Breene, K F - Growing Pains 01 (23 page)

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Look at them.”

The research was minimal, the
figures probably right but not all-encompassing. The art was barely a step
above that. There was no thread that held everything together.

It suddenly dawned on her. “You are
supposed to make this look like a cohesive presentation?”

“Exactly. That is just part of it.
I also have to get quotes, figure out how to sell it, and get that event
together for Monica.”

Krista shook her head, feeling bad
for him. His eyes were tight and tired, his face lined with stress. “Do you
have to use this info? Can I start over?”

Sean sighed in relief. “I don’t
need too in-depth. I need passable. They are a tiny client. The revenue we are
looking at is minimal. So is the effort.”

“Can I consult with an art person?”

“No one has the time. If you can
ask your roommate we will pay him.”

“He has finals.” Krista didn’t know
if she could be counted on to work the art angle all on her own. The research
would be a breeze. Tying it all together wouldn’t. At least, not for her.

“You said he was in art school,
right?” Sean pushed. “If I give him the run of the art department all weekend,
would he help?”

A glance at Sean said he was
serious. Ben might actually go for that. All that space, all those resources…

“Pass me the phone. I left my
cellphone in the office.”

Sean did so without hesitation.

Where most people would ignore the
phone when they were in the middle of something, Ben answered just to make it
stop ringing. Krista offered to unplug the house phone for him, but Abbey would
notice, even though she never used the thing, and cause a big stink. Krista knew
this from experience.

“Hello?” came the mid-range voice
lined with irritation.

“Ben?”

“Yeah. Krista?”

“Hi Ben, yeah it’s me. Hey…so I was
wondering…”

“Please note that I am doing a big
project this weekend.”

“I know, Ben. So it’s like this. My
Captain needs this thing done by Monday and there’s an art bit involved. We
would like to enlist your help, which will take barely any of your time, and in
trade, he’s willing to offer you the entire weekend in our huge art department
so you can use all its resources to finish your thing. And free meals.”

“Your Captain? Are you on a ship?”

“Well, he’s not technically my
boss, but he’s in charge. Not important. What do you think?”

“How would I possibly get all my
stuff there and back?”

“Oh…” She glanced at Sean. He was
analyzing her with hope written plainly on his face. “Neither of us have a
car.”

“I’ll pick him up,” Sean said
without hesitation.

“He’ll pick you up.” She relayed to
Ben.

“He? Your boss? Er, Captain or
whatever?”

“Yeah. If you’ll agree to help.”

“I get the run of the whole art
studio?”

“It’s an art department, Ben. Not
studio. There is art stuff stocked there, you know? And no Abbey. Abbey-free
all weekend.”

“Stocked art stuff… Oh!” Ben
finally got the magnitude of the offer, although Krista thought the Abbey-free
part was the sweet part. “Deal. When do you need me?”

“Now-ish I think. Hold on.” She
held the phone away. “When does this happen?”

“How fast can you work?” Sean
asked.

“Me? I can have the research done
in a couple hours, tops. Less if we’re going for just passable. I can get all
the art stuff together, too. So by tonight I am good to go.”

“Then you have your answer.”

“Yes but he needs a ride.”

“I’m ready when you are. Or
whenever it suits him.” Sean nodded to the phone. He must have been out of his
mind desperate to be so easy going about all this.

“Ben?” She said getting back on the
phone. “Can you be ready to help in about two hours, maybe three?”

“That’s fine. I will have all my
stuff packed by then.”

“Okay, I’ll call before we come.”

“’Kay.” The phone clicked before
she could say good-bye. Ben was notorious for failing to give a farewell on the
phone.

“He’ll do it. I’ll go get my part
done.” She got up.

“I don’t think I got you a big
enough raise,” Sean said, looking at her with soft eyes. His eyes were so
lovely. She’d never seen that brilliant color green before. So pure. She wanted
to drink in his look as he pulled her against his body.

Sean retracted his gaze when she
gave a small jump and turned red. “Yup, okay. See you on the flip side.” And
she whisked out of the office.

“It was a nice little moment,
though,” Sean said to himself with a smile.

