Chapter 5

Becka

Both men turned to look at me and, for a moment, I was sure I was going to pass out. I grabbed the side of my desk and made my way back to my chair. I scanned both of them for a family resemblance but couldn’t see any. There was nothing about them physically to suggest they were brothers.

“You’re done for, Oliver,” Ethan seethed. “We had an agreement.”

“You breached our agreement when you started messing around with the past and when you took a step into Becka’s classroom asking questions.”

“I…” I was speechless.

“No need to say anything,” Oliver said, not even glancing in my direction. “I’m going to have a quick meeting with my brother, here, and then he’s going to leave this office quietly and we’re not going to hear from him again, isn’t that right, Ethan?”

“We’ll see what you have to say,” Ethan said. His dark demeanor was back. I couldn’t fathom which brother was telling me the truth, or maybe both were. Or neither. My head was spinning. I heard Ethan’s story over again in my head and wondered… was it possible that he had substituted Oliver’s actions for his own? Was he the one who had been responsible for the animal testing, for nearly ending Neuotova so many years ago? Or was it Oliver, just as Ethan had told me? Oliver had said that Ethan didn’t like me, that he was only using me as a pawn to get back at Oliver. But, I had been with Ethan; I’d felt his lips on mine, and I knew he wasn’t just using me.

I watched as Oliver and Ethan, the two brothers, walked away from my desk and into Oliver’s office. The door closed and I could hear their voices, muffled and angry, through the mostly sound-proof door.

I stared at the closed door for the better part of an hour trying to wrap my head around the one piece of truth both men had confirmed to be true: they were not just partners, not just best friends who had gone to school together and had had a falling out. They were… I could barely wrap my mind around the word: brothers.

Suddenly, there was a crash from inside the office. I jumped up just as the door opened.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Ethan swore. His face was red and he was sweating; his hair was mussed up as if the two men had tousled.

“You don’t have the nerve, but you better watch your back, because I do have the nerve,” Oliver retaliated.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Were these two threatening each other in front of me? I grabbed my purse and I walked out without a word. I could hear Oliver calling after me, but I ignored him. I felt tears in my eyes but I blinked them away quickly. I never cried at work, and I never cried for a man. I was just so completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened, not just today, but since the moment Oliver had walked into my life.

Rather than go straight home, I texted Lisa and told her I was heading to Armadan, a wine bar near Oliver’s company. It was early, even for happy hour, but I needed a drink. What I needed more was to clear my head. I walked briskly to the bar and took deep breaths to try to clear my head. I felt a pang in my stomach and I knew it was because I had left Oliver and Ethan in his office. They weren’t alone in the building, of course, but I felt like I should have called the police or something.

The police. I wondered if they knew anything about this situation. Typically, the cops don’t get involved on the city level in corporate situations; that’s more the FBI’s sort of thing, I suspected. But, if something happened to one of them… I knew I needed to focus my research not only on the truth of what was happening with Neurotova, but I also needed to uncover which of the two men, Oliver or Ethan, was telling the truth. Finding out the answer would affect my life either way; I was sure I wanted to be with Oliver, but… that was only if I knew for certain that Oliver was the man I believed him to be.

As for Ethan, I didn’t know what to do. Each of our encounters brought us closer and closer to me cheating on Oliver. Oliver and I had never had a conversation about being exclusive, but I didn’t even know if adults did that. Would I call myself his girlfriend? It depended on who I was talking to.

I shook my head and walked into Armadan. The bartender was someone I’d met before, a man in his early fifties named Rico, and he smiled when he saw me.

“Becka! Happy day!” He looked at his watch, then he looked back at me with mock disappointment on his face. “Darn, you’re early. I thought time was just going by quickly today.”

“I tried to hold out,” I said, smiling as I sat on the bar stool, setting my purse next to me on the bar, “but it’s an early happy hour day. Can I have a sav blanc, please? Whatever you have open.”

“Oh, I have a sav blanc to die for. It’s new; we just got it in.” He looked happy to have the opportunity to share the wine with someone he knew would love it. As he poured, I glanced around the bar. It was a smallish space, and, as early as it was, there were only four of us in the place. Armadan didn’t serve much in the way of food, so it was a place that people tended to hit either before dinner or after. I love it for basically that reason. I had discovered it my first day working at Oliver’s company, and I’d been there at least twice a week since.

Rico set the glass in front of me with a flourish and smiled. “Enjoy,” he said. “It will erase any difficulties of the day,” he promised.

“That’s a tall order from a little glass of wine,” I said, “but I’m willing to give it the chance.” I took a sip. The crisp, sweet, lightness of the sav blanc hit my taste buds and I felt my body begin to relax almost instantly. There was something about a really great glass of wine that could help put things into perspective.

“Well?” he asked. “What’s the verdict?”

“Interestingly enough, all the difficulties of my day have been completely erased!” I grinned. Rico nodded and smiled.

“See? It’s magical elixir!”

A couple came into the bar and Rico moved to help them. I checked my messages; Lisa was on her way. I wondered how much I should tell her about what had happened. She didn’t know anything about my research, but she knew plenty about Ethan. After I’d described my first meeting with Ethan, she had, right away, suspected that I was attracted to him. I remember blushing as I thought about him and tried to convince her that I wasn’t into him at all. It hadn’t worked, of course.

I was halfway through my first glass of wine when Lisa came through the door and sat next to me.

“Whew!” she sighed. “Trying to get anywhere in this town is completely crazy, sorry. How are you? What’s with the emergency happy hour?” As she talked, she dropped her bag on the chair next to her with a thud.

