Quality Assurance Read online

  “Don’t worry; we’re on your side. We’ll help you put this behind you,” Xavier assured him. He grabbed protection and laid on the couch, his head resting on an arm. He lubed Jackson’s ass and teased him.

  “I know, but she didn’t do anything to you guys.” Eli watched as Jackson lowered himself onto Xavier’s long cock.

  The smile on Jackson’s face reassured Eli that this was no act because ladies were scarce in Lucky Springs right now. Most of the available ones had been scooped up as the mass hiring had begun. Men without women for a long period of time could turn ugly.

  Jackson moaned and reclined, bracing on his hands as he rode Xavier slowly.

  “You don’t hate her.” Eli leaned over and kissed Jackson.

  “No, but she’s not perfect either and definitely wasn’t in high school. To be popular you have to step on others. Don’t discount the opportunity to make up if she’s grown.” Jackson sped up his hips.

  Eli turned and kissed Fred. Two steps ahead, Fred had protection on and a lube pack in hand. “On your knees.”

  Smiling, Eli knelt facing Jackson and sucked his cock as the Jackson and Xavier fucked. Fred’s probing fingers worked Eli’s ass with lube until Eli backed up, demanding more. In one hard thrust, Fred filled Eli’s ass. Groaning, Eli gripped Jackson for balance and let Fred do whatever he wanted.

  Normally the least domineering of the bunch, Fred had his moments, and Eli loved them. Deep down, Fred had a great sense of right and was far more positive than Eli. It was the perfect balance. Yet Eli couldn’t deny his love and attraction for the others. Jackson had been a friend in high school. If only they’d known they were this good together. Xavier, on the other hand, was a brooding type that made Jackson melt.

  They needed each other, and while Fred normally preferred being fucked, this need to screw someone was a subtle signal that he wanted a woman as much as the rest of them did—even if she was only temporary. Not that Fred wanted to give her up yet, but Eli felt things deeply. It was part of what Fred loved about him. What they had was strong or Fred couldn’t share his man with others so easily. Even watching Eli turned Fred on more.

  Eli sucked Jackson hard as Xavier and Jackson ground together. Jackson held Eli’s head down. Eli didn’t flinch when he got a mouth full of cum. Grinding on his ass, Fred leaned on Eli’s body until Eli turned and they shared the cream.

  Truthfully, they didn’t need a woman in the strict sense of survival, but there was something missing in their group. They wouldn’t fall for just any woman, but maybe, one of Ash’s friends was the right one.

  Chapter Two

  Navigating a labyrinth of cubicles and hallways, Ash knew she’d get lost. The place was still expanding and reorganizing for all the added heads. The newer areas all looked the same. Her work area was newer but basic. Clearly, the company was keeping costs down, yet the employees were happy and friendly. She knew a lot of the people in the office and hoped that this wouldn’t be a bad job to hold her until she found something else.

  Unfortunately, she was due in Quality Control to meet the guys and talk about the basic process. She headed there, not wanting to be late, but her stomach knotted in dread. Eli could make this easy or hard on her.

  The door to QC was gun-metal gray and heavy. She felt the change in the air immediately. From front office to factory side. These were the guys in the middle the engineers and experts who kept the factory producing good stuff and fixed things when they went out of spec. The room was large with two huge drafting tables pushed together. Samples of the parts were strewn in the center, tagged with numbers. It was orderly but dirty and noisy. The mills were on the other side of that wall.

  What caught her eye were the hunks in the room. Two were strangers and sexy as hell. Two were very familiar, and only one made her feel better. Jackson had been a varsity baseball player and a fairly popular guy. He hadn’t been in the out crowd, anyway.

  Ash stopped her trip down memory lane and shook it off. She’d changed a lot in the last ten years. Why wouldn’t they? Falling back into the high school cliques would only make this worse.

  She knocked on the door to let them know she was there. They all looked in her direction but only three smiled.

  “Hi, I’m Ashley Tassin.” She went for the professional approach and shook hands.

