Nerds Are From Mars

by Vicki Thompson

  Adrenaline surged through him. Releasing the hematite, he took both hands out of his pockets and flexed them. As the elevator came to a halt on the top floor, he faced Blackstone.

  Except for a buzzing in his ears, he was strangely calm. He looked at the arrogant bastard’s face and imagined blood pouring from his nose and mouth. “Apologize to Darcie.” His tone was almost conversational. “Or I’ll rip your tongue out.”

  Darcie gasped and laid a hand on his arm. “Never mind, Nolan. He’s not worth messing up your tux for. And we’re here.”

  “I don’t give a damn about my tux.” He’d never felt more sure of himself than at this moment. He stared into his antagonist’s eyes. “Are you going to apologize, Blackstone?” he asked quietly. “Or do we have a problem?”

  “Okay, okay!” Blackstone backed out of the elevator, palms upraised. “Don’t go all psycho on me, Bradbury.” He cleared his throat. “Darcie, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

  “Apology accepted.”

  “Good. You guys do what you want. I’m going to a party.”

  Nolan pressed a button for the floor two levels below them. As the doors closed and the elevator began to move, he blew out a breath and leaned against the wall. He was shaking.

  Darcie came to him and bracketed his face in her hands. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” He looked into her eyes. “I was ready to tear his face off. Literally. I’ve never physically threatened anyone in my life, and I was ready to hurt him. Hurt him bad.”

  “I think he knew that.” She smiled at him. “You scared the crap out of him.”

  The elevator stopped and the doors opened, but no one was there. Taking a deep breath, Nolan pushed the button for the top floor again. “That was intense. I didn’t know I had it in me to be that angry.”

  “I did.”

  “Naturally.” He managed a smile and hoped it wasn’t a grimace. “You’ve read my charts.”

  The elevator halted again and the doors slid open. Laughter and the clink of glasses drifted from the entrance to the penthouse suite opposite the elevator. Nolan straightened and blew out a breath.

  Darcie tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and smiled up at him. “Come on, Dr. Bradbury. Let’s go meet your boss.”

  “Yeah, let’s do that.” Nolan’s pulse still pounded, but he was steady again. “He’s going to love you and envy me.” Funny though, Nolan didn’t have the slightest concern that Harcourt would try to steal Darcie. That wasn’t his boss’s style.

  As he and Darcie walked across the narrow hall toward the party, he thought about what he’d said to Blackstone and began to chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, I was thinking how much Harcourt would have loved seeing his mild-mannered team leader lose it with the guy from the other side.”

  “Are you going to tell him?”

  “Not now. Maybe someday, after we’ve had a few drinks. It’s not worth mentioning when I’m about to walk into a party with the most beautiful woman in the room on my arm.”

  “You’re exaggerating, but thank you.”

  “I’m not exaggerating.” He glanced down at her. “Thank you, Darcie. For all of it.”

  “You may not want to believe this, but I think the stone had a lot to do with what’s happened today.”

  “Maybe, but more likely it’s you, helping me believe I’m capable of anything, even taking down Blackstone. Did you know he was an All-American quarterback?”

  “I only know he’s an All-American bully.”

  “And like most bullies, he’s a coward.” Nolan took another deep breath. “It’s already been quite a night, and it’s only beginning.”

  She squeezed his arm. “I can’t wait until I see how it ends.”

  “Me, either. The way things are going, we’re liable to set the bed on fire.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Darcie wondered if the incident with Blackstone in the elevator might take care of Nolan’s stalker problem. She hated to think that Blackstone would have resorted to the level of dirty tricks to bully Nolan, but she hadn’t ruled it out, either. Thank God Nolan hadn’t bought the guy’s abject apology, which had probably worked in the past.

  Blackstone already had a glass of champagne in one hand and his arm around a pretty redhead while he talked with a slim, gray-haired man in an elegant tux. Darcie wondered if the man might be Thaddeus Sterling because Blackstone seemed to be generously ladling out the charm. Before she could ask Nolan who the slim man was, a waiter came by with a tray full of champagne-filled flutes.