“Let’s get you a drink first,” I said. I waved Rico over, introduced him to Lisa, and she ordered a cocktail. “Okay,” I continued once she had her drink in hand, “here’s what’s going on.” I told her about everything relating to Ethan except for him and Oliver being brothers. I also left out my research, though I began to wonder if Lisa might be someone who could help me. She was hella smart, maybe she could think of some avenues I hadn’t explored yet.

“So,” she said, shaking her head, “you have two billionaires fighting over you.”

That would be the only possible interpretation she had to conclude, based on the information I’d given her. It felt like a lie; I wasn’t used to not being fully honest with Lisa and, though I’d lied by not telling her all of the information, it was still very much a lie.

“Yes,” I said.

“Two billionaires. You’re right, I did need a drink for that. Have you talked to either one of them since it happened?”

“I turned my phone off,” I said. “It all happened right before I came here, so I have no idea.” I finished my glass of wine and signaled to Rico that I wanted another. “For all I know, they’re still beating on each other in Oliver’s office.”

“So, what are you going to do? Who are you going to choose?”

I looked at her and realized that was really the question it all came down to. It was muddied by a lot of other details, but that was it. I knew that Ethan wanted me as much as Oliver. All of my research was really to determine which one of them I wanted, because I didn’t know. I wanted them both. Of course, that wasn’t possible…

“Earth to Becka,” Lisa said. “Come in, Becka.” She laughed and shook my knee with her hand.

“Sorry,” I said, flying back into the conversation from my thoughts. “I have no idea which one I’m going to choose. Isn’t that crazy? Right now they’re both being so weird about work, their jobs, I mean, and…” and that was all I could say. Unless I told her. “And… they’re brothers.” I finally admitted.

“They’re what?” Lisa screeched.

“Shhh,” I hushed her. “Keep your voice down.” The bar was still relatively empty, but everyone in the place, including Rico, had turned when she exclaimed.

“I just found that out,” I said. “They’re related. I don’t know what their relationship was like when they were growing up, but it clearly isn’t good now.”

“Billionaire brothers,” Lisa sang. “You’re practically living in a soap opera! Oh, you poor thing,” she winced for me but then also clapped her hands together gleefully. “I’m sorry, but this is the craziest thing!”

“I know, I know,” I said. “It’s ridiculous. Maybe I should just cut them both loose.” That was a possibility as well, one that had just occurred to me. I could tell them both that they were too complicating, that I couldn’t choose, couldn’t deal with the drama of Neurotova, and then I could bail. And say goodbye to your career, a voice in my head said matter of factly. Which was also true. If I abandoned my internship, I would be putting a mark on my resume that would never come off. And the food science world is small; everyone would hear about it. It could even affect my own research and position with the college.

“Well, you obviously can’t do that,” Lisa said. “That would be like tearing up a million dollar lottery ticket.”

“Lottery winners are cursed,” I reminded her. We’d watched this documentary on lottery winners once and vowed to never, ever buy another lottery ticket.

“You have two billionaires chasing after you. No way you can come out a loser in this deal,” she said. “Just figure out which one you want, let them fight over you for a bit, then tell them your decision.”

“Just like that,” I said, smiling and shaking my head.

We finished our drinks and lined up an Uber driver for the ride home to our apartment. In the car, I turned my phone back on. Lisa smiled as my phone lit up with missed calls and messages. I had multiple texts from Oliver and Ethan. Missed calls from both of them, but also a missed call from Dr. Evans. I dialed my voicemail, confused. I quickly deleted a voicemail from Ethan without listening to it. The second message was from Dr. Evans.

“Becka,” her voice said on the recording, “I need to talk to you immediately. Call me back.” Her voice sounded strained. I listened to the message again, then pressed 9 to get the time of her call. She’d called just a few minutes after I’d arrived at the wine bar. I clicked ‘off’ on my phone to end my voicemail before another message from Ethan or one from Oliver came through.

I dialed her cell number; she answered immediately.

“Becka,” she said, “I need to talk to you.”

“Do you want me to come into your office tomorrow?” I asked. “I was planning to come to campus anyway.”

“Are you involved with Oliver Weeks?” she asked, her voice steady.

“Um, involved?” I asked. Lisa glanced over at me. I felt a surge of energy—anxiety—move through me. “How do you mean? I mean, I work for Neurotova, you know that.”

“That is not what I’m talking about,” she said. Her voice was becoming more strained. “I mean, are you two…”

“No!” I said sharply. I took a deep breath. “Maybe. Look, what is this about?”

“If you’re involved with him on any other level than professionally, you need to tell me.”

I was getting a little annoyed. I adored Dr. Evans, but it was, quite frankly, none of her business who I was involved with non-professionally.

“Actually,” I said, “I don’t need to tell you anything about my personal life… do I?” The words coming out of my mouth started confident but ended in the tone of the college student I’d been talking to her professor.

“Becka, this is serious. The college has received word that there are allegations against Oliver Weeks for criminal misconduct relating to animal experimentation. Your name was also mentioned, though there are no charges connected to you. But, if you are involved with him, you are sure to be investigated, and the college is demanding our—yours and mine—full cooperation in the matter.”

Ethan. He had called the college trying to get Oliver in trouble, and now my name was getting dragged into it.

“Dr. Evans,” I began slowly, “I can assure you that any relationship I have with Oliver, with Dr. Weeks, is purely professional. And I certainly have not been involved with anything criminal! You know me well enough to know that.”

