6. Peyton
PEYTON
Twelve hours and one sleepless night later, I’d convinced myself it was all a fluke.
Yes, I’d slept with my bosses.
Yes, it was the best night of my life.
No, it would not continue.
There was no way they’d ever be interested in doing any of those things with me again. Which was a shame, because I’d loved it. And I had so many more things I wished we could do together.
It was a mistake. Telling myself that all the way to work barely kept me functional.
If I were lucky, they’d let me keep my job. I paused outside the building to gather the last of my courage, using the extra few minutes to tidy my hair.
Memories of Leo twisting it around his finger last night sent a pulse of heat through my belly.
He’d been so kind. And Misha.
Good Lord.
The man barely said two words in the office, but he’d whispered such sweet things in my ear. Things I’d never been told but had taken away years of hurt. How did he do that?
And Viktor. My cheeks heated. He’d shown his true self last night. At least, parts of it.
“It’s over.” I ground my teeth together and forced the words out two more times.
With my back to the exterior wall of our business building, I stared across the street at New York’s finest business district.
Skyscrapers rose on every side, blotting out the rising sun.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d watched a sunrise.
Had never really had any interest in them.
The city stayed so bright that I never thought to miss it.
I pushed away from the wall and entered the building, going straight for the elevator and stepping inside.
My phone buzzed, and I groaned. This was it. They’d fired me over text message. I sank my teeth into my lower lip and pulled my phone from my pocket. My brows furrowed until an ache started in my forehead when I spotted the icon for the dating app.
Curiosity poked, and I opened the message.
We wanted to give you a moment to recalibrate after last night, but we want you to know how much we enjoyed your company. It brought us immense pleasure, and we would like for it to happen again. When are you free to see us again?
Not was I free, or did I want to see them again, but when.
My breath whooshed out, the immense relief weakening my knees. The doors opened, and I squeaked while clutching my phone to my chest. I’d completely forgotten I was at work.
Stepping out, I spotted Elena at my desk, her fingers on the keys and her eyes locked on the screen.
A frown puckered her lips, and she looked up at my approach.
“Peyton, thank goodness.” She took a step back.
“I was watching the time for you. You had one more minute before I tried to hack your computer and clock you in.” A mischievous smile tipped her lips upward.
“How did it go last night with your online hotties? Your text was far too sparse.”
“Um.” Flustered at the sudden questions on top of Leo’s message, I fumbled to scrape together an answer.
I didn’t dare tell her who I’d slept with last night.
“It went better than I expected. So much better.” My shoulders relaxed as I took on the conversation with as much honesty as I could.
“Can we talk about it later? I need to clock in.”
“Sure, but only if you promise to tell me every dirty detail.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
Elena stepped back, pulling the chair out for Peyton. “I clocked in downstairs, then came right up here to find you. When I saw you were running later than usual, I assumed it had gone quite well. But you had me worried for a bit.”
“Sorry.” I’d texted her on my way home last night, telling her I was fine and we’d catch up later. I hadn’t realized until later that I’d been with Viktor, Misha, and Leo until almost two a.m.
No wonder Elena hadn’t text me back but had come to find me this morning.
I unlocked my computer and clocked in while Elena picked a piece of lint from my shoulder. “Thanks.”
She patted my arm. “I’ll leave you to work. Meet me for lunch?”
“Of course.” We’d been meeting for lunch for months now, and I saw no reason to change that.
It wasn’t like I’d be sharing lunch with my bosses just because we’d been in bed together last night.
A yawn cracked my jaw.
I’d barely slept, too many emotions and worries tossing me back and forth in the bed. Which was a shame, because I’d never felt so satisfied, and I’d anticipated that satiety carrying me into a deep rest.
“Rough night?” Leo appeared in my line of sight.
I covered my mouth with both hands, shoving the shriek down where it belonged.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear the elevator.” I usually tried to have their offices open for them when they arrived, but today, the doors remained shut, the corridor empty.
“You have a full day of meetings. Your first client should be arriving any minute. Is there anything I can do for you?” The words rushed out in a torrent that might have knocked a lesser man back a step.
Leo merely grinned at me and held out a cup. “You didn’t hear me because I came up the stairs. This is for you. Blond roast with caramel, cream, and extra sugar.”
He knew my coffee order? The logo on the cup caught my attention. My favorite coffee shop.
Misha and Viktor approached, also coming from the doorway leading to the stairwell.
Why were they using the stairs? I’d never seen them use the stairs.
Misha walked straight into my space, gripped the back of my chair, and leaned down until we were face to face.
“Can you show me my schedule for the day?”
