“It is, which is why I’m not doing it.My time is way too valuable.Yours?Not so much.The pitch materials and panel’s observations are in each folder, along with a video of the pitch and presentation on the USBs.”
“Good.At least they’re organized, I don’t…” Trailing off, she put all the pieces together.“Wait.You want… You want me to…”
“Cull the list,” he said, pushing back in his seat.“Yep.”
“I have Hope stuff to do,” she said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.“We have so much to—Lomond said we’d hear in twenty-four hours.Whoever he’s referred us to—”
“That’s what your team’s for,” he said.“Come over to the house tonight.You can spread out there.”
“You just handed me a fuckload of work and you expect me to—”
“Come over and put out?Yeah, I expect that too,” he said.“And watch that language around the boss.”
“The boss can go fuck himself,” she said.“How will I get through this and—”
“I’m out for the rest of the day.Z and I are hitting the strip clubs,” he said, getting up to grab his jacket from a hat stand behind him.“Work in here.”
“You want me to work in here?”
“Sure,” he said, rounding the desk to duck and kiss her head.“Have fun.I’ll dedicate a lap dance to you.”
Have fun?Screw him.Forty-eight presentations.She had to read and review… Inhaling, she held the breath for a second and blew it out as she went around to sit in his chair.She’d never finish if she didn’t start.
Put out?Yeah, he could suck it himself.
SIXTEEN
IF ONLY IT WASN’T so damn interesting.
The Hope team didn’t appreciate her bailing on them.What choice did she have?Rourke might be a jerk of a friend, but he was still their boss.
Getting through the SIT files was a mammoth task.Especially given she wasn’t familiar with them or the pitches.She had less than forty-eight hours to get through something the original panel had six days to absorb and process.
She worked in Rourke’s office for a couple of hours before packing up.Spreading out at his house would be a better option.At least there, people wouldn’t push into the office to ask if she had permission to be there.
And he could supply sushi.She didn’t know where it came from, but whatever delicacies she requested always somehow showed up at his house right on time.
Dragging the boxes out of the car…thecar, that was how she thought of it because technically, it didn’t belong to her.But it was the easiest way to get between work and Rourke’s.She’d never given him the keys back.In her defense, he’d never asked for them.Until he did, they’d live with her.Like they had joint custody.Didn’t seem like much to ask with her being orally available to him night after night.More than orally, but the other ways were more mutually enjoyable, so she was fair not to count them as credit to be repaid.
Her laptop was inside the top box.It would be a long night.She went inside, past the stairs and restrooms to go to the hallway that led straight through to the kitchen at the back of the house.The stairs to Rourke’s man cave were halfway along it.His desk should be big enough for—
“…give it another week.”His voice carried from the kitchen.She dumped the boxes on the stairs and went to see him.“I will, guy.I will…” He was on the phone and raised his brows when he saw her.Mmm, in sweats and a tee-shirt, he made an interesting view.How horny did she have to be to notice that or to be tempted by such little effort?“Yep.Thanks.”He hung up and slid his phone onto the counter.“Have a good day?”
“Overall?”she asked, taking off her jacket.“I think Johann’s pissed at you.”
“What did I do?”
“No, actually, I don’t think he’s pissed at you.”She went to the perpendicular edge of the counter his flat hands rested on.“I know he is.”
“Good.I must be doing something right.Want a drink?”
She shook her head, buying time to yawn.“I don’t want to lose my momentum.”
“Your momentum, huh?”
Bending over, her elbows met the counter before her forearms.“I would’ve stayed at the office if it wasn’t for people gawping at me in your prized space.I was like a damn exhibit at the aquarium.How often do you let people, other than you, use your office?”
“Mmm…” he pondered, his eyes rising for a second.“Don’t think I ever have.”She just smiled and let her upper body sink down to the counter too.The cool marble chilled her, but that was okay, she needed the stimulation.“Tired?”
