【01】Welcome to Kelex

Standing out like a boner at a pool party isn’t something you’d want on your first day of work.

That truth came to me as I was rushing into the building, surrounded by somber-looking business men and women around me. But this was a programming job, so this might pass, right? Maybe not having enough common sense to dress properly on my first day wouldn’t get me fired. At my old workplace, every day was casual Friday. It only dawned upon me now that I may have mistakenly assumed it would be the same here.

Seriously, way to go. They are going to fire you before you even reach your desk.

Surrounded by all those very serious, very professional people, I felt like a teenager again. Just like my first day of high school, I was lost, underdressed, and had no idea where to go. The only information I had was that I needed to go to the twenty-seventh floor, so I let myself be guided by the flow of lawyers, traders, and other suit-wearing people walking into the lobby.

There was a list of the different companies that occupied the building, engraved in gold letters on a massive marble board on one of the walls. There must have been around fifty names on it. Out of pride, I tried to find my new company, Kelex , as I walked along with the flow of people. Before I could get the chance, the panel was out of sight.

When I reached the elevator lobby, I rushed to one of the eight possibilities, making the smart choice of picking one that wasn’t too far away from the ground floor. From here to the second sublevel, it couldn’t take long to arrive. Apparently, I wasn’t the only pragmatic person here, as many people soon joined me in my wait for the doors to open.

The stainless steel panels parted with an elegant ‘ding’, and everyone rushed into it at once. Since I was on the front line, I was unceremoniously pushed inside, having barely had the time to glimpse at the few people already in there. Miraculously, I managed to press on the button for my floor before being shoved further into the confined space.

Claustrophobia wasn’t an issue for me, but I’d seen my fair share of horror movies. I knew what happened when an elevator malfunctioned, and it didn’t seem like this many people were supposed to fit in here.

As the angry mob behind kept pushing me in, I was forced to look up at the man I was about to bump into.

Oh, shit.

He was hot.

Like, damn…

Before I could properly take in his features, other than the intense eyes, the square jaw, and the dark hair and stubble, I collided with him, a rude elbow pushing me onto the man. Goddamn, that was one muscular chest.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, quickly glimpsing up at him. He didn’t even bother looking down, apparently used to the elevators being hell on earth.

My sex drive had never been off the charts. Quite the opposite. For most of my life, I’d wondered if I was normal. While the rest of the world seemed to put it at the center of everything, I’d always considered sex to be a relatively enjoyable moment with someone I relatively enjoyed. Not this big thing that ruled and ruined so many people’s lives. I’d never, in my entire existence, been attracted to someone at first sight. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do this.

Of course, I noticed when someone was attractive, but I never had those I-want-to-rip-his-clothes-off-and-ride-his-dick-all-night-long feelings. But that was precisely what I felt as I discreetly peered at the stranger. Maybe I just hadn’t met the right kind of men until now.

Being plastered against him certainly didn’t help with the warm feeling that spread within me.

He was in his mid-thirties, tall and imposing, which was like a magnet for shorter women like me. I never really got why. Maybe a deeply rooted need to be protected, dating back to the times when men had to fend off wild animals. Anyhow, his tall frame definitely worked on me.

Finally, the doors closed, and gravity increased as we rose to the upper floors, providing little distraction from the warm, manly body I was flushed against.

When someone moved behind me, probably trying to make more room for themselves, I was pushed a little harder onto the man, and my hand instinctively reached up, to secure my balance. Yeah, maybe the solid plane of his stomach wasn’t the best way to level myself, but frankly, there was no other choice, the place was too clustered to have any freedom of movement.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled again with a grimace, swiftly removing my hand from him.

This time, he looked down at me, and with a barely perceptible shrug, he answered a vague, “It’s fine.”

Of course, his voice was hot too. Low, a bit raspy, as though he had just woken up. Who the fuck was this man? Was there some sort of model agency in the building? A men-of-Armani convention?

Looking down, I noticed his clothes for the first time. Oh, he was wearing a simple light gray T-shirt and blue jeans. Although it wasn’t a tight fit, I could guess at the broadness of his chest underneath his shirt.

Knowing some people dressed casually kind of reassured me. Maybe he worked in IT or maintenance for a company here, and it comforted me a little in my choice of attire. Not everyone was expected to wear suits.

The elevator kept halting and resuming its course, but somehow people must have kept getting on because the space wasn’t clearing itself at all. I glimpsed at the floor we were on now and then, and at that rhythm, it would take ages to reach mine. The stud against me was making me grow embarrassingly hot, and I worried too much of this would leave me overheated and sweaty. Seriously, my body had picked the stupidest time to start noticing men’s physiques.

Something moved between us, and I froze, my eyes going round and huge. That most definitely came from his crotch area. What the—

“Excuse me,” he said, and before I could assume this was over the embarrassing but natural bodily reaction, he reached for his front pocket, his hand gliding over the front of my Hulk T-shirt. As the tips of my breasts felt compelled to react to the platonic touch, I was reminded that wearing a padded bra was useful for more than tricking people into thinking I was a B-cup.

