The Nerds and the CEO (The Nerd Love Equation, #5) Read online

  “What does that have to do with the failed beta on Monday?” she asked.

  “Monday night was a fluke. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Right. Because you didn’t roll out a beta, because you have a tight deadline and you promised your board and investors you were dedicating all of your resources to meeting that schedule.”

  She was hitting closer to home than he cared for.

  “Exactly.” He tried to meet her gaze but couldn’t. He settled for focusing on something behind her, and prayed she wouldn’t notice.

  “And if I go ask Justin, he’ll feed me the same story about what PP stands for?”

  Why wasn’t she dropping this? “He’ll tell you the same thing I did.”

  “Because in the amount of time it takes me to find his office on the top floor, you’ll let him know I’m on my way and why?”

  “Because he already knows.”

  Justin was a better liar than Antonio was. If she decided to go up there, she’d run into a brick wall. Especially if she and Justin let themselves get as distracted as the last time they were in a room together. Antonio bit back a scowl at the thought.

  She pursed her lips. “You can’t do something that’s going to threaten your stance with the board.”

  “I agree. We’re not doing anything.”

  “No, you’re not. We’ll have the UI conversation when I’m done talking to Justin.” She turned on her toe and headed toward the elevators.

  Antonio thought about chasing her down, but a niggle of relief kept him in his chair. If she knew, there was no more need to hide this secret. No more waiting for the other shoe to drop and wondering when she’d find out and tell Grant.

  He clenched his fist hard enough his knuckles ached. She was going to tell Grant. Fuck.

  Chapter Nine

  “MERCY’S TURNED YOUR name into an effective curse word,” Andrew said.

  Justin rolled his eyes at the phone, but he’d taken the call willingly and was grateful for the friendly distraction. “I thought you resigned from being her guard dog.”

  A note from Antonio popped on his monitor. Incoming. I promise all she has is a name and a handful of assumptions

  Justin didn’t need to ask for details. He could make assumptions of his own.

  “I did.” Andrew sounded like this was the least of his concerns. Then again, that was typical for him. “I’m the messenger. Nothing more. I don’t care that you brought the entire site down.”

  “It’s your site.”

  “It’s data collection. Oh no. I might have to guess on my own which fetishes are trending next.” Andrew owned Smut Central, one of the largest internet-porn distributors in the world.

  Justin chuckled at the light sarcasm. It was one of the reasons they were testing PP with Andrew. The man had an instinct for what kinks were hot, and the goal was to see if PP’s algorithms could match or even beat human experience. “If you’re that blasé about my impending doom, thanks to Mercy’s wrath, you called because...?” If Justin didn’t cut to the chase, he’d get sucked into an hour-long conversation. Tempting but counterproductive.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re a busy man with a busy life. This is a social call. One of Susan’s classes is competing in San Francisco in a few weeks. She was wondering if those cute gay friends of mine are free for dinner.”

  “Her words?” It was an old joke. When Justin met Mercy in Brazil, she misunderstood his preferences and set him up with a friend of Andrew’s. Who turned out to be Antonio. After the night Justin shared with Emily, though, Andrew’s question tugged at a thought Justin didn’t care to examine too closely.

  “My words.” Andrew said. “She actually bothers to remember people’s names. It’s a neat trick. Someday I’ll get her to teach me. But I figured we’d drive into town for the day if you two are free.”

  The chance to catch up, unwind, and do something besides pound toward conflicting deadlines was tempting. “I can’t say yet. This thing is devouring every free minute. I need an extra day in the week as it is.”

  A knock drew Justin’s attention, and he looked up to see Emily standing in the doorway, lips pursed and cheeks flushed. Time to cut the conversation short. “If you’re willing to pencil me in, I’ll give you a definite yes or no next week,” he said to Andrew.

  “Will do. Do you think Antonio has five minutes? Is he still around?”

