“Exactly.” I cup my hands around the beer mug, allowing the cold condensation to cool my skin. “But which market?”
Jake types into his phone. “…fucking bullshit…” he says, to nobody in particular.
Forrest shakes his head. “I don’t know. There has to be a natural fit.”
And then my eyebrows raise and I feel the shock of the obvious. “How about law enforcement. Or…military, maybe?”
Forrest sits up straight. “Hey, you could be on to something.”
I know that I am, which gets my heart racing. If I can convince Duke that Kingston Industries will have exclusive patent rights to a device that could revolutionize the spy industry—for the greater good, of course—then I’m sure he’ll invest in the product. With a bit more money, we could make the right enhancements to make it worth everyone’s while.
Forrest leans forward. “But do you think Kingston will go for it?”
Movement across the street catches my eye. A man in a Chicago Cubs baseball cap hovers in front of the Nike store. There’s something familiar about him. I could swear he was there when we first arrived at the pub, standing and staring through the window in exactly the same position. Almost as if he’s been watching…us.
I tap Jake on the shoulder, interrupting another animated discussion. “Hey, do you know that guy?”
Jake leans forward to get a better look. “What guy?”
“The one—” Just as I go to point him out, I realize he’s already gone. I try to shake off the unease, but my skin tingles with anxiety.
Great, now I’m also becoming paranoid.
I polish off the last of my beer and set the glass on the table. “I should get going.”
I gather my purse and stand, smoothing out my skirt to avoid eye contact. Forrest, always perceptive, picks up on my discomfort and grabs my wrist. “Hey, we were just razzing you before about Kingston, Hailey. Don’t take it so seriously.”
Right.
I exhale hard. “But it is serious, Forrest. We’re not in school anymore.”
Forrest seems chastened, nodding his head at my words.
Jake is tapping away at his phone.
“Not going to bother to wish me luck?” I ask him, feeling more and more annoyed at his bad behavior.
Jake finally glances up at me, and his eyes are dark with venomous resentment and envy. “You don’t need luck, Hailey. You’ve got other assets far more important.”
I want to tell him to fuck off, but instead I turn on my heel and head out.
For all my partners’ boisterous talk, neither of them have the spine to sit face-to-face with Duke Kingston. They’re trying to pawn it off on me being a girl so they don’t have to deal with the fact that I’ve always been the leader of our group.
Nothing’s changed.
I still have to close this deal one way or another.
Chapter 4
Hot steam fills the bathroom. I climb out of my skirt, strip out of my blouse, my underwear and my bra, and step into the scalding water. It streams down my shoulders and along my spine, easing out the tension that has me wound up like a jack in the box.
The overhead pipes groan as they struggle to draw from the small water tank. I’ve got about five minutes before this shower turns ice cold—and that’s only if old Mrs. Crockett upstairs hasn’t had two baths today.
I fantasize about being rich someday, and buying an entire apartment’s worth of hot water tanks so I can shower for hours. Days. Maybe a whole month. I don’t even care if I shrivel up like a prune.
I lather with soap and rub it across my stomach and under my breasts. My thumb catches on my nipple. I gasp and touch it again, this time pinching it between my fingertips.
The sting is shocking.
Soap suds slide down my chest, trailing down over the curve of my stomach. I reach around to wash my lower back while my thoughts return to Duke. I imagine his strong hands exploring my body. He cups my ass from behind, squeezes, and then slides one palm between my legs, massaging my inner thigh as his mouth closes in on the back of my neck.
A strangled moan escapes my lips.
The water begins to cool.
I lather up more soap and bend to wash my legs, fingertips inching up along my thighs. My pinky grazes the tight nub of my clit and I clench in response. Cool water drizzles between my breasts. I imagine Duke’s tongue there, lightly flicking my skin as water streams down around us.
My entire body aches for his touch.
I unhook the shower head, turn the spray nozzle to a more powerful stream, and point it between my legs. The water pulses against my flesh. I grind my hips up against the nozzle, slowly at first, and then gaining momentum as I discover new pressure points. I lean against the tile and arch my back.