“In three weeks, I’ll have signatures, I’ll have a deposit, and those numbers you’re looking at will be a modest estimate.” Justin wasn’t making things up for the sake of looking good. It might seem like smoke to someone not on the inside, but he had no doubt the deal was done. He smothered irritation that someone would question it. Grant had his reasons, and those were based in experience. This was a different beast, though.
Antonio had a small pocket of their developers working on the projects he and Justin wanted done. If they could get something out there, stay under the budget set for the entire company, meet their existing deadlines, and prove it was a worthwhile endeavor, he could justify expanding the company into more. It was the staying under budget and still meeting deadlines that caused issues for Justin and Antonio.
Justin looked up. Antonio gave him a sympathetic smile and shrugged. At least that made for a reassuring view.
“Tell you what,” Justin said to Grant. “Your next office visit is coming up. Make it three weeks from now, and I’ll show you the contract personally, as well as let you sit with the developers and see how this flows.”
“That sounds great. In the meantime, I’d like to give you some extra help, to ensure you meet your upcoming release date. I have the perfect retainer for your group.”
Justin’s stomach sank. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“It’s no trouble. It won’t come out of your budget. Ms. Lowry is my best, and she’ll be there to help you and reassure me. Nothing more.” Grant kept a handful of contract developers on a small salary when they weren’t working for him, and paid their standard hourly rate in addition to that when he needed their skills. It ensured they made him a priority when he called. For instance, when he lost faith in a company.
There were rumors he stayed vested in one or two companies over the years, after his retainers fixed their projects. No one remained solvent after Grant branded them as not viable, though. His investment was the equivalent of a gold rating, and his pulling that money was a death knell.
Justin scrubbed his face, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “When you put it that way, it sounds fantastic. I look forward to it.”
“Great.” Grant’s voice was flat and seconds later, the line went dead.
Justin didn’t put the receiver back in place. “Plans tonight?” He looked at Antonio.
“Same thing I do every night.” It wasn’t taking over the world, but he and Justin spent most of their free time hammering away at the programming work they didn’t have enough staff for. It didn’t matter that it was Friday; the answer was always the same.
“We’ll take tomorrow night off.” The impulse struck Justin, and while it wasn’t a good idea to waste that time, they were going to need a little break before things got really busy. It had been too long since he and Antonio went out for fun. And watching Antonio pick someone up, especially when he hinted after at details, was as alluring to Justin as finding his own hookup.
Justin dialed another number. “Rebecca, as you’re walking out tonight, will you call us in a delivery from Golden Dragon? Standard order and instructions. Thanks.” He finally replaced the handset in its cradle, then leaned back in his seat. “I almost forgot. You’re getting an extra developer.”
WHEN ANTONIO WAS GROWING up, it was a given that he’d take over the family business—his father’s technology company—someday. That didn’t stop people from asking him what he wanted to be when he got older. His answer changed weekly, but he was pretty certain what he did now was never on the list. Not that he knew how to describe what this was. Keeping the suits happy while trying not to lose grasp of the dream he and Justin built from the ground up? Not exactly a job title.
Another developer should be good news, but rumors about the type of extra staff provided told Antonio this wasn’t news to celebrate. “I’d like to think you’re joking.”
“My sense of humor isn’t that bad. She’ll be here Monday morning. Grant assures me she’s the best retainer he’s got.” Justin said the word retainer the same way someone might say hitman. In Grant’s case, they were synonymous. Even with disdain dripping from Justin’s voice and marring his expression, he was attractive.
Antonio would much rather admire the scenery for a few more minutes than have this conversation. Too bad that wasn’t practical. “Do we pause the work on education?”
“No. Definitely not.” Justin was toeing the line of carelessness with this project. It wasn’t obvious at first, but after his fiancée dumped him six months ago, and as the work deadlines got tenser, he let more slide.
Sometimes Antonio worried Justin would throw away what they already had, to prove his education idea could work. Not that Antonio blamed him for pushing. Despite the title Founder and CEO that decorated Justin’s business cards and email signature, Justin didn’t have the kind of control he wanted over their finished product. Money talked, and they still needed someone else’s to make the magic happen.
“Grant assured me she’ll only be here to provide extra labor. She’s not a spy or anything of that sort. My interpretation.” Justin ground out the words with disgust. “Give her the tasks that require the least training, and leave the high-end work to the people who know the product. We still have full control.”
“That sounds too simple.”
Justin’s smirk shown through pursed lips. Kissable, alluring... Antonio shook the thoughts aside to focus on when he was alone.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Justin asked. “I don’t think for a minute she won’t report back to him, outside of whatever we tell him.”
Normally Antonio tried to distract himself from things like the set of Justin’s mouth when he was focused. Or the intense flash of Justin’s blue eyes when passion—good or bad—simmered inside. Or the fact he was more handsome than was fair. Right now, Antonio preferred enjoying the eye candy to acknowledging Justin’s creeping irritation, and his half of an awkward power struggle of a conversation.
“But you don’t want to shut down the extraneous work while she’s here.” Antonio shifted the direction of his thoughts, and the big picture clicked into place. “That’s what we’re doing tonight—figuring out how to keep the other project off her radar.”
