Love In The Balance Ch 07

Hey guys, here's Chapter 07! I hope you enjoy it. Sorry this took so long, but I've been rethinking some things. I still have more written and am hoping Chapter 08 will quickly follow. I like the idea of The Gang of Eight all being main characters and I'm trying to put more plot in my stories. So, for this chapter, if you're hoping for nothing but 'insert tab A into slot B' you might not like this chapter!

Comments and feedback are always appreciated! I read every single one. Also, please let me know if you spot any mistakes. Errors bug me, and I make sure to upload revised editions whenever I find any. Please note that this story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any real person is purely coincidental. As always, this is a world without STI's, and everyone involved in sexual activity is at least eighteen years old.

-Witty

~Friday June 06, 2025~

"Steven, did you get the email from HR?" Megan asked, poking her head into his office just before lunch.

"About the bookkeeper job posting?" he replied, looking over at Megan.

"Yeah, that's the one," she nodded. "Thoughts?"

"Well, we can't hire all six thousand people who applied," Steven laughed.

"No shit," Megan rolled her eyes.

"Well, what do you want me to say about it?" he frowned. "Hiring bookkeepers has nothing to do with me. Or you, really."

"Making budget recommendations does," she argued. "A lot of the applicants aren't qualified, but there are some really great candidates. I'm thinking of hiring more than we originally planned."

"You've already hired quite a few people," he pointed out.

"Yes, and we found work for all of them," she countered. "Marketing and advertising is going great and we keep getting more and more clients. We need to hire. My question is, can we realistically afford to hire even more than we planned? If so, how many do you think?"

"I'll run some numbers and get you an answer," Steven promised.

"Thanks," Megan nodded and left.

Steven was pleasantly surprised that there was absolutely no awkwardness between him and Megan. He smiled when he remembered having breakfast on Sunday morning with her and her son, Carter. The little boy was not shy at all, quite curious to meet the new person.

Megan and Steven were friendly at work, but nothing sexual had happened since their one encounter. Steven did find himself looking at her longingly from time to time; her butt, her cleavage, even her daily braids were enticing. He hoped he wasn't crazy when he thought he caught her checking him out as well.

Their working relationship hadn't been impacted one bit. They had only needed two meetings during the week, but both were very productive. Megan was an amazing leader; she was great at delegating and easily able to help every employee succeed. She was still new to having full control and occasionally focused on small details that were beneath her, but she was learning.

Jane still hadn't had her second date with Logan Barrett. She was determined to make sure he understood that things were very casual between them. As a result, she didn't want to go out with him two weekends in a row. Jane would be spending the weekend with her younger sister and had decided to work from home on Friday.

Leslie was working from home more often in order to deal with symptoms from her pregnancy. She was a skinny girl, so even the few pounds she'd put on was a lot for her. Additionally, Leslie was still having morning sickness and no one wanted to run to the bathroom to throw up at the office.

Sienna and Theo were both nervous about their date and also decided to work remotely. Neither of them had ever expressed any romantic interest in each other, so the entire group was curious about how the date would go. Noah stayed home as well since he wouldn't have his partner-in-crime at the office. Camilla was a social girl, so she had come into the office.

"Do you know what Theo has planned for tonight?" Camilla asked Steven while they took their break together.

"No idea," Steven shook his head. "Noah gave him some pointers on not being an ass, but they didn't discuss the date itself."

"It's fucking weird that they're going out," she grunted as the two of them sat down in the break room.

"Why's that?" he questioned.

"Sienna's said before that Theo annoys the shit out of her," Camilla explained, "and other than inappropriate comments and leering, he's never really seemed interested."

"Theo had a wake-up call recently," Steven reasoned. "Now that he's actually being himself, he and Sienna are becoming much better friends. All that's left is for them to figure out if there's any chemistry."

"Still fucking weird," she grunted.

"Why, because they're both part of the group?" he challenged with a raised brow.

"No, you and Jane already created that precedent," Camilla replied. "And fucked things up royally, I might add."

"Thanks," Steven rolled his eyes.

"It's weird because it's coming out of nowhere," she said. "I just can't see why Sienna all of a sudden might be interested in him. I get why Theo's interested; Sienna's fucking hot and she's been paying him more attention."

"So, your concern is that Theo isn't desirable?" he frowned. "Isn't that for Sienna to decide?"

