Now I did laugh at the thought of the two of them dragging Alan out behind the restaurant’s dumpster, although they weren’t smiling. I stifled the sound. “You’re serious.”

Chivalrous and sexy.

Ashe put his hands on his hips, angled his head out toward the main part of the restaurant. “I assume you’re used to Mr. Grabby Hands. That this isn’t your first rodeo.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, not my first rodeo and I’m used to him. HR can’t do much and now that the client’s left, this is now a dinner to him. A date.” My fingers made the little quote motion.

“You just let us know, sweetheart, and we can take care of him.”

They didn’t know me but were willing to beat up my lecherous boss. Sweet.

“That’s the um, well, nicest thing I’ve heard in a while.”

It was. I’d been on a dateless streak for so long that I’d forgotten what a nice guy was like. A nice guy or two. They were open and honest, sincere and prepared to drag Alan and his chicken wings outside and teach him a thing or two. I hadn’t had anyone stand up for me in a long time.

And I hadn’t been so attracted, so turned on by a man—two men—in…ever. Instant heat, attraction. God, the chemistry was off the charts and we’d barely exchanged names. And I’d rather have them take care of me instead of Alan.

“We can rescue you, if you want,” Ashe said. I noticed his eyes weren’t that dark after all, more of a bottle green.

“Really?”

“Sure. Just give us a sign and we’ll get you out of there,” he added, tugging on his ear like a third base coach in baseball.

I smiled at the motion and copied it, careful so I didn’t yank off my earring. “Do this and you’ll save me?”

“That douche canoe can paddle his own fucking boat.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Ashe’s words. Again. I loved the way he was mad for me, that he wasn’t remotely like Alan. “It’s his wife’s job to take care of that boat, not me.”

“Married? God, he’s even worse than I thought,” Sam grumbled. “Sweetheart, you don’t seem like the kind of woman who really needs saving. I bet you can take care of yourself, but why should you have to? Why should you be stuck with that asshole just because he’s your boss? It’s after hours. Your time. You’ve got two big guys to help you out.”

Help you out. Yeah, I could think of several ways they could help me out. Their hands on my body, discovering I was wet for both of them. I had no doubt they could make me forget all about Alan with some incredible orgasms. Crazy thoughts. I’d just met these two and I was thinking about sex with them. But the connection, I couldn’t understand it, but I was drawn to them like a magnet.

I looked down at the wood floor, ran my hands over my thighs. When had my palms gotten so damp? And speaking of damp…my panties were dainty silk and couldn’t handle these two. I took a deep breath. God, they even smelled good. Soap or woods or something manly. Or, perhaps, just man.

“Thanks. I’d, um…better get out there.” I thumbed over my shoulder. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stand here and bask under their honest perusal, open interest and well, kindness. Oh, and just keep taking in their gorgeousness. I wanted to see what else they had to say, to learn more about them than just their names. I wanted to run my hands over their hard bodies, learn what made their breaths catch, what made the bulges in their jeans even more impressive.

Ashe tugged on his ear again, as if to remind me of the signal. As if I’d forget it, or the way his wavy hair brushed his fingers. I wondered if it was as silky soft as it looked. And then there was the smile, the slight turn of his lips, the playfulness. But seriousness as well. One ear tug and I knew he’d—they’d—be there to help me out.

“Nice to meet you…”

“Natalie,” I finished Ashe’s sentence, remembering I hadn’t shared my name, smiled. “Nice to meet both of you, too.”

“Natalie,” Sam repeated, as if testing my name on his tongue. I loved the deep timbre of his voice, and wondered if it would sound the same when he called it while filling me with his cock.

I swallowed, then smiled. Hopefully, the hallway was dark enough to hide the way I flushed at just his tone.

I gave them both one last glance, checking out every nuance. Not only were they so darn hot, but they were nice, too. Sweet, even, but I didn’t dare call them that. And then their scent followed me. Spicy, woodsy. Male. Breathing them in made me hot and dizzy and aroused. It was as if pheromones just poured off them and I sucked them up as if I’d been in a drought. Which I had, a sex drought.

There wasn’t any more reason to linger, and Alan would certainly start to wonder if I’d fallen in or something, so I made my way back to the table. I took in the new glass of whiskey and appetizers in front of him. He was shoveling some dip onto a wedge of pita bread as I sat back down.

“I ordered for you.”

I watched him take a big bite, chewed. A bit of spinach clung to his lip. He grabbed his whiskey, washed it down.

“I’m not staying.” I hooked my hand into the strap of my briefcase.

“The night’s young. So are you.”

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