Chapter 34

I was tired as fuck when I went to work, and when I saw Jules walk into the office, it was clear that she was tired as fuck, too.

She was still her normal hot-as-fuck self, wearing a simple white blouse and tight navy skirt. A pair of heels added some height to her 5’7” frame.

I walked to her and greeted her with a smile.

“Good morning, Ms. Vidal!” I said with a professional tone, using her last name.

She returned the greeting with a curt nod and a smirk.

“How are you feeling today?” I asked.

Jules pursed her lips. “Not great.” She looked down with a smirk. “I had a late night last night.”

“Oh yeah? What happened?” I asked curiously.

Jules shrugged her shoulders and gave me a half-smile. “Just went home with somebody,” she replied nonchalantly.

I raised my eyebrows. “Oh really?”

Jules chuckled. “Yeah. He was hot. Good body. Nice face. Big dick.”

“Miss Vidal, talking about your personal life so graphically is not work appropriate,” I said teasingly, trying not to smile as we kept up this charade.

Jules rolled her eyes playfully. “Whatever, Mr. Atkins. Just making conversation. You know, trying to pass the time...”

I laughed. “Okay, okay. Don’t get excited.”

Jules sighed dramatically. “Please stop calling me ‘Miss Vidal’. Makes me feel old. Call me by my first name, please.”

I smiled and held out my hand to shake hers. “Well ... Jules ... how are you holding up then? After your late night and all.”

Jules smirked at me. “Better than you, apparently.” She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. “This is a fun little game we have going on here.”

“Shh,” I whispered quietly before returning my voice to a normal volume. “Is it that obvious I had a late night too?” I asked.

Jules shook her head. “No. Well, yes. You have dark circles under your eyes. And you look exhausted. Did you sleep well? Maybe only a few hours? Is that why you’re so sleepy? Or did something else happen last night?”

I furrowed my brow, turned on by what she was implying. “I ... Well, Miss Vidal, er, Jules, that’s personal.”

Jules giggled. “Of course it is. That’s why I won’t ask questions. Let’s just say, you had a fun evening last night and leave it at that.”

“This is true,” I agreed.

Jules tilted her head. “But I’d really like to hear details. Please?”

I hesitated for a moment. Then decided to play along further. “Fine. Yes. Last night was fun. Very fun.” I paused briefly to gather my thoughts and continue. “Sometimes it’s good to stay up late, y’know?”

“Yup,” Jules replied, nodding. “Especially when there’s a reason behind staying up so late. Like being able to spend extra time with someone special. Someone who makes you feel comfortable and safe.”

Jules stared straight ahead, biting her lower lip. Her eyes glinted with desire and lust, as well as immeasurable love, which only fueled my arousal and emotion even further.

It felt like an eternity before I finally spoke again. “Yes. Exactly. There’s nothing quite like spending quality time together with someone you enjoy.”

Jules smiled. “So, uhm...” She cleared her throat nervously. “What made you decide to stay up so late last night? Was it a girl?”

I laughed. “Well, it wasn’t a boy,” I quipped.

Jules smiled mischievously. “I see.” She bit her bottom lip. “And how does one become involved in such a situation?”

I shrugged. “What do you mean?”

Jules stepped a bit closer to me. “You know exactly what I’m asking, Mr. Atkins.”

I pretended to misunderstand her question. “Huh?”

Jules smirked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that.” She glanced around the room before whispering, “Did you go home with a girl last night?”

I nodded. “Miss Vidal, I’m a married man.”

Jules raised her eyebrow. “A married man who stays up until 4 a.m.?”

I grinned. “Maybe.”

Jules chuckled. “Sounds like you were pretty busy last night is all.”

I winked at her. “That’s right.”

Jules pouted. “Why won’t you tell me more? Who did you end up with?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I responded quickly. “Let’s focus on work.” I sipped my coffee and began to walk away toward my office.

Jules grabbed my arm gently. “Mr. Atkins! Come on now! Tell me!”

I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Listen, Jules. I’m not gonna lie. The past 24 hours have been rough. I’ve barely slept at all.”