"I guess," Camilla sighed. "At least he's smart enough to go to her place and pick her up. Even if they're just using the subway, he should be escorting her."

"He's older than her and has to meet her parents," Steven added. "I don't envy him there."

"Oh, please," the Latina waved off his concern. "Sienna's parents are cool. It's not like her dad is gonna show Theo his shotgun collection."

Steven just chuckled as he and Camilla took out their lunches. Camilla set her healthy meal up as well so she could to take a picture for social media. She then snapped an image of her face before posting both pictures. Steven watched her in bemusement as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"I thought you just dealt with women's beauty products?" he asked.

"Being an influencer is so much more than just the one thing you focus on," Camilla explained excitedly, clearly happy to talk about her new side hustle. "Yeah, I review nail polish and skin care products, but I also talk about my day and give them insights into my life."

"I can see why you would enjoy that," Steven commented.

"Because I'm an attention whore?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup," he nodded.

"Was that a smart thing to say to a girl?" Camilla inquired.

"We're never gonna sleep together so it doesn't matter," Steven reasoned, popping a chip into his mouth.

"You don't know that!" she exclaimed.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" he asked plainly.

"Not after you called me an attention whore!" Camilla glared at him.

"I never used those words, I just agreed with you," Steven argued.

"Well, you shouldn't have agreed," she pouted cutely. "You just ruined your chances."

"Did you want to sleep with me before today?" he smirked.

"Not especially, but I hadn't ruled it out," Camilla shrugged. "You would have been my first choice in the group."

"Is that so?" Steven grinned happily.

"Yeah, but you just blew it. Sucks to be you," she playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Megan has Nolan Reed's contact information," he responded.

"Fine, I'll suck you off in the supply closet," Camilla sighed. "Just make sure to tell Nolan I'm hot and will do literally anything."

"If you'll do anything, why do I only get a blowjob?" Steven gave her a flat look.

"It's a down payment," she shrugged. "You'll get more after I get to curl up in Nolan Reed's chest hair."

"What if, for some strange reason, he wants a monogamous relationship with you?" he questioned.

"First off, of course he would want to be monogamous with me, I'm more woman than most men can handle," Camilla scrunched her nose. "Second, well, that's your loss."

"Somehow, I think I'll survive," Steven shook his head ruefully.

"Ass," she grunted. "I don't understand what Megan sees in you."

"We're not dating!" he argued.

"Right," Camilla snorted. "A single mother let you sleep in the same house with her and her son. She trusts you."

"Yeah, we're friends," Steven countered. "I never said she didn't trust me, I said we aren't dating. I did sleep in the guest room."

"Probably only because she didn't want her son to think she shared a bed with a guy," she reasoned. "Her kid's, what, seven?"

"Six," he corrected.

"I'm just saying, Megan's one hot bitch," Camilla winked. "And she's the daughter of the eighth richest person in the world. You should get yourself a piece of that while you still have a chance."

"I don't have a chance," he grunted.

"Yeah, you do," the Latina giggled.

Steven hadn't told anyone that he'd had sex with Megan Bauer. It wasn't any of their business. He admitted he spent the night, but was completely honest when he said he slept in the guest room. Thankfully, the teasing wasn't too bad. Camilla continued the teasing for the rest of break while replying to messages from her fans. Steven got revenge by suggesting Camilla would have a lot more fans if she posted nudes as well.

Noah and Theo were both in their living room, typing away on their work laptops. They each had multiple clients they had to enter transactions for, easily consuming the entire workday. Theo shut his laptop as soon as 5:00PM hit and then got to his feet.

"Someone anxious?" Noah suggested.

"Of course I'm anxious!" Theo snapped, pacing nervously.

"Just relax, man," Noah said quietly. "It's Sienna, you know her."

"Yeah, and the problem is that she knows me," Theo responded.

"She knows you and still agreed to go out with you for free, you're fine," Noah reasoned.

"What if she only agreed so she can say we tried it and there's nothing between us?" Theo suggested. "She might just be hoping this will end my crush."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that," Noah mused.

"Fuuuuuck!" Theo whined, grabbing his head in both hands.

"Look, it might not work out," Noah sighed. "I can't promise anything good will happen. You can't force an attraction. Just remember, you and Sienna are better friends now that you're not trying so hard to be funny and crude. Be yourself and see what happens."

