All The Best Men

Suddenly, a thought struck my mind. What was all this about rainbows and soaring to higher planes? Was I insane? Was I headed to the loony bin? Because this was the talk of love, and yet we’d never discussed anything like that. We’d never discussed a relationship, or really anything beyond sightseeing this weekend. Was I crazy, a girl projecting years ahead, when all I had was a few days?

But it couldn’t be denied because the truth was crystal clear, a dagger to my soul. I wanted more time with them. I wanted to get to know them, to establish a loving relationship. I wanted to be their girlfriend, to do something long-term. My heart told me yes. And my head couldn’t deny it any longer.

With that newfound revelation, I cleaned myself up and returned to the office with my chin held high, making an executive decision to take the rest of the day off. And thankfully, no one spoke a word or looked in my direction as I retrieved my purse from my bottom desk drawer and strode from the office. It was embarrassing, two spots of color high on my cheeks, but totally necessary. After all, no one cares about me … except for Mason, Kane and Tyler.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Mason

Over the past couple days, Katie’s continued to play tour guide, showing us around Knox. We hit the zoo, some old historical cemetery on the outskirts of town and a tannery that boasted a hundred year old history. A tannery’s pretty off-putting, if you ask me. I’m not squeamish, not by a long shot, but why the fuck would you have this kind of business in town? It’s where they treat animal hides on their way to becoming leather. Better to have a federal prison instead. I’d prefer felons over vats of chemicals.

But hey, this is Knox. And we weren’t really trying to see the sights. We were trying to get to know our best girl better, both physically and emotionally, so whatever Katie wanted to see, we were game.

Thankfully, tonight there was no touring. The brunette was coming over for some food, so there wasn’t gonna be any pretend interest in this or that. A professional chef was available through the hotel, but you know what? We wanted it to be special. So yeah, Kane, Tyler and I are making the dinner ourselves. Don’t laugh. Alpha males can cook, it’s a hidden talent.

And as we diced and sautéed in preparation, it was clear the three of us were on the same page.

“Spending time with the brunette has been fucking amazing,” I growled while chopping cucumbers. “I mean it. I’ve never met anyone like this, and I’ve seen a lot.”

The guys grinned, their own kitchen implements a blur.

“Yeah, she’s gorgeous. That body always has my cock going,” rumbled Kane. “It’s a real problem.”

Tyler stirred something in the pot then.

“It’s more than that though,” he said thoughtfully. Holy shitballs! Tyler, Mr. Nasty, saying it’s more than a flash in the pan? But the alpha male nodded, continuing. “You guys know how many women we’ve been with in New York. And none of them compare to the one we have here. She’s amazing, hands down,” he said simply. “We’d be a fool to let her go.”

The mood in the kitchen turned reflective.

“That’s true,” I said slowly. “I mean the women we saw in New York were whores, let’s face it. And not in a good way. A bad way. The kind of woman who’s out for your money and nothing more.”

Because I’ve blown six figures on some of those ladies, they want jewels, dresses, nights out on town that cost an arm and a leg. By contrast, we hadn’t spent a penny on Katie. As backwards as this sounds, she’s been paying for admission tickets, using her city ID to get discounts at various historical sites. Shit, were we fools or what? The little girl was generous and giving, paying for us when we could have bought this place ten times over.

The silence grew heavy, our hands still busy.

“So what now?” growled Kane, paused while slicing carrots. “What do we do now?”

“I have no idea,” grunted Mason, scooping up some diced garlic and throwing it into a pan, a sizzle rising from the hot oil. “No fucking clue.”

But I put my brain cells on it. grabbing a beer, I lifted the bottle to my lips, taking a long, cool swallow. What would make our girl happy? What would shoot her to the moon, never to come down again? She hated her job as a copy editor at that women’s magazine, calling it “repetitive” and “dull.” We could help her form a non-profit instead to start living her dream.

Shit, even this realization made me shake my head. Because where other women wanted cash and jewels, Katie only wanted things for other people. How did we get so lucky?