“Um, er, I, ah.”
Her phone buzzed and she looked guiltily at it.
“Oh my God! You were having phone sex in the supply room?” Sasha whispered. “I swear you two are like rabbits.”
She was right. But after Cassie’s surprise Friday night, something had changed in this thing between Ian and her. He hadn’t wanted to disconnect after their mind-blowing sex. Sasha had freed Cassie before escaping, but then she and Ian had stayed up half the night talking. They’d spent the weekend chatting online, talking on the phone and even having a movie night last night. They’d both watched the same movie on HBO, ate popcorn and talked the evening away before submerging themselves in heated passion well into the night. They’d had lots of sex over the weekend, but it was different, more emotional.
“For goodness’ sake, you haven’t even kissed the man!” Sasha all but laughed. “I can’t get into a relationship with a guy without knowing if he’s a good kisser.”
Cassie shrugged as she uselessly adjusted her shirt and headed back to her desk. “This is different.”
“You, girl, are falling for him like a ton of bricks.”
“So?” Cassie mumbled.
Sasha sighed and tugged at Cassie’s arm so she’d look up. “Just be careful. There are company rules about this kind of stuff. And I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“There are rules about letting a man watch me masturbate?” Cassie asked with false innocence.
Sasha smirked. “Technicality, my dear. Anyway, just play it cool.”
“Yes, Mother.” Cassie rolled her eyes. “Just so you know, Ian and I finished up our work on the project this morning, acceptance testing successfully completed and documentation finalized. We signed off on everything, and now he’s on his way to a meeting with his boss to close out the assignment. So there. We didn’t let our personal lives interfere with our work.”
Sasha gave her a placating look. “I never said you’d botch your job for a little dick action.” After they both chuckled, Sasha sobered. “What happens now that your project is over?”
Cassie hadn’t wanted to think about that. Logically, she knew they’d go their separate ways. This was just a little digital romance, and now that their project was finished, it didn’t make sense to continue it. Ian lived out west, and Cassie knew it wouldn’t be healthy to carry on seeing him like this. It’d just keep her from getting out there and having real dates with men who could actually touch her.
So why did her heart ache each time she thought about calling it quits? She didn’t really have to ask herself that question. She knew the truth. She was falling in love with him, and the more time she spent with him, the faster she was falling. What was she going to do about him?
“I don’t know,” she finally answered. Because deep down, that was the only answer that made any sense.
Ian sat at the conference room table with Mac and the bigwigs that’d flown in this morning. He sat, facing what felt like his executioners. He knew he wasn’t losing his job, but Cassie was going to, and he was so attached to her now that he felt as if this were happening to him. And he felt like shit for his hand being forced in her downfall.
After his personal meeting with Mac yesterday afternoon, Ian had given Cassie a lame excuse about having plans with his brother last night and had spent the evening getting drunk.
His hangover didn’t help his self-reproaching woes this morning.
He was an asshole. There was no bigger asshole than him. Regardless of how he felt about engaging in a digital relationship with Cassie in the beginning—it was something new to try with a woman he’d had a thing for—it turned out to be so much more. In this relationship he expected her to trust him to see to her sexual needs. But those were the only needs he sought to protect. And in that, he was a hypocrite. She’d given him all her trust. She hadn’t rationed it out, only giving it to him in one aspect of her life. She trusted him fully. And what had he done? He hadn’t trusted her enough to open up about what he had to do. It didn’t matter that Mac told him to keep quiet about her office closing. He should have been honest with her.
“We’re pleased you were able to stop by before your trip to the other offices,” Mac said to the executives at the table.
They all chitchatted as everyone settled down and prepared for the meeting ahead.
“Mr. Winthrop, Mr. Cartwright, Mrs. Downing, I hope you’ve had an opportunity to view the consolidation plan Ian Cope has prepared via directive from me regarding the initiative to consolidate the southern office I’ve been overseeing,” Mac stated as he glanced at Ian in recognition. He was a little surprised by that. He didn’t want any part of this mess, but it was unlike Mac to share any glory, no matter how bloody the battle.
“We have, and we agree with the assessment. Closing that office will save millions and increase our cash flow, which is needed for the new direction of our software products. Did you build the generic prototype we want to market to the security industry?” Mr. Winthrop asked.
“Yes sir.” Mac pulled up the application on the overhead projector and showed how seamlessly it could be modified to fit individual client needs. He droned on and on while Ian shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
He had to do something. He owed it to Cassie to try to save her job, but these jokers were only interested in the bottom line, and it really did make sense to close that location. It didn’t matter, though. He would try something. When the conversation drifted back to the office closure and off new product development, Ian found his window.
“With the level of expertise in the southern office on this particular application, it might make sense
