I look at Gina, who seems bewildered, and glare at him for not noticing.
What the actual hell? Why is he such a hardass?
揟he team has two thoughts,?I say, careful to credit everyone. 揋ina says we could try a powder concentrate棓
揂nd do you think concentrate would be worth serving to my customers??Lancaster asks coldly.
揑抳e dealt with concentrates before. They抮e not bad, but not always perfect.?
揂 shame. I抎 rather have perfect,?he snaps.
Wouldn抰 we all, Mr. High and Mighty?
揗y other idea might be expensive. What if we looked at installing some sort of grill in the stores? Even if it was just a glorified Bunson burner with wood chips, that could do it,?I say, rolling it over in my head as I speak.
揑抣l have to check with the supply team, but there抯 no reason it couldn抰 work,?Gina adds.
揟here抯 one,?he says.
揥hat抯 that??And more importantly, do you have a better solution? But I don抰 say it out loud.
揑 can抰 add burners to every store just for a new beverage line,?he says. 揑t抯 impractical.?
揌ow much is a small grill??I ask.
Gina pulls out her phone and starts tapping the screen. 揟hey抮e not expensive. We can get a good one installed for under three hundred dollars.?
揚er store,?the Grumpfather finishes, scowling.
揇o you trust the drinks or not??I ask point blank. 揃ecause if they抮e truly good, you抣l make that back per store before the first day is over…？
揧ou抮e not factoring in the installation costs. Plus, most of the barista bars don抰 have the space. It doesn抰 matter, though. One new gourmet product isn抰 enough to satisfy my vision.?
揝o, what do you want then??I ask.
揘othing less than a whole line of these scorched drinks, paired with food. The barbecued coffee shrinks its production cost if it wins us better sell-through of other items. That brings us back to perfection. Every last one of the drinks will have to be perfect to attract new customers.?He inhales sharply like he抯 watching it all unfold in his head. 揂lso, I抎 like the updates directly from you, Miss Angelo.?
揗e? Why??
揟his is your baby. Gina may be your immediate manager, but I want you to own it,?he says.
揃ut Gina gets paid to deal with you. That抯 what management is for, right??
Behind us, a few of the lab techs still standing around snicker.
They抮e gone the instant his glare falls on them, though.
Then he turns the evil eye on me, like he wants to say something, but he抯 holding back. 揧ou don抰 need to fret over the chain of communication. I said I want updates from you.?
The way he emphasizes that last word sends a shiver up my spine, like two strong fingers sliding across my skin.
揇on抰 you have a meeting to go to? Or something??I add desperately.
揑抦 in a meeting.?
Eep. I swallow the lump building in my throat.
揑 bet you have more important people than me to talk to, so by all means, feel free. We抣l keep making progress, boss.?I smile sweetly, hoping he抣l believe me.
Nope.
That抯 when I realize we抮e alone. And he doesn抰 waste a single second before he moves closer and brings his lips to my ear.
揘ot while I have this new employee whose big brain comes with a bigger mouth. If I don抰 get her broken in, she抣l trample my authority. That shit won抰 fly.?
Oh, God. Why does my heart feel like a trapped hummingbird?
揑-I feel your pain,?I stammer, trying to pull myself together. 揑 work for a guy who acts like he抯 a mafia kingpin rather than a guy who sells caffeinated drinks. He has a lot of bad habits. He抯 rude and annoying and forgets he抯 a paper pusher, not a drill sergeant棓
揥atch that mouth, Angelo. Paper pushers don抰 make multi-million-dollar decisions every day. Have you been talking to Destiny??
揇estiny??I jolt away from him, realizing he was brushing my shoulder.
Holy hell, the heat he leaves behind…
揇on抰 lie for her. Did my daughter put you up to giving me hell??
I blink. 揢mm梐re you okay? Why would I be goofing off with your teenage daughter??I laugh at the absurdity. 揥hen would I even talk to her??
He shrugs one shoulder, his face back to his default ice-cold mask.
揝he called me a drill sergeant the other day.?
揙h, so I抦 not the only one who noticed? Unbelievable.?
He rolls his sky-blue eyes with a low growl vibrating his huge chest.
For a second, I wonder if he抎 make the same noise in very different circumstances. The pleasant kind where a woman frustrates him with more than words, where she drops to her knees and opens his pants and reaches in to find out just how big that ego is and?揟he point is I need another scorched drink by the end of this week,?he clips. 揝how me you抮e worth a senior salary and the two bonuses for the barista,?he says.