My phone rings.
“Hey, Mom,” I answer.
“Landon, I saw in the news today that you and Claire closed on the new company.” Leave it to my mother, who lives in Vancouver, to be reading tech news about California.
“We did. They’re developing a language solution right out of Star Trek where you put a device in your ear, and it runs an immediate translation. Right now, it does six languages, and they’re working on slang and regional idioms.”
“That’s huge for Disruptive,” she responds.
“We think so. Claire bonded with the main developer, who’s a smart woman.”
“Do I detect a bit of admiration?”
“We’ve always known Claire is the smartest of all your children.”
“I’ve never said that. Both my children have amazing talents.”
I smile. My mom is always the diplomat. “How’s the rain?” I ask.
“The weather is outstanding right now. We should be almost rain-free until October.”
Vancouver, where I grew up, is stunning this time of year. It’s lush and green—the best weather in Canada. But it also rains for nine months of the year, and the gray is depressing. I think that’s why I’ve adjusted so easily to San Francisco. I do miss warm summers, though.
“It’s beautiful here, too,” I tell her. “When are you and Dad coming down?”
“We’re looking at later this month. Your dad wants to look at a boat for sale in Marin.”
Their timing couldn’t be worse, as we’ll be swamped with this merger, but I like having them here. “Sounds great. Will you stay with me? Claire’s place may not be done by then.”
“Whatever you two want to work out. We’re fine. I’ll send our itinerary to your assistant, and you just let us know.”
“That’ll be fun. You’ll get to meet Tinsley, our new partner. Maybe we can all have dinner together.”
“We’d love that.”
I know she’s being truthful. My parents always enjoy meeting our friends and the people we work with.
After we say our goodbyes, I text Claire to alert her of our parents’ impending visit. This will stress her out, but I’m hoping to get ahead of it.
Me: Just talked to Mom. They’re coming out at the end of the month. With your place under construction, they can stay with me.
Claire: That would be great. When I talked to her earlier today, she said they were thinking about it. I could use some of her design expertise with the new house.
Me: That’s probably why she’s coming—that and Dad’s found a boat in Marin he wants to check out.
Claire: Great.
Claire: Are we ready for Tinsley’s team tomorrow? I want it to be a good day for them.
Me: Agreed. And yes, I think we’re ready. This is going to be a considerable change to have so many women in the office.
Claire: Worried about all the estrogen?
Me: Not at all. But you know some of our developers don’t know the first thing about women. It’ll be like middle school.
Claire: LOL! You’re so right.
Me: See you in the morning.
I sit in my dark apartment and relive last night for the thousandth time. This morning when I woke up, I was excited. I was closing on a new acquisition that will make a difference with my company, and I’d met a girl who interested me.
Both those things are still true, but now they’re all tangled up together, and that sucks. At some point, I pull myself out of my chair and head to bed.
The alarm goes off at five. Tinsley played center stage in my dreams last night, and my cock is as hard as a steel rod. A full decade is too long to wait to taste her again. I look at myself in the mirror, and along with the day-old growth on my face, my eyes have big, dark circles. I pull on some workout shorts and a long-sleeve tee and head to my workout room.
My customized Peloton bike sits in a room overlooking the Bay Bridge. Between the giant glass walls, which open, and the screen ahead, I can feel like I’m riding a bike outside—only much safer and with an instructor pushing me to ride hard. I often pretend I’m riding across the Bay Bridge. The weather this morning is brisk, but it gets my blood pumping. Forty-five minutes later, I’m covered in sweat and breathing hard, and the anxiousness that plagued me when I woke up has been pushed aside.
Now I’m ready to meet the day.
It’s just after seven when I exit the elevator to meet Stan for my ride to the office.
Tiffany stops me in the lobby. “Hey, you. I missed you this morning. I don’t see you in the gym anymore.” She touches my arm, rubbing back and forth.
“I’ve been on my Peloton up in my apartment.”
“Ohh, that sounds fun. I’ve never been up to your apartment. I’d love to see your Peloton.”
She looks up at me through her eyelashes, and it’s crystal clear she wants to see more than my exercise bike. She doesn’t know which apartment is mine. She only knows it’s above hers. Few people know I’m the one who lives in the penthouse. That’s the advantage of an elevator that your fob signals—no light-up buttons.
I’m not interested in her. I had an okay time with Tiffany and that friend of hers once, but it was exhausting. It’s hard enough to make sure one woman is satisfied, let alone two.
The car drops me at my building, and I’m sitting at my desk with a coffee from our expensive Italian coffee machine by
