“Donuts aren’t a meal,” I scold her. “You need to start eating lunch.”
“Not according to my mother,” she says ruefully. “How will I ever meet someone if I stuff everything in sight into my mouth?”
A vivid image of Miki on her knees, her pretty pink lips wrapped around my cock, flashes before my eyes. “Everything in sight?” I tease her. “Everything?”
She flushes scarlet. “Oliver,” she chides. “Have you read the employee manual about sexual harassment?”
Shit. She’s your employee, dickwad. And she doesn’t know you’re Lancelot. Stop being an asshole.
“I’m sorry,” I say stiffly, moving to my desk. “You’re right. I was out of line. It won’t happen again.”
“Oh no,” she exclaims, looking chagrined. “Oliver, I was joking.” She laces her fingers in her lap and looks at me with an earnest expression. “I was a little nervous working with Finn and you, but I’m having an amazing time. I didn’t mean to make things weird.”
“No, you’re right. Tell me about your first week. Are you getting what you need? Is everyone being cooperative?”
“Mostly.” She scrunches her face into a pout. “I’m really enjoying the security review portion,” she says. “Even though I’ve had no luck hacking in so far.”
I chuckle. “If you break our system in the first week, you’ll drive Finn to drink. What about the work you’re doing for Lawrence?”
“He’s driving me nuts,” she replies frankly. Her cheeks color. “Sorry. I have a bad habit of blurting out whatever’s on my mind. Let me say that again, this time in corporate-speak. I’m enjoying the challenge of working with Mr. Kent.”
She’s adorable. I feel my smile widen. “That’s okay; I think Lawrence is a pain in the ass too. If he’s too demanding, push back. Your priority isn’t Lawrence’s financials; it’s the security review. As we get closer to the IPO, the attacks against Imperium are going to increase. Our competitors would love to see us embarrassed.”
“I will.” She takes another bite of her donut, her tongue catching a stray piece of sugar. My cock jumps to attention. Fuck.
Just then, Finn pushes the door open and comes in, his laptop in his hands. “Ah, donuts,” he says, setting the computer down and shooting me a knowing look. “Is this a new tradition, Oliver? I like the chocolate-glazed ones the best.”
Bite me, Sanders.
We each get to work on our projects. Lawrence has prepared a projection of the revenue we’ll lose because of my decision to close the private security division. I review it, frowning as I do so. It’s wildly inaccurate. Lawrence has assumed we’ll lay off the entire team, when in fact, he knows as well as I do that we’ll just reallocate the developers to a different project.
Even worse, he’s sent his projection directly to the board.
I swear out loud. Fucking Kent. The board has given me endless amounts of grief about my decision to shutter the division. Now, they’ll have new ammunition. Not for the first time, I wish I could just fire my CFO.
Both Miki and Finn look up. “What’s the matter?” Finn asks.
“Kent told the board it’s going to cost us ten million to close the private security division.”
Finn’s eyes narrow, and I know he’s thinking what I’m thinking. We’ve both assumed that if Claudia succeeds in shredding my reputation and the board votes to get rid of me, they’ll appoint Finn the CEO. But this email from Lawrence makes me reevaluate my theory. It appears that Lawrence is jockeying for the role as well.
Claudia’s photos. The person who’s leaking our technology to Fitzgerald. Miki’s true purpose. And now Lawrence. The threats fly at us from every direction, and it’s only going to get worse.
Janine sticks her head through the door. “It’s four,” she announces cheerfully. “You know what time it is. And Finn, don’t even think about bailing on us.”
“I’m not,” he says. He shuts his laptop and gets to his feet. “Come on, Miki. It’s time for happy hour.”
Miki:
In the space of a week, I’ve learned that while Oliver works hard, he’s not a workaholic. He’s left the office at six every evening. Finn, on the other hand, is always at work when I get in, and still there when I leave.
Which is why I’m shocked when Finn gets to his feet. “It’s an Imperium tradition,” he explains. “There’s a bar around the corner, and Oliver and I buy the first three rounds. Come on, Miki. Work will keep until Monday.”