My mouth turned as dry as the pavement outside.
I nodded and clicked on his schedule, showing him the screen marked with every meeting, each one color coded and annotated with the client’s likes and dislikes.
He grunted and ran his thumb back and forth over the nape of my neck.
He’d asked this before, though not from this close a distance, and he definitely never touched me.
“Can you cancel my three o’clock? I’m waiting on a response from someone that might cause interference, and I’d rather keep those last few hours open. ”
I nodded again, unable to talk past the tight feeling in my throat. I knew what his cock looked like. Knew what it tasted like. How was I supposed to come in here every day with that knowledge in my head and act normal?
Misha straightened and buttoned his suit jacket. Blue today, like almost every other day. Dark blue and black were the only colors I’d ever seen them wear, and if I’d never had a kink for men in suits before, I definitely had one thanks to them.
“You have a message from us in your inbox. It’s in urgent need of a reply.” Misha’s brows drew downward. He’d shaved, eliminating the dark scruff from last night.
It took a few seconds of staring into his eyes for the hint to take hold. The message on our app. He meant the message Leo had sent me.
Viktor nudged Misha with one hand. “Thank you, Miss Stirling. We’ll let you get to work.”
“Thank you, sir.”
His eyes darkened, and he paused a foot away from my desk, staring down at me.
Leo remained to my left, the cup of coffee in his hand. He rocked it from side to side. “I see this cup on your desk almost every day. The barista there remembered your order, but if you find it unsatisfactory, I can toss it.”
“No.” I didn’t mean to move, but I lunged to my feet and wrapped both hands around the cup.
His fingers brushed mine before he let go, and that same liquid heat I’d seen in Viktor’s eyes held firm in Leo’s dark but no less intense gaze.
“Thank you. I was running late this morning and didn’t have time to stop. ”
“You’re welcome.” He moved around the desk and lowered his voice. “Keep calling him Sir and you might end up bent over his desk.”
Oh, fuck. An instant image popped into my head of Viktor pressing me into his desk while he railed me from behind.
Keep it professional. I was supposed to be keeping it professional.
Leo walked past me. “Enjoy your coffee. We look forward to your response to our inquiry.”
How did he walk away like my insides hadn’t just imploded with a sudden need to rush into Viktor’s office and beg him to act out my newest fantasy? The term ‘hot and bothered’ applied so fiercely, I needed a dunk in an ice bath before I melted into the floor.
The three of them walked down the hallway with their usual easy swagger, splitting into their offices.
Misha’s implied urgency did not show on any of them, but that didn’t make it my imagination.
They were masters at keeping their emotions at bay.
I’d seen them leaving the office after meetings that would have turned me into a raving bitch, and they barely batted an eye.
But when Viktor frowned a certain way, one where his eyes glittered with a matte shimmer, the entire room bent over backward to make things right.
I’d never known three more powerful men, and it shook me to my core that I was not ready to give them up.
But was I ready for the consequences of continuing?
The elevator doors opened, and Mr. Benson walked out. Tall and robust, he loved to laugh and tell me a joke every time he walked in.
Today was no different, and he stopped in front of my desk. “Good morning.” I used my most congenial tone and took a sip of my coffee.
“Ah, Miss Stirling. Good to see you again. Tell me, do you know what happens when you cross a fish with a bird?”
“No. I have no idea.” This was the problem with Mr. Benson. Not his love of jokes, but the way he butchered them. I’d never met anyone as capable at massacring a good joke as this man.
He stuck his fists against his hips and flapped his arms. “Flying bass.”
I laughed along with him and stood. “Mr. Solokov is waiting for you.” I led the way to Viktor’s office and knocked twice on the black door.
“Enter.”
I bit my lip to try and keep any images of last night at bay as I pushed the door open. “Mr. Benson to see you, Sir.” I tacked on the last bit, just because I’d become a sucker for his reaction.
Viktor glanced my way as he stood. “Thank you. That will be all.”
I had mere seconds to stare at him where he stood behind an ornate desk done all in black.
His suit was black today too, something I’d noted earlier without really thinking about it.
He really was an intimating figure, but seeing him there, after last night, gave me a newfound desire to know what it would feel like to give him absolute control over my body.
I walked out of the room and retreated to my desk.
I should answer them back. I should tell them it was over and that we had to maintain a professional atmosphere at work.
I could if they would. Leo and Misha pushed the boundaries this morning, though the only inappropriate things were Misha touching my neck and Leo whispering that bit about me calling Viktor Sir.
My thoughts were more inappropriate than anything, and they were going to get me in trouble.