Page 38 of Nothing to You (Nothing to… #7)

HOTSHOT: You should be working. You shouldn’t have time to message me.

FIREFLY: I am working. Unlike you, I can do two things at once.

HOTSHOT: So can I. Sitting at my desk here while wondering what you’re wearing.

FIREFLY: Clothes.

HOTSHOT: Funny, I never picture you like that.

FIREFLY: Because you’re ruled by your reptile brain.

HOTSHOT: Is that it? I thought I was horny.

FIREFLY: You’re that too. You’re always that.

HOTSHOT: Maybe because someone fell asleep early last night. One round enough for you now? You’re slowing down, Radley. Gotta keep up.

FIREFLY: I got mine twice. Not my fault you took too long to get up to speed the second time.

HOTSHOT: This is exactly why we shouldn’t have a continent between us. Anytime you fall asleep here, I just have sex with you anyway.

FIREFLY: You’ve got to stop with all the sentimental mushiness, hotshot, you’ll make me blush.

HOTSHOT: I’d make you do more than that if you were here now. Take off your clothes, I’m switching to video.

FIREFLY: I’m on a video call with someone else. Supposed to be anyway. don’t think your SIT shortlist would appreciate a show.

HOTSHOT: You’re in that SIT thing with Leon?

FIREFLY: I’m not really in it. I’m just in it. I’m not doing anything. I did an intro and Leon’s been talking since. I’m just art on the wall.

HOTSHOT: Everyone appreciates naked art.

FIREFLY: Might liven things up. I’ll give it another five minutes then “lose my connection.”

HOTSHOT: Should you be telling the boss that?

FIREFLY: Is the boss here? Oh! I get it. You still think you’re in charge. Ha. Funny.

HOTSHOT: I am in charge.

FIREFLY: Yeah, and I’m celibate.

Except she kind of was while Rourke was so far away.

“Ms. Radley!”

Yanked from her conversation, the expectant faces on the screen were all aimed at her. “Yes, sorry.”

“If you’re busy with something else…”

“Not at all,” she said, trying on a modest smile. That was personable, right? No one would know she’d been talking about sex with the man kidding himself that he was in charge. “I’m sorry, was there a question?”

“You’re running Huddle Hope,” one of the fresh, eager faces asked. They were all grouped together in rows. From her angle, it wasn’t immediately obvious which one had spoken. “You pitched it for SIT and now you’re running your own department. Your own company within Mosaic.”

None of these statements were questions. “I am working hard to bring it to fruition, yes. Me and my team.”

“How did you do it?” That voice was female, different from the first. “How did you convince Mr. Rourke to go all in on your idea? Was your pitch amazing?”

“Everyone here pitched well or they wouldn’t be here.” Was that an obvious diversion? “Your focus has to be your idea. See it as a reality, as a possibility, or you’ll never give it the full attention it deserves. Is there anyone here who doesn’t believe in their idea?”

Mumbles in the negative trickled then cascaded around the room. Only one of these teams would be successful. Giving it their all would be the only hope of moving on in the process.

“Huddle Hope is the exception,” Leon said. “Mr. Rourke has his own interests, his own passions. When a chance to fulfill one of those passions arises, he grabs on with both hands.”

A laugh sneaked from her lips. When everyone was on her again, she cleared her throat and straightened her smile. “Yes, absolutely, he’s a both hands kinda guy.”

What he grabbed varied. Mostly, it was her ass. Sometimes her breasts or her hair, but mostly her ass.

“Do you think that’s a possibility for the rest of us?” the same female voice asked. “That maybe if we show him we’re committed that he’ll give us our own divisions?”

“Mr. Rourke doesn’t—”

“Doesn’t what?” Rourke asked.

On a collective gasp, everyone fixated on something she couldn’t see. The something was obviously their boss.

“I didn’t realize you were joining us,” Leon said.

“Just wandering by,” Rourke said and came into shot, though he walked past, giving her only the rearview. Not bad. “So this is our hope for the future?”

“Would you like to meet everyone?” Leon asked.

“No, I don’t care. Only one of them makes it through anyway, right? I don’t need to know the failures.”

“We were talking about Huddle Hope,” the woman said. Only when the speaker squirmed and rose a little higher did she figure out which woman was talking. Young. Blonde. Probably perky. “With Ms. Radley.”

Only when the others looked did he feign interest and glance over his shoulder.

“I wasn’t lying,” she said.

“No, I see you. Why are you spinning your wheels in here when you could be pedaling Huddle Hope?”

“Because someone got me involved. Someone wanted the work off his desk and onto someone else’s.”

