Meltdown

by Ruth Owen

  Chris gave her a strangely thoughtful smile. “We’ll see. In any case, Emma’s very interested and her opinion carries a lot of weight. I’m sure we’ll get E’s funding.”

  “I’m not talking about E. I’m talking about you. About your promotion. If I’ve hurt your chances to become Product Research manager—” Her voice broke. She closed her eyes, unable to meet his gaze.

  “Melanie, look at me.”

  Slowly she opened her eyes, preparing herself to meet the condemnation, or at least the disappointment in his own. Instead, she saw only tenderness.

  “Do you know that this is the first time you’ve thought of me before Einstein?”

  Melanie frowned. “Is that important?”

  “Important? Genius, if I didn’t have to go back in that conference room, I’d spend the next couple of hours showing you exactly how important it is. However …” He sighed and let go of her shoulders with obvious reluctance. “Go home. I’ll join you as soon as I finish with the board.”

  “I should be in there. Maybe I can help you.”

  “You’ve already helped me. More than you know. Now go home. I’ll make sure the board does right by you and Einstein.” He started to turn toward the room but looked back to give her a final confident wink. “Trust me.”

  “I know Chris asked me to go, E, but I can’t help feeling I should have stayed. At the very least I could have offered Chris moral support.” She sighed, pulling a comb through her shower-damp hair. “I feel like a chicken.”

  Illogical association. Poultry entirely different genus classification.

  “On the outside, maybe. But inside I’m a bona fide clucker.” She finished combing and slipped the comb into the pocket of her terry-cloth robe. Too bad she couldn’t untangle the knots in her heart as easily as the ones in her hair. “I know the board switched off your remote monitor as soon as the presentation finished, but Chris can still link to your mainframe by phone. Have you had any word from him?”

  Not since you asked 2.6 minutes ago.

  “Very funny,” she acknowledged, smiling in spite of her troubled spirit. “I guess if the board decides not to fund you we could get you a job as a stand-up comic.”

  Board will provide funding, he stated. Trust me.

  Trust me. Seeing Chris’s favorite expression on Einstein’s monitor filled her with a new, precious warmth. During these past weeks Chris had given a great deal of himself to E. His kindness, his fun-loving spirit, even his abysmal sense of humor were permanent additions to Einstein’s programming. And to hers as well. If E was a better computer for knowing Chris, she was a better person.

  Melanie?

  “Umm?”

  You’re in love with Chris, aren’t you?

  Melanie looked down and smoothed the tie of her robe. “Yes, E. I’m very much in love with Chris.”

  Is he very much in love with you?

  She didn’t know the answer to that question. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. She leaned her head against the side of E’s tower unit, feeling the weary disappointment of the day begin to catch up with her. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “I hope so.”

  I’ll ask him.

  “No! I mean … you shouldn’t have to ask someone if he’s in love with you. If someone’s in love with you, you just—know.”

  E’s processor whizzed. How do you just know? Explain, please. Imperative I understand.

  Melanie frowned. “Imperative? Why?”

  Will explain later, E replied cryptically. Please. Need to know.

  If Melanie had been more alert, or if she’d been less distracted by Einstein’s queries, she might have questioned his sudden interest in love. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to formulate a rational way of explaining the highly irrational state of being in love.

  “The first thing that lets you know you’re in love is the way you feel when you’re with him. Everything seems—richer. The sun shines brighter, the air smells sweeter. Even stupid jokes seem funny.”

  Enhanced input capabilities, E commented as he filed away the information. Next.

  The gentle vibration of Einstein’s tower unit lulled Melanie’s senses. She stifled a yawn. “Next … hmm, next is the amount of time you spend thinking about him. You pass a restaurant and wonder what kind of food he likes. You buy a book, thinking it might be something he’d like to read. Everything reminds you of him.”

  Global search routine. Continue.

