The Boyfriend Project Page 9

  What she admired most was that, despite the hard work he’d put in to building Trendsetters, Barrington was the first to acknowledge that his privileged background had given him a leg up and eagerly sought to help those less privileged.

  Her thought reminded her, she needed to talk to him about donating old computer equipment to the senior center on Lamar. Barrington championed any philanthropic project Samiah brought to his attention. It was mutually beneficial: Trendsetters received great press and deserving local organizations received much-needed help.

  He stood before the conference room, a goofy smile on his face. “Who’s ready to spoil their lunch?” Barrington asked before stepping out of the way and leading them inside.

  Samiah stopped short. Had she missed the word heaven etched across the glass door? Because that’s where she was right now. Hands down, this was her vision of heaven on earth.

  The table that stretched across the length of the room was laden with all the makings of the perfect ice cream sundae. The line started at the left side, with an array of glass sundae and banana split bowls waiting to be filled. Next were square platters that held bananas, mixed berries, brownies, and blondies, followed by six large cylinders of various ice cream flavors, including a nondairy vegan vanilla. She whisked past that one and heaped two scoops of buttered pecan ice cream into her sundae glass.

  She sprinkled on candied pecans and butterscotch chips from the two dozen toppings offered, then drizzled on warm caramel. She’d skipped her half-hour gym appointment for the past three days, but there was no way she could justify missing it today. She added another drizzle of caramel and some whipped cream. Better make it worth her while.

  “How amazing is this, huh?” Keighleigh asked as she approached Samiah with a cup of plain vanilla ice cream, no doubt the vegan one. She probably wasn’t even vegan. Just wanted to be seen as different. “Better than the massage the team from Software won, if you asked me.”

  I don’t know about that.

  She’d trade this sundae in a heartbeat for another hand massage from Daniel.

  “Implementation is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves,” Keighleigh continued. “You think Barrington is taking notice? He has to, right? This is the second flash competition we’ve won since the summer.”

  It was on the tip of Samiah’s tongue to point out that she’d done the lion’s share of the work for both the flash competitions they’d won. But she wanted to be a team player, so she nodded and stuffed another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She’d decided that when it came to Keighleigh Miller, keeping her mouth shut was her best tactic. If she didn’t share anything with her, she wouldn’t be able to glom onto Samiah’s work and claim it as her own.

  She now recognized that she’d only empowered Keighleigh when she didn’t call her out after the Pflugerville Independent School District incident earlier this year. She’d shared her thoughts on the school system’s software issue with a couple of team members at lunch. The next day, Keighleigh presented those same ideas to their supervisor. It was brazen, given that two other team members could vouch for the idea being Samiah’s. And it was the first time she’d had solid proof that Keighleigh had usurped one of her ideas and passed it off as her own.

  But she’d kept quiet because she knew how it would go down if she’d caused a fuss. Tears would be shed. Fingers would be pointed. And whispers would start floating around the office about how Samiah attacked a coworker. And if she tried to defend herself, they’d ask why she was so angry. It was the same shit over and over again.

  Team player, she reminded herself. She would be a damn team player.

  After finishing her ice cream, she joined in a discussion about an upcoming implementation project for one of their long-standing clients, but when they asked for her opinion, Samiah pivoted to another topic. She would test just how well they did without her input.

  Her coworkers had come to expect her to run point, even when she wasn’t the official team leader. Of course, she shouldered much of the blame for that. She tended to take over a project, because if her name was on it, she wanted to make sure it was done right.

  Not anymore. She would do her part and only her part; the rest of her energy belonged to the creation of her Just Friends app.

  When she noticed that they were starting to clear the sundae fixings, she went over to the table and heaped a scoop of both chocolate and vanilla into a bowl. She topped it with chopped walnuts and bite-size chocolate chip cookies, and covered it all in hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, and two maraschino cherries. She thanked the HR team for arranging today’s prize, then carried the sundae down the corridor to Research and Development’s software wing.

  She found Daniel hunched over his computer with headphones covering his ears, his fingers flying across the keyboard. She remembered a time when all she did was make cool things happen on her computer. She missed those days. She missed actually creating stuff. Working on her app would bring back some of that excitement.

  Samiah tapped Daniel on the shoulder and cleared her throat.

  His body jerked as he whirled his chair around and pulled the headphones off. She felt the smile that lit up his face in her very bones.

  Seriously? It’s just a smile.

  God, but it was such a great smile. He killed her with those dimples.

  “Hey. What’s up?” he asked.

  She ignored what was happening to her nipples as she held the sundae out to him. “Unlike some people I know, I am happy to share the bounty when my team wins in a flash competition.”

  His eyes went wide as his mouth dropped open. “No way! You all got sundaes?” He grabbed the glass bowl from her hands.

  “An entire sundae bar, to be exact. It was glorious.”

  He scooped up a spoonful of hot fudge and moaned as he ate it. Her reaction to the sight of him slowly wrapping his tongue around the spoon was so wholly inappropriate for the workplace she had a mind to report herself to Human Resources.