As Krista made her way distractedly
down the hall, that last look echoing through her body, she realized someone
was in her office. Slowing, she peered in the window from the hallway, just
making out a buzz cut and the profile of Jacob’s face as he sat in her visitor
chair, facing her desk.

Not now!

She hesitated, fidgeting. She
didn’t want to go in. She was in a hurry, had possibly a ton to do, and Sean
was waiting on her. But she didn’t want to be mean or brusque, either. The guy
was the head of the IT department—he gaveth, he could probably taketh away. Or
at least breaketh.

She’d wait him out. He couldn’t sit
there forever.

Although, why was he sitting there
in the first place? Creepy.

Decision made, she about-faced in a
hurry, the break room in mind, when she ran smack into a hard chest. The sweet
smell of cologne accosted her nose as a pair of fabulous pecs hugged her neck.

“What—”

“Sssssshhhhhh!”Krista slapped her
hand over Marcus’s mouth and pushed him down the hall, crinkling her papers
between them as she heaved with her whole body. The guy was slimmer than Sean,
yes, but he definitely had lots of muscle tone. If Krista hadn’t been 90% positive
he was g*y, she would take notice. Possibly cop a feel.

Another feel.

She pushed Marcus up against the
elevator, frantically pushing the “v” button, drowning the hallway in
click-click-click-click.

“Now can I ask what is going on?”
Marcus whispered, unperturbed that her hand stayed in the middle of his chest,
keeping him put. “Is the young stud na**d in your office? Because if so, I want
to see that!”

95% g*y.

“No! It’s Jacob! He’s hanging out
in my office!” Krista poked the button a few more times, then threw a glance
behind her to make sure he hadn’t come out into the hall.

“Is he into you?” Marcus asked with
a twinkle in his eye. His gaze conspiratorially glanced past her head down the
hallway.

“Yes. Where the hell is the
elevator? He’s asked me for drinks a couple times but I tell him I have a
boyfriend.”

“Do you?”

“Kinda. I guess. I don’t know. But
for him I do!”

“Really.” Marcus’s body eased back
against the elevator door in a lounge, taking in the whole situation. “And why
are you unsure if you have a boyfriend, my love? I myself am often unsure, but
that’s because I don’t know if my boys are taking things the wrong way.”

100%

“Because—I don’t know. It doesn’t
matter. Just—“

The door finally opened with a nail
biting slide, taking its merry time. Krista, still pushing at Marcus to get him
moving, and Marcus, forgetting what surface he leaned against in excitement to
hear her gossip, didn’t adequately prepare for the loss of a solid object. They
both rolled along the shiny, metallic surface, falling in a cascade of limbs
into the empty air.

Fortunately, someone was there to
block their fall.

Unfortunately, he smelled like
ocean and musk and delight and sin, all bottled in an aromatic elixir.

Sean stood firm, only taking a
small step back as Marcus’s body barreled into him, sliding down his front to
the floor, Krista riding him like a sled the whole way.

“What is going on?” Sean asked in
utter confusion, his eyes focusing on the mess of papers littering across the
floor.

“Krista is trying to turn me straight!”
Marcus replied in a laughing wheeze from the floor, unable to properly breathe
with a frantic Krista scrambling on top of him. “She even groped me!”

Krista righted herself, hair caught
in the drool at the side of her mouth, and faced those piercing green eyes. The
papers were in a wadded ball of distortion at her chest.

“It’s just—um…” Krista cleared her
throat at Sean’s quirked brow and yanked her top straight, a possible reason
for this mess eluding her. Exhaling everything in her lungs, she went with it.
“Yes, I was trying to turn Marcus straight. I did, in fact, grope him. He’s got
a nice bod.” She turned to Marcus, trying to shift the focus to him, pages
crackling as she unconsciously creased another few. “Did it work, Marcus?”

Marcus preened, “Well thank you,
honey. It’s nice to be appreciated.” He took up his lounge against the back of
the elevator, one long leg crossing over the other. “But no. You don’t know how
to use my equip—“

“That’s enough,” Sean raised his
hand to stop Marcus. “This conversation is a H.R. nightmare. What is really
going on?”

“Wrestling?” Krista asked
hopefully.

The doors opened again.

