Seducing the Stargazer

by Kim Carmichael

  She turned away from the screen. There was no sense reading past the first word to know what the rest of the email held.

  Her chest aching, she picked up her cell phone. Everything about the job search had to do with follow up and she dialed the number to the observatory.

  “Arron Kravitz.” The man she hoped would be her boss answered his direct line.

  “Hello, Mr. Kravitz, this is Dr. Carlsbad, I was just following up on our meeting yesterday.” Though her voice shook, she sat up straight and forced a cheery note into her voice. The job was a step down for her, but at the moment she needed to pay rent and eat.

  “Oh yes, Dr. Carlsbad, we were just discussing you,” the man said.

  A twinge of hope rang through her, her heart sped. Here was the break she needed. Maybe it was a lower job, but she needed to restart, recharge and then once she proved she could stick somewhere, her career would grow once more. “Then it seems as if I called at the perfect time.”

  “Honestly, we don’t feel this is a good fit. Your first love is research and this job is more administrative.” The man’s monotone voice sounded worse than a form letter.

  “I’m willing to make a career change.” At her desperation, she slumped down in her seat.

  “You’ve held several jobs in just a few years. Our last administrator was with us over twenty-five years.” Without changing his inflection, he went on. “Thank you, I wish you the best of luck in your continued job search.”

  If ever there was a blow off, it was the half-hearted good luck wish from someone who didn’t know her and didn’t care. People and their total lack of sympathy for another human being was exactly the reason she went into astronomy. Out in the universe it was calm and serene, all the possibilities were there, not here. “Thank you anyway.” Before the man had a chance, she hung up.

  For quite some time she sat in that fetid room with the sepia light and weird blue curtain caked with what Wynn could only hope was dust.

  How many times had she and her parents ended up in a place that looked almost exactly like this hovel?

  “Winchester.” Her father had always used her full name. “Dry your tears and come here.”

  She didn’t think he saw her crying. With a frown she sniffed and wiped her eyes. They moved again after three months. Another new school, new teacher, new kids who already formed their groups. Fifth grade was hard enough.

  “I know you’re upset, but in this life you have to learn how to make your way in the world. Don’t get tied down to one place, one thing.” He put his arm around her.

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a home though? It wouldn’t have to be a big one. I just want to be able to lie in bed and watch the universe.”

  “Look out there.” Her father swiped his hand in front of the window. “That is your home. The world is your home. The universe will always be right there. No matter where we are, you can look up and see the big dipper, the moon, Venus, Mars. It doesn’t matter if you’re here or a hundred miles from here, or on the other side of the world. Your home is what you believe in. The one thing that will stay constant. No matter where you hang your hat.” He took his cowboy hat off his head and placed it on hers.

  She nodded and tried to believe him.

  “The most important thing in this life is making sure you can make your own way,” her father had told her. “Never saddle yourself down with one thing, never take no for an answer, always take a stand and don’t rely on anyone for help. Do whatever it takes.”

  No, she couldn’t rely on anyone for help. Any thought of calling her parents faded away, even if she could find them, they went wherever money led them and would have only berated her for limiting herself to one narrow field of study and tell her to take a different path if this one wasn’t working. Both her parents flew by the seat of their pants with odd jobs and making ends meet. All her life she vowed she would be different, stable and secure, but here she was exactly the same way.

  Deep down she still wanted a home with a yard and one window to look out at the universe.

  She didn’t even realize she was crying until she wiped her face, rubbing her eyes until she saw stars.

  Wait, stars.

  Not stars, but star. One particular star that Garner possessed and she knew the exact favor he wanted.

  “No.” Once she crossed that path that would be it. He would own her until the launch and after.

  What she needed was some air, a walk in the park, a ride, anything to clear her mind and she grabbed her computer and her bag then ran out of that room and the hotel, taking a nice deep breath.

  A taxi drove up to the front of the hotel.

  Wanting to act and not think, she flagged down the car and got inside. Already her credit card was out of control, another few dollars for her sanity wouldn’t make anything worse.

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  She gazed out the window, reminding herself it was the same sky no matter where she hung her hat.

  Before she answered, her phone chimed and her stomach dropped. Maybe someone wanted an interview, a reference, a resume, anything. She glanced at the small screen and her stomach lurched. No job offer, no text from a friend, no one checking on her, or at this point some welcome junk mail. Instead, all that awaited her was a notification from her bank that her account was overdrawn.

  “What?” The trembling started instantly, but she managed to log into her bank from her phone.

  “I asked where you want to go.” The driver’s tone dripped with annoyance.

  Ignoring the man, she scanned her transactions. Sure enough, she forgot to turn off some automatic payments and with no money coming in, she had nothing. Actually, less than nothing.

  Again, she looked out the window. The sun shone bright in the daytime sky.

  The sun, their closest star.

  All she had left was one last option. She had to make her way in the world and it didn’t matter where she hung her hat, right?