  Nolan grabbed two and offered one to her. “To the woman who’s changed my life for the better.” He lifted his glass.

  “Thank you. That’s a lovely thing to say.” She took a sip of excellent champagne and was about to finally ask about the slim man with Blackstone when a completely different sort of guy bore down on them.

  “My God, Bradbury! You’re late, but at least you’re escorting the best looking woman in the entire hotel, so I guess that cancels out your tardiness. I’ve underestimated you, son. Introduce me immediately so I can dazzle this gorgeous creature.”

  Darcie lifted her gaze to the proudest lion in the jungle. No one would mistake Fagan Harcourt for a scientist or a nerd, although he was rumored to have a very sharp mind. She’d seen pictures of him in magazines and watched a couple of interviews on TV, but nothing could have prepared her for the explosive energy of the silver-haired billionaire in the flesh.

  Tanned, toned, and at least six-five, he was the epitome of a Leo. She would love to do his chart someday. Maybe if things worked out with Nolan, she’d have that opportunity.

  “Darcie Ingram, may I introduce Fagan Harcourt. Darcie and I went to high school together and she decided to look me up at Space Expo.” Nolan treated Harcourt with respect, but he didn’t behave like a groveling minion.

  Darcie took note of that. Harcourt apparently didn’t require his employees to suck up, and her opinion of him rose considerably. She tucked her clutch under her arm and held out her hand. “It’s an honor, Mr. Harcourt. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear.” Harcourt smiled and took her hand in both of his, dwarfing it. “I’m actually a pretty nice guy. And I’d consider it a favor if you’d call me Fagan. When young women like you call me Mr. Harcourt I feel like an old fogey.”

  She smiled. “I doubt you’ve ever felt like an old fogey.”

  “Ha, you’re onto me! I only say that to get people to assure me I’m still young and vital. Let me guess. You’re a psychologist.” He relinquished her hand.

  “Not quite, although I took a lot of psychology in college.” She glanced over at Nolan, who gave her a subtle nod. “I’m a professional astrologer.” On the spur of the moment, she decided to add professional to the description. She should have been doing that all along.

  “You are?” Harcourt’s eyes, a light gray that was almost the silver color of his hair, danced with obvious merriment. “And you came to the party with Bradbury? I have to hear about this.”

  “Last night she read my charts for me,” Nolan said.

  Harcourt’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “No way.”

  “Yeah, she did. She knows her stuff. She told me things I’ve barely been willing to admit to myself.”

  Harcourt reached for Darcie’s hand again. “Dear lady, would you consider reading my chart? Or is it charts, plural?”

  “There are several charts I could create.” She was beside herself with excitement, but she took a deep breath and focused on the energy flowing between them through his warm grip. The more intuitive information she gathered in this face-to-face encounter, the better job she’d do on his charts.

  She instantly understood why this man had become such a success. His charisma stemmed from his love of people and his love of life. It was an irresistible combination. “There’s your birth chart, how the zodiac was positioned on the day you were born, and a transit char
t, which paints a picture of what’s been happening since then and what might happen in the future. A Solar Return deals with the year from one birthday to the next.”

  “I want them all. I’m taking off for the Amazon tonight after the banquet, but I’d love to see those charts when I get back. Is two weeks enough time or do you need more?”

  “Two weeks is plenty.” She felt like jumping up and down with glee, but that wouldn’t be very professional and she’d spill this pricey champagne. Still, she couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Excellent. How do I start?”

  “I’ll need your exact time and place of birth.” She realized something else about the man. Like her, he could read people, and he’d instinctively known that she longed to do this. His wealth allowed him the freedom to grant wishes large and small.

  He waved a large hand. “I’ll have my secretary send you that information. I can never remember the exact time. It’s something like 5:25 in the morning on August tenth, or 5:45. I assume precision counts.”

  “It always helps.”

  “Adele will look it up. And you can send the bill to her, as well.”

