Can't Make This Up

by C. Morgan

  “I like to show a man a good time.” I winked.

  “Careful, you might make my wife jealous.”

  “How is she doing?”

  “Good. Really good.”

  “Is she cool with the upcoming season?”

  “She knows it is part of the job.”

  “But is she okay with it? If she isn’t, we can add more help or cut back on patients.”

  “It’s fine. She’s good with it.”

  “I’ve got Alysha and Trinity working on schedules,” I told him.

  “I like her.”

  “What?”

  “I like Trinity. She’s capable. Everyone loves her. She is always helping out when she can. I’ve gotten some great feedback from some of the clients as well. She’s friendly and caring. I saw her comforting someone in the lobby yesterday. The woman was crying, and Trinity sat there and held her hand and listened to her talk about her cat that passed away. I swear I saw a tear in Trinity’s eye. Over a cat. A cat she doesn’t even know. Or knew. I don’t know. It was really something.”

  Listening to him talk about her and praise her was just further confirmation she was different. She was special and I couldn’t have her. “Maybe she’s secretly a cat lady,” I said with a laugh.

  “I don’t know, but I like her. Don’t chase her off.”

  “I haven’t chased off the others. They always have a reason for leaving. And the whole running away from home and going on a cross-country RV trip? Well, I couldn’t have predicted that.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, that one is going to be an entertaining story for months to come.”

  “I’m glad you get a kick out of it.”

  “So, since we are off the clock and away from the office, what’s the deal with you and Trinity?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. I see the way the two of you look at each other. You two are like star-crossed lovers.”

  “You’ve been hanging out with your wife too much,” I said with a laugh. “There is nothing star-crossed about us. She works for me and that’s it. We just happen to get along really well.”

  “Liar. There is something going on. You guys have this thing between you. You have to feel it. How did you two meet again?”

  “I told you, she’s my brother’s wife’s best friend. There’s nothing there. We are likely to see each other on occasion. She needed a job, and I needed an assistant. There is nothing more to it.”

  He shook his head. “And you aren’t sleeping with her?”

  “No!”

  “You’re crazy. If I was a single guy and she was my assistant, you better believe there would be some hanky-panky happening behind closed doors.”

  “You better not let the wife hear you say that.”

  He smiled. “I won’t. Wife hears that and I’ll be sleeping in the car. I’m a big guy. I can’t sleep in my car.”

  We enjoyed our steaks, and I would have liked to prolong the meal, but I knew he needed to get home. I realized in that moment I was the last man standing. Everyone I knew was married or on the way to being married.

  I was the guy still prowling the clubs and bars. Maybe I was getting just a little old to be prowling. I was starting to feel like the creepy uncle that never married and was always hitting on everyone’s friends.

  When I left Nick, my intention was to hit up a bar. I had some serious tension that needed to be released. Spending the week with Trinity had been hell. Good hell, but hell.

  I was going to die of blue balls. I would have never thought it was possible, but I did now. I had blue balls and I needed relief.

  I went to the bar, but I never got out of the car. I knew what was waiting for me inside. I could pick up a woman, go to a hotel, and get laid. It was always the same thing. There wasn’t any real excitement. It was wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, and I was on my way.

  Instead of doing that, the thing I had been so certain I wanted, I went home. Alone. Again.

  Trinity had cast some kind of spell over me. I was suddenly chaste! What the hell was that about?

  She broke me. I was all twisted up. I would give myself a free pass today, but I was damn well going to get laid soon. Like real soon. I wasn’t going to allow myself to be hung up on anyone.

  I stripped out of my work clothes, peeling off every piece of clothing until I was naked. I liked sleeping in the nude. I didn’t always, but tonight, I wanted to feel the sheets against my skin. I needed some fucking friction.

  Fuck the sheets. That was not nearly enough. I slipped my hand under the blankets, and like a heatseeking missile, I found my erection straining against the sheets. Even the sheets rubbing against my sensitive cock triggered a response. I threw the blankets off and lay in my bed, buck naked with my hand on my dick.

  I would have done just about anything to have her on my dick. I could close my eyes and imagine her over me.

  “Fuck,” I hissed as my hand slid up and down my erection. “Yes. Harder. Faster.”

  I let my imagination run wild. It was a combination of memories from that night and my own very active imagination. I had some pretty wild fantasies. I let them run free. This was about me getting that release she stirred in me.

  I groaned and imagined her lips wrapped around my dick. I wanted her tongue sliding up and down my length. Another gasp escaped my throat as the ecstasy bubbled just below the surface. I stroked faster. The friction between my hand and dick heated up. I was close. Just a little more.

  “Fuck me. That’s right. Harder. Faster.”

  I could almost smell her. I leaned into the memory. I remembered the little gasps and grunts she made when I slipped inside her. I remembered the way her tight pussy locked around mine. I relished in all of it and took myself closer to the edge. Just a little more. I only needed a little more and I would be there.

