by Lana Hartley
“I’m Krista,” I say and point to myself. “I didn’t order lunch though.”
The delivery man hands me the bag of food. “Well somebody did.” He gives me a wink.
My cheeks flush, and I look down at the bag, trying to distract myself from all the eyes on me.
I feel like the spotlight is on me, and I’m the freak show paid attraction that everyone gets to enjoy.
“Looks like somebody has a secret admirer,” Bob Nelson, head of the archeology department, teases as his friends croon.
“Oh, please,” I say, waving a dismissive hand. I do my best to laugh off his assumptions.
If I do have a secret admirer, I want diamonds. Just kidding! Well, not really.
All jokes aside, I haven’t felt this good in the entire year I had been with Brandon. Thank goodness he’s out of the picture, even if he continues to annoy the hell out of me with his unwanted calls and texts.
I find an empty table at the back of the room and notice that there is a little note attached to it. I peel it off the side of the bag and open it carefully, wondering with perplexity what might be going on here.
Enjoy your lunch.
Hopefully it’s as savory as you are.
S.
I smile, and butterflies flutter in my stomach when I recognize the initial.
I glance around the room, trying to scope out Simon, but at first, I don’t see him. I’m a little disappointed until I hear someone clear their throat.
Looking to my left, I grin from ear to ear like a giddy cheerleader with a crush. Sure enough, Mr. Sly Devil himself is staring at me with a subtle smile. He flashes me a wink with his electric blue eyes.
I cast him a nod in gratitude and acknowledgement of his kind gesture. Then, I dig right in to the chicken salad sandwich.
I’ve never tasted anything so fucking delicious in my life.
***
Later that night, things go swimmingly in the research lab with the guys. We’re making leaps and bounds, and I honestly know I can’t make progress at this pace without them or their stellar help.
Their reputation for being top renowned researchers is just the icing on the cake that I need right now.
King stands up and holds a finger in the air. We all glance at him quizzically. For one, I feel like my eyes might blur over with fatigue and exhaustion, but I press forward, knowing that the harder I work now, the better it will pay off for me in the end.
“What do you have there buddy?” Simon chuckles, acknowledging King’s strange behavior.
In King’s defense, he’s just a strange guy, but in a quirky, fun-loving sort of way.
“This note,” King says, showing us a piece of paper that, up until that moment, had been folded in half and shoved inside a notebook.
“What about it?” Dylan asks with a shrug.
“Krista made it,” King proclaims.
“I did?” I lean over to study the piece of paper and the jottings on it.
“Oh...right, I did!” I say with laughter. “I remember, it has to do with the original formula I tried to piece together for the clean coal.”
“Exactly.” King nods as if he’s really on to something now.
“Care to enlighten us, or are you just going to stand there looking like a weirdo staring off into space?” Simon teases him.
King ignores him and cuts to the chase. “We should try to test this formula.” He points to the scribblings I made and taps the paper.
I give him a funny look. “Those were just theories—I didn’t really think—”
“Some of the best theories proven in today’s history came from random notes made on post-its,” King counters, interrupting me before I can sabotage myself or apparently his failsafe plan.
“I guess that’s true.” I shrug and look at the other guys. “I suppose it can be worth a shot.”
“It’s totally worth it!” King cheers as if he’s holding the formula to cure cancer.
I’m hardly that seasoned as a researcher.
“If we do this test, we could be that much closer to your hope for cleaner coal, Krista,” King continues, really animated now and talking excitedly with his hands.
“Okay, let’s do it!” I shout and join him on his mountain of eagerness.
As an extra flare and effect, we high-five each other. Then, like any train wreck, I have a mental breakdown, and self-doubt takes over.
“Wait.” I say with a shake of my head.
“What is it?” Dylan asks with concern.
“This is just one little note here.” I shake it in front of him.
The pieces in my mind are fragmented. “I wrote this note a long time ago, guys. I’m not sure I can remember everything...” I trail off as disappointment floods me.
“It’s okay, we can help you. Right, guys?” Simon chimes in.
“Hell yes, absolutely,” Dylan agrees.
“I took so many notes back then.” I shake my head and riffle through all my papers.
I’m trying to process everything, but I’m getting a little dose of stage fright. The guys begin discussing where I could’ve begun the trail, and eventually it all starts to ripple back into my memory.
We continue to brainstorm late into the night until we come up with the possible solution to the formula.
In my head, I’m still reeling as the numbers, letters, and equations fly through my brain, but I’m closer than I was before and that’s a great sign.
Once we have enough to test the hypothesis, we make a plan to put it all in place.
“I have an idea,” Dylan states with bright interest.
“What is it?” I turn to look at him.
“We should go on a trip this weekend.”
“A trip?” Simon asks.
“Yeah, think about it,” Dylan proposes. “If we get all the necessary things we need, we’ll be able to flesh out the experiment better.”
“Not a bad idea,” King agrees.
