I save my comment until we’re both inside. “What are you compensating for with this thing? I know it isn’t a small dick.”
He grins at me. “No, it’s definitely not a small dick. Which, by the way, would love to revisit your pussy and mouth soon.”
My heart races. “Is that where we’re going? Because I was hoping for a bite to eat.”
He shakes his head. “Actually, I almost fired Mattis. I don’t know what his deal is, but he’s convinced it’s an issue with your program and not the network. I believe you, so I thought we’d run to my place and use the secure Wi-Fi to give it a try. And we can order some lunch.”
“That’s fine.” I’d invite him to my place, but the foyer outside his elevator is bigger than my entire apartment.
We pull into the parking lot of his building, he waves his fob over the elevator panel, and it takes us to his apartment.
As we walk in, I’m immediately drawn to the opulent view. “What would you do if you had to go to the lobby from the garage?”
“I push the L button.”
“Where’s the L button? I only see a fob pad.”
He grins at me. “There’s a G button, too. I’ll show you on the way down.”
While I pull my laptop out and begin the startup sequence, I hear Landon on the phone.
“Bash, can you let Greg know I took the Lamborghini home today? I’m working from my apartment for the afternoon. I may need him to drive someone home later.”
I shake my head. I realize he’s talking to his security team. There’s no way I’m letting them drive me home. Even though absolutely nothing is going to happen between Landon and me today, I’m not going to do that ride of shame. Probably countless women have been driven home by his security before. No.
A little while later, I snack on the pizza that’s been delivered while I wait for Landon to get off the phone and give me the Wi-Fi password. Once he does, I begin tearing through the code. Each time I hit enter, the computer registers the new lines and adds them in—no restarting. Success. I keep going with Landon standing behind me.
“This makes no sense,” he murmurs.
“I agree.”
He picks up his phone from the table beside me. “Mattis, we’re here in my apartment on the secure Wi-Fi, and it’s working fine. It’s an issue in the office. I want it fixed immediately.” He’s silent for a few moments, listening to Mattis. “Fix it, or I’ll find someone who can.”
His voice sends chills down my spine. He hangs up and puts the phone down, still standing behind me. “Let me know if my looking over your shoulder bothers you.”
“You’re fine. I’ll ignore you.” His smell of citrus and pine distracts me, though. Ignoring him is more difficult than I care to admit.
“I’ll be back,” he says.
I keep pushing through. I hear Landon on the phone and figure he’s working from his home office. Before I realize it, the light from outside is diminished enough that I need some lighting to keep the strain off my eyes. I look around, but don’t see a switch for the light above my head. I look at the time on my computer, and it’s after seven. Where did the day go?
I save all my work and go in search of Landon. There’s a light on in the living room, and I find him with two glasses. He’s pouring wine.
“Are you done?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Not nearly, but I could go for a break.”
“Good. I’ve ordered dinner.” He hands me a glass of cold white wine.
Tasting the wine, I take a seat on the couch that faces the windows. “What a great view.”
“I love it.” He sits down and rests his arm behind me.
Heat emanates from him. I need to control my alcohol intake. I can’t let too much reduce my defenses.
“It’s pretty cool to sit here in a few months when the fog rolls in. Sometimes it’s below this floor, so it’s like I’m sitting above the clouds.”
“I’ll bet that’s beautiful.”
I don’t hear it ring, but Landon picks up his phone. “Hello, Dee.” He’s silent a few moments as he listens. “Yes, have Manuel bring it up. Thank you.”
“Dinner has arrived. I hope you don’t mind, but you had shrimp the other night when we ordered Thai, so I ordered cioppino and sourdough bread from Fog City Diner.”
I’m stunned. Cioppino is a San Francisco specialty—fish stew. “It’s my favorite. Thank you.”
He smiles. “It’s my favorite, too.”
Chapter 6
Tinsley
I push my empty stew bowl away. “That was incredible. I didn’t even know that was on Fog City’s menu.”
“On occasion.” He smiles, and I know they made it specially for us.
“Thank you. Any word from Mattis on what’s causing the issue with my computer and the network?”
“I’m afraid not. What would you think about meeting with your team in the morning, and then we can work here in the afternoon tomorrow so you can code?”
I’ve had two glasses of wine, and my filter is a little loose. “Are you going to proposition me?”
“Of course.” He grins. “But also, I know my Wi-Fi is secure, so I prefer you here, rather than your apartment. I’ve spoken to my security group, and their cyber team is also going through our network. It may take a few days, but it’s raised a red flag for them, so they’re on it.”
“I’m fine with that. Have you talked about the situation with Claire?”
“I have. She’s upset—mostly because you talked to Mattis about it several times, and he blew you off. She’s convinced if you’d been a man, he would have paid
