Page 28 of Nothing to You (Nothing to… #7)

“I GET THAT,” she said to Johann in their conference room.

They’d like each other one day. As it was, just the fact they were no longer snarking was progress.

“We need to put together the bones of the system.”

“That’s not my area of expertise or yours.”

Without Roxie, Lilya, and Jane around, their boardroom hub echoed. Even after a week without the trio, their conspicuous absence shook up the dynamic. Reduced to their original gang, decisions were more difficult with fewer votes. Especially fewer of those who sided with her.

Franco had been staring in the direction of Rourke’s office all day. “What’s going on in there?”

The walls were opaque. Yes, she was curious too, but that was exactly his game. Hence why she wasn’t rising to it.

“I don’t care,” she said.

“Johann’s right,” Helena said. “We should at least be interviewing.”

“You think Rourke will let us pick anyone to code on his system?” It was funny. Actually laughing wouldn’t go over well though. “He’s on it. I know he will be. And I’d bet he’ll pick someone in-house or someone unavailable.”

“How can he pick someone unavailable?”

“You want to bet when Xavien Rourke picks up the phone that whoever he chooses will be immediately available,” Myles said, shifting in his seat. “Is Roxie coming back?”

“You’ll see her next weekend at the party,” she said, getting impatient. “Can we please finalize these plans?”

“The people coming to the fundraiser will want information. They’ll want to see that this is more than just an idea.”

The doctor sure enjoyed being persistent. She couldn’t judge him for that. When she got a bee in her bonnet about something, she didn’t let it go either.

“We’ll talk to him,” she said. “Would you know where to start with recruiting an elite team? Short of putting a vacancy ad online. And, let’s face it, no one worth having is trawling those ads.”

“You mean you’ll talk to him,” Johann said, judgmental frown in place. Damn, and she’d just been praising their progress. “The rest of us don’t have your access.” And suddenly Franco was more interested in his feet than in the hidden office at the edge of the floor. “You’re sleeping with him.”

“I don’t think I ever denied that. Not that it matters. My private life is my private life. And none of your business.”

“He’s our boss.”

“Meaning his personal life is also none of your business.”

“I don’t like it either,” Helena said. “But our project wouldn’t have come so far if Roux didn’t have his attention.”

“Nice.”

Although Helena was sort of sticking up for her, it was shade too.

“I don’t mean… It’s not like you’re prostituting yourself or anything.”

“Yeah, mm hmm.”

“Is he good?”

Myles and his inappropriate outbursts saved the day. Kind of. The shock of the question wore off quickly, and she laughed.

“In bed? I wouldn’t be fucking him if he didn’t have potential. All it takes is a little guidance, a nudge or two in the right direction.”

“How does that happen?”

“The nudging? I grab his cock and—”

“Roux,” Helena hissed.

She didn’t appreciate the scolding. “Aren’t you in enough trouble already?”

Leon strode in. “We have to prep for a meet.”

Okay, so maybe Helena had intended to give her a heads up on the approaching visitor.

“Where?” Johann asked. “What meet?”

“In here.”

Something made her turn. In the distance, Hotshot stood in his open office doorway, arms folded, shoulder propped on the glass.

Closing her eyes, she turned her head away. “No,” she said to herself. “You don’t care why he’s looking at you like that.”

“He wants to see you,” Leon said.

She shook her head. “Stupid grins like that mean nothing. He does that to wind me up.”

“No, he told me he wants to see you.”

“He can want all he wants. If he wants to tell me something, he can come here and tell me himself.”

“You know he’s the boss, right?”

But that smile, the dance of amusement in his eyes. Intriguing. How did he get her every time?

“So he likes to think,” she muttered and exhaled a growl. “Damn him.” Leaping from the chair, she kept her glare up as she marched across the floor to stop in front of him. “You didn’t win. I’m only here for your cock.”

“You’ll have to get used to restraining yourself in here.”

Catching her shoulder, he guided her inside.

What was it…? Someone had moved his desk to an angle in the corner to the right.

In the opposite corner was another desk, just the same as his, angled.

The new arrangement of the long space put the seating area in the middle, slightly more on one side.

A single pane glass partition perpendicular to the still black wall was another addition.

