CHAPTER FOUR
The ancient princess, Andromeda, was known in Greek mythology as the Chained Maiden. Her mother, Cassiopeia, the queen, testified amongst their people that the beauty of her daughter surpassed those of the water nymphs, who were the consorts of the gods. The gods were furious. They threatened to destroy her kingdom unless Andromeda was chained to the rocks by the sea to await the monster within its depths, a sacrifice to appease them.
The constellation Andromeda glowed above my head in the lobby at Stafford Scientific, appearing at the edge of the night sky. Upside down, I supposed it did look like a woman chained, her arms pulled back by the weight of her cuffs. Lost in thought, I ran a hand over my own wrists, wondering what it was liked to be bound like that. I imagined myself chained to the rocks in place of the princess, but there was no fear. There was only sweet anticipation.
It some ways, I was already chained. There were no rocks, and there were no monsters, but I was confined, waiting for someone to arrive, someone who would determine my fate.
And yet I was freer than I’d ever been. Chicago was an adventure, more so than Thailand had been. I had gone to Thailand knowing it was temporary, a passing whim. Chicago wasn’t temporary. It was a new life. I had packed my bags, and I wasn’t going back.
“You’re going to hurt your neck looking up like that,” Julia warned, coming up behind me.
Preferring the familiarity of my sunny, beat-up hatchback over the company car that was scheduled to pick us up, I had left the apartment before her, eager to start my first day. I didn’t feel like myself. The indigo dress I wore pushed up my breasts in a way that made me wish I wasn’t banned from wearing my cardigan. It wasn’t indecent, but it was more skin than I was used to showing, not unless I was wearing a coral bikini in a tropical lake, surrounded by elephants. The cut of the dress was low, but the rest of me was well-covered. If not, I never would have worn it.
The dress, I could get used to, but I refused to be chauffeured around as if I were a child incapable of getting to school on their own. The microchip was bad enough.
“I miss the stars,” I told Julia. “From my grandma’s house just outside Milwaukee, I can see clusters of stars. It’s breathtaking.”
“Chicago has its own beauty,” Julia said encouragingly, “but I understand. Cambridge, where Harvard is located, is such a lovely suburb of Boston. The leaves fall in the autumn, the snow in the winter, and the sun shines in the summer, all against a backdrop of old brick buildings and ivy. I loved going to school there. Chicago is different, but it has its joys, especially when the sun isn’t shining.” From the way she smirked, whatever she referred to wasn’t as wholesome as the leaves or the snow.
She glanced at her watch. “We can’t be late. Let’s head up.”
Ignoring the line of elevators we passed, she went to the one at the very back of the lobby. “It goes directly to the top floor,” she explained. “Very few employees have clearance to use it. Thankfully, we do.”
“I’m surprised Peter isn’t forced to wait downstairs until Noah arrives,” I said cynically as we stepped in.
Julia looked horrified. “Do not call him Noah. I know you’re friends with his brother, but he’s Mr. Stafford, in these walls and out. Unless you’re in his presence. Then its sir.” She wasn’t harsh, but she was avid.
“I understand,” I said.
“Good.” Relaxing, she waved her arm in the air, and the door closed. “And Mr. Stafford doesn’t use this elevator. With a private entrance at the back, he doesn’t come into the lobby.”
As the elevator rose, I thought of the way Noah had looked at me during our interview. It made me question his motives for making me his personal assistant. Being caught in the middle of a sibling rivalry was the last thing I wanted. Even with such brief acquaintance, Corey was the brother I’d met first. I hoped Noah accepted it.
“Does Mr. Stafford live in our building?” I asked.
“No,” she answered. “But Stafford Scientific does own it. An executive in the marketing floor has the penthouse.” She studied me. “If you’re worried about being alone in the apartment, don’t be.”
I hadn’t been, but I was now. “Are you leaving?”
She laughed. “No. That’s my point. Even after I’m promoted, I’ll still be living in the apartment with you. The office is another story. It’s all yours. Soon, it’ll be just you and Mr. Stafford on the top floor. And Peter, of course. Isn’t Peter simply adorable?”
“Wait, the whole top floor is his?”
“Mr. Stafford demands it.”
“Then where do all the doors lead?”
Please don’t say monster robots.
“Labs and boardrooms. Mr. Stafford is territorial about his space,” she divulged. “He’s like a hermit within his own company. He doesn’t go to his employees; his employees come to him. So whenever there’s a meeting, it’s held upstairs. When an invention is ready for his approval, they transfer the lab equipment.”
