Whatever remark I was about to make dies on my lips, so he takes the lead. “Dr. Campbell, all set?” he asks in a slow, indulgent drawl.

  “Yes,” I say, regaining my composure.

  His eyes travel over my new outfit, and I do the same with his two-thousand-minimum dollar pinstriped suit. Gosh, the guy couldn’t look more posh if he tried.

  “Nice hoodie,” he says eventually.

  “Nice suit,” I reply.

  He studies me for a moment. “Why do I have a feeling that compliment isn’t exactly genuine, Dr. Campbell?”

  “I can’t comment on your insecurities.”

  He tilts his head back and laughs.

  My turn to cross my arms over my chest. “Having fun much?”

  “I have to say, this is not how I expected the introductions with the head of robotics R&D director to go.” He must notice the indignant rage building up in me because before I can reply, he raises his hands to stop me. “But let me start by apologizing for barging into your office, I had no way of knowing it was a robot who’d invited me to come in and not you.”

  “I am not a robot.” K-2P shuffles out of the office behind me. “I’m a highly sophisticated, artificial intelligence machine programmed to interact with organics.”

  “Sorry, little guy, what should I call you then?”

  “I’m an advanced kinematics precision pneumatics service droid.”

  I roll my eyes. “He’s K-2P.”

  Thomas Mercer surprises me by offering his hand to the droid. “Very pleased to meet you, K-2P. I’m Thomas.”

  I watch in a sort of out-of-body experience as the lab’s mascot and the soon-to-be new CEO shake hands.

  Then Thomas Mercer looks up at me and offers me the same hand. “Thomas Mercer.”

  I hesitate.

  “Just to make the introductions official,” he adds with a wink.

  I don’t think winking at me is very professional, but I can’t very well let him stand there like a tool with his hand outstretched, refusing to shake it. This is the man who will have the power over my research budget, my team, my salary, and my end-of-year bonus.

  I close the few feet of distance still separating us and don’t appreciate one bit how, with the reduced distance, I can smell his sexy, expensive cologne.

  He smells like a dream you just woke up from and can’t quite remember, but only know that it had been a good dream. A fantasy about something you desire with all your heart but can’t have in real life. There might also be a hint of sandalwood and Bleu de Chanel mixed in there.

  I take his hand and shiver at the contact, at the warmth that seems to flow from his palm to my hand, at the electricity that shoots up my arm. The current flows straight to my head, making my brain short-circuit. I forget proper social form and neglect to let go of his hand.

  In a voice an octave lower than it has been so far, he says, “Nice to officially meet you, Reese Campbell.”

  The way my name rolls out of his mouth is indecent. It lands straight in my belly, warming me up from my core outward. That’s when my gaze drops between our bodies and I notice he hasn’t let go of my hand either.

  7

  THOMAS

  The director of the R&D department drops her gaze to our joined hands and I realize I’ve been holding her hand for way longer than it’d be considered appropriate.

  I let her go and scratch the back of my head with that same hand. This is not how I had expected the meeting to go. I knew the head of this department was a woman, but I’d just assumed she’d be a middle-aged person, not a hot brunette who probably isn’t even in her thirties.

  My gaze flits to the door of her office and the “Dr.” etched before her name. Don’t PhDs take ages to complete?

  “How old are you?” I blurt.

  She frowns. “What kind of question is that?”

  The dick kind. I’m behaving like an idiot.

  “Sorry, what I meant to say is, aren’t you too young to already have a PhD and lead a department?”

  She follows my gaze to the engraving on the door. “I’m twenty-nine, and yes, I’m too young. But I graduated a year early both from my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and completed my PhD in four years instead of six, saving four years of school in total.”

  I low whistle. “And how long after you started here were you promoted to the big chair?”

  “Two years,” she says begrudgingly.

  “So, you’re a genius?”

  She throws me a sour stare. “I’m smart.”

  “Okay, Smarty, do geniuses eat? How about I take you to lunch, and we can get to know each other better?”

  Her eyes widen in shock, so I raise my arms, adding, “Know each other professionally. If we have to spend the next three months working together, we should get comfortable with one another.”

  She narrows her eyes at me and if looks could kill, I’d be a goner. “Sorry, but I already ate. But, please, go have your lunch break and when you come back, I can give you a tour of the lab and the new products we’re developing.”

  Nice speech. Totally believable. Pity that the moment she stops speaking, her stomach gives a loud rumble.

  I raise my eyebrows in a silent “already ate?” question.

  “I had a light lunch,” she explains.

  Sticking to her story, uh? “K-2P, did Dr. Campbell already have lunch?”

  “No, she wanted to get changed first and then join the others at TGIF.”

  Arms crossed, head tilted, I’m all ears for some explaining.

  She throws her arms up in the air. “I’m embarrassed, okay? My future boss caught me dancing half-naked in my office. Excuse me if I’m not exactly eager to go out to lunch with you.”

  I have to concentrate hard to push the image of her booty shaking and boobs flashing out of my head to keep my expression neutral.

