“Who? You?” Affection and sympathy peppered Emily’s question.
It helped ground him in the present, rather than sinking into the kaleidoscope of the past. “I know; it’s hard to believe. Grandpa saw something they didn’t. He pulled me aside one day, and that was when he told me about Korea. He looked so haunted, but there was also a glimmer in his eyes I’d never seen before. Ghosts of exhilaration. He said he’d enlisted to see the world. He didn’t want to die only having seen a tiny corner of Las Vegas. And he saw so much, both horrible and glorious. I asked him if the terror outweighed the wonder. He was dismayed I’d even suggest it. He told me he hated the horrible things he’d seen, but he wouldn’t surrender the grand experience of it all to get rid of a few scars. The next day, I burned the offer letters and MBA program applications, emptied my bank account, and bought a one-way ticket to Brazil.”
There was enough of a rush associated with that moment in his life that it filled him again, flowing through his veins.
Emily looked fascinated, but so did Antonio, despite having heard the story before.
“Why Brazil?” she wanted to know.
“It was Carnaval, and I figured that was a good starting point.”
“So many times I’ve imagined what that would be like—leaving it all behind and heading into a country you’d never been to, in order to taste something new. It sounds incredible.”
His parents had been furious, but he never regretted the decision. “It was amazing.”
“I kind of wish I’d done something like that while I still had the chance.” Emily looked wistful.
His reply stuck in his throat with a concern that telling her to pursue the dream might mean never seeing her again. He was being ridiculous. “The opportunity is always there.”
“I guess.”
Her uncertainty was more reassuring than it should be. God, he was such a hypocrite.
EMILY WAS GRATEFUL Cynthia and Paul’s cars were gone when she went home on Saturday morning for a change of clothes. She’d have to deal with them both, but she was riding the high of last night and didn’t want to ruin it. There was no sex. Instead, the three of them talked until early in the morning.
Antonio invited her back, promising there was no work involved, and she accepted without hesitation.
She hurried through her shower. When she emerged, she hesitated at the bathroom door, straining to hear other sounds in the house. Still empty. Perfect. As she finished getting ready, her phone chimed with a new email. She scanned the message from Grant, plucking out the highlights. He wanted her to skip the APPropriate Designs offices on Monday morning and meet with him instead.
It would the perfect time to let him know they’d meet their deadline without issue. She sent back a quick but professional version of I’ll be there and headed for the door. It swung open as she reached for the handle, and her heart jumped into her throat.
“Jeez. You startled me.” Cynthia stepped into the apartment.
Emily gave a nervous laugh. “Same.”
Cynthia looked at her purse and shoes. “Are you leaving or getting home?”
“I’m on my way out.” Could Emily sidestep an uncomfortable conversation? Or better, maybe they’d forget anything happened. A perfect answer, as long as she avoided Paul until he moved out.
“Do you have a little bit?” Cynthia stepped aside, despite her question. “A couple minutes. I want to make sure we’re all right.”
That was about as non-aggressive an approach as Emily could imagine. “Sure. I can stick around for a few.”
“Good.” Cynthia sounded relieved. “I was worried you wouldn’t talk to me for a while, after yesterday.”
“I thought about not, but we have too much history.”
“Exactly. All three of us do.”
Discomfort scraped through Emily like nails on a chalkboard. “That’s true...”
“Then hear Paul out?”
Emily clenched her teeth. “I already did that. We didn’t have the same perspective, and he didn’t want to listen to my side.” She tried to keep the irritation from her voice. Cynthia wasn’t being obtuse on purpose; she was looking out for her brother.
“You need to give him a chance. The two of you have a lot in common.” Cynthia’s voice took on an edge. “He’s a good guy, and he’s always adored you.”
“Which is sweet and fine and good, but I’m not interested in him romantically.”
“You’ll throw away someone that good for an asshole who sleeps with his employees? The bozo you met at the bar?” The kindness vanished from Cynthia’s voice.
The contrast to last night, Antonio and Justin’s acceptance of I’m not making any commitments right now smacked Emily about the cerebral cortex. “Throw away? Paul and I didn’t have anything. I didn’t even know he was interested until recently. Why are you blaming me for not feeling the same?”
“Because I don’t think you’re trying.”
Emily growled. “I don’t think you’re in a good frame of mind to have this conversation. Call me when you’re ready to be rational.” The hurt and fury spilling inside made it easy to ignore anything Cynthia said, as Emily walked out the door. Once they had cooler heads, maybe they could talk through this. Right now, she was seconds from saying something she might regret later.
EMILY FELT LIKE HER emotions had been hosed down, hand-wrung, and hung out to dry. She spent Saturday and Sunday at Antonio’s house. She didn’t call it hiding, but that was what it was. The argument with Cynthia left her frazzled, and she had no idea how to approach reconciliation. When this morning rolled around, the Mondayness of it crept through her. There was nothing to be done for it. She had to go home, to get ready for her meeting with Grant.
She sneaked into her own house. Her heart leaped every time something creaked. Before Saturday morning, she’d have considered this overreacting, but if Cynthia wasn’t going to be reasonable, Emily needed time to think through what she’d say.
