Chapter Four
“Welcome to The Piano Lounge,” a perky hostess greeted with a smile. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes.” Emanuela nodded. “I’m with the Kane party for one o’clock.”
“Oh, your party has already been seated. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to them.”
“Thank you.”
She tried not to let her nerves get to her as she followed the hostess through a well-designed maze of modern tables, plush chairs, and couches. The arrangement of furniture was obviously meant to make patrons feel at ease and, based on the hearty conversations coming from each table, it worked.
Okay, Em. Put your game face on. You’ve got this.
“And here we are!” Perky Hostess stated in her extra-nice customer service tone. “A waitress will be with you shortly to get your drink orders.”
As the hostess stepped away to get back to her station, Emanuela’s lips parted in awe. Doctor Kane and his party rose to greet her. He was as handsome as she remembered, but there was no trace of the naked vulnerability in his eyes that she’d noticed all those months ago.
She’d forgotten how tall he was. His wavy hair was longer, curling at the ends, with just a bit of salt and pepper running through the thick strands. His trousers hugged his toned thighs, and his shirt was rolled up a bit at the sleeves to reveal powerful arms. Her heart was in her throat as the face from her dreams stood before her. She swallowed it back down and snapped to attention.
“Doctor Kane,” she said. She was impressed with how steady her voice sounded. A tremor ran through her arm at the déjà vu as her hand rose to meet his.
“Miss Monroe,” he said with a brilliant smile. “Good to see you again. And Finn is fine. I only call myself a doctor on special occasions.”
God, his voice…
“Likewise, Doctor Kane.”
His smile widened. Fine wrinkles formed near his eyes, which seemed distinctly amused as they looked into hers. His grip was firm—and a bit too long. She resisted the urge to snatch her hand away as every nerve ending fired at the contact. His lips twitched.
He’s enjoying this!
Finn turned to introduce his lawyer, Miles Hamilton. He was a well-dressed man, about her age with deep umber skin and a knack for detail, as she’d learned from the few emails they’d exchanged in preparation for today. She took his proffered hand with a nod. But there was another man whom she hadn’t been expecting. He was the eldest of the three men, she guessed his age to be around mid-fifties. He was very pale, and his hair seemed like organized chaos, neatly combed on the sides and tousled at the front. His attire could be described the same way. It looked almost as though he’d napped in his clothes before he’d arrived.
“This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Faulk—” Finn said.
“Simon, please,” said the older gentleman.
His smile reached his kind gray eyes as he motioned toward the empty seat. Emanuela shook his hand and sat down, snapping into game mode as she straightened her spine and addressed the trio.
“I’m happy to make your acquaintance, Doctor Faulk, but I must admit I’m a bit confused by your presence at this meeting. It was my understanding that this was to be confidential in nature, per Doctor Kane’s wishes—”
Simon broke into hearty laughter. “You don’t beat around the bush, Miss Monroe! I like that, don’t you, Miles?”
Mr. Hamilton smiled. “We apologize for the last-minute addition, but I assure you, Doctor Faulk’s presence here is relevant and necessary. I took the liberty of drawing up an offer on behalf of Doctors Kane and Faulk for your firm’s consideration.”
He reached into his briefcase, withdrew a laminated portfolio with blue ribbing, and handed it to Emanuela. She accepted the portfolio with her brows drawn. Her focus was singular at the moment, all business as she quickly read the cover page, SimLife, and flipped the packet open. The men gave her a moment to skim the first few pages, her eyes moving rapidly for a couple of minutes. The waitress came by to take drink orders but Emanuela was in the zone. For those one hundred twenty seconds, everything else around her was white noise. That was all she needed. Two minutes. Understanding dawned on her, and her brow relaxed.
Poker face, Emanuela.
She raised her head, making eye contact with Finn. He stared back at her, the picture of confidence. “Doctor Kane, this looks like a business model for a startup.”
“It is.” His features were relaxed but there was a challenge in his tone.
She registered the new tension in the air. It seemed the other gentlemen were holding their breaths. Her eyes never left his. “Just so we’re clear: you, together with Doctor Faulk, started a company with personal funds from Doctor Faulk, produced a safety-certified prototype, and are seeking additional funding from my firm to cover the cost of manufacturing in the near future. Is that correct?”
“It is,” Finn said again, nodding once.
