She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncrossed her arms, then took a seat.
“I need you to use your imagination for a moment, if you will.” The phrasing was an intentional reminder of Saturday night.
Her frown said she knew it. “All right.”
“Picture an application that’s been collecting buyer information from thousands of vendors for the last five years. Not in a nefarious, big-brother kind of way, but anonymously. The system doesn’t care who bought what.” He sketched as he talked. Shapes connected with lines. A data structure. “Every piece of data is a number, and it only cares what the patterns are across numbers.”
“You mean... kind of like what APPropriate Designs does?”
“Exactly like that. The system is robust. Over the years, with the right people working on it, it’s become an artificial intelligence that can guess who’s moving into a stable relationship, based on how often they buy new windshield wipers.” This was gross oversimplification at its finest, but if she caught on as quickly as Antonio said, she understood that.
She didn’t look impressed. “I have an idea how the system works, yes.”
“Perfect. You’re still imagining, right?”
“Sure.”
“Once a structure like that is in place, who’s to say it has to be restricted to sales? If it can predict when someone is going to be in the market for diamonds, it should also be able to tell—based on grades, courses taken, the content of completed assignments, etcetera—whether or not someone will struggle in school.”
She sat up straighter, and the glazed-over look vanished from her eyes. “Really.” Curiosity replaced the boredom in her voice. “Could you go so far as to say if they’re falling behind because they’re bored, versus unable to keep up?”
“That’s precisely what it does.” This was too easy. True, it was his plan, but he didn’t expect her to fold with a few words.
“It’s brilliant. You’ve got this slated down the road, for a future release after you meet this deadline?”
He mentally facepalmed. “This is Promiscuous Perks.”
“Got it. Deceptive codename, to hide the fact you’re working on something you’re not funded for.”
“Working off-hours. Why do you think we’re always here late?”
“Except it’s not limited to off hours, because one of your developers asked about it during the day.” Her expression softened. “It’s an amazing idea, and if it comes close to what I’ve seen, it’ll be brilliant in execution. Make your deadline, get the board’s sign-off, and then fit it into the schedule.”
He wasn’t going to lose his cool over this. She wasn’t trying to be condescending; she simply didn’t know the history. He tempered his response. “I understand what you’re saying, and it’s reasonable. Or it was, two and a half years ago. And then eighteen months ago. And then six months ago, when the shareholders told us the same thing each time. They don’t think there’s money in education. They keep vetoing us.”
“Which sucks. I get it. But you’re operating on someone else’s capital. You don’t get to tell them you’re using it for one thing, and then apply it to something else.”
“That’s funny. I could have sworn your title wasDevelopment Consultant. I didn’t realize you’d be involved in finance.” He needed to watch himself. If he made this personal, he’d already lost.
When she clenched her jaw, a smudge of satisfaction flitted inside him. He wasn’t the only one this was rubbing wrong.
Her smile looked strained—more teeth than joy. “My job is to figure out why you’re not meeting your deadlines, and make sure you do. I’ve spent most of the week trying to uncover why it’s a problem. Antonio runs a solid team. The company as a whole is put together well. There are none of the warning signs I see in most collapsing businesses.”
“Because we’re not in danger of crumbling.”
“Unless you lose your funding, because—I don’t know—someone can’t keep their ego in check?”
“This isn’t about vanity.” His voice rose. He didn’t care. “It’s a solid fucking idea, and it’s got far-reaching benefits.”
She stomped to her feet, which put her a few inches away. “I’m not saying otherwise. But pursuing it this way? Risking everything for the people around you? That’s your pride. There’s a way to do these things, and this isn’t it.”
“If I did things the same way as everyone else, I’d have a net worth of nothing and be pitching my idea to any poor sod unfortunate enough to stand next to me in a line. Instead, I’m here. We built this because we’re not in the habit of falling in line. We’re pursuing PP to keep from losing that momentum. I won’t be another face in a sea of forgettable apps. A flash in the pan. The guy everyone sayshe used to be someone, but he couldn’t adapt.Fuck that. There’s no point in doing this if I’m pursuing someone else’s dream while mine collects dust in the hanger.” He clipped off his words before he could say more. He hadn’t meant to spill this much. To leave this much of himself on the table.
He’d leaned in until their noses almost touched. Emily watched him with wide eyes.
“What?” he snapped.
She licked her lips. The adrenaline and fury racing through his veins tugged at his cock. “I know now why I went home with you Saturday night.” Her voice was quiet but as steady as her gaze that never left his face. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t have a counter.”