12. Emma

My fingers hoverover the keyboard, but I can't seem to type a coherent sentence. The cursor blinks mockingly on the empty screen, my mind replaying that steamy night with Alex and Lukas on loop like some kind of erotic highlight reel.

It's been a week since our naughty little conference room tryst, and I've been tightly wound ever since. Every glimpse of their chiseled jaws or rippling biceps sends my heart racing faster than a Zamboni on crack.

I shift in my chair, trying to ignore the persistent hum of arousal their mere presence in the building evokes. This is dangerous, and I damn well know it. One wrong move and this flirty little game could torch my career to ashes.

Ping!A message pops up on my screen, and I nearly fall out of my chair. My mouth goes dry as I read it:

"Emma—please come to the front office. We need to discuss an urgent matter regarding your position with the team."

Oh shit. This is it.

They're going to fire me, toss me out on my cute little ass for defiling a conference room with not one, but two team staff members.

How could I be so reckless? So stupid?

I push back from my desk on shaky legs, smoothing my skirt with clammy hands. I walk down the hallway toward my impending doom, each click of my heels on the tile a doomsday countdown.

I pause outside the door, swallowing hard. This is where my dreams crash and burn, where my days of witty hockey tweets and thirst-trap player pics come to an end. Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle and step inside, my stomach churning.

To my surprise, Alex stands there with a woman I don't recognize. She looks to be in her mid-40s, with a crisp blazer, sensible heels, and a no-nonsense smile.

"Emma, this is Karen from HR," Alex says, his expression unreadable. Oh god, HR? This is even worse than I thought.

Karen extends a hand. "Nice to meet you, Emma. I know this might seem a bit unorthodox, but we have some paperwork to take care of."

Paperwork? Is that what they're calling a pink slip these days?

"Consent forms," Alex clarifies, as if reading my mind. "For us."

I blink, my brain not quite processing. "Consent forms?"

Karen nods, handing me a stack of very official-looking documents. "Standard procedure for any employees engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship. These will retroactively cover your past…interactions with Mr. Ivanov and Mr. Dvorak. And any future ones as well."

My cheeks flood with heat. Oh my god, Alex told HR about our conference room hookup? Is nothing sacred? I scan the forms, my eyes widening at phrases like "consensual activity" and "no influence on employment."

As embarrassed as I am, I start to realize what Alex is doing—he's protecting us, making sure our jobs aren't at risk because of our mutual attraction. It's almost sweet, in a weirdly professional way.

With a shaking hand, I scrawl my signature, feeling like I'm signing away my right to sexual privacy. I guess that's the price you pay for pucking the team.

Relief and residual anxiety swirl inside me as I hand the forms back to Karen. She smiles, tucking them into a manila folder. "Glad we got that taken care of. You're all set, Emma. Let me know if you need anything else."

I nod mutely, not trusting my voice. Alex touches my elbow, sending sparks up my arm. "Emma, could you come chat in my office for a moment?"

Oh lord, what now? Weak-kneed, I follow him down the hall, my mind reeling. I know I should be glad I'm not fired, but I can't shake the feeling that I've just signed my name in the Devil's black book. The very sexy, persuasive, hockey-playing Devil's black book.

I have a feeling my days of flying under the radar are officially over. And that thought is equal parts terrifying and arousing as hell.

As soon as Alex closes his office door behind us, he turns to me, apology written all over his handsome face. "Emma, I'm so sorry for springing that on you back there. I just wanted to make sure we were all covered, legally speaking. I was worried that if I told you beforehand, you might say no to signing the forms."

I shrug. "I figured that out when we were in the middle of it. I'll be honest, I don't love the idea of giving up my privacy, but…I get it. You had the foresight to take care of this, to protect all of us. Thank you."

He takes a step closer, his hazel eyes searing into mine with an intensity that makes my breath hitch. "Emma, I need you to know that Lukas and I, we're both very interested in exploring this arrangement further, on a casual basis. But only if you feel the same way. We don't want to pressure you into anything, especially given our professional relationship."

I can hardly breathe as I process his words.

They want me.

Both of them.

