Page 70 of Bad Boy for Hire
May tugged on the blue cotton tee with Knight Time’s logo on it and admired his curly Sharpie signature. She’d paired the casual tee with a wide, flared white skirt and wedge sandals. It might be her new favorite ’fit. “Would you like me to get you one?”
“Very funny. I would like you to introduce me to that man. Yes, I know he’s married. And yes, I know he’s fine. It’s not about that. I am incapable of living this close to a celebrity without having made his acquaintance.” She tapped her nails on the desk. “We will discuss this further at your quarterly review.”
May chuckled. Asher Knight was indeed fine. But he was also more than that…being in his presence had given her the oddest floating sensation.
He’d strutted over, first saying hello to Ant by giving him a manly hug, and then he’d greeted Xavier with a rough slap to the shoulder. With May, though, he offered a hand while looking directly into her eyes. She’d been lost in those deep, dark brown eyes for a solid five seconds. It hadn’t been desire, not quite. More like awe. Like standing too close to a humming transformer. Her entire body had felt the vibration.
“May. How have we missed each other? Gorgeous women rarely miss my radar.” He’d said her name like it was sinful and he liked the taste of it in his mouth.
Damn.
It wasn’t love, or lust. It was far more visceral.
“I never should have introduced them.” Xavier, who sat next to her, slid a cocky glance over at May. “She is head over heels for him, and I have no idea how to win her back.”
“I bet.” Jewell slipped a pair of thick-framed glasses onto her nose and then peered down at her iPad. “All right, let’s talk about the app release date and the marketing schedule leading up to it.”
Jewell reviewed the schedule for Zest. Xavier fielded her questions like a pro, even when Jewell expressed concern about how quickly summer would sneak up on them.
May couldn’t help thinking of another “launch” that would occur next summer. Namely a baby from her uterus. She felt her smile turn sickly as she fast-forwarded through the months. That due date was sneaking up on them as well. Eventually, she would have to tell her boss about being pregnant, but the timing hadn’t been right yet.
“You have nothing to worry about. I have it under control.” Xavier was lounging in his chair, legs splayed, hands resting on his thighs. He was the picture of relaxed, which irked May for some reason. “We have plenty of time between now and summer.”
Oh, right. For that reason.
“The infrastructure will be solid by spring. We’ll squash any major bugs by release and then clean up the rest. You’ll have a seamless launch that won’t bottleneck your new clothing drop or your website traffic.”
May and Jewell exchanged looks, silently doubting that he knew enough about the clothing industry to make that guarantee.
“Am I talking nerd?” He swiveled his head from one woman to the other. “Did I lose you?”
“May is fluent in nerd,” Jewell said with a smile. “How are you so certain there’s plenty of time?”
May felt justified hearing Jewell ask that, though in May’s case, she was thinking about something far more personal than a clothing release. She knew too well that Xavier believed there was “plenty of time” to do everything. It had become his dominant personality trait.
“A lot goes into planning a clothing release,” Jewell said. “And May has a whole other job outside of this app. While I am willing to sacrifice my prime analytics person so that she can lend her expertise on this project, I will also need to work around hiring someone to take over for her in the meantime.” Jewell regarded May warmly. “It’s impossible to replace you, love.”
“I appreciate that.” May offered a guilty smile. In the future, Jewell would also need to work around maternity leave…
“Plenty of time,” Xavier said. His motto.
“Summer’s not as far away as you think,” May snapped at him.
He frowned.
“While you might understand how far away it is from your man logic,” May continued, no longer able to keep her thoughts to herself, “I’m not sure you’re taking into account all of the details the women in this room know intimately.”
He leaned on one elbow toward May. “Even though I’ve never experienced your industry firsthand, I have been through the process of building and selling an app.” He sent a meaningful glance to Jewell. “Whether it’s Tipsy or Zest’s fashion app, it’s going to be ready by next summer. You’ll see. I’ve got it under control.”
May’s temper, along with her nostrils, flared.
“We can build in extra time if we need it,” Jewell said. “At this point, we’ve made no promises to anyone outside of this room.”
“No reason why everything can’t be handled in nine months’ time.” Xavier offered a tight smile.
“Less than nine…” Jewell trailed off. Probably because May and Xavier were staring holes through each other. “May? Do you have thoughts?”
Boy, did she. Before she ended up sharing that Xavier was drastically underplaying what needed to happen between now and June, as well as overstating how he had it “under control,” she excused herself.
