Page 36 of Tough Luck

Just as the heavy metal doors were sliding closed, a hand reached in and stopped them from closing. Rick stepped inside. He looked exhausted as he ran his hands through his hair.

The doors slid shut behind him, sealing us into the small, quiet space—the exact place we’d met not long ago. The hum of the elevator motor kicked in, vibrating beneath our feet. For a second, neither of us said a word. I stood there, looking up at him, the electric current that had been humming between us flaring back to life with a sudden, unspoken intensity.

The professional distance, the chaos of the office, the rules—it all vanished in a fraction of a second.

Without saying a single word, Rick dropped his briefcase. He took a quick step forward, caught me by the nape of my neck and my wrist, and pulled me tight against his chest. I let out a soft, sharp gasp, my hands instantly flying up to grip his shoulders as he leaned down and captured my mouth.

The kiss was deep, possessive, and entirely inevitable. It carried all the built-up tension of the cabin, the thrill of the boardroom victory, and the agonizing restraint of the last few hours. He tasted exactly like I remembered—warm and intoxicating—and as I tangled my fingers into the hair at the back of his neck, the rest of the world ceased to exist.

The elevator slowly descended to the parking garage, but we were frozen in time. I leaned into him, my front pressed tight against his chest as my lips parted against his, turning the kiss into a deep, slow burn that made my knees weak. His hands slid down my back, gripping my waist, pulling me so close there wasn’t a breath of air left between us.

He finally pulled back, just an inch, and rested his forehead against mine. We were both breathing heavily as the quiet hum of the carriage surrounded us.

“Wow,” I whispered, my eyes still closed, unable to break the trance of what I was feeling.

“Yeah,” he murmured, his thumb tracing the sharp line of my cheekbone. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

Before I could agree, the sharp, loud buzz of his phone vibrating in his inside jacket pocket shattered the silence. We both jumped slightly. A laugh broke from my throat as I stepped back, smoothing down the front of my shirt and jacket to regain some semblance of composure.

He pulled the phone out. He looked ready to ignore the call until his eyes locked onto the caller ID.

“It’s Marcus,” he said.

Suddenly, my pulse spiked for an entirely different reason. Anticipation.

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open to the quiet, concrete parking garage.

My eyes widened, my playful expression instantly sharpening into pure focus. “Answer it,” I said excitedly, stepping out of the elevator into the parking garage with him. I moved to his side so I could hear the speaker when he answered the call.

He swiped the screen and brought the phone to his ear, keeping his voice cool and steady despite the way his chest was heaving. “Marcus. Good evening.”

“Rick!” Marcus’s voice boomed clearly through the phone. There was a brief, agonizing pause before a warm chuckle filtered through the speaker. “I hope I’m not interrupting your night, but the board just wrapped up our formal resolution. We just finished drawing up the paperwork.”

Rick caught my hand, squeezing my fingers tightly in the small space of the elevator. “And?”

“It’s official, the account is yours. It was actually a unanimous vote,” Marcus said, and I could hear the immense satisfaction in his voice. “Tell Sofia that her ‘Tap-and-Trail’ app was a huge hit with us. We believe she’s the brains behind the trail cans and can’t wait to see what else she comes up with on that front. We want her to spearhead the entire launch. That part is non-negotiable.”

“We can do that,” Rick said, his blue eyes dropping to mine and stayed locked there.

“Just so we’re clear, you two ran circles around the rest of the competition,” Marcus added. I did a mental happy dance just hearing that bit. “Not just Leonard.”

“That’s good news.” Rick smiled. How was he keeping his composure at a time like this? “Have you told the other applicants yet?” he asked.

There was a long pause on the other end. “No, I’ll make the calls in the morning.” We heard him let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I’ll let you go. Make sure to tell your dad I’ll see him on the golf course later this weekend.”

“Will do,” Rick said, a flash of slight surprise crossing his features before he hung up.

The line went dead. I stood there, the weight of the call hitting me.

“We got it.” I said softly, my voice barely a whisper in my disbelief.

“Yeah.” Rick laughed as a massive grin broke across his face. He reached out and pulled me into a tight hug. “We got it.”

He kissed me again, only this time the urgency had changed. “Let’s celebrate,” he suggested against my lips.

“I’m too tired to go out,” I replied quickly.

“Ditto.” He kissed me again softly. “What do you think of heading to my place and ordering a pizza and having some Clear Creek beer?”