“Does that mean we’re finished for tonight?” I laugh. “If I agree, does that mean we can all go home now?”
Dylan looks at his watch and yawns with a stretch. “It is getting pretty late. We can pick up where we left off tomorrow.”
“That sounds great to me,” King adds.
We leave the research lab that night, and I shut off the lights behind me. I file out after the guys.
“Thanks for your help,” I tell them gratefully. “If it weren’t for you, I never would have remembered these calculations and formula structures.”
“That’s what we’re here for.” King gives me a genuine grin and squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll be here for you whenever you need us.”
I go home that night, knowing in my heart he’s telling me the truth.
Chapter 20
Simon
“Why do I have to be the one to go back and get the papers? Am I some sort of pissant?”
I give Dylan a hard time over the phone, because I don’t want to have to be the runner who goes to the university to retrieve the documents we left last night at the research facility.
“Just suck it up you big douche,” Dylan roars with laughter as he spites me.
“Okay, fine,” I groan with teasing exasperation. “I’ll talk to you later, dickhead.”
“Peace out, asshole,” Dylan quips back.
Dylan and King are like brothers to me, and we’re in this shit together for life.
Only now, we have a beautiful little rose flower to share our fun with in the form of the lovely and talented Krista.
I’ve seriously never seen a woman so gorgeous and brilliant before at the same time.
Sure, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of sexy girls, but they never lead to anything serious because they can’t hold a fucking conversation.
I need a challenge, an intellectually stimulating woman to hold on to, to make love with, and to just overall have an epically great time.
I grab my keys and depart from my house, on a mission to find and retrieve the
work we need in order to iron out the formula and matching equations.
On my cab ride over, I can’t help but look out the window and smile as the buildings and the traffic pass me by in a whirlwind.
Krista is the total fucking package, and I can’t believe how lucky we are to have snagged her up. I get an instant hard-on just thinking about her spreading her legs and moaning my name.
She seems totally on board with dating all three of us at once, and to be honest, I have the mindset to think that the more the merrier.
If it means I can date Krista without having to worry about anyone at the university keeping a watchful eye on us, then so be it. I’m all about bending the rules and going against the system if it means I can achieve my goals and get what I want in the end.
Not to mention that Krista seems much happier and relieved with our progression, now that there’s a foreseeable light at the end of the tunnel.
I know she appreciates getting help from me and the other guys, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Honestly, I love spending time with her, which is surprising to me.
I don’t want to come right out and admit that I love to bang a hot chick and ditch her, but I’m plagued with a few commitment issues.
So naturally, I’m surprising myself by my behavior and willingness to spend as much time with Krista as I possibly can.
Does it bother me that I also have to share her with King and Dylan?
Well, that’s kind of a difficult question to answer.
For now, I guess I’ll respond by saying no, not really. We all want the same thing, and it’s better to just share her than fight over dibs.
We all can agree that Krista is passionate about her work, and that makes me respect her even more than I already do.
Her sex appeal drips down her long, slender tan legs, and I just can’t get enough of that sweet, delicious pussy of hers.
Jolting back to the present moment, I pay the cabbie his fare and give him a hefty tip for his troubles. You know, because I’m a gentleman like that.
The plan for the weekend is to head up to my parent’s house in the woods—don’t get any wild ideas—just to work, and focus in the solitude of the wilderness.
Maybe some down time for fucking too, but our main goal will be helping Krista finalize her formula and then to be able to test it out in the open air.
I love heading up to the cabin to any fucking chance I get, and I can’t wait to show the place off to Krista.
We’ll need the seclusion in order to test out the experiments and run some trials. My favorite part of the weekend plan is being able to be alone with Krista. Getting to know her better is right at the top of my list of things to do.
Walking into the research lab, I chuck on the lights and trot directly over the table where we did most of the work last night.
Well, shit.
The folder isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Surely, we left it here, because nobody else is claiming to have it, hence the reason I’m the sucker having to do the searching.
I riffle through some other documents and papers and then head over to the computers, thinking there might be the off chance that one of us might’ve set it down over there while researching theories.
I come up empty.
Damn! What am I supposed to tell the guys? Or worse—Krista herself?
I walk back to the entrance door and scan the area around there too, hoping that while we were locking up last night, somebody might have set the folder down absentmindedly.
They aren’t there either.
Well this fucking sucks a big fat one.
I run a hand through my hair and heave a huge sigh. I mean the damn folder has to be somewhere, right?
I mean, it’s not like it could’ve just disappeared into thin fucking air or something, could it?
I leave the research center and jog down to the security guard station.
“Hey fellas,” I greet them leisurely. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” the stocky balding one shoots me a bored look.
“My friends and I, well…see we seem to have misplaced a folder with very important information in it.”
I chuckle as if I’m the biggest fucking dipshit on the planet, in hopes that these men will empathize on my situation.
“Okay…” the thin one with a gruff beard states.