  “You know what comes next,” Melanie said gently. “We’ve talked about it. Physical consummation. But it’s more than just a biological act when you’re in love. It’s wanting to share yourself completely with him, to give him every bit of yourself, body and soul.” She sighed, remembering the deep, profound contentment she’d felt when Chris had held her in his arms. “It’s being so much a part of him that you become one.”

  Einstein’s circuits hummed, searching his memory for the computer equivalent of her words. It was several minutes before his cursor reappeared on the screen.

  Match/Merge! he displayed triumphantly.

  He could have saved his digital display. Melanie, soothed by the steady vibrations, had fallen fast asleep.

  “Melanie.”

  “Go ’way,” she mumbled, snuggling into the chair. She was having the most wonderful dream about Chris. They were on the beach, lying together in the soft, sun-warm sand.

  “Melanie,” the voice repeated, more forcefully this time. “Melanie, wake up.”

  Reluctantly she let go of the dream. Yawning, she stretched and opened her eyes. “What—” she began, then stopped. Chris sat across from her on the edge of Einstein’s table, caressing her with the same golden gaze she’d felt so recently in her dream. His intimate perusal filled her with joy—until she remembered the presentation.

  “Chris, what happened? What did the board decide?”

  “Yes, I can see how anxious you are to know,” he said, grinning widely. “I come back here, find you sleeping—”

  “Tell me!”

  “Okay, okay,” he said, still grinning. “Everything’s fine, genius. The board approved Einstein’s funding. Sheffield Industries is going to develop him.”

  Approved. At first she felt nothing. She’d waited so long to hear that word—so many years of financial worry, of solitary frustration, of loneliness. Now the moment had arrived, and she couldn’t believe it. “Are you certain?”

  Chris laughed, his joy more convincing than any words. “Believe me, genius, I’m certain. If you don’t believe me, ask Einstein. Tell her, little buddy. The board members approved you, didn’t they?”

  Of course they did, Einstein displayed. They’re not stupid.

  “Oh, Chris,” she said, too overwhelmed to add anything to that simple statement. She smiled unevenly and felt a warm salt tear trickle down her cheek.

  “Hey, what’s this?” Chris said, brushing the tear from her cheek. He reached out and grasped her hands, pulling her gently into his arms. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be pleased.”

  “Pleased” didn’t even begin to express what she was feeling. Her heart brimmed over with emotions, emotions too enormous to fit into words. She settled against Chris’s chest, breathing in the warmth of him, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Chris was the reason for Einstein’s success—his love and support had enabled her to fulfill her dreams. Chris, who had his own dreams.…

  Melanie stiffened, suddenly aware of her selfishness. Einstein’s success hadn’t been the only thing at stake in that meeting. “Chris, what about you? Did they give you your promotion?”

  “Yes and no. The board felt I didn’t have the technical expertise necessary for the position, so—”

  Melanie’s angry words cut him off. “I don’t believe it. They turned you down. They accepted Einstein and turned you down.”

  “That’s not exactly—”

  “The nerve of those people!” she fumed. “Well, E and I aren’t going to stand for it. We’ll g
o somewhere else. Somewhere that appreciates what a wonderful Product Research manager you’d b—”

  She got no further. Chris stopped her mouth with a smooth, penetrating kiss that drove all thoughts from her head.

  “Now,” he said when he’d finished, “are you going to listen to me?”

  Melanie nodded, too shaken by the power of his kiss to argue.

  “The board,” he told her, “feels the Product Research manager should have marketing skills to determine customer demand for a proposed project, and technical skills to judge its quality. Our mutual collaboration on Einstein showed them how well you and I function as a team. They want us to take on the position as comanagers. We’ll be running the department together.”

  Melanie couldn’t believe it. She and Chris could continue to work together. In a day full of surprises this was the one that topped them all.

  Chris continued, his eyes bright with excitement. “We can make a real difference, Melanie. We can develop innovative, useful products that will help people the world over. It’s important work, an immense responsibility.”

