Title: LOVE HACK
Author: Kimberly Dean
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 180
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Kimberly Dean
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 180
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Security analyst Spencer Weiler is excited when he lands a job at
Afire Industries. The responsibility is daunting, but nowhere near as
exhilarating as working with Josie Johnson, the pretty program manager
in charge. Spencer lusts after her, but knows that she only sees him as a
work friend. He needs to make himself over if he’s going to have a shot
with her.
Josie is all too aware of the cute computer geek watching over her.
He was tempting before, but with his newfound muscles and sexy haircut,
he’s suddenly an irresistible stud. She makes the first move and is
stunned to learn that her hot IT guy is just as studious in the sack.
Their affair turns hot and heavy, but Josie has broken her rule about
dating coworkers once before. It didn’t end well. When her ex returns
and posts scandalous pictures of her on the Internet, it’s not Spencer’s
muscles that she needs. She needs a hacker.
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Chapter One
As far as work settings
went, Spencer supposed the place would do. Yeah, understatement of the year. He
looked around the open bay of Afire Industries and tried not to drool.
It was a developer’s dream: pods of desks for teams, comfy seating areas for
private thinking, top-notch equipment, and cool technology on which to work.
The downtown location in Seattle was prime, within
walking distance of restaurants, bars, the waterfront, and even the Space
Needle. Not that he was geeking out about the opportunity or anything…
Okay, he was
geeking out, but it was only natural. He was a software geek. Hell, he was the
King of Software Geeks.
“We’re glad
to have you onboard,” his new boss, Luke McAllister, said. “Your background in
software security is just what we need.”
No kidding.
Afire was recovering from a major hack. It had been all over the news. From
what Spencer knew about the situation, it hadn’t been a sophisticated attack.
The hackers had come through the Internet of Things, which had been left
unsecured. A total oversight and totally preventable. “I think I can help you
guys out.”
A company
this big and this advanced in the tech field? Heads had rolled as a result of
the breach, but it had also opened up an opportunity for him to do what he did
best. Security was Spencer’s game. What had impressed him most about the
situation had been Afire’s response. Contrary to prevailing advice from
government and law enforcement officials, Afire had not only closed the hole,
they’d gone after their attackers—and they’d taken them down.
This was the
kind of place where he wanted to work.
“We’re not
‘you guys’ anymore,” Luke said. “You’re one of us now, ‘a fireman.’ Come on.
Let me show you around the place.”
Spencer
hopped to his feet, automatically swiping up the MacBook he’d been assigned. He
liked this guy, Luke. He wasn’t a normal software guy. In fact, he was pretty
up-front about the fact that he was just learning the basics of coding. What
McAllister did know, inside and out, was security in general: defensive
measures, weakness analysis, perpetrator psychology… Rumor was that he’d worked
for the Secret Service before turning to the private sector. What Spencer liked
most, though, was that his new boss seemed to let people play to their
strengths.
And he was
cool as hell: tough, muscled, and badass.
“These three
pods are where the security group is located.” Luke nodded, and the developers
who weren’t heads-down coding nodded back.
Spencer
recognized a few people from his interview and gave a wave.
“We have
flexible hours, and you’re free to work from home when you feel the need. If
things get hot, though, I’d prefer everyone be onsite so we can ‘war room’ the
situation.”
“Not a
problem,” Spencer said. That was pretty normal in the industry. He’d be working
onsite until he got up to speed on everything.
He followed
Luke when he turned down a hallway. The layout of the converted fish cannery
was open and airy, but the security team was somewhat secluded around a corner.
He was okay with that. Managers thought open-bay setups encouraged
collaboration, but to Spencer, they just got loud. He preferred to work on his
own when possible. As he’d often been told, he was a “deep thinker.”
“The
restrooms are down there on the left. Here’s the grab ’n go area. Take whatever
you want to eat or drink. The Green Team just prefers you use the recyclable
bowl you were given. It should be on your desk.”
