“Yeah,” I grinned again.
“And they use it in Space?”
I nodded. “Something similar, yes.”
He stood up and rounded his desk before sitting again. “How did you get ahold of it?”
“An old colleague of mine has been developing it. I’ve been talking to him, and he’s said we can have it.”
“Have it?” One thick brow shot up skeptically.
“Well… buy it. He’s interested in getting into sports because he thinks it’ll be more lucrative than the government, so we’ll likely get it cheap.”
“I have two questions.” He held up one finger, followed by another. “How many zeros are we talking, and how soon can we get it?”
“I’ll follow up with him this morning and ask. We’re not talking less than six zeros, and I don’t know. Soon, I hope, but it’ll take a little time to set up.”
He leaned back in his chair, arms linking behind his head. “Give him another zero if we can get it finalized in the next two weeks, and we have exclusivity on the material for a minimum of one season, preferably two. And,” his eyes widened as another stipulation came to him, “The Yankees or the Mets aren’t everallowed to access it. Talk to Beulah; she’ll help draw up the contract, but don’t do anything without her present. I don’t care if you are friends with this guy. I want this, and I don’t want anyone else to have it.”
There was that famous, not-taking-no-for-an-answer Shepherd I’d met last year. He was the same as the Shepherd with the seemingly bottomless pockets.
I nodded. “Sure, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Great,” he looked at his watch, “MELONY!”
I nearly fell off my chair as he yelled, then again when Melony peered around the door less than a second later. Christ! This caffeine was driving me crazy!
“You have an intercom you know.”
“I know,” he replied, though I wasn’t sure that was entirely true. “Can you get me the Commissioner’s office?”
And just like every other time, the meeting was over without him ever really saying it was over. Penn’s day just seemed to flow from one appointment to the next.
“I’ll see myself out.” I thumbed behind me, then gathered up my things as he waved me goodbye.
I left his office feeling much less jittery than I had while I’d been waiting for him.
Or a little bit less.
However, the jitters started up again as soon I got back to my office; or they fluttered up from my belly until they were banging a rhythm against my heart.
Or maybe it wasjustmy heart.
Jupiter jumped up from my desk as soon as I walked through the door. If I’d been a little quieter on entry, I knew I’d have caught him with his feet up.
“Hey!”
In descending order, my eyes lit up from seeing him, then the bagel he was holding out for me; not so much the coffee. I snatched the bagel, and took a huge bite.
“Thank you!” I moaned.
He wiped the smear of cream cheese from my lips, and then leaned it to get the spot he’d missed with a delicate swipe of his tongue that had my toes curling. However, it was hard to sink into a kiss with a mouthful of dough, no matter how much I wanted to.
Jupiter moved back, but only enough so I could take another bite of bagel. His arms were still wrapped firmly around my waist, which was fine with me.
“Where’ve you just come from? What’s this?” he asked, taking the box from under my arm.
“The shirts,” I mumbled through my mouthful.
