Page 25 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
It wasn’t phrased as a question, but then again, nothing he said usually was. The man was very direct, and usually ridiculously blunt.
Landon’s door opened before I could answer Langston. He moved toward me. A second later, both men stood in front of my desk, peering down at me.
“You can leave directly after,” Landon added, as though he’d been there when Langston asked the question.
I wondered if these two had that twin thing. The whole mind-reading thing that some of them did, knowing what the other was thinking before they said it. Or even what the other was feeling when they weren’t together.
Ben’s and Justin’s doors then opened. Justin glanced over at me, his blond eyebrow lifting slightly, as though he, too, was waiting for my response.
“I’d love to join you,” I told them as I grabbed my purse from the bottom drawer and then got to my feet.
“I’m going to ask Jordan to join us,” Ben said before heading down the hallway.
I briefly wondered if this was something they did often. I felt a little better knowing Jordan would be going with us. Although I liked my bosses, I was still rather nervous around them. I figured that was due to their hotness factor.
Both Landon and Langston waited for me to walk past them before they fell into step, each one putting a hand at the small of my back. I felt as though I was being ushered out of the building. Although, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant by any means.
When we reached the elevators, Jordan was standing there, talking animatedly with Ben. Justin’s gaze cut over to me and I saw a small smile on his lips.
“Is this something you do often?” I asked Langston directly, trying to hide the fact that I was on the verge of freaking out.
Sure, I understood that it was just lunch, a regular meal that normal people had every day. But with my bosses? Definitely nerve-racking.
The elevator arrived and I was steered inside.
“Every couple of months,” Langston admitted as we all turned to face the elevator doors.
That made me curious. If the previous secretaries hadn’t lasted that long, had they ever taken them out to lunch? I’d have to remember to ask Jordan about it.
The ride down was relatively quiet except for the normal sounds of the elevator. I could hear my heart beating rapidly, knew my breaths probably were a little too rushed. I couldn’t help it; I was edgy.
When we stepped out onto the main floor, Landon and Langston were replaced by Ben and Justin behind me. They took up the same position, guiding me with their hands as we all headed toward the front doors. My heels clicked loudly, but it was an unexpectedly sexy sound being that I was the only female surrounded by these uber-hot men.
I was surprised when there wasn’t a vehicle out front to pick us up.
“It’s a short walk,” Ben said softly. “Just about a block.”
I nodded, silently wishing I had worn more comfortable shoes. The heels I had on were the tallest that I owned, but I had tons of practice, so it wasn’t that I was uncomfortable walking in them. It was merely the fact that they weren’t made to carry me long distances.
We arrived at a steakhouse around the corner, a fancy little place with white linen tablecloths and crystal vases full of decorative flowers on every table.
Jordan got the door, holding it open while my four bosses allowed me to walk inside first. Landon moved toward the hostess, giving her his name. Apparently, they had reservations. And based on the warm smile on the woman’s face, they weren’t strangers to this place.
The next fifteen minutes or so were the most uncomfortable while we all ordered drinks and then figured out what to eat. My four bosses ordered Glenlivet, a single malt scotch that I knew wasn’t cheap. Not wanting to be completely left out, I ordered red wine and Jordan opted for sweet tea. When the waitress finally got our food order down, I was already on my second glass as we were left to our own devices.
“So, I hear you’ve been reading some of Langston’s authors,” Landon prompted, his eyes fixed on my face.
I felt heat rush up my neck. I took another gulp of wine, then nodded. “I have.”
“And what do you think?” I could tell he was genuinely curious, as were the rest of them.
I opted to go for honest. “It’s interesting. I didn’t even know stuff like that existed.”
No one said anything, so I wondered if maybe it didn’t really exist. Perhaps it was truly fictional. I mean, I had read The Hunger Games and I knew that wasn’t real.
“Which book did you read?” Ben inquired.
“His Name Is Sir.” I watched him to see what his response was. He didn’t give anything away.