Recycled
bowls for snacking, a T-shirt with the company fire emblem, plus a baseball
hat, a mousepad, and a backpack to match. Afire didn’t skimp on the swag—although
Spencer knew it was free advertising to have the company’s employees going
around Seattle dressed like walking Afire billboards.
But shoot,
they could dress him up and send him down the runway if this was what he got in
return.
He tried not
to smile too broadly as they continued their tour. He’d come from a company
that specialized in security, but he felt like he’d just made it to the big
leagues. It wasn’t just the perks. He was excited to get out on the front
lines. The security firm’s customers had been other software companies. Here,
he’d be protecting consumers directly. It was a challenge he looked forward to,
because, honestly, he needed some new challenges. Things had been getting too
easy for him at his old job. Easy and boring.
“Our customer
success team is over there. They work with clients directly, helping them
through any problems they might encounter. If you need someone who knows our
applications inside and out, talk to them.” Luke kept
moving until they were at the back of the building. “Down here is the gym.”
moving until they were at the back of the building. “Down here is the gym.”
Spencer gave
it a cursory glance. The assortment of workout machines looked shiny and top of
the line, but what did he know? It wasn’t a perk he was likely to use.
“Towel
service is provided. I can show you how to use the programmable locks on the
lockers, if you’d like.”
“I think I
can figure that out,” Spencer said dryly.
Luke sent him
a sidelong look and laughed. “Yeah, I suppose you can.”
Clapping a
heavy hand on his shoulder, Spencer’s boss turned him back in the direction
they’d come. “The cafeteria is open for breakfast and lunch. The team is
planning to eat as a group today to welcome you.”
“Cool,”
Spencer said. He liked Christopher Chen, the guy who sat at the desk next to
him, but he hadn’t gotten to spend much time with anyone else.
Not that he
was a social butterfly, but those were his people. Luke was a bit intimidating.
He was the kind of guy who probably knew all about working out in gyms,
fishing, football, and women. Spencer suspected he’d have more things to talk
about with Christopher and the other developers.
“Okay, this
is really where I want to take you,” Luke said as he opened a door to a covered
walkway leading out of the main Afire building. “This is the way to our small
business accelerator. It’s managed by Afire, but space is rented by
entrepreneurs trying to get new tech companies off the ground.”
“Sounds
interesting.”
Spencer
followed his boss to the smaller building next door, but stopped when Luke
turned with his hand on the door’s push-bar.
“It’s also
where the hack came in.”
Okay, now
Spencer’s interest was piqued. “One of the entrepreneurs let them in?”
“No, we let them in. We own and manage the
facilities and shared equipment. The small companies here just rent space. The
hack came in through the Internet of Things, which we should have secured for
everyone. The hacker was then able to breach the firewall between Start ’er Up
and Afire’s networks. That’s top-secret info that nobody outside of our team
needs to know.”
Spencer
nodded. That little tidbit hadn’t been in any of the news reports. It also made
it more understandable how such an infiltration had occurred.
Luke pushed
open the glass door at the end of the walkway, and the hydraulic closer let out
a whoosh. Soft chatter filtered through the air.
“Welcome to
Start ’er Up,” Luke said.
Spencer
looked around the place with interest. The tech world and startups went hand in
hand, although he’d always worked in established businesses. Along with being a
deep thinker, he was an old soul. The idea of going out on his own was
tempting, but he knew the risks involved with that. Perks were one thing, but
he wasn’t blinded by them. Company stability, health insurance, and a 401(k)
match were more important to him.
Although this
could be a cool way to keep tabs on cutting-edge stuff…
“I’m
assigning this place to you,” Luke said.
What? Spencer
stood a little straighter. Wow. Talk about a shot in the arm. “Okay.”
“I had a
consultant go through everything. She assures me that everything is secure now,
but I’d like a second opinion. I’d also like to bring the responsibility in
house.”
“Yes, sir. I
can do that.” Spencer nodded with confidence as he looked around the space. He
spotted printers, routers, and even an old fax machine… all potential
infiltration points if somebody wanted to get in via the Internet of Things,
much less the Wi-Fi that all these companies no doubt shared.
