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He’d pulled me into a huge hug when Susan introduced us, lifting me clean off my feet. Then he’d slung his muscular arm over my shoulder and taken a selfie of us as if we were old friends.
Seb spent the majority of the time sipping beer in the hot tub with Ludo, Brian and Kenneth. Larkin didn’t want to get in the pool at first, seeming uncharacteristically shy, but Heidi eventually coaxed him in. He stripped down to a pair of oversized swim trunks, which he spent a large amount of time hitching back up while shooting glances at the hot tub.
Vince stayed in the pool for the entire afternoon, play-wrestling with anyone who got in with him. For a while, he and Heidi played catch with Dan’s head, with Frank and Beans desperately trying to grab it every time it arced through the air and screeching with fury when they couldn’t reach. Corey and High Lord Crossbody did nothing but stretch out on loungers in the shade and sip cocktails after slathering themselves in high-factor sunscreen.
The party did end up getting a little wild. Gabe and Biff vanished at some point into the trees surrounding the yard, not even trying to be discreet as the gargoyle growled and delivered a hearty spank to Gabe’s ass, which made the incubus shoot him a sultry look before taking off. Vince somehow got onto the porch roof with Kit and stripped naked before cannonballing into the pool. Kit immediately flew off with his swimming briefs and hung them from the highest branch they could find.
Frank and Beans tried to get everyone to have a karate match against them. When no one agreed, they scampered into the woods and we started hearing branches snapping and high-pitched shrieks.
Corey—dressed like an old film star in a flowing kaftan and enormous wide-brimmed hat—made everyone lethal cocktails, with Cora tucked under his arm the entire time. Blood Suckapunch turned up once it was dark with a bottle of tequila, prompting Asmo and Vince to start chanting, “Shots! Shots! Shots!” and high-fiving.
I’d had only a few beers earlier in the afternoon before switching to water, because I didn’t want to be hungover on my first day as marketing manager for Goliaths. Which meant I noticed Larkin wrapped in a towel on a sun lounger, his head bent over his phone as he texted someone, before he announced that he needed a piss to no one in particular and disappeared into the house.
Five minutes later, Seb casually got out of the hot tub, dried off, and slipped inside as well.
I tried telling Holt in a frantic whisper, but he was a little tipsy after downing one of Corey’s cocktails, so he didn’t seem to hear me as he trailed his hand up my thigh and under my swim trunks, leaning in to nuzzle my neck.
“Can I tell everyone to fuck off yet so I can get you into bed?” he murmured.
I laughed, glancing around to make sure no one had heard before sternly saying, “No, Holt. It’s too early! Carl hasn’t been here that long and everyone’s still having fun.”
“Ugh.” He trailed his nose up to my earlobe, nuzzling me there. “But I’m horny, Taylor.”
“You have to sober up before you can get in my pants,” I teased, then added with a smirk, “My perfectly ironed pants,” even though I was wearing swim shorts.
But it did what I’d intended—Holt groaned, fingers tightening on my thigh. “Minx.”
Chapter Forty-One
One Month Later
“Babe.”
I looked up from my monitor when I heard my office door open. Holt poked his head in, flashing me his charming grin.
I smiled back, glancing at the time to see that it was already five-thirty. The days went so much quicker here, because I genuinely loved my job. “Hey. Jeez, sorry, didn’t notice the time. Ready to go?”
He winced. “Is it alright if we stay here until we head to the restaurant instead of going home first? I’ve got a few things I have to wrap up.”
“Sure, of course. Anything you want help with?”
Holt shook his head and smiled coyly at me again. “No, you just stay right here thinking up more sexy money-making ideas for us.”
I chuckled. I’d jumped straight into my new marketing role for Goliaths and already made some improvements, like a revamped merch stand in the arena and an expanded line of merchandise. Just some new T-shirts, hats and false wings for now, but I was already in talks with a supplier to get figurines of the wrestlers made up.
I’d also started looking into ways to stream the matches online for pay-per-view, but quickly realised that it would be a mammoth task—we didn’t even have a website to take bookings. It was all done over the phone by a third party, because Holt was paranoid about humans coming across a site and somehow managing to get into the club.
I was planning on talking to him about bringing in an IT guy to update everything. We’d need him for the online pay-per-view, anyway. But first, I wanted to start bringing in some more cash so Holt could justify the additional salary.
“Just come get me when you’re ready.” I flashed him a grin of my own, tapping my pen on the desk as I leaned back in my seat.
His gaze darkened. “Stop looking at me like that or I’ll end up on my knees under your desk. Little minx.”
He disappeared, closing the door behind him. Chuckling, I sat forward again and concentrated on the email I was writing to the printing service we used. We were getting updated menus made up for the bar, showcasing our brand-new signature cocktails inspired by the wrestlers.
Holt and I had spent a fun afternoon with the Goliaths coming up with ideas, and we were all excited to start selling them. I was positive that the audience would go wild for the Frank and Beans Double Shot Shocker—two shots of Advocaat and vodka mixed together, which honestly sounded disgusting to me—and the Sugared Rim Roller—Vince’s orange liqueur-based cocktail with sugar crusting the edge of the glass. Corey had been very involved in making his—a baby pink champagne-based cocktail that was light and delicate, with a pink tasselled swizzle stick, called Le Cocktail à Pompons de Cora. He came up with the name.
The last month had reminded me how fulfilling a job could be when you actually enjoyed it. Although working in the same office as Holt definitely helped to keep my days interesting. We were still insatiable for each other, and now that we worked so close together… well. Let’s just say that the comfortable seating in my office had been thoroughly tried and tested for a variety of uses.
