Chapter Fifteen
What the flek did I just do?
From the moment she’d opened her door, an exotic, sensual vision, exuding her unique enticing scent, he’d started to lose his mind. If the vehicle hadn’t landed when it did…
People often claimed temporary insanity, but he had discounted it as an excuse, a hoax even.
But it was real. He served as a gasping, hard example.
His erection gave no indication of abating any time soon, and his markings buzzed.
He had to fight the urge to leap back into the vehicle and finish what he’d started.
Thank the gods she remained in the vehicle so he could compose himself.
She’s my assistant. She works under me.
Flekkery, he wanted her under him.
She didn’t like him most of the time, but she’d kissed him, clung to him when he might have mustered some control, and pulled away. Clearly, insanity was contagious.
The vehicle door opened, and she slipped out, head high, eyes averted.
The vehicle zoomed away to park itself.
“That should not have happened,” he said as if he hadn’t been the instigator, as if, with only the slightest encouragement, he wouldn’t kiss her again then summon the vehicle, and rush her to his penthouse. What the flekkery is wrong with me? “It cannot happen again.”
“Agreed.” She still wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“Let’s go inside,” he said.
Check-in had been set up in the anteroom of the massive convention hall. He didn’t know the male behind the desk, but a badge identified him as a marketing staff member. The man greeted him perfunctorily by name and handed him a name tag before turning to Savannah with a stupid grin.
“You must be the Savannah Mays I’ve heard so much about.” He passed her a name tag.
Her closed expression opened into a friendly smile. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I am Savannah.”
He clipped his badge to his suit and stalked inside.
A hologram stage for the presentations to come provided a focal point in the massive space. The company’s larger products were displayed around the room’s perimeter, smaller objects contained in booths manned by staff.
Formally attired attendees milled around with drinks in hand, while others perched at high tables eating delicacies served by robos circulating with trays.
In the crowd, he spotted the Northwest Province governor with a male he assumed was her husband, the head of a company they’d been trying to woo, and several OberTech executives and board members.
And, making a beeline for him, the marketing vice president. “You came,” Hadron said.
“Was there any doubt?”
“You hate these things.”
“It’s good for the company,” he said. This was Marketing’s bailiwick, but the entire executive office had been tagged to assist.
“You must be Stratos’ record-setting new assistant.” Hadron smiled.
Stratos ground his teeth.
She laughed. “I don’t know about that.”
“You’ve managed to satisfy him for more than a month.” Was it imagination, or did Hadron emphasize the word satisfy?
“It’s early yet. We’ll see…” she said.
What did she mean by that? Had the kiss changed her mind about working for him? He tried to get a read, but she avoided his eyes, instead focused on Hadron like he was the most fascinating person in the world rather than an arrogant, pushy bore.
“Great atmosphere! The decorations are beautiful!” she gushed.
“We hired a local company to decorate to demonstrate our commitment to the province.”
He hadn’t even noticed the décor but now observed how hover lights floating overhead had the effect of lowering the soaring ceiling.
Tables were draped in black, taupe, and cream fabrics and set with the flattering softening lights OberTech had developed.
Modern sculptures and potted plants had been strategically placed to warm the space without obstructing traffic.
“The goal tonight is to mingle, mingle, mingle, and answer any questions people may have about our products. We’re going for a soft-sell approach. Stratos, it would be a good idea if you spent some time in the product-staging area,” Hadron said.
“I could have figured that out myself,” he said.
“Well, good. Then I suppose you know all the buyers you should try to meet?”
He recognized the CEOs because they were in the news all the time, and their names had come up in executive meetings, but he couldn’t pick out the rank-and-file buyers.
“I thought not.” Hadron smirked and reeled off a list of names and their respective companies. “Got that?”
No.
“Yes.” Savannah held up a recording device.
“You don’t deserve her,” Hadron said and left to bother someone else.
“Thank you,” he ground out, obligated to acknowledge she’d saved his ass.
