“You didn’t say that.”
It’s obviously one of those facial recognition things, because he just holds it up to his face and it unlocks. No surprise he can afford all the latest tech. I bought my last phone from a very shady eBay site out of China. It took me three weeks to figure out how to get websites to load in English.
I click over to the app store and start downloading a couple of apps, handing it back to him every so often for the phone to scan his face.
I talk while the phone does the work. “Because the McPherson committee is looking to expand their influence, your social media reach will be important. Since—”
“How do you know that?”
“Know what?”
He gestures vaguely to the phone, his expression suspicious. “That social media stuff.”
He looks so confused by all of this, I don’t have the heart to mess with him this time.
“Well, for starters, it’s just common sense. Lily McPherson has always been an influencer. Now that she’s taken over the committee, she’ll want to put her own stamp on it.”
Sitting this close, I can smell his amazing scent. And it’s occurred to me that I should probably get this done as quickly as possible. He still hasn’t put on a damn shirt and the quicker we finish, the less likely I’ll be to climb into his lap and lick his neck like it has a Ben & Jerry’s logo slapped on it.
“Plus, since you’ve been dodging my calls and emails, I reached out to the committee on your behalf and had them forward me the information packet.”
His jaw twitches. “And they just sent it to you?”
I roll my eyes. “Calm down. This isn’t a huge invasion of your privacy. Besides, I just told them I was your press secretary. I also got them to tell me who else has been short-listed for the fellowship.”
His gaze sharpens.
Ah-ha. I knew that would get his interest.
Which is why I don’t say more, but focus on the apps loading onto his phone.
Barely a minute passes before he asks, “Who else is on the list? Just out of curiosity.”
Yeah, right. He’s dying to know who they are and whether or not he thinks they’re as smart as he is. I list off the first couple of names. He nods like they’re people he’s heard of.
I had to google them, but it’s not like I follow the work of the world’s more prominent researchers. I can tell by his reaction that the list gratifies his ego. These are all people he wouldn’t mind losing to.
“I thought you said there are five of us,” Max says. I nod. “You mentioned three names, in addition to me. So who’s the last one?”
Which brings us to the dark horse.
“Martin Sandeke.”
Max frowns. “Dr. Sandeke? Haven’t heard of him.”
Martin Sandeke doesn’t have his doctorate, but I don’t correct Max. Not yet, anyway. I’m saving that gem of information. “He went to your alma mater.”
Max nods, looking placated, as if that alone is testament to the man’s brilliance.
“But he didn’t graduate,” I add casually. Like it’s no big deal.
Even though it is. Not to me, of course. Not to most people. Because Martin Sandeke, once the heir to the Sandeke Telecom Systems fortune, had dropped out of college before graduating to start a charitable foundation and develop satellite technology that could change the world. That was what most people cared about.
“What?” he demands, sounding shell-shocked. “What do you mean he didn’t graduate? Even with his undergraduate degree?”
Of course Max would focus on the dropping-out part.
I shrug innocently, pretending that I didn’t save Martin Sandeke for the end precisely because I knew this would irritate Max. That this wasn’t, in fact, the reason I’d brought up the other people on the short list. If there’s one thing I know about brilliant men who worked their asses off to be the top in their field, it’s that they can’t stand to lose. Especially to someone they don’t see as their equal.