  “Could’ve happened to anyone, and I’m okay not mentioning the incident ever again if you are. Consider it erased from my memory.” Fat chance of that actually ever happening. “And waiting to talk would only make things more awkward between us. So, what do you say we jump right back on the horse and share a meal while you give me the rundown of your department?”

  “Fine,” she snips.

  I take her to my favorite Italian restaurant near our offices. If garlic bread and pasta don’t soften her up, nothing will.

  The weather isn’t too chilly for mid-October in New Jersey. The sun is shining unchallenged by any clouds, but there’s also a breeze coming in from the Hudson River that could make it too cold to have an entire meal outdoors.

  “Is a table inside good?” I ask, keeping the door of the restaurant open for her.

  “Sure.” She shrugs and gets in before me.

  The owner, Carmelo, greets me with his usual enthusiasm. “Thomas, great to see you, table for how many?”

  I raise two fingers.

  Carmelo’s gaze shifts briefly to Reese before he grabs two menus and leads us to the front of the restaurant. With the sunlight flooding in from the wall-wide windows, it almost feels like we’re sitting outside—minus the cold wind.

  “Are you having the usual?” Carmelo asks, turning to me.

  “What’s the day’s special?” I ask.

  “We have a risotto today with almonds and stracchino cheese.” Carmelo kisses his fingers. “Delicious.”

  “I’ll get that,” I say.

  Reese closes her menu and nods at me.

  “Two day’s specials,” I tell Carmelo.

  “Anything to drink? I have this red from near the Vesuvio that’s⁠—”

  “I’ll go with just water.” I look at Reese for confirmation, and she nods.

  Carmelo leaves with our order and while we wait for our food to arrive, I take the time to observe the mysterious Dr. Campbell.

  She’s sitting in her chair nervously fiddling with the tablecloth, doing her best to avoid meeting my gaze.

  I try to think of a way to draw her out.

  “You know, if you keep avoiding eye contact with me it’s going to be hard to break the ice.”

  Her brown eyes lift to mine. For a split second she glares at me, almost resentful, but she’s quick to hide it. “Sorry, I’m still embarrassed about earlier.”

  “I sense your reluctancy to talk to me isn’t 100 per cent due to the office incident. Why?”

  Reese lowers her gaze guiltily.

  “Come on, I can’t fix what’s wrong if you don’t tell me.”

  Our eyes lock again, and she crosses her arms on her chest. “You want to hear it how it is?”

  “Always.”

  “Okay.” She leans her elbows on the table and grabs a garlic breadstick from a basket a server dropped off. “I’m not thrilled to have to babysit you for the next three months. I’m even less thrilled that Emmet Proctor an engineer with cojones is leaving the company and that”—she waves her hand, pointing the breadstick at me like a sword—“you, a man with zero robotics knowledge, have been selected as his replacement.” Reese ends the speech and takes a giant bite out of the breadstick.

  I take a moment before replying by unfolding my napkin and squaring it on my legs. “So, it’s my business major that offends you.”

  Called it, Dad!

  She replies, chewing with her mouth still half full. “If you were some kind of corporate rainmaker with experience running a company, it’d be at least digestible.” She swallows. “But according to your online resume, you’re just the boss’s son with no experience except for looking pretty.”

  “Ah.”

  At least she finds me pretty.

  The server drops our food in front of us, and I shuffle the rice on my plate, watching Reese out of the corner of my eye.

  She only picks at her food, and I wait for her to annihilate me some more. “Too direct?” she finally asks.

  “Nope,” I say, taking a bite of risotto and not fully enjoying how good it is. “These are the same objections I presented to my father when he informed me of the decision—yesterday. You’ve met the man, haven’t you?”

  She nods.

  “So you know he’s not an easy man to say no to.”

  “For one of his employees, no. But for his son? I don’t know.”

  “It’s the same.”

  “If you say so.”

  Undeterred, I forge ahead. “Listen, Reese, we’re in this together. Neither of us is particularly thrilled by the situation, but I believe that if we work together, we can make the best of the hand we’ve been dealt.”

  “How?”

  “You teach me the ropes, and I’ll work hard to unlock the division’s potential,” I say with a shrug. “I might not have a fancy technical degree, but I’m not an idiot.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You can’t learn robotics in three months, or even fifteen.”

  I smirk. “Mmm, sure, it sounds hard, but not when I have a secret weapon.”

  “Oh, yeah? What secret weapon?”

  “A genius teacher.” I wink at her, and her cheeks flush.

  8

  REESE

  Gosh. His secret weapon might actually be his charm. I’m doing my best not to like the guy, but I’m losing the battle. I’ve insulted him, belittled him, and he’s still smiling at me—those insufferable dimples just adding to the affront.

  And apparently, the smiling is infectious because my lips rebelliously curl up in a smile of their own, while my stomach responds to the wink by flipping in on itself.

  “You’re smiling,” he says. “That’s progress.”

  I stuff my mouth with risotto to wipe the smile off my face, and force myself to concentrate on eating.

  Thomas lets me be for some time while we eat in silence.

  When he speaks again, he almost makes me jump in my chair. “Have I earned the benefit of the doubt? Truce?”

  I shake my head, conceding deceit. “You’ve at least one thing in common with your father.”