I heard her sigh on her end of the line. “I do know you very well,” she said. “How about if you come to the office tomorrow and we can talk. I wanted you to be aware; you will be under investigation as a part of the police looking into Oliver Weeks. Do you have a lawyer?”

“No,” I said, and now I could hear the fear in my voice. “Do I need one?”

“It might not be a bad idea to have one who can give you a consult and hopefully represent you in case the police do decide to file charges. I can see if the college can help you, or if that’s a conflict of interest.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I have to go.” Lisa was staring at me now and I felt sick. I wished I’d only had one glass of wine; the second was threatening to explode in my stomach.

I hung up and looked at Lisa. “I didn’t tell you everything before,” I said. “Oliver is under investigation for criminal activity relating to experimenting on animals at Neurotova. I’ve been doing some research on my own to try to determine if he’s doing it or not. Somehow the cops found out. That was my advisor on the phone. She said that my name has been brought up in the case and now I’m under investigation because of my involvement with Oliver.”

“Holy shit,” she said.

“Exactly. Holy shit indeed. I have to call Oliver.”

Oliver

I looked at my phone again, frustrated. I’d called Becka countless times, sent messages, and she wasn’t responding. I knew she was furious about what had happened in my office, and about my admission that Ethan and I were brothers. I shook my head. Of course I hadn’t meant for her to find out that way; it was a disaster.

While I stared at my phone, it lit up suddenly with Becka’s picture and her name.

“Becka!” I answered. “Becka, are you okay?”

“They’re going to arrest you!” she said, her voice panicked. “And they’re going to go after me, too, because we’re involved with each other.”

“Wait wait, slow down, who’s going to arrest me? What are you talking about?” I had been expecting her to be upset about the encounter with Ethan, and I felt my mind clicking quickly to connect the dots to what she was talking about. “Slow down and tell me everything from the beginning.”

“The college called me. Well, Dr. Evans called. She said that the college received word that you are under investigation for criminal activity. Then, she said that my name had come up in connection to yours, and that I was going to be investigated as well.” She was crying; I could hear it in her voice. I sighed and closed my eyes.

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” I said, trying to reassure her. “Where are you right now?”

“I’m at home,” she whispered.

“Is Lisa there?”

“Yes, and she knows everything. I told her tonight after… after I left your office.”

“I’m coming over,” I said. “I need to see you. I need to know you’re okay.” I was somewhat expecting some resistance from her, but she agreed right away.

“I’d like to see you too,” she said. “Thank you for offering; I wasn’t going to ask.”

I told her I would see her shortly and I hung up the phone. I grabbed my keys and my wallet and left the house, not bothering to contact my driver. I started the car and drove quickly to Becka’s apartment. When I got there, I knocked and she answered immediately. She had been crying; her eyes were red and puffy and she was holding a Kleenex. She threw her arms around me and I held her. Lisa was sitting in the living room and she looked at me, a look of sadness and empathy on her face.

“I’ll let you two have some privacy,” she said, and got up. She walked to her bedroom and closed the door.

I broke away from Becka so I could look at her.

“I’m so sorry about all of this,” I said. “I promise that I’ll take care of everything. This is all Ethan’s doing, and I’m not going to let him get away with any of it.”

She shook her head and I led her to her couch. “They’re going to connect us even further,” she said. “And everything is going to come out. People are going to think the only reason I got the job at Neurotova is because I’m sleeping with you. My career is over. And that’s if I manage to not get arrested. What could they possibly have to connect me to the investigation? I haven’t done anything!”

I sighed and held her. “Who knows what lies Ethan fed them,” I said. “I’ll take care of everything in the morning. I have a very good team of lawyers, and of course they will protect you as well. As an employee of Neurotova, not as my girlfriend.”

She looked up at me and I realized this was the first time I’d called her my girlfriend out loud, though I had, I guessed, been thinking of her in that way for a few weeks now, at least.

“Am I your girlfriend?” she asked.

“You are,” I said, and I kissed her. Her lips were so warm and soft, and I felt myself growing aroused as we kissed deeply.

“Then why did you lie?” She pulled away and glared at me. “You should have told me Ethan was your brother from the onset, and you chose not to. You absolutely lied to my face, and now look at the mess I’m in!”

“I’m sorry I lied about that, honey; I truly am.” She was furious; I could see it in her eyes, and her body was rigid. “I had no idea that Ethan was going to become such a part of this. I thought…” What had I thought? That he would just go away? She would never believe that. “I thought I could convince him to back off. I’ve been able to do it in the past.”

Her expression was dark. “You got me involved and lied to me, and now my ass is on the line both at the college and with my career. Why would you do that?”

“I swear to you I didn’t know what he had planned. I didn’t know he was going to go after me like this—and by extension go after you. I’m going to get him, though; I promise you that.”

“Oh my God, just stop.” She stood up and began to pace her living room. “Just stop going after him. Stop trying to get each other. You already had a fight like two children on a playground. You both need to grow up and get your shit figured out. If you’re doing something wrong, admit it and fix it! If he’s doing something wrong, call the police on him so they can start going after the wrong person. Either way, I want to be left out of it!”

She walked to the door and opened it, indicating I should leave. I stared at her, my mouth open.

“Becka,” I started, but she interrupted.

“I don’t want to hear it!” she yelled. “I’m done! I’m done with all of this.”

I stood up and walked to her. “Don’t say that,” I said. I couldn’t believe the emotion I felt; I’d never felt this way about a woman before. The idea of her ending our relationship eclipsed my rational thought.

“I need some time,” she said, more quietly.

