by Diana X Dunn
Diana chuckled. “You forget, I was adopted before birth, one of the abandoned ex-utero babies back when ex-utero was still an exciting new option for couples looking to have a family. No one was worried about regulating it until the first time a couple didn’t bother to come back when their baby was ready. I’ve read estimates that as many as five hundred babies ended up without parents in the first year of ex-utero baby making. I was one of the lucky ones. I got a home and my whole life mapped out for me. I’ve heard a lot of unhappy stories about things that happened to some of the less fortunate ones. What that all means is that I’ve never been someone permanent, so I can’t miss how that feels.”
Ryan shook his head. “I was much-loved only child of older parents who spoiled me completely and thoroughly. They both passed away when I was in college, which makes this job a lot easier. I’ve no real family to keep in touch with anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” Diana told him.
“Thank you.”
She looked at his file again. “Now you have to start being Ryan. The best way I’ve found to get started is to jump in with both feet.”
“What does that mean?”
“Does Ryan want to buy a new friend dinner?” Diana asked in a teasing tone.
“You mean you?” He sounded surprised.
Diana laughed. “Yes, me,” she answered. “Don’t look so shocked. I’m not suggesting a relationship or anything, but I’ve usually found that it is helpful to get out and really work at being whomever I’m supposed to be, rather than just focus on sitting around my apartment reading about who I’m supposed to be.”
Ryan nodded, doubt still showing on his face. “I guess,” he said eventually.
“It’s only dinner,” she told him. “You can tell me all about investment banking and what it was like to grow up in,” she checked the biography again. “West Seneca, New York.”
“Okay, sure,” Ryan answered, beginning to sound interested in the idea. “Where do you want to go?”
“Hasn’t Ryan figured out a favorite new restaurant in his new neighborhood yet?” Diana asked him.
“Um, no,” Ryan answered, flushing.
“Well, then he needs to start checking them out to try to find one,” Diana told him. “I passed three that looked interesting on my way here. The Bar Bar looks like a health food and FADS specialist place that will fill your stomach with nutritious food substitutes and healthy beverages. Is that Ryan’s sort of thing?”
Ryan shuddered. “No way. I’m no food expert, but I won’t do FADS bars if I have a choice of anything else.”
Diana laughed. “Okay, then, how about Ethnicity? They serve exotic foods from around the world. I checked the menu and it looked to be mostly Chinese and Japanese cuisines with a few other bits and pieces to keep things interesting.”
“I guess I could go with that,” Ryan said with a marked lack of enthusiasm. “What was the other option?
“Italian,” Diana replied. “A place called Angelo’s that is supposed to look like a nineteen-eighties Italian restaurant but is really part of a huge chain that serves the same pasta and sauce staples that you can get at any similar restaurant anywhere in the world.”
Ryan nodded. “ That sounds exactly like Ryan Whitman’s kind of restaurant,” he told Diana.
Diana had to agree with him. After reading his biography, that would have been the restaurant she would have chosen for him as well.
“I’ll meet you there in an hour,” she told him. “I’m a blind date that your co-worker, Vinnie Willis, set up and I’ll be wearing a red dress and black shoes.”
Ryan nodded and blew out a breath. “This is hard work,” he told her.
“It is, but I promise we’ll have fun tonight, too.” She impulsively blew him a kiss as she let herself out of the apartment, just to watch his reaction. It was worth it as he looked shocked and then embarrassed and then confused, all in the two seconds before the door swung shut behind her. She giggled and then headed home to change.
The restaurant was everything that she had expected it to be, formulaic, ordinary and uninspired. Ryan seemed to enjoy it very much, but Diana had more refined tastes. Still, she ate her spaghetti and drank the cheap wine and tried hard to pretend that she was enjoying this blind date that a friend of a friend had inflicted upon her. After the second bottle of wine, she was just about convinced that she was having fun.
“We should go dancing,” she cooed in Ryan’s ear as they left the restaurant.
“Sure,” Ryan said eagerly.
Diana grinned as they made their way down the sidewalk toward the clubs and bars that bordered the apartment blocks. They still had several hours until curfew and Ryan seemed like the type to want to enjoy them. She had taken an extra-strong neutralizer before she left her apartment, so she was completely clear-headed as she leaned against him while they swayed along with the streams of people looking for a good time.
The closest club seemed as good as any and Ryan and Diana hit the dance floor as soon as they arrived. After a few fast-paced numbers, the automatic DJ system, measuring the crowds and their moods, switched things up with a slow song. Ryan grinned as he pulled Diana close.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he whispered in her ear.
“Not at all,” she replied as she let herself melt against him.
They were silent as the song played out and then moved off the floor as another dance tune began. Diana slid onto a barstool at one end of the huge bar that made an L along two walls. Ryan slid in to stand next to her, between her and the rest of the room, shielding her from the crowds and the noise. Diana tapped a drink order into the automatic ordering screen set into the bar in front of her. She grinned as she watched a bartender at the far end of the room pour the drink and then send it to her via a complicated conveyor system that ran underneath the bar. Ryan added his own order and then used his M-ped to pay for the two drinks.