I snort. “You’re going to be back here tomorrow morning,” I accuse him.
He chuckles. “Guilty as charged.” He puts on his jacket and raises his eyebrow at me. “Are you coming?”
Should I go drinking with Finn and Oliver? I’m attracted to them. I was attracted to them at the party last Friday, and my desire has only intensified after a week of working with them. All week, I’ve been dreaming of Oliver and Finn, touching me, kissing me. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve been avoiding falling asleep every night until well past midnight, choosing instead to chat with Lancelot and Merlin.
Then there’s User0989. I haven’t heard from him, but sooner or later, he’s going to demand to know what I’m doing. I’m no closer to finding out who he is, and Lancelot and Merlin haven’t been able to uncover anything either.
“All work and no play will make Miki dull,” Oliver says, his lips tugging up into an amused smile. “You don’t want to end up like Finn, do you?”
Finn flips him the bird, and I smother my laugh. Janine watches us with an avid expression on her face. I’m sure I’m not exactly impressing her with my professionalism. “Okay,” I agree. “I could use a beer.”
The bar we head to is around the corner from Trinity Church. About a dozen of my co-workers are in the back. I recognize Mary MacDonald, Sachin Sharma, and Chris Wilcox. Mary waves me over with a friendly smile. “I hope you’ve enjoyed your first week, Mackenzie,” she says.
“Very much, thank you,” I tell her sincerely. It’s the truth.
“Good.” She pats my arm. “I’m afraid we’ve thrown you into the deep end of the pool. Normally, things are a little more laid-back around here, but with the IPO around the corner, everyone’s quite tense.”
“I understand.” Oliver occasionally reverts to the laughing, joking man I met on the plane from Houston to New York, but he seems to be under a lot of stress. And Finn practically lives at work. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a cot hidden away somewhere in the building.
“I’m assuming neither Oliver nor Finn has taken you out for a welcome lunch?” she continues. “Why don’t we grab a bite together sometime next week?”
An idea occurs to me. Mary MacDonald is the head of Human Resources. User0989 had seemed certain that I would get the job. Mary’s not going to know his identity, but if I can figure out why I was hired, I might uncover a clue. “I’d like that.”
A waitress comes up to take my beer order. Mary gets roped into a game of pool with Sachin. Chris is studying the beer list as if there’s a test at the end of the night. Finn and Oliver are at the bar, deep in conversation.
I’m about to introduce myself to a cluster of people when Janine slides up next to me. “How’s it going?” she asks.
I like Oliver and Finn’s assistant. She’s smart, she’s loyal, and she takes no shit from anyone. “Great,” I reply. “I’m pretty glad it’s Friday though.”
“Tell me about it,” she says, her tone heartfelt. “Thank heavens for beer. Any fun weekend plans?”
“Nothing too exciting,” I admit. “I moved back to Manhattan three months ago, and I’ve been staying temporarily at a friend’s place. I thought I might go apartment hunting.”
“Ugh.” She grimaces, taking a long sip from the beer the waitress hands her. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
“I know.” Wendy has repeatedly assured me that there’s no hurry for me to move out, but I can’t stay in her place forever, and I can’t afford to rent it from her. I need something
“Can I ask you a question?” Janine says. “Do you know Oliver and Finn well?”
I frown in puzzlement. “No. Why?”
“Well, I’ve known both of them for a long time,” she replies. “I’ve worked with them for the last eight years. They seem very comfortable with you, that’s all.”
“What does that mean?” I ask cautiously. Does Janine think I’m flirting with them? Oh God, I hope this doesn’t become some kind of crazy high-school, mean-girl situation. I was horrible at dealing with drama as a teenager, and I haven’t improved as an adult.
“Nothing really,” she hurries to assure me. “It’s just that Oliver’s been really guarded since his divorce, and Finn’s always been slow to get to know people.”