"Fuck, I'm so nervous!" Theo groaned.

"Don't think about it, you're as prepared as you can be," Noah instructed.

"Right, okay," Theo nodded, heading for the front door of their apartment.

"Theo!" Noah called out.

"Yeah?" Theo frowned, turning his head.

"Pants," Noah advised.

"Oh, right!" Theo gasped, looking down at the lounge pants he was wearing.

Theo Caldwell was twenty-six years old and stood a couple inches below six feet. That put him at ten inches taller than Sienna. The wise-cracking guy was carrying a few extra pounds and had a round face. His hair was brown and he had hazel eyes. He changed into khakis and a blue button-down, his fingers shaking as he fastened the buttons.

Grabbing everything he needed, Theo rushed out the door as Noah wished him luck. He rode the subway to the right stop and only got lost twice trying to find the right building. Taking a few deep breaths he found the correct number and rang the buzzer by the entrance.

"Can I help you?" a male voice came through the speaker.

"I'm Theo, Theodore," Theo mumbled. "Caldwell. Theodore Caldwell. You can call me Theo, ah, I'm here to pick up Sienna."

"Come on up, Theo," the male voice replied right before the sound of the door unlocking.

Theo walked into the building and took the elevator up to the right floor. He nervously knocked on the door and only had to wait a few seconds for it to open. Sienna's father was a short man, slightly shorter than Steven. He had a friendly smile as he held the door open and gestured for Theo to come in.

"I-I brought these," Theo stammered, holding out the flowers he brought.

"For me? You shouldn't have!" Sienna's Dad exclaimed, laughing at Theo's horror. "No need to be nervous, I'm nice. Please, come in."

Theo was shown into the living room where he met Sienna's mother. She was short, too, so Sienna barely being five feet tall suddenly made a lot of sense. Both of Sienna's parents yelled for the redhead to come out of her room because her date had arrived.

Sienna appeared and Theo audibly gasped. Sure, she was only wearing jean shorts and a red v-neck top, but she looked flawless to Theo. Her auburn hair was unbounded, flowing freely down her back. Her bright green eyes lit up when she saw him, a smile crossing her face.

"Hi, Theo," Sienna said.

"H-hi," he mumbled, holding out the yellow flowers. "I brought you these."

"Daffodils?" Sienna asked, approaching him to take the bouquet.

"Daffodils are the flower of Wales," Theo explained. "You said you were proud of being Welsh."

"That's so thoughtful!" Sienna's mom announced, rushing up to her daughter. "Let's go put these in water."

Sienna and her mother headed into the kitchen while Theo sat on the couch. Her father was in the armchair and started asking questions. Sienna's parents knew about The Gang of Eight, so her father was already aware of him. Of course, a friendship was not the same as a romantic date.

It was a bit of an interrogation, but her father was really nice about it. He asked Theo about the friend group, about Theo's education and his job at Sphinx. The two guys could hear the women giggling from the kitchen, and Sienna's father told him that was definitely a good sign.

Saying goodbye to her parents, Sienna left with Theo after placing the daffodils in her bedroom. The two of them took the subway to the restaurant Theo had picked out. He was both nervous and excited, sitting at the table and browsing the menu with Sienna across from him.

"Stop being nervous, it's just me," Sienna giggled. "Be yourself and you'll be fine."

"That hasn't worked out so well for me in the past," Theo sighed.

"Oh, stop," she admonished. "Constant inappropriate comments isn't you. You've been working on yourself and it shows!"

"Thank you," he smiled. "I guess I was just worried since you never seemed to like me."

"I didn't, I tolerated you," Sienna admitted. "Then things got better and I realized we're good friends. You asking me out was unexpected, but I'm happy to see if there's a connection between us. So, let's have a nice time and we'll find out!"

"I'll do my best," Theo nodded and then smirked. "The guys have already sent texts asking how its going."

"I probably have about fifty from the girls," the redhead replied. "Girls love the details a lot more than guys do."

"Fifty? We just sat down!" Theo laughed.

"Yeah, they need to cool it," Sienna agreed. "I can't judge though, you should have seen my reaction to Logan asking out Jane."

"Steven is handling that one surprisingly well," he commented.

"I know, but I worry things will get worse after Jane goes on another date with him," she said.

"I'm worried, too," Theo admitted. "Although, right now I'm just happy to be on a date with you."

