Falling Into You (Geek to Chic) (25 page)

Derek’s voice
held more enthusiasm as he spoke to his team than it had in the past.
 
He usually sounded like a robot when he spoke
in business settings.
 
Giving the
shortest, most concise answers with no additional information. Today he seemed
to be attempting to add a few additional explanations and reasons for having to
add or delete a code.
 
She even heard him
chuckle at a small joke Jim told.
 

She knew this
‘make Derek human’ campaign, she was launching would take time. She did believe
he had made some progress today in that arena.
 
The feeling in the room was far less tense than usual and satisfied
Derek was playing nice, Roni returned to her desk to begin some work for
Alex.
 

Derek and Roni
were heading to 5280 to meet up with everyone.
 
It was her suggestion that instead of meeting Collin and his partners in
a stuffy restaurant or conference room to further discuss the merger of the two
companies, they meet at their new hangout.
 
It was low key enough that they'd could hear one another but also had
pool tables and TV’s to keep them entertained and keep the meeting light.
 

As they drove
into the brewery he was lost in thought about how she had taken control of his
schedule and he had not even noticed for three days. That's right, it took him
three days to figure out that he suddenly had extra hours in his day to
complete so much more of his own work.
 
That morning he had to ask Roni if the meeting were being canceled or
invites lost in Jemma’s absence.
 
The one
word answer of “nope” made him suspicious, so he questioned her again.
 
This time he asked why he was not running
from meeting to meeting.

Roni calmly
informed him that without a word or even a notice to him, she had cut out what
she declared the meetings that he had no business attending in the first place
since they were well beyond his expertise. He would like to say he was a man
about the entire transgression, but that would be a huge lie.
 
He threw a temper tantrum that most three
year olds could only dream of.
 
He demanded
that she put each and every meeting back on his schedule and contact the managers.
 

In response to
his temper tantrum, she did what any woman would have done, told him no and
went to get coffee.
 
By the time she
returned, he was calmer about her executive decision.
 
He didn’t go as far as to tell her she was
right, but he did apologize.
 

“You’re very
quiet.
 
You’re not still pouting over
missing a few pointless meetings are you?”
 
Roni asked with a huge smile on her face. He had to laugh.

“No, because
us CEO types never pout.”

“Pouting is
against the CEO code, but temper tantrums are acceptable?”
 
She laughed as she spoke.
 

“Tantrums are
encouraged, why do you think we always get our way?”
 
He flashed her his killer smile.
 

“I can only
imagine what you were like as a child if this is how you behave as an
adult.”
 
Roni smirked.
 

“Luckily, I
don’t have to comment on that statement since we are here.
 
Saved by the restaurant if you would.”
 

Roni laughed
as she stepped out of the car.
 
He was
disappointed that she moved too fast for him to open her door.
 
He closed the space between them, laying his
hand on the small of her back.
 
The
slight contact lit him up like the fourth of July.
 
He had never had a simple touch turn him on
before meeting Roni.
 

Maybe he could
talk her into a quickie in the car.
 
He
looked back at his Audi.
 
It might be a
tight fit, but he was willing to give it a whirl.
 

Roni of course
turned around at that moment to see him eyeing his car.
 
“Not happening Mr. Callaway.
 
You will just have to keep it in your pants
for a few hours.”
 
She smiled brightly at
him and sashayed into the brewery.
 

Easy for her to say
.
 
Derek thought.
 
She wasn’t the one who had to keep a dick
under control.
 

***

Roni’s blood
was heated from the look of lust in Derek’s eyes.
 
She was one small touch away from agreeing to
go back to his car for a quickie.
 
Just
as he had done a minute earlier, she looked longingly at the small sports
car.
 
It was too small of a car anyway,
she told herself.
 

They entered
the brewery, walking down the narrow hallway to the pool tables. They knew the
others would have gathered there.
 
She
could already hear the groans of the men.
 
The girls must be kicking their collective asses in a game already.
 
Roni smiled at the thought.
 

“About time
you guys made it! We need your help Derek.
 
I am pretty sure the devil pixie is cheating somehow.”
 
Alex called out as they came closer to the
table.
 

Derek leaned
over to her, kissed her on the cheek and joined the guys.
 
“Your savior is here boys.
 
No need to get so upset.”
 

“We’re done
with you boys anyway.
 
You can play with
yourself now, I mean play amongst yourselves.”
 
Izzy smiled at Alex as she handed her cue to Derek.
 

Roni giggled
at the superior look on Izzy’s face.
 
She
loved goading the boys.
 
Roni, Izzy and
Gracey sat at the high table top near the pool tables to watch the boys talk
trash and play pool.
 

Roni’s eyes
were trained on Derek’s figure as he walked around the table and laughed with
his friends.
 
He looked relaxed and for
once his true age.
 
His intense look was
gloriously absent.
 
She loved to see him
with his guard down, simply enjoying the moment.
 

He must have
sensed she was staring at him, he turned slowly toward.
 
Leaning over the table, to take his shot, he
shot her a wink and a cocky smile.
 
The
look on his face made the ache between her legs grow.
 
She wiggled in her seat and he laughed.
 
He clearly knew what that look was doing to
her.
 

He turned back
to the guys as Collin started asking questions about the firm.
 
His demeanor changed back to tense and back
to in control CEO.
 
She wished he would
have had more time to relax, be young and carefree.

