by Meg Ripley
“Krista!” Alyssa slapped her hand on the edge of her desk. This was entirely too much first thing in the morning. “Please, just get to the point.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry. I was trying to organize all the files in the computer for the Talos Project, but it keeps telling me I don’t have the clearance to do it.” Krista twisted her hands nervously in front of her, waiting for Alyssa to swoop in and save her before Brinkmann put her ass in the wringer.
Alyssa pushed gently past her to the breakroom in search of the coffee the other employee had promised. Her stomach puckered again at the mention of the Talos Project; it was exactly the reason she was so nervous about her work these days. Bios Labs had been lucky enough to secure a long-term government contract, but developing super soldiers was a huge deal. Alyssa had realized what a tough secret it was to keep the previous week when a reporter had managed to get a hold of her direct extension and attempted to question her thoroughly. Of course, Alyssa had no comment and pretended not to understand why anybody would even want to call her lab, but the incident had reminded her just what a delicate business she was in.
She grabbed an oversized mug from the cabinet in the kitchenette and filled it with the strong brew, which she instantly clouded with a slug of creamer from the fridge. Skipping the sugar dish, she stirred her drink and took a long draught before turning around to face the expectant Krista. “Why didn’t you bring the problem to Jeff?”
The girl sighed. “I tried, but he said he was too busy with some firewall or something to mess with me. He said the soonest he could get around to me was tomorrow, but Dr. Brinkmann wants this done ASAP.”
“Of course, he does.” Dr. Brinkmann, as the head of Bios Labs, always wanted everything done faster than was humanly possible. “Maybe he should be working on a bionic receptionist instead of super soldiers.”
Krista’s eyes widened at the slanderous remark, but she giggled appreciatively.
“Come on. I’ll take a look at it.” Alyssa followed Krista to her desk, which was really just a shaky table in a makeshift cubicle. The lower level employees were treated as such, and it was only by climbing through the ranks that they earned a nice corner office like Alyssa had. She remembered clearly, though, what it had been like to have a rickety workspace and an ancient laptop and be expected to keep up. “Show me what you’re doing.”
Clicking through the procedure, Krista’s shoulders slumped when she was once again met with a large popup on her screen, announcing that her clearance wasn’t high enough to mess with the files. “See? It hates me.”
“No, you just aren’t used to the system yet.” Alyssa leaned over and put her hand on the mouse. “You just have to make sure you don’t skip this screen, where you have to type in your security code. It’s supposed to go in this field right here.”
“Oh. I didn’t even see that.”
Alyssa smiled. She had snapped at Krista and felt bad for it now. It was just so early in the day. “Trust me, I only know this from experience.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Fine by me. I’ll remember that when I’m on night shift.” Alyssa headed back to her desk to start her work for the day. She had jotted several notes to herself over the weekend, not wanting to lose any ideas as they came to her. She used to be just like Krista, wanting to come in at all hours to keep from getting behind or missing out on anything exciting, but she had learned that it was worth it to take a little downtime. She adjusted her glasses and began tapping away on her computer, running calculations, setting up simulations, and pulling up previous research and experiments. Her work down in the lab would come later.
She was only vaguely aware of a stir that started behind her on the other end of the third floor. Alyssa was so engrossed in her work that it was only when a knock came on her door that she finally looked up from her computer. “Dr. Brinkmann?”
A tall slim man in a lab coat stood in her doorway, a small smile on his thin lips. He gestured ostentatiously behind him, ushering in another man. “Good morning, Alyssa. I’d like you to meet Dirk Bennett. He’s contacted me with an interest in our lab and the work we do here, and he’s getting the full tour this morning.”
Alyssa slowly stood from her desk chair, realizing her left leg had fallen asleep. She’d been sitting still for too long. “The…full tour?”
Dr. Brinkmann’s dark eyes sparkled. “Of course. Mr. Bennett, meet Alyssa Thompson. She’s the top scientist at our firm, second only to myself. She’s a brilliant mind and is responsible for many of the advances Bios has made.”
The man who had stepped into her office was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. His deep chestnut hair was long on the top, swooping to the side over his forehead fashionably. With his designer suit, he was the picture of a powerful businessman. He didn’t bother hiding his smile as he walked up to Alyssa’s desk and held out his hand. His silvery eyes darted down her body and back to her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Shaking his hand perfunctorily, Alyssa felt her stomach knot so tightly, she thought it might stick to her spine. This guy was hot; there was no doubt about it. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel like she was a beauty queen, but she had a deep-seated suspicion that he made every woman feel that way. Even so, it made a ripple of electricity shiver down her body and land right between her legs. She plastered a smile on her face and turned to her boss. “Dr. Brinkmann, I didn’t expect to see you so early today.”
The doctor lifted his shoulders slightly and held out his hands modestly. “I do what I have to for the company, and our good friend here was eager to see our facilities.”
“Well, since you’re here, could I talk to you for just a second?”
Dr. Brinkmann gestured to his guest. “I don’t want to be rude to Mr. Bennett.”