  I flashed to this morning when she bent down to pick up something and all that fucking cleavage was on display. One more move and her breasts would have tumbled out of that damn shirt. I imagined her riding me with her breasts bouncing and slick pussy inviting me deeper inside her.

  “Fuck!” I shouted as the release finally left my body. I gasped for air as my entire body felt paralyzed for several seconds with the power of the orgasm. I flopped my arms to the side and dragged in one breath after another. My heart was pounding as I lay staring up at my ceiling with my own release clinging to my leg and hand.

  I got up and cleaned up before stripping the sheets off my bed. I remade the bed and crawled back in.

  I had taken the edge off, but there was no banishing her from my thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I was blaming Ryan. We didn’t have our own language, and we didn’t share a brain, but there was a connection. I suspected he was broadcasting some weird vibes my way. It was throwing me off my game. I was not the monogamous type.

  This was just a weird obsession. It would pass. I just had to get through this thing without taking her to bed again. I could do it. We made too good of a team to risk ruining it with a little sex-capade. It wasn’t that difficult to find another woman.

  But none of them would be her. None of them would ever quite give me the satisfaction she would. That, I knew without a doubt.

  “Just get over it.”

  Easier said than done.

  Chapter 13

  Trinity

  “Hey!” Alysha said, startling the hell out of me.

  I looked up from the computer I was using in the breakroom while Ryker worked in his office. Sometimes, it was distracting to be in the same room with him. I could feel him looking at me and I often looked at him and daydreamed about that night. I really thought that would all subside, but it just seemed to be getting worse.

  “What’s up?” I asked her.

  “The guys are taking us out tonight.”

  “What guys are taking who?”

  She laughed and took a seat. “Dr. Nick and Dr. Ryker.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about. “They are taking
you out?”

  “All of us.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Because it’s Friday and we’ve been busting our butts all week, especially you. Good job by the way. You are really killing it. You’ve been a huge help to me and everyone else. Everyone has talked about how well you’ve done. You fit in like you’ve been here for years.”

  “Thank you. That’s nice of you to say. I am trying.”

  “And you are doing well.”

  “If I make a mistake, please tell me. I can only fix it if I know what I’ve done.”

  She touched my arm. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You are really doing great. I used to have to help with Ryker’s schedule a lot. Now that you are here, I feel like I have all this extra time.”

  She was really making me feel good. “Thank you.”

  “So, dinner tonight. It’s the whole office. I’ve made the reservations.”

  “Are you sure I’m invited? Ryker never mentioned it. I don’t want to crash your party.”

  “Of course, you are invited! I’m inviting you. Just wear what you have on. We all go right after work. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  She smiled at me again. “You really are a sweet girl,” she said. “So young and innocent. I don’t know if I was ever that innocent.”

  If she only knew how innocent I wasn’t. When she’d walked in, my daydream was about as far from innocent as a person could get. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll see you later,” she said and walked out.

  I returned my attention to the file I was working on. I couldn’t really afford a fancy dinner. I had one credit card that had a little bit left before I hit my limit. I was saving it for gas or another emergency. Now, I would have to use it to pay for a dinner I didn’t need.

  I didn’t want to be the one that stood up the group. I felt like I was making friends with my new co-workers and didn’t want to distance myself from them. They would think I was stuck up or didn’t like them. That was obviously not true, but they wouldn’t know any different. I would just go, order a salad, and blend in the best I could.

  “Hey,” Ryker said as he popped his head in the breakroom. “Do you need a ride?”

  “What?”

  “We’re heading over to the steakhouse. I can tell you the liquor will be flowing. I can give you a ride over there so you can drink.”

  “Oh no,” I quickly said. “I’ll be fine. I won’t drink much.”

  “You sure? It’s Friday night. I thought you might want to kick your heels up and let your hair down.”

  “I’m sure. Thank you for the offer. Is everyone leaving now?”

  He nodded and checked his watch. “Alysha made the reservation for five thirty.”

  “Oh, wow, I guess I better pack up.”

  “You can follow me over,” he offered.

  There was no way I was going to get out of this dinner. I didn’t necessarily want to get out of it, but it was going to stress me out. Spending time with him outside of the office was a tease. I was definitely not going to drink. The last time he and I drank together, things got out of control. I could not fall back into bed with him. Not that I was planning to jump him at the restaurant, but this week with him had left me feeling pretty damn randy.

  I walked into the restaurant with Ryker. “A reservation for two?” the hostess asked.

  I looked at Ryker and then her. The woman actually thought I would be on a date with a man like him? He was way out of my league. It was flattering but kind of ridiculous.

  “I’m with the large party that reserved the back room,” he said smoothly.

  “Oh! Of course. Right this way.”

  Ryker surprised the hell out of me when he put his hand on the small of my back as we were led through the restaurant. It was strange and good at the same time. Women looked at me with blatant envy. They thought I was with him. If they only knew I was just his lowly assistant.

  “Right in here,” the hostess said. The door opened to a lively bunch of my co-workers.

  “You came!” Alysha said and rushed for me. She gave me a warm hug. “I really thought you were going to stand us up.”