  Melanie swallowed, unsure of how to answer. Chris was offering her a chance to help shape the future of Sheffield Industries, perhaps even the future of computer technology the world over. “Immense responsibility” was an understatement. It was an important and exciting position, but she couldn’t accept it. “Chris, I’m not qualified. You need someone experienced in Product Research.”

  “What I need,” Chris stated, “is someone experienced in caring, someone who’ll consider the human side of technology as well as the mechanical side. I don’t want some technical wiz kid with a digital processor for a heart. I—hey, what’s so funny?”

  “You,” she answered, her eyes brimming with soft laughter. “That’s what you thought I was when you first met me, didn’t you?”

  “Of course not, I—” he began, and stopped. He looked at her, his hell-and-honey gaze burning into her, caressing her without words. He cleared his throat and said, “That was before I fell in love with you.”

  Melanie swallowed, her throat gone dry. Love. That one word changed her life, turning her leaden doubts to golden possibilities. “Oh, Chris. I love you too.”

  He took her face in his hands, searing her with the heat of his touch. His humor vanished, replaced by an aching need that found its answer in her own heart. He’d never shown her this part of him, this vulnerability that lay beneath his confident exterior. For the first time he was letting her see his soul.

  His strong fingers caressed her chin, sending sweet pleasure coursing through her body. He whispered, “I can’t imagine living without you.”

  Suddenly she was aware of him as a man, of the strength in the arms that held her, of the raw power of his body. She realized she was wearing nothing beneath her bathrobe, and knew, without a doubt, that he realized it too.

  “Damn this equipment,” he growled, glancing around the cluttered room. “There’s hardly room to stand, much less to make love to a woman. A very special woman.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not special. I’m just—”

  He stopped her words with a slow, searing kiss. “Not special?” he murmured when he’d finished. “You build the most advanced computer in the world. You give me the chance to make that computer into a success for both of us. And, last but not least, you aren’t afraid to give my father a piece of your mind.”

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” Melanie said, remembering how she’d invited his father’s displeasure. “I could have ruined everything.”

  “If you had, we would have taken E somewhere else. Never compromise your beliefs, Melanie. They’re the things that make you the special person you are.” He nuzzled her hair, his warm breath tickling her ear. “Besides, Dad respected you for it. After you’d gone, he was the first to vote for Einstein’s acceptance. The board’s vote was unanimous.”

  “Unanimous? You’re jok—” she started, but lost her train of thought as Chris pulled back her bathrobe and kissed her exposed shoulder. The heat of his lips against her naked skin sent waves of fire shooting through her veins. The board, Chris’s father, even Einstein seemed unimportant. All that mattered was Chris and her love for him.

  She reached up and wove her fingers through his hair, pulling her mouth up to meet his in a shamelessly wanton embrace. Her lips parted eagerly for him, inviting him to explore the yielding softness of her mouth. “I love you,” she murmured between kisses. “I never knew this kind of love existed until I met you. I mean, I believed theoretically—”

  “No theories,” he commanded, slipping his hand under her robe to cup her breast. Slowly he moved his thumb across the hard peak, making her moan with ecstasy. “No theories,” he repeated, his voice harsh with desire. “Just tell me. Are you going to take the job or not?”

  Fire coursed through her, ignited by Chris’s skilled caresses and loving words. “This isn’t fair,” she breathed. “I should think it over.”

  “I’ll give you something to think over.”

  He stripped back her robe and lowered his mouth to the aching fullness of her breast. Melanie gasped as his hot tongue ravaged the taut peak, driving her wild with passion. She forgot their surroundings, forgot everything except her overwhelming love for him and the need to show him that love. She almost tore the suit jacket from his shoulders and flung it aside, then reached for his shirt.

  Thump.

  Melanie turned, startled by the sudden sound. She saw that Chris’s jacket had caught the edge of a small connectivity box and knocked it over. The box was too sturdy to be damaged by a minor tumble, but Melanie felt guilty just the same. Reluctantly she turned away from Chris’s arms. “I’d better check it out—”

  “No,” he said, forcibly holding her in place. “I will not let go of you. Not tonight.”

