I swallow. A different sense of urgency grips me—as if this moment is somehow pivotal to my career, and that if I continue screwing it up, I’ll be fucked. I wrack my brain for something that might get to her.
“Let me take you out for a drink when we’re back.” Tomorrow’s a travel day, but everyone will be back in HQ the day after.
“I can’t, I have work. You’re the one who demanded I stay chained to my desk all day and night. Unlike you, I can’t show up whenever and leave whenever.”
“The drink will still be work.” I clench my jaw, realizing I need to say the words. “I… want your help.” When her expression remains unmoved, I force out, “Please.”
She pauses. Her eyes narrow in assessment, and she sweeps a long look over me. Finally, she says, “Fine. But it’ll be a work drink.”
“I’ll put it on the team card,” I say drily.
“And you’ll answer whatever personal questions I ask.”
“No.”
“Then good luck finding someone else willing to help you. You’ve been a complete prick to everyone for much longer than you’ve been a prick to me.”
Fuck,she’s right. My track record on the team isn’t great, and out of all the staff, she’s the one I’ve been a jerk to for the shortest amount of time.
“Only if those personal questions factor into you helping me.”
Why am I pushing this so hard?I could track down any engineer and demand they set aside time to strategize with me. They would because that’s what they’re paid to do… but they’d probably half ass it. It’s abundantly clear that the only time of day anyone’s willing to give me will ultimately be to the benefit of Elio.
But it’s more than that. I’m here because I want her help.
“And I want an apology.”
My head jerks back. “Forwhat?”
“For all the shit you’ve given me. For blaming your failures on me, for exiling me from the pit, for being a massive fucking headache for no reason.”
That’s a fair demand, but… “No. That’s a stone too far, sweetheart.” I pause. “If I see improvements, I’ll give you your apology.”
“If you want to improve, you have to work with me. I very much doubt you’ll make it through a single drink before dismissing me, but we’ll see.” She rakes an astute gaze over me. “Go back to whatever cave you crawled out of. I’ll see you at HQ.”
Chapter Fifteen
Victoria
Idon’t expect Asher to hold to his offer of a drink after work, but he does. What’s more, he’s in HQ all day when we get back, practicing in the sim suite and talking to Thomas about his car.
It’s a stark, sudden shift to his previous routine of avoiding HQ at all costs and ignoring everything about his car. Of choosing to ignore reason and strategy and instead doing whatever he felt like.
I tell myself that this is a one-off, to not get my hopes up in case he reverts to the absolute idiot he’s been conducting himself as up until now. But when I check his numbers from the sim suite, I’m somewhat encouraged.
It looks like he’s been practicing with X-mode for thirty laps in a row. By lap twenty-five, he started gaining time.
Huh.
He strolls into the analysts’ cave shortly before 6p.m. I’m at war with my computer, testing different formulas for emotions; he wears his usual grumpy expression, but it’s not quite as severe as it usually is.
“Intern.” He props a hip on my desk, blocking my view of mycomputer.
I look up at him. “Asshole.”
Is this becoming our customary greeting?
He flicks a glance over me. “Where’d the glasses go? You were rocking the hot-nerd look.”