His brain
began churning. Damn, he was getting more and more excited about this job, but
he didn’t want to come off like a goober.
Luke turned
into one of the few offices in the smaller building. “First things first, I’d
like to introduce you to Josie. She manages Start ’er Up. You two will be
working closely.”
Spencer took
one step in the room, and his brain jammed.
Crumpled-paper-in-the-bowels-of-a-printer kind of jam. One moment his brain was
firing on all cylinders, excited about the new assignment, and the next, it
froze and his body went a little haywire. Girl. Beautiful girl.
Strawberry blonde. Green eyes. Pretty smile. Pink lips… And a tight body. Oh,
hell. Don’t look there.
“Josie, this
is Spencer Weiler, our new security hire. He’s the one who’s going to take
point on Start ’er Up’s security situation from here on out.”
The girl…
woman… gorgeous woman looked at him
and blinked those big green eyes. “Oh! Hi there. It’s nice to meet you.”
She looked at
him expectantly, but that paper jam was in there good, gunking up any thought
processes Spencer might have once had. “Hi-lo,” he said.
Oh, crap.
That wasn’t right.
“Hell. I mean
hell-o.” One of her eyebrows rose, and he thought he saw a dimple in her cheek
deepen. Damn, this should not be that difficult. “Hi,” he said on a rough
exhale.
“Hi,
Spencer.” Okay, she was smiling at him. Laughing, really. No, not laughing.
There was empathy there. “First days are tough, aren’t they?”
He nodded,
his tongue feeling twice its size inside his mouth. Yeah, first day. They’d go
with that. She did not need to know
about the boner that he was suddenly sporting. She didn’t need to know that was
why no blood or oxygen was making it to the head atop his neck.
She held out
a hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Not as glad
as he was. Not even close.
He took her
hand and shifted the Mac he was still carrying so it hid the front of his
jeans. Her skin felt like silk. Warm, smooth silk.
He couldn’t
stop staring at her. Honest to God, she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever
seen.
“I still feel
so bad about the hack,” she said. “I didn’t even know you could hack equipment
like that.”
“Josie,” Luke
said. “We’ve talked about this.”
“I know,” she
said, sighing heavily, “but I’m responsible for this place. I should have done
something to stop it from happening.”
Spencer
frowned. “You know how to change the password on a R-4200 router?”
“Uh… no,” she
said with a blush. Her gaze went quickly to her desk, where he’d seen the piece
of equipment. “But I should know that’s something that needs to be done.”
“It’s not
even in the owner’s manual.” He shrugged, hoping the gesture showed
reassurance.
Was it hot in
here? He stuck his hand in his front jeans pocket to keep from fanning himself
like a ninny, but winced. Tight. Jeans
too tight. He pulled his hand back out quickly and wrapped his fingers
around the shield of his Mac.
“Really?” The
lines on the angel’s face smoothed. “Oh, that makes me feel better. I’m the
program manager around here. There’s a lot to keep track of.”
“The rock
star manager of all managers,” another female inserted.
Spencer
glanced to the door. Okay, smoking-hot brunette at nine
o’clock. Was there something in the water over here? His glance bounced
off her right back to Josie.
“This the
newb?” the visitor asked.
Luke nodded.
“Spencer, this is Kylie Grant. Kylie, this is Spencer Weiler.”
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
The brunette
looked at Luke. “I got this place locked down, you know.”
He sighed and
crossed his arms over his chest. The guy’s forearms bulged like Popeye’s, and
the woman took notice. Spencer caught the reaction and quickly let his gaze
skim over Josie. She wasn’t eyeing his manly boss, so much as fighting a smile
watching the other two people in the room squabble.
“Security
over here is Afire’s responsibility,” Luke said.
“Uh huh.”
Kylie pushed her hair over her shoulder and cocked her head.
“Now,” Luke
said in resignation. “We’re watching it more closely now, and Spencer is in charge of that.”
