"There he is," Curtis said happily. "Guys, this is your boss, James Watkins." Harlow turned around to see a ruggedly handsome man. His full, thick brown hair held subtle natural highlights, while his full beard framed a cupid's bow mouth. His eyes are what had her though. They were a gray color that had yet to be discovered, she was sure. "James, this is Declan and Harlow." Curtis said chipperly. James stared at Harlow with an interest that seemed flattering, but soon became unnerving as time went on.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Declan said snapping him out of his staring. James stared at him with an annoyed look that they all caught. "No one likes a kiss ass." James grunted before turning his gaze back to Harlow. She glared at him in a way she hoped illustrated that his rudeness would not be tolerated. "They will be assisting on the Halo project." Curtis said trying to deter the growing tension.

"Are they good enough?" James said condescendingly never taking his eyes off of Harlow. "Our coding skills can speak for themselves," Harlow responded still rocking an irritated glare. James gave her a random smirk before looking at the rest of his team. "The Halo project is quite important and I need four total developers on it," he announced. "Since Curtis thinks so highly of you two, I guess you're on the team. Manuel and Killian, you two are also on the team."

Harlow couldn't help but smile as her new team were made up of people she actually felt she'd like and work well with. "Killian, show these two to their desks." Curtis said still smiling. "Right this way," he said leading them to the right where two computers were setup. The layout was insane to Harlow and so extravagant and expensive looking. She had never felt more broke in her life. She took the seat closest to the open floor, while Declan sat right next to her and near the window.

"You two will spend the morning getting set up and then shadowing until your luncheon with the powers that be." James said in an almost spiteful tone. "Declan, you're with Liam. Harlow, you're with me." Her eyes widened as she subtly looked at the other guys. They all sported indifferent expressions except for Liam. He looked somewhat worried and she didn't understand why. Harlow did know that she didn't like James. He seemed like a predator and she was no one's prey.

"I'll swing by to get you around 11," James said and the smile he gave her did nothing but irritate her more. "Come on," Declan said with a smile as he took his seat. They spent the next two hours setting up their emails, work accounts and server IDs. Declan could tell Harlow was skeeved out by their new boss and told her as much. He wasn't shocked that she not only agreed with his assessment, but doubled down in making it a point to ensure James knew it as well.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Declan whispered as they finished up. "Nothing will." Harlow said confidently. "I'll be polite and cordial, but I'm not going to be anyone's plaything simply because I'm a woman in this field. I've worked too hard to get to a company like Draven, Inc. and I'm not letting anyone get in the way of my success." Declan nodded in pride at the finality in her tone. He was going to say something, but they were interrupted. "Time to shadow," Liam said with a smile as he addressed Declan. "James is ready for you, Harlow."

There was that expression again. She wanted to ask him about it, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Harlow grabbed one of the notebooks she was given with a pen and headed to James' office. She knocked and entered once admitted. She couldn't help but take in the décor and size of the office. It was beautiful and well decorated. She noticed he wasn't sitting behind his desk, but rather on a sofa in the corner with his laptop. She made her way over and made sure to sit a good distance away, but still had the ability to see his screen.

"You can come closer, Harlow. I won't bite." She tried to fight it but the eye roll happened on its own accord. "I'm good here, thanks." She wanted to laugh at the expression he wore. It was obvious James was a man that wasn't keen on getting rejected or hearing the word no. "What are you working on?" Harlow asked trying to steer the meeting.

"You must know that Draven has a hand in various enterprises. This project that I'm working on focuses on the partnership we have with various companies interested in pushing the technological envelope with their products like Tesla or Nvidia Corp." Harlow nodded genuinely interested. James talked more about the project before handing her the laptop.

"What are you doing?" She questioned suspiciously as she took the computer. "I'm running into some errors on the code I'm currently working on and I want you to take a look at it and see what I could possibly be doing wrong." Harlow didn't trust him. She knew if it were anyone else, she'd feel honored and jump at the opportunity to prove herself, but with James it just felt off. "Do you really need my help or is this some lame attempt to boost my ego?" He seemed taken aback by her bluntness but smiled after a second. "I genuinely need your assistance, Harlow."