  “Welcome home.” Jackson gave her a quick hug. “This is Fred and Xavier. You know Eli.”

  She nodded and ignored Eli’s harsh glare. “So nice to meet you guys. You’re going to give me the basics of your procedure?”

  “Absolutely!” Fred rolled a chair over for her. “Coffee? Tea?”

  “I’m good, thanks.” She liked Fred already and took the offered seat. His flirty eyes and overly friendly manner made her feel welcome. Something about him said he was into guys so he’d be the safest of the men to bond with first.

  Fred sat down next to her as Jackson and Xavier settled in with a good view of the visitor. Looking at those guys was easy on the eyes for her as well.

  Eli dropped a binder in front of her. “All you need to know is in here. Our manual of procedures and specifications.”

  His hostility was right beneath the surface. She wanted to clear the air but not in front of his staff. “Thanks. Great for reference. Eli, maybe we can have a word in private?”

  “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. Just because we went to the same high school doesn’t mean we need to be friends. Most of the work is done through our computer system. You’ll input the quality issue from the customer, get us samples if you can and investigate where they were storing the product and all that. We need to be sure it’s not customer error.” Eli sounded official and cold.

  “Okay.” He made her sound like a clerk rather than an important part of the team.

  Fred smiled brightly. “It’s not all boring. We pick up the info from the system and pull samples from the floor. Check the specs. You’ll bring us the samples and we’ll test those. We’ll work together to find out if we have a bad run, a bad spec or a customer who doesn’t know how to store the product until using it. You’ll be down here a lot. Hope you don’t mind a little dirt.”

  “No, not at all. Are there a lot of quality issues?” she asked.

  “As we expand and try new things, sometimes they go wrong. A new guy on a mill can cause a bad batch. We try to catch them—that’s the other half of our job, randomly testing stuff before it goes out the door. But we’re shipping like crazy and can’t get it all.”

  “Maybe I can help there? Spend time on the floor?” Ash wanted to appear helpful not afraid of a little noise and dirt.

  Jackson chuckled. “You can’t go out there dressed like that.”

  She looked down at her skirt suit. It was fitted but not low cut or inappropriate. “What do you mean? The men can’t control themselves?”

  Eli scoffed. “Please, those men aren’t animals. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of men after you, with fewer women in town, but they moved here for work. They’re not going to screw it up.”

  “No open-toed shoes on the floor,” Xavier clarified. “Actually, they prefer no high heels either. Safety. We’ll order you some safety shoes and can provide you a hard hat and safety glasses.” He handed her the hat and the glasses.

  “I see, thanks.” Her face burned, and she avoided Eli’s gaze.

  “She can order the shoes. Put it on sales budget, not ours.” Eli frowned.

  “Sounds good to me.” Ash forced a smile. “I understand there’s some traveling involved?”

  Fred jumped in to save her. “We’ll travel to the customer together to reassure them we’ve thoroughly investigated the problem or to do on-site inspections of the products in use. It’s maybe one every other month. Nothing major.”

  She nodded. “Good to know. Well, I know one of the admins in the sales group is going to give me the computer rundown this afternoon on the sales side so that’s covered.”

  “Good. The sales side tracks things for its
own use, and we don’t have access to that.” Jackson shrugged.

  Glancing at her watch, Ash saw it was nearly noon. A good excuse to leave even though Eli had ruined her appetite. “I don’t want to hold up your lunch. I’m going to run out and grab something.”

  “Most people just bring lunches, but have a nice day.” Eli turned back to his laptop.

  The room got even colder, and Ash smiled out of habit. “Good to know. Nice meeting you. Nice seeing you again, Jackson.”

  “Hang on, we’ll go with you.” Fred followed her out.

  * * * *

  Ten minutes later, Ash and the three very hot and friendly guys from QC were at the café with their orders placed. She felt better but helpless. Eli had stayed behind, and while she wanted to catch up with Jackson and get to know the other guys, she had unfinished business with Eli.

  “He hates me,” she said to Jackson.

  “No, he doesn’t. He’s stubborn. Long memory. He’ll get over it.” Jackson sipped his tea.

