Chapter 30 Lincoln
LINCOLN
@pancakesareelite:
I’ve uploaded a Sim for you,
check it out
@theanswerisno:
The one called Lily Pancakes? Is this what you look like?
@pancakesareelite:
Uh… I don’t think that hip to waist
ratio is achievable, Link
@theanswerisno:
Well, now I guess I need
to give you a Link.
@pancakesareelite:
As long as you can’t
see what I do with him
@theanswerisno:
Lily!
@pancakesareelite:
*removes pool ladder*
@theanswerisno:
I regret this
@pancakesareelite:
Fine. I’ll undo it
No, no, no.
Elizabeth and her inviting mouth pulled away from me. She scrambled off the desk and fastened the button on her blouse that had become undone, which should be a crime against humanity.
I spun around, sucking in a deep breath, but it did nothing to stop the pulsing in my ears or the buzz in my fingertips.
My lips tingled where hers had been, and my tongue?
It wanted more. So much more. I couldn’t even risk a glance in her direction.
I paced away seconds before Anders and Mitchell Herman walked through my office door.
“I told you we’d find him here.” Anders glanced between Elizabeth and me.
She leaned across the long drawing, her left palm pressing onto the French curve and her right hand shakily sketching.
“Although I didn’t expect you,” Anders said to Elizabeth.
She looked at them, her cheeks pink. I now knew how soft and warm they were against my mouth.
What have I done?
She stepped forward with an outstretched hand. That hand had been in my hair seconds ago. I wanted it back. Ahhhhh.
“Hi, I’m Elizabeth. I’m part of the internship program.”
Elizabeth was my intern. What the heck have I done?
Mitchell took her hand as Anders added with a knowing glance, “The Gordon-Bettencourt.”
Mitchell’s brows popped up as he considered her with a mixture of expressions, none of which I enjoyed. She curled away from their greedy, wanting eyes.
I stepped between them, shielding her and stuck out my own hand. “Mitchell, it’s good to see you.”
He took my hand. “You work far too hard.”
“I have to when you’re around,” I said, and we laughed. I’d learned what I called corporate humor, a careful mix of flattery and passive-aggressiveness. Land it, and you’re in with the big bosses. Go too far, and you’re excluded from all the important decisions. “How can I help you?”
“You know what, boys? How about we have this discussion over drinks,” Anders said.
Mitchell cheered in response, and I offered them a quick nod, despite wanting to stay here.
“I suppose we’ll continue on Monday,” I said in Elizabeth’s direction, but I was too afraid to look into those eyes. Not when her beautiful, emotive face was likely doing everything to remain neutral.
A face I’d touched—kissed—only moments ago.
A heavy arm swung around my shoulders. Mitchell was an overly physical man. He slapped me on the back when laughing. Shook my hand for a moment too long, and if it wasn’t a business meeting, he’d probably challenge me to a wrestling match.
“Your team lost this weekend,” he said with one of those loud laughs.
A team I only picked to be able to converse with him. “We’ll get you next time,” I said, and before we rounded the corner, I peeked back and caught Elizabeth’s bewildered gaze. Her lips still swollen from the intensity at which we’d kissed.
That kiss, that delicious kiss that undoubtedly rewired my brain, could put our jobs on the line. If Anders had walked in one second earlier, he’d have found me flush against her body, my hands savoring the piece of exposed skin between the hem of her shirt and the waist of her pants.
It would all be over.
She’d lose her shot at permanent placement.
I’d lose the promotion.
And everyone would know why.
If Mitchell wasn’t dragging me along with him, I’d have stayed frozen in place, paralyzed with the awful decisions I was faced with.
Logically, I knew we couldn’t do this. We shouldn’t.
But my racing heart said otherwise. It longed to be near Elizabeth. To shut out the world and carry on where we left off.
Anders led us to a nearby restaurant. The second we stepped inside and Mitchell finally let go of me, I searched for my phone. It wasn’t in my pocket. No. No. I left it on charge in my office.
