Two for the Shrew (As We Like It Anthology)

by Green, Bronwyn

  A flush rose to her cheeks, and she did her best to smother the images coming to life in her head. There weren’t going to be any more moments like that with either man. Glancing toward where they sat at one of the tables, heads bent together talking, a pang of sadness clutched at her. She looked away before they noticed her staring. This interaction had already gone way too far, and unfortunately, she liked them way more than she should.

  This ended tonight.

  It had to.

  She just needed to make her escape before she changed her mind.

  The best man grabbed her hand, jarring her from her thoughts and led her out on the dance floor. She tried to focus on his banal conversation, but her attention kept drifting to two men whose gazes never left her.

  “Look,” she said, interrupting her dance partner’s thoughts on Bianca and Cameron’s honeymoon destination and whether or not they should swim with dolphins. “I need a favor.”

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I need to take off as soon as this dance is over.”

  “But they haven’t even cut the cake yet,” he protested. She just stared at him until he said, “I’m sorry. You were saying?”

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was a nice enough guy, just a little on the dense side. “Can you just discreetly dance us over toward the door so I can dash out without making a scene?”

  “Don’t you think that’ll piss off Bianca?”

  “Only if she notices. Hence the not making a scene.”

  It was more important that Simon and John didn’t notice, but she wasn’t about to explain that to this guy.

  He did what she’d asked, though not terribly stealthily, as far as she was concerned. The door was only a few yards away when the music faded and another song began. John tapped her dance partner on the shoulder.

  Her stomach sank as the best man handed her off to one of the men she was trying to avoid. “Be sure to dance her toward the door,” the best man said. “She’s trying to get out of here.”

  “Oh, really,” John said as the other guy wandered away. “So you were planning to just sneak away and ditch us?”

  “There are plenty of other women here—”

  He scowled at her. “We’re not interested in other women.”

  She took a breath. “Last night was a mistake.”

  His scowl turned into more of a glower. “I disagree.”

  “I really like you guys, but mixing a physical relationship with business never works. I let myself get carried away last night. And I shouldn’t have.”

  “Shouldn’t have what?” Simon asked, cutting in, and pulling her close. Closer than most people would expect two colleagues to be dancing.

  She tried to put a little space between them but was unsuccessful. She practically growled in frustration. “I shouldn’t have gotten intimately involved with you, that’s what. It was a bad idea.”

  Simon shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.”

  She wished it hadn’t been, but she knew better.

  “At least, give us a chance,” he said.

  Her eyes narrowed, and she frowned. “A chance for what?”

  He leaned closer, his lips brushing enticingly across her ear. “A chance to show you that no-strings can last longer for a weekend.”

  Fear and excitement rioted within her. She knew she should push from his arms and leave like she’d intended, but she couldn’t find the strength of will to manage it.

  Simon had managed to dance her out the door and into the hallway. John followed.

  She closed her eyes. More than anything, she wanted to give in. To be part of their lives on a personal level—even if was only temporary. Even if it would probably end up breaking her heart in the end.

  Opening her eyes, she looked at Simon then turned toward John. “It’s still no-strings.”

  Nearly identical smiles curved their lips, and a responding heat unfurled in her belly.

  She grinned. “Race you to the gazebo,”

  Chapter Seven

  Catherine stifled a yawn as her receptionist entered the room carrying a package. All these late nights with Simon and John were beginning to take their toll. She hadn’t planned on maintaining anything with them after the wedding, but here she was, almost a month later and they were still going strong. She knew it was a bad idea to keep seeing them—she was only going to end up hurt, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop, either. She never would have believed it was possible, but she suspected she was falling in love with them. Both of them.

  Her assistant handed her the large envelope. “Would you like a cup of coffee? You look…a little tired.”

  “No, I’ve had five cups too many already, and it’s only noon. But thank you.”

  Once the other woman left, Catherine opened the padded packing envelope. Inside, was an elaborately wrapped gift tied up with multicolored ribbons and silk flowers. Only Bianca would put that much effort into something that would end up in the trash.

  Curious, Catherine opened the gift to find a digital picture frame. Setting it up on her desk, she turned it on and watched the images scroll by. There were plenty of formal shots of Bianca and Cameron, the wedding party and their father. Then there were candid shots of Catherine and Bianca along with some photos of Catherine dancing with John and others of her with Simon. She caught her breath at the last few images, surprised by the serene, loving expression on her face as she gazed at the two men. Even more disquieting were the looks on their faces as they watched her. She turned off the power, and the frame went dark. Better to look at a blank screen than obsess about her far too complicated love life.

  Her receptionist buzzed, startling her. “Simon Verona is on line two for you.”

  “Thank you.” With nervous anticipation swirling through her belly, she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Hey, beautiful. How’s your day?”

  She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face at the sound of his voice. “Long. I’m ready to fall asleep.”

  “Mmmm, that sounds good. How about we come over there and have a midday nap?”

