Epilogue
Lori smiled and greeted the ladies at reception as she walked by. After coming into the real building the brothers had their businesses headquartered in regularly, many of the people got to know her in passing.
There was still gossip and some workers who gave her odd looks now and then, but she didn’t mind the speculation about her relationship with Owen and Oliver. All that mattered was that they were hers now. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she rode the elevator up to the top floor, where their offices were.
She carried lunch from the bistro next door along with five cups of coffee, two each for Owen and Oliver and the fifth for her. Now that she knew for certain their coffee preferences, it became a little game between them to have two guesses for the right one. Sometimes she would just bring their favorites, but every now and then she’d have them go through her little hurdle. It also left for some erotic fun after they realized she’d done it on purpose to play with them.
She’d taken up the real job as their private executive assistant. Although they wanted to take care of her, she loved working. It made her feel like an active contributor in helping them run their businesses. There was also no way she was letting another secretary get close to her men, so working for them proved to be the best option all around.
Owen’s office door was open, so she chose to visit him first and found Oliver there, too.
Instead of going right in, she watched them from the entryway. Even though she’d had a hard time telling the difference between them at first, she had no trouble distinguishing between her guys anymore.
Each carried themselves slightly different, from stances to tiny nuisances. Oliver usually had a small stoop to his shoulders, which seemed to make his injured one more comfortable when he had less pressure on it. Owen had the habit of scratching his chin with his thumb while he was deep in thought, which he was doing presently.
It was the little things that she took notice of that made them individuals, but damn if they weren’t a force to be reckoned with when they worked together as one entity. She had their nights together as solid proof of that.
They were huddled over Owen’s desk looking at design plans.
“That doesn’t seem like the best use of resources,” Owen said. “How is the magazine going to work without the fashion department if they’re separated?”
“What if we moved the magazine and leave the home decoration unit where they are?” Oliver asked. “Then they could use the extra space over there to collaborate more often.”
“It could work.” Owen leaned over his desk. “It’ll take some budget planning, but it would save us money in the long run.”
“Using it for production would be better than selling it,” Oliver said before rubbing his neck.
Lori reminded herself to give Oliver a shoulder massage before lunch was over to ease some of his soreness. Curiosity at what building plans they were staring at got the better of her, so she walked in. “Hope I’m not interrupting,” she said.
Both men looked up at her at the same time. Oliver’s smile filled his face, while Owen took on a tiny side grin.
“You’re never interrupting us, gorgeous” Oliver said, moving to her for a kiss. His lips lingered for a bit, and he seemed reluctant to pull away.
She liked how they reacted to her, which was another reason why she loved working for them. There were times they would be busy, but she could still see how hard they got when she brushed against them or put some sultriness in her voice when she spoke to them. By the time they got home, they barely made it to the bedroom.
“I guess today’s the day for you to mess with us?” Owen said, making Oliver step back so he could get a turn to kiss her, too. He gave an exasperated look at the coffee in her hands.
She tried to keep her smirk to a minimum as she sat the lunches and cup carrier down on the clear side of Owen’s desk. “I’ve got to keep you two on your toes sometimes, or you might think I’ve gone soft.”
Oliver laughed. “Is that so? Here we were thinking that you liked the perks of what came after our irritation from your little office and coffee games.”
“What are you making plans for?” she asked, trying to change the subject. She knew full and well that it wouldn’t be dropped, so she played coy.
“These are the design plans for the other building you first worked in,” Owen said. “Since we have no need for it to sit there, we’re making use of the property by spreading out our departments.”
“You mean you’re going to actually use your secretary trap office?” Lori took a slow sip of her coffee and didn’t miss how both men eyed her lips as she did it. She licked her lips for effect and heard a small groan escape from one of them.
“Is that what you’re calling it now?” Oliver asked. “Our secretary trap?”
“You did use it to scare away potentials,” Lori said. “I’m sure you made most of them crazy with your elaborate setup over there.”
“It snared you for us,” Owen said. “Don’t forget that.”
“If you say so,” she said, keeping her game face on. “I did figure out what you were doing though, and I still came back. Makes you wonder how good you two are at your strategies.”
They watched her closely before sharing a look between them.
“Did she just challenge us again, Owen?” Oliver asked.
“Oh, I know she did,” Owen said, crossing his arms. “Oliver, lock the door.” He stared at Lori, but she wouldn’t look away.
“Gladly,” Oliver said, moving to the door and turning the lock.
“What were you saying about our strategies?” Owen asked.
“Sometimes you have to work a little harder at your ideas for them to come out well,” she said. “That’s all I meant.” She took another long drink of her coffee, allowing her words to bait the brothers into the action she knew they would definitely take. She was about to get the rewards from her sly comment.
“I guess we’re having lunch in your office today?” Oliver asked.
“Looks that way since we have some convincing to do,” Owen answered.
Both brothers stalked towards Lori. She knew coffee and food were going to be the last things eaten for lunch, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
The End