Chapter 6
AVA
“Ohhh, puhleeze,” Ava said with a sigh as she stared at the image of Vanessa’s cleavage leaning closer to Alex as she pressed against the table. “Can she be any more obvious?”
“I’m not sure about that,” Kyle said as he peered over her shoulder at the woman on the pearl cam. “She probably could though. Slip him a hotel key…house key. She could–”
“Stop it,” Ava said with a shake of her head. “Please stop. You’re making it worse.”
“You know,” Kyle said with a tilt of his head, “Mav says the exact same thing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, the constant listing of doomsday scenarios is the worst, Doc.”
“Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “My mind just spins. You know?”
On the other end of the camera, Alex cleared his throat again. The camera bobbled around as he shifted in his seat.
Even without seeing him, Ava could tell he was uncomfortable. He had no idea how to handle the situation and get what he wanted without getting himself in trouble.
She pressed the earpiece into her ear. “Ace, excuse yourself for a second. Tell her you’re running to the men’s room or take a call. Either way.”
He gulped down some water.
“Tell her you’d love to discuss what she can offer, but she’ll have to excuse you for a moment.”
Ava narrowed her eyes at the screen as he set his half-empty water glass down and started to rise. “I would love to discuss everything you can offer me, but I just need a second.”
His phone appeared on the camera, and he bobbled it before he chuckled. “Good thing it’s a quality phone in case I ever do drop it.”
She offered him a warm smile as he stepped away from her. A heavy sigh escaped him as he snaked around tables before he reached a dark door labeled MEN’S.
He pushed inside and hurried to the sink. She caught sight of his taut features in the mirror as he clutched the edge of the sink with white knuckles.
“Take a deep breath, babe.”
“I’m trying,” he answered with a shake of his head. “Avs, I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. This was your plan, babe. You got this.”
“I don’t got this.” His voice trembled as he run a shaky hand through his hair. “This was a stupid plan. You shouldn’t have let me do this. I’m terrible with people. I’m going to say something stupid.”
Kyle winced as he glanced at Ava. He grabbed his phone and fired a text off to her. How close is this restaurant?
She typed back, sending him a response before she answered Alex. Five minutes. Go.
He bobbed his head as he rose, stuffing his phone into his pocket and hurrying from the room. “Babe, you’re going to be fine. You have all the power here, but just in case, Doc’s on the way.”
Alex snapped his blue eyes up to the mirror, his eyebrows furrowing. “Doc? You sent Doc?”
He groaned as he paced back and forth.
“Ace, settle down. Doc’s coming to bolster your confidence. Stay tucked away for a minute or two before you head back to the table. He can play the bad cop, you play the good cop, okay?”
“Ahhh…”
“Alex, you’re fine. You’ve got this. Breathe.”
He twisted to face the mirror again, his features pinching. “Babe, you were so right. I shouldn’t have done this because I’m terrible with people.”
“You can get information from her. She thinks she’s playing you, but we both know better, right?”
“You’re right. I’m playing her. I have all the power here.”
“Yes, you do.” Ava leaned closer to the screen, studying his face. “All the power, Ace. Lean into it. Flirt with her.”
“I’m not going to do that, Sparky. I love my wife too much.”
“So much that you went to get this information from this woman so your wife wouldn’t have to go into a dangerous situation to steal it. Now, get back out there and flirt with her.”
“I can’t flirt. I’m terrible at flirting.” He shook his head, his hands twitching at his sides.
“You’re not,” she said. “You’re totally not. Just be your natural, charming self. Plus, like I said…she thinks she’s playing you, so no matter which way this goes, she’s going to respond to you.”
He dropped his chin to his chest as he bent over, bracing himself against the marble countertop again.
“You got this, babe. You think you’re bad at flirting, but you’re not. Pretend she’s me.”
He scoffed. “Avs, she can’t hold a candle to you.”
“Aww, that’s sweet, babe. See how good you are at flirting?”
He shook his head. “That’s not me flirting, that’s me being dead serious because I love you that much. I can’t say that to her because I don’t love her.”
“I’ll coach you through it. But if worse comes to worst, let Doc do the dirty work.”
“How is everyone better at this than I am?”
“Well, Doc has some practice. Don’t forget, he literally went after Grant by trying to woo Julia away from him. He has fake flirting skills. We all have to play to our strengths.”
“Wait, I thought Doc was bad cop?”
“I am bad cop,” Kyle said. “She’s not going to flirt with me. I’m of no interest to her next to the great Alex Stone. Now, get out of that bathroom and get back to the table so I can join you. I’m getting tired of eating these mints at the bar.”
With a sigh, Alex washed his hands and dried them, tossing the towel into the trash before he emerged from the bathroom and made his way back to the table on the terrace.
Vanessa grinned at him as he took his seat, clearing his throat again. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem. I’m sure you’re a very in-demand man.”
“Don’t answer that, just smile and take a sip of your water,” Ava directed. “Then, change the subject. Tell her you were impressed by her resume and ask why she’s wasting her time at VoltTech.”
“Should I be heading to the table?” Kyle interjected.
“Stand down, Doc. Ace has this. You’re just there for backup if he gets in trouble.”
Ava chewed her lower lip as Alex set the water down. She hoped her comment to Kyle helped bolster his confidence.
“So, when I got a hold of your resume, I was impressed. What is a world-class programmer like you doing wasting her time at a place like VoltTech?”
