How to Resist Prince Charming(54)

Beside him, Ben yawned and held up a wrinkled sheet of paper he’d scribbled on. “Right here.”

“Great.” Farris lifted his attention from his screen long enough to reach out and snag the information from Hendricks. He barely glanced it over before adding, “Looks like we’re going to go with option one then. Tasha, can you make a note to contact them in the morning and see if you can set up a contract with them?”

Wiping blurry eyes, his secretary nodded and scratched in his request under the half a dozen he’d shot at her in the last two hours.

A smug satisfaction filled Tom when the kid paused to scratch at the five o’clock shadow sprouting on his face. Oh, yeah. The punk was beginning to feel the side effects of twelve-hour days. Maybe he was human after all.

When Braxton’s cell phone sitting by his elbow buzzed, Tom almost wept. Every time that damn thing rang, they ended up working another two hours. Sure, all this work was getting him boo-coo’s of overtime and he had a feeling his end-of-the-year bonus would be his best yet, but he wasn’t a twenty-five-year-old kid anymore. He needed his beauty sleep.

Farris flipped his phone over to check the screen, and after he read his text before, he popped to his feet, his face a mask of worry and shock. “Excuse me a minute.” He stumbled in his haste to make it to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

After he shot out of the meeting room, shutting the door behind him, the remaining five members shared a look between them.

“Well, what do you think that was about?” Charlie was the first to ask. “That’s the first time he left the room to take a call.”

Farris had been surprisingly open about all his dealings concerning their new overseas venture. And strangely enough, his forthrightness and enthusiasm had been contagious. Most of Tom’s co-workers were jumping into this project with both feet. Tom was still holding himself back, but he had to admit, it really did seem like things was going to work out.

“Boss Boy better not be keeping anything from us,” Pat growled.

This was the first time Tom had heard anyone call the kid that in over a month. The label sort of startled him.

“Hey, I have an idea.” Standing up, Ben leaned toward the conference phone and picked it up.

As he began to dial a few numbers, Tasha gasped as if realizing what he was doing. “Don’t worry,” she assured the others. “He won’t be able to hear us. We’ll only be able to hear him.” But she still whispered and looked slightly pale as she glanced worriedly toward the door.

Braxton’s concerned voice filled the small phone speakers about as soon as Ben pushed the right button.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He paused a moment and then responded, “I’m still at work. Why aren’t you? I thought you had to go in until nine tonight.” Then he let out a breath. “You got the job? Oh, my God. That’s amazing. I knew you would but...wow. Congratulations...What? No, I didn’t pull any strings. I swear...Hey! All I did was give him your name. You did the rest. This was all you, babe.”

Tom glanced at Ben, thinking he’d hang up now that he knew it was a personal call and had nothing to do with Farris Industries. But Hendricks, and everyone else in the room, looked even more intrigued.

“So, he really is dating someone exclusively then,” Tasha murmured.

“I think this means we need to celebrate big. What do you say? Want to hit Paris again?”

“See.” Tasha lifted her eyebrows, looking smug.

Through the phone, Braxton Farris chuckled. “Okay, okay, fine. If you want to be a buzzkill about it, then I guess we can just order in some Chinese takeout instead. I should be done here in an hour. Hour and a half tops.”

An hour and a half?

Tom groaned, wanting to weep. Around him, his co-workers looked just as disheartened.

“You mean you’re at my place...right now?” The kid sounded shock. “Well, go ahead and go inside... Crazy woman. That’s why I gave you a key, you know. To use it.”

“I guess that answers the question whether he’s into women or men, at least,” Charlie murmured, grinning.

Tom rolled his eyes. If he wanted to listen to a soap opera, he’d just stay home and watch TV all day.

“It’s not weird,” Braxton murmured, his voice lowering a notch to a husky tenor. “I kind of like knowing you’re in my house without me there. It’s sorta hot. You know you’re going to go through my underwear drawer.”

Around him, his co-workers chuckled, but Tom groaned. “Christ, turn that shit off,” he ordered.

“Oh, hell no,” Tasha argued. “I want to figure out who this girl is.”

“Okay, now is definitely not the time to tease,” Braxton growled into the speakers. “Because...I don’t want to return to my meeting with a woody.”

Tom made a face, thinking now Ben would certainly shut the intercom off so they could all be saved before their punk boss’s conversation turned x-rated. But no. If anything, the four around him leaned in closer to hear more.

The morons.

“No, don’t worry about it.” Farris was saying. “You’re never an interruption. Besides, I think the guys needed a break anyway. They’re all probably thanking you right now for the reprieve.”

“Yes, thank you,” Charlie leaned forward to address the phone. Tom snorted and wiped his face, almost ashamed that these idiots were some of his closest friends.