Playing the Bosses

It's Business

A/N: I'm back with a long chapter! Thanks for reading! 

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Justin, Adrian, and Caleb sat drinking their coffees in lounge chairs outside of the conference room where they were scheduled to meet with Alexis Thompson. Conversations between CEO of competing companies weren't unusual, but the three men were still tense about meeting the head of the company they were currently targeting.

"You think this is a setup to kill us?" Caleb mused. "If I was in per position, I'd consider it. I mean, we are targeting her family's company."

"Don't be ridiculous, Caleb." Adrian shook his head. "I don't think she'd go as far as killing us."

Justin shrugged. "It's not unheard of for business rivals to engage in... questionable behavior to take down their competition." He gave his business partners knowing looks before taking a sip of his coffee.

"That's still not as far as killing," Adrian whispered.

Caleb pushed a breath through his lips. "I mean, we don't know what our special friends—"

"Caleb!" a woman called, approaching the three men with a bright smile. The tall, slender woman approached, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor. She appeared older than the men, in her late-thirties or early-forties, and anyone looking at her would have assumed she was a retired model. A narrow nose and high cheekbones that were enhanced by the contour of her makeup and the slicked back, high ponytail that she wore in her dark brown hair. Her green eyes were lit up and her red-painted lips pulled to a smile as she focused her gaze on Caleb.

"Danielle," Caleb greeted, monotoned. "How have you been?"

When Danielle made it to Caleb's chair, she stood by it and waved to Adrian and Justin. "Hi there — you must be Adrian and Justin. I hope you're enjoying the conference so far."

"Who are you?" Adrian asked.

"Oh!" Danielle giggled awkwardly. "I'm an... old friend of Caleb's."

"I see..." Adrian nodded and Justin mimicked the same motion without saying anything more.

Danielle then returned her attention to Caleb.

"It's been a while, Caleb. I'm in town for the rest of the week. We should... spend some time together." There was a suggestive undertone to Danielle's words that wasn't lost on Adrian and Justin, but they were unfazed.

"Nah," Caleb replied without the slightest pause. "I'm good."

Danielle's brows tensed and she blinked several times. "Wh-what?"

"I said I'm good," Caleb repeated. "I'm busy the rest of the week."

"The weekend too?"

"Yeah." Caleb's tone was curt and his gaze aloof as he looked up at her.

With pursed lips, Danielle's head jerked back before she settled herself. "Oh... Okay. Enjoy the rest of the conference, then... I guess." She walked away without saying anything else.

Once she was out of earshot, Justin and Adrian both looked at Caleb curiously.

"The fuck are you looking at me like that for?"

"I've never seen you reject an obvious preposition from an attractive woman," Adrian responded.

"Yeah," Justin agreed. "That was... unlike you."

"What? I'm just not feeling it."

"I wonder why..." Justin mumbled. "You've been different for the past month or so."