by J. K. Coi
“So now she’s with Steve?”
“Ah, no. Also just a friend,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, I thought because she came here with him…”
“She came because it was an opportunity to avoid her father at home for a few days. They don’t exactly get along.”
“Oh,” Liz still didn’t understand. “I assume she’s still living at home then, but why? If Meredith and her father don’t get along, why doesn’t she move into her own place?”
“She can’t. Not if she wants to claim her inheritance next year.” Ben shrugged. “It’s one of those complicated family situations involving generations of people with roman numerals after their names.”
He leaned back in his chair again and crossed his arms. “Was there something else you wanted to get out in the open?”
Was that a dare? Maybe she should tell him that she regretted her decision that day when he kissed her for the first time, and that she was probably falling in love with him now? That she was starting to think she’d always been in love with him, and that’s why she had shoved him away? She’d never meant to hurt him, and the thought of it made her feel like she was drowning.
She took a sip of her fresh cup of coffee and squared her shoulders. She needed to refocus on the real reason she was in Antigua.
“Okay, so I’ve gone over the current convention schedule, and I don’t think we can pull off the same topic Tyson Wallace would have presented. But given our areas of expertise, it looks like we can fill the gap with domain-specific superintelligences, or maybe initial motivations and conditions.” She glanced up to find him listening intently. “Unless you think an ethics discussion is too heavy for an event like this.”
“No, I agree. With the AI systems we’ve both specialized in, ethics is an important component of that. I think the audience will be curious to learn how two separate companies have treated a similar issue.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
A while later, they had come up with an outline for the seminar, but also left some unstructured time in the schedule. Ben had seemed to think they should leave even more time for a question and answer session, believing that the audience would be engaged in the discussion. But Liz wanted to make sure they had enough material to cover the entire time slot, just in case the room was quiet. She flipped back over the pages of notes they’d made when it occurred to her they had missed something.
“What about the closing speech?” she asked.
Ben leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, looking at her until she shifted in her seat.
“What is it?” She glanced down at her shirt. “Did I spill my coffee?”
“This is…nice,” he said in a low voice. “We make a good team.”
With a laugh she said, “Sure. As long as it only involves planning an hour-long discussion for a bunch of convention guests.”
“You don’t think we could take this kind of cooperation to the next level?”
Her pulse raced at the implication. She put her pen down carefully. “You might have moved to New York to start your business, but this industry is still a small world, and I’ve heard all about how you operate. You’re a ruthless and uncompromising businessman, and I could never have been your partner.”
His gaze narrowed. “This is about what I told you yesterday? About Olsen?”
“No, of course not,” she said quickly. “But you can’t deny that we could never have worked together like this for real. I didn’t start my business to become rich, and I don’t need to always be the best,” she said.
He pulled back, looking practically insulted. “Then what’s the point of doing it at all?”
“That’s exactly my point,” she said, trying not to be insulted in return by his arrogance. “We have completely different ways of looking at our futures. I got into programming because I love it, because it’s something I’m good at, and because it challenges me, and I started my business because that way I can keep doing what I love on my own schedule. But I want a real life, too. It’s one thing to devote all my energy to the work now, while I don’t have anything more important in my life, or—”
“What else could be more important? And if you just want to fool around, why would you even bother seeking investment capital?”
She gritted her teeth. He wasn’t getting it. “I may not need to be the best, but that doesn’t mean I’m not the best,” she answered with a confident grin. “I’m proud of my work, and I want to use it to build a good life for the family I might have in the future.”
“How is that any different from what I wanted for the two of us?”
“You forget how well I know you, Ben. Your drive to succeed always felt more like a hell-bent determination to prove something.” She bit her lip, trying to decide how to explain. “Maybe to the father who thought he was too good for you?”
His jaw snapped shut like a steel trap, and a tangible barrier went up between them that felt like ice. She’d gone too far. Should never have mentioned his father. “I…I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I only meant that—”
He nodded, but the tight frown on his face only deepened. “It’s okay. You’re right. I went to New York with every intention of doing whatever it took to get my company off the ground. I would never have let anything or anyone stand in my way, not even you. And you would have tried, because you’re too nice to do business with someone like me. But sometimes you have to be ruthless to get what you want.”