  She laughed. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Of course,” he said, lowering his voice. “If we come over there, one of us is going to end up under your desk again, licking that sweet pussy of yours.”

  Catherine squirmed in her chair and stifled a groan.

  “Tell you what,” he said. “How about the three of us knock off early after you bring your team to see the presentation? John and I were thinking that maybe we could all take a long weekend together.”

  Though she didn’t foresee a lot of sleep in her future, three days away with her favorite guys sounded like heaven. But worry still niggled at her. Even though they’d all agreed to her terms of a no-strings fling, she couldn’t help but feeling like she was becoming more attached to them by the day. If she were honest with herself, she’d have to admit she was falling in love with them. And that would only end badly. Still, she couldn’t convince herself to say no.

  “That sounds great,” she murmured.

  “I’ve got another call,” he said. “See you at two?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Good. I’ll see you soon.”

  The rest of the afternoon dragged by until it was finally time to leave for the presentation. After calling and reminding her father to meet her there, she and Daphne got in the car.

  “So…?” Daphne started.

  “So what?”

  “I’ve know I’ve been really busy playing catch up since I got back from vacation, but I’ve noticed that you’ve actually been keeping what I’d call a normal person’s schedule instead of spending sixteen or seventeen hours a day at the office.”

  “Just like you’ve been after me to do for years.” Catherine stared resolutely at the road ahead, not liking this line of questioning. “So what’s the problem?”

  Daphne crossed her arms over her ample chest and stared at Catherine. “There’s no pro
blem. However, judging from the signs, you’re seeing someone. And unless I miss my guess, it’s two someones. Don’t you think that’s something you might want to mention to your best friend?”

  “And my best friend wouldn’t be weirded out if I was seeing more than one guy at once?”

  “Uh, hello? I believe I was the one who suggested it prior to the wedding.”

  Catherine laughed. “It’s just so…unexpected, I guess.”

  “So? Do they make you happy?”

  “It’s nothing serious,” Catherine rushed to say. “It’s just a no-strings fling.” Saying it aloud made the reality of the situation that much more painful.

  “Huh,” Daphne said.

  “What?”

  “Well, you might want to pass that message on to them, because whenever they look at you, it looks a lot like something serious. Like something permanent.”

  Catherine turned her friend’s words over and over in her head. Was Daphne right? Did Catherine want Daphne to be? All she knew for sure was that she’d never experienced the kind of peace and security she felt with John and Simon with any other guy.

  Simon caught Cat’s eye as soon as she and her assistant entered. He and John were looking forward to showing her the first three website ads they’d come up with. But they were even more excited to take her away for an extended weekend. They had plenty to discuss. And first on the list were her ground rules. He and John both wanted something more with her. They wanted a future together.

  It was almost impossible for Simon to keep from pulling her into his arms, but he forced himself to remain professional and greet her with a handshake. She settled into a chair next to her father while John gave a brief presentation outlining their process for choosing the art and the models. Eager to get on with their weekend plans, Simon stopped listening.

  He glanced at Tyler who hovered in the back of the room by the laptop. He and John had only given Tyler one of the promo spots to create. His cousin had been such a dick lately, they’d had to put him on probation. Any other employee would have been fired by now, but they’d given Tyler one last chance at his aunt’s request. But this was it. If he couldn’t pull out something resembling professional behavior, he was gone.

  Simon had already seen the web ads. He was more interested in watching the reactions of the Minola team. All three of them seemed to enjoy the first two videos, animatedly discussing each one after the screening. Tyler cued up the last and final video. It was, in Simon’s opinion, the best one out of the three.

  He settled in to watch Catherine’s reaction, listening to the familiar music and voiceover. As the presentation wound down, he saw her eyes widen and her mouth drop open. All color drained from her face. Her father and Daphne’s faces mirrored the same expression half a beat later.

  Dread sitting heavy in his gut, he turned and faced the screen. Larger than life, was a photo of a clearly drunk, half-nude Catherine. A second grainy shot filled the screen. Catherine passed out on the floor between him and John. Simon leapt out of his chair and punched the off button on the computer. He was going to fucking kill Tyler. The image faded, leaving a blank screen behind. Unfortunately, it was seared in his memory and likely the memory of everyone in the room.

  Fists clenched in rage, he whirled to his cousin.

  “It’s amazing what you can find if you search the right fraternity’s database.” Tyler shrugged. “I guess the internet really is forever.”

  Simon shoved him up against the wall, and John yanked the ID badge from Tyler’s shirt before calling security. Catherine stared at them, her face pale and her eyes huge. Everything in Simon screamed to go to her, but Tyler had already proved himself a risk, and they had to wait until security escorted him from the building. John moved to talk to Catherine and her team, and Simon turned back to his cousin.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded.

  Tyler shrugged. “I heard a rumor that you were thinking about getting rid of me. I figured that if I was going, then I was going big. And that Minola bitch was too tempting not to take down. And hey, I guess I actually owe you some money. Heard you’ve both been nailing her.”