The device on her wrist suddenly buzzed. “That’s strange,” she murmured.
“What?” I asked, but she didn’t answer.
“Down,” she instructed. The elevator lurched, then descended. “We can’t keep the boss waiting,” she said to me. “Mr. Stafford is in the lobby.”
“I thought you said he has his own private entrance.”
“He does. That’s what makes this so strange. He’s never taken this elevator before. I didn’t think he even knew it existed.”
I didn’t know much about Noah, but I would bet he knew every corner of his company, particularly a special elevator that went directly to his floor.
When the doors opened, Noah was as immaculate as the first time I saw him. The navy suit he wore made his hair even more golden than it already was. It was a close match to the indigo of my dress, which unsettled me, especially when Noah noticed it as well.
“Nice dress, Imogen,” he said as he stepped in, taking his place in front of us, asserting his role as our superior.
I closed my eyes, willing my heart to stop beating so fast. Noah was like a poisonous snake with a skin that mimicked less lethal snakes, trying to trick its prey. It happened in the natural world. And now at Stafford Scientific. And yet I still was tempted by him, enthralled by his god-like looks and air of dominance, willing to be bitten.
A blush warmed my cheeks. I found the sudden silence incredibly awkward. At least, it was awkward for me. In his reflection in the elevator door, Noah seemed completely content. I looked at Julia, who smiled knowingly my way, as if she were amused by the show.
“Good day, ladies,” Noah bid when we finally reached the top floor. He proceeded to his office, and we went into ours, which stood adjacent to the solid gold door.
As soon as we were out of earshot, Julia hissed, “What was that all about?”
“Maybe his private elevator is broken,” I suggested. “Or maybe he just wanted to make sure I actually showed up for the job.”
Her face fell, all her amusement gone. “That’s probably exactly what it was,” she ventured. “He’s such a control freak.” Though she protested, I heard a hint of admiration.
“Good thing my hatchback didn’t break down. I probably would have been fired.”
“Doubtful,” she said, but she didn’t explain why. Instead, she perked up. “Never mind all that. What do you think of your new home? The apartment is a mere rest stop. This is where you’ll really be living.”
A view of Lake Michigan greeted us. A haze of gray rose above it and filtered in through the tall windows, but the gray was offset by apple-red furnishings that brightened up the place, including couches that formed a square near the door, creating a lounge area. Closer to the windows were two desks that sat at opposite ends on a raised platform. The platform was practically symmetrical, if not for the door on one side that I assumed led straight to Noah’s office.
“We’ll need a megaphone to talk to each other, but it’s great. The red really adds some life to the room. Did you design it?”
“No. One of the assistants before me did. I liked it, so I left it, but we’re allowed to change the color scheme. But only the color scheme. We can choose new furniture, but we can’t move it around, not without Mr. Stafford’s authorization, which he isn’t likely to give. He likes everything exactly where it is.”
People were constantly watching over my shoulder. It was fucking intolerable. That’s what Corey had said in Thailand. I was starting to understand the restrictions that had forced him to leave. I could only imagine how Noah spoke to Corey, whose actions he clearly disapproved of, based on his insistence the other day that Corey unnecessarily put himself at risk.
“If you want to change it, feel free,” Julia continued.
“No, I love it. It should stay the same.”
“Careful,” she warned. “A lot of things stay the same around here, but not everything. Don’t get too comfortable.”
She headed to the desk closest to the wall we shared with Noah’s office, so I went to the other. A laptop sat on top of it. For the security of the research being conducted in the labs, we weren’t allowed to bring in our own devices. All electronics were provided to us, which was fine by me. My electronics were like my car. I liked to think of them as vintage.
“I forgot to leave this out for you.” Julia tossed me a wrist device. “Good catch,” she praised when I caught it.
“Good throw.”
“I played softball,” she revealed. “Think of that device as your phone. All messages Mr. Stafford sends will appear on it.”
“Gotcha,” I said, strapping it on, positive it tracked my whereabouts as astutely as the microchip in my arm did. “Look at me. A year ago, all I owned was an ancient laptop and a smartphone my friend had handed down to me. Now I’ve upgraded to Star Trek status.”
“You’re such a nerd,” Julia teased. “A hot nerd, but a nerd nonetheless. Don’t tell me you collect comic books?”
