Burke
It’s been about a week since we officially asked Jessica to date us, and so far, it’s been utter bliss. I knew she’d be perfect for us because Jessica is always eager to please at work, and even more so in the bedroom. It’s been heaven enjoying her body with my friends at my side, and if anything, it’s only made our woman hotter and hornier to service three men at once.
But we want to honor our agreement because it’s more than just the physical for us. The curvy girl is delightful in every way, and today, we’re taking her on a date. When she sees my black SUV pull up to the curb of her building, Jess scurries out of her apartment and hops into the back seat before pecking Vance on the cheek.
“How about me?” Sam mock-frowns. She kisses him too, and then leans forward to press a kiss to my cheek as well.
“Hey you,” she murmurs. “How is everyone?”
“Better now that you’re here,” I say. Of course, we just saw each other this morning, but it doesn’t matter because I’ve found that I need more and more of the curvy girl. It’s not enough anymore to see her at work, as well as in my bed. I need to talk and laugh with her, and this date is going to satisfy that craving.
“So where are we going?” Jessica coos with a grin. “Somewhere fun?”
Vance nods.
“Have you been to Bowlmor Lanes before? You know, the new place that just opened up on the west side?”
Her eyes widen. “Really? You guys want to go bowling?”
Sam laughs. “We go bowling sometimes. Why?”
She giggles
“I just figured it wouldn’t be something you enjoyed. Weird shoes, bowling balls that have been touched by a million hands…I mean, you guys are too cool for that.”
I growl from the driver’s seat while meting her eyes in the rear-view mirror.
“No honey, we’re more than mindless alpha males who ravish women and stomp on lesser men. We like to dress down every once in a while and just be silly.”
Jessica giggles. “You guys, silly? Well, good then. I’m excited!”
Within thirty minutes, we’ve pulled into the parking lot of Bowlmor. Inside, they’ve refurbished the place so that it’s very retro looking. There are gleaming wooden lanes, lots of red, yellows and blues, and even wooden chandeliers to give the place a vintage vibe. But still, bowling shoes are required and we’re handed maroon and tan rentals with a single velcro strap to put on. I can smell my pair immediately, and it’s a combination of foot spray and mold.
“Eeew gross,” Jessica groans. “This is not going to be fun.”
I grin.
“It’s fine, sweetheart. Just sweat a lot and that sweat will mask the odor of the previous person’s foot sweat.”
“Eeew!” she shrieks while slapping me playfully on the bicep. “You’re only making it worse.”
Honestly, it’s just part of the fun. Selecting a few balls, the four of us get situated in a lane on the very right. There’s only one other group in the alley right now, and they’re on the very left so we have plenty of space to stretch our legs.
“I’m going to grab pizza with anchovies, unless you guys object,” Sam announces.
“Anchovies? Shit man, you’re disgusting,” Vance groans. “How about half anchovies, half pepperoni? Try to be normal for once.”
Sam merely grins good-naturedly.
“Got it. Any other requests?”
Jessica titters.
“How about buffalo wings?” she suggests.
I stare at her. “You like wings?”
She nods.
“A lot of girls don’t, I know because they’re messy and it’s so nasty to look at a pile of discarded bones at the end. But I love them anyways, and to be honest, I can eat a dozen at a time.”
Sam nods approvingly.
“Wings it is, then. Plus, I’ll get some fries to share. Just in case you guys want some,” he says with a wink.
I roll my eyes because I know that asshole is going to hoover them all up, but fine. Meanwhile, Jessica picks up her ball and takes the first shot. The ball rolls slowly down the wooden alley, wobbling a bit before finally managing to knock down a few pins.
“Ace!” she squeals.
“Honey, that’s not an ace,” growls Vance in a confused voice as he pulls her into his lap. “Ace is when you knock down all ten pins at once. That was five.”
“Oh you,” she huffs with a mock-pout. “I call it an ace, so it’s an ace.”
“Okay ace,” agrees the big man, pulling her close while nudging her breast with his arm. “Whatever you want, baby.”
We play for a few minutes until Sam returns with our food. I see that Bowlmor has gone all out. They could serve crappy re-heated frozen foods, but instead the pizza looks like it was actually baked in a wood-fired oven, and the fries and wings are arranged in attractive bowls, even if they are served on red plastic trays.
“What dip do you prefer for your wings?” Vance asks our girl.
She thinks for a second. “Blue cheese or ranch, but I do like Thousand Island sometimes too. It just hits the spot with that ketchup-y taste, you know?”
He grins.
