out?"
She saw José's eyes light up.
"Barring that, you horn dog," she said, anticipating his suggestion.
"Aww, I didn't even get to say it!"
"Seriously. I will...clean your house. I will make you meals. I will let you duct tape me to an office chair for an entire day," she said. ""Dunk tank. I'll let you shave my head. Bring it on."
Closer. Abraham was still scowling, but José and Fezza now looked intrigued...and, unfortunately, a bit gleeful.
"How about coming to work in a costume?" José asked.
"Sure."
"All day?" Fezza added, looking diabolically happy.
"Sure. All day," she said, then narrowed her eyes. "But I get to approve the costume."
Abraham snorted. "Ivy Valentine, from Soul Caliber. "
"Yeah, right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Unfortunately, I don't have triple-E sized boobs, and even if I did, no chance in hell."
"Bayonetta?" José asked hopefully. "She's completely covered. Sort of."
"No!"
"Slave Leia?" Fezza tried.
"Sailor Moon?" José piped in.
Now Abraham scowled at him. "Seriously? Sailor Moon ?"
"Hey. She's hot."
Tessa frowned. They weren't going to come up with less sexist costumes any time soon, but she'd always sort of liked Sailor Moon, and she was probably the tamest of their options. Besides, she''d seen Kyla's sketches--there was a costume, already made, that she could use.
"Okay."
They turned back to her from their arguing over whether or not Sailor Moon was hot. "Okay, what?" José said.
"If you guys help me finish the game by deadline, I'll dress as Sailor Moon. For a full day. Here at work."
They whooped. José and Fezza high-fived. Even Abraham shot her a smug grin.
"Hey, guys?" Adam said, interrupting their festivities. "I just wanted to bring somebody by to say hi."
Tessa blinked. It was Rachel...the stunning, Megan Fox-looking co-owner of the bookstore. Today, she was wearing a business suit, her inky black hair up in a loose top-knot, full lips smiling, violet blue eyes gleaming.
"Adam told me that you guys were going to help Tessa with the game," she said.
Rodney grinned. José, Fezza and Abraham, on the other hand, gaped at her. Slack-jawed, open-mouthed gaped . The mouthy engineering crew had been struck dumb by the sheer loveliness of Rachel.
"I thought I'd stop by and thank you personally. I can't tell you how much it means to my sisters and me."
"You have sisters ?" José croaked.
She laughed. It sounded like a bell. Because of course it would, Tessa thought. Rachel wasn't human.
And what's she doing with Adam?
"I can only stop by for a minute," Rachel said, glancing at her watch. "But when Adam said you'd all be here, I figured I'd stop by now so I wouldn't distract you when you were doing your work."
"Oh, no trouble!"
"Really...distract us, any time!"
Rodney came up to Tessa and nudged her. "I would've helped regardless," he said, the only male there seemingly unaffected by Rachel's looks. "But it looks like you've got your team."
She watched as Adam escorted Rachel out, turning and giving Tessa a quick thumbs-up before shutting the door.
She sighed. This was obviously a plan on his part.
And damn him, it was working.
"Right. We'll all come over to your house tonight," Fezza said, rubbing his hands together. "We've got all weekend, and we'll just caravan."
"I could take a few days," José said. "I've got vacation.""
"So do I," Abraham said. "We'll run it by Stacy, but we''re not on for anything...we could probably all go."
Tessa realized she had vacation, too. It was all coming together.
"Rachel was the deciding factor, wasn't she?" she asked.
"Well, duh," Abraham said, getting up and heading to Stacy's desk, the guys close behind him.
"Does that mean I don't have to dress like Sailor Moon?" she called after them. They immediately answered back in a chaotic jumble.
"Yeah you do!"
"You're still on the hook for that."
"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!"
She rubbed at her temples, watching as they walked away. Well, she had her crew. She'd talk
She saw José's eyes light up.
"Barring that, you horn dog," she said, anticipating his suggestion.
"Aww, I didn't even get to say it!"
"Seriously. I will...clean your house. I will make you meals. I will let you duct tape me to an office chair for an entire day," she said. ""Dunk tank. I'll let you shave my head. Bring it on."
Closer. Abraham was still scowling, but José and Fezza now looked intrigued...and, unfortunately, a bit gleeful.
"How about coming to work in a costume?" José asked.
"Sure."
"All day?" Fezza added, looking diabolically happy.
"Sure. All day," she said, then narrowed her eyes. "But I get to approve the costume."
Abraham snorted. "Ivy Valentine, from Soul Caliber. "
"Yeah, right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Unfortunately, I don't have triple-E sized boobs, and even if I did, no chance in hell."
"Bayonetta?" José asked hopefully. "She's completely covered. Sort of."
"No!"
"Slave Leia?" Fezza tried.
"Sailor Moon?" José piped in.
Now Abraham scowled at him. "Seriously? Sailor Moon ?"
"Hey. She's hot."
Tessa frowned. They weren't going to come up with less sexist costumes any time soon, but she'd always sort of liked Sailor Moon, and she was probably the tamest of their options. Besides, she''d seen Kyla's sketches--there was a costume, already made, that she could use.
"Okay."
They turned back to her from their arguing over whether or not Sailor Moon was hot. "Okay, what?" José said.
"If you guys help me finish the game by deadline, I'll dress as Sailor Moon. For a full day. Here at work."
They whooped. José and Fezza high-fived. Even Abraham shot her a smug grin.
"Hey, guys?" Adam said, interrupting their festivities. "I just wanted to bring somebody by to say hi."
Tessa blinked. It was Rachel...the stunning, Megan Fox-looking co-owner of the bookstore. Today, she was wearing a business suit, her inky black hair up in a loose top-knot, full lips smiling, violet blue eyes gleaming.
"Adam told me that you guys were going to help Tessa with the game," she said.
Rodney grinned. José, Fezza and Abraham, on the other hand, gaped at her. Slack-jawed, open-mouthed gaped . The mouthy engineering crew had been struck dumb by the sheer loveliness of Rachel.
"I thought I'd stop by and thank you personally. I can't tell you how much it means to my sisters and me."
"You have sisters ?" José croaked.
She laughed. It sounded like a bell. Because of course it would, Tessa thought. Rachel wasn't human.
And what's she doing with Adam?
"I can only stop by for a minute," Rachel said, glancing at her watch. "But when Adam said you'd all be here, I figured I'd stop by now so I wouldn't distract you when you were doing your work."
"Oh, no trouble!"
"Really...distract us, any time!"
Rodney came up to Tessa and nudged her. "I would've helped regardless," he said, the only male there seemingly unaffected by Rachel's looks. "But it looks like you've got your team."
She watched as Adam escorted Rachel out, turning and giving Tessa a quick thumbs-up before shutting the door.
She sighed. This was obviously a plan on his part.
And damn him, it was working.
"Right. We'll all come over to your house tonight," Fezza said, rubbing his hands together. "We've got all weekend, and we'll just caravan."
"I could take a few days," José said. "I've got vacation.""
"So do I," Abraham said. "We'll run it by Stacy, but we''re not on for anything...we could probably all go."
Tessa realized she had vacation, too. It was all coming together.
"Rachel was the deciding factor, wasn't she?" she asked.
"Well, duh," Abraham said, getting up and heading to Stacy's desk, the guys close behind him.
"Does that mean I don't have to dress like Sailor Moon?" she called after them. They immediately answered back in a chaotic jumble.
"Yeah you do!"
"You're still on the hook for that."
"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!"
She rubbed at her temples, watching as they walked away. Well, she had her crew. She'd talk
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