  Another point in his favor. He’d assumed that she would charge for her services. “I’d be happy to waive my fee,” she said, “in exchange for pictures from your trip. I’ve never been to the Amazon and I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “That sounds like a deal to me. You and Bradbury should go sometime. He wants to see the jungle, too.”

  Darcie glanced at Nolan in surprise. “You do?” His chart had indicated an interest in travel, but she’d assumed he’d bypassed the normal tourist destinations to focus on Mars.

  “I do. Work has kept me busy, but I have a list of places I want to go. The Amazon is near the top.”

  “See? I told you.” Harcourt looked pleased with himself. “I’m hoping he’ll be able to take some vacation time this next year so the two of you can go. Maybe in six months his team will have made up the ground we’ve lost to Sterling and a vacation will be doable.”

  Darcie wondered if she dared probe into the competitiveness between the two billionaires. But knowing how deep Harcourt’s feelings ran on the matter would be important to her reading. “Is it really so important to get there first?”

  Harcourt studied her in silence. The moment stretched out so long that she wondered if she’d irritated or insulted him. If she’d blown her chance to be his friend with that question, then maybe he wasn’t the man she’d thought, after all.

  Finally he glanced over to where Blackstone continued to talk with the elegantly dressed thin gentleman. Then he lowered his voice. “Yes, it is important, because I don’t trust their motives for going up there.”

  Nolan frowned. “You never mentioned that.”

  “And I won’t.” He continued to keep his voice down. “If you say I said so, I’ll deny it, but please do me a favor and keep it to yourselves. It’s not something I can prove, and I don’t want to make allegations I can’t substantiate. But I have a strong suspicion that Sterling and his team are far more interested in profit than scientific inquiry.”

  Nolan met Harcourt’s gaze. “Could be.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m a businessman, and I’m not in this to lose a bunch of money, but colonizing Mars should be beneficial to all, not just the few who want to control access.”

  “I certainly agree with that,” Darcie said.

  “So do I.” Nolan let out a breath. “And judging from some things that have happened at this conference, I have reason to believe your instincts are right, Fagan.”

  “I’ve never gone wrong trusting my instincts. We probably need another session in the bar, but I’m leaving the minute the banquet ends, so it’ll have to wait. When I get back, we’ll talk.” Then he turned to Darcie. “Do you have a card?”

  At the last minute she’d tucked a few in her clutch. “Yes, I do.” She handed her champagne to Nolan so she could fish one out and give it to Harcourt.

  “Smart lady.” He tucked the card in his pocket. “Have you given Darcie a tour of the lab, yet, Bradbury?”

  Nolan looked startled. “Uh, no, I haven’t.”

  “Well, you should.” He glanced at Darcie. “Artists invite women into their studio to look at their etchings. I figure a scientist should be able to invite a woman into his lab to see his experiments. Logically it should have the same effect, right?”

  “Right.” She couldn’t help laughing, because Nolan hadn’t needed to give her a lab tour to convince her to go to bed with him. Information from his birth chart had been the only thing she’d required. And he’d been reluctant to give her any of that information. Nolan didn’t have what it took to be a smooth operator, and she cherished that about him.

  Harcourt did, though. She’d bet he knew how to seduce a woman with charm and finesse. But she also sensed that he’d respect that lady. He wasn’t a user like the guy she and Nolan had recently shared an elevator with.

  “So take her on a lab tour, my boy.” Harcourt had raised his voice back to the jolly level he’d used earlier. He clapped Nolan on the shoulder.

  From the corner of her eye Darcie saw Blackstone approaching. She deliberately gave Nolan an adoring look. “I would love a tour of your lab. The sooner, the better.”

  He blinked. “Okay. How about after the conference is over tomorrow afternoon before you head back to Ojai?”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “Hey, if you’re offering tours, I’d like to have one.” Blackstone insinuated himself into the conversation with a smile. Before Nolan could respond, Blackstone held out his hand to Harcourt. “Good to see you, Fagan.”