  Chapter Six

  A blank page needing to be filled with words was one of the most daunting sights in the universe. For the last two hours Garner stared at the big white square, but he couldn’t simply write anything. After all, he had a publisher wanting his thoughts, his point of view, he had a public who wanted her hear what he had to say.

  He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. All he needed was a spark. The first line was always the hardest.

  His phone rang, interrupting his non-existent word crafting and he lunged for the small device, shaking his head when he saw Jim’s name on the screen rather than who he really wanted to call. “What? I’m writing,” he barked into the phone.

  “It better be something good. We have our largest investors threatening to pull funding.” Jim dropped his bomb.

  Garner shut his eyes. “I’ll talk to them. I’ll explain the asteroid and the science again.”

  Jim let out a grunt. “They don’t want to hear from you, they don’t even want to hear from our people. They want to hear from her, they don’t just want copies of her research.”

  “I am completely qualified to translate Dr. Carlsbad’s notes for our investors.” Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the star on his desk. He needed to call in a favor, but he only needed one thing, her. How did he get her to comply?

  “They want a real scientist,” Jim said.

  Frustration building, he pounded his fist on the desk. “She just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and she wasn’t even doing what NJL hired her for, she went off to play with her own research.”

  “You are the personification of being at the right place at the right time and the poster child for not playing by the rules.” Jim laughed. “She’ll calm the investors down and that’s good for marketing.”

  Yes, he was good enough to be the cleanup boy but not the astronomer. Maybe Jim should talk to Wynn—they could swap stories and compare notes. Apparently, Garner wasn�
�t capable. “Then why don’t you go talk to a real scientist while I get some real work done.”

  Right as he hung up, Dana entered his office, came behind his desk, and peered down at his screen. “What are you doing?”

  “Writing.” To prove his point he put his fingers on the keyboard.

  “Where are the words, the paragraphs, the pages?” She hit him in the shoulder.

  Not wanting to be disturbed, he shooed her away. “I’m thinking.”

  “Why are you thinking so much lately?”

  Not wanting to address her comment, he returned to staring at the empty page. The woman did PR for Personal Space. She wasn’t his agent. Then again, she did get him the book deal.

  “This is a book for the public. You can rehash what has already been done, use some of your catch phrases, and call it a day.” Dana motioned toward the computer screen.

  “That’s exactly what I don’t want to do.” Wynn would call him a sellout. He stood and walked over to the window, staring out at the city, something he seemed to be doing more and more of lately.

  “That’s exactly the proposal we sold,” Dana barked at him. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

  At her question, he tensed. Of course it was her. Always. In truth, after their coverage of the lunar eclipse four days ago, he was certain he would hear from her, if nothing else because she wanted her damn time on that telescope. He knew right now she was in some wretched motel, and he thought that might push her over the edge, but as always, she proved to be one tough stargazer. One time he would love to see her let her defenses down and let him in. She didn’t need to save the world or the universe. Again he found himself in the same position he had years ago—wanting to confront her, but being left at a standstill.

  “Jim keeps putting the pressure on to hire her, but I can’t tie her down and force her to work for us.” However, the tying down part seemed promising. Maybe he needed to buy them a lasso.

  “Do you want me to get you a ghostwriter?” Dana prodded.

  “He doesn’t need a ghostwriter, he wrote a whole dissertation.”

  At being interrupted by a voice he knew all too well, he spun on his heel to find Wynn standing there. A welcomed, yet disheveled sight.

  “And there she is.” Dana motioned toward her.

  Wynn barely gave the woman a glance before continuing with her own message. “Not only has Dr. Knox written an entire dissertation, but he has been published in more than one peer-reviewed journal, with me, of course. Of all his talents, one I was always impressed with was his ability to make words flow.” As if she were walking a runway, she approached his desk with perfectly timed steps. “The man is a wordsmith, he speaks for a living. If anyone writes for him, it won’t be genuine. Would you agree, Dr. Knox?”

  “Depends.” At the fact she came to him, a bolt of electricity jolted through his body. She must need something beyond a peek in a telescope.

  “On what? I’m only stating the facts.” Without breaking eye contact, she crossed her arms.

  “Be that as it may, I doubt you came here to discuss my résumé.” He matched her stance. Even in her bizarre outfit—what appeared to be multiple layers of pants, a bandana, and a hoodie, her hair a mess and no makeup—the woman was ravishing. Someone he wanted to put over his knee and spank until she fell into line, and then kiss her until her lips were swollen. “Do we need to have a little talk?”

  She glanced between him and Dana and slowly nodded.

  This was the Wynn that drove him wild. Still combative, but her voice laced with an undercurrent that made his whole body and mind sizzle, a typical reaction around her. “Dana, go tell Mrs. Benton to put a bottle of champagne on ice with two glasses, or a bottle of water to see Dr. Carlsbad out, I’ll let you know which one we need in a few minutes. Close the door on your way out.”

  With a huff, Dana left.

  Both of them stayed silent, staring at each other until the click of the closing door let them know they were alone.

  She reached over to his desk, grabbed the star, and held it up. “I have the window of dates I need the Selene telescope.”

