Taking the Leap (River Rain 3)

Maybe this was because he was intimidating.

Maybe it was because he didn’t know what he was doing.

Maybe it was just because she did.

“She’s had a lot of experience, Rix,” Judge reminded him.

“Yeah. New benefit to this trip, I can watch her and learn. But with that, we got an issue.”

“What’s that?”

“I wanna fuck her.”

Judge didn’t respond to that.

Which was good, because Rix had more to say.

“Kevin’s point is valid, same experience, different perspectives, more rounded feedback, but further, two of us here, we’re covering more ground. That said, in future, this kind of travel happens, I gotta do it with you or Kevin. I can keep my shit tight with her, and I will, and I know I’m putting you on the spot as my boss who’s also my best friend, but what I’m sharing is honest. Right now, until I get a lock on it, that’s where I’m at.”

“Give me a second to process this, buddy,” Judge requested.

“While you do, you should know, it’s not that.”

“It’s not what?”

“She’s pretty, great hair, but she’s not just a fuck. That’s not what I’m talking about. She’s letting me in, I like what I hear, what I see, who she is, and we gotta work closely together day to day. That means I need to get this under control, put it behind me.”

“Rix—”

Rix spoke over him. “Making my case, she digs Wheeler. Maybe she just admires him. Maybe she wants to jump him. But I spent six hours today fighting the need to ask him to pull out his dick so we could compare, and as you know, it’s likely I’d win.”

Judge laughed, which Rix thought was whacked.

So he shared that.

“This shit is whacked, brother.”

“Okay, man, as awesome as we both are, deeply professional and committed to the cause, it was always gonna come to this eventually now that we work together in a way where we’re actually working together. So we gotta understand what zone we’re in when some shit goes down. So I’m asking you, not as the Executive Director of Trail Blazer, as your friend, why do you feel you need to get this under control?”

This was the exact opposite response to what he was expecting.

Which made it no surprise Rix’s reply was, “Say what?”

“Alex is great.”

This time, Rix didn’t say anything.

So Judge kept going.

“As your ED, I’m not going to encourage you to enter into a relationship with a colleague, but one thing we have managed to accomplish, we’ve set our policies and procedures and there’s not a no-fraternization rule. You’re not a dick, and you know what we’re doing is important. Alex is not stupid, and she knows the same thing. But you’re both adults. I trust you to be smart and have professional boundaries when those are expected. So if you dig her, and she digs you, why wouldn’t you go there?”

“I didn’t say I wanted a relationship, Judge. I said I want to fuck her.”

“Those are mutually exclusive?”

“It’s not time for a relationship, especially not a complicated one. I just started a new job, and Peri’s up in my shit to get back together again.”

From Judge, there was a loaded beat then an equally loaded, “Sorry?”

“I told you she ambushed me at Scooter’s.”

“Yes, but you didn’t tell me that was about being up in your shit to get back together again.”

“She’s been texting ever since, including today,” Rix shared. “Telling me she thinks we can be happy again, and she’ll always love me.”

No loaded beat before a very heavy, “That fucking bitch.”

Shit, but he loved this guy.

Best friend you could have.

Loyal to the bone.

“It’s not gonna happen,” Rix assured. “But we had a history, and I gotta think on that, give it some time. But still, I already know I’m gonna sit down with her and put a line under it in a way I don’t leave a dozen and a half texts from her hanging.”

“She doesn’t deserve that, Rix.”

“Mom taught me, the thing that makes a good person is not that they treat people like they deserve. It’s that, no matter how hard it might be, you treat people right.”

“Your mom’s wisdom can be inconvenient,” Judge muttered.

Rix chuckled.

Judge spoke.

“Though, the part I still don’t get is why all this can’t go down while you see what being with Alex might mean.”

“I sense your approval of her, and I get that, she’s great. But I’m not ready to go there again with another woman.”

Hesitantly, Judge said, “Sometimes, it’s not about being ready, Rix.”

“I don’t have the luxury of flying by the seat of my pants with this kinda shit, Judge.”

Carefully, Judge said, “Okay. How’s that?”

“What if it doesn’t work out, and we’re starting things up at Trail Blazer, and right now, there’s four of us who work together. Alex and me don’t need to drag you and Kevin along for that ride.”