Chapter 12
I stupidly forgot that Injin Electronics makes a lot more than phones. They also make kitchen and home appliances, computers, industrial machinery, robotic arms… If it has a chip, they likely manufacture it.
I’m reminded of that when we exit the car in front of their administrative center—two massive skyscrapers linked by dozens of walkways that make it look like a ladder to heaven. With almost a quarter million employees worldwide, it’s no wonder they have so much administration to handle.
Two people are waiting for us in the lobby. The man looks important, with his expensive suit and shiny shoes, and the woman is very elegant, with her gray dress and beige stilettos. Lex and I look just as professional, him with a dark suit, a crisp white shirt, and a briefcase. I’m in a navy pantsuit that has tiny vertical stripes, and a designer handbag Tami loaned me is tucked at my elbow. It’s fake, but she assured me no one would notice. We look like a power couple, and it gives me the confidence to not crumble under the pressure of this meeting.
“Good morning,” the man greets us with a flawless accent. Phew, I won’t have to speak Korean. It was fine with street food vendors, but I wouldn’t want to try my hand at it with the Injin folks. “I’m Park Dae-Jung, head of international relations. This is Kim Mun-Hee. She’s the one who worked on the partnership with Kelex.”
Lex shakes his hand and introduces us. “I’m Alexander Coleman, co-owner of Kelex. And this is Andrea Walker, one of our most brilliant developers.”
“We were sorry to hear Mr. Langley wouldn’t be coming, but we’re glad to have you with us, Miss Walker,” Ms. Kim says .
Once the handshakes and respectful bows have been exchanged, they guide us toward the elevator lobby. I’m doing well at not showing just how excited and nervous I am to be here—or at least, I think I am. It still feels surreal, and I think that once I’m back in Seattle, this whole thing will feel like a fever dream.
On our way up, Mr. Park gives us a quick presentation of the buildings. We’re in the official headquarters, where they handle everything in Korea, and the other tower is in charge of their international administrations.
Whenever a floor has a department worth visiting, we step out of the elevator so they can show us around. The level of organization is impressive. With all the stops, it takes us about an hour to arrive at the 40th floor, where the executive levels begin. Mr. Park is telling us about his experience working for Injin when a slight commotion interrupts him. An older man is on his way to the elevator, accompanied by three assistants. Although he seems to be at least seventy, he walks fast, his purpose clear, his face focused behind the very thick lenses of his round glasses.
Ms. Kim and Mr. Park bow deeply, which confirms that the man is very important. When the newcomer stops before us, Ms. Kim straightens up and says in Korean, “Yom Sajangnim, these are the representatives from Kelex.”
That seems to pique his interest, so Ms. Kim introduces us while Mr. Park explains, “Mr. Yom Kwang-Seon is an eminent board member. It was his support of your company that led the rest of the board to agree to the partnership.”
Lex bows, grateful, and I do the same. “Thank you, Mr. Yom. We hope our business with your company will benefit all of us.”
Ms. Kim translates Lex’s words to the man, and Mr. Yom then speaks to her directly. It’s too fast for me to understand it all, but I expect Ms. Kim to translate. Instead, she answers him with, “Miss Andrea Walker is actually the one who developed that application.”
I poorly hide my surprise and turn to Lex, who, despite not having the context, also heard my name.
“I showed Mr. Yom the presentation you gave at Hello World Con, and he is very interested in learning more about your sign language application,” Ms. Kim explains.
“If he would like a presentation now, we have everything we need,” Lex offers, tapping on his briefcase.
She translates the words to Mr. Yom, who nods after a few moments of pondering. Before I know what’s happening, we’re all entering a large conference room that overlooks the city .
Everything in me wants to grab Lex’s arm and run. We have yet to release the beta version of the app and get a first wave of feedback to find more bugs, issues, limitations… It isn’t ready to be shown to one of the biggest tech companies in the world.
While two of Mr. Yom’s assistants connect the phone Lex gives them to the massive screen, I whisper, “Lex, this was supposed to be an in-and-out kind of thing.”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Kim told him this is still the early beta version. It doesn’t have to be perfect. He only wants to see how it works.”