“I don’t collect them. I just read them. Blame my grandma. She stalked Stan Lee. Twice.”
“I’m not going to pretend to know who Stan Lee is,” she said, opening her laptop, “but if I have time, I’ll try to catch up, see what all the fuss is about.”
I was touched she would do that for me. Content despite the man in the room next to us, I followed her lead, officially commencing my employment with Stafford Scientific.
The morning was uneventful, if integrating into a company such as Stafford Scientific could be called uneventful. Julia trained me in the communication systems the company used and gave me a brief of the different departments. Each floor was like a city within the empire, composed of departments that were isolated but collaborated with others.
“Do we really have all this equipment here?” I asked, awestruck. The basement alone contained an advanced particle accelerator that was years beyond anything I’d studied in my books in college.
“And more. I don’t have visual access to the classified labs. No one does, except those who work in them and Mr. Stafford.”
She stretched out her arms, as if she were about to run a race. “Which brings us to our next order of business. The World Science Convention will be hosted here in Chicago by Stafford Scientific about a month from now. It’s a really big deal. We’re responsible for organizing pretty much everything, from scheduling the meetings that will take place over the three-day period to making sure the meat they serve at lunch is fresh.” She sighed. “We also have to arrange accommodations for the speakers and send out invitations to the gala. It’s a lot of work.”
“It sounds like it, but don’t worry, I can handle it,” I assured her, speaking with more confidence than I felt. “I think.”
“You can,” she maintained, optimistic, “but that’s not why I’m bringing it up. There will be a reveal at the convention that Mr. Stafford hasn’t yet given you clearance to know about. Because of that, I’ll have to assign you the more menial tasks until that clearance is given.”
“I won’t hold it against you,” I told her. “We’re all bound to discretion. It’s okay if you have secrets you can’t tell me.”
She laughed. “I do have those, but the convention is less about secrets and more about protecting Mr. Stafford’s patent.”
“I’ll lick envelopes. Send them my way. They’re tasty.”
“You’re such a weirdo,” she said affectionately, and we returned to our work.
No one interrupted us, not even Noah. Though he was only next door, he kept to himself. If he needed something, he sent us a message through our devices. He didn’t show although I got the feeling Julia expected him to. She kept glancing at the door that linked us to his office, but it never opened, which seemed to concern her.
“Is it weird seeing your image everywhere?” I asked when I needed a break.
“Not at all,” Julia said, her head bent over her laptop. “I paid my tuition at Harvard by modeling. I’m used to seeing my image around.” She looked up. “You should get used to it too.”
That sounded ominous. “What do you mean by that?”
“The next time they reconfigure the system, they’ll use your image. Traditionally, Mr. Stafford’s personal assistant is also the digital assistant. Trust me, it makes you very popular. You’ll be the most recognized face in the company. And the whole process is kind of fun. You sit in a green room for a few hours while they record you reading from a script.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun,” I objected. “I don’t care if it’s in my job description, I’m not doing it. There’s no way.”
“Why not? You’re a beautiful woman. You should be proud to have your image everywhere. All women should.”
“I’m not insecure; I just don’t like the idea of everyone staring at me every day.”
She shrugged, unable to mask her happiness. “Well, I don’t mind my image sticking around for a little while longer. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t.” Her pep told me she was delighted that she wouldn’t be replaced so soon.
***
It was the following day before Noah finally appeared in our office. Unfortunately, Julia was on her lunch break when he did. In the middle of finalizing the invitations for the gala, a ball that would be held at the end of the World Science Convention, my focus had been on the screen of my laptop. I hadn’t heard him come in, not until he cleared his throat, unmistakably annoyed it’d taken so long to catch my attention.
“Has Julia showed you the program used to take notes during meetings?” he asked sternly, as if her absence was somehow my fault.
“Yes,” I told him. “I know the system.”
He paused and raised an eyebrow as if waiting for something from me. I knew what it was. He wanted me to call him sir, but I refused. It was barbaric. I just looked at him expectantly and I won the silent little battle as he continued. “I have an unscheduled meeting in five minutes in the boardroom. Grab your tablet and come with me.”
Without waiting for a response, he strode into the hall with a virile confidence that rendered me needy and reckless, despite my opinion that Noah Stafford was a bad decision I could never make. I followed behind him, but my heels made it impossible to match his speed, and they clicked against the floor in a way that gave me a headache, so I stopped to take them off.
