Antonio braced himself to referee another argument.
Emily crossed the room and grabbed a whiteboard marker. “No comment.”
*
TWO HOURS LATER, EMILYstood with her back to the wall, looking at Justin and Antonio. A series of diagrams and flowcharts decorated the board next to her. “Why not?” she asked.
Justin took the dry-erase pen from her, erased a few lines with the side of his hand, and connected different pieces. “The diagram says you need to go that way, but if you’re not looking for middle information, you can bypass this layer and go straight to the source.”
“Neat.” She was impressed with the conversation. Justin hadn’t let his skills lapse, despite being head of the company. When he and Antonio tossed proprietary terms around, she struggled to keep up. It was fascinating to watch. And enticing. Part of it might be thanks to the shared fantasy with Justin, which grew more vivid the longer she spent with both of them.
Justin glanced at his phone. “It’s past eight. Didn’t mean to keep you here this late. Since we’re not paying you, at least let us buy you dinner.”
“Which is his way of getting you to stay at least another hour, so we don’t lose our momentum. For the record, it’s a plan I support.” Antonio stood and stretched, fingers interlocked and arms extended above his head. It elongated his torso, and muscle rippled under his shirt.
In her mind, she whistled. She could watch this for a while. Part of her insisted that wasn’t appropriate, but a larger part pointed out she already crossed that line. If she scaled back to a little drooling, she was making progress. “I could eat.”
Justin crossed the room to his desk, grabbed a menu from a drawer, and handed it to her. “Chinese food. What are you having?”
She scanned down the list. “Nothing too spicy.”
“Had your fill earlier?” Justin asked, teasing in his voice.
“I don’t want details.” Despite Antonio’s protest, he didn’t sound upset. He watched Justin with an unreadable expression. It almost looked like adoration.
Which made sense, given what she’d seen of their friendship. If she read more into it, it was an inappropriate projection. She shook the thoughts aside, made her choice, and waited for Justin to call in their order. When he was done, she turned to Antonio. “Since the momentum is paused, may I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why would you go back to Italy? Why did Justin make it sound like more than a temporary arrangement?” Silence fell over the room, and two frowns met her curiosity. “Unless that’s a bad question. Then forget I asked,” she said.
“It’s okay.” Antonio’s accent sounded heavier than normal. “It’s something we try to pretend isn’t looming. My family owns one of the largest technology companies in Italy, and my father wants to retire. He’d like me to take over, but Justin and I built APPropriate Designs... I’m torn, to say the least. Family obligation versus my desire to stay here.” He looked at Justin with the same faint adoration as earlier.
“I get it.” More than she wanted to. If Grant and the rest of the board were unhappy with the outcome of this project, the worst they’d do would be to buy out Justin and Antonio, essentially firing them with a sizable severance. It would leave Antonio free to go back home, but despite his expressed ambivalence, it was clear that wasn’t what he wanted. Her good mood faltered, as she processed how much rode on success.
Chapter Twelve