My office, where Elizabeth may still be.
Although she did say she had to leave. But that was before… before I kissed her. Not to assume that would change her plans… I just…
I needed to speak to her.
“How’s the Gordon-Bettencourt’s work coming along? Is she working independently yet? Or is she still using you?” There was an accusatory edge in Anders’s voice, and I wasn’t sure if I projected my guilt or whether he’d seen something.
“She’s learned a lot. We were working on the basics of urban engineering before you arrived. Doing it by hand.”
“Ah, Jameson got to her while you were away. I couldn’t stop him.”
I shrugged in my best attempt to remain casual. “It’s a good lesson.”
“So she’s smart, too, huh? Some people have really been blessed on all fronts.” Mitchell opened his menu. “She’s already drop-dead gorgeous. Think she’s looking for a newly divorced man?” He lifted his left hand and wiggled his ring finger, where only a band of lightened skin remained.
“She’s out of your league,” Anders teased, and made direct eye contact with me. “She could get anyone she wants. Actor, superstar, or maybe she’d like that handsome tech genius everyone is after… What’s his name? Viktor something.”
Whatever had been fluttering in my chest since leaving the office was knocked out, leaving a hollowness I was more familiar with. He wasn’t wrong. She was out of my league. I had no doubt about that.
“Volkov,” I said firmly. “Viktor Volkov.”
Mitchell’s guffaw shook the table. “You’re right. My money won’t win her favor.”
“You wanted to discuss a new development company you’re opening in South Africa? Why not consult with a local firm?” I turned my attention to Mitchell and hoped they would take the bait and lead the conversation elsewhere.
“Stop trying to give our work away,” Anders chided. “Otherwise we’ll have to get rid of you.”
“Oh, if you do,” Mitchell said, turning to face me, “I could have a full-time traffic engineer on my team.”
I dropped my head and inhaled, finding the part of me that learned how to behave in these situations. When I located it, I offered them a smile. “I don’t know if you can afford me.”
And with that, the negotiations for our fees on the next few projects commenced.
By 7:00 p.m., I bolted out of the restaurant. I couldn’t be late for the Overpower LAN. I also needed to speak to Elizabeth. And I needed to do it before I saw Lily.
The multiple coffees I’d consumed during that meeting were not helping my anxiety.
Lily and I weren’t in a relationship. I hadn’t technically done anything wrong. But why did it feel this confusing, then?
I ran up the stairs of my building while thinking about all the years of gaming with @pancakesareelite.
All the nights spent confiding in her when I wasn’t brave enough to tell anyone else.
The jokes I dared to make, knowing we’d never meet and I would never have to own up to them.
She laughed with me in the hours when I’d forgotten how.
Lily. Lily. Lily. Who, without a face, without a real identity, was one of the only people in the world I looked forward to talking to.
Because a part of me loved Lily.
Storming into my office, I found it empty.
And another part of me was falling in love with Elizabeth.
I grabbed my phone from the charger and the low battery alert beeped.
It hadn’t been charging. My frustration grew. I was so distracted by Elizabeth that I hadn’t bothered to check.
Notifications popped up. Several from Rose and William. One from Claire.
There were no messages from Elizabeth.
Maybe she’d come to her senses and clocked the risks. Her risks were different from mine, and there was no doubt she’d be accused of pursuing her boss to climb the ranks. She’d fall right into the box they wanted to shove her into.
Although… I was the one in the position of power. Did I manipulate her into this?
A foreign pain coursed through me, rendering me useless for a few seconds. I stared at my phone, replaying that kiss in my mind. She’d kissed me back. I was sure of it.
Another notification popped up.
@pancakesareelite:
Promise me we’ll still be friends after tonight.
And this… this pulled me from my stupor. I replied without thinking, doing what I always did when it came to Lily.
@theanswerisno:
I promise.