Page 29 of Decoding Emma

“Spur of the moment decision since we didn’t get coffee together this morning.Twelve-thirty in the café, then I can test the app.”

“Works for me.See you then.”I set an alarm on my cell before placing it back on the table, feeling lighter than I had earlier.Possibly one app down, about thirty more to go.

“Sounds like you fixed one of the customer service apps,” Asher commented.

“That’s what I was working on yesterday, I had some ideas after Cassie and I talked Saturday.”

“Saturday?”His eyebrows rose.

“Cassie called me to meet her for lunch.There’s nothing against it, right?”Hmm…Was that the slightest hint of sarcasm in my question?

“Of course not.”

“Good.”I turned back and switched over to the other screen to begin working on another part of the R&D apps.

There was so much Marcus wanted.I focused on matching up the list he’d provided outlining the program requisites.

How did one make someone’s fantasy come true?The research part was self-explanatory.Surveys, focus groups, even individual interviews.Then begin development.Design, test, examine results, incorporate changes, test again, and if everything gelled just right, set parameters for implementation.

I had fantasies.They weren’t particularly elaborate or all that romantic.I dealt more in reality.

Yes, I read a lot, mainly romance.The stories and characters, the men, were the fantasy.Maybe the men in those stories weremyfantasy.The desire to find a man like those depicted in the novels I read.A kind, caring man who would put me before everyone else.I almost laughed out loud.They didn’t exist and wishes and hopes wouldn’t change that.

Out of nowhere, I remembered last Monday when Asher took me down to R&D with all those items laid out on the table, then whispering in my ear.My face heated, and a shiver of desire slid down my spine.His voice had been so deep and sexy, I’d nearly melted into a puddle of goo at his feet.

Then there was Friday night when he showed me just how chauvinistic he was.An eye-opener that dumped a bucket of ice water over my libido, big time.

Or had it?

I’d been working in a male-dominated field my entire adult life, but I’d never been attracted to any of the men I’d worked with or encountered outside of work…until Asher.Was that a bad thing?It might actually be worth exploring.For now, I had to give up and focus.

Lots of work to get done in the short time allotted for this project.With the time constraints in that contract, I’d be hard-pressed to complete it on schedule.Unless my contract was extended.

***

“I can’t believe you got my app up and running so quickly.”Cassie sipped her iced tea.

I set my sandwich back on the plate.“Apparently, I also broke a company rule.”

“What rule?”

“Working overtime.”

“Oh.I forgot about that.It happens so rarely.What did you do?”

“I worked from home on Sunday and made the mistake of mentioning it to Asher this morning.I was already in the office when he arrived, and he started asking questions.”

Cassie’s eyes sparkled.“I wish I could have been a fly on the wall.”

“Why?”

“Because after Friday night, I can’t believe Asher would risk sticking his foot in it again.”

I laughed.“He sure did that on Friday, didn’t he?”

Cassie laughed.“Poor guy, he’s all topsy turvy right now.”

Curiouser and curiouser.