I leaned in and kissed her on her forehead; it was warm, flush with her emotion.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” I said. “I’m going to make it right.”

“I hope you can,” she said, and she closed the door.

Becka

I closed the door with Oliver on the other side of it, and leaned my forehead against the door. I felt sick. I couldn’t believe I’d just ended our relationship. Or put it on hold, whatever.

“Are you okay?” Lisa asked. She had come out of her bedroom after undoubtedly overhearing our entire conversation.

“I’m fine,” I said. “This was how things were originally supposed to be; we had talked about me working for him and we’d agreed that we wouldn’t be in a relationship while I was working at Neurotova. We blurred that line, and look at what happened.”

“Couldn’t you just stop working at Neurotova?” she asked.

“Give up my career? Not a chance. No man is worth that. I care about him a lot, but I need to think about myself. He’s thinking about himself plenty.”

“I think you need a good night’s sleep and tomorrow you’ll probably be thinking much more clearly about this entire situation.” She hugged me. “I promise I won’t hold you to anything you’re saying tonight. Maybe give Oliver a call in the morning. Just so he knows you’re okay.”

I shook my head. “I won’t call him, but you’re right about the rest. I’m exhausted.”

I went to bed, my mind reeling with everything that had happened that day. Being at work that morning seemed like a thousand years ago. I thought about Ethan coming into the office, how drawn I was to him. How attracted. Then, Oliver coming out of his office and seeing the two of them side by side, worrying that Oliver would find out that Ethan and I had been flirting with becoming involved. Oliver’s admission that they were brothers, followed up by their fight, by them threatening each other’s lives. Then… everything else. I closed my eyes, knowing that I wasn’t anywhere near sleep.

I tossed and turned all night, and I finally gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed at seven o’clock in the morning. The sun had risen and it felt surreal to be awake without having slept. But, I was no longer tired; the routine of the morning had apparently convinced my body that we had slept.

“How did you sleep?” Lisa asked. She was in the kitchen making coffee. She looked me up and down. “Did you sleep? You look terrible.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I’ll be even better after a cup of coffee.”

“Or ten,” Lisa said, pouring a cup for me and bringing it to where I was sitting at the kitchen table. “Are you going to work today?”

“I don’t think so,” I said slowly. “I want to go talk with Dr. Evans about what the police know, and what they’re thinking. I want to make sure my doctorate isn’t in jeopardy. Oliver blamed everything on Ethan.”

“Well, it’s all Ethan’s fault, right?”

I thought about that. Of course Oliver had blamed Ethan; he blamed Ethan for everything. But what if Oliver had let some of the news slip, draw the attention onto himself so that he could attack Ethan without Ethan suspecting? My brain felt like it was a punching bag for my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes in exhaustion and frustration.

“Yes, it’s all his fault,” I agreed. “I just need to get things figured out before I go back to Oliver’s office.”

“Are you going to call him to tell him you’re not coming in?”

I debated which would be worse for me, going into the office or calling him and having a conversation. They both seemed equally terrible.

“I thought you’d call for me,” I joked, smiling to let her know I was kidding.

“I would totally call him for you,” she said, arching her eyebrows suggestively.

“You’re terrible!” I said. “But you’re a great friend; thanks for keeping things light. I should probably just go in. After all, he doesn’t even know how to make his own coffee without me around. He’s lost without me.”

Truthfully, I wanted to get back to my research. I knew that if I could prove that Ethan was responsible for everything, it would get me off the hook and clear Oliver in the process. I just needed to figure out what was happening within Neurotova. And, the best way for me to do that was to go back into the office, regardless of what was happening with Oliver. As I’d told Lisa the night before, I reminded myself, this was how we had originally intended things to be: me working for Oliver and not dating him.

I got dressed and ready to go into work. I texted Dr. Evans to let her know that I would come to campus when I was done with work and we could talk then. I rode my bike to the office; I needed the time to clear my head. When I got there, I walked into one of the staff bathrooms and changed out of my leggings and t-shirt and into more professional work attire. I walked into Oliver’s office area and sat at my desk, feeling anxious and jumpy. I wished I hadn’t had any coffee that morning; the caffeine was making me jittery.

Oliver’s office door opened and I jumped. I looked at him. He looked as terrible as I felt. It was obvious he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep either. He had taken off his suit coat so he was wearing only his dress pants, a white shirt, and a black tie with gold diagonal streaks. His shirt was wrinkled, and his tie looked as if he had put it on very quickly and maybe realized it was off a bit but didn’t care. He hadn’t bothered with his contacts, but wore his glasses instead.

“Becka,” he said warmly. “I… I wasn’t sure you’d come in today. I’m so glad you did.” He stood by my desk as if he wanted to hug me but wasn’t sure if he could. I felt myself drawn to him more than ever. My body wanted him, even with everything that was going on.

“I’m sorry I got so mad last night,” I said. I stood up. “I know this is all Ethan’s doing, and it’s not your fault. I was just…”

“You were angry, and you had every right to be. You still do,” he said. “I’m really sorry for my contributions to that. I should have been honest with you from the start, and I will not lie to you again, ever. I promise you that.” He took a step toward me and I reached for him. He held me and I felt my body responding to his touch. I pulled away and looked at him.

“Let’s go to your office,” I said. He arched his eyebrows in surprise, but he didn’t argue. He led me into his office and closed and locked the door.

“I haven’t looked at your schedule for the day,” I admitted. “I have no idea if you have meetings or conference calls, though I suspect you do.”