“But there are different ways to approach it. There’s always a way—”
“Don’t be naïve. I never would have survived in this industry if I didn’t cut Olsen loose.”
“What if Steve had done the same to you?”
“He almost did, and he would have had every right.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was a control freak.”
“No…not you?” She faked a laugh, because she was biting back tears and couldn’t bear to let him see.
“When I brought Steve Nolan on board as my partner,” he continued, “I thought I could continue to make all the decisions just the way I always had, but after the third time I tried to railroad something past him, he up and quit. When I followed him to his boxing club and demanded to know what the hell he thought he was doing, he called me up onto the mats and set me straight, at the same time that he beat the crap out of me.”
A bittersweet smile pulled at her lips. “I think I would have liked to see that.”
His lips twisted. “Everyone liked to see that.”
She got to her feet and took a step toward him. “Jeffrey Olsen was just a man,” she said in a soft voice. “A tired, defeated man whose last lifeline was ripped from his grasp just when he needed it the most.”
His expression tightened. “So you do think I killed him.”
“No! Oh Ben, that’s not what I was trying to say at all.”
“But it’s what you think.” He stepped away. “I suppose it’s a good thing you refused to come to New York with me. I wouldn’t have wanted you to get your hands dirty—”
She gasped. “That’s not fair.”
His lips pressed together in a tight expression. “No, it’s not. I’m sorry.”
“Wait, where are you going?”
“We’re done here, so I’m going to go.” He was already halfway out of the room by the time she caught up.
He kept going as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough, with long strides that made her feel guiltier with every step.
Liz’s shoulders drooped. She’d handled that so horribly. Ben had always been driven to succeed, but she’d known him all through college right up until the day he left for New York, and he had never been cruel or unfair to anyone. Not like she’d just been to him.
She needed to find a way to apologize, but first she wanted to talk to Daniel. She hadn’t seen much of him. After exiting the elevator on his floor, she walked down the hall and knocked at his door. “Danie
l?” She knocked again, but there was still no answer.
Maybe he’d gone down to the restaurant for lunch…maybe with the woman he’d hinted at meeting yesterday. She turned and walked a few steps back down the hall.
The door opened behind her, and she turned around again. Daniel leaned out into the hall. He looked tired and mussed. What the hell happened since she saw him this morning? Her heart leaped into her throat. “Hey, there you are,” she said.
“Yeah Liz, here I am,” he said around a mouthful. “What do you need?”
He was shoveling down a bagel like the world might end if he didn’t get it all into his mouth in time. She forced a chuckle. “Is this the first time you’ve eaten since landing on the island or something?”
He paused with his hand halfway to his mouth and swallowed. “I skipped breakfast and didn’t have much for dinner last night,” he mumbled.
“Didn’t you go on a date? How did it go?” Did he not even get through dinner with this woman?
“It was great.” He grinned and crossed his arms as the last bite of bagel went down the hatch. “What, do you want details or something?”
“Hell no.” She shook her head and shuddered at the thought. “I’m just happy you had a good time. Um…I think that’s what I feel. It could be something else, though. Like mild disgust.”
He laughed then straightened from the doorjamb. “Now you know how I feel about you hanging out with Harrison. How did that go, anyway? Did you at least get something we can use against him in our negotiations with Diego Vargas?”
“Let’s not start playing dirty. If we have respect for our competitors, they’ll have respect for us. Besides, Ben has had enough trouble with—” She shut her mouth.
He scowled. “With what? What’s that supposed to mean?”
She shook her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have mentioned anything.”
“If it’s something that could help us—”
“Just drop it, Daniel. We’re not using it against him. It wouldn’t be professional.”
The way he looked at her, she thought he was going to keep pushing, but he finally said, “Whatever. Listen, I should probably take a shower and get dressed, so I’ll talk to you later okay?”
She let out a relieved sigh. “Do you want to get together for lunch, and we can go over some details for the next two days?”