“It’ll take just a moment, I promise.” She managed to shoo the newcomer back out of her office and called out to a nearby cubicle. “Krista, could you get Mr. Bennett a cup of coffee and keep him entertained for just a moment?”
The young girl came trotting around the corner, and her angular jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Oh, um, hi. Yeah, uh, come right this way.” From the flush in her cheeks and the excitement in her eyes, Alyssa knew Krista understood right away just who was standing in front of her. The girl gamboled off toward the breakroom like an excited puppy. Mr. Bennett followed, a bemused expression on his striking face.
Alyssa yanked her office door shut. “What the hell are you doing? Do you know who that is?” She had heard plenty of stories about Dirk Bennett. There was no way of knowing just how much of what was printed in the tabloids was true, but she had an idea that a decent amount of it was. He was young and rich, and he had the attitude and lifestyle to go with it. There was no reason for a man like him to be in their facility, wealthy or not.
“Of course, I know who he is,” Dr. Brinkmann replied calmly. His voice was quiet and crisp. “He’s from one of the richest families in the country, and he’s interested in us.”
“I don’t give two shits who he is,” she replied tersely. “You can’t just let people parade through here. Do I have to remind you of the stipulations the President put on us when he sanctioned the Talos Project? Or of the reporter who somehow got wind that we were doing experiments that ride the line of ethics like a champion surfer?” She felt her anger boiling up inside her as she spoke, realizing just how irritated she was about constantly being pushed toward the edge of her comfort zone. The work had started out innocently enough, but every day she found herself questioning what she was doing.
“I’m well aware of what we have here, Alyssa. But that’s precisely the issue. We’re completely restricted by our work with the government. You know just as well as I do that our achievements would be lauded in every scientific journal on the planet if only people were allowed to know about them. The government dangles money in our faces but requires us to be silent. Mr. Bennett’s money would allow our work to come out into the spotl
ight.” He gave her another small smile, one that said he knew he was right.
Alyssa glanced through the glass door of her office. She could just see the rich man’s back in the doorway of the breakroom. He was gesturing mildly with one hand, no doubt complimenting Krista on her coffee making skills and charming the pants right off her. She narrowed her eyes. “What does he want in return?”
Another half-shrug from Dr. Brinkmann. “We haven’t gotten to that yet. I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be reasonable. At the very least, it’ll be something we can handle.”
But Alyssa still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know. I don’t trust people like him. How much money did he say he would give us?” She could just imagine the lab under private patronage. It could be a dream come true, but it could just as easily be a nightmare.
“He hasn’t said, exactly. He just casually mentioned that he’s interested in doing some investing. But he was the one who called and asked for a tour. I imagine he’s not doing that just for fun.”
“How much did you tell him?” Alyssa demanded. She whirled back around to look at Dr. Brinkmann, glaring, but she quickly looked away again. His inky black eyes were so dark that there was little distinction between his iris and his pupil, and it made him difficult to look at.
“Calm down, Alyssa. That’s your one downfall. You get too excitable about things.”
“Please at least tell me you haven’t taken him to the basement.”
“Not yet,” Brinkmann replied, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly. “I probably won’t, but that will depend on how things go. Let’s just say he’ll have to pay his way in if he wants to know about the Talos Project.”
Alyssa huffed at her boss. He was a brilliant man, enough so that he could be dangerous, but she was important enough to the company that she knew she could speak her mind without fear of getting fired. More than once, she had considered leaving. There were plenty of other labs she could go work for, and with her medical and biology background, they would scoop her up in an instant. But none of them paid the way Bios did, and none of them were doing anything quite as exciting. Even if Bennett became their new backer, it wouldn’t really change things. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. You should have at least told me he was coming today. I could have prepared myself. We need to have some sort of cover story in place so he doesn’t know what we’re really doing around here.”
Brinkmann shook his head, looking down his slim nose at her. “I doubt he would understand any of it. Besides, I wouldn’t have wanted to disturb your weekend.”
It was a dig at her lack of a social life and she knew it, but it wasn’t worth pursuing. “Just keep your eye on him, and don’t give us away. The last thing I need is to have the FBI raid this place and claim the government knows nothing.” She turned back to her desk, hearing the door shut behind her as Brinkmann left.
But the doctor and the unwelcome guest were back at the end of the day. “Alyssa, Dirk and I are heading to dinner. I’d like you to come with us.”
A chill of repulsion crawled up Alyssa’s neck and down again. This couldn’t be good. If Bennett was already wanting to wine and dine the lead scientists at Bios, then he was planning on sticking his nose and his money where it didn’t belong. For the briefest moment, Alyssa allowed a flashing fantasy of what work would be like with private funding. They could have so much freedom! But there was no guarantee of any of that, and some rich playboy like Dirk couldn’t give a crap about the lab unless it lined his own pocket. “I have a lot of work to do, actually.”
“Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow,” Brinkmann said patiently. “Come on, now. I managed to get us a reservation at The Bistro.”
Flipping her braid over her shoulder with irritation, Alyssa signed off her computer and stood up. She bit her tongue against asking why a dinner with Mr. Moneybags was so damn important. “Alright. I don’t think I’m really dressed for going out, though.”