“What are you doing?” Noah rumbled.
“Keeping up,” I replied. “I don’t mean to be unprofessional, but I can’t wear heels like these, even if they are part of the dress code. I’ll be discreet when I carry them into the boardroom. No one will notice.”
He inspected me as if I were a piece of fruit he was trying to decide was ripe enough to pluck. “You’re lucky I like you in bare feet. Otherwise, I would never allow it. I didn’t give you permission to take off your shoes. Next time, ask before you act. I’m not paying you for your initiative. I’m paying you to obey my command.”
I took a deep breath, wishing Corey was there to ease the tension I felt. “Do I have your permission to buy sandals?”
“No. When you walk my halls, you either wear heels, or you go barefoot. The choice is yours.”
It was an easy choice. The marble was cool against my feet. I would gladly go barefoot.
In the boardroom, a dozen people waited for us in silence. Noah marched to the front, a torpedo locked onto his target. Not sure where to sit, I remained in the back and prepared my tablet to record the minutes of the meeting.
My fumbling stopped when Noah bellowed across the room, “Imogen, please don’t stand in the back like a ghost who doesn’t wish to be seen. Your place is up front, in the corner.”
Embarrassed, I quickly made my way towards him, absorbing the empathy that radiated off those who sat around the table, their understanding of my humiliation written all over their faces.
“Let me remind everyone here that you are bound by non-disclosure agreements,” Noah began. “Nothing is to leave this boardroom. You are never to talk of what we discuss outside the company. If you breach this agreement, I will take action against you. You and your families will suffer.”
No one protested. The room remained silent. Satisfied, Noah signaled for a tech guy to turn on the projector, and he started a lecture on nanotechnology.
I didn’t take notes on the presentation. As soon as the projector was turned on, it was sent straight to my tablet. As Noah spoke, I read his words in front of me. It was fascinating. I had a background knowledge of nanorobotics, but I had no idea of the implications of the technology. According to Noah, tiny robots the size of molecules could physically repair tissues within the human body like little mechanics. He predicted they could one day change DNA sequences, creating or erasing mutations to eliminate birth defects and other inherited diseases.
“We can’t alter DNA just yet,” he said in closing, “but here at Stafford Scientific, we have experienced a breakthrough in nanotechnology that would allow us to repair human tissue. We’re very close to human trials, but we need to win over the medical community first. I plan to reveal our breakthrough at the convention next month.”
Excited murmurs rose around the table, and I went to work. There was a lot of technical talk I didn’t understand. As a scientist, I found it insanely frustrating, so I made a commitment to study more about nanotechnology later that night so that I was ready for the convention.
“We can’t wait for the approval of the medical community,” a man towards the back argued. “At the convention, we need to present more than just the possibilities of the research. Sure, a few rats were cured of their heart defects, and a blind guinea pig could see again. Who cares? It’s not enough to prove nanotechnology can be safe for humans. We need conclusive evidence. Begin the human trials now.”
“We’re not there yet,” Noah said impatiently. “The whole point of this convention is to draw in the medical community so that we can safely begin the human trials.”
“Fuck the medical community. We can buy the medical community.”
Pounding his fists on the table, Noah exerted his authority. “You would risk the lives of innocent people so carelessly? Why?” he demanded.
The man wasn’t put off, the fool. “This is a business, not a charity. Who cares if a few lives are lost? All medical trials have death.”
I gaped at the man but kept my face carefully blank. I wanted to jump up and shout at him, hit him with my tablet. Instead, I waited to see what Noah would do. If anything.
“We’re not a pharmaceutical company. I did not start this company to kill people. Our brand of science is meant to help people, not hurt them. If you don’t understand that, you can leave.” Noah spoke sharply, like a judge holding his gavel.
The man shrunk in his seat. “I’m sorry, sir. I was merely playing devil’s advocate. Of course we should ensure the trials are safe and supervised by professionals in the medical field.”
I doubted he truly believed so.
His apology didn’t ease Noah. The fire, so hot it was cold, was lit. “This presentation is over,” Noah seethed. “Leave. All of you. Now.”
I moved with the crowd who rose from their seats, but Noah held me back. “Not you, Imogen. You only leave with me. Never before. Never after. Your place is by my side.”
Julia waited for us back in our office, a coffee in her hand. “Please know you can always call me away from lunch, sir. I’m at your beck and call.”