“All good choices, honey. I myself like chunky blue cheese. Mmm, chewy chunks!”
She squeals again with laughter and we dig into the food, ignoring the bowling balls for the moment. The game can wait because more important is enjoying our girl’s company and making sure that she’s happy.
“Oh, I almost forgot to ask,” Jessica says as she wipes buffalo sauce from her face. “How did the three of you meet?”
I chuckle. “We were fraternity brothers at Oregon State eons ago, actually.”
The three of us share a look and then raise our fists simultaneously. “Rho Mu Tau!” Sam, Vance and I chant before making the frat’s special sign with our fingers. It’s so juvenile now, and we all burst out laughing.
“That explains a lot,” Jessica giggles. “You guys act like you’re brothers even though you’re not.”
“Well, we are brothers in a sense. Fraternity brothers call each other brothers, although of course, we’re not biologically related,” Sam replies.
But Vance shrugs. “But we get called brothers a lot, let’s face it. Most people think we’re related even though we’re not.”
“Is it because you guys all have black hair and blue eyes?” Jess asks with confusion. “But there are lots of people with that coloring.”
I shake my head.
“No, I think it’s because we’re just familiar with one another. Twenty years with these assholes will do it to you.”
“Twenty years!” gasps Jessica, her eyes wide. “So you guys graduated from college two decades ago?”
I throw her a lopsided smile.
“Yes. Why, does that seem really old?”
She blushes.
“No, not old. Okay, well yes. I mean, I knew you guys were older but I had no idea that you graduated from college twenty years ago.”
Sam throws her a smirk.
“We’re forty-five honey. Why, how old did you think we were?”
Jessica sputters then.
“I don’t know. Maybe thirty, thirty-five?”
I shake my head, growling.
“That’s very flattering honey, but nope. We’re in our fifth decade, although it’s nice to hear you think otherwise. In fact, we just donated a shit ton to Oregon State for our twentieth, right boys?” I ask.
Vance and Sam nod.
“Goddamn near emptied my wallet for my alma mater,” Vance remarks.
“Go Beavers,” Sam grunts while popping an anchovy into his mouth.
But then Jessica blushes.
“You know, I actually graduated from Oregon State too, so I guess we’re alum. But I don’t think I knew anyone in Rho Mu Tau.”
Sam grins.
“That’s because it doesn’t exist anymore,” he explains. He shoves an entire piece of pizza down his throat before continuing. “It’s not without reason though. There were some pretty bad hazing incidents about five years ago that led to a few pledges getting alcohol poisoning. Thankfully, no one died, but the fraternity was de-chaptered and no longer exists at Oregon State.”
I nod, frowning. It’s a shame that a few guys had to go and ruin everything with their idiotic ways. After all, the frat was a good time, and I was gratified to be a part of the brotherhood. We’ve done a couple informal reunions since the chapter was disbanded, but it’s not the same. On-campus meet-ups are now banned, and it’s not the same to gather a bar or restaurant, when we used to party at the house. Still, boys will be boys. The latest members of RMT were merely dumbfucks who got caught.
“Some of those frat guys can be really wild,” Jess nods. “But I can’t imagine the three of you like that because you’re so mature and with it.”
That makes me laugh. “Well, we are now, but once upon a time, we were dumbfucks too. Excuse the language, honey, but it’s true. We couldn’t tell our dicks from our asses.”
She giggles.
“But you’re all successful business owners now. I mean, Carhart Holdings, Prince Corp., and Ryder Limited are booming real estate firms.”
Vance nods. “Yeah, we run the three biggest development companies in Portland.”
Jessica nods. “But isn’t it awkward being competitors? And then being with me as well?”
I nod slowly. “Well, it wasn’t always like this, obviously. After college, we wanted to do our own things and to be honest, I was a professional athlete for a while. But the minors kicked my ass, so I started Carhart. Things took off, and didn’t you have that beer distribution business that flopped Sam?”
My friend nods.
“Yeah, but at least I got free beer out of it.”
I laugh.
“Yeah, we all made mistakes, and none of us started in real estate to begin with. It’s just something that happened by chance, and the competition makes us stronger, to be honest. But do you want to know a secret, honey?”
Jessica leans closer as she winks. “Yes, because I love secrets!”
I chuckle. “As much fun as it is for us to compete against each other, we’re actually in talks to negotiate a merger between our three companies. We’re powerful on our own, but our company as a whole would have unspeakable synergies and unshakeable dominance.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you serious? You’re going to close Carhart?”