Spencer felt
the brunette’s gaze rake over him. Her brow furrowed when she noticed the way
he was clutching his Mac. He forced his fingers to relax, but he didn’t move
it. No way, no how.
“Where did
you work before this?” she asked.
“Samson
Security.”
“Nice.” She
drummed her fingers against her thigh. “What do you think of facial-recognition
authentication?”
“Not
dependable enough.”
“Pattern
recognition?”
He shook his
head. “Better than alphanumeric, but still a pain. Fingerprints are the way to
go for top-level security and ease of use.”
“Hm,” she
muttered. She swung her hand out, gesturing like Vanna White. “What do you
think of the place? From a developer’s point of view?”
“Good space,
a little loud.” He squinted at the sunlight bouncing off Elliott Bay through the front
windows. That was something to mark on the calendar. The sun was out in Seattle, and he’d met the most
beautiful girl in the world. Whom he’d like to get back to… if he could
communicate with her… Hell, why was his brain connecting to his mouth with this
brunette bombshell but not the redhead?
“It’s nice,
although a bit bright,” he said.
Kylie
straightened as if he’d jabbed her with a stick. “He’ll do.”
“Nice to have
your approval,” Luke said dryly.
She lifted an
eyebrow. “You know you want it.”
Josie cleared
her throat. “They date,” she said.
Good. That
meant one less guy Spencer had to be concerned about. A scary thought hit him,
and his gaze snapped to her desk. He was relieved when he didn’t see
photographs of a husband or boyfriend.
“Are we still
going to Ivar’s for dinner tonight?” Kylie asked.
“Yeah,” Luke
said. “How late are you going to be?”
“I can go
anytime. Just pick me up when you’re ready.”
Was that a
gleam in his boss’s steely gaze? Spencer watched for hints, pointers even. The
guy obviously had game, and he could use some help in that area. Like, pronto.
Spencer shot
another glance at Josie. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. That
paper jam in his head just wasn’t letting loose. Did he even have a shot? She
seemed so normal—no, so outstanding—and he was a computer geek. His kind didn’t
have the best track records with women. What was his next step? Was he going to
make a play? How did one do that?
He didn’t
even know what a play was, not with someone like her.
“Anyway,”
Luke said. “Now that we have approval from the boss, I’d like you two to work
together to map out a plan. Spencer, you know the security piece. Josie, you
know how Start ’er Up works. We can’t lock it down too tightly, because we have
a lot of small businesses and entrepreneurs using this place. We’re here to
help them, not shut them out.”
Spencer
nodded. “Got it.”
“Josie can
introduce you around and get you situated.”
Spencer
nodded again. It was the one form of communication he had that seemed to be
working. His brain was now stuck on the fact that he’d be spending a lot of
time with her. It thrilled him and terrified him all at once.
“Any
questions?” Luke said.
So, so many.
Spencer shook his head.
Josie walked
to her desk and opened a day planner the size of War and Peace. “When would you like to start, Spencer?”
Oh, God. He
was even turned on by the way she said his name.
“Nuuhhhh.” He
cleared his throat. “Now?”
She blinked.
“Uh, okay.”
She moved
some papers aside on her desk, but Luke stepped forward. “Whoa, boy. Slow ’er
down.”
Josie
giggled, and Spencer nearly died.
“I thought we
were supposed to Start ’er Up,” she teased.
Spencer
snorted. Literally, the most ungraceful sound in the world came out of his
mouth, and Josie laughed harder.
Luke looked
back and forth between the two of them. “Geek humor. Great.”
He tilted his
head toward the door. “We’re not finished with his onboarding,” he said. “Put something
on his calendar for tomorrow or later. Whatever works for you.”
“Okay.” Josie
trailed her finger down the open page. “If you don’t need me now, I guess I’ll
head down to the gym.”
Heat washed
through Spencer when she turned toward him and laced her fingers together. “See
you tomorrow.”
He nodded
roughly. “Tmrro.”
Damn it.
“All right.
Sounds like a plan.” Luke started out the door. “Let’s go back to my office.”