He took his phone out, and I understood it had just buzzed into his front pocket. Andy, you cretin. Of course, he’s not getting a boner over you. You look like an underdressed imp.

Because of the lack of space, he didn’t have much choice but to check his phone between us, allowing me to glimpse at it as well. He unlocked the screen to check the text he’d received, and—

Holy fuck! It was a nude.

The man instantly locked the screen again, but it was too late. I’d had a good glimpse at the scandalously steamy picture he’d just received. The woman in it, so blonde her hair looked almost silvery, was in a very suggestive pose, showing off an amazing pair of tits and a toned stomach that was every woman’s fantasy. The pic had stopped right before her lady bits, but still, some women were bold bold. I could never…

Okay, if that was his standards, he was most definitely not getting a boner over me. To think I’d believed it even for a second was preposterous.

Looking up at my companion of scorned personal space, I noted he seemed rather irked, and I wondered if it was about the text message or me seeing it. I wasn’t into women, but that for sure would have made my day.

The situation was rather comical, and a laugh bubbled in my chest. It was containable but flushed as we were, he must have noticed the rhythmic rising of my chest. Thank God there wasn’t much on that front, or else it could have been embarrassing. Had I been thrown onto him the other way around, I’d probably have been mortified to press my relatively ample ass against him.

I was starting to accept my terrible fate—being pressed against a dashing model/IT/maintenance guy for the rest of eternity—when we finally got closer to my floor. There was slightly more room by now, so we weren’t as intimately flushed together as before. Upon noticing the next stop was mine, I looked up one last time to give the man an apologetic smile. His eyes lowered to mine, and then he glimpsed at my T-shirt.

Fuck, today was really not the day for my box of nice clothes to have been impossible to find among the other ones occupying my ridiculously tiny studio. My outfit would be fine if it weren’t for the drawing of the Hulk, from the early comics, with massive letters stating: “HULK SMASH!” printed on my T-shirt. It covered the whole front, resting flat over my breasts, and there was no hiding it.

Because humor was my best defense against embarrassment, my brain automatically went there. “That was a lot of fun, but let’s never do that again,” I joked. Okay, but how was that supposed to make things less embarrassing?!

To my relief, the semblance of a smile stretched the man’s lips, and, oh Lord, he really was devastatingly handsome.

“Let’s not,” he answered, his low voice doing something primal to my insides. I felt it deep down in my lower stomach.

What the— Did my vagina just throb?

The doors finally opened for me, and before I could melt into a puddle at his feet, I wriggled my way to exit this tedious hell. I was almost disappointed that the man didn’t get off here too, subconsciously hoping he’d work here so I’d get to see more of him, and gorge on the stunning view he offered. But unless he was only visiting, we’d probably see each other again, in future elevator rides.

Once out, I took a deep breath, my lungs filling with fresh air again. Using the stairs next time came to mind, but then I remembered how seriously out of shape I was. Something as simple as getting up from my couch or bed made me feel like a tortoise flipped on its shell.

The ass those stairs would give me, though.

After a quick look to assess my surroundings, I remembered I was a girl on a mission. I silently rejoiced when a couple of people passed by with casual clothes. Looking up, I thanked the gods for this small gift. People at Kelex and in the elevator wore casual clothes too.

The reception was easy to spot, and I stared at it for a moment, mustering the courage to go there. As a rather chill person, it took a lot for me to feel anxious about things. Maybe starting a new job was one of those inescapable moments of anxiety we all faced, but I certainly didn’t remember feeling remotely like this when I started my part-time job at McDonald’s, financing my expenses during college. I also didn’t recall any palm-sweating involved when arriving at my last job, where I’d been a User Experience Designer for the past two years. No, it was undoubtedly this job that was making me so nervous.

Since I would have to do this anyway, I took a deep breath and forced my feet to move toward the reception. Behind the desk, there was a gorgeous blonde, slender, fit, and even though she was sitting, it was obvious she was tall. By the time I reached her, I was feeling like an Oompa-Loompa compared to her refinement but discarded my uneasiness and gave her a smile. The awkward grin remained plastered on my face, but she didn’t notice me, absorbed by whatever she was typing on her MacBook.

She was even prettier from up close. Her lush hair was loose on her shoulders, and it reminded me of those ads for shampoo, where hair does that thing where it looks impossibly smooth and soft, making you feel terrible about your split ends and frizzy hair. Her face seemed to have been painted by a professional. She had a septum piercing and, somehow, it added to her perfection. She radiated confidence, which made me sort of envious. Women like her always left me admirative, since I didn’t even have the talent to handle foundation or contouring. The extent of my abilities when it came to makeup was applying mascara, winged eyeliner, and lipstick on rare occasions.

I eventually cleared my throat, to make my presence known. She lifted her eyes to me immediately, and her gaze moved up and down my frame as one of her eyebrows lifted slightly. It was impossible to tell if she was judging me or simply assessing me.

“Welcome to Kelex. How may I help you?”

