27. Allen #3
“Boys,” he said, poking Kingston and Riley to make sure they were paying attention. “I want you to meet the new general manager of the Halifax Citadels—Jake Valero.”
He couldn’t see Kingston’s reaction since he was sitting in his lap, but Allen had a front row seat to Riley’s mouth falling open, and Jake’s wide-eyed shock.
No one made a sound. Allen wasn’t even sure if any of them were breathing until Kingston began shaking under him with strangled laughter.
“Holy fuck,” Kingston said, repeating the words when he shoved his face into the back of Allen’s neck, his laughter growing until Allen was bouncing around with him.
“You—” Riley started, then closed his mouth and swallowed a few times before he tried to talk again. “That was your crazy plan? You’re a fucking beauty, Ally. I don’t know how you convinced Everett to do that.”
Jake fidgeted in place, wringing his hands together repetitively, looking panicked. “But I can’t work for my father’s real estate company and be a GM. I would fall behind and fail at both positions.”
Allen patted Kingston’s thigh before slipping off his lap and making his way over to Jake. He crawled on and straddled him, leaning into his space. “Can I ask you something? Do you want to be the GM, or did I overstep?”
Jake had already begun shaking his head halfway through the question, instantly putting Allen’s fears to rest.
“I want it more than anything. I didn’t think my father would be willing to consider me for the position, so I didn’t ask.”
Allen pressed a chaste kiss to Jake’s lips and beamed at him. “Then congratulations, Mousey. You’re going to do great, and I’m going back to school so I can take your job in a few years.”
Jake blinked slowly, and Allen waited patiently for the realization to settle in. The moment it did, Jake’s face lit up with a smile so full of happiness that warmth flooded through Allen from head to toe.
“I see what you did,” Jake said, chuckling. “I bet he loved getting to set you up right where he wanted you.”
Huffing, Allen kissed Jake again, attempting to distract him before he could continue picking on him about the subject.
“Uh, guys?”
Allen drew away from Jake and found Kingston frowning at them, looking thoroughly disgruntled.
“Can we celebrate?” Kingston asked, practically vibrating with excitement. “I’m glad you’re happy sucking face, but between the dating, the presents”—he gestured toward the three plushies sitting on the other end of the sectional—“and Jake’s new job, I feel like we should do something.”
“Yeah,” Riley interjected, immediately jumping to his feet and stalking toward them. “Like a dog pile for one thing.”
That was the only warning Allen got. One second, he was sitting comfortably on Jake’s lap, and the next, Kingston and Riley had launched themselves at them.
Allen yelped as the two men crashed into the sectional, crushing him and Jake into the cushions beneath a chorus of whoops, laughter, and too many hair ruffles.
“I’m so happy for you, man!” Riley shouted over the chaos.
“You got the job!” Kingston added, sounding just as excited. “That’s huge!”
Jake tried to say something, but it was difficult for Allen to hear with Riley draped over him and Kingston’s attempts to combine himself with all three of them.
“Guys,” Jake laughed, but that was all he got out before Riley grabbed him by the face and kissed him hard enough to knock a gasp from his mouth.
Allen couldn't stop smiling, especially when Kingston started cheering on the kiss with the enthusiasm of a hockey fan. The pile of limbs was heavy, loud, and wildly inconvenient, but it was impossible to miss the genuine enthusiasm behind it.
“Are we going out?” Riley asked once he was separated from a stunned Jake. “We could walk to the club, or Jake and I have a favourite place where we can go for wings and a game of pool.”
Both ideas were solid, and any other time Allen would have eagerly jumped on them, but he had another suggestion for his men that he wanted to bring up.
Allen’s pulse kicked in anticipation as he ran the question through his head one more time before finding the courage to speak.
“How do you guys feel…about doing a switch in the bedroom tonight?”
Allen looked at Jake to make sure he was okay, but his fiancée was still beaming through the rapidly quieting commotion.
“You want to trade boyfriends,” Kingston clarified, not sounding put-off by the idea one bit. “Which way do you want to go?”
Allen and Riley both looked at Jake like the answer was obvious.
“I think the new GM should get to pick,” said Allen. “It’s only fair since we’re celebrating his new position.”
There were two hums of agreement, and Jake’s gaze darted around to look at all three of them, finally landing back on Allen with a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
“If you really want to make me happy, Allen…”
Allen closed his eyes, already knowing what Jake was about to ask for.
“I’d like to see you between Riley and Kingston. I want to watch you take them both at the same time.”
Allen paused and tipped his head back, blowing out a harsh breath that very quickly shifted into a loud groan.
Fuck.