“Oh almost certainly,” he said. “And they can all wait.” He moved in to kiss me again, and I was reminded of the first night I met him, seeing him lecture and how knowledgeable he had been, how his energy and charisma had been palpable in the room to not just me, but to every woman there.

He pressed me against the desk, and I breathed in his power. He was so strong, his arms around me, and I realized that, though he was definitely the source of a lot of my problems, it was only in his arms that I felt completely safe. I pressed my hands to his broad chest and felt his energy surge into me, a one track shot straight to the space between my legs. He lifted me gently and set me on the desk, then pulled away from me as he pulled my shirt off over my head. He leaned in and kissed my neck as he removed my bra. Once free, my breasts seemed to move toward him, my nipples erect and hard, wanting his touch, his lips on them. He cupped my breasts in both his hands and sighed.

“You’re so beautiful, Becka,” he whispered. “So incredibly beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed my breasts, swirling his tongue around the flesh, drawing closer to my nipples. His hot breath teased me and I moaned, begging him to come closer, to stop teasing me.

He pulled back and I took that opportunity to stand up, to move against him. I leaned into him and began to slowly loosen his tie. I gazed into his eyes, feeling incredibly erotic as I playfully removed his tie and set it on the desk, then I turned back and began to undo his shirt one button at a time. I pulled his shirt off and began to run my hands along his chest. His muscles rippled under my touch, and I pressed my breasts to his bare chest. His cock was hard; I could feel it through his pants as I held myself against him.

“You’re hard,” I said.

“You’re touching me,” he replied. “Of course I’m turned on. I’m turned on any time you’re in a room with me.” He traced his index finger along the line of my jaw. “You know that,” he whispered.

I undid his belt while I looked into his eyes, then unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. I got to my knees and pulled his boxers down, taking in the sight of his full, enormous cock just inches from my mouth. His sack was hard, his testicles straining against the skin, and I cupped his balls in one hand and began to suck on his penis as I stroked his shaft with my other hand.

He groaned and I felt his knees give just a bit; he reached out to support himself with the desk. I lifted my head to kiss his belly, at the same time rubbing my breasts against his cock. I squeezed my breasts together over his cock and he began to move toward me and away from me, the tight skin of his shaft moving between my breasts.

“Fuck, that feels so good,” he groaned.

I returned my mouth to his cock and began to suck the sensitive tip, red and glistening in the light of his office. I swirled my tongue around, faster and faster, feeling myself get more and more aroused with the action of my mouth. He put his hands to the back of my head and guided my pace; I let him, my head bobbing forward and back as I sucked him hard.

He let out a sudden moan and pulled me back, lifted me to standing. He quickly undid my pants and let them drop to the floor. I’d worn my normal girl underwear instead of my sexy girlfriend underwear, and I was immediately conscious and sensitive about the black lycra panties I was wearing. He didn’t even glance at them as he pulled them off. He turned me around and I leaned on the desk, my bare ass facing him. He put his hand on my back, pressing into me, then he found my labia with his fingers. He slid two inside of me and I moaned, the pleasure of him inside of me as he bent me over his desk was more than I could have ever imagined.

“I want you in me,” I said, my voice muffled by my hair.

“You’re so ready,” he said. “So wet…” He pulled his fingers out and slid his cock into me. The fullness of him was a dessert to my entire body, and I pressed my hips backward, taking him in even deeper. We moved together, him thrusting against me. My arms were pressing into the desk and I used that resistance to press back against him.

I felt my orgasm pressing in and I increased my speed, feeling his hips slapping against my thighs as he thrust, the friction grabbing onto my clit both directions and pushing me over the edge.

“Oh my god,” I cried out, squeezing my hands into fists. The sensation was incredible, feeling weight both above me and below me as the waves of my climax rushed through my entire body. I felt light headed and overly present, all in the same moment.

“Ah, fuck,” Oliver moaned as he came, his cum pouring into me, hot liquid energy. He kept his hand on my lower back as he finished with a few final thrusts, then he gently drew back. I laid my forehead onto my forearm on his desk, not moving, feeling the cool air of the office move over my exposed lower body.

“I’m not sure I can move,” I said, giggling. “That was…”

“That was the most amazing make up sex I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, reading my mind.

“Me too,” I said, getting shakily to my feet. “I may have messed up some of your paperwork; sorry about that.”

I felt euphoric as I dressed. I returned to my desk and turned on my computer. I checked Oliver’s calendar and his schedule, then I opened my school email account.

I had six emails from Ethan. All of them were asking, with greater insistence, for me to contact him. I highlighted the group of them and hovered over the delete button, but I couldn’t do it. I hadn’t responded to his texts or his voicemails. I knew that I shouldn’t have even come into work. Now that I was coming back into my own senses, I knew that to be true. I needed to be away from both Ethan and Oliver, obviously, because Oliver’s hold on me was too strong. I worried about what would happen if I agreed to meet with Ethan. I shook my head and stood up. I left a note on Oliver’s door saying that I had left for an early lunch and I wouldn’t be in the rest of the week. I left the office, changed back into my biking clothes, and biked home.

I spent the day on my computer doing research, still coming up with a frustrating lack of information. The afternoon passed by quickly in spite of my lack of progress, and when the door opened, I looked up in surprise.

“Pack your bags, girlie,” Lisa burst into the living room grinning. “We’re going away for a long weekend!”

“What are you talking about?” I looked at her as she held up her keys.

“The car is gassed up and there’s a cooler of booze and snacks in the truck. We’re going to pack overnight bags and head over to Rockell for the weekend. Go pack your bag.” Without waiting for an answer, she ran to her bedroom. I could hear her singing as she packed.