“Hi,” I said, my voice a little shaky. “I’m starting today, and I was wondering if you could give me some directions.”

“Yes, of course. What is your name and what department will you be working in?”

“I’m Andy— Andrea, sorry! Andrea Walker,” I corrected myself. I never went by my actual name, but the occasion called for it. “And I’m with the development team.”

The woman frowned and looked up from her screen. “You’re Andy Walker .” I nodded, surprised my name meant something to her. “We weren’t expecting— We thought you were… a man.”

I tried to give her my best surprised look, as if I weren’t aware there could be any confusion, when, in fact, I had done my best to keep the lines blurred. When the opportunity had risen, I’d been willing to do anything to get my dream job.

Because it really was my dream job. At twenty-six, my professional peak had been reached by snatching up the perfect position, in the perfect company, in the perfect city.

Maybe Seattle wasn’t the perfect city. It was the city that never dried, and it was too far north to be anywhere near perfect. But I would say it was convenient. Being from Portland, it was reassuring to know my family was only three hours away. At least, if my old car could manage the trip.

Attempting to look innocent; I batted my eyelids at the receptionist.

She apparently realized she was staring, and she shook her head to snap out of it. “Sorry, you just really surprised me there. The nerds from dev have been talking about you a lot. They were impressed by your performance during the tests. I doubt they expect you to be a woman. And you coming on your first day wearing this,” she explained with a soft laugh, pointing at my shirt. “They will all be at your feet by the end of the day.”

I smiled humbly, reassured about my attire. We nerdy geeks were quite serious about our superheroes, and Bruce Banner was the OG.

The woman stood up, and I had been right; she was much taller than me. Damn you, mom, for making me shorter than average. Five-foot-two wasn’t enough for anything. The blonde extended her hand to me, a kind smile on her lips.

“I’m Dakota. I work with the graphic design team. Our receptionist is away on her honeymoon, so we’re taking turns replacing her.” I smiled back and shook her hand. “I’ll take you to the Troll’s Lair.” She motioned with her free hand, inviting me to follow.

Most of the floor was open space, with a few closed offices. The desks were huge, and everyone had plenty of room to move around. The whole place was very bright, colored mostly white with vivid hues here and there.

As we journeyed through the floor, my mind drifted back to the attractive man in the elevator. My whole front was still warm, as if the ghost of his presence lingered on me. Maybe it was just the nervousness of the day that had made this happen. I wasn’t normally like this, but it made sense my anxious mind would act up and lower my defenses.

We reached a closed part of the floor and stopped before a glass door. I smiled at the various notes taped on it. ‘Don’t tap the glass, it scares the geeks,’ one read. ‘Please, don’t feed the trolls, they are on a special diet,’ said another one, and under, someone had added with a ballpoint pen: ‘of Cheetos and Red Bulls.’ ‘Do not trespass during CS sessions. Trespassers will be shot; survivors will be shot again—then Steven might T-Bag them.’ The last one made me let out a chuckle, and I knew we would get along well.

“Are you ready?” asked Dakota, her hand on the handle.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, telling myself I would do just fine.

Dear Lord, I hope I will…

With great energy, Dakota pushed the door open. “Listen up, you bunch of animals!” she announced as we entered. The five men sitting inside lifted their heads from their computers, glancing in our direction. “This is Andrea Walker, AKA ‘Andy with the good scripts,’ as you brainiacs have been calling her for the past three weeks.”

‘Andy with the good scripts.’ It was hilarious. That one needed to be remembered. Good scripts over good hair any day.

Several jaws dropped when their owners saw me. It seemed that hiding the fact that I had boobs and a vagina may have been more of a scam than I’d thought.

“Oh, come on,” Dakota told them with an eye roll. “I know it might be somehow new to you, but over half of the population is composed of women, so pick up your jaws and stop being so shocked.” Her scolding worked, and they regained composure.

“Yes, of course,” said one of them. Slender and tall, he was wearing a plaid shirt. He seemed to be in his late twenties, with reddish hair, light brown eyes and freckles. In a boyish kind of way, he was very cute. “Very sorry, we weren’t expecting you to be… a woman. I’ll let the boss know you’ve arrived,” he added, sitting back at his desk and quickly typing something.

Biting back a chuckle, I gave him an apologetic shrug. This was turning out to be very amusing. “Yeah, I gathered that much.” I would fit in just right with these socially awkward guys. I was already starting to feel comfortable.

The next one who spoke, the only one of them who seemed over thirty, was a broad man with an impressive beard, brown hair, and glasses. “I expected you to have a beard.”

“I have one, but you’ll never get to see it,” I joked.

The instant the words left my lips, I regretted them. I froze, hating myself for my desperately inappropriate humor.

With my tanned Latina complexion, it was supposedly hard for me to blush. But I wasn’t so blessed, and my cheeks tended to turn all shades of pink whenever I was embarrassed. As heat crept up my face, I knew I was crimson. It was a real curse. And I had no filter, so that happened a lot.