“You’re welcome,” she said tersely.
A robo rolled up with a tray of oophish, his favorite delicacy, but he’d lost his appetite.
“No,” he said.
“No, thank you.” She stared at the tray, looking aghast.
“You don’t care to eat?”
“I ate before I left.”
“I thought you knew there would be food.”
“I did. That’s why I ate beforehand.”
He frowned, not understanding, but shook off the confusion. “Perhaps, then, as I have been instructed, we should mingle.”
“Do you want to cruise the perimeter where people are examining the products or try to find specific buyers and introduce yourself?”
“Perimeter,” he said, grateful to have a task to focus on. His erection had subsided, but his markings still tingled. Thankfully, the sensation was on the inside and wasn’t visible to the observer. To her.
They strolled toward the displays.
“The stuff on that tray was moving,” she commented.
He nodded. “Oophish. The more it moves, the fresher it is.”
“What is it exactly?”
“It’s the bladder of a tiny sea creature stuffed with spices and live insect larvae.”
She uttered a tiny choking sound and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Are you all right?”
Fanning her face, she nodded.
They strolled among the inventions, many of which he’d created, and within a short time, he became engaged in conversation with a genuinely interested audience.
People had questions; he had the answers.
The second most enjoyable thing after designing was discussing designs.
He hated parties and senseless chitchat, but he loved sharing the details of his creations, their special specs, and why a particular feature had been designed a certain way.
He could do this with half a brain, and did, because the kiss remained at the forefront of his mind, despite his efforts to suppress it.
He kept remembering the softness of her lips, her avid response, how sweet she’d tasted and smelled.
With her looking so stunning and beautiful, right at his side, how could he forget?
She seemed to have forgotten it. Efficiency personified, she kept an eye out for buyers, checking name tags against her list and then surreptitiously pointing out people he should speak to.
In a rare act of magnanimity, he manned a demo booth to allow a staffer to grab a bite to eat. “Be sure to try the oophish,” he advised, half regretting his decision to turn it down.
After the vendor returned and relieved him, Savannah said, “You should circulate in the crowd a little.” He’d been sticking to the perimeter where the displays were.
“Introduce yourself. Find out what products they’re most interested in.
If they haven’t visited the displays, you can encourage them to do so. ”
“Fine.”
A robo approached with a tray of nibbles, not oophish, but this time, he took one. Savannah declined.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He popped it into his mouth, took another one, and waved the robo away.
“The cafeteria doesn’t serve oophish, right?” she asked.
He laughed at the idea. “Oophish is an expensive delicacy. The cafeteria serves more plebian fare.”
Savannah glanced at the photo on her handheld, nudged him, and motioned at a man headed their way.
“He’s the head of Inventory Acquisition for Alcyoneus, Inc.
” Named after the largest galaxy in the universe, Alcyoneus had offices in every province and a consumer reach that extended across Oberia and five other planets.
Getting OberTech products into the company’s retail outlets would be a major coup.
When the man reached them, it wasn’t Stratos he greeted. “You must be Savannah Mays from Earth. I thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Vecton with Alcyoneus.”
“How did you know who I am?” she asked.
“You’re the only human here.”
There were a handful of aliens, but she was the only Earther. But, even in a roomful of humans, she’d stand out.
“What they didn’t say was how pretty you are.” He smiled appreciatively.
What the flek! He’s hitting on my assistant.
“Thank you,” she replied. “Have you met my boss, Stratos?”
“No, I don’t think I have.” An impersonal smile from Vecton now.
“Stratos is the vice president of Research and Development.”
“Another person I’d hoped to meet,” he replied in a warmer tone, but it wasn’t enough for Vecton to redeem himself.
“Really?” Stratos bit out.
The toe of Savannah’s shoe hit his ankle. Did she just kick me? “Nice to meet you,” he forced out.
“Have you seen the product demo area yet?” she asked Vecton.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. The personal hydrator caught my eye, but I’m wondering about the target market, how big of a market it might be.” The hydrator pulled hydrogen and oxygen from the atmosphere to make water.
