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I sent out a group text to stay as discrete as possible, asking if we could have dinner together tonight at my place to talk about us. Everyone quickly agreed.
The anticipation of our dinner together ate at me all day, especially with the mess that the casino was turning into. We’d given the marketing team a bigger budget to turn things around, and they hadn’t hit a single one of the initial targets they’d set. We really needed their help. Casinos were everywhere along the strip, and making ours stand out in a good way, especially after the incident, was a big task.
I went through all of Brooke’s amazing ideas to pick business up again. She’d already learned so much about the business and was spearheading new projects that were going to pay off in the long run. I kept my door open, half so people could stop by and ask me questions and half so I could see her. I watched her work, her fingers flying over the keyboard and a small furrow in her brow that I wanted to kiss away.
I adored having her there. The intensity of my feelings toward her scared me, if I thought about it on a deeper level. I had no problem with falling in love, but the intimacy part was where things went sideways. After Declan’s death, getting closer to people always made me clam up.
But for once, that anxiety was vastly outweighed by my happiness. Brooke was it for me. I wanted to have those flirty, fun moments like we’d had earlier for a long, long time.
Finally, the end of the day arrived, and of course, everyone decided to take their sweet time leaving the office. I had Hunter, Chase, and Brooke send me what they wanted from my favorite Thai spot, and I ordered it so it would be waiting for us when we went upstairs. Eventually, the office cleared out, but we left in waves. Brooke went upstairs first and let herself in with my code, followed by Hunter, then Chase. I rounded out the group.
I found everyone in the dining room, going through the containers of food. Brooke was laughing at something Chase said, and Chase was feeding her a mini spring roll, one of the place’s specialties. Hunter was sitting down, amusement in his eyes as he watched them.
“I could get used to this,” I said to them.
“All of us in your dining room?” Brooke asked after she swallowed.
“Yep. Especially you.” I kissed her forehead. “Do you want to talk about it now? No need to avoid the topic.”
“Yeah, we should.” Brooke sat down in a chair at the head of the table. “What are we? Each of you dating me, but not each other?”
“Pretty much.” I shrugged. “That was our initial idea, wasn’t it? It still feels right to me. Does that feel right to you, Chase?”
“It does.” He played with the paper wrapper of his chopsticks. “It’s unusual, for sure, but we can try it.”
“Are you nervous?” Brooke asked, reaching out to rest her hand on Chase’s forearm. “Because honestly, I am. Just a bit. I like that I can be myself around you guys, but my last relationships have all ended up as shit shows.”
“Your exes didn’t deserve you,” Hunter said. “And from what I’ve gathered, they didn’t treat you the way you need to be treated.”
Brooke suppressed a smile. “It feels good that you believe it, at least. I still have a hard time some days, but being with you guys makes me feel so good that I can forget about them.”
“Can we leave her exes—all of our exes—in the past, where they belong?” I asked, grabbing the spring rolls.
“Agreed.” Hunter leaned back in his seat, rolling up his sleeves. Brooke’s eyes went straight to his forearms, fogging with lust for a second. “And we need to decide what to do about work, because I’m not sure how much longer we can get away with just having Brooke as our assistant while being in a relationship with her.”
“I could quit?” Brooke said, a question in her tone.
“Absolutely not,” Hunter said. “You’ve been an incredible asset to us. We’d regress back to where we started without you.”
Brooke was pleased by that. “Is there another position that I could fill that would be less of a conflict of interest?”
I exchanged glances with Chase and Hunter. Neither of them had any ideas, and I knew we didn’t have any openings. So we’d have to make something for her.
“What about the head of strategy?” Chase suggested. “Your ideas and analysis of the casino’s financial projections have been great, and it would put you at the executive tier. So we’ll be working together rather than having you as our assistant.”
“I like that idea,” I said. “And we could get another assistant to help us. Someone who can answer phones and do all the basic stuff to free up Brooke’s time.”
“Do you like that idea?” Hunter asked Brooke.
“I do, but are you guys sure? That’s a huge leap,” she said.
“We’re offering it because we know you can do it,” Chase said. “And you’ll be compensated at a higher rate.”
Brooke bit her bottom lip for a few moments. “Okay. I’ll take it.”
“Problem solved, then.” I rested both of my hands on the table. “I think we should celebrate. In my room.”
She looked between the three of us. “I’m not sure how I’m going to handle all of you, but I’m willing to try.”
