Page 59 of Bad Love

Everyone turns to stare atme.

He doesn't even balk. "There's a whole field of robotic sexuality. I have some investments in that area.Why?”

I explain what I’m helping Hunter with. “We’re marketing a sex toy, but I’m not sure it’s there yet. I wonder if it would be possible to tweak it. Could it learn what you want?” I ask breathlessly. “What you like? Beintuitive?"

Ben taps a spare straw against the table, and I wonder if he’s tuned out until he snaps back, his gaze intent on mine. "Sure. You could program it to remember what settings are more commonly used. Effectively, you train it. It would auto-customize overtime."

"Like it would in real life. Like you would with a partner who knows what you'reinto.”

“Uh-huh. If you were really smart, you’d even have dynamicsettings.”

I frown,confused.

“I assume vibes only have preprogrammed settings, right? Like two or three?” Bensays.

Daisy snorts, Rena laughs, and I shake myhead.

“What?”

“At least five,” Renasays.

“Eight,” Daisy weighsin.

“As the person who’s been cluttering her browser history with sex toys for the last couple weeks, they’re not wrong,” Isay.

“I see.” Ben and Wes exchange an unreadable look, then Ben cocks his head. "Well, that’s even better. Instead of having five”—we nod—“discrete settings, it could have infinite combinations of patterns and intensities. Based on which settings get deployed the most, it would effectively phase out the less-used ones. Unless you restore it tofactory.”

My fingers are already biting the edge of the table in anticipation. It’s a brilliant plan. Even better than what I was thinking. And it’d get us closer to selling those vibes—getting me my pick of clients, Rory his camp, and Logan his company—than anything else sofar.

“It sounds simple when he says it. It’s not,” Wes weighs indryly.

“Simple’s overrated.” Ben looks between me and Daisy, who’s obviously amused by the idea or Ben’s easy rambling or both. "I could take alook."

I’m like a kid on Christmas until my boss’s voice slices through my excitement. “Kendall, we have a lot of budget on this, but we don’t have ‘Ben’ kind of money, especially given the shorttimeline.”

My heart sinks as I realize I have no idea what Ben’s timecosts.

But the man in question chuckles. “I’m not taking your money, Dee. Or Hunter’s.” His gaze comes back to me. “This I’ll do forfun.”

A grin splits my face. I feel like a badass even before Rena mouths “Who are you?” and raises her glass at me in a toast to a woman I wouldn’t have recognized two weeksago.

13

"What's gotyour panties in a knot?" I ask Monty when I go to his office Tuesday morning after myworkout.

"Deacon walked out thismorning."

Surprise jolts me. I set the basketball I instinctively went for back in its spot and sink into the chair opposite the desk. "But he had another three weeks’notice."

“Tell me you didn’t say something tohim.”

I scratch my neck, my dress shirt pulling across my shoulders. “I left him a voicemail asking to meet so I can post a positiondescription.”

Monty shuts the door before returning to his seat. “And in that voicemail, did you call him an insecure pussy forquitting?”

I cock my head. “I can’t remembereveryword I say,Monty.”

His eyes shut, and he fists a hand on the desk. "Dammit, Hunter.” His jaw tics, and I see a vein pulsing in histhroat.

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