Playing the Bosses

[FULL CHAPTER] - Stressed

The Countdown: Six Weeks Until Eva's Deadline

39 Days Left

Justin sat on the couch in the living room of Caleb's apartment watching a basketball game. Between the meeting with Asha earlier that week and all the other issues at work, he'd hit the point of stress where he needed to dissociate. To do that, he'd often watch replays of old sports games from the early 2000s to remind himself of life's simpler times.

About once or twice a year, Justin would reach that point of stress and Adrian and Caleb would step up to take some work off his plate. So, the two of them stayed behind at the office working late. And Eva had a handful of work to finish, though she promised that she wouldn't be far behind Justin coming home.

"Way too much shit is happening this month," Justin muttered to himself as he reached over to his right shoulder to massage it. "Another acquisition. That meeting that we had to change because the Thompson Luxe CEO was onto us. Parents visiting... Fuck, this is so annoying."

He heard the sound of the door open and then closed, followed by the clicking of heels down the hallway.

"I thought sure you'd be in bed by now," Eva commented.

Justin turned back to look her over, wearing the same black dress she wore to work that day paired with one of his favorite pair of heels on her — matte black pumps with an ankle strap. He gave her a small smile.

"Every time I try to sleep, my mind just goes wild with all the crap we have going on this month. Watching these old games at least occupies enough of my brain to relax me... somewhat."

Eva stopped at the door by her room as she looked at him on the couch. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'll be back so we can... talk about it."

Justin nodded. "I'd like that."

As time passed, Justin had gotten lost in the game he was watching until he heard the clicking to heels again and soon felt two hands on each of his shoulders. He let out a relaxed sigh at the feeling when Eva began rubbing into his shoulders, her thumbs kneading into the back of them.

"You've been stressed all week... more than usual," she whispered against his ear. "What's going on?"

"You've seen my schedule. The meetings are endless... And I have a big one at the end of the month."

"It's not more active than it normally is."

"It's the nature of it all. Between that meeting with Asha on Monday and last week with Thompson Luxe... on top of all of it, we've been hacked and we're still investigating to find out how. It feels like nothing's going right while the stakes are only getting higher."

Eva switched the focus of her hands to a knot in Justin's back. "Whatever comes your way, I'm sure you'll get through it. Look how lucky PMC Group has been so far. A young company in an old industry taking out the competition left and right."

"It's not just luck. It's some of the hardest work I've ever had to do in my life. And to be honest... kind of scary."

"What do you mean by 'scary'?"

Justin let out a sound as Eva continued to work the knot in his back. "It's just... The stakes are high. PMC Group needs to succeed and sustain itself."

Eva's brows furrowed as she looked down at him from behind. While she couldn't see Justin's face, she could feel his tenseness and she noticed that week that his stress went beyond its usual high levels. She rubbed her hands up his back, over his shoulders, and down the front of his chest as she leaned over him. Her tongue traced the outer shell of his ear before her lips made a path to his neck.