My pulse jumps when not fifteen minutes later, Tinsley walks in. She’s carrying a box, and I hop up to offer my help. “You’re nice and early.”
“We didn’t confirm a time, and I tend to be an early bird,” she says. “Well, and a night owl sometimes, too.”
She smiles the most glorious smile, and I remember her mouth around my cock. My stomach turns, and said cock stiffens. This woman is going to kill me.
“Here, let me take you to your new office,” I tell her. “It’s right next door.” I lead her to where she’ll be sitting.
We have a frosted-glass panel through the middle of the clear walls separating all the offices, though for a moment, I wish we didn’t. But I saw Sean, the head of Disruptive’s development team, scratch his balls too many times, making it necessary.
“You got a tour while I was out of town, right?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah, Claire walked me around last week while I think she said you were playing in a poker tournament in Maui.”
I nod. That was a great Memorial Day weekend. “I won the entire thing.”
She looks me over carefully. “Of course you did; you’re a math genius. Didn’t you go to CalTech at something like fourteen?”
I’m impressed. She’s done some checking on me. “I was sixteen. But I play poker with people like Nate Lancaster, Jackson Graham, Viviana Prentis, and the real math rock star, Mia Couture.”
Her brows arch in surprise. “How is that any fun when you can all count cards and have three conversations going without missing a beat?”
I grin. She gets it. “It comes down to knowing how to bluff. You know your opponent has already figured out what cards you likely have in your hand. That’s why we play together, in person—you have to be able to see their faces. This last tournament was at the estate Jackson Graham won from Viviana Prentis in a previous game.”
She rests her elbows on the box I put on her desk. “Did he bet the Hawaiian estate while you were there?”
“No, he actually sold it to his fiancée, so it wasn’t his to bet—which is probably why he did it,” I grouse.
She shakes her head. “You all have too much money.”
“You’re not going to be in any food lines anytime soon,” I remind her.
“I haven’t seen an actual payment yet. Your check could bounce.”
There’s a sparkle in her eye. I know she’s teasing.
I shake my head. “The money’s already in your account. It was wired yesterday as soon as you signed. What’s the first thing you’re going to spend it on?”
She takes a deep breath. “I had my eye on one of the apartments at The Adams, but I don’t think—”
I feel my eyes go wide. I know which unit is going up for sale. “You were looking at suite eight-fifty?” I can’t wait to get rid of the bastard who lives there. He’s being prosecuted for sexual assault in the workplace.
She nods, looking surprised.
But it’s still not the spot for her. “That’s a dump. It has only a partial view of the bay and mostly of Treasure Island. The majority of the windows look out on the alley and the building to the west. We need to find you a different unit. I’ll keep my ears open. I may know of a few things opening up in the building.”
The architect, Mike Spencer, and I both own six units we haven’t put on the market yet. We were holding on to them as investments, but maybe I can talk him into selling one on the fifteenth floor. It has a great view, and I wouldn’t mind if Tinsley was in my building.
“Don’t worry about it,” she says. “I’ll find something. I’m not in any hurry. There are lots of options.”
“You don’t want to live in my building?” It’s considered the most elite dwelling in San Francisco.
The line between her eyes deepens. She’s so cute. “I didn’t say that.”
“Not in words, but I saw that look.”
“I had no such look.” She smiles, and I see all her teeth. They’re beautiful—straight and white.
What the hell is wrong with me? Her teeth? Jesus, man. Step up your game!
“Did Claire show you where we set your team up?”
“She said right outside my office. Has that changed?”
“No, not at all.”
I’m at a loss for words. I should leave her to unpack and get ready for her day, but I’m too preoccupied with her.
“When do you think they’ll be here?” I ask.
Tinsley picks up her phone and checks the time. “Within the hour.”
“Great. Let’s get you some caffeine, and we can sit in my office and talk.”
She takes a deep breath. “I suppose that will work.”
We walk into the break room. Like all Silicon Valley startups, the company supplies breakfast, lunch, and any and all kinds of snacks and beverages. Breakfast is just getting set up, and today is pancakes and fruit. Not my favorite.
We sit in my office. “This morning, our HR person will go through paperwork with you and your team while IT gets your computers set up on our system. Did Claire tell you about our team?”
“She did mention you had no female developers.”
I nod. “Some of these guys are pretty awkward around women, so if any comments are off the mark, or they give anyone a hard time, please let me know. We can pull HR in and talk to them.”
“We’ve all worked in tech for a while. We know the type.”
“I swear, they’re great guys.”
She holds up her hand. “I get it.” After a moment she adds, “I thought I would take my team out for lunch today.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Would you like Claire and me to join