  “But—”

  “No,” he repeated, his golden eyes hot as lightning. He rose to his feet, taking her with him. “Tonight is for us, Melanie. You and me.”

  She nodded, melting under the inferno of his gaze. Wordlessly she let him lead her out of the room and down the hallway, the ripe passion in her abdomen building with every step. She ached to let him love her, and to let herself love him. To become one … She smiled, remembering what she’d said to Einstein earlier that evening, and words she’d seen on his monitor just before she’d drifted into sleep. “Match/merge,” she murmured as they reached the bedroom door.

  Chris gazed down at her, his brows drawn in puzzled concern. “Match/merge? What’s that, darling?”

  She pulled him through the bedroom door with a slow, intimate caress. “I’ll show you.”

  Twelve

  “Breakfast in bed?” Chris said as he propped himself against the headboard into a sitting position. “Genius, you’ll spoil me.”

  “Better reserve judgment until you try the coffee,” she warned. She picked a glass of orange juice off the tray and took a sip. “Hmm. Nothing I like better in the morning than fresh-squeezed toxic waste.”

  “Nothing? That’s not what you said an hour ago.”

  Melanie looked down and fingered, the tie of her bathrobe. “A gentleman should forget what a lady says in the heat of passion.”

  “That’s too bad,” he said as he reached across the tray to cup her chin. “Because this gentleman enjoys remembering what this particular lady says in the heat of passion. Every word.”

  He stroked her chin, gently pulling her toward him over the tray until his lips met hers in a feathery-soft kiss. A low, sweet moan escaped her, quickening his own gathering desire. How he loved this woman, this enchanting, guileless creature whose belief in him had given him the strength to believe in himself. He pushed aside the tray and gathered her to him, moving his lips across hers in a warm, lingering caress. There was no need to hurry. They had all the time in the world.

  “Chris?”

  “Umm,” he murmured as he kissed the corner of her mouth.

  “Chris, don’t be a
ngry, but I really should check on—”

  “Einstein,” Chris finished with a sigh. “Genius, your timing leaves a lot to be desired.”

  “I know. I should have checked on him while I was making you breakfast, but I didn’t even think about it. I wanted everything to be perfect …”

  “It is perfect,” he assured her, thinking it was all the more perfect because she’d thought of the two of them before she’d thought of Einstein. He gave the tip of her nose a swift kiss. “Go. I guess I can afford to be generous. I won’t begrudge Einstein these last few mornings with you.”

  “I won’t be a minute,” she said as she slid off the bed and walked out the bedroom door.

  Good thing, Chris thought as he watched her leave. Every moment he spent without her seemed like a lifetime. He reached over and put his palm on the place where she’d been sitting, soaking in the heat of the still warm indentation. Melanie. She’d always be a part of his thoughts, his heart—

  “Chris?”

  He looked up, surprised to see her back so soon. “You weren’t kidding when you said you wouldn’t be a minute.”

  She didn’t return his smile. “Chris, what did you mean about not begrudging Einstein these last few mornings with me? What did you mean by that?”

  “I meant exactly that. I don’t mind you spending these last few mornings with Einstein.”

  “But why ‘last’?”

  Chris frowned. “Melanie, as cohead of Product Research you’ll be traveling all over the country, checking out new projects for Sheffield to develop. If we spend one week a month here in Florida, we’ll be lucky. You won’t have time to work with E.”

  Melanie shook her head. “Then I’ll have to make the time. Einstein depends on me. I can’t just walk away and desert him.”

  Melanie tried to keep her voice steady, but Chris knew her well enough to hear the uncertainty in her tone. He left the bed and walked over to her, wrapping her in the warm comfort of his arms. “You don’t have to worry about E. Sheffield’s development facilities are the finest in the country. He’ll be refitted with the latest equipment. His systems will be completely overhauled and improved. Why, in a month or two you probably won’t recognize him.”