My hands are slightly trembling despite my efforts to seem confident, and when Lex notices, he gives me a reassuring look. “Andrea, your app is one of the best we’ve ever had. Everyone in this room will be completely blown away by your work.”
I take a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and nod. Once I get home, I’ll strangle Kevin for promising this would be a low-responsibility trip. He fucking lied.
The phone is mirrored on the screen now, and everyone’s waiting for us to start. “Since she created it, Miss Walker will be better suited than me to introduce it and explain how it works,” Lex tells them.
On second thought, forget Kevin. I’m strangling Lex as soon as this is over with.
Thankfully, my presentation at Hello World is still fresh in my mind, so I breeze through this more easily than anticipated. Lex joins me at some point to show them how the app works. Once we’re done, we wait for their questions.
Mr. Yom bends to talk to our improvised translator, and Ms. Kim asks, “How long will it take to add new languages to the app?”
Lex answers since he’s better with estimations than I am. “We’re still working on the American Sign Language database, with over thirty thousand references so far, and even more to come. Once the app is ready to go and with enough support from local entities, it could take us as little as six months to teach the AI a new language. That includes beta testing and adjustments.”
“Would you consider adding Korean Sign Language?” Ms. Kim translates next.
“We planned on moving on to Mexican Sign Language since Miss Walker is familiar with it. It would facilitate our ability to add new languages. But as a show of gratitude and in honor of our partnership, we would be willing to work on Korean Sign Language as early as possible after that,” Lex explains.
They have a few more questions about technicalities, and then Mr. Yom has to head to a lunch meeting he’s very late for. Instead of exiting the room, though, he walks up to me. I freeze as he wraps my hand in his and bows to rest his forehead on it. “Thank you,” he says with a thick accent once he straightens up. His eyes are distorted by the thickness of his lenses, but I see gratefulness in them.
Mr. Park follows him and his assistants outside, and I stand there, unsure what just happened. Ms. Kim, who probably senses my confusion, steps closer. “Mr. Yom’s wife has been deaf since birth, and a few months ago, he was told his eyesight would be gone within the year. That means he and his wife will lose their only way of communication. When I was studying the partnership case and saw this app listed, I showed him the Hello World video. It gave him hope for the first time since his diagnosis, so he ensured Injin would sign the partnership with Kelex.”
The reason behind Mr. Yom’s gratitude breaks my heart. Thanks to an app meant to help my brother date, an old man will be able to keep talking to his wife. This is why I wanted to join Kelex. I want to help people and make a difference.
For once, Lex is more loquacious than me, and he answers for me. “You can assure Mr. Yom again that we’ll work on the inclusion of Korean Sign Language as soon as we can.”
“He’ll appreciate it, thank you. Now, we are a little behind schedule, but we need to head to the executives’ canteen for lunch.”
“Let us gather our things, and we’ll be right out,” Lex says.
Ms. Kim steps out, leaving us alone, and as soon as the door is closed, Lex passes a soothing hand between my shoulder blades. “You did amazing, Andrea. I’m so, so proud of you.”
I can tell he is. I see it in his eyes. “That’s because I had you to support me,” I say with a small smile.
“No, that was all you. As much as I’d like to share it, this is your victory. Your win. You’re fucking incredible, Walker.”
“Are you being this sweet so I’ll forgive you for throwing me under the bus, Coleman?”
His smirk melts my insides. God, I love when he turns all charming like this. “Is it working?”
“Maybe… Now, less talking and more picking up our stuff. I’m starving.”
“Of course you are. You’re like a feral raccoon—always hungry.”
I laugh at that analogy. It’s so good that I can’t even take it poorly. I’m exactly like a feral raccoon.
B etween the visit to Injin HQ and the dinner, we have a few hours to chill in the suite. Or I use it to chill, at least, wearing an oversized tee and yoga shorts. Lex decides to spend it in the hotel’s gym, like the masochist he is.