She questioned him with a lift of a brow.
He cleared his throat. “Right now, this field of research is very small. The only entity developing anything similar is the Department of Defense, and they’re most concerned with military applications, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Because of the Department of Defense’s own recent foray into this area of research, the certification we needed already exists.”
Finn looked over at Simon and nodded.
He talks with his hands, Emanuela noted with an inward smile, still not giving anything away in her expression. He spoke about his work with such confidence, in a way that she could easily understand. And it was hot.
Simon took over. “The thing that makes our product unique, is the water and flame-resistant material we make the skin from.” He looked at Emanuela like a seasoned storyteller, pausing for dramatic effect before revealing the plot twist.
“Which is?” Emanuela leaned forward.
“Silicone!” he said, practically shouting.
Mr. Hamilton seemed to be trying to control a fit of laughter at Simon’s hysterics.
Finn’s arms were folded across his chest as he watched Simon’s animated relay.
“We jam-pack the stretchy, soft material with tiny sensors that can pick up on things like heat, moisture, weight—things typical prosthetics can’t discern,” Simon said, on the edge of his seat from his efforts. “Then the prosthetic hand, for example, sends this information to the nerves of the patient’s arm, which then send the information to the brain naturally.”
Finn looked at Emanuela again, and she sensed that he was no longer trying to read her. He was trying to earn her faith. “We are confident that, once we’ve established our brand, we will have the reputation behind us to develop the technology further. Eventually, our devices may even be powered entirely by organic material.”
She nodded. “May I see the literature? I’ll need to read it myself, if you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely, I’ll have a copy for you this evening.”
****
The gentlemen occupied themselves with the menu to allow Emanuela a moment to absorb the wealth of new information they’d sprung on her. She sipped her drink and reviewed the business model again. She looked so elegant with her hair up, showing off the graceful curve of her neck. She examined the pages, her exquisite face twisted into a slight frown.
He’d been preparing himself for this moment for a few months now. When he first met her, he’d been trying to secure funding for his project for a few years, flying from state to state, meeting with investors, the private sector—even the military. But development in neuroprosthetics hadn’t progressed enough to appeal to an industry that was interested in a bionic man or, at the very least, a bionic dog.
He’d nearly accepted military funding, but turned down a contract with the government because there were too many stipulations and too much involvement on their part in the direction of the research. Most medical venture capitalist firms invested in drugs, and weren’t interested in “science fiction.” Finn had just about given up when he came face-to-face with the CEO of Hurst Capital’s right hand man. Woman. A devastatingly beautiful woman with the brightest liquid brown eyes he’d ever seen. He grinned inwardly. Those eyes now peered at him behind a blank expression.
“Just one question,” she said. “Why the ruse? Why didn’t you follow-up with a second proposal, detailing what you’ve just told me?”
“Forgive us for the deception,” Finn said. “But we needed to keep everything under wraps to deflect any further attention. Even with a patented prototype, we’re in a race to get our devices into production before other entities catch on. As you know, it’s not always about who does it best, but who does it first. We’d like to be best and first.”
“We were convinced we wouldn’t get you to come all this way otherwise, Miss Monroe,” Simon said. “I’m sure that once you’ve seen our prototype, you’ll be as confident as we are.”
His enthusiasm animated his entire face, relieving some of the tension in the air. A beat passed. Finn studied her, looking for any reaction at all. There! he thought. It was almost imperceptible, but he swore he saw a hint of a smile on her lips before a tiny jerk of her head turned her face away from him for a second.
“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, it seems I have a phone call to make.” She moved to stand and the rest of the party rose with her.
“Of course,” Miles said, turning to Simon to say something in private.
Emanuela took that moment to look Finn square in his eyes. Her cool business mask disintegrated and she let him in. She leaned in so close that he could smell her hair, her skin. He swallowed as the sensory memory hit him like a freight train.
“Well played,” she murmured.
Before she could pull away, he gripped her elbow. “Your move.”
****
“Son of a bitch,” Philip said, impressed. “I hadn’t anticipated that he’d phone a friend.”
“Neither of us did.” Emanuela tried not to let her admiration show in her tone. “Obviously this new development changes things. Which way do you want to move?”
“Em, it’s your deal to make or break. Go with your gut, and I’ll back you up.”
