Page 38 of Secret Admirer
Birds sang outside his window and the heat of the day warmed his skin as he sipped his coffee in the air-conditioned suite.
Life was good with a good woman beside him. He hadn’t realized the truth of that until now. He read the reports with a smile on his face until he heard Rebecca’s footsteps. He put his tablet down as she entered the dining room with plates under silver cloches. He stood for her to join him and said, “I ordered us breakfast.”
She took the seat and smiled brightly once she had her coffee in her hands.
Rebecca was like a beacon of sunshine on a cloudy day. His life had been murky until she'd showed up. She ate some scrambled eggs in silence but stopped when she saw him staring.
His face felt hot and he picked up his fork. “Let’s finish breakfast.”
When they were done, Rebecca poured them both a second cup. He said, “I have one more meeting with the inventor and our lawyers in the conference room. Can you wait here until I’m done or do you want to go somewhere?”
She studied him with her deep blue eyes. His skin prickled like she might be upset, but then she pursed her lips and asked, “I… how long will you be? Iwasgoing to head to FIU to learn my way around with Mel… Aurelia.”
This was his job. He found inventors and technology to invest in and made huge profits when the inventions took off. He stroked his chin. “I’ll be about two hours. We can meet when you get back. You said was?”
“Aurelia texted that there was something pressing at work she had to deal with today.” She played with the dove necklace he’d given her and rearranged her plans for the day. “Okay. I want to go visit my dad and reschedule my tour. So I’ll meet you back here for lunch then?”
“Whatever you want is fine with me.” His shoulders relaxed. She was thinking about her family, not his work. He finished his coffee and got to his feet. “See you soon.”
“Okay, my love.” She stood, wrapping her arms around him.
Love? His ears buzzed. He glanced down his nose at her. “Wait, what?”
Her face turned red and she trembled in his arms. “Nothing. Have a good day.”
She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.
He pulled her into a deeper kiss and demanded more. She tasted like heaven and he didn’t want it to end.
It was difficult but he left the presidential suite--her voice with the word "love" like a fly trapped in his mind.
Love didn’t exist. At least not for him. What he saw in movies was nothing to how he'd been raised. His mother had loved them, but her involvement with his father had been poison. The mixture meant he was better off never loving anyone and not passing along his father’s tainted blood to any other generation.
He arrived in the conference room and sat between his lawyers while they discussed the paperwork until the door cracked open and the young gangly inventor came inside, wringing his hands.
Clearly he was worried. Bart stood and offered his hand to shake. The kid's palm was damp. “Will, these are my lawyers.”
“I’m a little nervous about all of this.” Will released Bart's hand and sank into an office chair.
Bart sat and then handed over the paperwork. “Relax. Your tech to use ultraviolet light to transform carbon emissions into oxygen--something that can be attached to every engine--has the power to revolutionize green technology.”
Will crossed his legs and squirmed in his seat. “I’ve only run small tests to see if the attachment is possible.”
Bart pointed to the papers. “Which is why we’re here. I prefer the funding part of this equation. You provide the brains, and together we solve a world crisis.”
The young man held his armrests as he said without looking at him, “I just don’t want to end up like Tesla when he made deals with a bank.”
If Bart wanted to steal this man’s tech, Will would be easy prey. However, Bart wasn’t his father. If he signed Will, he’d get the best deal possible and together they might develop a long-term plan instead of a one-time deal. “You’ll be more like Edison, who's remembered to this day.”
Will finally looked him in the eyes and nodded. “That’s more the deal I want to sign.”
Bart handed him a pen. Will needed him--a predator would hand him a contract keeping all the patents to any developed technology without his name on it at all. Will would be wise to join his team. Unlike his father, Bart thought that if he fostered creativity in people, he had a better chance to workwithgenius types rather than just take from them. He pushed the button on the pen for the ink to appear. “The lawyers will handle that.”
Without reading the contract, Will signed.
Details would be worked out later. Once Will handed Bart the contract back, they both stood. Will offered to shake his hand and said, “Thank you again, Mr. Morgan. I hope we have a fruitful relationship.”
His father was Mr. Morgan, butsignorewas too foreign for Americans to say. “I’m looking forward to working together, Will. How would you like to see your new lab?”