When I saw him leave wearing his gray sweatpants and loose tank top, I almost suggested that we do cardio together instead—in his bed or mine, I’m not picky like that. But I stayed strong and kept my mouth shut, watching him leave while I sat on the couch with some wacky game show playing on the TV.
I’m in the exact same spot when he comes back almost two hours later, and I admit I feel a little ashamed. He’s even hotter now, with the way his clothes cling to his sweaty skin, the muscles of his arms popping, the flush of his face… I’m mesmerized when he passes by me, and when the salty and familiar smell of his sweat fills my nostrils, I overheat. I miss when he used to get this sweaty for me, fucking me for hours until I tapped out.
I’ve never been more aware of our differences than at that moment. It’s a miracle that we get along so well despite our opposing personalities and ways of life. He’s energetic and disciplined, while I’m lazy and unmotivated. But I was born for the soft life, so it’s not my fault.
Lex takes off his tank top on the way to his room, and I bite my lower lip at the sight of his powerful back. No matter how sweaty he is, I want to follow the outlines of his muscles with the tip of my tongue. I almost stand up to do that when I hear the water from his shower. It’s so loud and clear that I know he kept the door open like he did with the bedroom one. This is clearly an invitation.
But if I answer it, there’s no way we aren’t having sex. And if we do that, I’ll lose sight of what’s important. Right now, sleeping with him means allowing myself to lose control. And I’m not sure I’m ready for that to happen quite yet.
So I stay right where I am, with my eyes on the screen, even though all my attention is on the water running. When it finally stops, I thank God for the end of this torture. I also thank my mom and abuela for raising me to become such a strong woman. I couldn’t have done it without them.
However, I reconsider everything when Lex comes out of the room again, still wet and wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around his hips. It’s hanging low enough to reveal some of the groomed hair at the base of his dick and the deep V framing it.
Holy fucking fuck …
Is he even more muscular than before? How is that even possible? His extraordinary body makes me actually salivate—like he’s Pavlov and I’m his bitch. Fuck, the things I’d give to be one of the droplets making their way down his torso.
I’d start at his jaw to slowly roll down one of the hard lines of his throat until I reached his collarbone. Then, I’d follow its shape to pool in the hollow spot at the base of his thick neck. After a moment, I’d make my way down in the valley between his pecs, through the light patch of dark hair I love so much. The path between his six-pack will be like a fun slide, with a brief halt at his navel. Then, I’d resume my journey toward my objective, only to die in the towel right before reaching it. Damn, that’s a frustrating ending, but so, so worth it.
Not minding me, Lex goes to the fridge to take out a water bottle. I watch, bewitched, as he drinks from it, observing how his Adam’s apple bobs up and down. He finishes it in one go, and when he puts it down, his eyes meet mine.
Fuck, this is all on purpose. This fucking asshole knows exactly what he’s doing to me. He stretches, making his abs and arms contract while the towel goes even lower, and I swear to God I’m seconds away from barking. He seems to decide this is enough for now, so he walks to his room, his back muscles rippling under his skin.
Woof.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Lex. It won’t work,” I scold, hoping it’ll give me the strength to not follow him in there.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answers without turning to me. He pulls on his towel to remove it, flashing me his delectable ass for a hot second before disappearing into his room.
My incredulous protest comes in the form of a shocked breath. Oh, he isn’t ready for what he just started. Because I’ve always lacked restraint with him, he doesn’t realize just how pigheaded I can be. But he’s about to understand why my mom sometimes calls me puerquita .
Fueled by a mix of pride and frustration, I stand up and storm to Lex’s room. He’s just done pulling up a pair of black boxer briefs, still adjusting the waistband around his hips.
My sudden arrival doesn’t surprise him, as if he expected me to come. “Need something?” he not-so-innocently wonders.
His arrogant assurance is exactly what I need to remind myself I’m on a mission. “I’m going to my room to unwind before dinner tonight. I just wanted to let you know so you don’t disturb me.”
