Seducing the Stargazer

by Kim Carmichael

  “Do you need a doctor?” She turned to her new fan base and everyone around her broke out into laughter. “My professional recommendation is to take two aspirins.”

  Her minions clapped.

  “Garner,” Jim barked and joined them.

  “Dr. Knox,” he corrected.

  “Fine, Dr. Knox. Go get ready for the media and let the crew get used to our newest scientist.” Jim pointed the way.

  He got up into Jim’s face. “Just remember which scientist made this company, Jimbo.” After a long glare at the man, he spun on his heel and marched out the door.

  Her sly comments and little digs only told him she never thought any differently of him. Though he might hold a PhD, was the voice of space to the masses, and worked for a space agency, no one ever took him seriously, especially the one person who mattered most on the one night that mattered most. He remembered that night, relived it more times than he cared to count.

  At long last he finally had her in his arms. He had vowed they wouldn’t finish school without him making love to her, and afterward he knew he wanted her, knew she matched him, knew he loved her. Right after she defended her dissertation and passed, he handed her the star and told her as his favor, he wanted her for the night. Though she looked confused, she followed and once making it to their own little hideaway, the observatory on campus, he fulfilled his fantasy and made love to her.

  Afterward, he leaned back on the wall and let her sleep while he glanced around at the amazing mess they made—clothes, papers, their laptop cords, and all of them intermingled. His only goal was to figure out how to get them back to his place and in a real bed. They would have enough time to make love again and catch a few hours of sleep before he defended his dissertation in the morning.

  He supposed he had to wake her and squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, babe.”

  “Um.” She stretched, ran her hand over his chest, and looked up at him. “Garner.”

  Rather than answer, he dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers. A twinge of desire sparked in his already satiated body. Maybe they should stay here in the observatory after all.

  “What now?” she asked. Even in the darkness, he could make out her eyes searching his for answers.

  “Tomorrow I’ll go through the grind, and then we’ll graduate and get on with our lives.” He moved her hair away from her face.

  “You’re going to do great.” She wrapped her arms around him, her breasts compressed against his body. He would never make it back to his place without having her again. They had waited too long. Though technically he won their last bet netting them here, they both won and their silly game could forever be used for foreplay.

  He tried to sit up but his body protested. Having sex on the hard tile floor wasn’t the most comfortable idea. “I hope so. They asked you some pretty tough questions.”

  “This is a no-brainer. You’ll have it easy.” She grabbed his shirt and draped it over her chest.

  “What do you mean?” In all the times they talked about her dissertation, the word easy never came up.

  She pushed herself up, grabbed her sweater and put it over her head. Her hair stuck out with static electricity, making her look like a gorgeous mad scientist. “Your dissertation wasn’t science based, there’s no real research, you’re already the committee favorite so you may as well put on a movie of the first moon landing and hand out popcorn. You have it made.” After dropping her words on him, she gave him a quick kiss and stood.

  Wait, hold on, what was she saying? The Impact of Media and Entertainment on Modern Space Exploration was a completely valid dissertation topic. “Maybe rather than going back to my apartment, we should stop by the store so I can get some candy and 3D glasses to make my presentation complete.”

  “Garner.” After pulling on her pants, she came to him, sat in his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re brilliant, amazing. I’ve spent every day with you for over a year watching you work. You’re going to do great.”

  “My dissertation may not have taken me behind a telescope, but it explored the human and popular aspect of space travel.” His body heating, but not from arousal, he stood. Five minutes ago, he was contemplating how he would tell Wynn he loved her, and now he was wondering why she would lower herself to sleep with a person who couldn’t keep up with her.

  Wynn smoothed her hair down. “Make sure you say that tomorrow. That’s perfect.”

  He tugged his jeans on. “Do you want to write my script for me? Maybe my mind isn’t scientifically savvy enough to figure out what I need to do tomorrow.”

  “I’m sure it’s not that difficult.” Her tone took on the same one as anytime she was ready to go in for the kill. The same one she used to go after professors before. Of course, she did real research, not some book report.

  “You think my research is a joke,” he shot back, but at the same time willed her to say anything that smacked of the fact she respected him.

  She shook her head. “I never said that. I’ve been living that research with you every day. I sat and watched the moon landing with you, the space shuttle, and countless sci-fi movies.”

  “Then what are you saying?” They needed to get this straightened out before anything else could happen.

  She crossed her arms. “Garner, you and I both know it’s not the same.”

  “So it’s not science?” In Wynn’s world, science was everything. What was he, a plaything? How could she respect him if she didn’t think he did the real work it took to earn the same degree she earned?

  She didn’t answer.

  “Say it, Wynn, say what you feel.” If nothing else, he had to know where he stood. Was this a fling before she went off to conduct her science or did they plan for their future?

  “It’s not real science in the traditional sense of most other dissertations,” she said.

