Oli interrupts my overthinking with, “So you’re not actually seeing someone?”
“Oli… I told you I might never be ready for you. You can’t wait for me because I can’t promise anything.”
“I said I would.”
“And I’m telling you not to,” I retort, hoping it isn’t too harsh. “We should get back. I don’t want to miss the next round.”
Not waiting for his answer, I return to the bar. The guys move to let me get to my seat, and I’m back next to Lex. He doesn’t even glance at me, probably still in a dark mood from being abandoned with a hard-on. It can’t be good on the nerves, but he has to understand I didn’t have a choice.
The three of us are completely out of it. I’m preoccupied, Oli is pensive, and Lex is ruminating. Thank God the other four members of our team are still focused enough so that we win by literally one point. TheLex-Men—as Steven registered us—are this year’s trivia winners, and our drinks are on Hugh.
The other teams in the bar applaud, we stand up to thank them, and the effervescence slowly tones down. We all end up exchanging congratulatory hugs, and when it’s Lex’s turn, I swiftly change my mind. Instead of hugging, we share a very impersonal handshake, barely meeting each other’s eyes.
Something is wrong between us, but I don’t get it. What’s his problem? He’s acting as if I asked Oli to come up to my room. If he’s mad because I prioritized Oli over him out of some sense of possessiveness, then it’s not my problem.
He made it clear this wasn’t a relationship, so what’s his deal? We aren’t together; he can’t expect anything from me unless he’s being my boss. That’s the deal. He didn’t believe I could do this no-strings-attached thing, but I’ll prove him wrong.
“Oh! He’s coming,” Mason whisper-shouts. We all try to act inconspicuously as Hugh walks up to us.
“I guess I misjudged your team, Alexander,” the man says, sounding arrogant even though he lost his bet.
“You did.”
“I’ll go pay for your drinks. What was it? Fourteen beers and three servings of nachos?” Shit, we should have ordered more to make the asshole regret his haughtiness.
“I don’t think so, no,” Lex stops him, spreading confusion around our table. “We shook on the evening’s bill, and the evening is still young. We’ll send you the bill when the bar closes.”
After exchanging some excited looks at each other, we bite back our grins. I regret facing away from Hugh because I’m dying to see his face. He doesn’t say anything for a while and eventually clears his throat. “Alright, it’s only fair. I’ll tell the bar to put your tab on my room,” he agrees with annoyance.
With that, he leaves us. When he’s far enough, the guys turn to Lex, who sits down. “Before you all ask for top-shelf bottles, I’ll set a limit,”he explains. “I don’t want to have to argue with the prick. Don’t let the amount exceed two thousand dollars.”
It’s a lot for seven people, despite the hotel’s high prices, and we’ll surely get shit-faced with all that. Which isn’t exactly a great idea, given we’re on a professional trip. As if he can hear my thoughts, Lex adds, “You can have your morning off to recuperate, but be in the C hall at two for the conference about the future of algorithms.”
His proposal is received with enthusiastic nods, and some of us don’t waste time ordering drinks from a waiter who passes by. “I’ll leave you be. Don’t make a scene.”
I watch him leave the bar, wondering what I should do. Somewhere in my room, I still have the 504 key. I’d rather celebrate with him there than get drunk. But he clearly has a problem with me for some reason, all broody and aloof. For once, I’ll stay strong and not give in until he apologizes for being a distant ass.
He doesn’t deserve sex right now.
Ishould have swallowed my pride and stayed downstairs with the others. But if I did, I probably would have done something we would both have regretted.
How could Andrea be so blatantly disrespectful? We’re not serious, no, but how could she make herself available to Oliver right in front of me? And minutes after I fucked her, probably still sensing me between her legs.
I’ve always known that if it were her choice, she’d rather be intimate with Oliver than with me, but one cannot always choose who their body longs for. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s much more suited for her than I’ll ever be. I’ve seen them interact, so I know they get along better than we do. We’re fucking until one of us gets over it, and then we’ll move on. And if things go according to her wishes, she’ll move on withhim.
The thought angers me infinitely more than it should. She isn’t mine, and I don’t want her to be. But the thought of sharing her has a ball of rage coiling in my stomach.
The sex is so fantastic that I can’t even fathom being interested in another woman at the moment. I won’t be entertaining the idea for a while, actually. So, I despise the fact that she’s still keeping Oliver close, already thinking of what comes after us.
With a dry slam, I shut my laptop and throw it on the couch next to me. I’ve been trying to work since returning upstairs, but my mind is too clouded. When I check my watch, it’s later than I expected. I’ve had no news from my team downstairs, but I imagine the bar is closed by now. Or it will be soon enough. Should I go check?
But then, I’d have to see Andrea again, and I’m not sure how to act around her.
They’re grown adults. They can handle themselves.
I’m on my way to the bathroom when my phone buzzes in my pocket. My eyebrows come together when I see it’s a text from Andrea. I open it, and the message that appears only deepens my confusion.
Andrea Walker