  Justin glanced at Emily again—the crossed arms and the furrow of her brow—then back at the message on his screen. “Odds are good. I’ll send you over.” Based on the clues, Antonio should welcome the distraction.

  Justin blind transferred the call, then gave Emily his full attention. He wasn’t sure how to approach her. The flirting they fell into on Monday probably wasn’t appropriate. That didn’t stop the swell of her lips and tapping of her foot from being alluring.

  And she was still watching him with expectation.

  He settled on, “I have a meeting in five minutes. What’s up?”

  “You have a meeting at five thirty-seven? You really do schedule your time down to the last minute.”

  “I do.”

  She stepped in the room and kicked the door shut behind her.

  That was a bit odd and presumptive.

  “Promiscuous Perks,” she said.

  Ice slid through his veins, but he shook it off. Antonio warned she had a name. Which also meant she now had a piece of lucrative information to use against Justin. Not that she needed to know that. “It’s catchy.” He kept his expression and tone neutral. “Are you thinking of taking what you learn here and competing with us?”

  She lingered near the door. “Picture me pretending to be offended you think I’d break my non-disclosure and non-compete agreements. If I did that, I’d come up with a name you’re not already using.”

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about. If Antonio hasn’t given you access to the development timeline yet, make sure he does that. You’ll see we’re maxed out on man hours until we make this beta.”

  “The one you rolled out Monday night?”

  He couldn’t hide his wince. If all she had was assumptions, she’d put some pretty significant pieces together, to arrive at them. If he couldn’t bury the truth, maybe he could sell her on the idea enough to buy her silence. It was a long shot, but the harder he pushed her away, the more curious she’d get. If she was at this point, after less than a week, it was time to try a new approach. A desperate play, but his reserves were drained. “Do you have time right now, or are you headed home?”

  “It depends.” She eyed him suspiciously.

  He gestured to the table, on the opposite end of his office, and the chairs around it. He stood and approached his whiteboard. “I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncrossed her arms, then took a seat.

  “I need you to use your imagination for a moment, if you will.” The phrasing was an intentional reminder of Saturday night.

  Her frown said she knew it. “All right.”

  “Picture an application that’s been collecting buyer information from thousands of vendors for the last five years. Not in a nefarious, big-brother kind of way, but anonymously. The system doesn’t care who bought what.” He sketched as he talked. Shapes connected with lines. A data structure. “Every piece of data is a number, and it only cares what the patterns are across numbers.”

  “You mean... kind of like what APPropriate Designs does?”

  “Exactly like that. The system is robust. Over the years, with the right people working on it, it’s become an artificial intelligence that can guess who’s moving into a stable relationship, based on how often they buy new windshield wipers.” This was gross oversimplification at its finest, but if she caught on as quickly as Antonio said, she understood that.

  She didn’t look impressed. “I have an idea how the system works, yes.”

  “Perfect. You’re still imagining, right?”

  “Sure.�
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  “Once a structure like that is in place, who’s to say it has to be restricted to sales? If it can predict when someone is going to be in the market for diamonds, it should also be able to tell—based on grades, courses taken, the content of completed assignments, etcetera—whether or not someone will struggle in school.”

  She sat up straighter, and the glazed-over look vanished from her eyes. “Really.” Curiosity replaced the boredom in her voice. “Could you go so far as to say if they’re falling behind because they’re bored, versus unable to keep up?”

  “That’s precisely what it does.” This was too easy. True, it was his plan, but he didn’t expect her to fold with a few words.

  “It’s brilliant. You’ve got this slated down the road, for a future release after you meet this deadline?”

  He mentally facepalmed. “This is Promiscuous Perks.”

  “Got it. Deceptive codename, to hide the fact you’re working on something you’re not funded for.”

  “Working off-hours. Why do you think we’re always here late?”