  Fred put a hand on hers. “Look, I love Eli, I do, but he’s moody and obsessive. He doesn’t handle change well. The adorable geek complex in him needs to work out a problem. Even if it’s history to you, he has to fix the glitch.”

  Ash felt an odd spark. She was attracted to them all. Even Eli had turned out hot behind those glasses and the scowl. Maybe it was his confidence that impressed her so much. Those stories of group relationships in Lucky Springs teased at the back of her mind. “You and Eli?”

  Fred shrugged. “We’re a good balance. Of course, those two are hotness squared. It’s fun to work with the guys you love, but it can get complicated. If Eli didn’t care, he wouldn’t be brooding.”

  “Maybe he’s just trying to punish me. You guys know the story?” she asked.

  Xavier nodded. “We all live together. Your name made him see red.”

  “After all these years.” Jackson chuckled. “That’s what gets me. He’s a good guy. Smart, strong and good. He’s got us, so he’s certainly not lonely. But, most groups want a woman even if they’re all bisexual. I think he’s never gotten over you.”

  That sparked hope. Eli had to be attracted to her still or he wouldn’t care.

  Their food came, and they ate quietly for a few minutes.

  “So you four are a group, and it’s that openly discussed?” she asked.

  “The men outnumber the women right now. Guys are sharing houses and apartments to have a place to crash. The town’s talking about building another apartment building. Some guys are straight, but they make friends. If they’ve got a woman, they’d share. Would it be permanent? Don’t know. Then there are groups or pairs like us.”

  “Bi?” she asked.

  “Bi and eager to find the right woman to make it complete. Things feel unsettled. I hope this isn’t too weird.” Xavier looked at Jackson.

  “She’ll find out about it from the ladies of Lucky Springs. No reason to hide it.” Jackson popped a chip in his mouth.

  “I’ve already heard a little of it, but I didn’t expect for it to be right there.” She squirmed in her seat as her body volunteered to be with these guys. “Eli wants a girl, too?”

  “Oh yeah. That might be part of his frustration. If you’re nice to him, maybe apologize in private if he lets you, I think he’ll come around.” Fred patted her knee.

  “I tried.” She imagined Eli naked and not hating her. Fred was sending her signals she liked, but if the entire group wasn’t into it, she couldn’t ruin their arrangement.

  “I know, but the initial shock is one thing. There’s plenty of time to get to know each other as adults.” Jackson checked his watch. “We should get back, or Eli will have something else to crab about.”

  She slid out of the booth. “We’ve grown, but our personalities are basically the same.”

  Xavier paid the check, and Fred refused when she tried to hand over money for her share.

  Jackson pulled her aside. “He’s an all-or-nothing guy, Ash. Eli had it really bad for you in high school. All the guys wanted you, but it was more than attraction for him. Win him over and all that resentment becomes good stuff.”

  She smiled. “You guys are going to help me get closer? It seems like any available woman in Lucky Springs is a hot commodity. Will any girl do?”

  “No. I had plenty of good things to say about you. Don’t let Eli’s approach turn you off. This isn’t something temporary for us. Fred and Xavier love Lucky Springs. If you believe stuff happens for a reason like I do, you belong here. Hell, I never did a guy until Xavier. Life brought us back here. Fred and Xavier are special and so is Eli, once you get beyond the quirks. If you don’t want it, trust me we’ll work fine together until we find the woman meant to be with us. We’re just getting ourselves at the front of the line. In a few days, you’ll have lots of offers for dates, and it’ll be obvious. You’ll have your pick of men. No rush to decide if you’re interested in us or not. I do think you should try and work stuff out with Eli, though. Lucky Springs has a long memory. Why let it haunt you?” Jackson kissed her cheek and held the door open for her and the other guys.

  Ash let her sexual desire grow this time. Jackson made her feel connected and safe. Even Eli’s rude behavior made her feel as if she belonged here. He wasn’t being nice in that fake way so many people behaved. Like the kids in high school who were nice because she was popular then talked about her behind her back. Eli wore his feelings on his sleeve. That was oddly refreshing. It’d been a while since she’d had any relationship and these guys weren’t strangers. Still, for now, she had to focus on the job.