Vanessa licked her lips in a far too seductive manner before she responded. “Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a waste. But I am curious about one thing…where did you get my resume?”
“Headhunter,” Ava answered quickly.
“StoneCorp has a headhunter. Someone who looks at other companies to scoop up excellent people to add to our ranks.”
She offered a haughty chuckle. “I know what a headhunter does.”
“Brush it off, Ace. Don’t let that get to you. Act slightly annoyed, and say you’d like her to explain why her current career isn’t a waste. Ask her what’s so important there that it’s fulfilling.”
Alex heaved a sigh on the other end of the line. “You never answered my question. How is your current position at an energy company fulfilling? It has to be mundane.”
“Not true. I find it very…illuminating.” Her lips curved into a smile before she giggled at her own joke.
“I see what you did there,” Alex answered. “How so? Because so far, it seems like you’re dancing around the question, and I’m wondering if that’s because you don’t have anything…substantial to show me from your portfolio that would showcase the talent you’d bring to StoneCorp.”
“Ohh, nice, Ace,” Ava said with a satisfied smile. “Good comeback.”
“I wouldn’t say that. VoltTech is working on some cutting-edge things right now. I’m not at liberty to disclose all of the details, but I certainly could share some of my work. I’ve actually been one of the leads on a major project.”
“Do tell,” Alex answered, sounding slightly more confident.
She cocked her head, a playful expression morphing her features and turning Ava’s stomach. “Well, I’d love to, but instead, I think it may be better if I show you. Would you be available after lunch to stop by the office? There are so many things I’d love you to get your eyes on.”
“Ugh, do not let her get you on their territory. Tell her no,” Ava said.
“Just let me double check my schedule,” Alex said. “One second.”
He grabbed his phone, and a second later, Ava’s rang.
She snatched it and pressed it to her ear. “Alex, do not do this.”
“Do I have anything pressing this afternoon?”
“Yes, you do,” she answered. “You have a nice afternoon of gaming with your wife.”
“Any way I can push that. I’ve got something that I would really like to follow-up on.”
“Alex…” she warned through clenched teeth.
“Great. Thanks so much.”
The line clicked, and she stared down at the phone, her nostrils flaring.
“Wow, Mav, bold move.”
“Looks like I am free to take a look at anything you’d like.”
“You’d better not be smiling at her,” Ava said as she tossed the phone onto the cushion next to her.
Vanessa’s smile brooded. “Excellent. I can’t wait.”
Their food arrived, and Ava leapt from her seat as the conversation turned slightly more mundane with Vanessa showing way too much interest in Alex.
Besides interjecting a few warnings to watch how much he said, she paced back and forth, gnawing on her lower lip as she dug her fingernails into her palm.
She knew Alex could handle it, but every flirtatious smile from Vanessa made her stomach tighten. Was Alex too nervous to push back? Or worse—was Vanessa already playing him?”
As they finished their meal, and Alex took care of the bill, Chris shuffled into the room. “Ava…hey, just the person I wanted to see.”
She pulled the earpiece from her ear, toggling it off so Alex wouldn’t hear the conversation. “Chris…what’s up?”
“Sebastian said something about you trying to get into VoltTech. I actually did a ton of projects with them for building…I have a contact there. I emailed him and got an appointment this afternoon. Want to head there with me?”
Her pulse quickened as she narrowed her eyes at him. “He’s located at the Miller’s Run facility?”
“Yep,” Chris said. “He’s a Vice-President. I thought maybe he could be of some use to us.”
Her mind raced with possibilities. He’d likely have some sort of access to restricted facilities, and what he didn’t have, maybe Sebastian could give them access. Alex’s laptop likely remained connected to their security system.
She lifted her chin before she bobbed her head. “I’m in. Give me a few minutes to change and to get Shadow to monitor their security while we’re inside.”
“Sure, absolutely.” Chris nodded as she turned off the pearl cam and found the connection to VoltTech.
She grabbed the laptop and headed for the foyer.
“Hey, Ava,” Chris called as she left.
“Yeah?” she answered.
Chris offered her a weak smile. “I’m glad to be of some use.”
She returned his expression with a nod before she left the room behind and climbed the stairs.
She pounded on Sebastian’s door, shifting her weight from foot to foot. He pulled it open a second later. “Ava…how is operation…whatever Alex is doing going?”
“Fine,” she answered, “but we have another opportunity, but I need tech backup.”
She thrust the laptop forward.
His forehead creased. “What?”
“Chris got us a meeting with a VP he knows at VoltTech. I’m going to swipe his badge, but I may need help opening the server room door. Alex is already hacked in…I just need you to unlock a few doors.”
Sebastian grabbed the laptop. “I’m on it. We need that program.”
She nodded. “Yes, we do. And we’re not leaving that facility without it. Put your earpiece in…let’s do this.”
Ava spun on her heel, heading for her bedroom to change clothes. This could be the break they needed. She hoped they’d manage to get the program. And she hoped Alex would get out of his situation, too.
As she hurried down the hallway, Ava’s heart raced. They had two missions running simultaneously, and too much could go wrong. She just hoped they could pull it off—without one of them getting caught.
She hurried into the bedroom, peeling off her clothes and grabbing a designer dress and blazer. She shimmied into it and zipped the back.
As Ava pulled on her jacket, a knot tightened in her chest. They were both chasing after the same program, but what if they both failed? What if Alex couldn’t handle Vanessa, and she couldn’t slip past VoltTech’s security? The thought of them both coming up short made her heart race.