“I’m not opposed to negotiating harsh prices with other companies,” he explains, commanding my eyes to look up. “They have thebackbone to sustain it, and it’s the law of the market. But dealing with individuals, especially one of our employees, is different. Also, you’re a smart woman. You can find out the truth and sell it elsewhere.”
His justification makes sense, but the only thing I can think of is that he thinks I’m smart. I didn’t expect him to be this honorable.
“I already told you I wasn’t an asshole,” he reminds me. I flinch, disconcerted to see I’m so transparent. Kate always tells me my expressive face is terrible at hiding my feelings, and this might be proof of it. “So, do you want to do an initial assessment of what your work is worth?”
I nod energetically. Hell yeah, I do!
He goes around his desk and grabs the visitor’s chair—where I sat earlier—to settle it next to his in front of my computer. It isn’t a small, light chair, but some kind of heavy designer armchair, and he moves it easily, veins bulging in his forearms.
His lovely packaging has me forgetting all about the unpleasant interior.
It isn’t helping my case to know that this man has enough strength to lift me up against a wall, keep me there for a while, and barely break a sweat. A mental image of Alexander fucking me with passion against one of the walls of his office, his perfect naked body shining with perspiration as he ravages me with deep, hard, and powerful thrusts, makes its way into my brain.
The dry sound the chair makes when he settles it down takes me out of my naughty thoughts. Ugh, Idris is obviously not enough to contain my libido.
He literally just moved a chair, and that’s enough to make me feral.
We explore my work together while I avoid glancing at him as much as possible. I’m not very good at it.
He has a gorgeous profile, with a straight nose perfectly balanced with the rest of his features. In my fantasies, when he slowly kisses my heated skin, his mouth is always tantalizingly soft and gentle. Would it be the same in real life?
Lord, it’s ridiculous how much I’m drawn to him. I’m close enough to smell his cologne, something deep and heady, but he isn’t wearing too much of it, so it isn’t unpleasant. I observe the sharp line of his jaw, the grain of his skin and scruff…
Even when I force myself to stop peering at him, his smart brain is enough for my body to maintain a constant flush. I’m continually impressed by how quickly he catches up with my intentions, and how fast he comes up with ways to correct or improve problematic elements.
Forty-five minutes into our talk, I send a text to Oli. It’s clear that I can’t make it, as we’ve barely scratched the surface. Oli’s reply comes quickly, and my heart twinges as I read it. He insists it’s fine and expresses how proud he is of me.
I feel extremely guilty because a small part of me is relieved we won’t have our date tonight. And I hate myself for it.
But I’m distracted away from that as we go back to work. We spend another hour on everything, and I can’t get enough of Lex’s appreciation for my work. He’s aware of the immensity of what I programmed and voices it a few times throughout.
Eventually, when we reach the end of his appraisal, he leans back in his chair and silence fills the air. I slip my hands under my thighs, not sure what comes next. When it becomes awkward, I glance at him sideways. He’s holding his folded glasses, and his eyes are on me. There’s something unfamiliar in his gaze, almost as if he is enthralled. It’s strange, coming from the brooding man he is, but I guess this app could really be game-changing for the company.
For several seconds, he keeps looking at me strangely, until I clear my throat to break the awkward tension. That snaps him out of it, and he returns his attention to the complex script displayed on my laptop.
“Do you want to sell it to us, or would you rather explore your options?” he asks, very businesslike.
I don’t need to think much about it before saying, “I like Kelex’s values, and I know that a tool like this would be made accessible for all, unlike so many other companies. I’d rather know it’s in good hands than make more money. And I’d also love to be part of the team that brings it to the finish line. So, yes, I’d like to sell it to you.”
“Good,” he agrees with a nod. “We’re supposed to wait for the sale to come through before we can start working on it,” he says. “However, I would like it if we could start as soon as Monday. The app could be released in six months to a year, and I don’t want to waste a day.”
Wow, that’s even faster than I imagined. “I don’t see why we couldn’t. But I need some kind of contract stating that Kelex will make me a fair offer for the app so I’m sure I won’t get scammed.”
“I’ll have it prepared.”
“Oliver is already involved in the project, so I thought maybe I could work with him on it,” I suggest.
“No,” he counters dryly.No?What does he mean,no? “Mason and Steven are more qualified to work on it. They are far better when it comes to movement recognition, deep learning algorithms, and artificial intelligence. I’ll assign you a few people from the sub-dev team tohelp with smaller details. We’ll also get two or three people from the graphic department so they can start sketching and find a concept.”
Mace and Steven? Well, I have no problem with them. But I do feel sorry for Oli. He would love to work on this with me. It isn’t rare for us in the Troll’s Lair to help each other, so maybe we’ll get to work together, anyway. I’m honored that I’ll have my own little team to manage so soon after starting here.
“Alright, I’ll work in tandem with Mace and Steven, then.”
“No,” he counters with the same authority as before. “I’ll have your computer set up here. You’ll work with me.”
Naturally, I’m confused as fuck and think he’s messing with me. But his serious expression proves he isn’t, in fact, joking. My amusement dies instantly, and blood leaves my face.
What the hell just happened?!