“Don’t let it happen again,” he barked and disappeared behind the door to his office.
Seemingly used to his discourtesy, Julia turned to me. “How did it go?”
“Terrifying,” I admitted.
“Let’s get a drink after work,” she decided. “I think we both need it.”
***
A drink after work turned into many drinks. We sat in a blues bar, the lights low, the walls covered in black velvet. It was mellow, a remedy for the long day. With the soft soulfulness of the music in the background, we talked.
“Tell me more about you,” Julia requested as she downed her fourth margarita. Work Julia was quickly diminishing, revealing Real Julia, her truer self.
“There’s not a whole lot to tell.”
“Any boyfriends?” she asked. “What are the men in Milwaukee like? I imagine they’re big and husky like lumberjacks.”
I laughed, glad she hadn’t yet realized Corey and I were more than friends. “Milwaukee is only two hours away from here. Less depending on how fast you drive. You should go visit sometime and see for yourself. The men are okay.”
“Only okay? Someone else has caught your eye!” she reasoned, lighting up. “Who is it?”
“No one here,” I said honestly. “He’s far away. But I hope he returns soon.”
“Me too,” she said. “For your sake. So you like it here in Chicago? Mr. Stafford hasn’t scared you off?”
“No, he hasn’t scared me off. I really need this job. I’ve got my armor on. And I want to stay. More so than I thought I would. I have a feeling there’s more of the city I’ve yet to experience, but I like it here.”
“You’ll really like it here if Mr. Stafford continues his pattern.”
“What pattern?”
“Nothing,” she mumbled, waving her hand. “I’m just drunk. We should redecorate the apartment. It’s a bit bland, don’t you think? Maybe add some color. I like yellow, like sunshine.”
“Me too,” I said, thinking of my hatchback. “I also like a bright aqua blue, like a tropical sea.”
She held her margarita glass high. “Then we have our new color template!” she declared joyfully as she swayed in her chair, the alcohol definitely kicking in.
“Woohoo!” I cheered, feeling my own kick. “We’re making our house a home!”
“Home is where the heart is. And the booze.”
Recalling that Julia was far from her actual home, I asked, “Do you miss your family in Boston?”
“I don’t have any family,” she said, much more solemn. She took a sip of her drink then added, “I was a foster kid.”
“But you’ve done so well.”
She giggled, as if I had said something funny. “Of course I did. I was determined to. I enjoy the fact that I put myself through school. I liked the challenge. Life is boring without challenge.”
“I don’t have any family either. My mother abandoned me when I was a kid. I was raised by my grandma, but she recently passed.” Some of the emotion I’d been withholding leaked out, making my voice hoarse.
“That is so fucking sad. We can be family,” Julia decided. “We’ll be sisters. We can’t let anything come between us.”
“Sisters,” I toasted.
We talked some more, and we made plans to go dancing, but our night was cut short when Noah stormed into the bar. His sandy blond hair was unruly, the first time I’d ever seen it out of place, and there was a weariness that faded the brightness of his eyes, but he remained as overbearing as ever, greeting us with obvious disapproval.
“Imogen, come with me,” he directed. “We need to go over the notes from the meeting today.”
With the alcohol pumping through my blood, I was tantalized by his imperiousness. The power he emitted engulfed me, made me his willing servant, prepared to do anything he asked of me. But then I looked at Julia and remembered the vow I’d just made that no one would come between us, especially not a man who was as pompous as he was gorgeous. I couldn’t abandon her, so I stayed where I was.
“I emailed them to you,” I told him, letting the alcohol fuel my courage instead of my lust. “We can go over the notes tomorrow.”
I looked at Julia for support, but she shook her head and mouthed, Don’t.
Noah was prepared for the battle. “Your time is my time until midnight. It’s in the contract. You will be compensated financially for your overtime, of course, but you will come with me. Now.”
Sharply, he turned his attention to Julia. “Go home. There’s a cab waiting for you.”
“You can’t talk to you that way!” I said, rising from my seat, feeling woozy. I giggled, my buzz hitting me fast. “I mean, you can’t talk to her that way.”
Immediately, his demeanor changed. “Imogen, are you okay?” he asked with concern.
“I think so,” I uttered, though the room spun around me. “Hey, are you a dragon? Corey said he’s a dragon and I’m his gold.”
“Corey isn’t here,” Noah reminded me.
“He’s not?” I asked, saddened, then tumbled forward, losing my footing.
