He squeezed tight, lifting her off her feet, before letting go. “You look good. I wish I’d known you were going to be in town.”
“Last minute plans. My next contract fell through, so I thought impromptu vacation.” She took a few steps back, so she didn't have to tilt her head quite as much to see him. He looked good too. Then again, he always did. Almost a foot taller than her five feet four, with broad shoulders and a flat stomach, he defied everything about the geek stereotype… Until he talked tech. He designed Cord’s graphics engine and so many other bits of underlying code for their games. When he got going on a brainstorming tangent, his ideas flew over a lot of heads.
“If you're here for Chloe, I'm sorry, but I need her working tonight. No exceptions, even for you.”
The stilted transition from friendly to business both relieved and disappointed her. She missed the friendly banter with Scott, but what if the last time they got together was her warning they couldn’t get that level of closeness back?
“She told me. I'm just borrowing a house key.” Rae wasn't surprised Chloe hadn't mentioned the trip to her coworkers. When Chloe landed the head writer job a few years back, she and Scott left any conversation about Rae off the table, especially at work. Chloe earned the position on her own merits and wanted people to know it, instead of thinking her older sister pulled strings with the boss. Rae agreed with the decision. Even though Chloe's talent was no longer in question, some habits died hard.
Scott rested a hand at the small of her back and pointed her toward the conference and meeting areas. “They’re all in the war room.”
Concern brought back the foul taste the new glass etching had left in her mouth. Almost a year ago, Cord had been subject to what Chloe referred to as a no-lube violation. Rae interpreted that to mean a hostile takeover by Digital Media. As Rae understood it, things had been all hands off from the new parent company until just a few months ago when they started to sink their claws in. “Is it that bad?” Rae asked.
“I’m stealing my people’s Friday night. What do you think?”
“Chloe’s version is the world is going to explode in the fiery death hate of DM. Give me some substance.”
Scott raked his fingers through his hair. “One of their top executives is going to be in the office interviewing everyone to see who’s vital to the group, and they’ve upped our E3 delivery from a video to a fifteen-minute playable demo.”
In other words, staff cuts on top of extra work, plus babysitting upper management. “Ouch.”
“Yup.” Scott steered her toward an open door emanating an eerie atmosphere. Not even whispered conversations, interrupted the clack of fingers on keyboards. Tension filled the room and no one looked up from their computers.
Seven people sat at a round table that almost filled the room. Cords and laptops ran to every outlet, and empty pizza boxes were piled in the corner, with one still sitting in the middle of the group. She suspected the building cleaning staff had been by recently, or the trash would have overflowed with Mountain Dew cans.
Despite the almost tangible stress and the mess, the setting energized Rae. She loved what she did for a living, but if she could spin her skills into landing something like a director of finance position for a video game company, she’d take it in an instant. Too bad jobs like that were few and far between.
Rae recognized some of the bowed heads, worshiping the gods of overtime. Jordan—Chloe’s boyfriend and Cord’s head of art and character design—sat at the far side of room, the largest screen almost blocking him from view. Chloe was next to him, pen in her mouth, brow furrowed. The fact Rae and Chloe were sisters would have been more obvious, but Chloe dyed her hair black and loved her heavy eyeliner, which made her fair skin appear even paler. Unlike Rae who didn’t work to hide her dirty-blond hair or avoid the sun at all costs.
Rae’s traveling gaze skittered to a stop when she saw him. Butterflies whirred to life in her chest, and her heart skipped a beat. Zach, bent at the waist, arm on the back of a developer’s chair, pointed at something.
The cover of Forbes hadn’t done Zach justice. Blond hair pulled into a ponytail that hung just past his collar and perfectly pressed slacks and a button-down shirt covered a slender, sturdy frame. He looked better than he should. Not that she should care. Their shared past was just that—in the past. Except seeing him again, even after so long, summoned more fond memories. The way they could spend hours, and weekends, and holidays together, and still never get tired of each other. She resisted the urge to shake her head to rid herself of the memories. That was then.
“Look who I found.” Scott’s announcement sounded unnaturally loud. Several people jumped, and everyone turned toward them. Except Jordan, headphones on, volume apparently cranked up.
Zach’s gaze met Rae’s for the briefest second, and her breath caught in her throat. Something unreadable flashed across his face—surprise? Hope? Irritation? Just as quickly, a neutral smile appeared, and he turned back to the developer.
“You made it.” Chloe bounded from her chair and crossed the room. She hugged Rae then pressed a key into her palm. “I’m really sorry. Make yourself at home. Keep in mind there’s probably nothing but Dew in the fridge, and with any luck, the head slave drivers won’t keep us here too late.” She turned to Scott. “Kidding, of course.”
“Of course.” He sounded more amused than annoyed.
Chloe returned to her seat and nudged Jordan, who looked up long enough to wave. Rae exchanged a few more hellos, including a polite hi directed at Zach. With a promise to Scott they’d catch up when he was only neck-deep in work instead of in over his head, she turned away.