“Amazing how
fast he switches from playboy attitude to control freak.”
 
Izzy wondered out loud.
 
She turned to Roni.
 
“You’re good for him.
 
I think you are the only person he drops his
control freak persona for.”

“You still
sound worried.”
 
Roni countered.
 

“Not
worried.
 
In awe that you can bring out
that down to earth portion of his personality.
 
Have you ever asked him why he has to be in control all the time?”
 
Izzy asked.

“I have
wondered that too.
 
Half the time he
seems to want nothing more than to be with you, hold you close, then he stops
himself.
 
A better question would be who
fucked him so badly that he can’t let go?”
 
Gracey slurred a little as she shared her opinion.

Roni laughed a
little.
 
“Gracey you are always so wise
after a few cocktails.”

“I become a
regular Oprah after the third drink.”
 
Gracey tipped her drink toward the other girls in a mock toast.
 
“Back to the question, who fucked him
up?"
 

Roni thought
for a minute. "I think it started with his parents, they don't seem to be
very warm and fuzzy.
 
And both Alex and
Mrs. Frostberry have mentioned some bitch in college."

"What did
Derek say about the college bitch?"
 
Izzy asked.
 

"Nothing,
we haven't talked about our past dating experiences.
 
I haven't felt the need to know how many
women have seen my geeky god naked."
 
Roni replied, trying to hide the contempt she felt when she thought of
other women with Derek.
 

Both Izzy and
Gracey laughed.
 
"Wow you have it
bad if you turn all lioness protect my mate just thinking about other
women.
 
Have you told him that you are
madly head over heels in love with him?"
 
Gracey slurred.

Once again
Gracey had seen the truth of Roni's feelings, even with the haze of liquor
clouding her vision.
 
Or maybe it was
because of the liquor.
 
Roni shifted in
her chair, unsure how to answer her friend.
 
Was she in love with Derek?
 
The
answer was of course yes.
 
He may be
moody and closed off at times, but she loved when he opened up and showed his
true nerdy self to her.
 

When those
walls came down, he was so much fun.
 
So
affectionate and passionate about life and her.
 
How could she not love him?
 
Was
she ready to scream her feelings to the world?
 
Or even whisper them to him?
 
Hell
no!

"No, I am
not sure he is ready to hear that."
 
She looked over at the guys.
 
They
were all in deep conversation.
 
If the
tablet in front of Colin was any indication they were talking business.
 

"Before
you confess your love or beg to have his babies, you need to find out who
fucked him over and to what degree.
 
If
she did a true number on him, then you need to prepare yourself for the fact
that those walls, he has up may always stay up no matter how much he cares for
you."
 
Izzy stated, somewhat
sadly.
 

"Speaking
from experience Izzy? You know eventually you are going to have to realize not
all men are like that asshole from college.
 
Not every man is after one thing and only one thing.
 
You are going to have to take a chance if you
ever want to find someone."
 

"And the
boring men you date, the ones without a spine are not taking a
chance."
 
Gracey interjected.
 

Both Izzy and
Roni had to laugh at Gracey's insight.
 
"You know taking a chance again goes double for you
Missy."
 
Roni spoke through
laughter.
 

"Nope, I
am content with the wham bam thank you mister lifestyle I have going. Speaking
of which.
 
I think I am going to go try
to get me that hot piece of ass known as Rocco for the night."
 
She stood and started to walk, or stagger,
over to the guys.
 
She stopped and turned
back.
 
"And only for the
night."
 
She winked and continued
on.
 

Izzy and Roni
laughed again at their friend's antics.
 
"Rocco is so quiet and Gracey is well.... not.
 
This should be interesting.
 
I feel like kicking the guys' asses one more
time before we head home."
 
Izzy
slid from her stool and headed to goad the guys into loosing another game a
pool with her.
 
Her little friend was
competitive to the end.
 
Maybe Alex had
correctly nicknamed her with the demon pixie after all.
 

Roni sat back
for a moment and finished her drink.
 
Rolling over in her mind what the girls had said about who fucked up
Derek.
 
Before she spoke those three
little words she figured she better find out what happened to him in
college.
 
Or she may never be able to get
past the walls on a permanent bases.
 

Deciding
tonight was the night she was going to get some answers.
 
She drank the rest of her beer and went to
help Izzy humiliate the guys in a game of pool.
 

***

Derek had never
had a business meeting run as smoothly or be as fun as the one he had just come
from.
 
Roni's idea of a more relaxed
meeting had worked.
 
Although Collin was
a workaholic like himself, the other man was far more laid back.
 

In some ways
Derek was envious of Collin for his ability to not allow work to control his
life.
 
Collin had built a powerful small
company without giving up his personal life or style.
 
Derek had thrown himself into his
company.
 
Letting the company become his
life.
 
He wore suits every day not
because he felt comfortable in them, but because he felt they gave him an air
of power.
 

While Derek
faked his confidence and control, Collin actually had those qualities ingrained
in himself naturally.
 
Derek was tired of
feeling like a fake.
 
He wanted more out
of his life.
 
Starting with the beautiful
woman that was strolling out of his bathroom to join him in bed.
 

He grabbed her
before she could walk around to the other side of his bed.
 
Picking her up and settling her on him in a
straddled position with a squeak of surprise from her.
 
He laughed.
 
"Did you and the girls have fun tonight?"
 
He asked as he sat up to nuzzle her
neck.