  “I wouldn’t let her out of it,” Ryker joked.

  “I’m glad to be invited,” I told them.

  “I’ve already ordered a few bottles,” Alysha said with a laugh that said she had already enjoyed at least one glass of wine. She grabbed my hand. “Come sit.”

  Ryker followed and sat next to me at the long table where the rest of the office staff was already seated and engaged in various conversations. Ryker poured me a glass of wine before pouring one for himself. I was nervous and reached for it without thinking.

  “Oh wow!” I exclaimed after taking a sip.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “This is really good!”

  He laughed. “It should be, with as much as it costs.”

  I put my glass down. I couldn’t even begin to guess how much it cost. I was going to nurse that one glass throughout the entirety of dinner. “It is good.”

  “So, how do you like it so far?” Alysha asked.

  “The wine?”

  “The job.”

  “Oh,” I said with a laugh. I was out of sorts. I told myself to relax. Everyone was having a good time. There was no reason I couldn’t enjoy myself. “You’re asking me when I’m sitting next to my boss.”

  “Please, don’t hold back on my account,” Ryker said. “Has it been okay? Are you ready to quit yet?”

  “Nope. You can’t get rid of me that easy. It’s good. I like the people, clients, and staff. I love how busy the place is. There is always something to do or someone to talk to.”

  “I can tell you everyone loves you,” Alysha said. “Really. We’ve already made a pact to kick his butt if he runs you off.”

  “Hey,” Ryker said. “I did not run off the others. Why does everyone keep saying that?”

  “Because you work like a dog and your poor assistants can’t keep up with you.”

  “You do work a lot,” I agreed.

  “Is that a problem for you?”

  I nudged his arm. “No.”

  “If it is too much, please let me know. We can cut back your hours. I don’t need you at the clinic all the time. I do need you on the road.”

  “I’m fine,” I assured him. “I’ll let you know if I feel like I’m burning out.”

  Menus were delivered from a team of servers. I was afraid to look. Everyone else was already scanning the menu and talking about what they were going to order. I scanned the menu and found no prices. This was not good. I didn’t see a basic salad either. This was going to be difficult. I didn’t want to order something that cost a hundred bucks and have my card declined.

  I gnawed on my lower lip and started thinking of an excuse to get out of dinner. I came up with a plan to go to the bathroom and text Naya with instructions to call me and claim there was an emergency.

  “The company is paying,” Ryker said in a low voice. “This is an employee-appreciation dinner. Order anything you want. This is our way of showing all of you how much we appreciate the work you all do.”

  I looked around the table. No one looked worried about paying their bill. I knew some of the employees were just as poor as I was. “Really?” I whispered.

  “Order whatever you want.”

  “I can only imagine how much it costs to eat here, and you’re going to pay for everyone?”

  He winked. “It’s a nice tax write-off.”

  I laughed and felt myself relaxing a lot more. “All right then. Whatever I can do to help out the company finances.”

  I didn’t go overboard. I didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness and generosity. Alysha told me this was a monthly thing when it could be squeezed in. He seemed like a great boss. I didn’t understand why the others had all left him. I was prepared to dig in and fight to keep the job.

  “We leave on Monday,” Ryker said wh
en the plates were being cleared.

  “I have it on the calendar.”

  “Are you packed?”

  I laughed. “No. I’ll do it tomorrow. I will be ready to go on Monday. Can you give me a hint about wardrobe?”

  “Wardrobe?”

  “Should I dress like I’m going to the office? Will we be outside?”

  “Just be comfortable.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You are such a guy.”

  “That’s a good thing, I think.”

  “You guys can show up in jeans and a dress shirt and be ready for anything. Women have to think about hair, accessories, shoes, and so on.”

  He looked confused. “Uh, comfortable?” he said it as a question.

  “Jeans?”

  He shrugged. “If you want.”

  “Oh, you are no help.”

  He chuckled and his eyes flashed with mischief. “I do have a few suggestions about what you could wear.” He leaned closer to me. “Remember that cheerleader thing we talked about?”

  I felt myself blushing. “Stop,” I hissed and looked around to make sure no one overheard. Everyone was caught up in their own conversations, much to my relief. “You can’t say that.”

  He was not the least bit bothered by me scolding him. “But I can think it and you can’t stop me.”

  “You know,” I said with my glass of wine in hand, “I can think things too.”

  I saw heat flash in his eyes. It was just a bit of fun. A little harmless flirting. “I’m game.”

  “What?”

  “You tell me what you’re thinking. I’ll go home and make it happen and send you a picture.”

  I just knew he would do it too. “Tempting, but the last thing I need, or you need, is to get caught up in a sexting scandal.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Sexting? I didn’t know we’d jumped there. I was just talking a photo, but whatever floats your boat.”

  “No. Don’t you know that’s how people get in trouble? Some punk living in his mom’s basement hacks your cloud and your naked ass is all over the internet.”

  “Naked, huh?”

  “What?”

  “That’s what you were imagining?” he teased.