With my luck, Kate would try to serenade me
, he mused… then quickly shuffled through a few musical choices. Maybe “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye. The thought made him smile.
Maggie must have figured his smile was for her, and she pushed harder. “You can’t tell me you don’t want this,” Maggie said, arching her back just a touch.
“Actually,” he countered mildly, his drawl getting more pronounced with his annoyance, “I can all sorts of say that.”
She amped up the smile, obviously fighting to look sexy and not miffed. She reached for him, and he dodged like a boxer. “You can’t say you don’t want me. You just let guilt or work get in the way. Now you’re in a new state, you’re close to getting your soul back. You don’t have to fight it anymore.”
“Trust me, I’m not fighting anything.”
Except you
, he thought. “I’m not interested and, no offense, but I won’t be.”
She kept walking toward him, and he kept evading. Pretty soon, he thought she was going to start chasing him around the room like some stupid sex-farce, except it would be the secretary chasing the boss around the bed.
She huffed impatiently. “You’re just being stubborn,” she said. She cornered him, her eyes catlike with pleasure at trapping him. “One time with me, just make love to me
once
, and I promise any thoughts you have of anyone else will disappear. You’ll
thank me
.”
“No means no,” he said sharply. “Have you been drinking or something?”
All pretense of a smile left. “I’m not leaving this room until I get what I want.”
Now that was the Maggie he knew… and the main reason he wouldn’t sleep with her. “I need you to leave now, or I’m going to have to get a lot less gentlemanly.”
She stroked her breasts. “I want you to get a whole lot less gentlemanly,” she purred.
He sighed again. “Can’t say you weren’t warned.”
Then he moved in one quick strike, grabbing her around the waist and tossing her over his shoulder like she was a bag of oats. She went from a purr to a shriek of insult as he strode down the hallway, heading for the front door.
“Knock it off, Mags. I mean it,” Thomas said, tossing her unceremoniously out in front of the elevator. Then he shut the door on her screech, leaving her naked in the hallway. She kept on shrieking for a few minutes, then it went quiet.
“I imagine she’s going to be in a bad mood at the office tomorrow,” Yagi noted, walking out when the coast was clear, keeping the grin off his face. Almost, anyway.
Thomas rubbed his face with his hands. “She’ll get over it. I’ll steer clear of her tomorrow.” He thought about it, then prudently added, “And most of this week. Maybe this month, if I can swing it.”
“You realize you could just fire her.”
Thomas glared at him.
“I know she’s Elizabeth’s sister,” Yagi said quietly. “But she’s a grown woman. Just because Elizabeth took care of her doesn’t mean you are obligated to.”
Like the Al argument, this was another one they’d gone through, over and over.
“It’s not that easy, and you know it,” Thomas said. His phone rang. He glanced at it, sighed. Then he picked it up.
“How dare you!”
“Maggie, listen to me,” he said, letting his voice become sharper than it ever had with her. “I’m
not going to get together with you
.”
“You tossed me in the hallway naked!”
“You weren’t listening to me,” he countered. “That pushy, I-get-my-way thing might work on the other guys you’ve been with, but you should know better. That shit is
not
going to work with me.”
She paused for a fraction of a second, then he heard the wheedling note come back into her voice. “But I can give you what you need…”
He gritted his teeth. The woman was relentless. “Oh, really? The way you’ve been
giving
it to the mail guy, that guy from publicity, and one of our new limo drivers? Just in the past month?”
She was quiet for a second, and he felt guilt pick at him.
“I’m not judging you. I don’t give a damn who you sleep with,” he said. It was true. He didn’t care if she slept with the Fifth Fleet, if she’d get off his back. “I just know it’s not going to be me.”
“Who else have you got, Thomas?” she asked, surprising him. Apparently she was trying an entirely new tack—reasonableness. “Who else knows you, really knows you? And who else do you honestly think
could
love you, knowing everything I do?”
He was stunned into silence.
She shifted gears. “Elizabeth wouldn’t want you to live like this,” she wheedled, and the quick stab of pain cut deep. “I’ve known you for years. And no matter who else I’ve been with,
I love you
. Just let me show you how much you mean to me…”
“No,” he said quickly, appalled. “Sleep it off, Maggie.” He hung up before she could try another approach, and he shut off his phone.