Jules placed her hands on my arms reassuringly. “Hey, hey. No need to apologize. We’re adults here. It’s completely fine if you needed some rest after everything that happened yesterday. Whatever happened.”

Her knowing smirk made me melt.

I stayed stoic and nodded slowly. “Thanks for understanding.”

Jules stood close to me. She looked up into my eyes and said softly, “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me anything about last night?”

I frowned slightly. “Nope.”

Jules gave me a playful smile, giving her biggest puppy dog eyes. “Oh come on, Mr. Atkins. Don’t be shy. Tell me what happened last night.”

I shook my head. “Not happening. Not appropriate in the workplace,” I walked away from her without saying goodbye and went into my office, unable to hide my smile.

This little cat and mouse game was hot as fuck.

But I heard abrupt footsteps behind me. Jules followed me inside, subtle breaths indicating just how turned on she was by our little play, too. I was convinced she was going to close my office door and absolutely maul me, but suddenly walking around the corner, was Jillian.

“Morning, Drew,” she chirped.

Jules gasped loudly, causing Jillian to turn and look back at us suspiciously.

“Oh ... hi,” Jules replied awkwardly.

Jillian smiled warmly. “Good morning. How are you guys?”

Jules and I traded side-eyed looks. Not only were we surprised that Jillian nearly walked into the middle of our flirtation, but Jillian was also dressed to kill – wearing a tight black skirt and matching button-up blouse. Her legs were bare above her maroon knee-high boots. Her top was tighter than normal, not producing visible cleavage, but the curves of her large chest were more evident today. Her makeup accentuated every curve of her face perfectly. She looked as if an African queen walked into a job interview. At least as African as a girl of Brazilian and Japanese heritage could look.

Jules and I couldn’t take our eyes off her. Our mouths hung open and we were speechless while staring at this stunning woman standing in front of us.

Just when I thought I was getting used to seeing Jillian every day without my tongue constantly hitting the floor, too.

Jillian noticed our silence first. “Um, hi guys,” she asked again, louder this time trying to get our attention, smiling widely.

We managed to squeak out greetings before bursting into laughter. Which we immediately tried to stifle.

Jules and I exchanged knowing glances. We both knew the other one was thinking the same thing. The two of us burst out laughing again, harder this time.

Jillian waited patiently for us to compose ourselves before speaking again. “So, um ... Are you guys okay?”

We continued to laugh until we eventually settled down enough to speak. “Yeah,” we answered simultaneously, still chuckling.

Jules added, “We were both up pretty late last night, so we’re delirious.”

Jules eyes widened after the words left her mouth, and so did mine. Fuck, did she just suggest that we were up late together?

“I mean, not together or anything,” I tried to lie, probably protesting too much in saying it. “Just both of us are tired today. That’s all.”

I tried to read Jillian’s expression. I felt so busted by Jules’ word mishap. But Jillian seemed unbothered and kept smiling politely at us both.

She sat down on the seat in front of my desk and looked at us both. She appeared genuinely concerned for our wellbeing. “Okay then, I guess. Is everything alright though?”

Jules and I shared a nervous glance. Neither of us wanted to answer her directly. Finally, I spoke up. “Uh, yeah. Everything’s great actually,” I said truthfully.

Jules nodded at me and whispered to Jillian, “Everything is fine.”

Jillian smiled sweetly, smirking at us both. “I think all of us need coffee, don’t you agree?”

Jules swapped, but agreed. “Definitely.”

I was relieved that Jillian didn’t press any further. But it’s not like we were out of the woods yet – we were obviously going to keep up the office small talk over coffee in the break room. It felt like we were going to the principal’s office. And I was already dreading the awkwardness that awaited us once we arrived.

Jillian stood up from her chair. “Alrighty. Let’s get moving then.”

Jules and I stood up behind Jillian. We followed her through the halls of the building towards the kitchenette area in our office.

Jules nudged me playfully in the ribs with her elbow. She looked at me, trying to wordlessly communicate the words ‘she knows.’ I returned her gaze silently. I hoped she understood what I meant.