I shrug. “I don’t know about close. Right now, the plan is to continue to operate individually, but under an umbrella company jointly run by the three of us. No one will be losing their jobs or anything. In fact, this would likely allow us to hire more staff and to expand our footprint. We’d be an even bigger force to reckon with.”
Jessica nods, her eyes wide.
“Goodness, that’s impressive,” she murmurs. “If there’s anything I can do to help, you know where to find me, Mr. Carhart. You too, Mr. Ryder and Mr. Prince.”
My two buddies grin at her.
“Hey, we’re not your bosses yet, although I have to admit I like hearing my name slip off your tongue like that,” Sam growls.
“Hell, I’d love to hear you call me Mr. Prince in bed,” Vance adds. “That might make me come even harder.”
Jessica looks aroused and scandalized at once, but before the conversation can get raunchy, I interject.
“Now honey, this shouldn’t be all about us. You’ve heard about our careers, but what about yours? What do you want to do long-term? Surely, being my secretary gets boring.”
She smiles. “No, it’s not boring because you keep me on my toes, but that’s a good question. To be honest, I don’t really know what I want to do with my life. I’m still figuring it out.”
We nod with understanding.
“What did you major in at Oregon State?” Vance asks gently.
“Philosophy,” she admits with a rueful smile. “So, my career options are limited, as you can guess, since no one’s really hiring full time philosophers out there. That’s why I’m a secretary now.”
I caress her back soothingly. “There’s nothing wrong with being admin. Are you happy? Are you learning a lot on the job?”
Jessica picks up the last wing and bites into it before she answers. Her look is reflective as she chews.
“I am happy,” she finally says. “I enjoy being your secretary, even if it sounds really humble. I know it’s strange, but I feel like I’m making a difference with my work. I like helping people, and my position allows me to fulfill my goals because my job is to make your life run smoother.”
“And you’re excellent at what you do,” I rumble. “Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with being a secretary because it’s honest work. I’m not too proud to wash dishes, honey. You’d be surprised at how many people think certain types of work are below them, but I can tell you’re not like that.”
She smiles ruefully.
“Yeah, it’s weird because it seems like everyone wants to be a CEO like you guys, or at least the next blockbuster entrepreneur. I mean, I know you work hard and you’re good at what you do, but I think I’m happier with being a foot soldier. I wouldn’t want to be the head of a company or anything because it’s not for me. Is that horrible to admit? Do I sound like I have no direction in life?”
I shake my head slowly.
“No, not at all. In fact, it’s commendable that you get pleasure from what you do because a lot of people feel like they have to ‘dream big’ and ‘chase your passion.’ But all of that is just bullshit. Dreams have no size, and what’s much more important is feeling fulfilled and making an asset of yourself, no matter what people think.”
Jessica shoots me a grateful look.
“Thanks, Burke. I really appreciate it,” she says in a gentle tone. “I guess I do need some validation after all because everyone’s always pestering me about my career goals, and I hate letting them down. Maybe now I can tell my parents that I’m happy the way I am. I know it’s wasting my degree but—”
Vance cuts her off.
“You’re not wasting your degree,” he growls. “A B.A. in philosophy is very valuable.”
She throws him a grateful smile too.
“Thank you for that. I just wish you could tell that to my parents.” Sam rubs her arms comfortingly.
“Your parents only want what’s best for you, the way all parents do,” he says. “They’ll come around. Just keep telling them how fulfilled you are until they believe you, sweetheart.”
Jessica perks up and kisses Sam lightly. “Thank you. I’ll do that.”
With that, the conversation turns to a lighter subjects and we pick up bowling once more as the words flow. It’s easy to get along with Jessica, and I can tell my friends appreciate her wit, intelligence, and innate kindness too. So many women in Portland are all talk, but Jessica has real integrity. She’s concerned for the poor, the environment, and for the growing inequality gap in our country. Not only that, but she’s doing something about it by contributing to worthy charities and regularly volunteering her time. By contrast, the last time I volunteered must have been when I was fifteen and trying to get something on my resume. I know it’s the same for Sam and Vance. We’re men who focus on the bottom-line, but Jessica’s not like that at all, and it warms our hearts
By the end of the night, my friends and I are exchanging glances because I know we’re thinking the same thing. If anything, this woman is too good for us. The beautiful brunette is more than we deserve, and I’m grateful that she’s opened her arms to us because without Jessica, Sam, Vance and I would be assholes dating a swath through Portland and hating it. But instead, we have this beautiful woman, and with her by our sides, we’re becoming better men with every passing day.