Avril
Fabron’s house is ostentatious but then again, so is Dane’s. I guess it’s a prerequisite when you head up a major biotech firm and you’re worth billions.
I’d had the pleasure of staying here twice in my travels through France. Fabron Lemaire was charming then, as were his wife and children. He’s even more charming now that he’s divorced, and we’ve been friends on a personal and professional level for years.
He hands me another glass of champagne, and I take it without hesitation. It’s only my second and Fabron is easy to talk to and flirt with, although neither one of us takes it very seriously. Truth be told, Fabron would rather have me come to work for him than he would for me to warm his bed, and I know Dane would take more offense to that than anything. I think that’s why Fabron flirts with me shamelessly in front of Dane and Andrew, so they really don’t catch on to how much he’d like to put me in charge of Révéler Biotech’s operations.
“How is Melisant?” I ask Fabron as we stand by the fireplace in his great room. He’s having a party of the upper crust of Paris, but mostly other people in the biotech industry. Andrew and Dane are off networking and mingling, as we usually split up at these types of events.
“She’s angry and bitter,” he says with a shrug. “Luckily, the kids are old enough that they don’t believe her lies about me.”
“I’m sorry,” I say with a wince. “I guess divorce is never pretty, right?”
“I’ve moved on and hopefully so will she one day,” he says gallantly. “I want her to be happy.”
“I like Melisant,” I tell him honestly. “She was always very gracious to me.”
“She admired you a great deal,” he says with an affectionate smile. “Your intelligence and your ambition. She saw a lot of herself in you, except she married her way to the top while you worked your way there.”
I don’t know what to say to this, so I take a sip of my champagne and search through the crowd for either Dane or Andrew. Last night when we’d arrived, we all crashed in our respective beds in our suite, trying to sleep through the jet lag. But tonight, we’re all going to be together, and I know this because Dane told us as we left the hotel for Fabron’s party, “I’ve got something special in mind for tonight. Are you both up for an adventure?”
I immediately assured him I was, and he laughed before he kissed me. Andrew grinned with good nature and jokingly grabbed his crotch. “I’m always up.”
It’s been hard to concentrate on anything else but whatever it is that Dane has planned for when we get back to the hotel, I know it’s going to be really good.
“You know my job offer to you is a very serious offer, Avril,” Fabron says quietly, but it causes my attention to snap back to him with unfiltered focus.
“You have a very competent COO,” I say dismissively.
“Not as competent as you,” he returns. By the look on his face, I know he’s dead serious. “Dane is obviously the driving force behind Caterva and Andrew is a brilliant scientist, but that company is held together by you. Those men have no clue the amount of balls you have to juggle every day just to keep things running.”
“They know quite well,” I say in their defense, but it does make me wonder. Andrew with his petulant demands and Dane dismissing my concerns over Andrew’s demands.
“Maybe, maybe not,” he says neutrally. “But I would double your salary, give you hefty stock options, and make you co-chair of our board of directors with me.”
I blink at him in surprise. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”
“Indeed, I am,” he replies bluntly.
“But I just thought you were flirting with me,” I say with a nervous laugh.
“My dear Avril,” Fabron says as he steps in a little closer to me. “My offer to you, first and foremost, is for a job with my company, but you aren’t wrong in recognizing my flirtations. I’m very attracted to you, and I would certainly welcome pursuing a relationship with you. We’d be a power couple that would shock and awe the entire city of Paris.”
Another nervous laugh pops out, because he’s throwing me for a loop. A sincere job offer that would include a higher position within a biotech company with an insane pay increase, as well as telling me he’s attracted to me.
“Just think about it,” he says as he takes a step back, and that little move has me looking at him in a different way. Fabron is confident, intelligent, charming, and extremely handsome. Any girl would be crazy not to consider his offer, yet I see nothing of value in it for me.
Giving him my most gracious smile, I place my hand on his forearm. “Fabron… your offer is incredible, both on a personal and a professional level. The professional I would be crazy not to consider because I’m a businesswoman and I have as much ambition as my partners. But the personal… I’m actually involved with someone and—”
“Ah,” he says with a knowing look and a tone that matches. “Dane is a lucky man.”
“What?” I practically screech and then lower my voice as I lean in toward him. “What would make you say that?”
Fabron chuckles and places his hand on top of mine, which is still resting on his forearm. He gives me an affectionate squeeze, and then a pat. “Because I can see it when he looks at you, and Avril… you look right back at him the same way.”
“But we don’t do that,” I sputter.
“You do,” he says firmly. “You’re not hiding it from anyone. Your partner Andrew sees it as well. I just wasn’t sure how serious it was, but now I have my answer.”
My head spins at the implications, and I don’t dare tell him that Andrew not only knows, but he’s fucking me as well. What’s throwing me is the fact that we’re obviously, well… obvious about it.