  Her words slapped some sense into him. Yes, she had quipped before, but they were beyond the playful rivalry now. He thought they waited to make love to be sure they would last. Instead, she wanted a plaything, one night to get him out of her system before she went on to her job at some big government agency and immersed herself in the worlds of those who deserved her. “I better get home and prepare for my big event tomorrow. I won’t call it a defense since it’s not real science.”

  She stepped closer. “I thought I would help you.”

  “It’s all good.” He would let her off easy. “Let me take you home.”

  In silence, they finished getting dressed.

  “What happens now?” As they went to leave, she reached out for him.

  No matter what he accomplished, he would never be good enough for her and he moved away. “Tomorrow I’ll go through the grind and then we’ll graduate and get on with our lives.” His answer sounded completely different now. He opened the door to the observatory and glanced back. Somewhere in there he left his heart on the floor and she stomped on it.

  “What are you looking for?” She took hold of his arm.

  He shook her off him and stared up at the night sky. “Infinity.” Until that moment he had thought he had found it.

  “I found you some aspirin,” Wynn interrupted his thoughts.

  Of course, now she was here, showed up both to help him and vex him, the hallmark of their relationship. The night of the observatory he had walked away from her. At first because he refused to be her joke, her fling, then, when he couldn’t get the one woman he ever loved out of his mind, he vowed he would only return to her when she would look at him as an equal. Never would he be that man who skated through his dissertation, wasn’t the scientist, wasn’t her partner.

  By all accounts he hit success, wealth, fame, everything. Why didn’t he seek her out? What was he lacking? Or was it her? She would never see him as an equal in science no matter what he accomplished.

  “You do seem a little pale.” Bottle of water in hand, she gave him the two tablets. “Are you all rig
ht? Jim said the press conference was going to start soon.”

  Back in the control room, he was reminded of why he walked away after finally having her. At seeing the concern in her eyes, gorgeous as always, he remembered why he fell in love with her. “Come here.”

  Never one to back down, she stepped closer.

  He popped the pills in his mouth, drank them down with a sip of water and stared down at her. Since he held the cards, gave her a job and a place to live, did he earn his place? “We need to go greet our public. I’m going to announce that you’re on board with us and then we’ll walk away. I need to get some work on my book done.”

  “All right.” She nodded. “I’ll simply be decoration.”

  Maybe now she would understand how it felt. He went to take her hand then stopped. “We should get going.”

  Without a word, she turned and walked ahead of him.

  As always, he found himself following her.

  In the hallway, Jim gave Wynn a thumbs-up and patted Garner on the shoulder.

  At last they made their way out to the same stage where she reappeared in his life by ambushing his launch. Already the media had gathered and the low hum of soft chatter greeted them. Once he took his position at the podium with Wynn standing off to his right side, the room silenced.

  “Greetings, Earthlings.” His head still throbbing, he forced a smile.

  A few chuckles radiated around the room.

  He leaned in to the microphone. “I am proud to formally announce that Dr. Winchester Carlsbad has joined Personal Space. You may recognize her as the superhero who stopped our Maverick probe from flying directly into an asteroid.”

  The room went up in laughter, exactly the reaction he wanted.

  One of the reporters he recognized from a major national news station waved his arm. “When is Personal Space planning to launch?”

  “News of the next launch will be forthcoming.” All he wanted was to get off the stage. He waited the requisite beat for more media to ask the same question before repeating his answer then corralled Wynn and moved off the stage.

  “Is there any more information on the asteroid?” someone else called out.

  One day Garner was sure this asteroid would search him out and decimate him. “We’re still conducting our research.”

  “What is the composition of the asteroid?” the same person asked.

  In truth Garner only scanned the notes, and he didn’t remember if Wynn even discovered the composition. All he knew about the asteroid, other than it wanted to destroy his probe, was it looked like a piece of chewed up gum. “That is undetermined at this time.”

  From behind him, Wynn cleared her throat.

  “Dr. Carlsbad,” another reporter chimed in. “Can you elaborate on the asteroid?”

  Garner ground his teeth together and nodded over at Wynn. She wasn’t supposed to talk, only stand there and allow Personal Space to show off their latest acquisition. While he lured her into talking at the lunar eclipse, this was his turf.

  She stepped to the microphone and stood on her tiptoes. “From the looks of things, we are dealing with an M-Class asteroid, a metallic asteroid most likely comprised of nickel and iron.”

  “Dr. Carlsbad,” at least three different people called out her name.

  She pointed at one of them. “Yes.” The microphone let out the screech of feedback.

  Though he wished he could use the technical difficulties to end this fan festival, he reached over and adjusted the mic.

  “Is there any chance of this asteroid coming to Earth?” the man asked.

  Only fear of ending up going viral for a sneer kept him from reacting to the silly question. He’d see how Wynn handled it. Perhaps once she made the man feel like a fool, Garner could discipline her later for not abiding by the rules of their newest game, namely her behaving.

  Rather wrinkle her nose, huff, or show any sign of disdain, she took hold of the microphone as if she were about to answer the most important question ever asked.

  Everyone in the room seemed to inch closer to the stage.

