an uneasy feeling about being at work, so I wrapped up my notes in the file before I put them back. I wanted to get out of here to relieve myself of the shivers this place was giving me.
But when I stood up, I had to pee.
“Fucking coffee,” I said, groaning.
I shut the office down and scurried to the bathroom. I stuck to the walls and the dark corners, making sure Jeremy didn’t see me. The last thing I wanted to do was be cornered by him again, especially since I couldn’t engage him. This was getting so messy, and part of me just wanted to pack up and move somewhere else, start over in another state, get another job and never date a fucking colleague.
I got to the bathroom and relieved myself. I splashed some water on my face and took some deep breaths, but a shadowed movement from underneath the bathroom door caught my eye. I held my breath, watching the figure stand there, and for a second I thought they were going to come in. I felt my hands trembling as my eyes watered. Soap dripped from my fingertips as I stood feverishly still. My breathing kicked up as the person simply stood there, almost as if they were waiting for me to move.
“Jeremy! You around here!? I wanna talk about this uptight wedding event coming up!”
The shadow moved. I heard footsteps fade away as I let go of the breath I’d been holding. Then I took the opportunity to dash out. I didn’t look back and I didn’t even try to dry off my hands. I threw myself out the back exit and into the alleyway. I ran for the parking lot, tears streaming down my face as my wet hands began to freeze in the cold.
He had been standing at the bathroom door.
I bent over at the waist and vomited beside my car. The bagel I’d had for breakfast on the way in ended up on my shoes as my entire body shook with fear. I felt trapped. Trapped, alone, and vulnerable. I wanted this over with. I wanted him arrested. I wanted him out of my life, no matter what it took. I’d find another job. Or maybe move to another city. No matter what, I’d take the guys up on any offer that presented itself.
I wanted nothing more than to feel safe in my own life once more.
After spitting again before I got into my car, I slid into the seat and cranked it on, speeding out of there as I left the resort to quickly fade in my rearview mirror. I took deep breaths all the way home, reminding myself that I needed to text the guys once I got there. The last thing I needed was two chiseled firemen busting into my place of work to rescue me.
Or maybe that was exactly what I needed.