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“The set-up,” he growled. “It’s too exposed. That’s a real beach. Both you and the ship are completely vulnerable right now. You’ve been here less than ten seconds and you could have been taken out in about twenty-five different ways.”
“Is that a big risk here?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
She knew it wasn’t. No one even knew what this place was. And if they did, the surrogate was the last person they would kidnap or kill. It was the rich clients who needed to be protected.
“You don’t contract with a major security firm for a small fortune if you aren’t worried about security,” he said, echoing her own thoughts.
She frowned, not liking the flicker of respect she felt for the man.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you off this beach.”
She looked around, wondering where exactly he was proposing to take her. Then she spotted a path lighting up in the sand, as if it were magically pointing her toward a little beach shack between the palm trees.
“Wow,” she said, feeling impressed.
She had been convinced the beach was real, but at least parts of it were being enhanced by the AI. And it was all so seamless.
The temptation to ask Stark about it was almost irresistible, but she bit her tongue. She couldn’t start off asking those kinds of questions. A place like this thrived on discretion and keeping up appearances. Taking too much interest in the design might make them decide to send her home again after all. No, she needed to play it cool if she was going to get any kind of access to the AI she was sure was here somewhere.
I’ll find a way to get to him before I leave,she promised herself.The main thing is to be well into the treatment before I start poking around.
They reached the shack and Stark pushed open the door for her.
She was stunned to see that the interior was spacious and bright, even though it had looked small and shadowy from the outside.
“Welcome,” a woman said. “I’m Dr. Oppyx.”
She was a Maltaffian with blue skin, small horns, and a warm smile. Her shoulder-length white hair perfectly matched her snowy-white lab coat.
“I see you’ve already met, but just to make a formal introduction, Olivia Sinclair is our surrogate,” she said. “And Stark Rawling is our prospective parent.”
Olivia blinked at Dr. Oppyx for a moment, the new information making her feel like she needed to recalibrate.
So, he’s security and he wants a child…
“Pleasure to meet you formally,” he said, gazing down at her with those icy blue eyes again.
“Likewise,” she managed.
“Please, have a seat,” Dr. Oppyx said, gesturing to a small loveseat at the back of the room. “I’ll just dim the lights so that you can watch our standard welcome holo-film. We find that it answers many of the questions our patients have.”
Olivia nodded and headed for the loveseat, doing a mental calculation about how much space she could take up given how massive Stark was.
With all the luxuries and hidden magic of this place, she would have thought they could spring for a whole sofa.
She perched on one side, bracing herself as the lights dimmed.
Sure enough, when Stark lowered himself onto the seat beside her, his thigh pressed against hers and he had to place his arm across the back of the seat behind her to accommodate his wide shoulders.
The cushions began to shift and adjust around them, standard upscale technology, except that Olivia was pretty sure it wasn’t just making them more comfortable. It was also somehow coaxing them even closer together.
When her whole side was pressed to his, the loveseat went soft under them.
For a moment, there was nothing but the frantic beating of her own heart in the dim space as she tried valiantly not to let her body react to Stark’s. But his bulging muscles were warm and hard, and his scent was intoxicating.
Hold your breath if you have to,she told herself desperately.Do not embarrass yourself.
Dr. Oppyx tapped her bracelet and a hologram lifted from the disc on the table, mercifully providing a distraction.