  “Except it’s not limited to off hours, because one of your developers asked about it during the day.” Her expression softened. “It’s an amazing idea, and if it comes close to what I’ve seen, it’ll be brilliant in execution. Make your deadline, get the board’s sign-off, and then fit it into the schedule.”

  He wasn’t going to lose his cool over this. She wasn’t trying to be condescending; she simply didn’t know the history. He tempered his response. “I understand what you’re saying, and it’s reasonable. Or it was, two and a half years ago. And then eighteen months ago. And then six months ago, when the shareholders told us the same thing each time. They don’t think there’s money in education. They keep vetoing us.”

  “Which sucks. I get it. But you’re operating on someone else’s capital. You don’t get to tell them you’re using it for one thing, and then apply it to something else.”

  “That’s funny. I could have sworn your title was Development Consultant. I didn’t realize you’d be involved in finance.” He needed to watch himself. If he made this personal, he’d already lost.

  When she clenched her jaw, a smudge of satisfaction flitted inside him. He wasn’t the only one this was rubbing wrong.

  Her smile looked strained—more teeth than joy. “My job is to figure out why you’re not meeting your deadlines, and make sure you do. I’ve spent most of the week trying to uncover why it’s a problem. Antonio runs a solid team. The company as a whole is put together well. There are none of the warning signs I see in most collapsing businesses.”

  “Because we’re not in danger of crumbling.”

  “Unless you lose your funding, because—I don’t know—someone can’t keep their ego in check?”

  “This isn’t about vanity.” His voice rose. He didn’t care. “It’s a solid fucking idea, and it’s got far-reaching benefits.”

  She stomped to her feet, which put her a few inches away. “I’m not saying otherwise. But pursuing it this way? Risking everything for the people around you? That’s your pride. There’s a way to do these things, and this isn’t it.”

  “If I did things the same way as everyone else, I’d have a net worth of nothing and be pitching my idea to any poor sod unfortunate enough to stand next to me in a line. Instead, I’m here. We built this because we’re not in the habit of falling in line. We’re pursuing PP to keep from losing that momentum. I won’t be another face in a sea of forgettable apps. A flash in the pan. The guy everyone says he used to be someone, but he couldn’t adapt. Fuck that. There’s no point in doing this if I’m pursuing someone else’s dream while mine collects dust in the hanger.” He clipped off his words before he could say more. He hadn’t meant to spill this much. To leave this much of himself on the table.

  He’d leaned in until their noses almost touched. Emily watched him with wide eyes.

  “What?” he snapped.

  She licked her lips. The adrenaline and fury racing through his veins tugged at his cock. “I know now why I went home with you Saturday night.” Her voice was quiet but as steady as her gaze that never left his face. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t have a counter.”

  “Don’t.” He dragged a thumb over her bottom lip.

  She gasped. “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t you dare choose now to be rational.” He wouldn’t have the wind sucked out of his sails.

  “All right. I won’t.” She rose on her toes and kissed him. The caress of her mouth was so light, he felt the heat of her skin more than the brush of her lips.

  He gripped the back of her neck, holding her in place, and kissed her back. Need roared through him. It danced on his fingertips and curled in his toes and singed his chest. Giving in to her was the worst fucking idea he’d had in ages. And the last thing he wanted was to stop.

  Chapter Ten

  THIS WAS A BAD, HORRIBLE, terrible idea. Career suicide. The equivalent of Emily lighting her resume on fire.

  Justin pushed her jacket to the ground, pulled back the collar of her shirt, and bit her shoulder. The sharp sting drowned out her doubt.

  “Let me help you a bit.” He kissed up her neck, while he trailed his fingers down the front of her blouse. “This is the part where you say, No. We shouldn’t.”

  “Mmhmm.” She tilted her head back as he dragged his mouth along her throat.

  He reached her waist and undid the bottom button on her shirt. “That it was only supposed to be a one-time thing.” He moved back up, undoing each button he encountered and brushing her bare stomach. “That it’s not professional.”