He frowned. “These two drinks just cost me as much as dinner,” he complained.
“I thought investment bankers made enough money that they didn’t have to worry about such things,” Diana teased.
“We do,” he assured her, “but I still hate to pay more than I should have to for anything.”
Diana grinned. “But think of what you are getting for your money,” she reminded him. “All that dancing and a chance to hold me close. Surely it was worth it.”
He smiled at her. “I guess I didn’t think of it that way. It was definitely worth it.” They drank and danced until it was nearly curfew.
“I need to get home,” Diana said finally as the DJ played the last song of the night and the crowds began to disperse.
“Let me walk you there,” Ryan offered. Diana could see no reason to object, so they made their way together through the crowded streets to her apartment building.
“Invite me up?” he asked in a suggestive tone.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she answered softly.
“Why not?”
“Many, many reasons,” she grinned at him. “I had a great time, though.”
“I had a great time, too,” he told her, “and I think we should keep having a great time. Let’s face it, under the circumstances neither one of us in the market for a real relationship, but I think we have great chemistry. Why not explore it?”
Diana was shocked as she realized how tempted she was. Ryan was an attractive man and the chemistry between them seemed to have grown throughout the evening. He was also one of very few people who would totally understand about her work. She sighed. If she hadn’t spoken to Alex just last night she might well have taken Ryan upstairs. Instead she shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” she told him, the regret in her voice genuine. “But this isn’t the right time for us to try this.”
Ryan looked for a moment like he might object, but then he shrugged. “Okay then, but you know where I am if you change your mind.”
She smiled at him and then pulled him close. The kiss
tasted of wine and garlic and for a moment Diana’s determination wavered. When she pulled back from him she was grateful that she had taken an extra neutralizer. If there had been any alcohol in her system she would have dragged Ryan up to her apartment after that kiss.
“You are an excellent kisser,” she told the man as she stepped away from him.
“You inspire me,” he answered chivalrously.
She laughed, taking another step backwards, forcing herself away from the temptation to fall back into his arms. It had felt good to be held by an attractive man, something that she hadn’t experienced in a while.
“Good night,” she told him, tapping a code into the building’s security panel.
“Good night,” he replied softly.
She took a deep breath and then walked quickly into her building, heading straight for the elevator. She didn’t allow herself to look back at him. In the elevator, she counted backwards slowly from ten to one, calming her thoughts and her racing heartbeat with a technique she had been taught as soon as she could count.
In her apartment, with the door tightly locked behind her, she glanced down at her M-ped. Alex had messaged her and she had missed him. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about that at the moment. She quickly took a sleep aid tablet, knowing that without it her mind would be racing all night. There would be plenty of time to think about it all in the morning.
Just before her head hit the pillow her device buzzed again, this time with a message from Michael.
I need you in the office at eight. You will be gone for at least a month.
Diana sighed. As she fell into a deep, drug-enhanced sleep she couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved that work was going to be taking her away from both Alex and Ryan for a while.
Three
June 2120
Suzanna stretched out in her reclining chair and reached for her drink. The fizzy blue liquid shimmered in the bright sunshine as she took a sip. The fancy hurricane-style glass was covered in condensation. Suzanna sighed deeply as she felt the frigid liquid slip down her throat and through her body.
Far too much of that body was currently on display for her liking. She frowned at herself, turning a critical eye on the long stretches of suntanned skin that were covered only by a tiny red bikini. She had an athletic body, and for this particular assignment she had boosted her chest as well, but she wasn’t thrilled to be showing it all off in the tiny swimsuit. Her hair was a long and expensively purchased sun-kissed shade somewhere between blonde and brown. Her eyes were a stormy mix of blue and green that was just unusual enough to have possibly been genuine. Those eyes were, at the moment, hidden behind enormous sunglasses.
It was too hot to be outside, but what else was there to do on The Mirage, a boat sailing endlessly around the Caribbean? Suzanna forced herself to relax. The neutralizing agent she’d taken would keep her from getting drunk, but she didn’t want her companions to know that she’d taken it. It was time to pretend to be having a wonderful time.
As she stood up, slightly unsteadily, she drained her drink. “I think I need another,” she gigged as she stepped with exaggerated care around the scattered deck chairs that surrounded her. The other two people on the deck never bothered to lift their heads, so her skillful acting was wasted on them.
In the luxurious kitchen she carefully considered the pitchers of drinks that were spread across the top shelf of the refrigerator. There was a virtual rainbow of colors in the various jugs, each suggesting a different fruity flavor combination. The woman who was sometimes Diana Jackson didn’t like any of them. After a moment she decided to stick to the familiar and carefully poured herself another glass full of the neon blue concoction.
Not in any hurry to get back outside, she stood for a minute watching the sea from behind the large windows in the kitchen. It looked lovely and refreshing and for a moment she wondered whether she could dive in and have a swim without raising any eyebrows. She already knew the answer to that question, though. Suzanna Barr didn’t do anything that required any serious effort. Even her own name was too much trouble. Everyone called her Suzy, and Suzy was perfectly placed in a deck chair in the hot sun, watching the sea roll past them. The door to the kitchen swung open behind her, startling her out of her thoughts.