  “Blackstone.” Harcourt shook his hand, but he didn’t return the smile.

  “Nolan and I were mentioning earlier today that we need less competition and more cooperation with these two projects,” Blackstone said. “Right, Nolan?”

  Nolan’s eyes narrowed. “We did, but on further consideration, I’ve decided that’s not such a good idea.”

  “Sure it is.” Blackstone gestured around the room with his champagne glass. “We’d all get to Mars a lot faster. Everybody wins.”

  “Some more than others.” Harcourt glanced at what looked like a very expensive watch. “If you all will excuse me, I have a couple of phone calls to make before we go down to dinner.”

  “Absolutely.” Blackstone lifted his glass in Harcourt’s direction. “We’ll head down there pretty soon. We’ll want to grab a good seat to cheer you and Thaddeus on.”

  “Right.” Harcourt’s expression had gone from open and friendly to closed and distant. “See you at the banquet.” Then he walked quickly through the double doors of the suite.

  Blackstone stared after him. “Good old Fagan. Can’t bear to lose a race.”

  “He’s not going to lose this one,” Nolan said.

  “Oh, yes, he is.” Blackstone turned back to face Nolan. “Oh, and all that happy horseshit about sitting together at dinner? We’re not doing that.”

  “Didn’t plan on it.”

  The redhead Blackstone seemed to be with walked over. “Aaron, you disappeared on me.”

  “Sorry. Needed to talk to Fagan.”

  “Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

  “I would, honeybunch, but we have to get going. I want to make sure I snag you an excellent seat.” He tucked her close to his side before sparing a brief glance at Nolan and Darcie. “See you guys.”

  Darcie watched them walk away. “I feel as if I need a shower.”

  “Yeah, me too. I’ve always known he was hell on women, but I tried to overlook that because I respected his scientific abilities. Now I’m questioning whether he’s as good as I thought. Maybe he’s been faking it or riding on other people’s coattails. Maybe not, but I wouldn’t put it past him. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

  “How about leaving threatening notes in hopes he’d rattle you? Can you see him doing that?”

  He gazed at her and
nodded. “Sadly, now I can.”

  “I have a theory, if you want to hear it.”

  “Of course.”

  “He came to the conference hoping to shake you up and undermine your confidence. If you hadn’t stood up to him at the panel discussion, the notes would have continued. But now that he knows you won’t be intimidated, the notes will stop.”

  “That’s a good theory, but I still have to watch my back. He’s furious with me, so he’ll do anything he can to undermine my credibility, like that remark to Harcourt about cooperation.”

  “Yeah, but Harcourt trusts you. You don’t have to worry there. And he clearly doesn’t like Blackstone.”

  “No, he doesn’t. I never realized that. There’s a lot I’ve never realized.”

  “Still got your stone?”

  He pulled it out of his pocket and held it in his palm. “Right here.”

  “Hang onto it.”

  “I will, but mostly I plan to hang onto you.” He put the hematite in his pocket and took her hand. “Let’s go down to dinner and look for a table as far from Blackstone as we can get.”

  “What about Bill?”

  “Oh, right! I need to text him that the solidarity plan isn’t happening, but I can do that in the elevator.” He drank the last of his champagne. “Ready?”

  “Yep.” She set her empty glass on a nearby end table. “Now that I’ve met Harcourt I’m eager to hear him speak.”

  “It’s always a treat.” Nolan walked with her into the hall and over to the elevators. He pushed the button. “I’m a little surprised Sterling agreed to share the dais with him. Fagan is a born public speaker and Sterling is not.”

  “Yes, but maybe Sterling can’t resist the chance to boast about being ahead in the race to Mars. In fact, isn’t that what they’re calling the program tonight?”

  “They are, and all this time I thought Fagan relished the idea of competing projects. I guess that’s what he’s led everyone to believe, including his research team.” The doors opened on an empty elevator. “Uh-oh.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, what the hell. I can do this. Let’s go.” Still holding her hand, he stepped onto the elevator.