She had a feeling he’d say that. “My gut says we want in. It’s risky, but the safety certification gives us a leg up. If we secure a deal, any future developments will go through us too.”
“You know I’m all about taking risks!”
“No one knows that better than I do.”
She heard him laugh as she glanced at her watch. “I’m in a working lunch right now so I hope to have a copy of an agreement we’re all satisfied with by this time tomorrow,” she said. “I’ll get it to you when it’s squared away.”
“Sounds good. You know, I’m actually happy for the guy. He really turned things around for himself. I’m looking forward to meeting him soon. Relay that for me, will you?”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Pride welled up in her at his praise of Finn. Where’d that come from? She wasn’t sure but she had to admit that she was looking forward to getting to know the brilliant Doctor Kane better herself.
****
When she returned, she discovered that Doctor Faulk, who informed her that his single other interest aside from materials science was all things culinary, had ordered for the table.
“I hope you don’t mind, Miss Monroe,” he said. “We ordered some variety in case there is anything you can’t eat.”
“Oh no, it’s perfectly fine!” she said. “I can eat anything.”
She glanced at Finn, who was watching her again with interest. She decided to ignore his perpetual stare for the time being as the quartet ate heavy hors d’oeuvres and worked together for the next hour and a half.
Miles and Emanuela were in their element discussing terms, conditions, and concerns. Now and then he conferred with Finn and Simon to make sure they were clear about something. They worked until they had enough for Miles to draw up a rough draft. Miles rose to leave, citing another appointment to get to.
They bid Miles farewell, and then Simon turned to Emanuela. “Miss Monroe! You are a revelation, my dear. I didn’t know exactly what to expect when Finn told me about you, but you’ve exceeded my expectations.” He gave her a warm hug.
She would’ve been taken aback if he’d been anyone else but, somehow, the gesture was endearing coming from him. They pulled apart enough to look each other in the face.
“It’s my pleasure, Doctor Faulk. I get a lot of projects on any given day, but yours is truly inspiring.”
They held each other by the arms as they spoke, but finally parted as Simon smiled down at her and tilted his head toward Finn. “We lucked out with this one!”
“We did,” Finn said. “See you tomorrow, Sy.”
****
Finn had been watching their exchange and something tightened in his chest at the sincerity in Emanuela’s features. He could see how much she respected the older man and admired the work—their work. He couldn’t wait for her to see what they’d been cooking up in person.
Finn and Emanuela suddenly found themselves alone. He couldn’t pinpoint just when their bodies gravitated toward each other but there they were, just a foot apart, sizing each other up. She looked away first.
“Why don’t we walk out together?” he asked.
The urge to slide his fingers into her hair to release the pins that held it in place was about to get the best of him. She nodded and walked the few steps to her seat to gather her things.
Though he’d been watching her all afternoon, he hadn’t had the freedom to take her in the way he’d wanted to since she arrived. He remembered the way her skin glowed in the dim light of the lounge, but the memory was nothing compared to how she looked in the light of day. God, she’s beautiful.
“What?” she asked.
There was a hint of a challenge in her voice. He collected himself. I can’t tell you that I was heartbroken when I left you last time. I didn’t know what it was…
“You were amazing back there,” he said, walking with her outside.
“I know,” she teased. Her shaky voice belied her stoic demeanor.
“I mean it. Miles is good, but I could tell you made this challenging for him. He even enjoyed it, I think.”
She looked away. “Doctor Kane—”
He groaned and took her by her elbow. “What am I gonna have to do to get you to call me Finn?”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened in shock. “I—don’t think that’s—”
He was watching her again. He was so attuned to her from having observed her every movement that afternoon that he immediately registered her flustered state, and knew exactly what she had been thinking.
“Stop looking at me,” she said at last.
People maneuvered around them on the busy sidewalk.
“I can’t,” he said. “Have dinner with me.”
“You’re my client now. It would be inappropriate.”
There was no conviction in her voice. She was softening toward him, and he was sure his soul was reaching out to her through his eyes.
“We’ll be associates by this time tomorrow,” he said. “If you say no to me now, I’ll just ask you again then.”
Her entire body relaxed visibly, as if her steely resolve had finally crumbled. “Fine.”
“Fine?” He refused to contemplate her meaning. He hadn’t realized until that moment how desperately he needed her to say yes.
She gave him a shy smile. “Ask me tomorrow.”