40 Punch Me All You Like

** Harper **

When Harper exited the office building and found Eli waiting for her next to a Maybach S Class, she did a double take. "Going all CEO style on me now?" She eyed him suspiciously as he opened the door for her.

It was honestly still shocking to see this side of him. Now that she didn't have to avert her eyes just to avoid curious questions from her coworkers, she could finally take in the full sight of him dressed in a business suit, standing next to the luxury car like a celebrity posing for a billboard photoshoot, and she had to admit that the sight was … probably the most glamorous one a man could ever make. The tailored jacket attenuated all the flawless lines of his body, hugging his broad shoulders before tapering down to a lean waist, making his already luring frame look even more playgirl-cover-worthy. The satiny shine of the fabric blended in with his features, bringing out the soft radiance of his back-combed hair and the crystalline gleam of his eyes. The whole image was the epitome of elite perfection, all sharp edges and polished details … and sinful handsomeness.

Of course, Harper had always known he was handsome. But apparently she didn't know until now that he could keep redefining the word by stretching it to new limits.

If Eli noticed how intensely she was staring at him, he didn't show it. Instead, he smiled back sheepishly. "I didn't mean to be pretentious with the car. Justin — my assistant — left it for me. He drove it here in the morning, since it obviously wouldn't have worked to take my old Honda with the rest of the group in tow."

Harper peeled her eyes away from him with some effort and settled into the champagne-gold interior of the car. "Where are we going then?" she asked, trying to sound casual, though her head was still caught between the dizzying sensation from staring too much at the cover boy and the lingering grumpiness from that unwarned episode in the morning. "How many more shocking surprises do you have waiting for me today?"

Eli reached over and buckled the seatbelt for her like a humble butler. "Well, where we're going depends on how angry you still are with me. I have a few reservations ready … A boxing lesson, where you can punch me however much you like. A paintball game, if you prefer something less violent or hands-on. A thrill ride, if you'd rather just scream away the fumes …"

Harper's eyes went wide. "Did you seriously make three different reservations for tonight?"

Eli made a face. "Maybe more like … six?"

"… You've got to be kidding me." A laughter broke free before Harper could bite it back. Whatever grudges she might've held a minute ago was now replaced by an absurd sense of amusement. "I'm not angry with you, Eli. I'm just … I don't want to punch you, at least not yet, but I do want to know why you kept me in the dark all this time about something so important."

Eli studied her dubiously for a moment, as if unconvinced that she was telling the truth about not being angry. Then he folded himself into the driver's seat and started the car with a sigh that sounded like relief. "I didn't want people to think that we've talked about your proposal in private, and that I might be biased in my judgment of how absolutely wonderful it is."

It was Harper's turn to give the dubious look then. "You think it's a good one? As in, you really thought so even before you knew which proposal was mine?"

A sly smile curved his lips. "Technically, I suppose that's not the case, since I knew immediately on the first slide which one was yours. But otherwise, yes, I hold on firmly to the belief that it was by far the best proposal of the bunch, and the opinion has nothing to do with personal bias. The creativity, the epic scale, the richness in the details … There aren't enough good games on the market, and you are going to change that."

Harper's heart skipped a beat. She always took great pride in her work, and she liked it when people approved of what she did. But she hadn't realized how different — how fulfilling and truly acknowledging — it could feel to hear such unreserved praises from Eli. "Oh, I'm glad you liked it …" She might have blushed slightly. "I suppose I should've known, since you've always liked similar games that inspired my proposal."

And since you are the one who I made this game for. She didn't say that part out loud.

He gave her a sideways glance as they pulled out of the parking lot. "You're too modest, Harper. My subjective preference doesn't change how objectively amazing your project is. Our technical advisor agreed with me, remember? He is known to be hard to impress, and it's a rare endorsement when he talks about the potential of any product design like that."

Harper remembered her earlier conversation with Brandon, the odd look from the marketing manager when they confirmed that the advisor's opinion was his own. Suddenly, everything made sense. "So that was your plan," she gasped. "You were trying to get my boss to change his mind about shelving my project?"

Eli grimaced, again sheepishly. "I should've done a better job at it. But I know you wouldn't want me to just personally dictate the result of this investment venture, so I thought … at least with Malcolm's stance and the benefit of our connection, your manager would use some better judgment on that proposal. He's a complete idiot, by the way, to not see how much precious value he's letting slip by."

Harper felt something warm bubbling inside her. Eli was really trying to help … without downplaying the true merit of her work or making the whole thing unfair by abusing his power. He was so considerate. So what if the overall plan required hiding something from her for a week? She couldn't possibly be angry at him after knowing the reasons.

"T-Thank you, I owe you this one." She fumbled a little for words. "Though … Now I feel offended that you think I'd be so mean to still be angry at you, once I figure out what's going on. You're not driving us to the boxing gym, are you?"

His laugh was a relieved ringing that resonated within the car. "No, although the offer still stands whenever you feel like it. But for today, I suppose this one is for the best—" He clicked on the console screen and brought up the GPS for her to see.

"… The shoreside amusement park?" Harper's breath caught.