Page 32 of Rival Hero

Considerate for a robot. He’s becoming sentient.

I set the laptop on the docking station, drape my sweater over the chair, and go to work wiping the keyboard and mouse while I take in my surroundings. A wave of giddiness rocks through me.

Tomer’s got five desktop tower PCs in here with a whole bank of monitors running down one side of the room. My best guess is that each tower is used for different tasks, based on its power and capability. One for coding, one for hacking tools, one for tasks that require dedicated processing power like hashing, another to run Windows, and so forth.

I’m about to dork out so hard in here.

At the company, I had a laptop with monitor and docking station, along with two desktop towers. Three monitors in total. But this is something else.

Am I impressed?

My stupid pride wants me to say no, but my inner pimp is gleeful as hell just thinking of all the trouble I can get into with toys like this.

No. Not trouble.

Respectable, legal, and morally justified research. For the good of Redleg and their clients. Not for me and certainly not for some politician who doesn’t deserve it. Not for some bullshit military operation that’s a cover for greed and corruption.

For real people who need help.

At that thought, my shoulders roll back, and my chin lifts. For the first time all morning, a real smile tugs at my mouth, and I let it come without schooling it into a calculated expression.

I had hoped that leaving the company and working for a reputable firm would give me peace. I just didn’t realize it would happen so soon. Even if the greeting this morning has been mixed, I’m hopeful Redleg was the best move for me.

But like all good things in my life, my peace is quickly shat upon the moment Klein comes stalking into the room and stops behind me. I can sense his gaze burning into me, so I spin around in the chair, wearing myplain face.

It’s the face I use when I don’t want to reveal an ounce of what I’m feeling. No pinch at my eyes or lips. Nary a crease anywhere. I simply let every muscle in my face go limp.

But not so much that I look like I’m having a medical episode that will make people start asking me stroke questions.

Glancing up, I study the man in front of me, and my mouth waters. Like the stubborn ass I am, I refuse to gulp in his presence. Unfortunately, that makes saliva pool. If I don’t tighten my lips, I’ll drool all over myself. My plain face doesn’t work when my mouth is impersonating a waterfall.

Unlike me, Klein doesn’t have a plain face. He has a sexy as fuck face that is begging to be ridden. And it reveals everything he’s feeling.

“That’s my seat,” he grits out, cutting and pained sounding.

Funny. I wasjustthinking the same thing about his face.

Tomer doesn’t look up from his PC. “I put her there. I figured she should be between us so we can alternate showing her shit and vice versa.”

Pretty sure lots of pornos start like this, with the girl in the middle of the two hot guys. But this isn’tthattype of three-way. Unfortunately.

Klein’s nostrils flare. “Fine.”

He takes three steps to my right and yanks out the chair from the other workstation.

Honestly, if I were in charge, I’d always have the intel team work together. It’s a huge area with lots of space, and this job is ripe for collaboration.

But I’m not in charge and never could be. Not my jam. Not my kink.

Although I can be quite social, I need time to recoup and recharge my battery. For the most part, I like people best when they are on the other side of an internet connection. The time I spend inmyoffice will give me the quiet time I require.

Beside me, Klein mumbles something sounding like “gets my job, and now she gets my seat. Perfect plan because—” He’s interrupted by the buzz of his cell phone.

After swiping the screen, his shoulders sag. I try to ignore him, but that’s not something I’m capable of. Not in this lifetime.

“Okay, here’s what I want to do first,” Tomer announces, turning his chair to face me. “We’ll start by going over our current caseload. You should be read into the big ones, at least.”

“Excellent. What else?”

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