“Oh.” I ponder Janine’s words. “I’ve met them once before. We were stuck in the last row on a four-hour flight at Thanksgiving, and we got chatting about Doctor Who and other TV shows. Maybe that’s why?”
Her eyebrow rises even higher. “Oliver and Finn flew coach? Really? That’s odd.”
Huh. Janine’s right. The two men are wealthy. They sold the last company they founded for thirty million dollars. Why wouldn’t they be in first class? “Well, it was Thanksgiving,” I think out loud. “A lot of flights got canceled because of bad weather.”
Janine’s not listening to me. Her eyes are glued to a well-dressed couple who’ve just walked into the bar. “That fucking bitch,” she murmurs under her breath, her tone outraged. “What the fuck is she doing here?”
“Who are they?”
She turns to me with a grim look on her face. “That woman,” she spits out, “is Oliver’s ex-wife, Claudia. And the man she’s with is Sebastian Fitzgerald. He’s the CEO of Kliedara. Imperium’s biggest competitor.”
Oliver’s ex-wife is dating his rival? That’s cold.
12
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Hunter S. Thompson
Oliver:
I’m having a beer with Finn at the bar, trying to keep my mind off Miki, when my ex-wife Claudia and her new boyfriend Sebastian Fitzgerald walk in.
Finn, alerted by my sudden stiffness, turns around and inhales sharply. “What the fuck is she doing here?” he says angrily.
I’ve made mistakes in my life, but none I regret as much as Claudia. I didn’t even have a good reason for marrying her. Claudia and I had been dating for six months. She’d been hinting that she wanted us to take our commitment to the next level. I’d just turned thirty, and I’d thought that it was time.
Miki’s told me she ignored the advice of her friends when she married her husband. I’d done the same thing.
Still, I’d made my vows, and I was prepared to honor them. Claudia, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in staying faithful, and that was the one thing I wasn’t ready to forgive. We were divorced in June.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Finn sounds disgusted, and I shake free of my gloomy thoughts and look up, only to regret it. Claudia has her hands around Fitzgerald’s neck, and she’s kissing the man passionately, in full sight of the entire room. Several sets of eyes swing toward me, to see how I’m handling this display.
Not well. I signal the bartender. “Rum and Coke,” I say, my voice tight with tension. “Make it a double.”
“She’s trying to get a rise out of you, Oliver,” Finn says quietly. “Don’t give her the satisfaction.”
“Don’t you dare condescend me,” I snap. “I’m not a robot who only cares about work, Finn. If I want to deal with Claudia’s bullshit in a bottle of rum, then let me.”
The bartender shows up with my drink, and I drain it and gesture for another. “Don’t worry,” I say bitterly. “I’ll be back to peak efficiency on Monday morning. If I’m not, well, the board’s just dying to replace me anyway.”
Finn’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t respond to my insult. “They’re coming this way.”
Of course they are. Subtlety is lost on both Fitzgerald and Claudia. I brace myself for the shitshow. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Miki watching me, her eyes wide. Fuck. That’s all I need. An audience.
“Prescott.” Fitzgerald’s voice is smug and self-satisfied. “I’d forgotten this is the bar you hang out at on Fridays.” He puts his arm around my ex-wife’s waist and tugs her against his body. “You remember Claudia, of course.”
The bartender sets my drink down on the bar. I lift the glass in the direction of my two least favorite people in the world. “What a coincidence,” I say flatly.
“Hello, Oliver.” Claudia gives me her most winsome look. “I haven’t seen you in a few months. You look good.”
She wants to make small talk? She wants to pretend she didn’t take those BDSM photos of me without my consent, act as if she isn’t blackmailing me?
Fuck this shit. I’m out of here.
I drain the drink in my hand. “I’ll see you later,” I tell Finn. I don’t look at Fitzgerald and my ex-wife. My self-control is hanging on by a thread, and I don’t trust it not to snap.
Then I walk out of there.
Miki:
I’m watching Oliver as his ex-wife kisses the guy she’s with. I see his face go white. He tosses back the drink that’s in his hand. Finn says something to him, but whatever he said, it doesn’t seem to matter, because Oliver just looks angrier.