  All right, if that was how she wanted to play it. He held up one finger telling her to wait and made his way around the desk until he stood less than two inches away from her. “I think, my dear, you are forgetting the rules of the game.”

  She straightened up.

  “When you first came to me, you held the cards, you prevented a disaster and therefore I owed you, correct?” Before continuing, he waited for her to nod. While he wanted to break out the champagne and celebrate the fact she accepted, a bit of negotiation was in order. “Now you come here, accepting the job from me. Though technically this may be your favor to me, something tells me you need this job, and therefore, I owe you nothing.”

  She lifted her chin. “You neglect to remember you need me. My working for you is not a simple favor, and I need to be compensated. Before we print any business cards, we need to discuss a few things.”

  “Then I will start.” The woman was wearing way too many clothes for his liking, and he lowered the hood off her head. “You will stay until my rocket is out of earth’s atmosphere.”

  She shrugged. “I need double the salary I made at NJL and the company car you offered me before.”

  In their first negotiation point, she allowed him to see her cards. Yes, he was a wordsmith and she spoke about her job in the past tense, therefore in their few days apart she lost her job and still didn’t have a car. On top if it all, he knew she wasn’t in her apartment.

  “You will be sweet and charming in any media appearances and in front of investors and you will consult with me before going off on any tangent.” He unknotted the bandana around her neck then tossed it aside. “If you want to be an outspoken outlaw, you will get it approved by me first.”

  “Since I’m being used to further your cause and make money for this endeavor of yours, I want you to set aside some time on the probe for pro bono research,” she countered.

  At her request, he crossed his arms. The woman needed to understand how the world worked. “You do realize the company has expenses and the only way we will ever recoup our losses is by selling time on Maverick?” He refused to make anything easy for her. She was a bucking bronco who needed to be roped in, but somehow he had to keep her fire. He pulled the zipper of her hoodie down, revealing another sweatshirt.

  Her eyes on his, she pulled off the hoodie and dropped it to the floor. “What Personal Space needs, above all else, is something other than profits on its mind. Some science from a science company would be a good place to start.”

  “I’m also writing a book.” He laid that one on her, stepped closer and lifted the second sweatshirt off her, leaving her in a t-shirt with a picture of the planet Saturn and obviously without a bra. His gazed traveled over her and his mouth watered at the way her nipples jutted out from the thin fabric of the well-worn shirt.

  “I thought I worked for Personal Space.” She hooked her fingers under his chin and nudged his head up, forcing him to look into her face rather than at her other assets.

  “It’s all the same. Remember, you work for me.” He inched closer. “Twenty-four seven.”

  “That’s quite a job. In fact, I bet you need me more than ever.” A little chuckle escaped her throat.

  “I’ll take care of the car, your residence, and your pay.” He plucked the star out of her fingers and threw it back on the desk.

  “And the telescope time on Selene.” She held her hand out.

  “Only if you’re good and make it through the launch.” Rather than shake her hand, he took it and pulled her closer. “There is one last thing.”

  She stared up at him, their faces now less than an inch apart. Her quick breaths puffed against his lips. “What more could you possibly want, Dr. Knox?”

  “A little something more to even the score.” Before thinking, he lowered his lips to hers.

 
; Five years before when he first kissed her, she’d trembled, he’d stumbled, and they’d fought with uncertainty. It had been spectacular, and he’d never wanted anyone or anything more.

  Now with time and experience behind them, their mouths connected, their bodies melded against one another, their tastes combined. Their kiss was like coming home after he had been gone far too long.

  She let out a little moan, and he held her tighter. While she still trembled, he didn’t stumble, there was no uncertainty. They were meant to kiss. Spectacular wasn’t quite the word, dare he say he saw stars?

  With a gasp she pushed him back, but kept her hands on his chest.

  No doubt she felt the hard reaction his body had from the kiss he craved for way too long.

  She backed up and put her hand to her throat, a delightful blush tinted her cheeks. “I say we get to work.”

  He returned to his desk and sat down. Exactly like grad school, he never wanted anyone more. “I say we break out the champagne.”

  * * *

  From the balcony in Garner’s penthouse, Wynn stared out at the city and finished off her champagne.

  Yes, Garner lived in a penthouse, complete with all the trappings, including top floors, balconies, views, and rooms upon rooms of grandeur. Her fellow stargazer always lived the life of ultra-luxury. One of her favorite times in graduate school was when she went to his family’s mansion and visited his mother. She never knew people could live in such lavishness for real until she met him.

  Since she stopped the rocket launch until right this second, her entire world felt off kilter and tilted, sort of like that dream where one arrived at a class two weeks late and there would be no catching up. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and looked up. The clear blue daytime sky hid the stars, and she longed for the night where her friends would be there, right where they should be. No matter where she hung her hat, the stars and the planets were always there.

  Once Garner kissed her, she knew it would be a long time until her life regained some semblance of normalcy. No, he hadn’t evened the score when he took her in his arms, he had one over on her.