Half of the acquaintances I’d met were certain I was stupid, when really, I just had a tendency to overuse sarcasm and caustic comments. I also had a dirty mind, and I would always catch the filthiest references or innuendos.

Stupid, useless brain!

They stared at me, as shocked as I was, and no one spoke for what seemed to be minutes but was probably ten seconds. Next to me, Dakota was trying to hold back her laughter.

One of the guys raised his hands to sign a question to his colleagues. Thankfully, I knew American Sign Language and was able to follow what was happening. “ I didn’t catch that. What did she say? “

“ She told Steven he would never get to see her beard, “ someone signed back.

At this moment, I wanted nothing else but for the ground to open under my feet and swallow me right into oblivion. Was my ridiculously terrible joke really worth repeating?

Utterly shocked, the guy who’d asked looked at me and after a moment, a broad smile spread on his face. He exploded with a fit of laughter, and it allowed Dakota to finally stop holding hers back. Soon enough, the others followed, and I waited, mortified, for them to calm down.

When she regained control of her breathing, Dakota wiped a tear that had gathered in the corner of her eye, careful not to smudge her makeup, and patted my shoulder. “Yeah, you’ll do great. They constantly make dick jokes around each other. It’s about time they were introduced to some vagina ones.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I tend to be blunt, and I have next to no filter.”

“It’s ok,” the ginger reassured me, “we weren’t prepared. Consider us warned from now on.” The others nodded, confirming his statement. Reassured, I let out a sigh, and my shoulders relaxed a little.

The glass door opened next to Dakota and me, distracting the room from my embarrassing moment. Everyone’s focus shifted to the newcomer, and I turned around too. When I saw the man standing in the doorframe, my breath caught in my throat.

Holy mother of God…

So, he worked here after all.

【02】Andy With the Good Scripts

I stared at the man standing by the door, my brain malfunctioning so hard I couldn’t even think of closing my half-opened mouth.

That was him. The elevator guy! He was right there, still dashing, and tall, and sexy. He didn’t notice me right away, as I was standing to the side, and I used this opportunity to admire his features, having the proper distance to do so now.

His face must have been carved by the gods themselves, because there was no way two humans had conceived this level of perfection. He had a sharp jaw, covered with a three-day old stubble. His short dark hair was a little messy, as if he’d only taken the time to run his fingers through it this morning. The thick lines of his eyebrows were resting under a flat forehead, and underneath them, two narrow eyes. Between those, a straight, perfectly balanced nose, and a pair of lavish lips, a shade darker than his skin, with a touch of pink.

He had a pair of reading glasses tucked into the collar of his shirt now, and I somehow craved to see him with those on. The man already had something very smart about him, but with those on, he must have looked like a nerdy genius.

His sharp gaze quickly scanned the room, and it eventually reached me. I nearly averted mine, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Thank God I wasn’t drooling, but it had been a close call. My presence disturbed him for a second, his brows frowned over his inquisitive eyes. He apparently dismissed whatever questions he might have and returned his attention to the guys.

“Oliver, you told me Andy has arrived?”

Oh, wow. Oh, shit. This was the boss. He was the boss. The guy I’d been lusting after for several minutes in the elevator was my new boss. What a fucking way to start a new job: create fantasies of your superior as soon as you meet him. With my luck, though, it figured.

Dakota smiled, visibly entertained by this whole gender confusion. “Yes, she has,” she answered the man with playfulness.

He frowned, processing her words, and something lit up in his eyes as he finally understood. His piercing gaze met mine when he looked back in my direction. Oh boy…

He examined my face and outfit, seeing me in an entirely new light. Under his authoritative stare, I regretted hiding my gender from them. I now realized I might actually piss off some people with this.

Coding was a man’s world. The whole world was actually, but app and software development was even more so. When I’d first seen the opportunity for this job, I’d wanted the odds to ever be in my favor, letting this whole gender question be undefined.

Kelex had decided to choose their new employee with a series of online tests, the tasks so arduous it had been nearly impossible to complete. They were very demanding, which they could be, given their position.

Now that they had seen me, they couldn’t fire me for the sole reason that half of me wasn’t Y chromosomes. Not without risking the motherload of all lawsuits.

When he was done examining me, his eyes met mine. I waved, timidly, with a faint “Hi.”

“You’re not an Andrew.”

I bit my lip at his icy tone, suppressing my urge to give him a lesson in manners. “No, I’m an Andrea.”

He clenched his jaw slightly, and after an instant, turned to the oldest of the guys. “You owe me ten bucks. She doesn’t have a beard.”

“Actually-”

When I understood what he was about to say, I panicked and let out a loud, forced laugh, determined not to let him repeat my stupid joke. Not a third time, and especially not in front of that man. “Haha! Yeah, no! No beards here!”

The others looked at me with mild amusement in their eyes, while the elevator guy slash new boss stared at me as if I were stupid. We all stayed in this awkward silence, not knowing how to break it.

Today was not my day. I couldn’t catch a break.