Spencer
somehow managed to put one foot in front of the other to follow him. Looking
over his shoulder, he caught Josie’s green gaze one last time. “Buh.”
Oh, hell and tarnation.
“Bye,” she
said with a little wave that made his erection nearly burst right through the
zipper of his jeans.
Spencer hoped
to God he wasn’t walking funny as he followed Luke back through the walkway
into Afire. Once the door closed behind them, some of his brain function
returned. It was a proximity affliction, apparently.
This was a
problem.
The woman put
his brain on the fritz. He liked her. One step inside that door, and he’d
wanted her. At the very least, he had to work with her, but she wasn’t a
typical tech female. Luke’s girlfriend, Kylie, wasn’t either, but he could talk
to her. But Josie?
Spencer
narrowed his eyes on Luke as he sank down into the chair behind his desk. Wait
a minute. Luke had somehow made the crossover from normal guy to geek
girl—although Kylie was unlike any geek girl Spencer had ever met. Surely, he
could take hints from their relationship and reverse-engineer it.
His brain
started to whir; he was onto something here. He could hack this.
“So… that’s
the gist of the job. Now, for your development plan.” Luke swiveled in his
chair toward his laptop. “Everybody hates coming up with these, but Afire likes
to keep its employees learning. You don’t have to come up with a full-blown
plan now, but start thinking about an area where you’d like to develop more
skills.”
“You mean in
security?”
Luke
shrugged, his heavy shoulders bunching. “Not necessarily. It can be pretty much
anything. Rafi is taking some public-speaking courses to help with his
presentations. Christopher is shadowing our customer success people to learn
how our customers approach things. So think about it. What’s something you’re
interested in learning more about?”
That was
easy—the redhead next door.
Although when
Luke said “anything,” Spencer doubted she was included.
He tapped his
fingers against the arm of his chair. There was more than one way to hack a
password.
“Stress can
be a problem for me,” he said. It was the truth. “Sometimes I can get too deep
in a problem and forget to take care of myself.”
Honesty
there.
“Okay,” Luke
said.
“And not to
brag or anything, but I could teach most of the courses on security.”
Luke’s chair
squeaked when he sat back. An evaluating look had settled onto his face. It was
all jagged corners and tough-guy handsome. Spencer tried not to squirm as Luke
looked him over. He could afford to put on some muscle like McAllister.
“The gym,” he
said. It came to him like the flash of a light bulb. “I’d like to get more
comfortable there, maybe establish a workout routine. You know, to get out of
my head.”
Luke’s eyes
narrowed, and Spencer rushed to make sense of the request before Luke made it
to the truth. Although with the way his mouth started to tug at the corners, it
might already be too late.
“Would you be
open to training me?” Spencer asked.
Luke’s chin
snapped up a fraction of an inch. Okay, he hadn’t been expecting that.
“Well, I am
down there usually once a day,” Luke said, “and I wouldn’t mind a training
partner. What’s your normal workout routine now?”
Routine? “I
play a lot of disc golf in the summer. Does that count?”
The frown he
got in return didn’t help.
“What’s
that?” Luke asked.
Spencer ran a
hand through his hair. “Frisbee golf.”
Damn, that
didn’t sound tough at all.
But Luke
nodded in approval. “There’s cardio with that.”
“Yeah, and I
can run.” Spencer flexed. “I just need to… you know… beef up.”
Women were
into that, from what he’d heard.
He flinched
when Luke leaned forward and braced his elbows against the desk. “Let me get
this straight. One of my security guys wants to enter… the gym.”
Spencer
swallowed hard. He might as well have said the Twilight Zone. Did he want to
become a gym rat? No. But did he want a shot with Josie? “Yes.”
He fought to
hold his ground as Luke watched him. The guy could read the truth. He had eyes
like lasers and a brain that was nearly as sharp.
“Okay,
strength training it is.” Luke turned to his computer and filled out the
development form. “We’ll start tomorrow morning before you go over to help
Josie with Start ’er Up.”
“Tomorrow,”
Spencer agreed. Before his brain went wonky again.
Man, he hoped
this worked.