  “This is ridiculous,” Daniel said. “It’s the hot fudge that puts it over the top.”

  “Better than that massage?”

  He nodded, but then shook his head. “Nah. But close.”

  A shocked laugh escaped. “You are impossible. You could have at least lied to me.”

  “I don’t lie. Sooner or later, you’ll get caught.”

  “Say it again for the people in the back,” she drawled. “Especially those named Craig who don’t realize that their lies will catch up with them.”

  “Has he been bothering you?” he asked, abandoning the humor from moments ago.

  Samiah shook her head. “He’s a coward. I haven’t heard from him since that night at the restaurant. Neither have Taylor or London, the other two women in the video.”

  “Good. That guy doesn’t deserve a moment more of your time. Do me a favor; don’t waste any more of it on him.”

  A peculiar sensation pressed against the walls of her chest. It took her a second to recognize it as gratitude.

  Over these past couple of weeks, as their lighthearted banter and occasional flirting escalated, Samiah had cautioned herself not to take it too seriously. She would never admit it publicly, but her pride was still raw from the wounds the episode with Craig had inflicted. That vulnerability had the potential to color her perception, causing her to put too much stock into the slightest gesture.

  But Daniel’s concern seemed genuine. Every morning, during their coffee bar encounters, he never once skipped the chance to inquire about how she was holding up under the weight of the viral video.

  Interest in it had finally begun to wane, thank goodness. But it would still be a while before her life was back to normal. No one here had shown more interest in her mental well-being than Daniel. He cared. She didn’t realize just how much that would mean to her.

  “Thank you for that,” Samiah said.

  He gave a slight nod, his eyes filled with understanding. “It’s nothing you don’t alread
y know, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to remind you. We tend to forget how special we really are after something like this happens.”

  Did he have a guidebook to prep him with the exact words she needed to hear?

  Samiah knew better than to play the if only game. Engaging in hypotheticals was the equivalent of buying a first-class ticket to Disappointmentville. But she couldn’t help thinking how different things would be if only she’d met him a few weeks earlier.

  She’d heard the terms bandied about before—work spouse, office hubby, wusband. But she’d never found anyone at Trendsetters who fit the bill.

  Until Daniel.

  Although she wasn’t sure that label still applied. A typical work spouse shouldn’t trigger the chemical reaction she experienced whenever she was around him.

  She’d all but given up on there being any guys like Daniel still out there—genuinely sweet, empathetic, and the kind of sexy that made you want to apologize to his mama for thinking such naughty thoughts about her son. Guys like that were all happily married and living lives that seemed to come directly out of a Subaru commercial. What were the chances she’d actually stumbled upon her ideal man just as she’d promised to give up men for a while?

  Her timing was for shit.

  Daniel returned to his ice cream. “So, how did you know exactly what I like on my ice cream sundaes?” he asked, breaking off a chunk of chocolate chip cookie and popping it in his mouth. “You haven’t been stalking me online, have you?”

  “Do you make a habit of discussing your sundae preferences on social media?” she asked, giving his shoulder a playful nudge. “It wasn’t hard to figure it out. You make yourself at least one mocha a day, and if there’s a granola bar with chocolate chips in the bowl, that’s what you go for.”

  The brow with a faint scar marring it arched. “So you have been paying attention to what I like, huh?”

  Her face instantly grew hot. Oh, God. If he mentioned something about her blushing, she’d never be able to face him again.

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” Samiah retorted in an attempt to shift the focus back to him. “I only pay attention because I want to make sure I get my granola bar before you raid the kitchen.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. That’s not the reason.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’re not a chocolate fan. At least not when it comes to the granola bars. You like the ones with peanut butter.” He glanced up at her, his brown eyes glittering with irrepressible mischief. “Why do you think there’s always at least one waiting for you?”

  Samiah’s heart clutched. “You put a granola bar in the bowl for me?”

  He caught her gaze and held it, earnestness supplanting his amusement. “I don’t like seeing you disappointed. You’ve had enough of that in the past couple of weeks.”

  The breath seeped from her lungs in a measured exhale, replaced with an emotion she would have to think long and hard about before she was willing to put a label on it. A heady, charged energy pulsed between them, pure and intense and unnerving.

  Could she even trust this feeling, or was this her bruised ego searching for a salve to soothe the burn Craig’s cheating had wrought?

  Snapping the connection before it sucked her in even deeper, Samiah deployed one of her most reliable tactics, sassiness. “Well, it’s the least you can do for not gifting me that massage,” she said.

  He too must have been shaken by the potency of what passed between them. With feigned aggrievement, he slapped a hand over his heart. “Will I ever live that down?” His amusement slowly receded. Raw sincerity appeared in its place. “Why don’t you let me make it up to you by taking you to lunch?”

  Samiah’s head reared back, a thrilling panic slamming against the walls of her chest.

  Say yes!

  No. Don’t say yes.

  “I…uh…I just ate all that ice cream,” she sputtered.

  Lamest. Response. Ever.

