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Dane shifted from foot to foot, but held Elias' gaze. "Yes."
Elias sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay. We'll go out to lunch afterward, but don't do it again. I want to separate my work and personal life."
"It's a real meeting—"
"Save it for someone who'll believe you."
Levi snickered a little at the slam, but Elias ignored him as he turned to his Ian, heart spasming at the excited, almost expectant expression on his face. He was like a golden retriever waiting for a treat.
"And you, I'll see you at home. We'll finish that movie, and no, that's not a euphemism."
Without waiting for a response from anyone, Elias flung open the door and rushed toward the exit as if the Goddess herself were on his heels.
Chapter Eleven
The meeting with Dane's hospital board was, in fact, pre-planned before they knew one another. Not that Elias would apologize for assuming otherwise. The amount of random pop-up visits from all three of the men now in his life was no coincidence. This morning, Ian left a packed lunch for two on the counter for Elias to take to work and the moment he stepped outside his apartment building, Levi was there handing him a chai latte and a takeout sack full of pastries.
It was almost like the three of them were coordinating. A part of him enjoyed that idea, but another was worried about why they'd go in on this together. Didn't they expect him to choose between them? No alpha would be fine with sharing, despite everything they said in that hospital room. He still blushed when he thought about it, and honestly, it was sweet.
Especially the lemon curd pastry he had between his teeth as he shouldered open the meeting room door, balancing his laptop with a stack of papers. No one was there yet. He still had two hours before Dane's entourage would file in, and he needed peace to get his work done. August spent all morning buzzing around him like an anxious bee, bombarding him with questions about every little thing, but deep down, he was only interested in what happened over the weekend.
Nothing really happened.
Well, besides having sex with his best friend, going out on a coffee date with another man, and then getting hospitalized for a fever while all three men he liked stood over him.
Yeah, nothing wrong here.
With a sigh, he set down his pile of stuff and sat at the head of the long glass table. He had three reports to finish and six folders of documentation to double-check in less than two hours.
"Time to get to work," he mumbled, opening his laptop.
Eyes on the open file beside him, Elias' fingers flew across the keys, typing up his findings of the most recent net income statement and challenges. August, the CEO, would never read them, but it was more for Elias' own records. He enjoyed reviewing previous numbers to point out observational changes as new decisions came to light.
Elias completed one, two, then three reports faster than light. He was on a roll as he sent them over to August for approval and put his laptop back into the satchel by his feet. All that remained were the files to go over about the most recent economic changes for the drug trials going on downstairs. Elias snatched the first, grabbed a highlighter and pen, and lifted it to start when the door opened.
He groaned under his breath, glancing up to find Dane standing there, alone. "What are you doing here so early?"
"For lunch," he replied, holding up the Tupperware Ian gave him this morning. "I grabbed this from your office."
Elias pursed his lips. "How nice of you."
He had mixed sentiments about that as Dane took a seat next to him, uncovering several dishes by removing the tops. Potato salad, turkey, bacon, and garlic mayo sandwiches, cornbread, and various vegetables with hummus dip. It appeared slightly childish to present his favorites in the presence of another adult. Despite his blushing cheeks, Elias accepted the half sandwich that Dane offered.
They toasted and took a bite. It was glorious, the flavor of his best friend's specialty mayo. If Ian hadn't pursued a medical career, he would have excelled as a chef. It was most definitely his second calling.
"So," Dane started when the atmosphere grew to near-bursting. "We did the sex part already. How about we get to know one another, rapid-fire style?"
Elias swallowed the rest of the sandwich with a cough, taking the offered water bottle from Dane's hand and being sure to keep their fingers from brushing. If the alpha noticed, he didn't let on. Six gulps and some forehead sweat later, Elias set the bottle down and looked around the wood walls and boring art to distract himself.
"Fine. You go first. Five questions each, we both answer."
Dane sat back, taking another half a sandwich with him and tapping it against his lips in contemplation. "Hm. I'll start slow. Favorite color? Mine's red."
Elias spooned potato salad into his mouth. "Figures. Mine is blue."
Dane lit up. "Like my eyes?"
"No," Elias grumbled, giving him a look. "Like the ocean, the deep part with animals in it that could kill you."
