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who work here? Did
they bypass her, perhaps?”
    “ I do have friends here, but I’m not aware of them
bypassing Agnes to get me in the door.”
    He
handed her the glass, but it was obvious from the look on his face he wasn’t
sure whether to believe her. “ Friends ,
or sources?”
    “ Nice try.”
    He
chuckled, and then he drained his glass of tea. Was the reason he suddenly
seemed parched due to her mini striptease? She’d love to believe it. He poured
a second glass. “I’ll send an email and ask the others to commit to a meeting
so we can discuss it as a group.”
    She
took a sip of tea. “When?”
    “ When will I send it?”
    “ No. When will you schedule the meeting?”
    Kane
sighed out loud, but his obvious annoyance didn’t faze her. He clicked on his
keyboard, and then pushed the monitor around so she could see the team
calendar. “They’re very busy. The first free spot we all have is Friday
morning.”
    “ Send the email now.”
    He
gave her a look of incredulity. “When did you become my boss?”
    “ How do I know you’re not just bullshitting me? You
promise me an email and a meeting to get me out of your office. Two weeks later
you’ll tell me you all haven’t had a chance to talk about it, but you’re going
to schedule that meeting just as soon as possible.”
    “ You’re not a very trusting person.”
    “ I prefer to think of it as tenacious.”
    “ I have far less reason to trust you than the other way
around.”
    She
smiled sweetly. “And here all this time I thought we could bury the hatchet?”
    He
gave her a look that suggested he might want to bury a real hatchet, right
between her eyes. While she watched him send the email invite for the meeting,
she studied his profile. His features were a bit more angular than they’d been
five years ago, and his hair had just a touch of gray now. It made him even
sexier and gave him an air of maturity that she found irresistible. Too bad he
was such a pill.
    “ Done. Anything else?”
    She
pointed toward her phone, which was scattered among the objects still on his
desk that she’d dumped out of her bag. “Text me when
they all agree to it so I know it will take place. Give me your phone and I’ll
put my number in it for you.”
    He
averted his gaze. “Um, is your number still the same?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Then I still have it.”
    “ You’re kidding.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
    “ Don’t read anything into it.”
    “ Of course not.” Bullshit. “Just assure me you will let me know when they all confirm.”
    She
listened to five separate pings, and he frowned. “Halfway there. If you wait
long enough I might not have to text you.”
    Julianne
smiled and sipped her iced tea. “I can do that.”
    Two
more pings sounded. “I wasn’t serious.”
    “ Were those more confirmations?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Then I can wait for the final four.”
    “ You’re assuming a lot.”
    She
grinned. “What am I assuming? That your friends want to discuss this? That’s
obvious, isn’t it?” Two more pings sounded. “Nine confirmations in what … less
than one minute?”
    “ You’re assuming they’ll agree to let me tell you anything.”
    “You’re
a persuasive man. Convince them to allow it.”
    Kane
laughed, and she tried to tamp down her anger. “Julianne, I swear I don’t know
what to make of you. You waltz in here, five years after seducing me during a
fake job interview, you print a story about me that was more fairytale than
truth, and now I’m supposed to simply hand you a piece on an alleged covert team that would, if it
got out, force the hackers into hiding more than they’re now doing? Why in the
name of all that’s holy would I do that?”
    “ Because you’ve got a reputation to maintain. UTU has done nothing but
thought-provoking, well-written articles on you. You’re a legend over there.
Think what this would do for your company.”
    “ I am thinking of it.” The last two pings came