  He wipes his mouth on his napkin. “Really, what’s that?”

  “You’re really hard to say no to.”

  Our eyes lock, and I’ve no idea what’s going through his head, but his gaze seems suddenly more alert, more intent. And I don’t like the way I’m responding to it. Still, I don’t look away.

  He breaks the eye contact, eventually, taking a long sip of water, which is not much better, as now, I’ve gone from obsessing over his eyes to finding myself staring fascinated at his Adam’s apple as it bobs up and down in his throat. A sexy, manly throat that I catch myself wondering how it’d feel under my lips if I kissed it. Smooth or rough with stubble?

  I stand up abruptly, making my chair scrape on the floor and dropping my napkin on the table, and excuse myself to the restroom. I enter the small room and lean my back against the door for a second before heading to a stall and locking myself in.

  What is wrong with me?

  I’ve never been sensitive to macho charm. In all my past relationships, I’ve always formed a mental bond first. Physical attraction came in at a distant second. Good looks never even factored in that much in my choosing of a partner. But Thomas Mercer is making me think things I never even thought myself capable of—like how easy it would be to pull him by his expensive tie into this stall with me and kiss the charming smiles right off his stupid face.

  And if even bathroom stalls are eliciting prohibited fantasies, I should really get a grip.

  Inhaling deeply, I exit the stall and head to the sink to splash my face with cold water. Next, I dab my neck and behind my ears. The coldness seeps into my skin, soothing my nerves.

  I need to get a hold of myself and nip this unexplainable attraction in the bud before I do something stupid. I can be a professional. Be civil to Thomas Mercer, show him around the lab, teach him a few buzz words so he can appear more robotics savvy than he is, and then send him on his merry way in three short months.

  Easy peasy robot squeezy.

  I pull a few loose strands of hair behind my ears and head back to the table.

  “We have a deal,” I say, sitting down. “I’m going to teach you as much as I can about robotics in the short time we have.”

  He seems skeptical of my change in attitude. “And in exchange?”

  I shrug. “It won’t be bad to have the future CEO’s ear in case my division’s work needs support.”

  “See?” he says with an open smile that causes my heart to double its beat. “Win win.”

  When we re-enter the lab, everybody else is back to work, and most heads turn our way. Mainly curious glances with two glaring exceptions. Garrett is staring daggers at Thomas. And Maria is looking at me with a dreamy grin I don’t appreciate one bit. She even mouths a “Wow” at me and pretend-fans herself.

  I scowl at her in a “cut it” way and brace myself to make an official announcement. I clap my hands loudly. “Attention everyone, please pause your work for a minute and listen.”

  Once all eyes are on me, I present Thomas to the group. “This is Thomas Mercer; he’ll be staying with us for the next three months as an observer.” I’m not sure if I can already divulge the news that he’ll become our new CEO to everyone—I can trust Maria but maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it to her either, so I keep the introductions vague. “Please give him full access to your current work and make him feel part of the team. We’ll be making rounds of the various workstations now for you to meet him personally as we go by. Please return to your posts.”

  All the engineers and programmers scatter back to their stations, and I turn to Thomas.

  “Word of warning, getting a rundown of all the products at once might feel overwhelming. We’re working on a million different things.”

  He gives me a confident smirk. “Do I need to take notes?”

  “That won’t be necessary. I gave my presentation to the board on the state of the department only last month. I can forward you the PowerPoint, which summarizes pretty much everything. And you can also study the full report.”

  He leans in to whisper in my ear. “Will there be an interrogation afterward?”

  His warm breath skims down my ear to my neck. In response, goosebumps run down my spine and arms, despite the heat in the room. I collect my wits and face him, whispering back, “From me, no. I’m the only head of department who doesn’t want your job and the only friend you have here.” I lower my voice still. “But you can bet Briggs will try to trip and humiliate you any chance he has.”

  “Briggs?”

  At Thomas’s confused frown, I add, “He’s the head of production and heir apparent to the throne until you showed up.” I poke his chest.

  Bad move. My finger makes impact with a wall of solid muscle.

  I pull my hand away as if burned and finish my speech. “So I suggest you take your time in R&D seriously and also that you familiarize yourself with the organizational chart of the company you’re going to lead.”

  “Hey.” He raises his hands defensively. “I was only appointed to the job yesterday. Give me time.” He winks. “I promise not to disappoint.”

  My heart stutters in my chest. Because of the wink. For the way he’s looking at me as he promises not to disappoint. And because of those darn gold flecks in his eyes.

  I ignore all these reactions and move on to business.

  “Come on, then.” I walk to the workstation next to the entrance and gesture to the man sitting there. “This is Kevin. He’s been with the company for the longest time on this floor and has been working on our arc welding industrial robots for the last three years.”

  They shake hands, Kevin gives us an introduction to his work, and we move on, going station to station and meeting everyone.

  When we get to Maria’s bench, she’s waiting for us with a grin splitting her face cheek to cheek.

  “Hi,” she says, sounding slightly out of breath. “I’m Maria.” She offers her hand eagerly.

  They shake hands, and then Maria turns to me saying suggestively, “Strong handshake, I like it.”