  She was amused he vocalized her thoughts better than she could. It was hard to think when he was sucking a path down her chest, to the top of her breast, then gliding above the lace of her bra. “Then what do I say?” she asked.

  “Well...” His words hummed against her skin, and her nipples strained against fabric, wanting individual attention. He traveled his mouth back up to her jaw. “You don’t say much of anything, because you can’t talk when you’re kissing me.”

  Good suggestion. She grasped the short strands of his dark hair and pulled his head up. When she kissed him again, tingles rolled over her. He rested a hand on her back, under her shirt, and pulled her close until her body molded to his. His palm was hot. It didn’t matter how many arguments she came up with; she didn’t want to break away. Tension flowed between them like electricity, raising the hairs on her arms and aching with need between her legs.

  He let go, pulled back, and placed a finger on her lips. “You remind me you forgot to lock the door.”

  “That’s actually a good one.” She grasped his wrist. With a flick of her tongue, she drew his finger into her mouth, to trace a line over the pad. She dragged the digit over her bottom lip before letting go.

  His groan settled deep inside her, as tantalizing as any physical contact. He met her gaze. “Antonio’s the only other person left in the building.”

  That made her hesitate. Why? Because they used him in their fantasy, Saturday night?

  Because she cared what Antonio thought of her. “That’s still one person who could interrupt.”

  Justin’s breath caressed her cheek when he whispered, “Be honest.” He nipped her earlobe, then grabbed it between his teeth. “Are you terrified he’ll find out, or turned on by the idea he might walk in on us?”

  The way her pulse tore through her veins and her heart pounded to be free, she wasn’t sure there was a difference. “I’m not answering that.” Her reply was breathy.

  “I’ll alleviate your ambivalence.” Justin undid her belt and slacks and pushed her pants to the ground. “He’ll be busy for a while.” He grasped her fingers and pulled her forward.

  She stepped out of the clothing pooled around her feet, leaving her shoes behind. A flush of self-conscious warmth spread over her when she realized her shirt was open, leaving her exposed in bra and panties, while Justin was still fully clothed.

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sp; He raked his gaze over her, finally landing on her face. “Beautiful,” he said with a smile. “Oh, and I have protection.” He grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a condom. “I promise this is only for one night. Our working relationship doesn’t have to be impacted. It doesn’t change my opinion of you.”

  “Which is good. I don’t know if I could stand you thinking any less of me.” She kept her tone playful, entertained by his disclaimer-like assurances.

  He placed his hands on her hips and guided her, as he stepped backward toward one of the couches in the room. “You’re frustrating as fuck.” He kissed her. “I hate your reasons for being here.” He dropped onto the leather cushions. “But don’t think for a moment I don’t respect you. Intellectually and professionally.” He tugged her waist, prompting her to straddle his legs.

  “How do you make that sound enticing?” She draped her arms over his shoulders. He’d addressed most of her concerns, and despite the playful bullet list, she believed he meant every one. None of that made this a smart idea, but she wasn’t going to turn back. There was no point in lying to herself about it.

  “I’m that amazing.” He slid his hands up her sides, to cup her breasts, then pinched her nipples through her bra.

  She arched her back into the rough touch, grinding her mound against his erection, the hard length teasing her through clothing. She was wet enough the dampness would soak through soon.

  He pressed his knuckles into the crotch of her panties, digging into her slit and rubbing against her clit in time to her rocking.

  “God. I love that look. Mouth slightly parted, chest heaving—right when you’re about come.” His voice dropped an octave.

  She couldn’t manage more than a moan. She wavered on the edge of climax, riding a blade of pleasure but unable to tumble to the other side. He increased his pressure and speed, until stars danced behind her eyelids.

  “Stop thinking,” he murmured. “Let go.”

  The rest of her world swam out of focus, until his voice was the only thing she heard. His touch the only feeling. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, as orgasm tore through her, making her legs weak and her ears ring.