Page 49 of Not Safe For Work

“What? Why?”

She rolled her eyes. “The client specifically said he wanted the picture window to be south-facing. You’ve got it on the west wall.”

Dave rifled through some drawings. “I thought he wanted it on the west wall.”

“Which would make sense, except there’s another building right there.”

Scott crammed a potato chip in his mouth. “Maybe he wants to watch his neighbors or something.”

Bianca rolled her eyes again. “Yeah, I’m sure. The developer’s probably just some pervert who sets places up for voyeurs.”

“You never know,” Scott said around the half-chewed chip. “Could be a market for that sort of thing.”

“Right.” To Dave, Bianca said, “It looks like you reversed the south and west walls, so switch them.”

“On it.” With that, he put his headphones back on and was lost to us once again.

“I’d buy a house with a neighbor-facing window,” Cal said. “I mean, assuming my neighbor was hot.”

“Yeah, but knowing your luck,” I said, “your hot neighbor would move out and some crusty old nudist would move in.”

“Now that’s just cold,” Cal said.

Scott shoved another chip in his mouth. “It could happen, though.”

“Especially if the hot neighbor got all creeped out by some sleazy drafter leering at her all the time,” Teagan said.

Cal opened his mouth to speak, but then straightened in his chair and said in a stage whisper, “Quick! Everyone grow up! Satan’s coming!”

Scott turned the music down a little and quickly changed it to The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack. Teagan and Bianca barely suppressed their laugher as The Imperial Death March came on, and a moment later, Marie walked through the door.

She eyed all of us as she always did, but didn’t comment on the music.

“Morning, all,” she said in her usual flat tone. Everyone murmured a similar response, and she went on, “Scott, Calvin, I need an ETA on the drawings for the Southgate Community Center expansion.”

Scott cleared his throat. “I have to look over a few of the specs again, but I’ll e-mail you as soon as I can.” He swallowed. “Will that work?”

“As soon as possible, please,” she said dryly. “Teagan, when will the Borden Mall be ready?” She nodded at the model in front of Teagan, then eyed her.

“I had some problems with the cement reacting to the new foam-core we’re using, so—”

“When will it be done?”

“I can have it to you by Friday,” Teagan said through her teeth.

“Please do. Jon, what about the Rainier house?”

I muffled a cough and gestured at the mostly complete model in front of me. “I should have it done by the end of the day.”

“Good. And remember we have a meeting with Horizon today too.”

Normally, I’d have cringed and ground my teeth at the prospect of a meeting taking up what little time I had to finish a model. Not today. My mind went straight into the pants of Horizon Developing’s CEO, and the thought of him struggling with that cock cage gave me goose bumps.

Oh, I’d have an update for him. And he’d have one for me too.

For once in my life, I couldn’t wait for a meeting to start.