I leaned back in my chair. “You first. I call you at nearly one in the morning and Xavier answers the phone?”
Basia ran her fingers through her short bob and sat down. “Well, yes. Wow. How shall I put it—who knew that a geek could be so astounding in bed?”
I winced. “Jeez, Basia. Way too much information for me.”
“See, I told you Xavier is like a brother to you.”
“Okay, I’ll admit that. But did you have to sleep with him?”
“What are you—my mother? It was sweet, spontaneous and damn good sex. What’s wrong with that? We’re both consenting adults.”
I sighed. “I know. It’s just I think Xavier has fallen hard for you and I don’t want to see him hurt. Are you going out with him again tonight?”
“No, I happen to have plans with Lars.”
“How are you going to keep that from Xavier?”
“I’m not keeping anything from him. He knows.”
“And?”
“And he’s taking it better than you.”
“You’re like…double-dipping. Isn’t that illegal?”
Basia laughed. “Not in my book. Don’t worry, I can handle it. Now speaking of sex…please tell me you finally slept with Finn last night because I seriously think it’s you who needs a big-time roll in the hay.”
“For God’s sake, Basia, it was our first real date.”
“And your point would be?”
I sighed. “Okay, if you really must know, there was no sex. As of this morning, the notch on my bedpost remains at exactly one entirely forgettable encounter.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, the college geek. From your description, I would barely classify that as a sexual encounter.”
“Hey, I lost my virginity, didn’t I?”
“You don’t even remember his name.”
“Neither one of us should have had the mystery punch at the post-lecture computer party.”
She exhaled a breath. “You’re utterly hopeless, Lexi. Sometimes I really do worry about you. I seriously hope there is a good reason why you didn’t sleep with Finn last night.”
“Maybe he didn’t ask.”
“Maybe he did and you turned him down.”
“Maybe I asked and he turned me down.”
“Maybe you should know that in the history of mankind, there hasn’t been a guy on a date who has ever turned down free sex with a half-naked woman in his limo.”
“Maybe he didn’t like the way I hurled all over it.”
Basia stopped. “You did what?”
I gave her the brief version of the night’s events and when I finished, her face had paled considerably. “Oh, Lexi, that’s the most horrible, heart-breaking date story I’ve ever heard.”
Whatever improvement there had been in my mood since I saw the rose from Finn vanished in a puff. There was a long painful pause and then Basia broke out laughing. “God, I’d have paid good money to see Finn administer the Heimlich maneuver on you in that gown,” she choked out between laughs.
“Basia! You’re not helping.”
“Sorry,” she said, trying to swallow her laughter. “But it looks like the night wasn’t a complete loss.” She glanced pointedly at the rose. “From Finn?”
“He said the night was, um, unforgettable.”
Her laughter bubbled up again. I narrowed my eyes.
“What?” She wiped away tears. “Don’t give me that look. You do know how to make an evening unforgettable. Don’t get so worked up about it. I think Finn is crazy about you. A little mix-up with the gown and some projectile vomit isn’t going to change that.”
“Stop. I beg you. This really isn’t making me feel any better. What I need is some help with sex. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”
“Okay, let’s get serious then. There is clearly more work to be done.”
“What kind of work?”
“Work on your sexual confidence.”
“How do we do that?”
Basia stood. “Come on, let’s go get some coffee and I’ll explain it to you on the way.”
The thought of coffee appealed to me even if learning about my sexual confidence didn’t. My headache had subsided, but I still felt some niggling pain behind my eyes. Caffeine might provide a bit of the perk I so desperately needed this morning.
“All right.” I stood and picked up my mug.
“Overall, I think you took an important step last night,” Basia said as we walked down the corridor. “You showed Finn a feminine side of you he hadn’t seen before. Try to focus on the good parts of the evening. He did say you looked hot.”
“How helpful is looking hot if I don’t know how to follow up? I think guys can tell when a woman is inexperienced.”
“For some guys, sexual inexperience is a real a turn-on. They like to be in charge.”
“What if Finn isn’t one of those kind of guys?”
“Every guy is like that to some extent. Either way, I’m betting you’re a fast learner. With an IQ like yours, good sex should be a walk in the park. Xavier is my case in point.”
I couldn’t help it, I winced. “I sincerely hope you’re right.”
“Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“How about last night?”
“A technical miscalculation. You learned an important lesson. Get more information ahead of time.”
“Yeah, thanks, Einstein.”
She smiled at a young guy who passed us in the hall and looked at her with open appreciation. “Now, an important question, although I think I already know the answer. During that pathetic sexual encounter of yours, did you ever experience the Big O?”
“Big O?”
“Orgasm.”
I looked at her in horror. “Jeez, Basia, keep your voice down. Do we have to talk about orgasms in the middle of the hall?”
“No one will hear us.”
“Right,” I muttered as we walked into the office kitchen. To my relief it was empty. “Well, if you must know, I’ve never had the Big O, but I think I was close when Slash kissed me last night.”
“Slash?” She stared at me. I remembered I hadn’t given her the details about his late-night visit, so I quickly filled her in.
