Office Affairs (+18) | Completed

CHAPTER 16

Peter POV

My last encounter with Jane had gotten me so riled up that I nearly went back in the morning to finish what we'd started. I decided against it, however, when I realized that she was probably not in the best of spirits after the amount she had drank the night before.

That and, of course, I had my own hangover problem to deal with. Or, rather, my own brother's hangover problem.

"Peter," I heard Dane moan from the guest bedroom. "Brother, I'm dying."

I rolled my eyes, midway through my morning paper. I'd been up for hours, but Dane hardly rose before noon on a normal day.

When I didn't respond, having gone through this situation many times before, Dane called out again. "Could you bring me some Tylenol?"

He sounded so pathetic that I let out a great sigh and got up to see to him. At some point I'd have to stop taking care of my brother, but it was hard when he was so clearly inept at taking care of himself.

I grabbed a glass of water and a couple of capsules, then went to see about Dane's last requests. He was sprawled out on top of the blankets, still in his suit from before. His face was ashen.

"You look horrid," I said. "How you manage to get any dates is beyond me."

He smiled weakly at me. "Brother, you came."

I rolled my eyes again. He became very dramatic when he was hungover. Scratch that, he was dramatic all the time. I handed him the pills and then the glass, taking it back when he had chugged the entire thing.

"Did you have fun last night?" I asked.

He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the pillow. "I did," he said. "Though it was an odd one for me."

"How so?"

"I didn't take anyone home," he said. "Spent the whole night talking to Georgiana and I think I just forgot."

My brother didn't forget to get laid if he wanted it. I tried to suppress a smirk.

"How odd," I replied.

"Strange indeed." He peeked open an eye at me. "Have you ever fucked her?"

I let out a bark of laughter. "Georgiana?" I said incredulously. "Christ no."

"Don't be like that," he said, scowling. "She's not bad looking or anything."

"That's not what I meant." I found his jealousy and defense of her beauty to be very refreshing. "She's my assistant. I couldn't function without her. That's one pot of company ink that I'd never dip my pen into."

He chuckled and closed his eyes again. "I know which pot you would," he teased. I had a vision of Jane's little pouty mouth, asking me why I had to go.

"You just mind your own pen, brother," I said. "And don't mess around with Georgiana. She's not one of your flavor of the weeks."

He had the audacity to look affronted. "I would never."

I shook my head in disbelief and exited the room, taking back my seat at the table where I'd left my paper.

Dane staggered out a few minutes later, shielding his eyes against the light. He heaved a sigh as he sat down across from me, staring at me expectantly.

I ignored him.

Finally, Dane said, "What do you have to eat?"

I glared at him over my paper.

"I'm not going to make you anything."

"Peter," he groaned. "I could very well starve to death."

And here I had thought he was making some progress toward adulthood.