Trifecta by Kim Carmichael

it gave Russell some potential of his own did not make the two of them lovers.
    I say we start our evening now.  Let's repeat last night.   Jason continued to text.
    Russell pushed his glasses up.  Last night they started in Lauren's room and went for round two in his room.  This morning his muscles ached as if he spent two hours working out.  Lauren had to be sore.  He fought a smile. The few yoga classes Lauren took paid off, she was exceptionally limber.   Damn it, he was working.  He couldn't leave to join them. 
    Them. 
    There was another red flag word.  Not her.  Them. 
    "Maybe women don't like to be called chicks and that's why you're dating your hand."  Tom elbowed Russell and laughed.  "What does your gal pal think of your new found fling?"
    "Gal pal?"  Russell slapped Ken's hand away from the computer and glanced at his phone again.
    Russell is playing hard to get.   Lauren added a smile to her text.
    He wanted to answer, preferably using the word hard.  No, what he really wanted to do was take advantage of his promotion and leave early. 
    Tom twisted around to face him.  "Yeah, Lauren. If she's lonely let me know."
    Russell took a moment to process what his friend said.  He didn't realize he grit his teeth together until that horrendous scratching sound reverberated through his skull. A month ago, a comment like Tom's would have had him giving a fake grin and telling his friend to go for it.  However, now he had Lauren, and Tom wasn't touching her, or thinking about her.  She was his. Well, not only his.  He shared her with Jason. "She's fine."  They were all fine.
    "She's always done the boy toy."  Ken's finger made its way toward the floppy disk drive.  "It's always been the boy toy and the gal pal."
    In an effort to stop himself from grabbing both Ken and Tom and slamming their heads together, Russell pounded his phone and typed the next message. 
    I'm not hard…yet.  RS .  He would show his friends who was getting some.  Though not one to kiss and tell, he was going to break his silence and tell them exactly who was doing the gal pal besides the boy toy.
    RS is sexting.   Jason sent over a wink face.  Talk about getting hard.
    Maybe Jason was getting hard over his "sexting" but his stomach tightened when he realized that if Ken and Tom weren't here, he would be as well.
    I may not be getting hard, but I'm getting something else. 
    Lauren's text caused him to arch his back.  He didn't have anything to prove to anything to anyone. 
    RS better not say he can't come cause he's having some contest.  He's the boss, and we can have our own contest with a lot less silicon and a lot more hardware.
    Russell swore Jason could read his thoughts.  He pursed his lips trying to figure this out.
    "Jason's not doing her."  Tom took his turn to hit Ken's hand. 
    Russell stopped his texting or sexting or whatever to hear Tom's reasoning.
    Ken crossed his arms.  "It's so obvious." 
    "Then it's obvious you know nothing."  Tom sat back down in his chair.  "Jason isn't into Lauren."
    Russell hit his head against the back of his chair and lifted his phone to read Lauren's response.
    If RS leaves now, we will COME home at the same time.
    Jason answered.  The two of you better be on the way.  I'll get everything ready.
    Russell swallowed.  His male best friend was preparing them for a night of lovemaking.  Even sicker was he already had dinner in the crockpot.
    Screw this.  As the boss he could go home if he wanted.  Before he typed his response, the insane conversation continued.
    "Expound on your theory."  Ken pointed at Tom.
    "The boy toy only plays with other boys."  Tom nodded.
    "Jason's gay!"  Ken hit the desk.  "I always thought he looked at me funny."
    "What!"  Russell shot up out of his chair causing it to roll back and hit the wall.  "He is not gay."  If anything he knew, he slept with the man. 
    "I think thou dost protest too much."  Tom winked at him.
    He opened his