My heart hurts for him. I can relate to his pain. Even though it’s been almost four months, the image of Peggy sucking Aaron’s dick is still vivid in my mind. I still remember the raw betrayal I felt that day. Even now. The scar’s healing, but the skin’s still tender.
The two of them walk over and say something to Oliver, and it’s the last straw. Oliver slams his glass down on the table and stalks out of the bar.
I’m not thinking clearly. I set my half-full glass of beer on the table closest to me. Grabbing my jacket, I leave the bar, almost running in my effort to catch up with Oliver.
It’s dark outside. The streets are brightly lit, but it’s started snowing. I stop outside the door and look to the right and the left, trying to pick out Oliver’s black jacket in a sea of black, but the tall blond man is nowhere in sight. Damn New Yorkers, I fume inwardly. Would it kill them to wear something other than black?
In the distance, I catch a glimpse of a familiar head. Oliver. He’s walking into the building that houses Imperium’s offices. I race after him, wondering why he’s going back to work.
“Oliver,” I call out as soon as I enter the lobby. He’s stepping into an elevator, and if I lose him now, I won’t be able to follow. I still don’t have after-hours access to the Imperium offices.
He looks up and sees me pelting toward him. He extends his arm and stops the elevator doors from shutting, and I slip in. “What are you doing, Miki?” he asks me. “This isn’t a good time.”
“I know.” I swallow. It’s too late to wonder if following Oliver is a good idea. “My husband cheated on me. For weeks after I left him, I swore up and down that I wanted to be left alone.” His expression isn’t encouraging. “My friends listened to me,” I continue. “But they always stayed within reach. They let me know they were there for me.”
He surveys me with expressionless eyes, then he reaches for the elevator panel and punches a button. “Where are we going?” I ask as the doors begin to shut.
“To the roof.”
“I probably should zip up my jacket.”
“Probably.” He doesn’t add anything else, and I fall into silence.
I’m feeling quite foolish. I barely know Oliver. I don’t know why I followed him like a crazy stalker. A sudden thought strikes me. “You’re not going to jump, right?” I ask nervously. “Because Oliver, I know the benefits are good at Imperium, but there’s not enough therapy in the world to help me cope with that.”
“Jump?” He looks at me blankly. “From the roof?” His eyes dance with amusement. “I just want to be alone, Miki. That doesn’t make me suicidal.”
“Should I go back?” I have no idea what Janine’s going to think of my mad dash.
He shakes his head. “You can stay if you like.”
The elevator jerks to a halt and the doors open to a drab landing. “Stairwell,” Oliver says, pointing to the door opposite us.
I follow him up a flight of stairs. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but when we get to the roof, it’s just a roof. There’s graffiti on the water tower, the floors are concrete, and it’s utterly freezing. I zip up my jacket and pull the hood up, and shove my hands into my pockets. I had gloves, but I don’t know where they went.
It would be nice if Oliver wanted to be alone somewhere warm. Ah well. That’s what happens when I invite myself along.
“You’re shivering.” Oliver shakes his head and puts his arm around me.
His body acts as a source of heat, and as a bonus, he’s blocking the wind. My teeth slowly stop chattering. “I’d forgotten how cold the city gets in February,” I murmur. “What happened with your marriage?”
“It was a mistake right from the start,” he replies. He sounds weary, tired. Drained. “But I didn’t want to admit it to myself.”
“I can relate.”
“Mmm.” He lapses into silence. I stay right where I am, savoring the feel of his body against mine. Held by Oliver like this, I feel comforted and safe, even though I’m the one that’s supposed to be doing the comforting. “One night, a business trip ended early, and I flew back home two days ahead of schedule. I called Claudia from the airport. I didn’t want to tell her I was back; I wanted to surprise her, but I did want to make sure she was at home.”
“She wasn’t?”
“No. She told me she was, but when I got to our apartment, the place was empty. She finally returned at nine the next morning, and she reeked of sex.”
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