  Daniel leaned forward, the sinful gleam in his eyes the kind of look fathers warned their daughters about.

  “The ice cream was okay, but it isn’t enough to fill you up.” He gestured over his shoulder, toward his computer. “I need to give this code refactoring another hour or so. Once I’m done, why don’t you let me treat you to a late lunch?”

  Okay, so maybe she was reading too much into it. Maybe the guy was just really hungry. She’d had lunch with coworkers before. It had never been a big deal. Why did it have to be one this time?

  Because none of your other coworkers compelled you to fling your panties off.

  Stop!

  She could have lunch without losing her damn panties. In fact, this lunch was the perfect opportunity to show herself that she absolutely could handle an office friendship without expecting it to grow into anything serious. For the next six months, a serious relationship was no longer her goal.

  Daniel had been a bright spot in what could have been two extremely dark weeks. If she allowed herself to get in her own way, she would be depriving herself of what could become a genuine friendship.

  Leaning in to retrieve his empty ice cream bowl, she smiled. “Meet you in an hour.”

  Chapter Ten

  What in the fuck are you doing?

  The question ping-ponged around Daniel’s head as he strode down the open corridor toward Samiah’s office. He didn’t have to go through with this. He could plead temporary insanity; say he’d asked as a joke after the ribbing she’d given him over the massage.

  No, he couldn’t do that. That would make him look like an asshole.

  He could just admit that he hadn’t been thinking. That he knew it was inappropriate to ask her out, even to lunch. Except Trendsetters didn’t have any rules against coworkers getting together for lunch. They did it all the time.

  That didn’t mean he could do it. He wasn’t a typical Trendsetters employee. And FinCEN sure as hell frowned upon agents becoming romantically involved with potential subjects while on an op.

  But Samiah wasn’t a subject or a target, so did it even matter?

  Of course it mattered! He could play around with semantics all he wanted to, but when it came right down to it, Lowell Dwyer would have his ass if he caught wind of any of this.

  Decision made, Daniel continued to Samiah’s office, only to find it empty.

  Well, hell, maybe he wouldn’t have to make up any excuses. Looks as if she’d come to her senses.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  He turned at the sound of her voice. She waved to him from Aparna Bajwa’s desk, where the two were both pointing at something on a computer monitor. A second later, she left Aparna’s station and started for him, her smile gaining vibrancy as she approached.

  God, but that smile was gorgeous.

  “I was thinking—” she started.

  “Samiah…I don’t—” he said at the same time.

  They both stopped. Her forehead dipped into a slight V with her frown. “You don’t what?”

  I don’t think we should have lunch. It was one simple sentence. Just say it.

  “I don’t know if you like poke, but there’s a place that just opened around the corner that I thought we could go to.”

  Dude, what the fuck? That was not what he was supposed to say.

  She regarded him with a hint of uncertainty before her features relaxed into another of those breath-stealing smiles. How could he say no to that smile? He wanted to live in that smile.

  “I’ve been eyeing that place,” she said. “Let me grab my purse.”

  “You don’t need it. It’s my treat, remember?”

  “Oh, I know it is,” she threw over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “But I can’t leave my access card.”

  The delay gave him yet another opportunity. He could pretend he’d forgotten about a special project Morgan asked for help on. He could fake a stomachache. Anything.

  But he didn’t say a damn word as he stood there waiting for her to
lock up her computer and grab her purse from the desk drawer. As he held the door open for her and then followed her out of the office. As he waited for her as she stopped to speak to Jamie at the front desk. So many chances to back out, yet he didn’t. Couldn’t.

  And even as he told himself they were just two coworkers grabbing a bite to eat, he knew what he wanted it to be. He wanted this to be a date.

  After arriving at the restaurant, Daniel asked Samiah what she wanted from the menu, then went up to the counter and ordered two salmon and avocado poke bowls. He brought the bowls to the table Samiah had chosen and took the seat across from her. As he added an extra dash of soy sauce to his bowl, he asked, “How long have you been at Trendsetters?”

  He already knew this, of course, but they’d never discussed it.

  “I had my three-year anniversary this past August.”

  “Only three years? And you’re already a team leader?”

  His reaction wasn’t totally feigned. He’d been genuinely bowled over when he’d read it on her dossier. The speed at which she’d risen among the ranks was impressive.

  “Wait.” Samiah’s brow furrowed with confusion. “Didn’t they tell you? I’m a total badass when it comes to that company. I rule that shit.”

  Daniel wiped his lips to hide his smile, then sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Is that so? Does this mean you can demand anything you want and the powers that be at Trendsetters will provide it?”

  “Damn right. Except, of course, if it’s a back rub that my team didn’t earn.”

  “Hmm…” He concealed his laugh with a cough. Straightening in his chair, he said, “That seems only fair. And because I did earn that back rub, I guess that means I’m actually the one who rules that shit, right?”

  “No sir,” she said, her musical laugh wrapping itself around him. “You’ve got a few more years to put in before you even get close to ruling anything.”