Page 59 of Must Be Love - Irresistible Bachelors

“Tastes like beer,” I say.

“Same.”

Dave laughs. “You guys always get the same imported shit. Why don’t you try one of the local breweries we stock?”

“Don’t mess with a good thing,” Mike says.

“You know what? Give me one of the good locals, and I’ll give it a shot,” I decide.

“Really?” Mike asks, raising a brow at me. “Mr. ‘I Only Drink IPAs’ is going to try something a hipster in Brooklyn made in his studio apartment?”

“Why not?”

“Damn. What has gotten into you?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I just thought I’d give something different a shot. What’s the harm?”

“No harm. Tell you what, Dave. Get me the same thing you’re getting AJ here. I’ll give it a taste, too.”

“I’m not getting either of you shit. Ask Bill when he comes back.”

On cue, Bill returns with our burgers, and we ask him to recommend something local to try. He gives us cans with the city skyline painted in watercolors. I must say, the designs on brewer cans are usually better than the mass-produced shit.

I take a sip. It’s a lager, which doesn’t have as strong a taste as an IPA. It’s fine, but it’s not as good as my drink of choice.

As we eat, Mike tells me about a patient he had who was having an allergic reaction to a lotion she was using. I try to listen, but my mind keeps wandering back to Amber and the serum I gave her.

Mike clears his throat. “Okay, where is your mind right now? It’s definitely not here.”

I swallow a bite of my burger. “Sorry, man. I’ve just got a lot going on.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

“Who told you that?” I ask with a laugh.

Mike shrugs. “No one. Now tell me your problem so you can go back to listening to mine.”

I laugh. That’s more like the guy I know.

The problem is, I can’t tell Mike anything. He can’t know what I did to the serum. He would be ethically required to report my discretion to the FDA.

It would be different if I’d never shared the serum with Amber. I could tell him that I did it and then tossed the serum. We’d both laugh about how hard it is to be in research and development, and it wouldn’t matter because no one got hurt.

Not that I’m hurting Amber. The serum isn’t dangerous. It’s just…not ethical.

I’m trapped. I can’t outright tell Mike what the secret ingredient is in the serum I gave Amber. It would get me in trouble and put Mike in a bad situation. I would never ask this man to lie for me. He’s my friend, and it would risk his career to keep the secret for me.

“Wow, what the hell is going on?” Mike asks. “I don’t think you’ve ever been this quiet unless you’re bowling.”

“Sorry, man. This isn’t easy.”

“You’re not in legal trouble, are you?”

I hesitate. My lack of an answer is enough for Mike to understand.

“Shit. What did you do, AJ?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Good thing I’ve got time.”

I blow out a breath. The only way to figure this shit out is to get it off my chest with as few details as possible.

“I did something bad, Mike. It has to do with the serum I made and gave that girl, Amber.”

“I thought you said that it wasn’t illegal! It’s not poisonous, is it?”

I shake my head. “No. It’s safe. I wouldn’t have given it to her otherwise. But it has this extra ingredient that, if uncovered, could put me in serious jeopardy.”

“What’s the ingredient?”

“I can’t tell you,” I say.

Mike nods. “Understood. Is it really that bad? Where is it on a scale from water to cocaine?”

“Somewhere in the middle? I think. I’m not really sure what that scale means.”

“The middle is good, AJ. You might be able to get out of this.”

“I don’t know, man. I fucked up.”

“Does Amber know the ingredient?”

“That’s the worst part. No, she doesn’t.”

“Shit, AJ. That’s your first step. You need to tell her. She’s the only one using it, isn’t she?”

I nod. I wasn’t stupid enough to share the serum with anyone else. That would have been even more disastrous.

“Okay, good. You have to tell Amber the truth and then be done with the product. Don’t try and produce it or get approval from the FDA.”

“But it’s working,” I protest. “None of the other serums I tried did anything until I added the secret ingredient. This product could do some good in the world…”

Mike is shaking his head before the words are out of my mouth. “I don’t care, AJ. If you want to keep your license, you’ll tell Amber and then never tell anyone ever again.”

I let this sink in. Mike has a point. I went over the rules and regulations for hours, but I couldn’t find a way around the FDA. My serum will never go beyond this test I’m running with Amber.

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