so hard.”
She gave a nervous laugh. How would he know about her late nights? “I like working hard.”
“But you do need some down time, right? Let me take you out.”
“What?” Take her out ? Was he going to kill her? The breath whooshed out of her lungs. Her tired mind kicked into gear. Oh . Take her out on a date.
He continued like nothing had happened. “Take you out, you know, dinner. A movie.”
“Oh…Joe…really, I couldn’t. I’m…too busy. It’s a project for work. We’re very busy.”
Stepping even closer, he glanced up and down the hallway. He lowered his voice. “Think about it. The offer is always open.”
She stared at him, her hand squeezing the strap of her messenger bag. He couldn’t be serious. Regaining her senses, she took a step backward, then another. “I…have to go.” She forced a smile, ignoring the invite in Joe’s eyes. “Don’t want to be late.” Turning on her heel, she left the shop, heart pounding and not knowing what to make of the exchange.
****
Rogers stuck his hands in his coat pockets and glanced around the back parking lot. The risk of being seen back here was much less, than it was in the main parking lot, but anyone could walk out here and see him talking with someone he shouldn’t even know.
“So what do you want now?”
“How are you making out? Running on the treadmill correcting the very mistakes you’re responsible for making?”
“Like I said before, I need to make sure it’s subtle. I can’t come right out and blow the whole thing up. They’re not stupid.”
“Stupid or not, you need to put them out of their misery. The poor girl drags herself in here every morning hoping that today will be the day. I feel sorry for her.”
Rogers snorted. “She deserves it.”
Joe sneered. “Aww, what did she do to you? She hurt your widdle feelings when you asked her out or you just don’t like working for women?” He spat on the blacktop. “You might want to get used to that if you want to be successful at Avarix.”
Rogers shrugged. “Never mind. Point is, I’m waiting until closer to the deadline. That way, they have no chance of coming back. They’re smart. They might be able to pull an all-nighter and still have something for the competition.”
“What about your friend?”
“Fuck him. He refused to let me buy in, so he can go right down with her.”
Joe turned his face up to the sun, watching a hawk glide above the trees in the distance. “You’re pretty ruthless. Glad I’m not your friend.”
Rogers scuffed his shoe against the blacktop of the parking lot. “Whatever. It’s better not to mix friends with business anyway.” He glanced at his watch. “Is that it? Tell your bosses that I’m waiting for the last minute so they have no chance to rebuild it.”
“You’ve already told them.” Joe patted his shirt pocket. “I’m not your message boy.” Whistling, he walked back into the building.
****
While what seemed like the fiftieth anti-whatever program ran on the server, trying to track down the malignant code, Francis bent over his iPad, dragging his finger across the screen to get the angle just right. The second before he lifted his finger, Violet poked him on the shoulder, causing him to lose aim. The bird projectile went flying over the top of the scaffolding. The pigs grunted and giggled in mockery.
He closed his eyes and sat back in his chair, the springs squeaking in protest. "Do you know,” he enunciated each word, “how difficult that level is? How much time I’ve been working on it? I had it all set up to go.” He opened his eyes.
Violet propped her bottom against the edge of his desk. "Do tell, Francis, how difficult?"
"I've been working on it for the past ten minutes.” He stared at her, amazed as always by what he saw. She looked delicious.
She raised her eyebrows and smirked at him. "Then you must not be very good at it. Because doesn’t take me ten minutes to set up a
She gave a nervous laugh. How would he know about her late nights? “I like working hard.”
“But you do need some down time, right? Let me take you out.”
“What?” Take her out ? Was he going to kill her? The breath whooshed out of her lungs. Her tired mind kicked into gear. Oh . Take her out on a date.
He continued like nothing had happened. “Take you out, you know, dinner. A movie.”
“Oh…Joe…really, I couldn’t. I’m…too busy. It’s a project for work. We’re very busy.”
Stepping even closer, he glanced up and down the hallway. He lowered his voice. “Think about it. The offer is always open.”
She stared at him, her hand squeezing the strap of her messenger bag. He couldn’t be serious. Regaining her senses, she took a step backward, then another. “I…have to go.” She forced a smile, ignoring the invite in Joe’s eyes. “Don’t want to be late.” Turning on her heel, she left the shop, heart pounding and not knowing what to make of the exchange.
****
Rogers stuck his hands in his coat pockets and glanced around the back parking lot. The risk of being seen back here was much less, than it was in the main parking lot, but anyone could walk out here and see him talking with someone he shouldn’t even know.
“So what do you want now?”
“How are you making out? Running on the treadmill correcting the very mistakes you’re responsible for making?”
“Like I said before, I need to make sure it’s subtle. I can’t come right out and blow the whole thing up. They’re not stupid.”
“Stupid or not, you need to put them out of their misery. The poor girl drags herself in here every morning hoping that today will be the day. I feel sorry for her.”
Rogers snorted. “She deserves it.”
Joe sneered. “Aww, what did she do to you? She hurt your widdle feelings when you asked her out or you just don’t like working for women?” He spat on the blacktop. “You might want to get used to that if you want to be successful at Avarix.”
Rogers shrugged. “Never mind. Point is, I’m waiting until closer to the deadline. That way, they have no chance of coming back. They’re smart. They might be able to pull an all-nighter and still have something for the competition.”
“What about your friend?”
“Fuck him. He refused to let me buy in, so he can go right down with her.”
Joe turned his face up to the sun, watching a hawk glide above the trees in the distance. “You’re pretty ruthless. Glad I’m not your friend.”
Rogers scuffed his shoe against the blacktop of the parking lot. “Whatever. It’s better not to mix friends with business anyway.” He glanced at his watch. “Is that it? Tell your bosses that I’m waiting for the last minute so they have no chance to rebuild it.”
“You’ve already told them.” Joe patted his shirt pocket. “I’m not your message boy.” Whistling, he walked back into the building.
****
While what seemed like the fiftieth anti-whatever program ran on the server, trying to track down the malignant code, Francis bent over his iPad, dragging his finger across the screen to get the angle just right. The second before he lifted his finger, Violet poked him on the shoulder, causing him to lose aim. The bird projectile went flying over the top of the scaffolding. The pigs grunted and giggled in mockery.
He closed his eyes and sat back in his chair, the springs squeaking in protest. "Do you know,” he enunciated each word, “how difficult that level is? How much time I’ve been working on it? I had it all set up to go.” He opened his eyes.
Violet propped her bottom against the edge of his desk. "Do tell, Francis, how difficult?"
"I've been working on it for the past ten minutes.” He stared at her, amazed as always by what he saw. She looked delicious.
She raised her eyebrows and smirked at him. "Then you must not be very good at it. Because doesn’t take me ten minutes to set up a
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