Page 30 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
Hussy.
“To kick the meeting off, I’d like to discuss Luci’s recent homework assignment,” Langston said, his eyes locking on my face.
I frowned, trying to figure out what he was referring to.
“The reading assignment?” he clarified.
Ah. Right. We had briefly touched on it during lunch, but it didn’t surprise me that he wanted to go into depth. He had warned me ahead of time, after all.
“Were you able to finish the book?” His tone was cool, almost aloof.
I nodded. “Yes, sir. I did.”
“This is TJ Arlington’s book, yes?” Justin inquired.
“Yes,” Landon noted, his smile sexy.
“Interesting introduction,” Justin stated.
“Have you read any more of his work?” Ben probed, clearly as curious about my thoughts as the others.
I felt a blush creep up my neck. “I have.”
Ben seemed pleased by that response. “You enjoy them?”
“I do.”
“I prefer you to be more detailed in your answer.” Langston’s matter-of-fact tone had my eyes darting over to him.
I hadn’t realized there was going to be a book report. It took me a moment to think back on that book. I’d read others since and I wanted to ensure I gave as little away as possible.
“Did the book get you hot and bothered?” Landon asked.
I should’ve been surprised by the blunt question, but I wasn’t. However, I would’ve expected it more from Langston or Justin, but they were all direct in their own way.
Figuring I wasn’t going to get out of this, I forced a smile. “I did, actually. As I mentioned before, the topic is one I have no experience with, but I liked it. I noticed there was a lot of…sex.” Considering I’d played Never Have I Ever with these men, talking about sex shouldn’t have been difficult, yet it was.
“What was your favorite part of the book?” Langston questioned.
Swallowing hard, I let my gaze drop to my lap. “I liked the scene at the end.” My face heated as I thought about it. “When she was in his office and he tied her to the St. Andrew’s cross. She was naked. And he continued to work, enjoying the view.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I couldn’t believe I’d said them.
“I enjoyed that scene as well,” Ben said, drawing my gaze to his.
“That was a particularly interesting one,” Justin added. “I think his next one is going to cross some serious boundaries, though.”
“That’s his goal.” Langston smirked.
I would have to seek that one out because I liked the idea of crossing boundaries.
“Now, if we’re finished with that topic, I want to discuss the upcoming managers’ meeting,” Justin prompted.
I was grateful that we were moving on.
“We hold a meeting once a quarter,” Ben explained for my benefit, “for which we fly in all of our managers to discuss financials, prospects, and upcoming events.”
Landon spoke next. “It’s usually a three- or four-day event, which requires a tremendous amount of planning.” He held my stare. “This quarter, we’d like for you to set it up, plan it out, and host the event in its entirety.”
Holy shit.
That was an enormous task, but not one that I would shy away from.
“I’d be honored,” I admitted, scribbling down the key words I’d heard thus far. “Is there a specific week you’d like this to take place?”
“The second week in December,” Justin stated. “That’ll give you five weeks for planning. Trust me when I say, that’s not a long time. However, it’s doable.”
I nodded, then glanced between them. “Should I go to one of you with questions? Or will I need to meet with each of you separately?”
Justin was the one to answer. “More than likely, you’ll be spending time with each of us. It’s the only time that our teams come together, and due to the differences in their accounts, we have to be cognizant of their time and the conferences we’ll plan.”
I continued to jot down the information.
“Before the week’s out, we’ll give you as much information as we can to get you started. But today, we thought we’d go over your job requirements,” Landon said, his tone deep, his eyes…God, they looked almost hungry.
Finally!
Keeping my expression neutral, I placed my pen flat on my notebook, setting them on the table and retrieving my coffee cup as I gave him my full attention. “I’m ready when you are.”
His eyes flared, too.
“How’s the workload been thus far?” Ben inquired.
I placed my hands in my lap and crossed my legs, discreetly looking to see which man was watching me. Turned out, all four of them noticed the move but only three sets of eyes quickly lifted to my face. Langston’s eyes never left my face, his countenance cool.
“It’s been good,” I said. “I’ve spent a fair amount of time getting to know your team members, talking to them at length during our phone conversations.” I didn’t tell them that it was a good way for me to pass some of the time.
