Jack pointed his eyes down to it. “The drinks are free.”
“I didn’t know the password.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry about that. It’sHerculestonight.” He looked to the waiting bartender. “She’s with Apex.”
He nodded. “I’ll add it to the tab.”
“Thanks.” Jack leaned an elbow casually on the bar, facing me. “So what did you think of your first week?”
“It was a little overwhelming. Loads of meetings, but I learned a lot.”
“The data-science department is pretty big. Do you want to be a financial analyst?”
I shook my head. “I like the backend side of finance. My master’s is in mathematical and computational finance with an emphasis in quantitative algorithms.”
Jack sipped his drink and grinned. “I don’t even know what that means.”
“It’s just a fancy way of saying I’m a math geek who’s good at building computer models that help simplify quantum trading.”
Two guys I hadn’t met before walked over. One slung an arm around Jack’s neck. “Are you hiding in the corner trying to hog the pretty intern all to yourself?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m going to apologize in advance for these two boneheads. They lost a bet at the office and have to do shots every half hour.” He sighed and gestured between us. “Mo and Larry, this is Sutton Holland. The three of us work together in the legal department,” he explained. “Mo is in compliance, and Larry handles employment issues.”
The taller of the two held out his hand. “Ryan Seeling, and I’m actually theseniordirector of compliance, which is more superior than Jack’s mere director position. I’m also single, have no children, own my own apartment, and have an eight-ten credit score.”
I laughed. “What, no credit report for me to review?”
The other guy held up his hand. “Please. He has that and the results of his last physical saved in his phone. But I warn you, it’s in the same folder with his dick pics, and I’m going to poke my eyes out if I accidentally see that little thing again.”
Jack shook his head. “I work with idiots.”
An alarm sounded. Jack held up his phone. “It’s seven thirty. What’s it going to be, boys?”
“Vodka,” Ryan said. He looked to me. “Care to join us?”
Jack called the bartender over and ordered another round. I wasn’t a big shot drinker—or a big drinker at all, for that matter—though it felt like it the last two weeks.
But what the heck? I needed to relax. Today had been a day.
“You know what? I think I will join you for one.”
***
Ninety minutes later, I had a buzz going and I was about to knock back a third shot—or maybe it was afourth—when I felt a presence behind me. The change in Jack and his posse’s demeanor told me who it was, even if I hadn’t already felt it in my bones. They stood a little taller, faces falling sober.
“Gallo.” Jagger nodded. “I hope you’re not being inappropriate with our intern.”
“No, sir.” He shook his head. “We were just cutting loose a bit, that’s all.”
For all of his comments about the boss being a jerk, Jack certainly buckled fast enough in his presence. Though, not to worry, I wasn’t that easy. I glared at the CEO.
He held my eyes for a few seconds. It looked like he was trying to read what was on my mind, but then his attention moved to the bar, where a gaggle of shot glasses sat—a dozen empty and four new, full ones that had just been delivered. He gave me the once-over, stopping to stare at the near-empty drink in my hand before moving to stand next to me, facing the three men head on. “Excuse us, please.”
Jack hesitated, looking between me and the boss.
I shrugged, not exactly bothered by the thought of being alone with this gorgeous man—so I could tell him what a jerk he was. “It’s fine.”
Once it was just me and Jagger, I figured I needed the shot waiting for me on the bar more than ever. So I lifted it to my lips and sucked it back, slamming the glass back down.
