One Sizzling Night(16)
So what the hell was he doing, mooning over someone he barely knew? Yes, the sex last night had been incredible—possibly the best he’d ever had—and if it turned out to be just a one-night stand, he’d visit that memory often. Not his disappointment.
Besides, his mind needed to be on work. Taking down names, getting business cards. There was such a wealth of opportunity in this loud, overcrowded convention hall.
He also needed to check out the room where he’d be speaking tomorrow to get a feel for it. It just so happened someone he respected was giving a presentation on “Future Crimes in a Connected World” at 4:00 p.m. in the same room, so he figured he’d wait until then.
But most of his day would be spent checking out booths and collecting brochures. He’d stopped by Holstrom’s booth yesterday, to take a quick look at what he was showcasing. There had been a lot of impressive stuff. And since Logan hadn’t slept much last night, he’d done some poking around online. Today he had a few questions for the reps.
He knew that his future didn’t depend on the Holstrom contract, even if it felt like it did. Logan had faced so much during his career. This was just another challenge. And so, evidently, was Kensey. Goddamn it, he had to find out her last name.
For the umpteenth time he wondered what had made her disappear without a word. Maybe she’d gone to check her messages and had a work problem to deal with. Or she’d fallen asleep.
Nah, he hadn’t been on the phone that long.
It still bothered him, that comment about black ops. It wasn’t the first time he’d been asked about that by civilians. He’d never given it much thought. But with Kensey...
Something was going on with her, and his gut told him the black ops remark wasn’t simply a misunderstanding. She’d set off his radar in more ways than one. But there was nothing he could do about it. Not here, not now.
The last two sips of his coffee had gone cold. He needed more caffeine, pronto.
Turning right, he made mental notes as to which booths he’d come back to visit. When he heard his name being called from a booth up ahead, he grinned. Only one person he knew could yell like a quarterback and look like a shy, sweet thing.
His pace quickened and there she was, up ahead, right before a log jam of conference goers. Sam O’Connel, with her unmistakable long wavy hair the color of a copper penny. She’d named her business SOC Electronics, a riff on her name. But SOC was also an acronym for Special Operations Command in the military, as well as a computing term. A device called a System-on-Chip integrated all the components of a computer into a single chip.
They’d all called her Soc in college. They were right to. He’d never known anyone to have tackled so many areas of computing or electronics and been so successful.
Hell, designing the smart apartment was what she did for fun.
She stood outside her large, crowded booth, her smile as big as ever, but man, she’d changed. Her image on the apartment’s wall monitor hadn’t done her justice.
The closer he got, the better she looked. Who would’ve guessed she’d blossom in her thirties? No, Sam was younger than him and the rest of the gang. Twenty-nine, maybe? The whiz kid had been a college freshman at fourteen.
“Logan. You look good.”
“Me?” He wrapped her in a big hug. “You went and got gorgeous. When did that happen?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Probably when you started needing glasses.”
He held her at arm’s length. “Sorry. Twenty-twenty vision all the way. You are seriously beautiful.”
She blushed, turning so pink her cheeks almost matched her hair.
“Makeup and a sexy dress? Is this the new you? Or are you just trying to impress me?”
“Yeah, right.” Sam grinned. “I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece. How about my furniture? You didn’t break anything last night, did you?”
“Smart ass.” Logan had forgotten about his SOS call. “Yeah, we don’t need to ever bring that up again.”
“Fine. But no more cracks about the dress and makeup,” she said as she led him to the booth’s entrance. “I was interviewed earlier for Security Management mag. Why they didn’t want to photograph me in my work uniform, I’ll never know.”
“Your work uniform consists of tights and nerdy T-shirts. Unless things have truly changed in your world.”
“Nope. You ought to try it out. With your legs? You’d look hot.”