“Okay,” I said to the empty room. “I guess I’m going on a long weekend.”

I walked into my room and grabbed my bag. Rockell was a town about three hours away. It was a resort town and it was known as a big weekend party when it was tourist season, which it definitely was. I had no idea how Lisa had managed to book a place on such short notice, but that was part of why being friend with Lisa was so exciting; she made things happen.

I threw in a pair of jeans, a dress, and a sweatshirt and leggings. If we were only going for a few days, I didn’t need a lot. I added in two other skirts and shirts to wear with them, and I threw in some cute underwear. “Not that you’ll need it,” I told myself. Last, I threw in my bikini.

“Are you ready?” Lisa called. She had packed in record time and stood waiting in the living room.

“Almost, jeez, you’re the fastest packer on the planet.” I walked into my bathroom and grabbed my hair dryer, curling iron, make up, and tooth brush. “I’m ready,” I said, tossing my toothpaste into my bag as I walked into the living room. “Thanks for arranging this,” I said.

She hugged me. “I know you’ve been having a rough time, from all sides. I thought it would be good to get away from the humans and the computers alike. And, I’m taking your phone as soon as we get into the car and not giving it back to you until Sunday night.”

“That’s not necessary, Mom,” I laughed. “I’ll turn it off, I promise.”

We turned off the lights and locked our door, then raced each other down the stairs to Lisa’s car. As we drove to Rockell, I filled her in on my morning with Oliver.

“He’s completely irresistible to you. Not that I blame you, but damn. The dude has power.”

He certainly did, and I wondered how he had reacted when he saw my note. He hadn’t called; I’d checked my phone before Lisa watched me turn it off and put it into my purse. I made a promise to myself that I would not think of Oliver, Ethan, or any of the mess with the looming investigation as long as I was on vacation. Monday would come soon enough, and I would deal with it then.

The drive went quickly; we missed most of the traffic because we left so early. When we got to our resort, Lisa went to check us in while I stayed in the car. I listened to the radio and looked at my phone, wondering if I had enough time to turn it on and check my messages before Lisa came back. I didn’t, because she was back before I’d officially decided to even turn it on.

“Okay, we’re all set!” she said. “I got us the best room.” She drove us around the corner and parked in front of cabin 11. When we walked in, I grinned. It was a two bedroom deluxe cabin with a huge kitchen and living room, overlooking the woods behind us.

“This is bigger than our apartment!” I said. “How’d you pull this off?”

“I called in a favor,” she said simply. “No worries. Let’s get unpacked and then tonight we can hit the bar.”

It sounded like an excellent idea to me. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the bag of food we’d brought and poured us both a glass.

“Let’s get this party started!” I said.

***

We walked into the bar and looked around; the place was packed with people already, and Lisa grinned.

“Outstanding,” she said, nudging me and nodding toward a group of guys that looked to be our age. “This is going to be a great night.”

We’d dressed for a night out, both of us having the same idea. I was wearing a short black skirt that hung loose around my thighs, a white tank top, and silver sandals with a heel high enough to lengthen my legs but short enough to dance in. I’d done my hair and make up and, as we slid into our seats at the bar, I had to admit it: it felt really great to be out of town.

It didn’t take long for us to start getting attention from the single men in the bar. Lisa and I had a few drinks, then got out on the dance floor and began to move. We danced with the group of guys Lisa had spotted when we first came into the bar. They were having a bachelor party weekend and the groom, Darren, had invited not just his groomsmen but some of his best friends along. All told there were twenty guys in their group. All of them were absolutely hot.

Lisa and I danced together and we danced with the guys. As I moved, I felt more and more relaxed and free. One of Darren’s friends that Lisa was particularly into, Dex, offered to buy us all a round of shots, and that was quickly followed up by another guy, Wesley, saying that shot was no good and he was going to show us what a real round of shots looked like.

And, he was right. The second shot, a purple nipple, was the best drink I’d ever had in my life. I had no idea what was in it, and I didn’t care, I just wanted more.

“I’m gonna get another one of those,” I said to Lisa. “You want one?” I could hear my voice slurring just a bit, but I didn’t feel drunk. I blamed it on having to yell over the music and voices, both of which had grown loud in the bar.

“Definitely! Get one for Dex, too,” she said.

“I got this round, ladies,” Dex said, coming up and putting his arm around Lisa. “I’m a gentleman; I’d never let you pay for a round of drinks.” He nodded toward the bartender. “Just put it on our tab,” he said.

He leaned down and whispered something in Lisa’s ear. She closed her eyes and giggled, then swatted at him.

“You’re terrible!” she said. She looked at me. I was trying to cover the pang of jealousy I felt at their connection. “Hey,” she looked at Dex. “Go get Andy. I think he and Becka would have a lot in common, don’t you?”

I wasn’t having a lot of success keeping Oliver out of my mind. This wasn’t really the type of place he would hang out, so I wasn’t thinking of him there with me. Rather, I was thinking about what we might be doing instead of being here.

“Are you having fun?” Lisa shouted over the noise.

“I am!” I said, trying to sound convincing.

“Isn’t Dex awesome? He’s so hot!” She giggled and hugged me. “His friend Andy is super hot, too; maybe we can both get lucky tonight!”

