The Geek Tycoon by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Chapter One
    A nthony James Bainbridge IV shut down his computer and gazed up at the woman standing in front of his desk. Charlotte Wingate was the love of his life, although she didn’t know that.
    This morning her brown eyes flashed with indignation. “Tony, there’s a huge difference between a boob graze and a boob grab. This was a boob grab.”
    “I know the difference.” He leaned back in his soft leather desk chair. He hoped to God he wasn’t blushing but his cheeks felt hot. “That doesn’t mean he did it on purpose.”
    “Miranda said it was no accident. A woman knows when she’s been deliberately fondled.”
    “Right.” Tony controlled the impulse to look at Charlotte’s breasts, which were rising and falling rapidly in time with her agitated breathing. He’d never fondled them and wasn’t likely to, although he’d been in love with her since he was five. They’d attended the same exclusive preschool and one morning she’d offered to share her crayons. He’d fallen hard.
    Her hair had been lighter then, what people called honey blonde. Now it was a rich coffee color that fell to her shoulders in graceful waves that made his throat tighten with longing. She’d grown into a beauty. She’d dated the cool, popular guys and had even married one, although the marriage hadn’t lasted.
    He’d never told her how he felt because she was out of his league. Stuck in his nerd persona, he’d settled for being her friend for twenty-plus years rather than face the inevitable rejection. But when he’d needed someone to head up the human resources department for the tech startup he and his three buddies had launched, he’d talked her into leaving Google to work for him. If he couldn’t be her lover, he’d settle for being her boss.
    “So you’ll say something to Blake?”
    “I will.”
    “We can’t have that kind of thing going on at BMUS.”
    “Nope.” Hearing the name of his company always made him smile. It was an acronym for Beam Me Up, Scotty, and when spoken it sounded like “beam us.” He and the guys had come up with it after several beers.
    “Blake thinks he can get away with stuff because of his daddy’s money.” Charlotte made a face.
    “Let’s not forget that his daddy’s money is helping finance this little company we all love so much.”
    “I know and it’s a damn shame that Blake’s part of the package. It’s not as if we don’t know he’s a pain in the ass. And he’s been a groper ever since I can remember.”
    “He’s groped you ?” Tony sat up and pushed his glasses against the bridge of his nose. He hated to think of Blake harassing Miranda but he really hatedthe thought of the guy’s sweaty hands on Charlotte.
    “Years ago at one of the school dances. I gave him a black eye so he never tried it again.”
    Tony settled back in his chair with a smile. “I remember him showing up in trig with a black eye. Said he had to fight off some guys trying to steal his ‘vette.” He should have known she’d be able to take care of herself. No white knight required for this woman.
    “He begged me not to tell how he got it. I was more charitable back then.”
    “But mighty.”
    “Mighty mad at him, that’s for sure. I still remember the rush of adrenaline and suddenly my fist connected with his face.” She raised her hand and looked at it as if she still couldn’t believe she’d hit somebody. “Shocked the hell out of both of us.”
    “Remind me not to make you mad.”
    “Like you ever would.” She let her hand drop. “I can’t imagine you being inappropriate with a woman.”
    No, she probably couldn’t. That was part of the problem. She saw him as mild-mannered Clark Kent, when in his mind he was the guy in blue spandex with a red cape and big red S on his chest. He and his team of geeks would save the world with their soon-to-be perfected health-conscious, informative veggie app. Maybe the S on his chest should be green for spinach. Spinachman. Women would