Once he was inside her booth, he understood why there were so many people waiting to talk with her. She was Steve Jobs mixed with Nikola Tesla. SOC Electronics dealt in everything from biometrics to nonlethal weapons. Sam also worked on the cutting edge of prosthetic animatronics, and she’d made him a burglar-proof lock for his ten-speed back in school that he used to this day.
Luckily for Logan, the four people manning the booth were doing all the meeting and greeting. He didn’t know the three women but he recognized the guy from their MIT days...
“You remember Clark Draper?” Sam said.
“Sure do.” Logan shook his hand. Now he looked like a computer geek. It was clear he didn’t wear ties very often, or get any sun. He’d signed on with Sam during junior year. He’d taken her messages, made her appointments and herded her to class, while she collected multiple degrees and invented things.
“It’s good to see you, Clark,” he said. “You still have that model plane collection?”
“Yep.”
“Excellent.”
From what Logan remembered of Clark, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. At least in this kind of setting. Get him alone and he could be pretty interesting. Logan turned his attention back to Sam.
She led him behind a big table display of computers, all of them showing off her latest gadgets in 3D. Set in the back away from the crowd were two director’s chairs, and they sat close to each other so they wouldn’t have to yell over the din.
“So, how are things at the apartment?”
“Un-effing-believable. It’s like moving in with the Jetsons, only much better. Sam, I’m not kidding. People would pay up the wazoo to have that bathroom alone. And the kitchen? I’ve proposed to the coffee maker. Still waiting for an answer.”
Sam laughed. “Did you see the mac and cheese and the Cap’n Crunch?”
“What do you think I had for dinner last night?”
“Oh, God, really? And Kensey?”
“Frosted Flakes.”
“Huh. Now, that surprises me.”
Logan was tempted. It was the perfect opening. Sam obviously knew a little more than she’d let on about Kensey.
“So, about the walls changing colors,” Sam said. “You think it’s too much?”
“Jesus, girl. You knocked it out of the park. I mean, come on. That’s going to be standard for every house in the world before you can blink. You’re going to make a fortune.”
She grinned, flushed and happy, then looked at her feet. “I’m still not sure I’m going to make it public. I don’t like the idea of strangers staying there.”
“Well, if it bothers you, I’ll try and come to Boston as frequently as possible so I can stay there. Although, you really will miss out on a fortune.”
She shrugged, then met his gaze again. “I’ve got money. My own now.”
Logan wasn’t sure what she meant. He thought her parents had kept her in popcorn and Diet Mountain Dew until she’d set up shop.
“I never told you about my seed money, did I?”
He shook his head.
“Neil Patterson.”
“Okay.” Logan knew the name, and wondered if Patterson was the man Kensey had worked for, as well, if that was the connection between them.
“He saw my thesis project.”
“The face recognition program?”
“Yeah. He said he thought I showed some talent and we worked it out. Neil was my only revenue source for a few years. He was very patient and even helped me learn the business side of things. Helped Clark, too. Now we’re all making a bundle.”
“That’s great. Really great.” A piece of the puzzle almost fit but something was off. Kensey had tensed when she’d mentioned her former employer, so Logan had assumed their split had been less than amicable. “Did Kensey used to work for him? Is that why she’s staying at the apartment?”
Sam’s eyes closed. “Please don’t ask me about any of that. He’s never asked me for anything. It’s been straight up business this whole time, nothing personal. So when he asked for this, I said yes. He could have asked me to let her live there for the rest of her life, and I’d have said yes. She’s nice, though. I mean, she’s been nice on the phone. Did she do something horrible? Please say no.”
“No. Not horrible. Just odd.”
“The black ops thing? Because I don’t think she meant anything by it, Logan. Honestly. I would tell you if she did.”
He shook his head.
Sam put her hand up. “I knew it. It’s got to do with that horny business. I hope someone else can help you with that, ’cause it’s not going to be me.”
Logan couldn’t help laughing.
“Shut up.” Blushing, she smacked his arm. “I didn’t mean it like that.”