“Fix your top, sweetie,” Marcus
said, smoothing his shirt. “Everyone will think we’ve had a three-way.
Actually, I’d be willing to try…”

Sean raised his hand again with a
pained expression on his face, not in the mood for tomfoolery.

Theresa entered the elevator. Mrs.
Morning After had been the reason Krista realized Sean really was a pig. The
first instance anyway. It was also the first time Krista had met Jacob. The
circle of life was complete.

Theresa surveyed the elevator with
a sweep of her eyes, recognizing Sean instantly. Her face fell, then turned
red. Then an angry, livid purple.

“Hi, Sean,” she said with a hand on
her hip.

Marcus smirked and moved to the
corner of the elevator to allow the former lovebirds more room. Krista quickly
moved in his direction. Things had just gotten really awkward.

For a wonder, Sean didn’t even look
embarrassed. There wasn’t a hint of remorse. He smiled and said, “Hello,
Theresa. I haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been keeping?”

Some of the purple lessoned, making
her face look a blotchy puce.

“Oh, well …” She scanned the rest
of the elevator. When she saw Krista she glowered. Renewing the hostile in her
voice, she said, “Moved on already, huh?”

Krista looked around in confusion.
“I beg your pardon?”

“Hi, Theresa,” Marcus said in a
lazy tone. “How’d your mixer go?”

Theresa turned to Marcus as the
elevator started moving. “Oh hi!” She was suddenly a ray of sunshine. “I didn’t
see you there. It went great! I met this fab guy that has already taken me out
to dinner. He’s a gentleman.”

Krista surmised that was a dig at
Sean. Based on the fact that Sean was looking toward the front of the elevator
pleasantly, waiting for the right floor, it didn’t have much effect.

“Wonderful. Sorry I couldn’t make
it, doll,” Marcus said, checking which floor was chiming. “I had a million
things to do Friday night.”

“Oh, no problem.” Theresa waved the
thought away. “At least you responded. Some people didn’t even bother to do
that.”

Another dig at Sean.

The doors opened.

“C’mon gang,” Sean said, stepping
out.

They were on his floor. Theresa
stepped out as well.

“Okay, bye, Marcus,” Theresa said
sweetly. “Bye, Sean.” Not so sweet.

“It was great seeing you, Theresa.”
Sean continued to use the same pleasant tone. Theresa got stars in her eyes
before she about faced and walked away, trying to throw as much hip into it as
she possibly could.

As Marcus and Krista followed Sean
around a corner, Marcus asked in a voice tinged with humor, “Another one of
your ex’s, Sean?”

“It has to last more than a night
to be an ex, doesn’t it?” Krista asked Marcus, struggling to keep up with their
walking pace.

Sean half turned with a warning
look as they reached the door for the stairs.

“Where are we going?” Krista asked.

“Back to your office, via the
stairs,” Sean said, holding the door for the other two.

“Oh no! No way!” Marcus exclaimed.
“I have a very regimented workout routine that does not involve stairs.”

“I have four-inch heels that are
adorable but not all that comfortable.” Krista pointed at her feet. “My feet
will not hold up for three flights of stairs.”

“They are adorable.” Marcus nodded
thoughtfully, looking at her heels. “But you should put more money into your
footwear. They’ll last longer and be easier on your feet. Girl, you should know
this!”

“Yes, I do know this, but I don’t
make enough to constantly buy pricey footwear. With as many—“

“Stairs, now,” Sean interrupted
firmly.

“Ooouu, I like when he gets firm,”
Marcus said with a smirk, pushing Krista in front of him.

“I don’t,” Krista replied
petulantly, gingerly putting her foot on the first stair as if it was covered
in grime. “It means it’s harder to get out of what he wants.”

“This is true,” Marcus followed
Krista’s example with the same expression of distaste.

Halfway up, Krista had to stop. “My
feet are seriously killing me, you guys. I can’t do this.”

“Take off your shoes,” Sean said
behind her.

“Eww! I’ll probably get syphilis from
this floor. No.”

“Then soldier on.” Sean put a hand
lightly on her back.

She hobbled up another two steps
before she had to stop again. Marcus was on the landing, waiting. Sean stepped
up beside her.

He held out his arm, “Help?”

“It’s not my balance that’s the
problem,” Krista said, looping her arm in his and the other on the railing,
using the two like crutches.