“Hiding out from the hot sun?” The man who walked into the kitchen grimaced at her. “I can’t say that I blame you. It gets really hot on the deck.” He was tall and skinny with thinning brown hair and dull brown eyes. His dark wool trousers and button-down shirt meant that he had to be suffering in the heat. At least he’d finally stopped wearing a tie all the time. Over the last few days he’d confined himself to only wearing it at dinner.
“Just a little break,” Suzy grinned at him. “I needed another drink. What’s your excuse, Henry?”
Henry Martin smiled as he reached around her to get into the refrigerator. “Same thing, I guess,” replied as he grabbed a pitcher from its cold interior. He poured himself a drink, then turned as if to leave.
“Actually,” he said, turning back toward her as if he’d just had a thought. “Have you seen Max yet today?”
Suzy resisted laughing at the obvious ploy. “Nope,” she replied easily. “I think he is having a late start today.”
“Ah,” Henry paused. “Well, if you do see him, could you tell him that I want a quick chat? I’d really appreciate it.”
Suzy grinned. “No problem,” she answered.
Of course she knew what he wanted to discuss with their errant host, partly because of the short but complex briefing she’d gotten before she’d arrived, and partly because Henry was just about the most transparent human being she’d ever met. Suzy, however, wasn’t supposed to know anything or be bright enough to figure anything out, so she contented herself with that simple answer.
“You better not be making a mess in my kitchen.” The back door to the kitchen swung open and Marta Rose, the ship’s cook, cleaner, and general housekeeper, bustled in. “You know I run a tight ship,” she smiled at the pair.
If Suzy had been casting a video and looking for the perfect woman to play someone’s aged mother, Marta would have been her first choice. Marta was somewhere between sixty and ninety, with white hair that was always kept in an elaborate bun and tired blue eyes that looked as if they had seen everything. She was always dressed in a white shirt that buttoned down the front with matching white pants and white sneakers.
Suzy assumed that the outfit was Marta’s uniform, as she had never seen her in anything else. Over the top of the white outfit, Marta always wore an old-fashioned apron that went over her head and then tied at the back. Suzy had been travelling with Max off and on for two years and had never seen the same apron twice. Some were plain, while others were covered in bright prints or with elaborate lace. Suzy wondered whether Marta based her apron choice on her mood on any given day, or on some other criteria, but so far she hadn’t been able to find a pattern. Today’s choice was plain, but in a lime green color that almost perfectly matched one of the drinks in the refrigerator.
Suzy smiled at the woman. “I was just refilling my drink,” she explained. “I didn’t touch anything else.”
“And I should hope not,” the other woman nodded at her. “You shouldn’t even be doing that. We have staff for that.” She pointed out the window at the two young girls who were now flitting between the deck chairs taking drink orders and supplying towels to the two guests who were out there.
“I couldn’t see either of them when my drink ran out,” Suzy explained, trying to justify why, even though she was meant to be a spoiled rich brat, she had gone to the trouble to get herself a drink. “I didn’t want to wait all afternoon for a refill. It’s too hot out there without a drink.”
“I am sorry about that,” Marta replied. “I’ll have a word with them when they come to fill the drink orders.”
“I just needed to get out of the sun,” Henry explained, but Marta clearly didn’t care about his needs. He was a b
usiness associate of Max’s, while Suzy was a guest. Marta had her own ideas on who took priority, and Suzy knew that the man in the ill-fitting, over-starched shirt came well down the list.
The kitchen door burst open suddenly and everyone turned toward it.
“Oh, it’s ghastly out there,” the newcomer moaned as he bounced into the room. “Quickly, Marta, something icy and full of all sorts of illegal substances.”
He held out his hand and Marta quickly filled it with a glass full of a noxious pink beverage. He downed in a single swallow.
“Ah, another one like that, please.”
It was only after he’d finished the second drink that he actually looked around the room and acknowledged the others. “Hey Suzy, that is a very fetching almost bit of something you are not quite wearing,” he grinned at her and then winked and pretended to leer.
“Gee, thanks, Randy,” she smiled back at him. “Your outfit is, um, interesting.”
Randy Lloyd preened and tossed his head. “I quite like it,” he told her.
He was a thirty-something man who still tended to dress like a teenager, today fitted out in a tank top and very short, tight shorts that left nothing much to the imagination. While Randy had mostly held on to his muscular physique as he’d aged, the last two years spent travelling with Maximilian Hart had begun to take their toll. Now the shorts were now a bit tighter than they should have been.
Max’s ostentatious lifestyle didn’t lend itself to much in the way of exercise. Suzy suspected that Randy would be going for treatment before too much longer to tighten up a few muscles here and there and maybe take advantage of a bit of re-sculpting to reshape a few slightly unsightly lumps and bumps. While he was at it, he would probably have his slightly receding hairline improved.
With all his flaws, however, he was still an attractive man and Suzy had no trouble figuring out what Max saw in him. More importantly, he was fun to be around and his company had made the week that she had already spent onboard the luxury yacht a lot more entertaining.
