Chapter Sixteen
Calling out hellos, several employees waved as she carried her tray through the cafeteria. Hands full, she smiled and nodded.
“Girl, you’ve become quite popular,” Brad said as she joined him.
With some people. Others, not so much. “I guess more people have heard about me.” She shrugged her shoulder. What she had noticed was that people were less reticent about approaching her. The ice had been broken.
“Since the big trade show.” He nodded. “I heard it went well.”
“It did. Which is why I wasn’t around much in the past week and a half. I’ve been slammed.”
Vecton’s assistant had followed up, and Savannah had coordinated the holo meeting with Alcyoneus and the requisite departments at OberTech.
Of the twelve companies they had sought to woo, they’d achieved signed contracts with ten.
They’d even nailed down some contracts for products still in the testing phase.
Everyone was jubilant except for Frysta, whose sour disdain turned even chillier.
Savannah’s brief contacts with the CEO were quite frosty.
Clearly, Stratos’ mother didn’t like her.
Although Sales and Marketing took the lead in the follow-ups, Stratos had to be involved in case there were detailed questions, which there always were. He had her prepare a summary report of the outcomes, which meant she had to review the recording of every meeting.
“You getting along with the boss man?” Brad asked.
“Fine.” If fine meant awkward and strained.
They’d functioned okay at the trade show, where they had the distraction of many people, but back in the office when it was just the two of them, it was tenser than ever.
The kiss had erased all the forward strides they’d achieved in their working relationship.
He was like a dripping faucet on her nerves.
She’d become hyperaware of how he smelled, what he wore, his expression (glowering), his tone of voice (terse), his mood (belligerent).
He’d stood up for her with Frysta at the trade show, but in the office, he cut her no slack, snapping at her for no reason.
Before, their exchange of words had felt like banter; now, it seemed personal and uncomfortable.
It was as if he was looking for reasons to find fault.
Yet, she couldn’t forget the soft demand of his mouth or her uninhibited response. The latter bothered her the most. She should have put him in his place. Shoved him away and told him to take a flying leap off a space dock, instead of kissing him back.
She couldn’t look at him without remembering.
Did he think of it? Judging from his curt behavior, she’d guess so.
Sometimes, when it got hectic, they both appeared to forget what had happened and tension evaporated, but then normalcy vanished.
“Could I ask you for a favor?” Brad said.
“Sure, what is it?”
“I’m going to be changing my rotation soon. There is a design assistant position that has become available. I’d love to work in R eat dessert first.” She laughed again. “Maybe he’s putting you on a diet.”
Brad patted his gut. “I’m already on a diet. There’s not much here I find palatable. I miss bacon double cheeseburgers so much I dream about them.”
“I miss pizza. Pepperoni and sausage pizza. Any kind of pizza—with a nice glass of wine. Hell, even wine-in-a-box. Speaking of food, if you ever have an occasion to try oophish—don’t,” she advised and explained.
He shuddered. “Oh, my god. I think I’d faint dead away at the sight of it.”
“I came close.” She chuckled. She and Brad got along so well. It was nice to have a normal, uncomplicated conversation with a friend.
* * * *
She’d no sooner gotten back to her desk, when Stratos stormed out of his office. “Where have you been?”
“At lunch.”
“You were gone a long time.”
“I wasn’t gone any longer than usual—less, actually.”
“You normally eat lunch at your desk.”
He was getting on her last nerve. “All the more reason I’m entitled to go to the cafeteria.” You jerk! One, two, three… She counted in an attempt to cool her temper. Why did he have to be so disagreeable? She couldn’t broach recommending Brad with Stratos in this mood.
“Get me the Alcyoneus contract; there’s something I want to check.”
“You already have it, Stratos. It’s filed under the company name in contracts.”
“I don’t have it.”
Oh, alien hell! She marched into his office, tapped into his system, and pulled up the contract. “It’s right here!” Exactly where she’d said it was.
