Chapter Thirty-Nine
Archer
“Heh.” I heard what sounded like the beginning of a sob and sat up to look at the TV. Abel had rolled over, that was all, and he had the cutest way of sucking on his thumb. I wanted to run into the nursery to pick him up and cradle him, but I couldn’t leave Zoe. She was just as sweet, holding onto her pillow, facing me.
I decided to lie back down and close my eyes until I heard the sound of the sheets rustling and Zoe standing up. “You’re awake, aren’t you?” She kissed me on the cheek.
“Abel woke me up.”
“Did he cry?”
“No.”
“It’s been a week, and they still haven’t caused us any trouble.”
“They were like that last time you stayed, too.”
“It’s the woman’s touch.” She pulled off her night shirt and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I waited, with my arms folded behind my head, for her to walk out naked with water dripping down her body.
My cock was so hard it was aching, but there wasn’t time. All I’d get was that one moment then I’d have to run to work. When she came out, she didn’t disappoint. She took her time getting dressed, waving her butt around when she walked, and when she pulled her pants on, she faced me and bent down so that I could look down her shirt.
“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” she asked when she buttoned them up.
I pulled the cover aside to show her my cock. “I’m dying.”
“I know.” She walked over and bent down to kiss me, then flicked the tip.
I pressed my hand against the back of her head and made sure the kiss lasted. “You’re going to get it tonight,” I told her when I let her go.
She walked out with her hips swinging. Mona was standing next to the nursery talking to her when I walked down. “Are you sure you didn’t drug them?” Mona asked.
“Positive.”
“Well, I’ve never seen them go this long without throwing a fit.”
“It’s Zoe.” I kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “Tonight,” in her ear.
“Oooh.” Mona seemed to burst with energy. “I just can’t get over how glad I am to see the two of you together. Let me make you dinner tonight. Please.”
“Nope,” I said. “We’re having alone time with the boys.”
“What happened to the Soap Network?” she called out when I started to walk down the stairs.
“No idea,” I said.
“Oh, yes you do.” She ran after me. “You blocked it.”
“That’s okay,” Zoe reassured her. “I know the password.”
“Hah! Take that.”
I laughed and walked out to get into the car. Work had been busy. We were finalizing our agreement with the air force, and the marines were sending orders every other day. We were shipping Palantirs to bases in both the eastern and western hemispheres, and we were getting nothing but praise for the work Rick was doing on the new model.
He came to my office early that morning. “How are you?” He sat down.
I dropped my pen and looked him over, then eased up. “I’m all right. I’m sorry about the other day.”
“Nah, it’s cool. What happened? You got back with her?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I went down to her work to talk to her.”
“That was all you had to do, wasn’t it?”
“I was so worried.”
“But you got her. I knew she was right for you.”
I shook my head in disbelief, but I didn’t say anything. “How’s the new model coming?”
“We’ve got the software up and running. We’re syncing it to the device. I think it’s going to take us another month to have a working prototype.”
“Good. Have you heard the news?”
“The contracts? The entire base is talking about it. Are you really planning to open up a California office?”
“It gives us proximity to the naval base, as well as a reasonable travel time between the air base in Tucson and, of course, the testing facilities in Nevada.”
“East and west coast.”
“That’s just the beginning. The marines and the air force are already talking about ordering our propulsion systems.”
“Can I test one?” He looked like he was ready to hop up and run out to the airstrip.
“When you test one.” I was still punishing him for his behavior before.
“Ah,” he groaned. “You mean when I discover a new means of jet propulsion.”
“You’re grounded.”
“Fine.” He threw up his hands. “I deserve it. I’ve been a total prick about the whole thing, but I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Thank you. Take some time on the new Palantir. I want all the bugs completely eliminated, and I want it tested fully. This is a completely different kind of system we’re building, and it’s going to depend largely on the software itself.”
“How long?”
“You could easily take a year, and it wouldn’t hurt business. In fact, it would help our credibility.”
“Good point. Guess I’m used to rushing and making sure everything is perfect.”
“We don’t have to worry anymore,” I said.
“I can’t believe it. You’re relaxed.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stiffened up and gave him a quick smile.
“All right.” He got up. “I’m gonna get back to work. The techs get anxious if I’m gone too long. They don’t like being unsupervised. It encourages independent thought.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to whip them into shape.” There was enough paperwork to last me a year, so I gave Angela a proposition. She could have one designer outfit a month and a steady lunch budget if she agreed to share part of the paperwork burden on a regular basis. At first, she was furious and accused me of trying to bribe her into giving up her personal life. Then, when I agreed to weekly hair and nail appointments, she softened. The woman was finicky and transactional, but she was effective, and I knew how to work her.
Halfway through the day, she came into my office and sat down. “Yes?” I put down my pen.
“Why are you doing all of this? You could easily hire an entire department to delegate this work.”
“But I have to look it over.”
“Have them send you the finer points, or you could do like most people in your position and train them what to look for.”
I leaned back and thought about it for a moment. I knew that I had options, but I’d always preferred to do things myself because I wanted them done right, but now that the company was expanding and the boys were getting older, I was going to need to free up some time. “Can you do me a favor?” I asked.
“No.”
“I need somebody to help set the department up. Could you be the project manager?” I went on, anticipating her response. “Your new position would include a significant raise in pay.”
“Do I have to keep doing my old job?”
“No, you’ll be training your replacement.”
“Thank you!” She rushed around the desk, hugged me, and ran out.
I went through as many papers as I could and told myself that it was the best I could do. I was eager to get home, so I stopped at exactly five and grabbed my things. Angela glared at me when I left, but I knew that she didn’t mind.
Back at home, Mona was in the living room kneeling on the ground with the boys when I walked in. “Archer,” she called out. “Come here.”
I sat down next to them on the floor, and Andrew crawled over to me and rested his head on my lap. Mona was quick. She had her camera waiting and snapped a picture. “Got it.”
“I don’t think he’s ever done that before.”
“See? They know their daddy.”
“I guess they do.” I rested my hand on his back, and his eyes started to droop. My phone started ringing, and I nearly jumped up, thinking they would both start shrieking, but they didn’t. They just looked at me.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey.” It was Zoe. “I’m just getting off work.”
“Report to the house immediately,” I demanded.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Mona,” I said when she hung up. “I’ll take it from here. Send me that picture, will you?”
“Okay, but they still haven’t eaten.”
“I’ve got it. Just take some time to yourself.”
“I’ve got a date tonight,” she said. “Yup, it’s that bartender.”
“Don’t screw it up,” I said with a somber look on my face.
She laughed and started gathering her things while I took the boys upstairs to feed them. It didn’t take long for me to hear a knock at the door. I put them in their cribs and walked downstairs to answer.
Zoe was sweating and tired, but she looked invigorated. “Look.” She came in and pulled out her phone to show me a picture of a pastry. It was round with candied blueberries and raspberries sitting on a bed of cream cheese at the center.
“Did you bring me some?”
“They sold out.” She came in and followed me into the living room where we sat down on the couch together. “Chloe and I spent the whole day giving out samples in front of the store. We sold nearly a hundred.”
“Oh my God.”
“It’s called berry bliss, and it’s divine.”
“Yeah?” I scooted closer and wrapped my arm around her neck. “This happened.” I showed her the picture of Andrew resting his head on my lap.
“Oh,” she gasped and covered her mouth. “That is so adorable.”
“His brother was staring at me the whole time.”
“You’ve been so worried about whether or not they’d get attached to you. This is wonderful.”
“It’s because of you.” I reached in and pressed my lips to hers. “I love you, Zoe.”
“I love you, too.” She took my hand and squeezed it.