She sighed before turning her attention to the laptop in front of her. Her eyes scanned the code for any hang ups or issue and after five minutes she was ready to give up and then she saw it. "There," she said before she began writing corrections. James watched as she seemed to light up. It was apparent she loved what she did and that was just one of the few things that intrigued him about her. "Here you go." James took the laptop back and was stunned. He hadn't thought of trying what she had and not only did it fix his issue, but it made the entire code better.

"Curtis was right. You are worthy of the Halo project." She nodded and smiled. "What is the Halo project?" He went on to tell her about the project that made her more and more excited. She would be a part of the team that helped charities and food banks setup e-commerce services. "This project is very important to the powers that be, so we have to make sure that it's perfect."

Harlow nodded before tilting her head. "Why do you call them that? The powers that be." James chuckled lowly before looking up at her. "You'll learn sooner or later that Damien Deville, Wes Lycaon and Val Terni are some of the most powerful men in the world. They are rule makers and the sooner the world falls in line the better." Harlow did not miss the hint of disdain in his voice. It was obvious to her anyway that James did not like their bosses and she wondered why.

She wanted to know and went to ask before they heard a knock on the door. "Come in," James said before closing his laptop. Declan poked his head in with a smile at Harlow. "Lunch time." Harlow looked at her watch in shock. "Time flies when you're having fun," James said to her with a wink and she visibly cringed. She got up and headed towards Declan before she was stopped. "It was a pleasure, Harlow. I look forward to working with you more." She looked at James with a bored expression before walking out the door.

"You're so mean!" Declan whispered as she dropped off her items at her desk. "I'm not mean. I know my worth and more importantly how I like to be treated by others. There is something about James that doesn't sit well with me and it started with him being rude as fuck to you. I don't tolerate my people being mistreated."

She grabbed her purse and waved at the guys before heading to the elevators with Declan in tow. Harlow walked into the open elevator and noticed that Declan had been quiet the entire time. "What's wrong?" She asked him as they descended. "You said I was your people." Harlow would have laughed out loud in his face if his expression wasn't so earnest and appreciative. "Of course! You're a good bean, Dec and now you're stuck with me." His smile widened if it was possible and she wanted to know the story behind his deep appreciation.

"You think we can invite Calypso into our close-knit crew without you drooling too hard?" Declan chuckled embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what was wrong with me, Lo. Seriously, it was like I couldn't think. She's gorgeous, I know this, but I was quite literally speechless." Harlow nodded her head remembering how Declan behaved the moment his eyes landed on the Latin beauty. "Well try to keep it together. You don't want your newfound crush getting in the way of having lunch with the big bosses."

The elevator opened and they walked out to see the small crowd waiting in the lobby. "Sorry we're late," Harlow said sincerely as she gauged their expressions. Aiden and Luke looked irritated, while Calypso just held a smile on her face. Harlow noticed that Val, Damien and Wes looked a little put off and she didn't know why until Declan's arm brushed up against hers. She thought to herself as they watched them intently.

"We're heading to an Italian spot a block away," Calypso informed. "We're just going to walk there." Harlow nodded her head before testing out a theory. She linked her arm with Declan and smiled up at him. "Ready?" He broke his gaze from Calypso before looking down at her and nodding. They followed Calypso, but Harlow subtly noticed that the hint of irritation the men were exuding had turned into full on anger and she was tickled. She wondered to herself as they began their trek.

She was brought out of her thoughts by something Calypso said in her ear. "What did you say?" Harlow asked. "They're into you. Trust me I can tell these things." Harlow's eyes widened before making sure Declan didn't hear. She turned back to Calypso who simply gave a head nod and changed the subject. The walk wasn't long, but in that time, they got to know one another a little bit more.

They were seated at a table in the back of the restaurant and handed menus. Harlow was in heaven as Italian food was her favorite. She wondered if they knew that as they had passed various types of restaurants and bistros on the way there. The waiter was quick to take their drink and food orders, which she was grateful for because they were starting work on the Halo project when they got back and she didn't want to miss a single minute. "I can't believe I'm eating with the Triple Threat." Declan leaned over and whispered in her ear.

Harlow couldn't believe that was what they were called and giggled. "What's so funny?" Wes had asked through gritted teeth catching everyone's attention. Declan looked visibly frightened causing Harlow to want to roll her eyes at Wes' antics. "Nothing," she replied with a smile that just made him huff. "Mr. Deville, can I ask you some questions about how you three started Draven, Inc?" Aiden asked eagerly causing Harlow and Calypso to exchange looks.