A twinge of disappointment flickers in his eyes, and I bite the inside of my cheek so I won’t smile. He really expected me to come begging for slex. I’m sure that if I lied down and asked him to eat me out, he’d drop to his knees and worship me until I said stop. But his attitude doesn’t deserve a reward, so I smile politely and say, “Again, don’t disturb. ”
He nods, still taken aback. “Sure.”
Once I’m back in the living room, I turn off the TV. I need silence for what’s about to happen. Then, I practically skip to my room and leave the door slightly ajar so he can’t see the bed but still hear what’s going on in here. After a detour by the bathroom, I walk to my bed with Jensen in hand. Today, Alexander Coleman will learn a very frustrating lesson.
I remove my shorts and underwear in one motion, and after some consideration, I keep my T-shirt on. If he caves in and takes a peek, I’d rather he doesn’t get the full show. He’ll have to take my shirt off himself if he wants to see the rest.
My excitement almost makes me giddy as I lie on the bed, smiling at the ceiling. This will put me on Santa’s naughty list for the rest of my life, but I don’t care. Lex deserves it.
It won’t be as good as what he can do, but knowing he’s right there, knowing he’ll listen to everything, brings me an insane amount of satisfaction. And it makes me so fucking wet, too. As soon as I hear him out there, back to the central space of the suite, I move into action.
The familiar buzzing of the vibrator spreads goosebumps on my exposed skin. I spread my legs and bring Jensen between them. The soft silicon rubs against my lips as I push it lower—to where my desire for Lex has gathered. I roll it there for a moment, pressing just a little, playing with the idea of penetration. When it’s slick with my wetness, I bring it up again, right over my clit. Shit, it’s already swollen and sensitive. Lex really did a number on me, didn’t he?
My eyes close to conjure the vision of what happened moments ago, to imagine his perfectly sculpted body over mine. I let out a trembling breath, pressing Jensen harder. I think of that date he’ll take me on, of what will happen after. It’s so effortless to envision his head between my thighs, licking my pussy like I’m his favorite ice cream flavor. He always loved making me come like that. This time, it’s a soft moan that pours out of me.
He’ll make me come this way first, sucking on my clit, rolling his devilish tongue around the bud, entering me with it, even. Then, once I’m ready for him, prepared for his girth, he’ll sink his cock into me, inch by delicious inch until all of him is in all of me.
As I imagine him doing that, I align Jensen with my slit and push it in. “Hmm,” I moan, my back arching to find a better angle.
I tried to find something similarly sized to my favorite dick ever, but Jensen is missing a little over an inch and a half in length, and the girth is nowhere near Lex’s. It can still do the trick, though. Better than Idris, which always leaves me wanting more .
Though I’m pretty sure I’ll still crave more after. I’ll crave the stretch, the slight pain that comes with taking Lex’s cock. It’s been a while, so I’ll probably need to reacquaint myself with his size. Shit, I can’t wait for him to fuck me until I fit him like a glove again.
The steady pace of Jensen between my legs makes me moan so loud that I know he heard it. Even if he settled into the office to work, he now knows what’s happening here.
I’m not particularly vocal when I’m on my own like this, but this isn’t just for me. It’s mostly for Lex, actually, so I owe it to him to make sure he can hear it all.
My walls spasm around the rigid length, my orgasm building up already. But as good as it feels, it’s nothing compared to what I used to get. Lex’s dick was such a perfect fit, so incredibly efficient…
Desperate to relive that, I fuck myself harder with the toy. With the increased pace comes increased moans, and when I angle it to hit where it feels so fucking good, I let out a trembling cry. My free hand flies up to my chest, and I tug and twist at an aching nipple over my T-shirt, wishing Lex’s deft mouth was playing with it instead.
I open my eyes again and look at the door. It hasn’t moved, but I can almost feel his presence behind it. Is he standing right there, listening to me? Can he hear the wet sound of Jensen sliding in and out of me? Is he hard, wishing he was the one pumping into me like this?
The image has my hips bucking, my legs spreading wider as a shiver rolls through me. “Mmh, fuck,” I whimper.