“Well, as entertaining as this is, I have to leave you nerds, because I have a shit ton of work to do,” Dakota explained, freeing us from the unbearable tension. “But before I go, Andy, this is Alexander Coleman, head of development, co-owner of the company, killer of joy. Lex, this is Andrea Walker, your newest full-stack developer, vagina-bearer, and slayer of scripts. Now that I’ve done my part, I’m out,” she declared before stepping out of the room.

Oh, wow, so he wasn’t just in a high position, he co-owned the whole thing. I truly wouldn’t have pegged him as the type of person who’d start such a selfless firm.

On the surface, Kelex appeared to be your typical app and software development company, but there was much more to it. While they did create a few mainstream apps, they also specialized in the integration of the disabled in our society. They worked on ways to simplify their lives through specialized apps, operating systems, and other various software. Their goal was to allow everyone to experience the same things equally. And that meant everyone – blind, deaf, mute, paralyzed, mentally disabled… Kelex was trying to include as many people as possible.

Once the door was closed behind Dakota, the broody hunk told me to choose one of the free desks. When I reached for one just in front of me, he stopped me with a harsh command.

“This one’s mine. Pick another one.” I nodded, clenching my teeth so I wouldn’t say something about his abrasive manners. The desk was clearly unused since the screens weren’t even plugged in, and I wondered if this “boss” ever actually worked. Dismissing my question, I turned to another spot and settled my bag on the seat. When I spun back to the boss, he was looking at me with an intense, disapproving stare.

He seemed very confused by my appearance, and it was starting to be offensive. Soon enough, his gaze unfocused, and I understood he wasn’t staring at me anymore, but lost in his thoughts. I cleared my throat, and his eyes met mine again.

“I didn’t expect you to be so…” he stopped, looking for the right word.

“Womanly?” I tried.

“Young,” he corrected. “From your results, I expected someone with at least a decade in the field. How old are you exactly?”

“Twenty-six.” I was used to being asked this question. Even now, I had to take out my ID every single time I wanted to buy alcohol. This looking younger thing wasn’t working out for me. “I have, however, been coding for a little over sixteen years now, so you see, I do have a decade of experience after all.”

His eyes darkened, apparently displeased to be patronized like this. “Having fun setting up a website for you and your friends is nothing like what we do here.”

A twinge of anger rose in me. What the hell! I narrowed my eyes, displeased by the knowledge that I would have to work under this man’s supervision. To think I’d been all over him not even ten minutes ago in the elevator was making me even angrier.

“I can assure you I am well aware of that,” I said with my best diplomatic voice. “As you may have seen with the tests—the ones I aced to get here—I am quite competent.”

One of his eyebrows moved up, giving him a very arrogant expression. “Are you sure no one helped you with those? Like a friend or your older brother?”

Oh, now he was asking to be put back in his place. I violently quenched my urge to react to his provocation and tried to keep an amiable facade. I wasn’t into letting people walk all over me, but I really wanted this job, and I couldn’t possibly get into an argument with my boss on the first day. Accidentally seeing a nude he’d received was enough complications. We would see about the second day, though.

“I most definitely took the tests alone, as my older brother couldn’t differentiate C# from PHP.” A few of the guys chuckled behind me, proving they weren’t actually focused on their work. Ignoring them, I continued. “If you have doubts, by all means, test me again. I’m certain I can manage whatever you may throw at me,” I offered with assurance. I wasn’t usually this bold, but his attitude had bruised my ego, and I knew I was good at what I did.

He stared at me for a few more seconds and turned to one of the guys. “Brian, what’s the script you’ve been stuck on for the last iOS update?”

The guys lifted their heads, their eyes wide, and my assurance wavered. I was about to face a challenge harder than I imagined. Damned be my mouth, always speaking before thinking. “Are you sure you want to give her this one?” argued an African American guy who was wearing a bold red jacket. He was very alluring. I liked the warm tone of his brown skin, and he seemed to be more easy-going than the others.

“Well, you heard the lady, she can manage anything. And since you five have been stuck on this for two weeks, we might as well let her take care of it.”

They nodded and looked at each other, then at me, seemingly sorry for what was about to happen.

Somebody kill me with a headshot, please.

Summoning some confidence, I walked to my chosen desk between the blond guy and the red jacket guy. “Hi, I’m Mason,” the latter greeted me, before pointing at my neighbor from the other side, “and this is Joseph.”

“ Hi, I’m Andy, “ I greeted back with a smile, signing the words with my hands for Joseph, who smiled back.

Waiting no longer, I pushed the power button to turn on the computer. I was quickly greeted by the Linux booting screen, and as it started, I put my backpack down at the foot of my desk. I took out my headphones as I sat down, ready to get this shit done.

“We have a shared server, and all our work is backed up daily,” Mason explained. “You can use the script on the server. If you mess it up, we can always get it from the backups.”

“Thanks, but I won’t mess it up.”

“That’s the spirit,” he chuckled.

The computer was on, and Mason told me where I could find the file. As I opened it, a movement on my right caught my attention. The boss had found a chair and was rolling it next to mine, a little behind me, before sitting down on it.