She arched her eyebrow. “And you accuse me of double dipping?”
“I’m not double dipping. I’m not getting any sex.”
“Then don’t even think about Slash. He’s got bad news written in big neon letters across his forehead. An enormous no-no.”
“Oh, I see,” I said, picking up the coffee carafe and pouring some in my mug. “It’s okay for you to date two guys at the same time, but not me?”
“We are not talking about dating just any two guys. One of those two guys is Slash. In dating terms, Slash is like a wolf and you’re the paralyzed rabbit in his thrall. He should be considered forbidden—off limits. You’ve got to trust me on this, Lexi. He is the kind of man trouble you really don’t want. On the other hand, you’ve got a lot in common with Finn. You both are turned on by technology, are highly intelligent and have the same sense of dry humor.”
“I have dry humor? As opposed to a wet humor?”
Basia rolled her eyes at me before picking up a Styrofoam cup. I poured some coffee into it for her. We both tipped a ton of creamer in our coffees and stirred them with a swizzle stick. I sipped mine as we headed for one of the small round tables in the kitchen corner.
“Okay, look, I think I have a good idea.” Basia sat down.
“I don’t think so,” I said, joining her. “No offense, but look where your help got me last night.”
“My help gave you the one highlight of the evening. Finn loved the gown.”
“Before I threw up on it.”
“You know what I mean.”
Before I could reply, Finn’s secretary, Glinda McBain, strolled into the kitchen. She wore a tight ivory blouse that strained across her generous bosom and a fitted dark green skirt with matching green pumps. Long red hair fell artfull
y around her back and shoulders, and her makeup looked professionally applied. She caught me staring and shot me the finger.
My lips curled into a snarl. We had despised each other since the first time we had met a couple of months ago, mostly because we both had the hots for Finn. Usually we made a point to avoid any possible chance encounters. But this morning I was cranky and her gesture had me spoiling for a fight.
“Isn’t Glinda the name of a witch in The Wizard of Oz?” I said.
Basia followed my gaze. “Yes, but the good witch.”
“In my opinion, a witch is a witch. If the shoe fits, wear it.”
Basia snickered and Glinda strode over to our table. “What are you looking at, Carmichael?” she said in a low throaty voice, a trace of Irish lilt evident. “Trying to get some tips on how a real woman dresses?”
“Too bad I don’t need to dress like you to get Finn’s attention.”
It was a direct hit because Glinda flushed red to her roots. She leaned down, tapping a blood-red fingernail on the tabletop. “Do you honestly think I worry about you being any kind of competition? Let me make something clear. You don’t have a prayer with Finn. You’re not the kind of woman he needs.”
“And I suppose you know the kind of woman he does need?”
Glinda laughed contemptuously. “Of course, I do. I really don’t like you, but I am generous enough to share a little advice—woman to woman. Give up on Finn. You’ll only get hurt and badly.”
“You wish.”
“In fact, I do. So, if you want to ignore my advice, then go ahead and keep on believing you have a chance with him. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You know, you’re a real piece of work,” I said with a disgusted shake of my head.
“And you have absolutely no idea who Finn is, because you don’t know him like I do. Our families have been friends since we were both in nappies. I grew up with Finn in Cork and we share the same culture, history and background. How do you think I got this job here at X-Corp? Finn’s mother. Even she knows we’re meant to be together. So, here’s the stone-cold truth, sweetheart. You’re nothing more than a distraction, an oddity to Finn for the time being. I respect the fact that a man like him needs to sow his oats and experience different kinds of women. Even women like you. But in the end, when he comes home—it will be to me.”
“Ha! Maybe you don’t know Finn as well as you think,” I bluffed. “Maybe I find it amusing that you’re so jealous.”
Glinda tossed her head and a sea of perfect curls rained around her shoulders. “Me? Jealous of you? That’s nothing short of absurd. I’d never be jealous of someone so…how do you Americans say it, geeky.”
With a choking noise, I leaped from my chair and hurled myself at her. Basia seized my arm and pulled me back just as I grabbed a fistful of Glinda’s blouse at the collar. Glinda shrieked and tried to rake her nails down my cheek.
“Have you both gone certifiable?” Basia hissed, pulling us apart and stepping in the middle. “As much as the men in the office might enjoy seeing the two of you trying to pull each other’s hair out while rolling around on the floor, we do have a modicum of decorum to maintain here.”
Glinda glared at me and I’m pretty sure I was about to throw myself at her again when Finn unexpectedly walked through the door. All of us froze in place.
“Well, here you all are.” A frown crossed his face, as if he realized he’d just interrupted something. “I wondered where everyone in the office had disappeared to.”
To her credit, Glinda recovered first. “I was just fixing your coffee, Finn gra,” she said, hurrying over to the coffee pot. I hadn’t missed the familiarity with which she said his name and the little Irish endearment. I gritted my teeth and tried to smile as Finn addressed me.
“Are you ready to head out to Flow Technologies?”
“Ready when you are.”
Glinda brought Finn his coffee. “It’s just how you like it, Finn,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.
I wanted to throw up.