He was still pensive when Yagi excused himself, heading to his own quarters. Thomas retreated to his bedroom, stripped off his clothes, and collapsed on his bed.
Who else do you honestly think could love you?
He pulled the cover over himself, frowning. No one could love him, knowing what he was. He stared at the ceiling, illuminated by the red glow of his alarm clock numbers. The room was like a cell.
It didn’t matter. He didn’t need love. Hell, it was love that had gotten him into this mess in the first place.
He was lonely, but he was alive. And he had bigger things to worry about than fucking loneliness.
When exhaustion finally overcame him, he thought he’d dream of Elizabeth again. Instead, there was a husky laugh, a great smile.
Ruby red hair.
For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep with a smile.
…
Kate watched as her best friend, Prudence “Prue” Mikai, stalked around the red felt pool table like a panther stalking prey. She lined up a perfect shot, smiling with a mix of Zen serenity and a touch of beat-that smugness. “So tell me what’s wrong, chica,” Prue instructed, chalking her cue.
Kate took a bitter draw on the Corona she’d been nursing for the better part of an hour, tasting the lime stuffed in the neck more than anything. It was warm, but she could only afford one, so she was trying to make it last.
“Oh, the usual,” Kate said, watching as Prue worked on clearing the table with measured precision. “Stone broke. Hate my job.”
“If you’re down, why the hell did you agree to meet with the douchetard?” Prue asked, her smooth, dark, coffee-complexioned face frowning.
“Actually, I contacted Tadpole,” Kate said.
This surprised Prue enough to have her miscue. “You called him? Why?”
Kate sighed, finally picking up her stick. She didn’t know why she bothered playing against Prue—Kate was a haphazard pool player at best—but she liked hanging out at the bar, Thalossa, with its brick walls and buzz of conversation.
“I needed a favor.” She lined up the cue, biting her bottom lip in concentration.
“Something tech, I suppose,” Prue drawled. “Although I have to wonder what the kid’s gonna want in return.”
Kate groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
After a long moment, Prue leaned one shapely hip against the pool table. “You know, they will have to close down at some point. Wanna make that shot while we’re still in our twenties?”
Kate hit the ball. It wobbled, careening off two others before sinking one.
“Luck,” Prue said with a laugh. “Total slop.”
“I’ll take what I can get.”
“So will Tadpole,” Prue added. “What did you agree to?”
Kate frowned, biting her lip again.
“You’re blushing. This is bad,” Prue said. “You aren’t going to sleep with him, are you?”
Kate jerked back, hitting the cue ball so it nudged forward two inches.
“My shot,” Prue said, but didn’t lean over the table. Instead, she stood in front of Kate, crossing her arms. “There’s weird stuff at work here. C’mon. Air break.”
They relinquished the table to a pair of wanna-be white gangstas who were probably college students, then headed out to the cool and quiet of the sidewalk. “Please, please tell me you’re not sleeping with him.”
Kate tasted the sour bitterness of bile and beer. “I will throw up if you say that again. And no.”
“So what’s the big deal?”
“Agreed to a date,” Kate said, rubbing her hand over her face. “And I do
not
want to think about it.”
“A date?” Prue’s brown eyes bugged out. “What, is he hacking into the Pentagon?”
“Nothing that desperate,” Kate answered. “But he is going to come up with a scanning program for me in a rush. He basically said he’d drag his feet if I didn’t agree to go to dinner with him.”
“He’s finally making his move,” Prue said. “I’d feel sorry for him, if he weren’t such an ass.”
“He’s nice enough when he’s not being hyper. Or horny,” Kate said. “Just his own worst enemy, I guess.”
“Uh-huh.” Prue’s gracefully curved eyebrow went up.
Kate crossed her arms defensively. “He’s a nerd. He’s one of my people.”
“
So
one of yours.” Prue agreed. “So why did you need the help of a hacker?”
“For the job.” When Prue stared at her blankly, Kate rolled her eyes. “Fiendish. You know.”
“You mean the job you don’t want? The job that sucks?”
“It’s complicated.” Kate rolled her neck a little. “Gotta pay rent now, for one thing.”
“What, you’re moving out already?”