Reaching his arms out, Noah caught me, holding me by the wrists, his grip strong and caring. Blushing, the humiliation sobered me, pushed my buzz away, but it did little to tame my arousal. “Corey’s not here, but you are,” I whispered, completely aware of what I was saying.
Horrified with myself, I immediately stepped out of his grasp and apologized. “I’m better now. It was just a passing high. I blame the sugar more than the alcohol.”
He didn’t look so certain. “Are you able to work?”
“She’s able, but she shouldn’t have to,” Julia said, joining me in my small rebellion.
Noah straightened, returning to his fortitude. “We’re all leaving,” he ordered and grabbed my hand and led me outside, his skin warm against mine.
Reluctantly, Julia followed us and got into the cab. “Have fun, sir,” she grumbled as she slammed the door shut.
Behind the cab, a company car waited for us, its tinted windows ominous in the night. Still blushing, I slipped into the backseat and found my tablet. To avoid any awkward conversation about what I had whispered, I immediately turned it on and pretended to search through my notes. For a long while, we didn’t speak, but as my humiliation wore away, I saw the car ride for what it was — an opportunity to learn more about my sexy rebel in Thailand.
“Did you and Corey grow up in the city?” I asked.
“No, we didn’t,” Noah answered vaguely as he adjusted his tie, refusing to look at me.
It irritated me, breaking the spell from earlier. Folding my arms across my chest, I sank into my seat. “You really should treat your employees better.”
“Why? It’s my company. I pay my employees well. I make sure their families are taken care of. If they don’t like it, they can leave.”
“That’s a coward’s way out. I know you built the company with your own sweat and blood, but your employees deserve respect. Without them, you’d be standing in a lab all alone.”
“I do respect them. That’s why I take care of their families. I just make sure they respect me too.”
Passing by a park, I realized we were heading away from the offices. “Where are we going?”
“I instructed the driver to circle around for a little while. We can go through the notes here.”
“Good thing I don’t get car sick,” I said, scrunching my nose.
It made him laugh, lightening the mood. “You’re too adventurous to be car sick.”
“I am adventurous, but I’m also tired. My boss is very demanding.”
“You haven’t seen demanding yet. Shall we start? You can begin by reading me the notes of the meeting.”
Reluctantly, I turned the tablet back on and went over the discussion on nanotechnology. Closing his eyes, Noah leaned back and listened to me as if I were singing him a lullaby. As he did, there was an intensity to his face that was a mix of anticipation and fatigue. Halfway through the notes, I stopped. “This is really important to you, isn’t it?”
His bright green eyes met mine once more. “It is.”
“Why?”
“You read the presentation.”
I nodded. “But why is it important to you?”
“It could save lives.”
“Is there a life you hope to save?”
His jaw clenched, and he tensed. “There are many lives I want to save.”
I understood too well. The weight of what he was trying to accomplish hit me. “Maybe Julia should be the one working with you on this. She has way more experience than I do.”
“Julia will be promoted before the convention. And she’s not a scientist. This is your project. Don’t worry, if I didn’t think you could handle it, I never would have hired you as my assistant.” He placed a hand on my knee, and I let him, telling myself he was merely trying to comfort me, even though the strength of his grip made my stomach flutter with anticipation.
“If Corey hadn’t emailed you, and I’d applied on my own, would you have hired me?” I asked, desperate to remember the man I really wanted. If anything happened with Noah, if I fell for this attraction, Corey would never forgive me.
“Yes, I do believe I would have given you some sort of position, but his email gave me the opportunity to learn more about you. After reading about your life, I knew I could trust you to be my assistant.”
“How so?”
His eyes burned into mine, igniting a fresh course of adrenaline that rushed through me. “You stayed close to home. After you graduated from high school, you could have gone to any university, but you didn’t. I suspect it had to do with your grandmother. You wanted to be close to her. That’s loyalty. And for that reason, I’m glad my brother emailed me. It brought you to me.”
“I’m glad he emailed you too,” I said, trying to ignore how much I liked his hand on my knee. It was firm but protective, like he was. “You know, Corey trying to save the herd of elephants isn’t much different from your commitment to nanotechnology.”
His eyes refused to leave mine. “It’s clear how enamored you are with my brother. Tell me, Imogen, are you as enamored with me?”
My mind stayed with Corey, but my body pulsed under Noah’s intensity. There was plenty of room in the backseat, but we were so close, pulled together like magnets. “I don’t know you,” I breathed.