Fortunately, the doors to both Cynthia’s room and the guest room stayed closed while Emily got ready for work.
Now she sat in the lobby of Grant’s investment firm, waiting to see him. Fortunately, this was one encounter she didn’t have to worry about. When it came down to the wire, Justin, Antonio, and their team had pulled off a tremendous comeback, and their beta would be ready on time. The thought made her smile, not only because she’d been more successful on this contract than any in the past, but also because it made her happy to see them succeed.
“Ms. Lowry? Mr. Lent is ready now. You can go on back,” the receptionist said.
Emily smiled and thanked her, and followed the familiar path to his office. Grant was behind his desk when she stepped into the room. There was a woman already seated across from him. He nodded at the empty chair. “Thank you for making time in your schedule today.” His tone was clipped. That wasn’t like him. Maybe he was infected with Mondayness too. “This is Melinda from Human Resources.”
Weird, but okay. “It’s not a problem.” It wasn’t as if she was going to tell him, No, I’m busy. She knew how this would go. They’d make small talk for a few minutes, then he’d ask about APPropriate Designs, and she’d give him the great details.
“I’m hearing some troubling things about your current contract.”
Her blood turned to ice in her veins, and a chill ran down her spine. “I’m sorry to hear that. Everything’s running smoothly, as far as I know.”
“Quality of work is not my concern. You’re competent. That’s why I hired you.”
“May I ask what you’ve heard?” The creeping uneasiness under her skin told her she didn’t want the answer, but she’d rather hear it now than drag it out any longer.
He sighed. “This is a bit difficult to say. I’ve been told you’re not acting appropriately in this position. That there may be some misconduct with a member of upper management.”
The bottom fell out of Emily’s stomach, and she searched for a response.
/> “Basically”—Melinda spoke up—“our policies prohibit fraternization with colleagues as well as with any employer you’re assigned to.”
Emily gripped the arms of her seat, to keep from wobbling, as disbelief stole her thoughts, making her dizzy. “May I ask where you heard this?” It was a stupid question. Justin didn’t tell them, and neither did Antonio. She had no doubt. Cynthia was the only other person who knew, and three days ago, Emily would have sworn Cynthia would never say anything either.
Realization sank in. Unless Cynthia told Paul.
“You may not ask,” Grant said. “The issue isn’t where the rumor came from, but rather whether it’s true. Have you gotten involved with Justin Conroy?”
The lie stuck in her throat a moment longer than it should, to sound believable, but she forced herself to say no anyway.
“I see.” He didn’t look like he believed her.
Melinda handed her a folder. “Regardless, a situation like this puts undue pressure on everyone involved. I’m afraid, at this time, we have to terminate your current contract and your retainer. You’ll need to sign the enclosed paperwork, to get your final check.”
“But I didn’t—” What? She’d done exactly what they said and more. And they weren’t even calling her on the lie.
Melinda gave her a tight-lipped smile. “If you’ve got concerns with our decision, I can put you in touch with our legal team regarding our policies. I assure you, if this goes to arbitration or something more severe, details will come out if there are any. If there’s nothing to find, I’d understand your contesting things.”
Emily wanted to call her every foul name under the sun, for the language that effectively backed Emily into a corner. “I’d rather not deal with that kind of headache.” She already dreaded having to face the fallout if these rumors got out. True or not, this kind of information would keep her from getting work at a number of places.
She’d been so stupid. How did she manage to justify such an irrational decision?
The answer teased her, floating at the edge of her mind, but she shot it down without examination. It didn’t matter. She fucked up, and it was time for damage control.
Chapter Twenty
ANTONIO GLANCED AT his phone when it rang, and ambivalence filled him when he saw his father’s picture on the screen. It was the only dark spot in their recent accomplishments. He had to tell Dad he wasn’t coming home to run the family business. It would be better to share the news now than wait until he was in Milan. His father would be furious, but with any luck, Antonio’s telling him now would mean Dad’s anger passed before Antonio visited in a week or so.
Knowing all of that didn’t stop him from pressing Decline. Guilt wormed its way into him. He’d never missed a call from his family before. Tomorrow. After the board meeting, when everything was tied up and the company was officially out of the woods, Antonio would tell him.
He frowned at his phone when the notification light flashed for new voice mail, and tried to ignore the remorse spreading inside him.
He forced himself to turn back to work. What had been doing? Oh. Wondering why Emily never showed up. She had the meeting this morning with Grant, but he expected her in after. They agreed she wouldn’t tell them anything about her discussion with Grant, but what was keeping her from letting Antonio know she was running late?
His desk phone rang, displaying Justin’s name. Antonio hit the speaker button. “Yeah.”
“Lunch. Now. Cancel whatever you’re doing. Be in my office in two minutes.” Justin’s voice was tight.
Antonio wanted to ask what was up, but he had a feeling he’d have an answer if Justin was going to talk. “I’ll be right there.”
Antonio found Justin pacing in the middle of the room. He barely glanced up when Antonio entered.