That idea had never even occurred to me, and I realized how hooked on Oliver I was. Though we were “over” for the time being, I realized I wasn’t here looking for action for myself; I was only here to be Lisa’s wingman. The idea of being with someone else felt a little bit like cheating on Oliver. But, obviously it wasn’t, and when Dex and Andy came back, I tried to look at him with different eyes. He was extremely good looking. He had a muscular build, light blond hair offset with tan skin, and brown eyes. I smiled and hugged him hello.

We danced and drank all night long. Lisa and I made our way back to our cabin at nearly four o’clock in the morning, laughing, drunk, and exhausted. In spite of that, we stayed up another two hours talking and sharing the remainder of the wine we’d opened when we’d arrived.

I finally went to sleep at six, and I slept until nearly eleven. When I woke up, I was thirsty and a bit nauseous, but I wasn’t nearly as hungover as I’d expected to be. I sat up slowly and took a few sips of water and made my way to the kitchen to make coffee.

Lisa appeared about ten minutes after the smell of coffee had filled the cabin. She looked the same as I did, and we spent the remainder of the morning drinking coffee and planning our day. She had exchanged numbers with Dex and texted him to see what he and the rest of the bachelor party were up to. He responded right away saying they were going golfing and then would be at the same bar we’d been at the night before, and he was hoping we’d be there as well.

“Okay, so that takes care of our evening plans,” she said with a sly smile.

I laughed. “Indeed it does.” I had decided I would play along with Andy, for Lisa’s benefit, but I wasn’t ready to sleep with him. I told her as much.

“Oh that’s okay, honey, I don’t expect you to!” Her eyes widened as she looked at me. “I know it’s too soon; I just didn’t want you to feel like a third wheel while I put my moves on Dex.” She leaned over and hugged me.

Once again, I was reminded about why I loved Lisa so much and why she was more like a sister to me than my best friend. She knew me as well as I knew myself.

“Well,” I said, smiling as we pulled apart, “what should we do today while your Romeo is golfing?”

Shopping seemed to be the obvious answer. Rockell had a great main street, very quaint with fun candy shops and boutiques. We ran into some of the same people we’d seen at the bar the night before, and ended up having lunch with some of the other women at a coffee shop in town.

“What are you wearing tonight?” I asked Lisa. “Do you want to buy something here?” I saw the gleam in her eyes and knew I’d hit the right note. Lisa loved buying clothes almost more than anything else in the world, and, though she needed no excuse to buy a new outfit, the fact that she actually had an excuse today would likely inspire a small shopping spree.

“I think I absolutely need to buy something here.” We finished lunch and said goodbye to the other women, all agreeing we would likely meet again at the bar that night. Lisa and I walked down the street and ducked into one of the first boutiques we saw.

It was a higher end boutique, with beautiful, luxurious clothes. I tried on a dress that Lisa insisted I buy. It was a rust color, halter top style with a flowing skirt that came to just below my knees. The halter top showed off my back and shoulders, while also accentuating my breasts.

“You absolutely have to wear that tonight!” she said. “The guys will be falling all over themselves to get to you. On second thought, I forbid you to wear it tonight—or at least around Dex.” She grinned evilly and I laughed.

“I will probably save this one for home,” I said. “I don’t want any of those rowdy bachelor party boys spilling their beer on me.” Which had happened the night before—twice—in all of the dancing madness.

“Well, that means you need to buy something else!” She went off to find me something cute to wear, and I thought about my phone, still turned off and in my nightstand drawer back at the cabin. I perused the clothes and had picked out a sweater I thought would be really flattering when Lisa came up with a pair of jeans and a tank top she insisted I try on.

“This will be perfect for tonight,” she said. And it was. The jeans actually fit; I thought about the possibility I was maybe losing weight after my recent trouble with Oliver—a reminder to eat more dessert at dinner tonight. And the tank top was a dark burgundy, a color that was flattering against my hair and eyes.

I modeled it for Lisa and she approved… then we went in search of outfits for her. She didn’t need my help in the same way I needed hers; she picked out all of the things she wanted to try on, and then she did a fashion show for me where I approved or vetoed her selections. Of course she looked amazing in basically anything, so she ended up buying a lot of clothes.

When we left the boutique with our bags, we knew we needed to head back to the cabin so we didn’t have to carry things around with us.

“Should we grab some stuff for happy hour?” I asked. “We have enough booze, but maybe we should get some food. Create a base, you know?”

Lisa agreed, and we stopped off for some snacks before heading back to the cabin. When we got back, it was late afternoon and we both agreed it was the perfect time to start happy hour. Lisa started a round of cocktails and I went to my room, making an excuse that I wanted to freshen up. Really, I wanted to check my phone. I took it out of my drawer and looked at it, daring myself to turn it on. I had no reason to think that either Oliver or Ethan would have reached out to contact me… I was just hoping they had. And, I realized, I was hoping for both of them… Ethan too. I sighed and put my phone back in the drawer. Maybe I did need to sleep with Andy tonight. Maybe I just needed a push to get Oliver and Ethan out of my system.

***

The bar was already packed when Lisa and I arrived in our new outfits. I felt confident and comfortable in my clothes and I was ready to party, having made the decision to let things go the way they would go with Andy.

Lisa found Dex and waved him over. She kissed him hello and hugged him. He really was fantastically gorgeous. I wondered if I would have been into him if Lisa hadn’t found him first.

“Where’s Andy?” Lisa asked, echoing my thoughts exactly.

“He had to go back home early this morning,” he said apologetically. “Family emergency or something. His mom called him.” He looked at me. “Sorry, Becka.”

“Oh no,” I said. “I hope everything is okay!” I felt suddenly relieved that the pressure was off. Sad for his emergency, but it was a realization that I perhaps wasn’t as ready as I thought I was.