“What are you doing?” I asked, not minding if I sounded aggressive.

“I am curious to see you in action.”

What kind of fresh hell was this? I turned to Joseph, who gave me a compassionate look with a shrug. I turned back to Mr. Coleman and his challenging glare.

Not minding my reticence, he reached for his glasses, tucked in his collar. “Is there a problem?”

“I’d prefer to work without you hovering.”

“Tough luck.”

I was about to send him an acerbic remark, but he put his glasses on, and my brain forgot how to compute. Oh, fuck me… With those glasses, he had gone from Kal-El to Clark Kent real fast, and I couldn’t decide which version I preferred. The sporty, confident stud, or the nerdy, more accessible one?

Quite certainly, my body couldn’t care less about the fact that he was an ass since I felt the urge to clench my thighs, to suppress the need that was slowly growing between them. What the hell is wrong with me?! He was so close to me I could smell the fresh scent of his soap, the spicy aroma of his deodorant, and even feel the heat emanating from his large body.

How on earth was I supposed to focus on my task?

I’d been cocky, and now had to pay the price by proving I not only had a quick mouth but also the quick brain to go with it. Luckily, I did, and I was going to give this man a lesson he most certainly needed.

There were no words to describe how much I hated this. First of all, I hated having someone scrutinizing what I was doing. It was distracting, and I felt analyzed. Secondly, I was very aware of his presence, and I couldn’t imagine my mind not drifting back to it every second. I turned to him, disconcerted, and met his eyes.

Gray. They were gray. His irises were a light shade of colorless ice, surrounded by a darker ring.

His brow moved up, giving him this arrogant look he apparently sported often, and he pointed at the screen. “What are you staring at? Get on with it. You have ninety minutes, starting…” He looked down at his watch and waited a few seconds. “Starting now.”

Clenching my jaw, I turned back to my screen and grabbed my headphones to turn them on. I took out my phone from my back pocket and, ignoring the cracked screen, I quickly paired the Bluetooth so I could listen to some music. Opening Spotify, I moved down my playlists, trying to think of what I was in the mood for. It was taking longer than I’d thought.

“You’re wasting time, Andrea,” the boss noted next to me. “Eighty-seven minutes.”

“Don’t worry. I only need sixty.”

The jab wasn’t meant to be heard, more of a grumble to myself, but his answer came anyway. “Let’s go for sixty minutes then.”

At that moment, I swore to myself I would cut my tongue out of my mouth if I survived today.

【03】The Dream Team

After finally settling on some heavy metal – the most distracting thing I could handle without actually being too distracted – I turned to my screen.

I did an initial assessment of the script, trying to understand its purpose. It was in Python, the scripting language I was the most comfortable with.

From what I could gather, Kelex had developed an app designed to overpower pre-existing operating systems, to make it more suited for various handicaps. Those OS, having several updates a year, required Kelex’s apps to follow and adapt constantly. This was for the last iPhone update, and from what I could read, Apple had changed things regarding the calls and messages, rendering the current Kelex app obsolete.

Once I reached the end of the script, I dug in, encouraged by System of a Down’s Toxicity. I changed a few lines, corrected a few mistakes, and did my best to clean the script and add comments, to make it easier to follow. Brian was a messy coder.

I managed to stay as focused as possible, distracted from my new boss’s presence by loud notes and melodies raging into my ears. However, every now and then, he would lean forward to observe more attentively what I was typing. Every time he came closer, my body froze as I tried to keep going. At some point, he accidentally touched me, and the electrifying contact made me jolt, my fingers missing a few letters on the keyboard.

I hadn’t been with anyone in a while, and while I was fine with it, my body seemed to have other plans. Those greedy hormones… Having this infuriating man making me feel so on edge every day of the incoming week was out of the question.

Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I decided to focus on my task. Right now, I had something to prove. For the next sixty minutes, minus some, I was an emissary for all the women in this world. This arrogant and misogynistic ass needed to be shown that we were as good and as worthy as men.

Working as fast as I could, often glimpsing at the time on my screen, I focused on my task. I could do it. I had to make it work.

As usual when working like this, time altered, going faster than it should feel like. Every time I checked the clock, it had a few more minutes than I was willing to accept, but I wasn’t Hiro Nakamura, and I couldn’t make time stop or slow down.

I was typing the last command when Mr. Coleman reached for my headphones and pushed it away so I could hear. “Time’s up, Andrea,” he announced. Shit, him saying my name definitely did unholy things to me.

After pressing enter, I moved away from the keyboard, almost out of breath. An hour had flown by in what had felt like ten minutes. Looking around, I noticed the guys standing behind us, also curious.

I looked at my screen, hoping I had succeeded. There hadn’t been enough time to do the final sweep check, but I didn’t think I’d missed anything. Please , I prayed in my head, let me have this one at least . Impatiently, I turned to the boss, waiting for his comment. Without moving his eyes from my screen, his mouth bent downward, as if impressed. I rejoiced internally, but a little too early, alas.

“Not bad,” he conceded. “But it won’t work as it is.”