  * * * *

  Walking back in the QC room, Fred knew Eli would be in a state. Things had gone a little further than he’d intended with Ash, but Jackson knew her and had nudged the conversation there.

  Eli was on his computer with his work face firmly in place. Fred moved in behind his guy and kissed the back of his neck. “Don’t be pissed.”

  “Too late. You didn’t have to hate her but to ditch me?” Eli didn’t look up from the computer.

  “You could’ve come along.” Xavier got back to his work and stayed out of the drama. Fred expected no less. They’d come up from the gulf together. Xavier had been in Katrina and stress made him shut down.

  “He’s right. Ash is nice. You were being a total dick.” Jackson shook his head.

  “She’s being nice because she wants your help. To make her look good. I helped her in chemistry class, too, before my big screw up. She was nice when she needed help then it was gone.” Eli folded his arms.

  “She wants to clear the air, and you’re stuck in high school. We treated her like a new employee here, and she’s pretty eager to fit in.” Fred took his seat and spun playfully. “I’ve got an idea.”

  “I’m scared.” Eli took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  “I think it’ll give you some closure, us all some fun and get her into the Lucky Springs routine.” Fred winked at Jackson.

  “Now, I’m a little scared.” Jackson sat next to Xavier and pretended to work.

  “No way, you started it. Jackson was talking to her about the group stuff and how Ash will no doubt be approached by plenty of groups once she’s been around a week or two.” Fred leaned over Eli’s computer and saved his work.

  “Okay.” Eli closed his computer.

  Jackson jumped in. “She’s already heard about the group thing, and we let her know the four of us are together.”

  “You also said we’re looking for the right woman,” Xavier said.

  Jackson shrugged. “I didn’t want her to think we’re strictly gay. She has friends, and it’s not like she’s unattractive.”

  Fred smiled. “Exactly. We like her, and I think she’s attracted to us.”

  Eli’s blue eyes glared coolly at his boyfriend, but Fred kept up the positive glow.

  “You wanted her in high school. Why shouldn’t you have her now? She knows you and Jackson, so compared to a group of m
en who are total strangers, we’ve got an edge.” Fred didn’t rush the idea.

  “Make her ours? Share her? She doesn’t deserve it.” Eli reached for his computer.

  Fred put his hand over Eli’s. “You’re assuming it works out, and we live happily ever after. If she’s the same person you’re talking about, you know that won’t happen. Her true colors will come out, and we’ll just break up.”

  Jackson smiled at Fred while Xavier chuckled at the antics. It was Eli’s silence that made Fred nervous.

  “I’d have to be a lot nicer to her.” Eli sat back and pondered.

  “True. Tell her you needed to get that history out of your system, but it wasn’t professional, which is true, and you’re sorry if it made her uncomfortable. Put the teenage drama behind you and start fresh.” Fred leaned in and kissed Eli teasingly.

  “Be nice now, and when you see she’s the same old Ash, we dump her?” Eli asked.

  “And if she’s matured and grown, we got to a hot new woman in town first,” Jackson said.

  “Don’t get your hopes up.” Eli put his glasses back on.

  “Look she screwed you over in high school. Now, you get to screw her for a bit. If we dump her, with so few women around, think of what that’ll do to her reputation.” Xavier cut to the bottom line.

  Eli smiled. “I’m in. I’ll go and apologize to her tomorrow.”

  Chapter Three

  The next day, Ash had nonstop meetings with the sales group. From customer service to the salesmen, she got the full experience. She even got to meet some new potential customers who took the factory tour with her.

  When her department’s admin told her Eli had come looking for her twice during the day, Ash couldn’t believe it. She’d gone down to QC, but it was after five and the guys were gone for the day. Questions about what Eli wanted had kept her up half the night and left her stomach in knots. When she did sleep, she had X-rated dreams about four men and Eli’s anger made it hotter.