“Yup. With a little maneuvering, she can shadow each of us as is expected, and never have to know we’ve split our resources.” Some of the strain evaporated from Justin’s voice. “I’ve got another meeting. We’ll regroup this afternoon.”
“Wait.”
“Hm?” Justin paused.
“Never mind. I’ve got it.” Antonio wouldn’t give voice to the doubt whispering through his thoughts. The murmur that Justin might sabotage this on purpose. He might be nearing burnout, when it came to shelving his ideas in favor of the board, but this company was still his baby. Asking—even implying otherwise—would add a new layer of tension to the situation, and that was the last thing they needed.
Antonio dove back into his work. If he had a brand-new developer coming on, retainer or not, he had a lot to rearrange outside of what he and Justin would discuss tonight, and probably over the weekend. Like making sure the new person had enough work to keep busy for at least a couple of days, with minimal instruction, until Antonio figured out a longer-term schedule.
Fortunately, he had a mile-long list of minor bug fixes—the kind of thing that always got shoved to the last minute, because they were quick to fix, but somehow never got corrected before the initial release. They should be easy to hand off and get her familiar with the code, so Antonio could see what she was capable of.
A group chat message from his development team chimed over his speakers.
Picking up Mexican. Anyone want anything?
The question was followed by a series of lunch orders. He hadn’t realized it was noon. With the schedule that loomed in front of him, eating at his desk seemed like the best option. He typed, grab me whatever the special is today, and turned back to his work.
Just as he wa
s getting back into the right mindset, his cellphone chimed. So much for finding his focus. Dad flashed on the screen, and Antonio swiped Answer without hesitation.
“Ciao.” It felt good to speak in his native Italian. It was nine in the evening back home, and this was usually when his parents called when they wanted to chat.
“How’s it going?” His father’s cheerful voice rang over the line.
Antonio wouldn’t mind chatting, if he weren’t strapped for time. “Great. Busy. Life as usual. What’s up?”
“Checking to make sure you still plan on being home for your mother’s birthday.”
Antonio had scheduled the time off months ago, and he was looking forward to seeing Milan again almost as much as he was seeing his family. “Of course.” The trip was six weeks out. His development team would have either met their deadline by then or missed it by a mile. Either way, he wasn’t skipping something as important as Mother’s birthday. “We talked about this, though. Nothing’s changed. You could have emailed.” He stayed casual despite his suspicion. Dad wasn’t much for idle chatter. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve got a couple of business associates in the States this week, and I’d like you to show them around San Jose while they’re out there. Also, I was hoping while you were home, we could discuss transition, and set aside some dates to make things happen.”
Oh. That. Dad wanted to retire, and have Antonio take over his technology business. Move back home. Stop working for someone else, and pick up the reins of the family business. It was the one thing Antonio didn’t need to be thinking about. He’d managed to put it out of his head for a few days. “Happy to take the gentlemen out to dinner. Give them my number, and we’ll make arrangements. I’m not sure I’ll have final dates for you by then.”
“It’s been more than a year since we started kicking this around. How much longer do you need, to set the wheels in motion? Have you started making transition plans with Justin yet?”
He hadn’t. Justin was half the reason he didn’t want to go. The other half was that Antonio wasn’t interested in the family business. He and Justin built this one together, from the ground up. He’d worked for his father for a couple of years and never made it above the bottom rung. He didn’t belong there; he did here. “The timing hasn’t been great.”
“We’ll talk about it when you’re back in Milan.” The pleasantness vanished from his father’s voice. “No excuses this time.”
Antonio gritted his teeth, grateful no one could see his expression. “Sure. I’m looking forward to it. I have to get back to work. Talk to you later, Dad.”
As he disconnected, consequences raced through his thoughts. Leaving meant surrendering too much, including the one thing he’d never dare admit to anyone—he barely allowed himself to think it. He loved Justin. Not that he had any illusions about the sentiment being returned. It was a pleasant fantasy when Antonio needed something more personal than porn to jerk off to, but for the most part, Antonio was content seeing Justin happy.
Which wasn’t happening right now. The realization hit Antonio hard and tugged loose a series of other notions he didn’t want to recognize. If this thing with the retainer didn’t go well—if the company collapsed because of it—he wouldn’t have a good excuse to stay. Then again, if they met their deadline and signed the PrimeAssure contract, he wouldn’t want to leave.
He sank back in his chair with a sigh. Either way, he was going to let someone down.
The story continues in Chapter Two...
Also by Allyson Lindt
3d20
3d20 Collection 1 (Books 1-3)
Love Equation Box Sets
The Love Equation Box Set #1 (Books 1-3)
The Love Equation Box Set #2 (Books 4-6)
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His Reputation
His Hacker
Her Infatuation
Love Hack
Securing Her Surrender
Love Hack Box Set
Ridden Hard
Hard Flip
Hard Pack
Riding the Wave
Drive Me Wild
The Love Equation
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Their Matchmaker
Standalone
Paranormal and Loving it!
Her Airman
Room for Love: A Roommates Contemporary Romance Box Set
Watch for more at Allyson Lindt’s site.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Allyson Lindt is a full-time geek and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She likes her stories with sweet geekiness and heavy spice, because cubicle dwellers need love too. She loves a sexy happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures together.
Read more at Allyson Lindt’s site.
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