“We’ll still have a good time tonight, right babe?” Dex pulled Lisa to him and kissed her.

“You bet we will!”

We got drinks—Dex bought, of course—and headed to the dance floor. The night passed in a blur of alcohol and dancing, sweaty bodies pressed against each other in the fluorescent and strobe lights on the dance floor. Almost everyone there tonight had been there the night before, and we felt a connection to each other like we were all old friends.

I couldn’t believe it when the bar called last call.

“Is it two o’clock already?” I shouted to Lisa, my voice hoarse from yelling and singing.

“I can’t believe it either! But, Dex invited us back to his place for an after party. You game?”

I was completely game for anything at that point. I’d lost track of the number of drinks and shots I’d had, and I’d felt all of my inhibitions slowly slipping away throughout the course of the night. Oliver seemed like a distant memory in the presence of the music, the lights, the dancing, and all of the people with me.

We finished out drinks and stumbled out the door. Dex’s cabin was in the opposite direction from ours, and the three of us held each other up as we laughed our way to his cabin. I hadn’t realized how funny he was, and how completely gorgeous, even moreso than I thought to start with. My thoughts were swirling around in my head, and I slipped my hand into Lisa’s to help keep my balance as we walk-ran up the steps into his cabin.

Dex was sharing the cabin with a few other guys from the bachelor party, and the cabin was lit up already and the drinks were flowing.

“Come on!” he shouted to us, grabbing a bottle of red wine from the bar counter and walking up the stairs. We got to his room and he closed the door against the noise from downstairs.

“Hey there,” Lisa said in the quiet.

“Hey you,” he said, and began to kiss her. I watched, quietly, realizing that I was getting a little turned on by watching them. They kissed for what seemed like an hour, touching, massaging each other through their clothes. I knew I should slip out and go downstairs, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.

They broke apart and Dex smiled. “Have you two ever kissed?” he asked.

“Us?” I said. “No,” I looked at Lisa; “we haven’t.”

She came over and, looking into my eyes, put her hands in my hair and kissed me. Her mouth was surprisingly soft, her lips wet from kissing Dex. She slid her tongue into my mouth and I could feel her grinning. I couldn’t help it, I started to giggle. So did she, and we broke apart, laughing.

“That was hot as fuck,” Dex said appreciatively. “I kind of want you both right now,” he said, his voice flirtatious and suggestive.

“You can have us both,” Lisa said. “Right, Becka?”

I looked between the two of them and I slowly nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “That would be cool.”

Dex smiled and turned his attention to Lisa. He pulled her shirt off over her head and began to kiss her breasts over her bra. She reached behind herself and unhooked her bra, giving him direct access to her nipples. I had seen Lisa naked plenty of times, but never naked and aroused. She pulled Dex to her and he laid her on the bed, then held out his hand for me to join them.

I couldn’t move. I was both drawn to them and fascinated by the idea of watching them with one another. After a moment, Dex put his hand on Lisa’s back and he slid her pants off. He pulled his jeans off and they were soon moving together, Dex on top of Lisa, both of them groaning in tandem as they got closer and closer to their orgasm.

I sat with my own arousal, my fingers pressed against the hard seam of my jeans that sat right over my clit. I wondered what it would be like to be in the midst of sex with them, but I didn’t regret my decision to watch one bit.

Lisa began to cry out and I knew that she was coming. Dex thrust against her faster, harder, and he exploded into his own orgasm, a growl tearing from his throat as he pounded against her, their bodies both stiff and tense. Then, they both relaxed into the surrender of the sensations of their orgasms. Dex rolled off of Lisa and they lay side by side, sweating, breathless.

I could have had my own orgasm right then and there, but I held myself back.

“How was the show, Becka?” Lisa asked lazily, her voice dreamy.

“A blockbuster,” I said.

***

The next day, I woke up with the world’s worst hangover. I couldn’t believe it; it was so much worse than it had been the first night. I also felt empty. I missed Oliver, and there was no trying to hide it anymore. Seeing Lisa and Dex together had only reminded me more of Oliver and how much I wanted to be with him. The whole weekend had done that, actually.

I sat up, my head in my hands, and reached for my phone. With my hand shaking, I turned it on. I let it ping for a good minute with the missed calls and texts, then I dialed Oliver.

“Hello?” a voice said. It took me a moment to recognize the familiar voice that was not Oliver’s.

“Ethan?” I asked, confused. My head was throbbing. “Where’s Oliver? Did I… did I call him?” I looked at my phone screen; Oliver’s picture was there. I had definitely called the right man.

“Oh he’s right here,” Ethan said. “Where are you? You sound terrible.” His voice was mild, unconcerned.

“Why are you there? Where is Oliver?” I demanded, my voice getting stronger.

“I said he’s right here,” Ethan repeated. “As for what I’m doing here, well…” he paused. “If you want to know, you should come over.”

“I’m out of town,” I mumbled. “How about if you stop being an asshole and tell me?”

“Now Becka, there’s no need for that kind of language. There’s some stuff going down here, and if you’re curious about it, I suggest you get over here. Simple and easy.” And, he hung up.

I stared at my phone for a moment, shocked. What on earth was going on at Oliver’s house? I couldn’t imagine; I could barely think at all. But, I knew that I needed to get over there, and I needed to do it right now. The threat of the investigation suddenly exploded in my mind and I had a vision of Ethan standing in Oliver’s house with the police behind him, waiting to arrest Oliver.

“Lisa!” I yelled. “Lisa! We have to go back home right now!”