Page 69 of Sexting My Best Friend's Brothers
Owen sighs and drops into a chair, sprawling his legs out. Asher leans against the glass wall, crossing his arms.
Tessa stands near the door, gripping the back of a leather chair tight.
“What is this, Ethan?” Her voice is steady, but I hear the tremor underneath. “A performance review?”
“It’s a damage assessment,” I say, pacing the length of the room. “Tonight was a disaster.”
“The beta launch was a success,” Owen argues. “The download numbers are triple our projections. The influencers are posting. The hashtag is trending.”
“I’m not talking about the metrics,” I snap. “I’m talking about the security breach standing in this room.”
I point a finger at Tessa.
“You were reckless.”
“I wasn’t reckless!” she shoots back, her eyes flashing. “I was surviving. You spent the entire night icing me out. You treated me like a liability you had to contain! Owen and Asher actually saw me. They treated me like a woman, not an employee you regret hiring. Don’t you dare blame me for responding to that.”
“I saw Owen corner you near the VIP entrance. I saw him lean in close. I saw you laugh.”
“He was just checking on me.”
“And Asher?” I whirl on my brother. “I saw you lure her into the stairwell. A dark, secluded stairwell. What the hell were you thinking?”
“She followed me,” Asher says calmly. “She needed air. She was overstimulated.”
“She is an employee!” I roar. My voice echoes off the glass walls. “She is Harper’s best friend! We made a rule. Strictly professional. And tonight, you two looked like you were competing for her attention like teenagers.”
“Maybe we were,” Owen says quietly.
The silence stretches, tight enough to snap.
I stare at Owen. He isn’t smiling. He looks serious. Dangerous.
“What did you just say?” I whisper.
“I said maybe we were,” Owen repeats, sitting up straighter. “We’re tired of the rules, Ethan. We’re tired of pretending she’s just an employee. She’s not. She’s…” He glances at Tessa, his expression softening. “She’s part of our lives now.”
“She’s a distraction,” I insist, though my pulse is battering against my sternum. “She is dividing us. Look at us! We’re fighting in my office at midnight because of her.”
“We’re fighting because you are jealous,” Owen counters.
“I am not jealous.”
“You are,” Asher adds from the shadows. “You are exhibiting classic signs of resource guarding.”
“I am not guarding a resource!” I shout. “I am trying to protect this company!”
“Are you?” Owen stands up. “Or are you just mad that she slept with me?”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
Slept with me.
I knew it. Deep down, I knew it. But hearing him say it out loud, confirming the image that has been torturing me all week… it snaps something inside me.
A red haze clouds my vision.
“You slept with him,” I say, turning to Tessa.