Jillian had to be on to us. There’s no way she wouldn’t notice how much tension there was between Jules and me. Even though she never acted uncomfortable around either one of us, Jillian was always watching closely.

She was an observer. In the couple months Jillian had been my intern, she’s paid attention to her duties, the office, our operation ... It was clear she’d done research beforehand and always continued to do so. She observed everything. Every conversation. Anybody’s behavior. She watched and listened carefully. She took notes whenever possible, mental or otherwise. It’s why she was so good at her job - she learned quickly.

But even though she was observant, Jillian was incredibly friendly. When it came down to business, however, she remained professional and efficient. She worked hard and completed assignments accurately and with ease.

From the point of view of Jules and I, on a day to day basis, we didn’t even see the jetsetting influencer personality Jillian projected on her Instagram profile. Our perverted sides desperately wanted to see that. Instead, she was a consummate professional, but very personable and able to strike a balance between her professional and fun personality, not appearing stuffy in the least. But she was, at the end of the day, very businesslike. She wasn’t the kind of person who would spend idle time chatting endlessly.

So she obviously had a reason to ask us to meet her for coffee in the break room. So far, Jillian hadn’t given us a clue as to what exactly that reason might be.

But we had our theories. Worrying theories.

When Jules and I entered the break room together, both of us were on edge, wondering what Jillian wanted. As soon as we stepped foot in the room, Jules’ locked eyes with mine. She quickly glanced around the room, making sure nobody else was present. Then she moved closer to quickly whisper, “What does this mean?”

I shrugged noncommittally. “Who knows? Maybe nothing at all.”

Jules rolled her eyes and began chewing on her lower lip nervously.

Yep ... Jillian was evidently living rent-free in our minds at just moment.

“Drew,” Jillian suddenly said, spinning around with coffee pot in hand. “You’re one of the bosses around here. We need something better than just a coffee pot and maybe a bottle of flavored creamer.”

I laughed nervously. “Well...” I hesitated. I didn’t know what to say. “It’s really simple, right now,” I finally responded lamely. “I hardly ever touch the coffee here to be honest. I drink more Starbucks than a 16-year-old girl.”

We all chuckled at that.

“And I’m not a fan of plain ol’ creamers anyway,” I admitted. “They taste terrible. I need espresso and froth and, and ... Goddamn almond milk.”

“Exactly!” Jillian exclaimed excitedly. “That’s why we should buy some decent coffee beans! And we’ll definitely need an actual grinder. A good one, too. And a French press, or something similar.”

“We need an espresso machine,” I declared. “And some decent flavorings and whatnot. Maybe we just go full ‘Mad Men’ too and get a bottle of whiskey in here to ‘Irish up’ a latte or two.”

“Oh fuck yes!” Jules squealed. “Whiskey lattes for everyone. Just don’t be a monster and use the good Scotch for that. Save a 15-year-old Glenmorangie for after work only.”

Jillian crooked an eyebrow at Jules.

“Jules is a bit of a Scotch snob,” I volunteered. “Like, staggeringly so. It’s ... She’s a surprising girl sometimes.”

“Only because you’re surprised ‘some girl’ knows more about whiskey than you,” Jules quipped back with a grin.

Jillian giggled and shook her head, looking back and forth between Jules and I. Her expression conveyed disbelief, amusement, and confusion all at once.

Jules and I exchanged looks and smirked.

“Anyway,” I interjected, “You’ve convinced me, Jillian. I’ve decided to purchase a real espresso maker, and...”

Jillian’s expression flattened and she suddenly asked, “you two aren’t doing what I think you guys are doing, right?”

Her tone was suddenly serious. We froze solid.

Jules and I stared at each other blankly for several seconds. “Uh, um...” I began to stammer. Jules and I shared a look again, trying to silently plan what to say or do. Our faces communicated that we weren’t quite ready to reveal anything just yet.

“Are we what?” Jules asked tentatively, trying to play dumb and buy herself time.

Jillian raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear me clearly the first time?”

The three of us exchanged glances again.