“You barely knew him.”
“I didn’t like him when I first met him,” I blurted out, trying to break his hold on me.
It didn’t work. Tenderly, he massaged my knee. “Does that mean you don’t like me?”
“Yes,” I said, swallowing anxiously. “And no. Like I said, I don’t know you.”
He leaned closer to me. “What impression of me do you have so far?”
“That you’re tired.”
Slowly, he moved his hand farther up my thigh. “You are perceptive.”
Against my will, I shivered. My core throbbed with his hand so close. It was inappropriate, but it was delightful. Beneath my low-cut dress, my breasts heaved as my breath quickened. Noah was so damn attractive, and not just because he looked like his twin. I was drawn to the stability promised by his authority. Tattoos and ruggedness were alluring, but nothing was sexier than a man who knew exactly what he wanted.
Think of Corey, I reminded myself. My loyalty is bulletproof. It’s because of him that I’m here, that I’m no longer a tumbleweed.
“Have you heard any more from Corey?” I stammered, trying to steady my breath.
“Corey is an adult. He doesn’t check in. The email he sent that led you here has been the only contact he made. It took years to receive that email, and it will probably be years before I hear from him again, likely when his trust fund runs dry.”
His hand gripped my thigh harder, and I almost flinched under the touch. “Do you know why he asked me to take care of you?” he challenged, but he didn’t wait for me to answer. “Because he’s not coming back. He never has, and he never will.”
“Why did he leave?” I asked, less upset by his proclamation than I’d thought I’d be.
The muscle in his jaw popped. “Maybe you should ask him that.”
“I can’t. He’s not here.”
It was a setup, an excuse for Noah to place his lips next to my ear and whisper, “Precisely. He’s not here. But I am.”
It was erogenous. His breath was warm against my ear, insinuating everything he could do to me with his mouth so close. A nibble on my earlobe. Kisses down my neck.
Bulletproof.
“This is his home,” I insisted softly. “Everyone returns home, sooner or later. He promised me he’d find me. What will you say to him when he does?”
“Out there is his home,” Noah grunted, but he backed off. “You know it as much as I do.”
“I’ll take the chance,” I said, relieved that he had given me back my space, and a little disappointed. The spell had been broken, but my body remained charged, and only Noah could release it.
Reaching into a compartment against the divide that separated us from the driver, Noah pulled out a bottle of beer.
“I didn’t take you for a beer man,” I said.
“I only drink it when no one is looking. Don’t tell anyone.”
“I’m looking.”
He opened the bottle and took a sip. “You’re not no one.”
Thirsty, I went to grab a bottle for myself, but Noah put his arm out, blocking me. “You shouldn’t drink. It impairs your judgement. If anything impairs your judgement, I want it to be me.” When I didn’t respond, he added, “And we still have work to do.”
Remembering my notes, I settled back into the seat and returned to my tablet.
“What do you think of my speech? Is it transparent enough?” he asked.
“For who?”
“For everyone at the convention, especially the medical community.”
Briefly, I read through the shorthand of the speech, re-familiarizing myself with it. “It’s very technical. I wasn’t even sure what you were referring to half the time, and I’m a scientist.”
“It’s technical because the research is technical,” Noah asserted.
“I know, but you have to remember that the medical community is influenced by the needs and interests of the general public. I would worry less about being transparent to doctors and surgeons and worry more about the people who will be reading the newspapers the next day. With a breakthrough as big as this, everyone will be talking about it. Your speech will probably be posted online. It could go viral. Direct your focus on the everyday people. Make sure they understand the importance of the work. If you do that well, then Stafford Scientific will forever be linked to nanotechnology, the way Cola and Pepsi are linked to soda.”
Taking my tablet from me, he scanned my notes. “I see what you’re saying. I’ll have my writers fine-tune the speech.”
I yawned, tired out by the drinks and the tension between us.
“I’ll get you home,” Noah said and instructed the driver to take us to my apartment.
“Are you going home too?” I asked. “It’s after midnight. You’re off the clock.”
Noah laughed. “So I am. I think I will go home. For once.”
When the driver pulled up outside my apartment building, I grabbed a bottle of beer and jumped out before Noah could protest. As I walked up the steps to the building, I didn’t turn around to see if he’d left. I knew he hadn’t. I could feel his eyes on me, tracking me, making sure I was safe.