She only made it a few steps, when Scott’s call made her pause.
“Rae, wait up.”
She whirled back to face him, and her gaze landed on Zach. He watched them, curiosity in his eyes. Rae pulled her attention away first, not wanting to read too much into his expression. “What’s up?” she asked Scott.
“How have you been?”
The question was polite enough. Friendly conversation, a kind inquiry. But it was such a benign greeting compared to the bear hug, and a sharp contrast to the business demeanor, that it made her frown. “I’ve been okay. Working, living, seeing the world.” She would have turned it back on him, but she had a pretty good idea, at least on the surface, how he was.
“Are you going to be in town long enough we can actually catch up, instead of this superficial bullshit?”
Her smile returned full-force. That was the Scott she knew. The man she missed. “I have a feeling my schedule is more open than yours. What’d you have in mind?”
“We do breakfast Sunday mornings. Brunch, more like it. We’re thinking Silver Lake up in Park City this weekend. Join us.”
“Us.” She wasn’t asking, she already knew he meant Zach.
“Not an answer.” Scott reached for her hand, and squeezed her fingers. “Does it even matter anymore?”
Why did people keep asking her that today? No one cared before now. Or maybe everyone always had, and it was time for her to grow up a little and move on. “I don’t want to interrupt your plans, but if you’re both okay with it, it sounds great.”
“Excuse me.” A male voice interrupted from behind.
She turned, and found herself face to face with a FedEx delivery guy. She jumped in surprise. Her hand flew to her hammering heart, and she choked on a nervous laugh.
The man glanced up from his clipboard, and handed Scott an envelope. “This one’s for you specifically.”
Scott took the letter, jaw clenched.
“See you around.” The man’s voice trailed off as he headed back to his truck.
“First name basis with the FedEx guy?” Rae teased, more because she wasn’t sure what else to do than because the situation called for it. “You really do make it a point to know everyone.”
Scott blinked and shook his head. “Something like that. I need to get back to my office.” His voice was q
uiet, gaze never leaving the envelope as he flipped it over and over in his hands.
“Yeah.” She didn't think he heard her. She had no idea what was in the letter, or if he even knew, but whatever it was drowned out any remaining catch-up time tonight. She shuffled back to the parking garage, the random invitation and the anti-climactic potential to end a grudge she’d carried too long, replaying in her head. Weirdest start ever to a vacation.
The story continues in Chapter Two
More by Allyson Lindt
Breaching His Defenses (Love Hack Book 1)
What happens in Vegas… Can break hearts and destroy careers.
Years ago, heartbreak corrupted Jared Tippins’s outlook on love. He spun the betrayal into a rapid climb up the corporate ladder, and swore off any relationship with a morning after. Luckily, the playful siren who rescues him from singing a duet alone in a karaoke bar doesn’t want anything long term.
If only he could stop fantasizing about ways to make her moan. Sure, she could’ve mentioned he works for the competition. At least she’s not behind the security concerns that have plagued his company for almost six months.
If she were, he’d be screwed on a whole new level.
Denial of Interest (Version 2.0 Book 1)
Zach Johnston had it all. A billion dollar software empire, a different girl in his bed every night, and a business partner who shared his vision of market domination, one gaming console at a time.
No one can stay on top forever, and calling what their biggest competitor did to them a hostile takeover doesn't do it justice. No-lube violation is more accurate.
Even worse, the only woman he's never been able to forget is back in his life. Rae Nielson is filling his business partner’s head with delusions of starting over and haunting Zach’s most vivid fantasies.
The safe choice is to deny his interest in Rae and her plan. But Zach didn't make it big the first time around by playing it safe.
Roll Against Trust (3d20 Book 1)
The line between fantasy and reality blurs when a late night gaming session goes from playful to smoldering.
Tasha’s not looking for love, but she doesn’t mind just looking… and maybe a little fantasizing. Her two best friends and weekend AD& D buddies, Seth and Ryan, are the perfect guest stars in her fantasies. When a late night gaming session with the three goes from silly to verbally scorching in an instant, Tasha wonders if her imagination is enough to keep her satisfied long term.
Then her ex’s money mismanagement catches up to her in the form of draining her bank account, her job is threatened by a mistake that points to Ryan, and Seth takes his side. If Tasha can’t move past her trust issues long enough to uncover the truth—both with herself and the men she’s falling for—she’ll wind up broken-hearted and just plain broke.
About the Author
Allyson Lindt is a full-time geek and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She prefers that her geeky heroes come with the alpha expansion pack and adores a heroine who can hold her own in a boardroom. She loves a sexy happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures together.
Table of Contents
Blurb
Other Books in This Series
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Denial of Interest Sneak Peek
More by Allyson Lindt
About the Author
Graphically Novel (Love Hashtagged #3) Page 16