“It’ll be fine,” Dirk said. He managed to keep his eyes on her face this time.
Dr. Brinkmann hadn’t just gotten them a reservation at The Bistro, but at a private table in the back of the restaurant. It was separated from the rest of the dining room by a partial wall that kept the diners hidden while they ate, and there was even a private entrance so they wouldn’t have to parade past the other patrons. “The maître d’ is my nephew,” he explained quietly. “I try not to take advantage, but sometimes it’s nice to pull a few strings.”
“I completely understand.” Dirk skimmed the menu. “Is there anything you recommend?”
“I’ve never had anything bad.”
“I’ll go with something simple. The croque madame, please.”
Surprised that he hadn’t gone with something at least a little fancier, Alyssa skipped past the more expensive part of the menu and ordered the French onion soup. Dr. Brinkmann followed suit with a bowl of cassoulet.
As soon as the waitress left—after she had cast several flirtatious glances toward Dirk—he put his elbows on the table and leaned forward so that the light over the table cast sharp shadows over his face. “Alright. I think it’s time I come clean and tell the two of you why I’m so interested in your company.”
Alyssa felt a prickle of cold sweat across her skin. This was it. He was going to offer them money in exchange for secrets. They couldn’t do it without violating their contracts. Any chance of getting private funding from Bennett would go riding swiftly down the drain, and the whole charade would be over. It was what she wanted, but why did it make her so nervous?
“And all this time I thought you were just interested in my charming personality,” Dr. Brinkmann joked drily.
Dirk smiled, but he was ready to talk. “My company has quite a bit of money to invest, and I’d like to find the perfect company to back. I don’t want to just buy up a smaller oil company or invest in gas stations. I want to do something that will not only diversify our investment portfolio but also expand the reach of Bennett Energy.”
Brinkmann pursed his lips and glanced at Alyssa as if to say he told her so. “I must admit, I was a little surprised to hear from you. I didn’t think a company like yours would be interested in a company like ours.”
Bennett sat back a little. “I know, it seems strange. But think about it. Bios Labs specializes in synthetic biology. That means the two of you and your team could do an awful lot to advance the future of fuel.”
“Forgive me for saying so, but we aren’t working on alternative fuels right now.” Another wave of panic hit her as thoughts of the Talos Project came creeping through her mind. “Why wouldn’t you pick a lab that’s already doing that sort of work?” Brinkmann would probably have something to say about this later. She could almost sense her boss’ feathers ruffling.
Dirk laid his hand flat on the table. “That’s a reasonable question. I admit that I looked at a few other labs, but I didn’t like them as much. They’re already too big, too self-important. Besides they didn’t have the kinds of scientists I was looking for. The two of you are brilliant, and I think you’re the ones for the job.”
“What if we don’t want the job?” The tension in their little corner of the restaurant built up until Alyssa thought she would suffocate.
Brinkmann cleared his throat. “Perhaps our position on the job is something the two of us should discuss in private.”
“Perhaps you should,” Dirk agreed, “but the thing is, I’m not offering the job just yet. I may be rich, but I’m not stupid. I know that Bios is working on government contracts and that they’re highly classified. That right there was enough to let me know you were good, but I need to know all of it. I need to know exactly what you’ve been doing.”
“I’m sure you must understand, Mr. Bennett,” Brinkmann said with a smile, “that we aren’t at liberty to discuss such things.”
“Oh, I know.” Dirk picked up the remaining piece of his croissant and mopped up the remains of the egg yolk on his plate. “I g
et it. But Bios or whatever other lab I decide to back has to be absolutely perfect. I know I work for a big corporation and that you just see me as a suit with a checkbook, but the truth is that I’m absolutely fascinated by science. I have my Master’s from Harvard, and I didn’t pursue that just so I could have a fancy piece of paper hanging on my wall. If I invest in Bios Labs, I want to have a hand in the research that happens there.”
Alyssa stared at him, seeing him in a different light suddenly and not just because he had leaned back into the shadows of the booth. He had seemed so cocky and arrogant back at the lab, just the way she would have thought a man like him would be. But he was interested in something more than just getting a return on his money. Still, a degree didn’t necessarily mean he knew his stuff. “That could be a little difficult. I mean, we don’t normally just bring random people in from the outside.”
“I’ve never been known for doing things the normal way,” Dirk said with a small shrug. “If you think I’m a nut, or if you want me to just shut up and take my money elsewhere, that’s fine. But I really do love science, and if I’m going to follow my dreams, I’d like to do it with a team of brilliant scientists around me.”
Brinkmann laughed again. “That all sounds wonderful, but how do I know you didn’t just buy your degree?”
“Trust me. I didn’t.” There was a serious note to his voice that made Alyssa raise an eyebrow.
As they finished their meals, the three of them chatted about numerous scientific fields, from the latest advances in space, to the research behind immunizations, to nanotechnology that could be used in the medical field. Alyssa was shocked to hear that Dirk actually knew what he was talking about. And it wasn’t just that he had read the headlines, but that he understood what was going on in the world and knew the basic principles behind it.