I lift the folder with the information on the Stars contest. My hand brushes his arm as I pass it to him.
“You were prepared for this ambush,” he mutters.
“Not just tits.”
His eyes flash at the reminder of our texts before his attention shifts to the papers. I’m giddy with victory.
“You weren’t so grumpy when we texted Sunday night.”
His biceps flex under the shirt. Thick, dark lashes twitch as he scans the forms. “You weren’t such a brat when you moaned in my mouth.”
My head snaps around.
There’s no way he said that.
He flips the switch on the shredder beneath the desk and feeds the papers from Betty in.
“I’ll meet with your team. If your concept is solid and worth my time, I’ll supervise.”
“But…Those weren’t our terms.”
He cocks his head. “The only rules I play by are mine. Take it or leave it.”
Definitely not a gentleman.
“What choice do I have?”
“You always have a choice, Olivia. Even when you can’t control the rules, you decide whether or not you play the game.”
As I head out of the engineering building, I catch sight of the bell painted crimson outside and pull up.
“Son of a…”
The window of Sawyer’s office has a perfect view.
“What are you making?” Kat asks at the UC later that day as she nods at my sketch.
“Last year, we decided our Stars submission would focus on one of the biggest problems in applied engineering: tracking control. Let’s say you’re landing a rocket on Mars,” I go on at her blank look. “It needs to land gently to avoid damaging it or anything it lands on.”
“This is exactly what keeps me up at night.”
I roll my eyes. “There are a lot of applications besides space. Rescue missions. Surgeries. Some of the biggest medical companies are developing instruments to do repeated tasks, or work so fine even the best surgeons in the world don’t have the dexterity to do.”
There’s huge money in this area, which is why Royce is interested in making a name and finding a job.
Still, once we have a supervisor, we have to qualify a prototype. Which means we first have to build one.
After a full day of classes and a quick dinner, I head to the meeting at the Engineering and Design Lab, half a floor with state-of-the-art equipment for robotics, CAD, and machining.
When I arrive, Madison is already getting comfortable.
I check my phone. “Have you seen the guys?”
“Not yet.” She shifts back onto a stool. “I know we talked about building a tracking mod last year, but that’s going to be way too complicated. I made some revisions. Since I’m going to be the team lead.”
“We didn’t decide that.”
Royce is our coder. Adam’s along for the ride, but he’s not bad at building. I’m doing hardware and software integration. Madison does design, but apparently, she wants to run the show.
Her gaze narrows. “I’m the only one with leadership experience.”
“I’m not saying I have a problem with it, but we need to discuss it as a group.”
I don’t want to run the show, but I don’t want her to run over our ideas either. Royce wants this badly, he’d be the best choice.
The two guys trip in the door together, laughing. They stop when they see us.
“Boys. We decided I was going to be team lead. Help Olivia remember.”
Madison was the only other girl who wanted to be on a design team, but now I’m regretting that she’s included.
“Trouble in paradise?” Motion by the door has us turning.
Professor Redmond is there. He must be done teaching for the day, and fuck me if he’s not walking sex. The sweater pulls across broad shoulders and strong arms, his hair falling across his face.
“Professor,” Madison gushes. Apparently, I’m not the only one affected. “We didn’t see you.”
“Where’s the prototype?” He looks from one of us to the next, his attention finally landing on me. “The rules say you need to qualify one in thirty days.”
“We were starting tonight,” Royce fills in. “But I was working on some code over the summer—”
“Who’s the team leader?”
“I am,” Madison said, confident.
Madison and I look at each other.
Adam crosses to me, leaning in close enough I’m aware of Sawyer’s heavy gaze when Adam murmurs, “Who else is it gonna be, Liv. You?”
Before I can say that’s not what I meant, the lab is plunged into darkness.
Madison shrieks, and I jump.
“The fuck?” Adam demands.
“This must be a prank,” I say. Or the byproduct of one. Engineers play the most pranks during the first week of school.
A light goes on. Sawyer’s phone.
The rest of us follow suit, reaching for our devices, but Madison’s already speaking up. “I’ll call the campus facilities department and get them over here.”
She dials a number and starts to talk but is cut off when she’s put on hold.
Our professor is right. We can’t waste time. No one notices as I slip to the door and down the hall.
I’ve spent many hours in this building, and my key card opens the boiler room.
I prop the door open for any extra light from the emergency strips in the halls and pop open the fuse box.
“What are you doing?” Madison’s voice makes me stiffen.
“The fuse for the lab is blown. More than one, it looks like.”
“Maintenance won’t come until morning.”
I brush past her for a toolbox.
Footsteps in the hall have the hairs lifting on my neck.
“Professor,” Madison says when the footsteps stop nearby. “She’s going to burn the place down.”
What the hell? It’s not like we were best friends, but it seems as if she has it out for me.
“Madison, give us a moment.” Professor Redmond’s voice is deadly low.
Her footsteps and the light from her phone disappear down the hall.
“What exactly are you doing, Olivia?”
“Trying to get the power back on. I get that we’re supposed to wait for the facilities guys, but we don’t have time to waste, and—”
“Fix it. And make it fast.”
Sawyer’s not saying no, like my parents and Adam.
He’s saying full steam ahead no matter the consequences.
It’s exhilarating.
I turn to the industrial shelving on the far wall, poking through bins in search of a replacement fuse.
The man in my space follows, holding the light. “Do I want to know how you have a key for this room?”
“I rehearse my dance moves in here between amateur nights.”
“You are quite talented. You must have attended stripper school.” His voice is warm in the dark.
“Of course. I have badges for spins, pole work, and of course I got the highest merit for my vodka absorption skills.”
“Really?”
“No. But I did take ballet my entire life.”
Nothing in the first bin. I turn to the second.
“You’re full of surprises. You also failed to mention your team was in shambles when you recruited me.”