Page 43 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
“Far enough your mother wouldn’t drop in every day?” Landon asked, his smile mischievous.
It was obvious Landon was the one leading the conversation, so I focused my attention on him.
“Exactly.” I glanced down at my lap. “Not that she would. I invited her once. She’s never even seen the inside of my place although I’ve lived there for almost three years. We aren’t very close. She’s very…opinionated. And aside from telling me how she really feels when one of my actions displeases her, my mother was never really there to give me direction.” I looked up to see both men watching me.
“Do you feel you need direction?” Landon prodded.
The question threw me. It seemed somewhat strange. “I’ve never really thought about it, I guess. In some ways, sure. I think I do,” I admitted. “Not in everything, of course. I mean, I’m capable of taking care of myself and excelling at what I put my mind to, but I appreciate the direction from time to time. It helps to make me feel grounded. As though I’m…cared for.”
I realized just how much of myself I’d revealed and it shocked me. I didn’t mean to tell them something so personal. Not this soon. Rather than wait for them to push for more details, I turned the conversation back to them. “And your parents? Do they live close?”
“Relatively,” Landon explained, his eyes still studying me. “They live in Texas most of the time, but we keep an apartment for them here so they can visit whenever they want.”
“Does this apartment happen to be in the office building?” I remembered that they’d all claimed to have an apartment in the building.
“It is.” Landon’s grin widened. “Helps that we own the building.”
I couldn’t help it, I chuckled. “Well, that certainly explains a lot.”
Landon lobbed the next question. “Any brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. Only child.” Once again, I felt as though this was a two-way conversation between Landon and me, so I kept my eyes on him. “Any siblings?” I smiled. “Besides him.”
“One sister. Older,” Landon stated. “She lives in Kentucky with her husband and four kids. She drops in once a year at most.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you not close with her?”
He shook his head. “She doesn’t exactly approve of our parents’…choices.”
“I get it. Sometimes we’re instilled with a need to rebel,” I said lightly.
Landon’s smirk was wicked and sexy. “That’s one way to put it.”
And to conclude the getting-to-know-you part of our evening, the limo came to a stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
I had no idea where they were taking me and I couldn’t tell from where I sat, so I waited patiently until both men had exited the vehicle.
I figured now the true test was about to begin.
Seventeen
DINNER WAS LOVELY. THE THREE of us had been seated at a secluded table in the back. I sat between the two of them, and during our conversation, they’d heated me up by placing their hands on my legs. It seemed they wanted to touch me and my body had welcomed them.
The air in the restaurant was cool, which caused my nipples to pebble. Due to the fact I’d been instructed not to wear a bra, I knew the hard little points were visible through my dress, but I chose to ignore them. Sure, it bothered me a little. I was always the type to avoid the headlights if at all possible, wearing bras that would conceal such an incident. However, Landon and Langston seemed quite enthralled, their hands casually grazing my chest frequently as they kept the conversation going.
It wasn’t like I didn’t know what they were doing. I welcomed the interaction, the teasing. I was not used to first dates being quite so…intimate. On the other hand, I found I didn’t mind it one bit.
We had continued the conversation we’d started in the car. Again, it had mostly been between Landon and me; however, I could tell Langston was engaged, even if he didn’t say much. Although words didn’t come out of his mouth, his eyes spoke volumes. He was certainly paying close attention to every word I said. I could see the interest there, the promise of more to come.
Needless to say, by the time the meal was finished, my body was humming.
After declining dessert and coffee, the three of us returned to the limo and I was slightly disappointed when Langston advised the driver to return to my apartment. I spent the short drive wondering if I’d said or done something wrong. Neither man spoke, not even to each other, and it left me feeling insecure and awkward, yet I had no idea what to say or how to engage them in conversation.
That changed when we arrived at my apartment building and both men exited the limo before helping me out. This time they walked me in. My mind began to wander, thinking about what my apartment would look like to a stranger. I was pretty sure I’d left my clothes on the floor, my towel hanging on the door, a couple of dirty dishes in the sink, and, of course, the package the plug had come in was on my kitchen table.