“Did you happen to notice anyone else coming down this hallway or into the research facility while we were gone last night, anyone at all?”
I hold my breath and hope for the best.
“Nobody came in before you, sir,” the pudgy one states flatly.
I glance back down the hallway as if I’m having trouble processing this turn of events.
“That’s so weird, I can’t find it anywhere, and nobody on my team is claiming to have it.”
“Sorry buddy, we’ll keep an eye out, but I can assure you, nobody’s been here.”
The thin one gives me an apologetic glance, but I can tell his heart’s not in the game.
I thank the guards and walk back out onto the oddly serene Manhattan Saturday, then dial King and Dylan who are already meeting up together.
“Hey guys, bad news.”
I come clean and decide it’s best to just rip off the band aid.
“Oh no, what is it?” Dylan questions.
“Well, we seem to be in a little pickle here,” I chuckle nervously.
“Just spit it out then,” King demands, never one to mince words.
“Here’s the thing: I can’t find the damn folder.”
“Is this another one of your little jokes? If so, it’s really not fucking funny,” King retorts.
“I’m not joking!” I raise my voice defensively. “I can’t find it.”
“Well shit. How are we going to tell Krista?” Dylan ponders on speaker with me.
“Let me guess, you guys nominate me for that job too, huh?” I drone sarcastically.
“Thanks buddy, that’ll be great,” King laughs.
“Fuck you,” I roll my eyes even though they can’t see me.
I start walking down the street because I’m too stressed out to stand still right now.
“Don’t panic, we’ll figure something out,” Dylan says. “In the meantime, just get over here so that we can start getting the supplies ready for the cabin.”
“Okay,” I tell them and hang up.
Dylan’s right. There’s no reason to panic; we can still get the work done and stick to the plan as best as possible. Maybe Krista has it after all, and this worry is unnecessary.
That’s my fucking hope.
On the way to meet Dylan and King, I begin to brainstorm ideas as to how we can still maintain the productive pace for this trip to make it worth it for Krista.
Bottom line? All three of us want to continue to try to make her feel as comfortable and happy as we can.
No, we are not pussy whipped, but damn do we like that pussy.
A few minutes later, I reunite with King and Dylan at King’s pad.
“Dude, you look seriously wrecked,” Dylan greets me as he answers the door.
“Please tell me the truth,” I tease back dryly. “Don’t hold back.”
“Just stop worrying about it,” King states with confidence as he zips up his weekend duffle bag.
“Thanks for the advice,” I laugh sardonically.
“Don’t forget I have an eidetic memory,” King notes. “I can formulate the research based on what we discussed and learned last night. We’ll be back where we started in no time.”
“Before you can say I’m a sappy little bitch,” Dylan laughs and high-fives King.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this weekend trip was going to turn into drag-Simon-through-the-mud time,” I whine at them.
“Can’t you take a fucking joke?” Dylan says with a grin on his face as he pats my back.
“Whatever,” I sigh exuberantly. “Let’s just go and pick up Krista now.”
&nb
sp; “That’s the spirit little buddy,” King says and gives me a thumbs up.
We exit King’s apartment and head to a nearby hardware store to pick up the supplies we’ll need for the weekend and for the experiments. We still fully intend to test out, with or without the folder.
“We still have two whole days of productive feedback to give each other,” Dylan reminds me after we leave the store and start putting our purchases into the car.
“Right,” I agree and give him a smile, trying to boost my own spirits. “Well, look at the bright side.”
I chuckle as I drive off in route to fetch Krista.
“What’s that?” King asks from the back seat.
“At least we get Krista all to ourselves.”
King laughs. “I concur, the best thing I’ll ever agree with you on.”
I floor it down a quiet and empty side street as we speed off towards what hopefully will be the beginning of a weekend of fun with a dash of excitement and thrills tucked around every corner.
Chapter 21
Krista
Sure, I’m fucking disappointed that the research papers are missing, but the guys are doing a damn fantastic job at calming me down and uplifting my spirits.
I need a boost, I won’t deny it. It just seems like lately, so many things are working against us at completing the research and being able to project our plans into real experiments. But if the guys have confidence in me, then I might as well heed their advice and believe it myself.
“Wow, this is the cabin?” I climb out of the back seat and stare up at the cozy, yet slightly enormous house tucked away in the middle of the woods.
“Yep,” Simon nods and grins with pride.
“Impressive,” I state and beam at him. “It looks cozy here.”
“It is. You’ll want to kiss me immediately when you go inside.” Simon chuckles.
“We’ll see about that,” I tease back lightly.
“I’m going to hold you to it!” he calls out as I walk up the steps and onto the porch.
It’s utterly perfect. The wooden deck floorboards creak beneath my feet, and it’s so quaint and charming. I almost want to pinch myself to find out whether I’m dreaming or not.
“We should just stay here forever,” I joke and stand at the front door, waiting for the guys to carry the bags inside.
