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“You won’t regret it,” William assured her.
Oliver leaned over and kissed her temple sweetly. “And I can assure you the only thing that’s going to bite your ass is us.”
A brilliant flush swept up Sabrina’s neck and into her face, and she looked away, unable to meet their eyes through the rush of embarrassment. She was really going to do this? Yes, she sure was. But first, she needed it in writing.
Chapter Nine
The agreement was finalized two days later over lattes, dark-brew coffee, espresso, and scones. It’d taken some haggling, but they’d eventually reached a meeting of the minds in that Sabrina demanded that there would be no “hanky-panky” in the workplace, nor mention of their arrangement on social media of any kind. Furthermore, her name would not be brought up, ever, whether directly or indirectly, to anyone in a manner that may warrant suspicion.
Sabrina was clear and concise about her expectations, and she wanted no drama whatsoever resulting from this. As far as she was concerned, it would be treated as just another business transaction.
So far, the guys were on board. They didn’t necessarily like everything she put in writing, but they had no choice but to deal with it if they wanted to have any kind of relationship with her that extended beyond the boardroom.
“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Colloway,” William stated as he extended a hand across the table to shake hers.
She gave it two firm pumps, the kind of “male” squeeze she used with all of her counterparts, just to drive the point home that they were playing on even ground.
William smirked in response, the message received. Sabrina held her head high as she then reached out and shook Conner and Oliver’s hands in turn, sealing the deal once and for all.
“So, now that that’s settled…”
Conner’s look was nothing short of devilish, and Sabrina couldn’t miss the thinly veiled meaning behind it. He was eager to seal the deal in other ways, but she was feeling a little…unsure.
Jumping right into sex with three men was intimidating. She needed some time to prepare, mentally and physically. When was the last time she’d gotten a good waxing? Hell, when was the last time she’d had a pedicure? She’d been polishing her nails with clear coat for at least a month, filing the nails on her fingers down to rounded stubs for a fast, practical approach to DIY manicures that wouldn’t take more time than she cared to spend.
Sabrina was only as high-maintenance as her hair and wardrobe dictated. Anything beyond that was asking a lot, when her time was precious and minute.
“Do you want to get out of here?” William asked with a sly smile and wink.
Sabrina glanced at each of them in turn, then sipped her latte for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. She didn’t want to come off as reluctant, but she was. That was the truth, and she would honor it, even if it wasn’t the popular opinion at the table.
“Actually, I’d like to continue this, if you guys don’t mind,” she asserted.
“Sounds good to me.” Oliver smiled at her over his scone as he chomped off a healthy bite and chewed.
It took a moment for the other two to get on board, but then William piped up with, “I do have some paperwork to finish up and a couple of phone calls to make before the day ends.”
“Same here,” Conner added, “and then I have a couple of errands to run before places close.”
“Rain check?” Oliver reached over and grasped Sabrina’s hand—the one not wrapped around her latte cup, and looked at his brothers expectantly.
William and Conner agreed easily and continued eating and drinking their fare in amicable silence. The phones came out soon after, and then everyone was too embroiled in answering emails and returning phone calls to worry about sex and all the finer details.
To be honest, Sabrina hadn’t expected it to be that easy. She hadn’t exactly expected a fight to come out of it, but she had thought to come up against some resistance. Instead, the Hargreaves brothers seemed very amicable and easygoing. As if they actually respected her and her wishes and weren’t at all bothered by meeting her halfway. Or all the way, as the case may be.
They all had their own business and lives to attend to, and she had a feeling that once it was all sorted, they would find the perfect time and place to come together—no pun intended.
Conner rose from the table first, tucking his phone beneath the right breast pocket of his suit jacket. “Well, I hate to spoil the party, but I have to take off. Business meeting in thirty across town.”
“Is that the one with the old broad who’s always trying to grab your ass?” William snickered behind his coffee cup.
Sabrina looked up at Conner, horrified.
Conner attempted to explain. “She’d old money, old values, old business partners—”
“She’s just plain old,” William cut in.
Conner nodded. “She doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s just one of those people who sees something and goes for it. She happens to like younger men.”
