Page 57 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

“If I have to fly to London and New Delhi, I will. However, I don’t think that’s necessary. We can confirm the updates on the central server.” He sounds as if he’s purposely taken the sharpness out of his tone.

“Yes, of course, the brain,” Lake says.

Mason grunts thoughtfully as he casts his eyes downward. He’s thinking. Max said VTI keeps their brain safeguarded. Only a few people have access to it. I would have to earn permission to work with it, and that means it’ll take more than two days to obtain clearance.

Mason’s staring a hole in the side of my face as I pass. Maybe I look worried or pensive. The mention of the brain has sent my pulse racing. I force myself to pretend I don’t notice how he’s watching me, but I wonder if he’s looking at me that way because he’s attracted to me or if he’s all of a sudden suspicious about my motives.

The first thingI do when I enter the office is take charge by calling my team into a meeting and explaining our next steps. I figure the best way to earn my way back into Mason’s good graces is to show him why he hired me in the first place. Taking charge comes easier than I thought it would. I’ve listened to Max and my parents coordinate projects enough to have learned something about doing it myself. For the next two hours, I think of nothing but what needs to be done as I hammer out a solid plan to finish securing all of VTI’s sites. Mason watches me with an unreadable look on his face. He doesn’t ask questions or lend input, and that worries me too.

“Lark, I’d like to see you in my office,” he says after everyone has their tasks and is off to complete them.

The executive offices are built along one solid wall with a view of the cubicles. I have an office too. But to ensure comradery among the teams, executives don’t work in the offices. We only use them for meetings and whenever privacy is needed.

Thank goodness, no one can see me shaking on the inside, but I’m nervous Mason has somehow figured out why I’m here. The ruse could be up.I’m in big trouble.

Mason plops down in a lightweight ergonomic office chair. I remain standing. I can’t sit. I’m too nervous.

“If you don’t like my directives, feel free to let me know…” I say.

“How well do you know Orion Valentine?”

My mouth is caught open as I process his question.Really? Has his strange behavior been about Orion?

I shake my head. “I don’t know him. At least not personally. I’ve heard of him, as most people have.”

Mason leans forward, dropping his forearms on the desk as he studies me. By the look on his face, I don’t think he believes me.

I shake my head. “I don’t know him, but I don’t have to be the nerd that I am to see that there’s some contention between the two of you.”

He groans as he flops back in his seat. “Sorry you had to see us spar like that.”

Fortunately, Mason has relaxed a bit. I’m also fishing for more about his issue with Orion Valentine. Finally, I can make myself comfortable in the black leather armchair that’s against the wall, next to his desk.

“It’s no big deal,” I say. “I'm sure power struggles go all the way back to prehistoric times. I mean, have you ever watched one of those animal shows on Nat Geo? Animals in the wild power struggle all day long.”

He chuckles.Good.

“I just need to make sure you're not affiliated with him,” he says. “He's not on our side.”

“As I said, I’m not. But…” I scoot to the edge of my seat. “Whose side is he on?”

“It's a long story. But the only Valentine you’re to report to is Hercules.”

Just the mention of his name sends shock waves through me.

“The two of you should meet soon,” he says. “I told him about you last night.”

Last night?I stop myself from asking why and clear my throat instead.

“Anyway, you did good work this morning.” This is the first time I’ve seen him smirk. He’s quite handsome. “You’re the gift that keeps on giving. And listen, I know you weren't hired to perform maintenance on our systems. But we needed you in this capacity at least for a couple of days. You saved us from having to call a licensed GIT Killer Firewall specialist. I don't know if you heard about it, but there's a rift between our two companies.” He taps the desk twice. “But now, I want to talk about the real work—development—because we're getting our asses handed to us by GIT.

The hate in his eyes sends chills down my spine. However, I’m thankful that he didn’t wait for me to confirm whether or not I was aware of the tension between the Groves and the Valentines. At least that’s one lie I didn’t have to tell.

I swallow hard and then fake a smile. “I’m all ears.”

I listen attentively as he reads down a list of new products that the company wants to bring to market. It's a long and arduous list. And if I were to put my Max hat on, the only advice I’d have for him would be to scrap everything on that sheet of paper.

Mason raises his thick eyebrows. This is the longest I've ever looked at his face straight on. He's thirty-two years old. I know this because I learned a lot about him before I started the job. I also know he’s single and lives in a three-bedroom brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. His clean-cut appearance is very Clark Kent, which means he’s extremely attractive. I bet he doesn't realize Lake has a crush on him. I can't see him turning her down if he perceived she liked him.