“Three timeth,” Steven corrects with a lisp. “Then they made uth thtop.”
Just like that, it starts all over again for Mace and me. I can’t even breathe at this point. “Bitch, we finna ask the hotel for the security feed. I gotta see that,” Mason says through tears of laughter.
Oliver is amused as well but isn’t laughing, just like Joseph. Lex, however, looks furious. “You can’t do your presentation tomorrow,” he states, barely containing his anger.
It kills our laughter at once. Shit, that is true. The presentation.
“I can wear makeup,” Brian proposes. We all know the swelling won’t recede enough for that by tomorrow morning.
“And maybe I can get my tooth fixthed.”
“Do you have the missing piece?” Oliver asks.
“Uh… I think I thwallowed it.”
Mason makes a strangled noise next to me, and I do my damned hardest not to laugh, either. Shit, this is ridiculous.
Lex pinches the bridge of his nose, struggling to remain composed. We wait while he thinks about all this intently, his clever mind searching for a solution. When he figures out the proper course of action, he’s serious and contained.
“Oliver, you know the app well, right? You worked with them on it.”
“Yeah, I think I could present it.”
“Good,” Lex approves with a nod. Brian lets out a high-pitched noise, halfway between a squeal and a whimper. Our boss immediately turns to him with a hard glare. “What now?”
Steven is the one to explain, “Maybe I had the prototype with me, becauthe we thought we’d work on it. And maybe it kind of broke when I landed on it.”
“You broke the prototype.”
“Yeth.”
“The $150,000 prototype,” Lex insists, eerily calm about it. We all wince at the reminder of the price.
When Steven nods, Lex closes his eyes with barely contained frustration. “That’s my fault,” he mumbles to himself. “I shouldn’t have encouraged them to drink.”
I genuinely don’t know how it does it, butwhen he opens his eyes again, he doesn’t blow up at the guys, almost composed. “Brian, get your eye checked before heading to the convention. Steven, you decide if you’d rather see someone now or when we return to Seattle. Andrea,” he continues, taking me by surprise, “you’ll have to present your application.”
Hold up.“What?”
“You’ll present the ASL app tomorrow.”
Shit. No. No, no, no. I’m not ready. The app isn’t ready. I can’t do it. I can’t prepare a presentation for three hundred people overnight. I can’t even speak in front of that many people.
“Lex, no. Please,” I beg.
“We don’t have a choice,” he insists. “Canceling now would be unprofessional and poorly received. That’s not even considering the missed opportunity. I’ll help you get ready this afternoon. We can’t miss that chance, Andrea.” I can see he’s sorry for the turn of events, but it’s clear we’re cornered and have no other choice.
Shit, I don’t want to do the presentation, but I also don’t want to let him down. I can’t tell if it’s because he is my boss or because of the intimacy we share, but I don’t want to disappoint him.
Slowly, I nod, my eyes fixed on his.
Because of the change of plans, I have to meet with Lex later this afternoon so he can help me prepare for the presentation. I’m not looking forward to it, but it’s not like I have a choice. The positive thing about him being a jerk is that I won’t be tempted by him. If he remains insufferable, I’m certainly not going to let him touch me.
He has his glasses on when he opens the door, and his hair looks like he’s passed his hand through it over and over. Given his frown, I can tell he’s preoccupied. Although it isn’t a particularly sexy mood, I always like him better when he seems less perfect. He’s wearing a simple gray T-shirt with jeans, and his sneakers are immaculately white.
“Come in,” he invites, moving to the side.
My face flushes as I look around, memories of our first night in San José flooding me. My eyes slide to the half-opened bedroom door, where I can see the bed we fucked on for hours. Well, there goes my determination not to be tempted.