* * *
“So what did you think of
him?”
Josie glanced
up from her gym bag to the door. Shoot, Kylie was back. Josie returned her
attention to her bag and zipped the compartment shut. She should have just run
to the locker room and checked to see if she’d remembered to bring shampoo.
“Who? Spencer?”
“No, Luke,”
her friend said dryly.
Josie sighed.
“I don’t know. He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
“That’s a
ringing endorsement.”
Okay, that
hadn’t been fair. The new guy was better than fine—and maybe he had the
security chops, too. “If you and Luke feel he’s the right guy, I’m sure he is.”
“Then what’s
the problem?”
Giving up,
Josie dropped the strap of the bag and slumped down into her chair. “I just
can’t help feeling like it’s punishment for screwing up, like he’s being
assigned to watch over my shoulder.”
“Screwing
up?” Kylie closed the door behind her and walked over to settle her hip against
the desk. “What did you do wrong?”
Oh, just
about everything. Josie had gone over the whole cycle of events in her head so
many times, it was like it was on constant replay. “I should have noticed the
change in the lighting. I missed that completely. Even when you told me, I
didn’t dig into it.”
Kylie
frowned. “But you let me. And how would you have known that was evidence of a
hack? I didn’t until I started poking around in the smart building control
system, which you gave me access to, following proper protocol. Have I thanked
you for that, by the way? If you hadn’t added me as an administrator, Luke
never would have listened to me. I’d probably still be talking with lawyers
today.”
“Yes, but
that was a security violation, in and of itself. You weren’t officially
associated with Afire. I should have been fired for that alone.”
“Hey, I’m a
consultant. I’ve even got a badge to show it.”
Josie hit her
friend with a look. “After the fact.”
“You just
beat Luke to the paperwork.”
Josie fiddled
with the pen holder on her desk. Afire liked to promote itself as a paperless
company, but there was just something about pen and paper that made her feel
more organized. She had pens in every color under the sun, and her day planner
was jammed with Post-it notes to expand on the rainbow. That was her
strength—organization and communication. She kept this place running as its
program manager. She helped people network and find collaborators. She put
together training sessions for new businesses on how to keep their books,
market their products, and find venture capital. She kept metrics on their
member companies’ progress, she reviewed startup applications for membership,
and she even made the coffee.
But with all
that she did, she knew that the Start ’er Up program was not key to Afire’s
success. It didn’t make money. Every once in a while, a technology company
might have something her bosses would be interested in licensing or even
outright purchasing, but Start ’er Up’s mission was to support the entrepreneurship
culture in Seattle. It was a community service.
Yet that
community service had nearly brought Afire down.
She banged
her pen holder against her desk, and two pens jumped out. “Why did that hack
have to come through this place?”
Kylie
frowned. “Did you ever stop to think how lucky we were that it did?”
“Excuse me?”
Another pen, a purple one, fell out when Josie tried to shove the other two
back in. She rarely got angry. She was an upbeat person, but she didn’t need
coddling.
“Do you think
something like that ever would have been noticed or investigated over in Afire?
A lighting glitch? Especially with Steven Ayers at the security helm?”
Josie winced.
She hadn’t realized how self-centered she was being. Steven Ayers had been the
top security guy on Luke’s team. Smug, misogynistic, and highly overrated, he’d
been fired for not detecting the hack of Afire’s network—and he’d come after
Kylie for revenge.
Reaching past
her growing pile of spilled pens, Josie caught her friend’s hand. “I’m sorry. I
didn’t even think of that.”
“Those
hackers could have done a lot more damage if we hadn’t caught them when we did.
Luke isn’t assigning Spencer to Start ’er Up because he doesn’t trust you. He’s
giving you the support you’ve always needed.” Kylie pushed her hair back and
gave a little sniff. “Even if I had it handled.”
Josie rolled
her eyes. Okay, they both had some personal hang-ups with the new situation.
“You’ve got enough on your plate with your web design company and… whatever
else it is that you do.”
Her friend
clammed up real quick at that.