Making my chair roll a few inches away, he came closer and settled the keyboard in front of him. I observed him, the screen reflecting on his glasses, as he scrolled up into the script. When he found what he was looking for, he clicked and typed a few words. Intrigued, I ripped my eyes away from his profile to look at the screen and winced. I had forgotten a reference, and as he’d said, the script wouldn’t have worked. Goddamnit. Three extra minutes and I would have found it.

Behind me, the guys let out disappointed “oohs,” as the ginger gave the bearded man a one-dollar bill. Had they bet on my failure? I didn’t have time to ask them, the boss returning his attention back to me.

“It was still quite impressive, though. We’ll have to run some tests, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I guess I misjudged you. Welcome to the dream team, Andrea,” he said, removing his glasses and slipping them back on his collar. Kal-El was back.

Oh, God… Someone was definitely masturbating tonight. And that someone was me.

“Andy,” I corrected him, ignoring the sudden burst of heat. He looked at me, his expression blank, but didn’t comment.

He stood up looking at the guys surrounding us. “Have you met the team yet?”

“No, not really.”

“This is Steven,” he explained, pointing at the older, bearded guy who extended his hand to shake mine. “When I’m not here, he’s the one in charge with Oliver,” the boss continued, gesturing toward the red-haired guy. We shook hands too, and his friendly smile was positively charming.

Brian was then introduced. He had Asian heritage, southeast Asia if I had to guess. He was wearing a blue shirt with Captain America’s sigil. Yay! Avengers, assemble! “Your coding is so aggressive, we would have never thought you looked like…” he explained as we shook hands, this sentence trailing off as he thought of a relevant comparison.

“Dora the Explorer!” Mason exclaimed. All of them suddenly let out a resounding “Aaah”, as if they’d been looking for the resemblance.

I held back a laugh, not wanting to encourage their teasing yet. Between my haircut – a curly short bob with bangs – my half Mexicanness, my backpack, and the fact that I was as small as Lady Gaga without the ability to wear 10 inch heels, I didn’t doubt I’d looked exactly like Dora the Explorer upon arriving.

“That would be Mason, and the last one is Joseph.” Lifting his hands so Joseph could follow, the boss then addressed them both. “You two will update Andrea on your current project. She’ll help you close it until we can find her her own task. Brian,” he continued, turning to the Captain America guy, “this was messy. Keep in mind that any one of us may have to dig into your work, so keep it organized.”

He took a moment to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, and his steely eyes fell on me. “You can call me Alexander, or Lex, since everyone seems to take this liberty.”

I nodded, feeling somehow strange to be on a first name – even nickname – basis with a man so important, but I guessed this was the way this company operated. Satisfied with his work here, he made his way toward the exit.

As he reached the door, he turned back to us. “Steven, you still owe me ten bucks.”

Before my new colleague could contest the statement, Alexander left the room, leaving us alone. I stared at the door, wondering what the hell was his deal.

Once they were sure the boss was out of hearing range, the redheaded guy – Oliver, was it? – spun my chair around. “That was amazing! You’ve got some mad skills, Dora!”

The others nodded in agreement, and I let out a soft laugh. The tension was finally gone, and I gave him a slightly disapproving frown. It’s not that I minded the nickname, I simply hoped that it wouldn’t stick for the rest of my time there.

“Brian, how long have we been telling you to fix your ratchet code?” Mason asked.

Brian looked down, embarrassed. “I know… I’m sorry you had to deal with this on your first day, Andy.”

“It’s ok. I guess I didn’t do too bad.”

“Not too bad? Girl, you smashed it!” Mason insisted. He had a very distinctive southern accent that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Yeah! When I started here, Lex took three weeks to finally welcome me into the team,” Brian recalled. “You managed to do it in an hour.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the revelation. That missing reference wasn’t as bad as I’d feared, after all. I looked at the door Alexander had disappeared behind, my mind drifting back to the disagreeable man.

“Is he always this… intense?” I asked the guys, signing for Joseph.

They all nodded.

“He has a crazy IQ, and it gives him that no-nonsense brain,” Oliver explained. “He is always three steps ahead and doesn’t care about the conventions. That’s why he barely ever says hello, thanks, please, goodbye…”

“It’s not that he’s a dick, though,” Mason pointed out. “It’s just that his brain ain’t working like ours.”

“ But he can definitely be a dick. “ Joseph’s silent intervention made me chuckle. I nodded, still mindlessly looking where our boss had left.

“Don’t worry,” Oliver said, making me look away from the door. “You’ll get used to it. Has Dakota given you a tour of the place?”

“Just some quick notes as we came here.”

“Okay, I think we can take ten minutes so I can show you around.” He gallantly moved to the side and gestured toward the door, encouraging me to lead.

He guided me around the floor, explaining the different departments in the open space. Not everyone was in yet, but seeing the number of desks made me realize the company might be larger than I’d expected.

“How many people work here?” I asked.

