Her cheeks flush, and a nervous laugh bubbles up. “Shit. I’m going to regret this,aren’tI?”
My first genuine smile of the night eases the strain of the past few hours. “I promise to go easy on you. So what do you say? All day andnight?”
“I’m yours.” She quirks a brow. “What are wedoing?”
“A man’s got to have some secrets. I’ll pick you up at eleven—with coffee. After that, it’s needtoknow.”
“Bastard.” She grins and pulls the covers up to her chin. “Just for that, no more peep show for you.” An odd expression flickers over her features, but before I can ask her if she’s all right, she settles back against the pillows with a sigh. “I couldn’t sleep before you called—and now I’m too aroused. Tomorrow’s going to be one long-assday.”
“Why couldn’t yousleep?”
“This job is getting to me. I don’t understand. My code was running flawlessly until this week. Now, all of a sudden, whenever I try to test it on the new server we bought for the hotel, it wigs out on me. With Lucas supervising the cabling, I don’t have anyone to help me figure this out, and I’mstumped.”
“I don’t know crap about programming. I can handle a universal remote and my Xbox, but that’s about it. But when I’m frustrated and I can’t see my way clear, sometimes taking a step back helps. I’m wiped, but we could play a littleCall of Dutyif you thinkit’dhelp.”
“I wish. Save that for the weekend, soldier. I’ll own that tight ass ofyours.”
“I’m countingonit.”
* * *
Cam
Nursing my second glass of scotch, I watch Lucas flirt with the bartender. His shoulders shake with laughter, and he tucks a dread behind his ear as the tattooed man with a beard to rival the hippest of hipsters mixes Lucas's manhattan. With happy hour long over, and the rest of the company gone, I asked Lucas to have another round with me. By the time his drink sloshes into the glass, he’s jotting digits on a cocktail napkin. He floats back to the table, a silly grin plumping hischeeks.
“Smooth, Luc. You thinkhe’llcall?”
His phone buzzes on the table, and Lucas glances at the device, then back at the bartender. “Just did.” He types a quick reply and then tucks his phone away. “You sure you don’t need to go seeloverboy?”
“You just want me to cut you loose so you can go back to flirting.” I brush my finger over the rim of my glass, the tumbler warming in my hand. “We need to talk about theotherday.”
The easy camaraderie we’d enjoyed with the rest of the company around us slips away, and Lucas purses his lips as he stares over my shoulder. My discomfort festers as I wait, and desperate for a distraction, I glance around the crowded bar. The awkward first date behind us can’t get past a discussion of the guy’s new computer, while to our left, three women toast with the brightest blue drinks I’ve ever seen and complain about the lack of eligible bachelors their age. When Lucas meets my gaze again, sadness lingers. “You’re going to tell Royce,aren’tyou?”
“No. But if you’re really planning on leaving, you have to tell him soon.” I settle back in my chair, trying for my best boss stare. “You heard him tonight. Emerald City only works if we’re all invested. As soon as this job’s done, we need to finalize the facial recognition module for ZoomWare. With the state Oversight’s in right now, I won’t be able to do that unless I have a kick-ass programmer at my side.” I soften my tone as his eyes have taken on a bit of a shimmer. “I want you to run theinstall.”
He fiddles with the cherry stem jutting from his drink, and I have to strain to hear his next words. “You wanted me to handle all the debugging for Coana. Look how thatturnedout.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Royce made the call, but…” Shame flushes my cheeks, mixing with the warmth from the scotch. “I’ll talk to him—get him to promise he’ll never ask you to pull cableagain.”
“That’s not enough.” At my frown, he sighs heavily. “I suck. I know. Royce gave me a job when no one else would. I owe him for that. You too, as I’m pretty sure you went to batforme.”
“I just told him what a fan-fucking-tastic coder you were. Nothing more.” The situation’s slipping through my fingers, and I can’t manage to say the one thing I want to.I’m sorry I letyoudown.
He takes a sip of his drink, nods, and turns his attention to the napkin under his glass. “You’ve taught me a lot, Cam. Got me on VetNet, helped me work through some of my demons. And you gave me a chance to get certified in Python, turned my rusty skills into something marketable, helped me write my first app. I love working with you. But I’m always going to be secondfiddle.”
“No, you’re not. Luc, we’re about to have more clients than we know what to do with. Once word of Oversight gets out and we have a couple of glowing testimonials, I’ll need you to take the lead on multiple projects—and I won’t be there to back you up because I’ll be dealing with projects ofmyown.”
“Even so…Oversight is your system. Your code. Sure, Emerald City owns it, but if things go the way we all hope, the world is going to know that Camilla Delgado is the genius behind it.” The passion in his voice surprises me, but he’s right, and I don’t have an easy retort. “I want my own Oversight. Something that’sjustmine.”
I nod, twisting my napkin in my lap. “When did you start looking for another job?” I don’t want to know, don’t want to face the fact that Lucas didn’t feel he could talk to me. I can count my friends on one hand, and right now, I feel like I’mlosinghim.
“Two months ago.” He looks away, and a muscle ticks in his jaw. “After the FoodKingjob.”
I cringe, then finish the rest of my scotch in a single swallow, the alcohol burning as much as Lucas's secrets. “You saved my ass onthatone.”
Lucas traces a furrow in the scarred wood of the table. “I wanted to prove myself. I thought if I did everything right, Royce would give me my own project. Catching that unhandled exception waspureluck.”
“Without the Coana job, he would have.” Even I hate how empty my wordssound.