“Stratos developed that one himself. Tell him about it.”
“We perceive the market as explorers, scientists, and colonists on planets where water isn’t readily available,” he explained and, putting aside his animosity, gave him a rundown on the hydrator’s specs and applications. Company first.
“I’d like to hear more,” Vecton said. “Perhaps we could meet?”
“Of course. Our Sales and Marketing Department should be involved, too,” he said.
“Of course.”
“I’d be happy to set up a holo-meeting,” Savannah said.
“I would like that. My assistant will get in touch,” Vecton replied, and then got personal again. “What brought you from Earth to OberTech?”
“I got the job through GAL Friday, a galactic temp agency. This is where they sent me. I’m helping out until Stratos’ regular assistant comes back from maternity leave.”
“Oh…” His eyes gleamed with interest. “So, it’s not permanent then.”
“Permanent enough,” Stratos growled. “Excuse us.” He took Savannah’s arm and led her away.
“That was rather rude,” she said.
He claimed an open table. “Have you ever known me to be different?” He signaled a robo passing around drinks and grabbed a stein of vekkel.
“No, thank you,” she told the robo.
“I’ll take hers.” He grabbed another stein.
“This is about the kiss,” she said after the robo rolled away.
“No. That was a mistake. I apologized for that.” He took a gulp.
“Just because you decided to lay one on me—uninvited, I might add—doesn’t give you the right to control my personal life.”
“You’re supposed to be working. Not flirting,” he said, aware he was being unfair.
She glanced around and then leaned in. “Flirting? I was covering for your rudeness. You’re supposed to be working, too. You have far more at stake than I do, and you were barely civil to an important buyer.” She glowered. “But if I want to flirt, I’ll flirt.”
“There you are, Stratos,” said a chilly, haughty familiar voice.
Flekkery. Flekkery. Flekkery! Could the situation get any worse?
“Good evening, Frysta,” Savannah said.
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” His mother didn’t acknowledge her greeting but launched right at him.
“You found me,” he said.
“You should be working the room instead of cavorting with your assistant.” Her lip curled with disapproval as she eyed the steins and then Savannah.
“There is no cavorting.” Except for the kiss. A lapse in judgment that wouldn’t be repeated. “And with all due respect, Mother, I don’t need you to remind me of my responsibilities.”
“You should not have brought her.”
Savannah turned red and ducked her head before lifting her chin.
A protective instinct took over. He would not allow his mother to denigrate Savannah. “Why shouldn’t I have brought her? She is my assistant,” he replied coldly. He’d spotted his mother’s assistant, Corona’s, and Hadron’s.
“Her humanness is a distraction. People are talking about her—not our products.” Frysta’s expression soured further.
Anger flashed hot. “Only in a complimentary way, and when they come to meet her, they learn about our products—which is exactly what happened with Vecton.” The conversation had ended abruptly, but Vecton would follow up.
Business was business, and if emotions happened to get involved, well, compartmentalization was the way to combat that.
His mother huffed and swept away in a swirl of skirts.
“She doesn’t like me,” Savannah said in a small voice.
“Don’t let her get to you,” he said. “She doesn’t like me either.”
“You’re her son.”
I’m her impediment. “All the more reason.” He finished off the vekkel. “If you’re not going to eat, we’d better circulate.”
He returned to the product display area where he had props to rely on and felt more comfortable.
His mother, curse her, proved right in one respect.
Savannah had become the talk of the trade show.
Multiple individuals approached, wishing to meet her.
It did not escape his notice that most of them were men—and not all the interest was professional.
But he’d been wrong to accuse her of flirting. She’d smile congenially, thank them for their interest, then skillfully shift the conversation to the company products, and hand them over to him to close the deal. It worked just like he’d told his mother it did.
His capable, efficient, beautiful assistant whom he shouldn’t have kissed, knew how to work a room.