I shook my head. “Will is being kind.”
“I doubt it.” He lifted his chin to the board. “I’m just going to watch. Don’t let me interrupt the flow.”
Jagger stayed in the back of the room while everyone went back to work. The team didn’t seem half as distracted by his presence as I felt. I glanced over my shoulder a few times, and his stare always met mine.
After a while, he slipped into the chair next to me. “You’ve been putting in long hours,” he whispered.
“Are you watching the cameras again?” I lowered my voice. “Did I just figure out you’re also a voyeur?”
He grinned and leaned closer. “That’s never been my thing…yet.” His hot breath tickled my neck and set my body on fire. Actually, who was I kidding? Just him sitting this close was enough to do that. His breath on my skin was a bonus. “The card you use to swipe into and out of the building every day leaves a trail.”
“And you were following that trail, looking for…”
Jagger took a deep breath. “Thought I asked you not to wear that perfume.”
I grinned. “You did.”
He chuckled. It was a deep rumble that vibrated, and I felt it between my legs.
Will finished plugging new numbers into the mile-long equation on the board and stepped back. “My brain is melting. Anyone want to work through this one?”
I raised my hand. “I’d love to.”
He smiled and capped the dry-erase marker, setting it on the edge of the board. “You got it.”
I got up, but Jagger stopped me. “Hang on a moment. Will seems to think I’ve lost my touch. What do you say we have a friendly competition?”
“What do you mean?”
He pointed to the board. “I’ll take a picture and work through it with pen and paper over here while you use the whiteboard.”
I grinned. “I’m in.”
It took almost two hours for me to finish. Capping the marker, I raised my hands in the air. “Done!”
Will and the team laughed and applauded while Jagger folded his arms over his chest. “And did the result match what the algorithm produced?”
I nodded.
Will walked to the front of the room. “She not only found the error, she proved the updated algorithm works.”
I smiled, and Jagger narrowed his eyes at me.
“You two should’ve made a bet,” Will said. “The boss and I used to wager on IPO stock picks—me using a full day’s math and him shooting from the hip—but I got tired of bringing him his morning coffee while wearing an apron that saidI’m the boss’s bitch.”
Jagger chuckled. “I almost forgot about that. I think I still have that thing in a cabinet in my office, if you want to go another round.”
Will shook his head. “No thanks.”
Jagger leaned back in his chair and looked over at me. “What would you have wanted to win if we’d bet?”
A thought not suitable for mixed company went through my head. I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was just for fun.”
Will pointed to me. “Don’t forget you get bragging rights. Kicking that man’s ass would be at the top of my resume.”
Jagger rubbed his lip with his thumb. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you better than bragging rights. You let me know what you’d like as your prize, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Will patted my shoulder. “I hope you ask for a full-time job, kid. I could use you on my team.” He looked at his watch, then at the other team members. “It’s seven o’clock already. You all look wiped out. Let’s get out of here. We’ll clean this mess up on Monday. Thank you for all your hard work this week.”