“I don’t get it. Are we practicing our feng-shui?”

Still with a hold of her, he guided her to the other desk, the new desk. “You wanted an office. I got you an office.”

Turning out of his grip, she put herself in front of him, stopping him dead. “You want us to share your office? Because I’m sleeping with you?”

“Getting laid will be easier if you’re always in the room. Check this out.”

Pressing a button on his watch, the single perpendicular pane revealed itself to be so much more. Another slid from it, pane after pane, until a new glass wall had formed between their separate spaces.

“An office.”

“Yeah, we need to free up the boardroom you’ve occupied for weeks. With Rox and her crew on the road, we can put your team in the suite downstairs.”

“My team.”

“This is good. I like the short answers.”

“Rourke,” she said, curling her hands around his tie. “Do you know there’s a difference between business and pleasure?”

“No,” he said, backing off. With her still holding his tie, she went with him. “Business is pleasure. We had this conversation. I know you. I don’t know them. And with Roxie in the mix, we need someone at the helm who’s not afraid to stand up to her.”

“Roxie and I agree on most things.”

“Yeah, I’m trying not to focus on that,” he said, directing her into the chair. “What do you think?”

Stroking the leather arms, she swung one way then the other. “I think it pays to have sex with the man at the top.” Leaning forward, she snagged his belt loop to pull him closer. “I guess you want a reward for this surprise.”

So much for taking their women in hand.

“Not a surprise, just logical, and damn right,” he said, unhooking her finger. “But right now, we have a meeting.” Touching his watch again, he opened the sliding glass wall. “Your door’s being installed later.”

“My door?” she asked, standing up. The only way in or out was on his side. “So you can just trap me in here until then? What happens if your watch breaks?”

“Then I guess you’re stuck in there. It’s fine. The restroom is on your side.”

Hmm, that gave her an idea. “Where is our meeting? What are we meeting for?”

“It’s Hope.”

“We’re meeting for Hope and I don’t know about it?”

“Figured you’d want a framework for the system before next week.”

Damn. Much as she wanted to restrain her smile, it crept up. “You’re on it?”

“I’m on it. Did you think I wouldn’t be? It’s the only damn part of this that’s my domain. I’m not giving you any reason to crack the whip on me.” Bending, he murmured into her hair above her ear. “Not at work anyway. At home, crack out the black leather any time you want.”

“You’re on it.”

She’d known that. She’d told the others that. Yet, as he eased back, their eyes snagged.

From teasing, he got curious. “What?”

Curling her fingers around his tie again, she pulled him down until their lips met. Fuck him. Even when he didn’t surprise her, he surprised her. He anticipated her. Yeah, he didn’t want her to get one up on him, but it was still an honor to know her needs and dreams were important to him too.

Reversing, her butt hit the table and she slid up onto it, hooking her legs over his hips, pulling his tie to bring him down as she slanted back.

He broke the kiss. “Ah, see, you got me there.”

She smiled, yanking. “Get your cock out.”

“No, because, see, I’m your boss and I didn’t set you up in here to get laid.”

“You get laid anyway,” she said, sensing his teasing. “Is this inappropriate, sir? You don’t want to ride the sweet, innocent, impressed underling.”

“You’re no more innocent than you are impressed,” he said, straightening, sliding his tie from her fingers. “Meeting then pussy.”

She sighed and hopped off the desk. “I’ll catch up.” Backing away, she went around the other end of the desk. “I’m going to use my private restroom.”

He winked. “You going to charge me entry?”

“Don’t I always? Did you hear from Zairn today?”

“No, why would I?”

“They flew back this morning.”

“They? From where?”

Did the guy pay zero attention? “Zairn took Roxie to Hawaii. They had dinner with Dyce. Roxie called to say they got in safe. I thought he would let you know.”

A single laugh shook his shoulders. “Baby, Zairn can’t piss without the media reporting it. If he didn’t get home safe, that’s when I’d hear, on CNN along with the rest of the planet. Go pee. Move.”

Oh, he had no idea. Pee? No, that wasn’t why she was sending him off to the meeting alone. He wouldn’t believe himself on top of the pile after she was through with him.