“On this floor, seventy-one, I think. Seventy-two, now that you are here. Upstairs is management and R&D, they are a little under sixty.” Oliver bumped fists with a man who passed by us and returned his attention back to me. “From recent estimations, those numbers should double within a year.”

I nodded, impressed. For a company that was under eight years old, they sure were successful. I still couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be here.

Walking by his side, my earlier anxiety faded. He showed me around and introduced me to a few people. Everyone was very warm and approachable. The average age seemed to be a little under thirty, and I enjoyed the fact that the company was so dynamic. Oliver explained to me I would probably have to go upstairs to HR this afternoon, to sign all the papers, then gave me some indications as to where the office was located.

Eventually, he led me to a room where tables, lounge chairs, couches, and a TV were displayed. It was rather large with a ping-pong table, a foosball one, an old arcade game, vending machines… I admired the room with a grin from ear to ear, already knowing I would love working here. This was heaven compared to the pitiful excuse of a break room I’d been working with before – a chair and a microwave in a revamped broom closet. A few people were sitting around with their laptops and a mug next to them.

“This is the leisure room, as well as the lunchroom,” Oliver explained. “Or at least, that’s what they call it. To us, it’s the Arena of Doom. This is the place where you settle a beef with one of the nerds. Dart, foosball, ping-pong… you name it.” He came closer to me, as if he wanted to confide a secret to me. “Ping-pong would be Steven and Joseph’s weakness. For Brian it’s foosball, and Mason is awful at darts.”

I let out a silent laugh, amused by his playfulness. “But what is your weakness?”

“I don’t have one, silly woman. I’m the final boss, nearly impossible to beat.”

This time, I chuckled, shaking my head. “I’ve always been great at destroying those. So be careful who you call silly, you imprudent man.”

We were interrupted by a woman who came up to us, holding a cup of fresh coffee. She was wearing a T-shirt printed with a Wonder Woman logo, and I smiled at it, glad to find a second comic book lover. She had a beautiful afro, and her gleaming skin was a light shade of brown. She was pretty and was giving out a very kind, very gentle vibe.

“ This is Tamika, Tammy, “ Oliver introduced while signing. “ She works with R&D. “ Turning to her, he introduced me. “ This is Andrea, Andy, she is with the dev team. “ Tammy smiled at me, her upper lip lifting, showing me her perfect set of white teeth.

We both extended our hands at the same time. Hers was remarkably soft and utterly feminine. “ It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tammy, “ I then said while signing the words. “ I feel like we’re going to get along, “ I continued before pointing at her top.

She grinned and nodded at my Hulk shirt. “ You should know DC makes a better first impression, “ she struggled to sign, still holding her cup of coffee.

“ I know, “ I admitted, defeated. “ I have a thing for fellow nerds, so Banner is my Achilles’ heel. “ She let out a small chuckle and left after saluting us both.

“It’s awesome that you know sign language,” noted Oliver, as he guided me to our next destination. “It’s not exactly a requirement, but almost everyone does in the company. There are seven people with a hearing handicap working here, and we took the habit of signing whenever they are around. How did you learn it?”

“My older brother was born completely deaf. As a result, I know American and Mexican sign language.”

“You learned Mexican too?”

“Yes. Tyler wanted to show our mom that her side mattered as much as our father’s, so he insisted we spoke both languages, as any mixed family would.”

Oli gave me a genuine smile. “That’s so cool of him. I love the idea.”

“Me too.”

My affection for my brother was one of the reasons I was so invested in this new job. I wanted to be among the team who would help to make this world a more comfortable place for people like him. Tyler was also the reason I was familiar with the apps Kelex had developed. They were geniuses in action, and I was honored to be a part of it.

I told him more about my brother as he showed me the rest of Kelex’s offices. I couldn’t help but think that my life would change entirely. I would spend some amazing moments with this company.

At least I would, if I managed to remain diplomatic enough to not be fired by my obnoxious boss.

Andrea and Lex are getting published!!

Hi, my darlings!

I have some exciting news to share with you all. The Desire Variable is getting published on October 15th!! While this means that the entire Binary Hearts Series will be removed from Wattpad, this is a huge and thrilling new chapter for Andy, Lex, and their story.

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you know that I first started publishing The Desire Variable here on Wattpad in July 2019. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’ve grown so much as an author thanks to your unwavering support. Your comments, encouragement, and enthusiasm have been the driving force behind my constant effort to give you the best story I can, and I’m so grateful for every single one of you.

I understand that seeing the series go might be disappointing, but please know that this is only the beginning of something even more amazing. To stay updated on all the latest news—including today’s reveal of the stunning new cover—make sure to follow me on Instagram at authoranadarcy . I’ll be sharing exclusive content, giveaways, and behind-the-scenes updates that you won’t want to miss!

Thank you again for your incredible support over the years. I can’t wait to share this next step of the journey with you!

With love and gratitude, Darla/Ana

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/bd7922ce178b3f00ccbdd9d25638f6b28a19383a/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f3165634d70616b383138455f70773d3d2d313437303337373637322e313765633861626663616663643964323739393435363639353635372e6a7067)