“No. Still living with my parents.” Kate frowned, seeing Prue’s surprised expression. “I’m paying them rent. Which makes sense, right? I mean, I lost my apartment, but I’ve got to pull my weight. I’m twenty-nine, not twelve.”
Then Prue sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders. “You could live in my loft for free,” she said quietly. “You basically lived on my floor all through college anyway.”
The instant, unconditional generosity cheered Kate more than the beer or anything else that had happened this week.
“Thanks, Prue. You know I love you like a sister,” Kate said, swallowing hard against tears that were choking her. There was no way she could accept Prue’s generosity, though. In a weird way, it would probably make her feel like even more of a failure—the fact that Prue didn’t expect anything.
Besides, it had been different when they were in college. Now, Prue’s chic, open loft was like a Zen monastery. Kate knew that, like sisters, the two of them would probably clash when it came to actually living together. She chuckled. “But I don’t think I could live in a vegan house. I need meat.”
“This so sucks,” Prue said. “But at least they pay you well, right? The head guy, what’s his name… he owns the top selling video game company, and all those night clubs, and the clothing lines, and that crazy theme-park island for rich people. He’s got to be rolling in the cash.”
“Yeah, he’s rich.”
“I hear he’s hot, too.”
“Hotter,” Kate said without thinking. Her skin tingled a little.
“Really.”
Prue wiggled her eyebrows. “Dish.”
“He’s got these great eyes. Blue eyes,” Kate said, picturing him easily. “And dark brown hair with kind of a wave to it, like artistically mussed without being contrived about it, so he looks a little just-got-out-of-bed-but-I-still-look-sexy.” Then she remembered Maggie’s picture of him shirtless. “And the guy’s yoked. Seriously. You wouldn’t think it with the suit, and trust me, he
works
the suit, but…”
Kate trailed off at Prue’s open amusement.
“Somebody’s hot for bossman.”
“He’s good looking is all I’m saying,” Kate answered, feeling her cheeks burn as Prue laughed. “Any woman with a pulse would fantasize about him. But he’s Mr. Corporate. Super successful, super rich, super everything.” She thought about the Basement Boys. “And his company is basically evil.”
“You think all big companies are evil,” Prue pointed out. “Except for your dependence on Starbucks.”
“Starbucks is the exception. They…” Kate took a deep breath. “We’re not having the Starbucks argument, Prue.”
Prue laughed, a loud, rich sound. “Sorry. You’re too easy.”
“The thing is… there are these guys I’m working with,” Kate said, and slowly, the words tumbled out. Prue’s eyes got rounded as she listened.
“No lunch? No breaks? I bet they don’t get paid overtime, either, if that’s the kind of treatment they’re getting. ‘Contract workers.’ What kind of bullshit is that?” Prue spat out. “Don’t they have a union rep? You’ve got to tell somebody!”
“Tell who what?” Kate countered, shaking her head. “I’m a damned temp. Who’s going to believe me?”
Prue’s eyes blazed. “Still. You’ve got to do something.”
“I’m doing what I can,” Kate shot back. “Come on, Prue. You know me.”
Prue nodded slowly. “So you’re pulling a work-around.”
“Just like at Uncle Felix’s—he always tried stupid stuff when it came to labor laws. I can fix this. Unfortunately, it means dealing with Tad.” Kate sighed. “Which I wouldn’t, but these guys really are in a bad situation. If I can help them get the work done faster, more efficiently, hopefully this asshole boss of theirs will get off their backs.”
“You can’t save everyone.”
“I’m not saving anybody,” Kate countered. “I’m just trying to help a little. A couple of Ho Hos and a text recognition program doesn’t make me Mother Theresa.”
“So how’s the program supposed to help?”
“They’re going through thousands of pages, looking for a symbol like this.” Kate pulled the page she’d let Tad copy out of her bag. “This guy, the Overseer, is going to punish them if they don’t find a match in a week. The computer will make it
so
much easier. I’m actually surprised Thomas didn’t think of it himself. I thought he wrote a video game when he was a kid, and that’s how he made his first million or something… He was a computer geek back in the day.”
Of course, no computer geek she’d ever met looked that smokin’ hot, so she figured she was probably wrong on that one.
Prue’s eyes narrowed, and she held the paper, staring at it. “This looks familiar.”
“Lot of that going around,” Kate said dryly, thinking of Tad’s response.