Page 69 of Matteo

It’s so different from how we were a few evenings ago, with her fingers tracing my skin. Making me feel things that shouldn't have even crossed my mind.

I'm relieved when the guys return with drinks and the chatter turns louder. The jokes start up again and laughter ripples around. I take a sip of my beer and try not to look in Elizabeth's direction.

The jukebox stops playing and suddenly the conversation is easier to hear.

“You must be at the end of your audit by now,” Alex says to Elizabeth. “We’ve not heard about your findings. Are they top secret?”

“I’ll be putting a report together soon,” she replies. I see the tightness in her expression and know she feels uncomfortable talking about it.

“How much more have you got to do?” Sonny asks.

“I am getting there,” she says, looking uneasy.

“Do you have to go and see the big boss with your findings?” Joel asks.

“Well, yes, but he’s busy a lot of the time, so I just email him my findings.” She quickly flicks a glance in my direction. Everybody looks at me.

“Boss, are you going to tell us what's going on?” asks Sonny.

“She's not quite finished her audit yet.” I look at Elizabeth, and see that her cheeks have turned redder. I hope the others don't notice. “We can have a meeting about it tomorrow, if you want,” I suggest to Elizabeth.

I think I hear her murmur a quiet. “Okay.”

“How are you finding it down in the dungeon with us?” One of the programmer guys asks Elizabeth.

“The dungeon?”

“That’s what we call the tech floor,” Joel explains. “No sunlight, too many cables, and Matteo stalking around looking stressed.”

The fucker. “I do not stalk,” I snap.

“You stalk, sometimes.” Alex backs him up immediately. Asshole.

Elizabeth smiles a little. “It’s been… interesting. I think I’ve already made half of you change your passwords.”

The guys groan in unison.

“She told me my password was a crime,” Sonny says.

“It was a crime,” Elizabeth replies, smiling. “You used your dog’s name and your birth year.”

Sonny looks offended. “How did you know that?”

Elizabeth smiles. “I’m very good at guessing passwords.”

Joel leans closer to her, a fucking wide grin on his face. “Remind me never to make you angry.”

I clench my teeth together. He so badly wants to go home with her. I take another sip of my beer and decide that I need to leave soon, before my head explodes. The rational part of my brain, as opposed to my dick, tells me that Joel isn't being inappropriate. He's just being Joel. Friendly, curious, and flirty. But I don't like how he’s sitting so close to Elizabeth. How he's leaning towards her. I don't like how she's turned slightly towards him. I don't like that she's laughing at every pathetic word that comes out of his fucking mouth.

He lifts his beer bottle and points it at her. “You should stay after the audit, you know. We could use someone like you. Someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”

She smiles politely, looking a little embarrassed. “I don’t think that’s up to me.”

“It should be,” Joel cries, then turns to me. “We should keep her, boss. She’s already more useful than half the team.”

This guy has never irritated me as much as he's doing right now. I look at him and then at her. The right thing to do would be to make a joke. To say, “Sure, maybe.” Or “We'll see.”

To say something normal and calm. But I’m in no mood for normal and calm.