Kylie leaned
forward and changed the subject. “So, give me the truth. What did you think of
Mr. Chatty Cat?”
Talk about
turning the tables. The direct look in her friend’s eyes made Josie blush, but
she pretended not to know what Kylie was talking about. “The two of you
communicated just fine.”
“Yes, but I’m
one of his kind. You aren’t.”
Josie busied
herself with straightening up her pens. “I understood what he was trying to
say.”
Kylie’s grin
turned into a smile. “I bet you did.”
“We’ll know
better tomorrow if we can work together.”
“Josie, the
words he managed to get out around you weren’t even English.”
“So he’s a
little shy.” Shy, observant, tall, and sexy, in an awkward sort of way. Those
dark puppy-dog eyes had made Josie melt when she’d first locked gazes with him.
She pointed a pen at the brunette interrogating her. Enough of this. “What did you think?”
Kylie
shrugged. “He’s kinda cute, if you go for that type of thing.”
“I meant for
the security job!”
She laughed.
“He’s solid. Technically, he’s really good. I checked him out before Luke made
the offer.”
Josie’s jaw
dropped. “Then why are you asking me?”
“Because it’s
what you think that matters. He can be a security genius, but if you don’t like
working with him, just say the word.”
“Oh, come on.
Give him a chance.”
“So you like
him?”
Josie began
fiddling with her gym bag again. Kylie just wasn’t going to let up on this. “He
is kind of cute, I guess, with that shaggy hair and dark eyes.”
“Too wiry for
my taste.”
“Lanky,”
Josie said. In a Ramones T-shirt, he’d been like all the other tech guys
walking around, but his backside had been rather nice as she’d watched him walk
out the door. He was tall, too. She’d had to tilt her head back a little to
talk to him. She’d kind of liked that. And he had shoulders to match, even if
he didn’t fill out the T-shirt as well as the jeans.
“I guess he
is at the opposite side of the spectrum from Nolan,” Kylie said. “That’s a
plus.”
Nolan. At the
mention of her ex-boyfriend, Josie’s stomach went from buoyant to a ball of
lead. Okay, it was her turn to clam up. She looped the long strap of her gym
bag over her shoulder and stood. “I just agreed that Spencer is cute. That
doesn’t mean I’m going to date him.”
She wasn’t
ready to get back into that scene yet.
The humor
left Kylie’s eyes. “Is Nolan still giving you problems?”
“No. Just a
late-night text here and there.” Josie rounded her desk. She really did need to
get to the gym if she was going to get a workout in.
Kylie put her
arm over the doorway. “What does he want?”
Josie ducked
underneath the barrier and scooted through. “To get back together.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Kylie
followed her down the hallway. “You’re not—”
“No.”
Absolutely not.
“Good.”
Kylie’s fists relaxed at her sides. “Cute and lanky might be a good thing after
all.”
“Spencer’s
just for work.” They were in the covered walkway now, leading over to Afire.
Josie swiped her badge through the reader at the door to the main building.
Kylie didn’t have her consultant’s badge on her, so this was where Josie could
make her great escape. When the reader’s light turned green, she put her
shoulder into the door and pushed it open. “I’m too busy for another boyfriend
right now.”
Busy trying
to make sure Afire was still invested in Start ’er Up and her job was secure.
The door
clanked shut behind her, ending the conversation and making the lead ball
inside Josie’s stomach heavier. Maybe Spencer could help her understand
security better, but anything beyond that was out of the question. She needed
to concentrate on her career while she still had it.
When taking the Myers-Briggs personality test in high school,
Kimberly Dean was rated as an INFJ
(Introverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging). This result sent her into a
panic, because there were no career paths recommended for the
personality type. Fortunately, it turned out to be well suited to a
writing career. Since receiving that dismal outlook, Kimberly has become
an award-winning author of romance and erotica. She enjoys the freedom
and creativity allowed in writing romance, especially with all the
interesting cross-genres that have been exploding on the scene. When
not writing, she enjoys movies, sports, traveling, music, and sunshine.
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