  “The asteroid isn’t anywhere near us. The collision course with the probe was ten months away. By my calculations, there is no chance of it ever becoming a near Earth object.” She gave an authoritative nod.

  No doubt Wynn already did all the math. While she was calculating, he was telling the world about important astronomical phenomena. Both were important but only one was considered science.

  “Dr. Carlsbad, what do you see as the future for Personal Space?” another reporter asked.

  Garner sidestepped to her. “End this,” he said without moving his lips.

  “I can assure you all that the future is bright for Personal Space. Thank you all for coming today. While my colleague will tell you to look up and see infinity, I’m going to tell you to turn down the lights and see the stars.” She waved and walked off the stage.

  Once more he found himself following her.

  “Excellent!” Jim pulled her into a big bear hug as soon as she stepped into the hallway. “We had some investors watching from a live feed. The reaction to Wynn is off the charts!”

  Garner took hold of Wynn’s arm and extracted her away from Jim.

  “Come on back Wynn, the engineers want to talk to you some more.” Jim motioned for her to follow.

  “One moment, I need a word with our star,” Garner said. Still keeping hold of her, he lifted his chin to tell Jim to get out of there.

  Jim saluted them. “I’ll go join the team.”

  “What’s next?”

  At her question, his chest tightened. Once upon a time he would have said they were next, but they didn’t have their happily ever after. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t know. The one night they were together he thought he knew the answer, but now he wasn’t certain.

  “What do you think is next?” Maybe it was her turn to figure it out. “Perhaps I need to turn out the light and see the stars.”

  “Strange, because I was about to tell you that I think you need to look into infinity.” She raised her chin and looked right into his eyes.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “It’s what you always say, and I think it’s about time you do it.” She headed toward the mission control room. “Remember the science.”

  Again, he took her all in. Would he have ever gone to her on his own? He didn’t know. Perhaps they needed to look at infinity together, but somehow along the way he ended up in the same position as five years ago—back in that observatory with him as the joke, and he wouldn’t allow it to happen a second time.

  Chapter Eight

  The night sky from Garner’s balcony was nothing if not spectacular, city lights for miles melded into the stars in the sky. Wynn smiled as she looked out at infinity. As Garner would say, diamonds scattered across black silk. Tonight, the universe bestowed upon them a treat in the form of a bright crescent moon, perfect enough to appear as if it were painted rather than a natural phenomenon.

  After dusting off Garner’s telescope, she positioned it to gaze upon Earth’s one natural satellite. The man hadn’t said a word to her since they walked off the stage at Personal Space a few hours ago. They spent the return plane ride in a strange silence and once they arrived at his penthouse, he told her she was off the clock for the day and disappeared. This was one side of Garner she knew all too well, the brooding, pensive side, the part of him that was still a child homeschooled by an overprotective hypochondriac mother, the one who longed to soar but was earthbound. Old habits taking over, she needed to fix it, fix him, and maybe fix her.

  “Dr. Carlsbad.” Mrs. Benton stepped out on the balcony and placed a tray on the table next to her.

  “Come here.” Wynn motioned for the woman to take a look.

  Mrs. Benton came over and peered into the telescope. “Interesting.”

  “What do you see?” Excitement overtaking her, Wynn shifted her
weight from one foot to the other.

  “The moon.” Mrs. Benton gave her a smile.

  Wynn slumped down. “That’s it?” Either one saw it or they didn’t.

  “It’s a lovely moon.” Mrs. Benton returned to the table.

  “You don’t see another world, an amazing piece of rock that got captured by the Earth, a place where humans have walked? Underneath the moon, there have been promises made, and stories told, lives lived and lost.” She grabbed the edge of the table to keep her enthusiasm to a dull roar.

  “What do you see here?” Mrs. Benton swiped her hand over the tray laden with wine, cheese, fruit and chocolate.

  “Snacks.” Wynn’s mouth watered at the chocolate, but she figured they should eat the more savory items first.

  “I see art, a way to better the lives of those around me, what I was trained to do,” Mrs. Benton said.

  “Fair enough.” Wynn gave her a thumbs-up.

  “If that will be all then, I’ll let you get to your evening.” Mrs. Benton bowed.

  “Thank you.” Wynn watched her go, checked the telescope one last time, and went inside to find her sour scientist. One second, the man was the personification of charming and sweet, wanting her to talk about the lunar eclipse with him on camera, and the next, quiet and upset when she stepped up and did her job. Would the competition between them ever end, or were they destined to always be at odds with each other?

  Through his partially open office door, she found him sitting behind the desk, feet up, beer in hand, gazing up at the ceiling.

  She gave a soft rap on the door then let herself inside.

  The moment she entered, he sat up. “If you need something, Wynn, Mrs. Benton is always available and her app is on your phone, remember?”

  “I have something to show you.” She glanced around his office. Anytime she pictured her own space, she envisioned something like what Garner created, with the framed degrees and awards and the books lining the walls. She went around to the back of his desk and glanced at his computer screen. The same blank page that plagued him the day before was equally as barren now.