Page 171 of Hale Damage
Mindy taps my arm. “I can call the bakery and have some delivered. They can be here within the next ten minutes since it’s not far away.”
I nod. “Yes, tell them to send whatever they have left in the case, and please make a note to order some for the next time we have a large meeting. It will be a nice pick-me-up for everyone.”
Mindy walks to the corner with her phone wedged between her shoulder and her ear while she jots something in her notebook.
Bending slightly at the waist, I pretend to talk to Nicolette’s belly. “Your snack is coming, little fella. Just hold tight.” To my surprise, the front of her white maternity top jerks. “What the hell was that?”
“A foot,” Nic replies dryly. “That means thank you in fetal language. You want to feel? He’s really active today.”
“Sure, if it’s okay with you.”
She takes my hand and moves it slightly left of center on the top of her stomach. “This is where his feet are now. He’s head down and ready to make his entrance when the time comes.”
“We were worried the doctor would have to turn himbecause he was breech until a couple weeks ago,” Helix adds, shuddering a little. “And you donotwant to know how they do that.”
The baby kicks and so does my heart. “Holy shit, that was… that was amazing.”
“He likes Helix’s voice,” Nicolette says, hearts in her eyes as she looks up at her husband. “Almost as much as I do.”
My brother grins. “I get the same response when I talk to Nic. Lots of leg flailing going on.”
“You’re so nasty,” his wife replies, but it’s said around a giggle. Baby Nicholas kicks again and I shake my head.
“Does that hurt?”
“Not unless he gets a foot in my ribs. Sometimes it’s like he’s playing the xylophone with them.”
Mindy returns and announces, “All done. I called Antonio, and he’s going to meet the delivery guy down in the lobby and then bring the boxes up here. I figure we can just pass the boxes around the table.”
“Nicolette gets first pick,” I say.
“Nicholas,” my sister-in-law corrects, gesturing to her bump. “He’s the one who wants the cookies, not me. He’s particularly interested in one of those cherry almond ones.”
“He’s already a man of refined taste,” I say. “Why don’t we get this show started again?”
“The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll get done,” Helix muses.
“You three already presented your lab and marketing budgets,” I tell them. “You don’t have to stay for the rest of this.”
“We’ll stay,” Phoenix says instantly, and Helix and Nicolette nod. They don’t say so, but I know it’s because they want to support me. They’re even willing to listen to the accountants belabor on for another couple hours. I really do have the best family in the world.
As I stride confidently toward the head of the table, everyone scrambles to get back in their seats. Mindy is on the left of me with Phoenix on her other side, and Helix and Nicolette sit across from them.
I sweep a hand toward Edwin Garvey who rises and straightens his bowtie. “Can we turn down the lights, please?” he asks in his nasallyvoice. The lights lower and the screen across from me lights up with rows and rows of numbers.
An hour later, I’m still staring at Edwin, one of his assistants, and their never-ending numbers. Yes, this is important shit, but this level of detail doesn’t need to be part of these meetings, as it doesn’t pertain to most of the people in this room. Seriously, does the marketing department need to know the precise number of petri dishes and test tubes Helix ordered for the microbiology lab last year and how much they cost? Absolutely not.
Perhaps I should have the accountants meet personally with the department heads and hash out their numbers in private meetings. Then they can present their findings to me in a written account of the reports. I’m pretty sure everyone would thank me.
I feel my eyes beginning to blur. I’ve already had four cookies and two cups of coffee, so I decide to pull out the big guns to keep me from falling asleep… Mindy’s panties. Reaching into my inner pocket, I nudge Mindy beneath the table, and she turns just as I give her a little flash of the peach lace in my fist. Her eyes widen, and she darts her gaze around the room.
Everyone is facing the other direction, and about half of them are discreetly snoozing. Plus, it’s dark in here. As soon as she returns her attention to me, I lift my fist to my face and inhale her sweet scent. Mindy’s teeth dig into her bottom lip, and I can tell she likes this dirty little secret.
Our eyes are locked together as I inch my fingers apart just a little and dart my tongue into the space to lick her sexy panties. Desire flares in her eyes. My foot snakes toward hers, and I link my ankle with hers beneath the table, just a small point of contact, but it only makes the moment hotter.
Then my phone vibrates on the table in front of me. With one hand, I open it and see that it’s a text from Phoenix in our brother group thread.
Phoenix: What are you holding up to your face?