“And this is the result,” Rourke said, scanning the new faces. “Interesting. I’m sure all of you will excel. Or not. If you don’t, it’s not my fault, I didn’t pick you.”

“Mr—”

“I’m going to need the room,” Rourke said, startling everyone, including her.

“You need—”

“Yeah, everyone out, come on.” He clapped his hands and gestured to the door. “Everyone leave the room. Now.”

The newbies scrambled to gather their things and filter out.

Leon went to Rourke. “Do you need us to—”

“I don’t need you to do anything except leave,” Rourke said. “All of you means all of you.”

He stepped back and Leon chilled, his eyes moving over her as he went out after the others.

Eventually, the door closed.

“That was rude,” she said when he touched his watch and the transparent walls became black.

Light flickered on. “I got a call from that place you liked for your mom.”

And that was another surprise. “I thought you cleared them out for sex.”

“We can do sex in a minute. It’s the third one, the fourth one maybe, I don’t know. The one with the pool.”

“It was a water feature, and they said their waiting list was astronomical.”

“Not anymore. It’s done. We’re in.”

And that narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”

His lopsided grin was fooling no one. “I did what I do and made it happen.”

“You’re not the only rich guy around. The waiting list probably includes a lot of wealthy names. We can’t be the only people interested. So, I ask again, what did you do?”

He shrugged. “I’m updating their security.” The next sentence came out in a rushed mumble. “And building them a new wing.” His volume rose again. “You’re in, baby. We’re in. Show some gratitude, take off your shirt.”

“A new wing?” She couldn’t believe it. “What does that mean? What will that cost? What if my mom hates it and wants to move after a week?”

“Money is money, it’s not what’s most important.

If she doesn’t like it, we’ll move her to somewhere she does like.

Still a good thing. Their waiting list numbers will drop because they’ll get more people into the new wing.

It benefits everyone, not just us. You’ve really got a hard on for this charity stuff, Radley. ”

“I didn’t ask you to—you’re seriously building them a new wing?”

“Not with my own bare hands. It’ll take some time for the planning to go through. I’ve already lined up an architect and we get first dibs on choosing a room for your mom in the new place once it’s up and running.”

“First dibs.”

“So now’s the time to tell me if you were just being polite. If you don’t want this, we’ll back out. The contracts aren’t signed. I wanted your take on it first.”

“I thought you always knew best.”

“I do. Just want to see if you better understand that after learning I’ve done this good thing. Why is your shirt still on?”

They were a team. A duo. A force to be reckoned with. He came across as standoffish or even snobbish to people who didn’t know him. When he did things like this, took steps without needing her go, he was far from withdrawn.

“You were rude to the SIT people.”

“They’ll get over it.”

“You didn’t make a good first impression.”

“Good. They’ll come to you and Leon if they need anything. I’ll never remember who they are anyway. Take interest in anyone?”

“I was too busy answering your messages. You’re a distraction. You should find something else to do with your time.”

“I did, and then she moved to New York.”

She tsked. “I did not move to New York. I’m coming back.”

“Still haven’t told me when.”

“I don’t know yet. Rox introduced me to Freya Dere.”

“Hey! Frey! How’s she doing?”

“Amazing, she’s an amazing woman. I don’t know that I understand your K2 friend for dumping her.”

“It was mutual,” he said. “His family didn’t make it easy for them to be together and her grandfather wasn’t wild about the family putting pressure on her.”

“If they loved each other, they would’ve made it work.”

“Yeah,” he said. “They did love each other. Still do, I’d bet. But it’s not that kind of love anymore; it’s not sex and sparks.”

“They’re friends?”

Which might make sense, except she and Rourke were friends too, and they were all about the sex and the sparks.

“I’ll send you into the forest with K2. He’ll explain it. I don’t know. He’s odd anyway, he’d rather commune with nature than chase pussy. He’s a crazy guy.”

“You don’t chase pussy, you just claim the nearest one when the urge takes you.”

“Instinct, Babycakes. We’re still cavemen at heart. When we want it, we’ve got to do whatever it takes to get it.”

“Whatever it takes? Within the confines of the law.”

“Another reason you have to come home,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about gray areas when your pussy is always available. It is available now too, if I could be bothered getting on a plane.”

What a hardship, a private plane, every whim catered for, and he still implied it was effort.

“You haven’t stopped taking advantage of my pussy, even with the country between us. Zairn gave me an apartment.” Which he knew. “We’d have the place to ourselves.”

“I gave you an apartment here. What’s wrong with that?”

“Well, your apartments are more like upscale dorm rooms. Zairn gave me a view over Central Park.”