"Sneaking in a compliment, smart," Sienna nodded.

The waiter soon arrived to take their order and then the two of them resumed their discussion. They talked about various topics and Theo was hopeful when he realized Sienna was laughing a lot, seeming to enjoy his company. The conversation even continued while they ate, the two of them taking so long to get to their food that it had started to get cold.

"I thought maybe we could catch a movie now?" Theo offered after paying for the meal.

"We can if you want, but that's a little impersonal," Sienna replied, a small blush on her face. "I'm having a nice time and I'd like to keep talking."

"Walk around Central Park?" he suggested.

"Oh, that sounds perfect!" she grinned.

Central Park wasn't far from the restaurant and they were soon walking through one of the most famous parks in the country. Theo and Sienna continued talking, telling each other about their childhoods. Glancing over at her, Theo loved the way the wind tousled Sienna's hair.

Feeling bold, Theo decided to take a chance. Reaching out, he grasped Sienna's hand hoping she wouldn't pull away. His face lit up when she laced their fingers and kept walking. Birds were flying overhead, the sun was out, and it was a wonderful evening.

It was going to start getting dark soon, so the crowds were dying down. Sienna and Theo found a bench to sit down on that was semi-private. Theo was thrilled when Sienna sat so close to him that their hips were touching. He was so used to things going wrong, to being called a loser, that what was happening felt like something from a different person's life.

"Thank you for coming tonight," Theo suddenly said. "You didn't have to."

"Thank you for asking me, this is really fun," Sienna blushed slightly.

"Why does it seem like you're the nervous one right now?" he smirked.

"Maybe because I am," she laughed lightly, taking his hand again..

"Why are you nervous?" Theo frowned, gripping her hand. "I'm the one with the history of bad dates."

"I really don't have much of a dating history, Theo," Sienna explained. "Only a couple of guys have met my parents. And now, well, maybe I'm feeling the spark. And maybe it's making me a little nervous. And tingly. And excited."

"Tingly?" he asked in surprise.

"Don't even think about making it dirty," she teased, playfully swatting his shoulder.

"I won't, I won't!" Theo gasped. "I just didn't think you could actually like me."

"We need to work on that confidence," Sienna told him. "Pro tip, girls love confidence."

"Not sure how to do that," he laughed.

"Maybe this will help," the redhead whispered.

Theo looked at her in confusion, his eyes widening as she reached out and cupped his cheek. Leaning up, Sienna pressed her lips against his. It wasn't their first kiss. That had been at New Year's at the insistence of the rest of the group. A few awkward pecks to honor the tradition.

This kiss was very, very different. Sienna lightly caressed his cheek as she softly kissed him. She released his hand and ran her fingers along his chest as he reached out and gripped her bare thigh. It only took a couple minutes for Sienna's tongue to get involved, pushing into his mouth to run along his tongue.

"Wow," Theo mumbled when Sienna broke the kiss and smiled softly.

"How was that?" she asked.

"Wow," he repeated. "Just, wow."

"Good," Sienna giggled.

"I, ah, I hope you enjoyed it, too," Theo asked nervously.

"I did," she nodded, tilting her head to give him a considering look. "You're a surprisingly good kisser. Are you secretly a player?"

"No, that's Noah and it's not a secret," he laughed, taking the initiative by leaning forward and pecking her lips.

"Mm, there was a bit of confidence," Sienna said in response to the kiss. "I like it!"

"You'll love this," Theo declared, grabbing the back of Sienna's head and kissing her passionately.

Sienna gasped against Theo's lips before giggling and happily accepting the kiss. She scooted closer to him as they made out, her breasts pressing against his chest. A small moan escaped her lips as her passion grew. It was obvious they were both into it and it was several minutes before they reluctantly separated.

"I don't have sex on the first date," she blushed, looking into his eyes as she bit her lip.

"I wasn't expecting sex!" Theo quickly insisted. "I wasn't expecting to get to kiss you. I WAS expecting to say something stupid and ruin this. Or you'd say there's no spark and we should just be friends."

"You've managed so far," she laughed. "You haven't even been looking at my cleavage. I just didn't want to get your hopes up for some action."

"I'm not hard!" he exclaimed stupidly. "I mean, um, ah..."

"Yeah, you kind of are," Sienna teased, looking down at his crotch.