“What’s going on?” Antonio felt fidgety simply from watching the display.
“They fired Emily.”
“Jesus Christ.” Antonio sank into a nearby chair, as he processed the words. “Did she call you? Grant? Do you know why?”
Justin gave a warped chuckle. “As a matter of fact... Grant had what he believed was significant reason to believe she was sleeping with me. Not his words, but definitely his meaning.”
“Only you?” Antonio couldn’t find a more intelligent question. Why hadn’t any of them expected this? Because no one got caught when they did things like this. Stupid assumption. Not that this would have changed his desires or actions.
“Because you’d want to make it worse by having both of our names on the list? You were never mentioned.”
That wasn’t comforting. Next steps. If Justin was freaking out, they had to figure out what to do. “Have you talked to her?” Antonio asked.
“No. I tried. I called her and left a message.” Justin dragged his fingers through hair that already stuck up at multiple angles.
“What happens next? To us? You? APPropriate Designs?”
“She worked for Grant, so he could fire her. We don’t have fraternization policies, so he can’t touch me.” Justin didn’t sound relieved. “The board could still vote to let me go. It didn’t come up, but since we’re meeting with them tomorrow...”
He didn’t have to finish the thought. One of the worst things about their board of directors was Grant’s group held three seats, Justin and Antonio only two. Which meant, if it came down to a vote, odds were low it would end in Justin’s favor.
No. Justin couldn’t go. It was bad enough Emily had been fired. Antonio wasn’t losing the only other person he did this for. Justin was as big a wreck as Antonio had ever seen him. His gaze darted around the room, and he never stopped moving. He must be dealing with everything Antonio was, plus the guilt of being the other party named in Emily’s crime.
Though Antonio had plenty of complicity and regret there, too.
Antonio needed them both thinking straight. He stood and stepped in Justin’s path.
Justin tried to step around him, but Antonio blocked the way again.
He grabbed Justin’s arm. “Look at me.”
“What?” Justin jerked his head up and focused on Antonio.
“Calm the fuck down.”
“Are you serious?” Justin laughed. The attitude was distinctly un-Justin. Was it because Emily was involved, or was there more to it? That gnawed at Antonio. “Where do we start?” Justin asked. “What do we focus on first? How are we supposed to move forward without answers? When the fuck do we get to run our own company, instead of having to plan around their whims?”
Antonio had several replies, but he didn’t think Justin would hear any of them in this state of mind. He searched Justin’s eyes, as if an answer might reflect back at him.
There was nothing there that hadn’t always been. Same pale-blue color. Same nose. Several days’ worth of dark scruff on his chin—evidence he hadn’t shaved since last week. That tempting mouth set in a hard line.
Antonio wasn’t aware of tilting his head closer until the frustration in Justin’s eyes melted to shock, and Antonio’s lips brushed his.
His heart ground to a halt when Justin froze. What the hell was Antonio thinking?
Then Justin gripped the back of Antonio’s head and kissed back hard.
Antonio swallowed a whimper and dove into the crush of teeth against lips and tongues clashing.
Justin let go and stepped back with a gasp. Terror and arousal whirled around Antonio.
“What was that?” Justin asked.
“A distraction.” It was more true than Antonio expected. A delicious, forbidden, fuck-with-his-head-for-weeks distraction.
“That was one hell of a distraction. Better than rehashing our pasts.”
Antonio steeled himself. “I’ve got more.”
“I’d take anything that helped me step back and look at this differently, but if you’re offering more of that, I’m in.”
Antonio’s heart soared. It wasn’t a confession of love, but there was time. Baby steps. He dropped
his hand to the front of Justin’s slacks and traced the outline of his shaft. “I’ve got better, too.”
Justin jerked into his palm. “I’m the novice here, but don’t let that slow you down.”
“Slow it is.” Antonio intentionally misinterpreted the words. He caressed Justin though fabric, cupping and teasing him.
“You’re a bastard.” Justin spoke through gritted teeth.
Antonio liked this light level of control. “Yeah. I am.” He unzipped Justin’s pants, glided his hand under his boxers, and gripped his cock. The hot skin against Antonio’s palm seared his thoughts and desire raced through his veins. “You don’t like the teasing?”
“It’s pretty decent.” Groans punctuated Justin’s reply.
Antonio used his body to nudge Justin back, never changing the pace of his pumping. “Sit,” he said.
Justin complied.
Antonio knelt between Justin’s legs and flicked his tongue out over the bulbous head in front of him, licking off a drop of precum. The salty taste on his tongue and the warm pulsing in his hand blew his imagination out of the water.
He took Justin in his mouth, and growled when Justin hissed with pleasure. If Antonio edged off at the right times, could he drag this moment out for a while? He was willing to try. He caressed Justin’s sac, as he sucked and stroked his cock. Justin thrust his hips, grinding in time to the attention.
“Are you hard?” Justin asked.
Antonio pulled back long enough to say, “As a rock.”
“Show me.” Justin’s tone left no room for argument.
The Nerds and the CEO (The Nerd Love Equation, #5) Page 15