Shit.
I look blindly around for Dane so I can pull him aside and tell him we’re being obvious.
“Avril,” Fabron says to get my attention. “There’s nothing wrong with being lovers with Dane. It happens all the time in companies, especially when you’re working in such extreme circumstances together.”
“I know,” I say, but my voice is quavering with absolutely no confidence. I’m not sure why this is bugging me so much, but I think it goes deeply to some insecurities I must have as a woman in a man’s world. Will people think I have my position because I’m fucking the boss?
I shake my head because that’s ridiculous. Fabron is just making a lucky guess.
“Ah,” Fabron murmurs, and I see his attention is on something behind me. “Here he comes now, and he looks none too happy for me to be talking to you so intimately.”
I brace because he means Dane.
Rather than be abashed, Fabron takes the opportunity to step in closer to me and brushes his lips across my cheek. “While romance may not be in the cards for us, chérie, I’m very serious about the job offer. It’s yours, if you want it.”
And then he’s gone, and Dane is turning me to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, but Dane just cocks an eyebrow at me. I roll my eyes and lean into him. “Fine. Fabron knows we’re fucking each other.”
Dane’s chin pulls inward with surprise. “You told him?”
“No, I didn’t tell him,” I snap before taking three long swallows of champagne. My voice sounds semi-hysterical when I add, “He said he can tell by the way we look at each other. How in the hell are we looking at each other, Dane?”
A mischievous smile breaks out on his face, and his hand drops down to take my free hand. “Well, if it’s any consolation, all night I’ve been thinking about what I want to do to you when we get back to the hotel, so maybe he’s just seeing that.”
I pull my hand from his and smack his chest. “Stop joking. If he noticed, everyone else probably has too.”
“Avril,” Dane chastises me. “Relax. Fabron was probably just yanking your chain, but even if he wasn’t, so what? I’ve got no problems with anyone knowing I’m fucking you.”
“Well, I do,” I grit out. “I don’t want people thinking I slept my way to the top.”
“You’re already at the top,” he points out. “Were there long before you started taking my cock.”
I want to be offended by his crude words, but sadly, they turn me on. I am taking his cock regularly, and I love it.
What I don’t love is the smirk on his face, so I decide to wipe it off. “He offered me a job. A serious offer. Co-chair of their board and double whatever you’re paying me. He didn’t even ask what you’re paying me.”
I thought my words would just irk Dane to some extent, so I’m not prepared for the dark fury that overtakes his face. “I’ll kill that fucker. I told him you were off limits.”
“Dane,” I say with a nervous laugh. “You can’t prevent other businesses from offering me jobs.”
“He wants more than you working for his company,” he says confidently, and well… yeah, Fabron admitted that. But, because I do like and admire Fabron and I don’t want Dane to beat his ass, I try to soothe his ruffled feathers.
“Relax,” I murmur as I look up into his darkened eyes. “I would never leave Caterva. That company is my life.”
“You better not,” he growls, but his eyes lighten slightly to an olive green. “I’ll hunt you down and spank your ass hard when I find you.”
I snicker and look around at the room, spotting Andrew talking to a group of people who look like research folks. There’s a certain geek vibe coming off them.
“Think we could go ahead and leave?” I ask Dane as my gaze comes back to him. “I’m anxious to see what you have planned tonight.”
Dane’s lips curve upward, and I get a flash of his white teeth. “Let’s go get our sidekick and head back to the hotel.”
“Is that what Andrew is?” I ask with a laugh, thinking the moniker is cute as all get out. “A sidekick?”
“You haven’t fucked him alone since that first time, have you?” Dane asks as we start walking through the crowd toward Andrew.
I jolt slightly with not only this realization, but by the tone of Dane’s voice. There’s something about this fact that is important to him.
“I haven’t,” I admit. “But it’s just because we plan on a threesome but he begs off sometimes, right?”
Dane stops in midstride, and I do the same. We turn to look at each other, and Dane brings up a hand to cup my jaw. Bending down, he whispers, “I love fucking you with Andrew. It’s hot as all get out. But I like my alone time with you, Avril, so I’m not overly bent out of shape when Andrew doesn’t join us.”
Dane’s words hit me like a ton of bricks, sucking all the air from my lungs. I’ve never heard him talk with such emotion, and there’s something about this moment that strikes me deep. Something in my heart shifts, and I wonder if Dane is possibly opening himself up. Could he possibly be lowering his walls a bit?
And if that is the case, how is my heart going to respond? There’s been an adequate distance between us all, and Andrew has been taking all of this in surprising stride. But if Dane were to let his heart become involved, the meaning of that would change everything for me because all I’ve ever wanted for my friend was him to experience what love is.
I never thought he’d be open to it, but now it might be attainable to him and that makes me look at Dane in a different way.