“Thanks, Glinda,” he said, smiling. She tossed a smirk of victory over her shoulder at me as she sashayed out of the kitchen.
Even though I tried to squelch it, I still felt cranky and jealous. I was definitely having a PMS morning and I needed to cool it. At work, Finn was my boss, not an object of heated desire. I tried to remember that as we headed for the garage and climbed into his Jag.
“I saw Ben this morning,” Finn said, putting the Jag into gear. “He said to ask Niles about their new partnership with NanoLab Industries.”
“NanoLab Industries? Who are they?”
“Flow’s manufacturing partner. Flow develops the technology and NanoLab will work on mass producing and distributing the final product.”
“Meaning the energy replacement.”
“Yes.”
“Do we know anything else about them?”
“Not much,” Finn said. “Ben is still working on it.”
“Good,” I said and we lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. I figured I should thank him for the rose, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.
“Um…I found the rose this morning,” I finally said. “It was really nice of you. Especially after…well, what happened.”
“You were the star of the evening. I enjoyed being with you and showing you off to my friends. I had fun.”
“In spite of me hanging up on your father and hurling all over the limo?”
He chuckled. “There’s never a dull moment with you, Lexi. Truthfully, I had a hell of a good time. There is no pretense, no games. But most of all, I like being with you.”
The warm, fuzzy feeling began spreading in my stomach. “I like being with you, too, Finn. By the way, I forgot to mention I’d be happy to pay for the clean-up of the limo.”
“Forget it even happened.”
“Actually that’s top on my list of things to do today.”
He laughed. “See, I have to work hard to stay one step ahead of you.”
The tension broken, Finn turned on the radio to the local jazz station and I tapped my foot in time to Louis Armstrong until we arrived.
Flow Technologies was in a brand-new building just off the Dulles Toll Road, not too far from Darren’s apartment. The industrial-looking building was a bit of an oddity in an area full of high-rise, dazzling architectural structures with unusual shapes and lots of glass windows. Flow Technologies was a long one-storied complex, painted silver and surrounded by an electric fence. Someone had designed the building to curve slightly in order to form almost a semi-circle. In front of the building stood a huge fountain that even in November sprayed water high into the air and down over two magnificent glass dolphins. A guard stood at attention at the entrance to the parking lot and stopped us, checking with Flow to make certain we were permitted to enter before letting us in.
We pulled into the visitor area and parked the car. As we walked toward the entrance of the building, I tossed a penny into the dolphin fountain for good luck. Finn smiled, so I tossed in another one for him. Inside, the receptionist made us wait in an area with real plants and lush leather armchairs while she checked with someone to announce our arrival. I noticed with interest two armed guards patrolling around the building. I guess Flow considers it secrets well worth guarding.
Niles came out to meet us. He wore a badge around his neck and handed two visitor badges to Finn and me. He led us to a locked wooden door and slid an electronic card from his pocket and then placed his palm on a nearby screen. The door beeped and he pulled it open.
“Tight security,” Finn commented as we passed through and into a stark white hallway.
“Yes,” Niles said. “It’s a necessity in our business. Industrial spying is rampant.”
We walked down the hall as Niles explained how the office was divided into several sections.
“To the right is the Materials Division,” Niles explained as we stopped at a fork in the hallway. “That is where work is done on
self-organized nanostructures. To the left is the NanoDevice Division where our scientists are conducting research on new materials, processes and instrumentation. Straight ahead is the Biomolecular Division where Darren spent most of his time exploring new systems and concepts based on self-assembled or single molecular manipulations at nanoscale.”
“Cool,” I murmured. I glanced over at Finn and saw he was completely clueless so I gave him a reassuring smile.
We continued down the long corridor. Somehow just the sheer size of Flow Technologies surprised me. I guess I’d kind of thought of Flow as a small, tight company. I should have realized creating something as mind-boggling as an energy replacement for oil would take a lot more space and equipment than two kids could manage, even if they were geniuses.
We walked past a highly guarded area, including a security guard armed with a stun baton.
“Hello, Richard.” Niles nodded. “Richard is standing in front of the specially designed Clean Room—an experimentation lab designed so that there are less than ten micro-inches of floor vibration throughout the lab complex. This ensures optimum performance from ultra-sensitive equipment, including an electron-beam lithography system and a scanning electron microscope. Would you like to check it out?”
Since I didn’t see how I would understand much I saw beneath a scanning electron microscope, I asked instead, “Can we have a look at Darren’s office?”
“Certainly. It’s this way.”
We bid good-bye to Richard and headed not too far from the Clean Room to a large office. A multifunctional desk stood pushed up against a wall upon which sat a computer with an extra-large flat panel display. Shelves took up nearly every other inch of wall space and were crammed with books, reference materials and manuals. A framed poster with a black background and white lettering hung over the computer desk and read simply: Your Village Called, Their Idiot is Missing. I couldn’t help but snicker.
I sat down in his nice leather swivel chair and placed my fingers over the keyboard. It took me two strokes to realize the computer was password protected.
“Anyone know his password?”
Niles shook his head.
“Who’s your IT guy?”
“Our what?”
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