“Which is why you like him.”
“Which is why I like him,” he agreed.“He’ll be your team’s point person on this.If you need anything, he has a direct line to me.”
“More direct than this?”she asked, switching off the styler and running her fingers through her hair.
“Still haven’t given me your phone number,” he said.“You can only get me on Huddle if I’m logged in on Huddle.”
They talked every night, or they had before his big reveal, through Huddle, at designated times.They didn’t often talk earlier in the day.Now knowing who he was, she could understand why he couldn’t hang around social media all day, every day… though he did own the site.Being logged in was his right, given he was in charge.But the guy had a business to run, several actually, he had things to get done.
“I’m sure I’ll survive a day without you.”
“I’m in LA through the weekend and out of state from Monday.”
“Until?”Was she worried or just asking the obvious question?“Until you feel like coming back, I bet.What is it?Monaco?Yacht in the Mediterranean?”
“New York, then London.I could be back in New York for a while after, depends how negotiations go.”
“Acquiring something shiny?”
“Potentially partnering with an old friend on a new deal.”She didn’t understand but didn’t have to.“I have a dinner in Washington coming up in a couple of months, Labor Day, if you want to join me.Some people get excited about that kind of thing.”
“Washington State?”she asked, wondering what took him up there.
“D.C.”he said.“Your call.We’ll talk about it later.There’s a party in LA tomorrow night too, but you’re not ready for that.”
“Oh no?”
“You’ve got enough going on.”Yeah, thanks to who?“Leon is suspicious of beautiful women, Radley.Don’t be surprised if he takes a while to warm up to you.”
Her smile curled slowly.“Oh, I can handle men, Hotshot, don’t you worry about me.”
“About you?No.Him…?I’ll tell him to wear a helmet and pads.”
EIGHT
“THIS IS INCREDIBLE!”
Driving past the raised barrier to enter the private complex immediately signaled they weren’t in Kansas anymore.What a picture-perfect scene.Gleaming security boxes flanked three lanes of flawless tarmac that cut through greenery so lush it had to be artificial.The three lanes blended into one road that went no more than a hundred meters when it came to a fork.Two options: Mosaic to the right, Dyce Tech to the left.
They went right.
So many questions.She hadn’t been on Huddle or talked to Rourke since their morning conversation the previous day.Life had been manic.And she was making a point.What point?That he wasn’t as powerful or important in her life as he probably thought.
She’d survived without him before.He had to learn he was part of her life through choice, their individual choices, not necessity.It was not obligation or reliance.
The seamless asphalt sliced through the verdant grass as they drove toward the spherical building up ahead.Yep, it was a reflective glass sphere, gorgeous, large, and completely wrong.How did it support its weight?How did they keep it from tumbling one way or the other?It shouldn’t be possible, yet there it was.
Rolling by another guarded entrance, they stopped right in front of the magnificent building.
Damnit, did it have to be so impressive?
Thank God Rourke was still in LA.She shouldn’t have to think about him that weekend.It would be easier to settle in if she didn’t have to worry about him popping up here, there, and everywhere.
A guy opened the car door.A broad, hunky guy.Mmm, hello.As her mouth was about to introduce herself, another female voice roused the air.
“Hi, yeah, okay,” the woman said, clutching a tablet, a stack of files, and a cellphone.“I’m sorry, I’m not totally organized.This happened fast.”The laugh was little more than awkward, and their confusion didn’t ease the little brunette’s contrition.She swallowed.“So I’m Mieux, Penrose.Pronounced Mew, but not spelled that way.Mieux Penrose and… I’m here for whatever you need.”
“Whatever we need,” Franco said and nudged Myles, his grin bursting.“This place is amazing.”
