Page 8 of Mexico Can Choke On It
“Apologies. My jet’s Wi-Fi was out over Colorado. Please continue.”
That voice.
There’s only one voice on this godforsaken planet that can make my thighs quiver, instantly ruining a perfectly good pair of panties.
My head snaps up to the wall of screens, where a new Zoom window has appeared, and there he is.
Bryce. Sterling.
My fingers freeze mid-grab, suspended in pastry purgatory. Every cell in my body goes on high alert.
Even in digital form, the man is unfairly gorgeous. His golden-blond hair is short and sleek, and my fingers itch to run through it. He’s wearing acharcoal gray suit, the kind with a subtle pattern that whisperscustom.Those piercing blue eyes survey the room with quiet authority. His head tilts, eyes shifting ever so slightly.
Is he… Is he looking at me? Oh God, I’m pathetic. But what if he is?
“Petra, the next slide!”
Shit. Slides. Right. I’m the slide girl. Why am I not sliding?
I jolt backwards, landing hard on the leather chair.
PPPBBBBBTHHHHHHHHRRRRRT!
It’s not a squeak.
It’s not a groan.
It is a full-blownnuclear fart trumpet.
Every face turns toward me in collective panic. On screen, Bryce’s eyebrows shoot up so high they nearly leave his forehead.
“It was the chair!”
I shoot up—trying to clear my name—when my elbow clips the water pitcher.
WHOOSH! SMACK!! SPLASH!!!
A tidal wave sloshes across the table.
My laptop? Baptized. The Wi-Fi hub? Gone. There’s a soft hiss, then apop, lots of sparks, and the entire Zoom screen goes black.
Bryce? Vanished like a gentleman ghost.
“OhmyGod—I can fix it!” I lie, napkin-bombing the tech as if tissue paper stands a chance.
“Sorry, everyone,” Gavin says to the room, already pulling out his phone. “We’ll need to reschedule.”
He doesn’t raise his voice. Doesn’t throw anything. Doesn’t even scowl. Buteveryoneevacuates as if the floor just caught fire.
When the last person escapes, he turns to me. I freeze mid-pat.
“Before you say anything, I knowthis looks bad—”
“Bad? This week’s been a disaster. If you really want my help paying for college? Earn it. I challenge you to make it through one day without a crisis.”
“Bro, I get it, okay. I am a flaming dumpster of incompetence.”
“Enough jokes. No more excuses, sis. I already had to cancel two investor calls, and we did not have time to reschedule this meeting.”