The rhythm of my hand hastens as I shove the vibrator in and out, chasing that orgasm as if my life depends on it. Soon, he’ll do all this to me. He’ll fuck me and make us one again until we finish together. I miss his animalistic grunts when he comes inside me, the sensation of his cum shooting in my pussy, and the way he shudders against me.
“Aah, baby,” I let out, my legs shaking from the pending orgasm. The tension grows close to exploding.
Jensen has never felt this good, never made me cry out like this. But I’m not with Jensen right now. I’m with Lex. Jensen is only a vessel, a tool, a poor substitution for the person making me cry out and pant on the other side of this door, listening to every little sound, maybe even stroking himself.
“Lex, I’m coming,” I scream. The pace of my hand is furious, and it has the tension in my lower abdomen seconds from snapping. “I’m—Oh, God, I’m—”
Whatever I wanted to say gets lost in the primal cry that tears out of me. My whole body shakes as bliss ripples through it. My hand keeps up with the pace for as long as I can endure it, stretching my orgasm just for Lex, forcing out more soft pleas and cries. This is all for him. Everything.
Once I’m done, once Jensen can’t give me anything more, I slip it out and turn it off before discarding it on the bed next to me. I look at it with a smile, amazed at how drenched it is. Always so fucking wet for him…
Pleasure still pulses between my legs, so I press my knees together as if it can help retain it there. My breathing is slowly returning to normal when Lex orders from behind the door, “Cover yourself.”
I don’t think I’ve ever smiled as wide as I do upon hearing his gruff command. He was there, after all. He was listening, respecting my request not to disturb me. I comply with a feeble hand, lowering my oversized tee to cover myself. It’s the best I can do right now.
He doesn’t ask for any sort of confirmation before he pushes the door wide open. He’s wearing his suit for the evening, and I decide that this is his color. Not black, not dark gray… anthracite . Even from the bed, I can see how tense he looks, his eyes two narrow slits, his jaw tightly clenched. And when my gaze travels down, I see the hard length pressing against his slacks. My body reacts to it, arching in invitation, and his eyes darken even more.
I stay lying there as he comes close to the bed, and I don’t move when he bends over me. The way he glares at Jensen isn’t lost on me. I’d bet my left ovary that Lex would lick me off it if I allowed him to. But he looks at me again instead and leans over me with a hand on the bed. I’m tempted to grab him by the nape and pull him in with me, but I don’t.
“The only reason I’m not putting you across my lap to punish you,” he threateningly begins, his free hand coming to rest on the inside of my knee, “is because I know I’m not the only one suffering here.”
His fingers rise along my inner thigh, and the shiver it spreads is so intense that I tremble from head to toe.
“I know how greedy you are, so I know that wasn’t enough for you. Am I right?”
I shouldn’t give him the satisfaction, but a desperate part of me nods. It’s the same desperate part that spreads my knees just a little so his hand can continue its journey to my aching core. Maybe he’ll do something about it if he knows I need more. If he knows how much I need him.
“Of course, it wasn’t enough. Nothing will be until you get the real thing again.”
His jaw ticks when he reaches the wetness spread high between my thighs, and his fingers halt. There’s so much hunger in his eyes that I worry he might eat me whole.
“But until you can get the real thing, my obstinate dork, get dressed.”
I don’t even have time to process what he said before he rips his hand away and stands up straight. Flabbergasted, I watch as he adjusts his tie, still looking down at me. “You have thirty minutes,” he explains. “And if you make us late with your antics, Andrea, I will give you the spanking you so deserve.”
I push myself on my elbows to protest, but Lex doesn’t stay long enough to hear it. He’s out of my room before I can sort my thoughts, and I’m left alone, wondering how the fuck he managed to flip the script so effortlessly.
Clearly, it was stupid of me to think I could play games with a mastermind. With his IQ, there’s no way I can ever win. Frustrated, I let myself fall back on the bed and stare at the ceiling for a second.
It’s like I’m playing tic-tac-toe and he’s playing 3D chess.
At least this will surely earn me a few extra orgasms when we start fucking again. I might not be good at holding grudges, but something tells me that man never forgets.