Not just for a one-time conference room tryst, but for something more ongoing. The thought sends a thrill of excitement coursing through my veins.

Part of me knows this is completely insane—dating not one but two coworkers is practically begging for my career to go up in flames. But another part of me, the part currently thrumming with need, tells that rational voice to shut the hell up.

"I want this," I breathe, my voice barely above a whisper. "I want you. Both of you. It's complicated and messy, but I just…I can't ignore this connection between us."

Alex's eyes darken, pupils dilating with lust as a sensual grin spreads across his chiseled face. "I was hoping you'd say that," he says, voice low and rough.

In two long strides, he crosses the room and locks the door with a definitive click. My breath catches in my throat as he stalks towards me, movements fluid and predatory like a panther. My thighs clench reflexively.

He stops just inches away, so close I can feel the heat emanating from his muscular body. One hand comes up to grip my chin, tilting my face up to meet his heated gaze.

"Sit on the desk," Alex commands, tone brooking no argument. "And spread your legs for me, angel."

Alex's command sends tingles through my whole body. I hop onto his desk, papers and pens scattering around me, and spread my legs.

His gaze roams over me, possessive, like I'm his next meal. "Good girl." The rumble in his voice makes my core clench.

He stalks towards me, shrugging off his jacket. The flex of muscle under his shirt makes my mouth water. When he's standing between my legs, he cups my face and kisses me, hard and deep, like he wants to devour me.

I moan into his mouth, my hands fisting in his shirt to pull him closer. He tastes like coffee and sin, and I can't get enough.

"I'm going to make you come so hard you forget your own name," he murmurs against my lips.

"Promises, promises," I tease, breathless with want.

With a growl, he captures my mouth again in a bruising kiss, his hands sliding under my skirt to grip my thighs. I whimper as his fingers dig into my flesh, and when he pulls back to look at me, his eyes are nearly black with lust.

"What's my name?" he asks, his voice a low rasp.

"Alex," I breathe.

His eyes gleam. "Good. Don't forget it."

Before I can respond, he drops to his knees and yanks my panties aside. I gasp as his hot breath ghosts over my folds, and then his tongue is on me, licking a broad stripe up my slit.

"Fuck, you're so wet for me already," he groans, and then his mouth is on me in earnest, licking and sucking like a man starved.

I throw my head back with a strangled moan, my hands fisting in his hair to keep him right where he is. Alex is a man of his word, and as his tongue works me over with ruthless precision, I feel myself slipping away into a haze of mindless bliss.

There's only Alex, only this, only now.

My breaths come in ragged gasps as he sucks my clit between his lips, flicking it with his tongue. The pleasure coils tighter and tighter within me until I'm trembling all over, barely able to stay upright.

"Come for me," Alex growls against my flesh. "I want to feel you come undone."

His words shatter what little restraint I have left. With a muffled cry, I come apart beneath his mouth, my inner walls pulsing around nothing as bliss washes over me in waves.

Alex laps at me gently through the aftershocks, easing me down from my high. When he finally pulls away, his lips are slick and swollen, his eyes burning into mine.

"Good girl," he rasps, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

My cheeks flush at the praise, a delicious warmth spreading through me. But before I can bask in the moment, there's a sharp knock at the door.

We freeze, panic flaring in my chest. In our recklessness, we forgot one crucial detail—we're at work. Anyone could walk by and overhear us. And now someone is at the door, no doubt wondering what's taking so long.

"Just a minute!" Alex calls out, his voice surprisingly steady.

He stands and helps me to my feet, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "It's okay," he murmurs. "Just act natural."

I take a deep breath, smoothing my hair and skirt with shaking hands. By the time Alex unlocks the door, I've managed to compose myself, despite the flush in my cheeks.

Chloe stands on the other side, her eyes raking over me appraisingly. She arches a brow, amusement playing at the corners of her mouth, and I feel my face burn hotter.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says, not sounding very apologetic at all. "But we need to discuss Emma's trip to Detroit. Ryan will be here any minute to go over the details."

I swallow thickly and nod. Chloe knows—of course she knows. But I push the thought aside for now. I have a job to do, and everything else will just have to wait.