I’d been trying to power through the monotonous tasks that I did every day, but it was getting more difficult to focus. The barest hint of their words echoed through the kitchen and out into the yard where I was trying to spend a lovely, sunny afternoon laying in the grass doing dumb shit by myself. Shit like answering repetitive questions in emails that I had already answered a hundred times, or talking to childish employees who said they needed to come in two hours late because they were getting their nails done. I should’ve passed this task off to Simon.
I shut my laptop and rolled on my back to watch for images in the fluffy, white clouds. Novak plopped down beside me and broke the content quietness that had formed around me when everyone left the kitchen. The top of his head touched my shoulder, and he looked at the clouds with the opposite angle to my view.
“Did you know your back door is missing?” he asked with a carefree ease that only he could manage.
“No. I hadn’t noticed.” The dry sarcasm in my voice was strong. “Do you think we can find it or is it lost forever?” I gasped and covered my mouth, pretending to be upset.
He rolled his head over to smirk at me. “I’m sure it’s hanging around here somewhere.”
“That was really corny.” I smiled at him anyway. That was the kind of horrible dad joke Charles would make.
“Are you going to tell the guys what you found out last night?” His inquisitive tone had me looking away. I needed to tell them, but it was all mixed up with everything that happened at work today. Going to lunch with Vaughn relaxed my mind enough to feel stress-free for a few hours. We did a little costume shopping while we were out. Now two little black dresses hung in Novak and Stone’s closets. Feather dusters included. The stress I had escaped from came rushing back in. It felt like a current pulling me under. Every time I surfaced and took a deep breath, the chilling reality had me sinking further into the abyss.
“I suppose I should, but I don’t want to. The information we got only leads to more questions,” I told him honestly.
“With all the dicks congregating in one room, we should be able to figure it out in no time.” He sounded confident, but that wasn’t what caught my attention.
“Does it come with a side of orgasms?” I fucking hoped it did. “Because if it’s all pillow talk and no orgasms, then I’d like to kindly decline.” I scrunched my face up in distaste.
“Orgasms can be negotiated,” he teased. “Just depends on how well you can work the crowd.”
“I’d give everyone in the room blowjobs to avoid this conversation,” I bartered. It was true, too. Of course, none of this shit would simply stop by taking Kelvin out. Soon we’d be on the hunt for this Kadence bitch too. Uhhhg. Life was complicated before I’d found out about this fucking drug. Now it was a godsdamn disaster.
“Tempting,” he confirmed, “But no. We need to work this out, Trouble. We can have fun later,” he promised. “I noticed I have this new bed to break in, and since we won’t be getting any sleep…” he trailed off, leaving that sentence open for my imagination. Mother. Fucker. Why couldn’t we get dirty now and pillow talk as a group later?
“Fine,” I bit out. “Round all the dicks up and make me stare at them while I’m frustrated. Wonderful idea,” I pouted.
Novak climbed to his feet, stretching like a cat who’d been lying in a sunny window all day, and held out his hand for me. When I placed my hand in his, he hoisted me up, tugging me in for a tender kiss that left me wanting more. “Tell them what you know, and then we can hide away for the rest of the night.”
“Okay,” I groaned, “But I’ll only go willingly under one condition,” I flirted, my voice misleading him about what I wanted.
“Mmm,” he mumbled in my ear, “And what’s that?”
“You owe me a debt. It’s time to pay up.” I raised my eyebrows and cocked my hip to the left, sass on full blast.
“Are you fucking serious? Right now?” His shock was ahhhmazing. The next two hours were going to be the best. They had no idea how much thought I’d put into those costumes.
“Yep.” I nodded my head enthusiastically with a broad grin on my face. “There’s an outfit hanging in your closet, and one in Stone’s. I’ll get the others and see you in the basement in fifteen.” I kissed his stunned face and sauntered off.
Twelve minutes later… We were all sitting in the basement, arranged around the table so we could see the entrance. I was so fucking thrilled about what was about to happen that I could not physically sit still. My feet were bouncing. My fingers tapped the table in rapid succession. I’d pretty much gnawed a hole in my lip while trying not to smile to the point that my cheeks ached. All the guys watched me as they waited for an answer to a question that hadn’t been asked yet. “You’ll see in a minute,” I assured them with more exuberance than they’d ever seen from me.
“I’m starting to worry.” Briggs’ hushed voice vibrated around the room, and Palmer nodded his head slowly in agreement.
“What’s taking Stone and Novak so long?” Vaughn propped his chin in his right hand as he narrowed his eyes at me.
“That’s not the right question, mate.” York grinned at Vaughn. “You should be asking her what the stakes of that bet were that they lost. It’s probably something ridiculously hilarious and utterly embarrassing.”
“You are correct,” I informed them in my best game show host voice. The smile I’d been fighting broke free once again, cracking open the healing cut from chewing on my lower lip.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs drew everyone’s attention away from me. We could hear Novak cussing obscenities on the other side of the door. I was so fucking happy right now. “I fucking hate you so godsdamn bad right now for peer pressuring me into that bet.” He sounded mortified, and I paused to wonder if this was a bad idea. Nope. Great call, bitch. Pat yourself on the back.
“I didn’t pressure you into anything. You didn’t have to agree, but you did. Now, suck it up and pull your skirt down. I can see your dick.” Stone’s voice was playful as he reprimanded Novak. “I can’t believe you didn’t wear anything under that.”
Novak gasped. “What’s under your skirt?”
“Stop that!” Stone barked out, and the guys turned quizzical faces to me.
“Worth it,” I whispered in a singsong voice. I bit my lips together to stop my smile from spreading as the doorknob twisted.
The door swung open dramatically, slamming into the concrete wall behind it. Stone and Novak were standing just outside the threshold, looking pissed. So fucking worth it. After a solid minute of silence, a symphony of laughter reverberated around the room. Novak leaned down to look at the bottom of his skirt and grimaced as he tugged on it. “Could you have bought a shorter dress?” he asked, annoyed with the peep show he was giving us.
“She tried,” Vaughn wheezed out. “You should be happy I was with her when she bought them.”
Those cosplay maid outfits were the jam. The black dress was poofy at the bottom due to the attached petticoat. The white apron had ruffled edges and crisscrossed in the back before tying off in an oversized bow. Stone stood in his dress and combat boots looking completely unaffected, twirling his duster between his fingers like a baton. The frilly little headband in his hair was what really set my giggling fit off. Novak’s was tied around his neck like some sort of choker. He pulled at it while tapping the toe of his boot on the floor in agitation.