“It wasn’t there fifteen minutes ago.”
Yes, it was! She spun around to return to her desk and bumped into a wall of rock-hard muscle. He’d snuck up behind her. A vein throbbed in his temple, and his markings pulsed. When she dared to meet his eyes, the heat she saw made her knees go weak.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. Oh, god, he’s going to kiss me again. I can’t do this. Can’t let this happen. But she swayed toward him.
He growled. Lifted his hands as if to grasp her shoulders—and then abruptly stepped back to stare out the window.
She fled.
They said insanity was doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Why put herself in this position again?
I don’t even like him!
If she kept telling herself that lie, maybe she’d start to believe it.
She did like him. Despite the grouchiness and rudeness, she admired his intelligence, his work ethic, his ethics in general.
He was scrupulously honest and fair. In reviewing the holographic meetings she’d seen firsthand how evenhanded he was in his dealings with other companies.
To fix a problem, you had to accurately identify it.
She had to stop lying to herself and face the truth.
She took a breath. I’m attracted to him. The tension? Unresolved sexual tension. Lust.
His office door opened. “I’m going to the lab.” Without a glance, he vacated the suite.
Savannah leaned on her elbows. Probably they should address the elephant in the room, but maybe it was better to sweep the elephant under the rug—or something like that. What was there to say, anyway? Stop making me desire you? Don’t ever kiss me again?
Please, kiss me again.
There’d been plenty of men she wouldn’t have minded kissing, but the attraction had been mild compared to the sensation electrifying her body now. The intensity of her lustful craving caused her to wonder if he exuded a pheromone that scrambled her good sense. He was an alien, after all.
One kiss, and she was ready to jettison her principles. If a single kiss could mess things up, imagine the disaster that could result from sleeping with him. Hadn’t she learned her lesson?
I have to stay strong. My hormones are not the boss of me. Stratos is not the boss of me.
Well, he was. But that was a technicality.
She got up from her desk to gaze out the window.
The architecture was beautiful, with interesting details she’d never seen on Earth.
Whatever materials they used in construction gleamed under the sunlight, giving the purplish-gray buildings a sparkle.
Vehicles zipped among and over the high-rises, and on the ground, people strode purposefully to their destinations.
She’d never had a view before. On Earth, only top executives had a view.
She earned more here than she ever had—considerably more.
Although fast-paced, the work itself challenged her in a positive way, and she could see her contribution had an impact.
Living and working on an alien planet was truly the opportunity of a lifetime.
I can’t do anything stupid and screw this up!
A message dinged, and she returned to her desk.
Kyra’s hologram appeared. “I’d like to speak to Stratos.”
“Uh, he said he was headed to the lab a while ago. He’s not there yet?”
“No.”
The lab was a complex within a complex, a sprawl of offices, assembly bays, and testing areas. “Could he be with someone?”
“I just got out of a team meeting. Anybody he might have come to see was there.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” she said truthfully. “Maybe he got waylaid enroute?” He left to get away from me.
“Well, if he checks in, tell him I need to speak to him,” she said, and Savannah could tell Kyra was about to sign off.
“Um…wait…”
The lab manager paused.
“Um…a good friend of mine, Brad Benson, is interested in working in R&D as a design assistant. He’s in a rotational program, spending time in different departments.
He’s a great guy, congenial and easy to get along with.
He’s been a huge help to me in assimilating.
” Mostly by advising her on what cafeteria meals to avoid, but still.
“I can’t speak to his design skills, but I think he’s an upstanding guy. ”
“A character reference from you means a lot,” Kyra surprised her by saying. “Everyone can tell the positive impact you’ve had in the department. Operations are much more efficient and focused. Having you as Stratos’ executive assistant has benefitted all of us.”
“I’m…stunned. Thank you.” Getting an atta-girl when she needed it most caused a lump to form in her throat.
“Don’t ever quit,” Kyra said and closed out the communication.