  Simon grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and shook him, heedless of his head bouncing against the wall. “There was no bet,” he ground out.

  From the corner of his eye he saw Catherine run from the room.

  Security arrived and pulled Simon off Tyler before escorting the other man to his cubicle to pack his belongings. Simon called in the head of the IT department and explained the situation. If Tyler was willing to trash a client, Simon wouldn’t put it past the other man to sabotage the company’s computer system. In fact, he almost hoped Tyler had. Legally, there wasn’t much they could do about what he’d done to Catherine, but Tyler was looking at serious jail time for tampering with equipment. If he’d done anything destructive, the IT department would find it and hopefully fix it without too much trouble.

  Fixing things with Catherine would require a hell of a lot more effort.

  After driving aimlessly for hours, Catherine sat at her desk and watched the images in the digital picture frame scroll by. Needing to see Simon and John again, she turned it on. Apparently, she was incapable of making anything resembling a smart decision where those two were concerned. When the photographs of them popped up, she turned it off before she burst into tears again.

  None of this would have happened if she hadn’t gotten involved with them. She didn’t entirely blame them for their employee’s behavior. She knew perfectly well that the only person responsible for today’s fiasco was Tyler. Well, and her with her “Girls Gone Wild” moment. Seeing the picture had brought back that time all too well. It had been her first weekend back at school after her mom’s funeral. And tequila shot after tequila shot had ended up becoming the outlet for all the pent up anger and grief crashing through her.

  Her memory was still a little foggy, but after the photo had been taken, she recalled stumbling outside and vomiting into the bushes to the side of the saggy front porch. John and Simon had taken turns staying close to her, holding her hair and rubbing her back.

  She supposed she should be grateful the photo incident wasn’t worse. If someone other than Daphne had figured out she was currently sleeping with both of them, there would be way more scandalous pictures to worry about.

  Of course, Tyler had figured it out, hadn’t he? Who knew? He might even have pictures. Maybe Simon and John had put him up to taking them. She had a hard time believing that about them, but it made as much sense as anything else. Maybe getting her in a compromising position had been part of their marketing plan to keep her compliant. Again, that didn’t sound like the men she’d come to know in the past month, but the men she thought they were wouldn’t have made a bet involving her, either.

  And that was the crux of her pain.

  White-hot anguish speared through her. They’d seduced her as part of a bet, and she’d been idiotic enough to fall in love with them. Tears burned her eyes, and she swiped angrily at them. How could she have been so stupid? She’d trusted them—with her company and her body. Thankfully, they had no idea they also had her heart. It was too late for her to get out of this with her dignity intact, but maybe, she could figure out how to hold on to a shred or two.

  A noise outside her doorway drew her attention, and she looked up. Expecting Daphne, she was surprised to see Simon and John. Shoving the door shut, they crossed the room in seconds and pulled her into their arms.

  “I’m so sorry,” Simon whispered against her hair.

  “Tyler’s fired,” John added. “But we’re taking full responsibility for his behavior.

  She pulled from their embrace and backed up a few steps. “Get away from me,” she snapped, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

  John took a step toward her, but she backed up again.

  “Cat?” he asked.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her rage and hurt around her like a cloak. �
�You can finish out this campaign, but I want you to leave. Any further contact will be handled by Daphne. Future ad proofs will be submitted to Daphne for my approval or rejection . I want no further contact with you, so go.”

  Simon attempted to lay his hand on her arm, but she shook off his touch. She made the mistake of meeting his eyes. Sorrow filled them. He looked almost as miserable as she felt. She looked away, unable and unwilling to care about his feelings. Not when she was bleeding on the inside.

  “What Tyler said,” Simon began. “It wasn’t true.”

  She walked to her desk and sorted through the papers, or at least, she pretended to. She couldn’t make any of the letters form words—not when she was trying everything she could think of to keep herself from crying in front of these two.

  “Simon’s right,” John added. “It’s not true. Tyler lied. We would never make a bet like that—about you or anyone else. By hurting you, he knew he’d hurt us.”

  The papers she held wrinkled in her hand as she crushed them. “I’m not hurt. I just want you to leave. This whole no-strings thing isn’t working out for me, after all.”

  Both men exchanged a look. Finally, Simon spoke. “This no-strings thing isn’t really working for us, either.”

  A cold hand closed around her heart. The admission hurt to hear. But she reminded herself that after everything that had happened, it was for the best. She forced her head to bob up and down, woodenly nodding.

  “Okay, then.” She took a breath. “Just let Daphne know when you’d like to meet to go over the next phase of the project. I believe I have some of your belongings at my place. I’ll see that they’re shipped to you as soon as possible.”

  “You’re missing the point, Cat,” John said. He crossed the room and yanked her into his arms. It was almost impossible not to melt against him, but she managed to remain rigid. “It’s not working for us,” he said.