Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
The investigators come to the office after everyone else is gone for the night, and instruct Derek and Jansen to send payment to the blackmailer so they can trace it. Meanwhile, other agents are going to bust into Charles’s home to catch him in the act of receiving the currency.
It’s a tense several minutes, until confirmation comes through: he’s been caught! There’s a small outburst of celebration, but overall, the mood is somber.
Even though Charles will need to be formally convicted, his arrest is all the proof Derek and Jansen need of his guilt—along with the damning notebook they found—and they still need to come to terms with the fact that their longtime associate betrayed them.
Even though I’d been telling myself to try to keep my distance, when they invite me to spend the night with them, I agree without hesitation.
Despite the mix of emotions, it’s a celebration of sorts, and the relief the men feel that their blackmailer’s been caught plays out in their actions. Sex that night is lovely and languid, and I feel more connected to them than I ever have.
They hold me and caress me—they hardly have their hands off of me at any point. They’re affectionate and intimate, and I know I’m getting in far too deep with them, but I’ll just have to worry about my heart later.
CHAPTER 44
ANA
As the weeks go by, Community Bean is thriving. Staffing is finally under control; the most recent store that opened is doing well, and Derek and Jansen are making plans for opening another later in the year.
This keeps them busier than usual and a little distracted and stressed, but the three of us usually get together at least twice a week, always at Derek’s for privacy.
As things fall into a rhythm, it feels like I’m dating them—but in a bubble. I can’t imagine inviting them to my place to hang out with my roommates, and we don’t go out in public due to privacy concerns.
It’s like we exist in a different world, and that seems appropriate, since it still seems like I’m living in a fantasy when I’m with them.
As the case against Charles moves along in the outside world, I hire his replacement at Community Bean. Apparently taking my advice to show appreciation to their employees, Derek and Jansen have recently been complimentary about the work I’ve done for the company.
I feel like I’ve made a difference, and I feel fulfilled by my job, so much more so than in my last position. So it’s too bad that it’s temporary, and that I slept with my bosses. Of course, I don’t regret that, but it’s a dark, dirty secret, and one that keeps me from changing my plans and trying to stay on long term at Community Bean.
I should be looking forward to moving on to another job and putting my indiscretions in the past, but the thought of it makes me sad. And it’s not just the men I’ll miss, but the company itself.
The new office manager has made changes that get the entire staff more involved in the company’s charitable initiatives. In the past, it’s just been customers voting on a worthy cause, and Derek and Jansen cutting a check. Now, we office workers have the opportunity to advocate for our favorite causes too, and we do toy drives, cleanups, and other hands-on activities outside the office.
It’s easy to see the positive effect these types of projects have had on people’s job satisfaction. I see it and hear it from employees, and there’s a lot more teamwork happening within and across departments.
Bring Your Pet to Work Days have continued, despite the occasional mess, and last week, I actually saw Derek and Jansen walking around the office greeting people’s pets. On another occasion, Kenzie took a photo of the two of them delivering a donation, and they were actually smiling.
Sometimes, around the office, their pleasant expressions look a bit forced, but it’s clear they’re making an effort, and people are responding in positive ways.
One afternoon, Jansen calls me into his office unexpectedly. Derek is already there, along with two well-dressed, attractive older people.
“Ana, these are my parents, Robert and Carol Bennett. Mother and Father, this is Ana.”
Mother and father? I’ve never heard anyone call their parents that, but then I’ve never seen parents who look this dour.
Reflexively, I hold out my hand to greet them, even as my brain scrambles to catch up with the fact that I’m meeting Jansen’s parents, and he introduced me simply as Ana, like they already know who I am. I wonder if they know me as his HR manager, or as his bed partner.
“Ana,” is all Mrs. Bennett says as she shakes my offered hand briefly with her cool, soft palm. That’s one step better than a head nod, which is what I get from Mr. Bennett when we shake hands.