“Well, if you need me, sure…but I made tentative plans to meet Laura again for lunch,” he said shyly.
“Her name is Laura? Wouldn’t happen to be the same Laura from the convention committee, would it?”
“Yeah, actually. She called me yesterday morning looking for you.”
“I remember you mentioned it. So how did you two get together?”
“Well, we kind of ran into each other yesterday afternoon and it just kind of…” Was that a blush crawling up his neck? He shrugged, and Liz grinned.
She was more relieved than she’d ever admit out loud to hear that her brother had been ditching his job duties for a girl. It was much better than wondering if he’d been sitting at a table somewhere gambling again.
“Don’t worry about it. We don’t really need to do much this afternoon anyway.”
“Are you sure?”
She smiled and waved it off. “Yeah, of course. You haven’t had a vacation in as long as I have…and I haven’t had one like, ever, so you should get a chance to enjoy yourself. I’ve already done some brainstorming with Ben for the seminar, and I can handle the networking this afternoon. Why don’t I give you a call later?”
“Okay, thanks.” He looked relieved, too, as if he’d expected her to crack down on him.
She gave him a hug and said good-bye, but as she turned to go and Daniel started to close the door, she caught a glimpse of another expression that brought back every bit of her worry and uncertainty.
Guilt.
Chapter Eleven
With the convention in full swing, the lobby, restaurant, and other common areas were full of people. Some of them Ben recognized, but many he didn’t. If Optimus Inc. was going to win the vote and be honored with Tyson Wallace’s endorsement, he and Nolan needed to be aggressive and make their presence known.
Much like Beth had been doing this evening.
She always seemed to be on the other side of the bar, but his gaze found her easily. She smiled, working the room just as determinedly as they were, bravely talking to all the heavy-hitting execs from the big companies…and doing a great job from the looks of it. She was absolutely stunning in a sleek dress that was not quite red, but not pink either, managing to look both sexy and professional at the same time. Confidence and enthusiasm shone from her face. He’d been catching snippets of conversation, and it seemed that comparisons between Optimus Inc. and Sharkston Co. were the hot topic. He couldn’t have gotten better publicity this week if he’d paid for it.
“He’s ours,” said Nolan, talking about Diego Vargas. He seemed to think that after the presentations this morning, Optimus was nosing ahead in the competition. He lifted his half-empty glass of draught with a grin. “The only thing left to do now is close the deal.”
“Not so fast,” said Ben. He was confident too, but knew he couldn’t afford to get cocky, and he was surprisingly torn between wanting to win—needing to win—and wanting to see Beth succeed.
Nolan nudged him in the arm. “Shouldn’t you be more impressed with yourself right now?”
“I just don’t think we should be counting the money until it’s actually in our account.”
“Come on, he loves us.” They’d spent happy hour in the bar with Vargas, who had just left to get ready for a dinner meeting. “As long as we can get him committed to at least a handshake deal, we’ll be set.”
Ben didn’t disagree. Vargas had been totally on board with their pitch from start to finish. He’d asked insightful questions and seemed interested in seeing and hearing more as soon as it could be arranged. The only hiccup had been his obvious interest in Beth’s product as well, but Ben knew that he could swing things his way if he really wanted to. All it would take was a few subtle insinuations about the unreliability of Sharkston Co.’s other partner and his penchant for gambling, and nobody would want to take that kind of risk.
He grimaced, disgusted that the thought had even crossed his mind.
“And as long as you continue the great job you’re doing keeping the competition occupied—”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t have to play dumb with me, I’m totally on board with whatever game you want to play.”
“I’m not playing games with Beth.” Wasn’t he, though? What were they doing if not playing games? It wasn’t as if he thought they had something serious, something that could last after they both left this island.
And even if he was somehow stupid enough to think they did, after their conversation this morning, Beth obviously had no such delusions.
“Okay, sure. Whatever you say as long as we get the investment we need from Vargas,” said Nolan.
“I have a feeling he’ll hold his decision close to the chest until after the vote at the end of the week.” He crossed his arms. “Shouldn’t you go find Meredith and make sure she’s staying out of trouble?”
With a grimace, Nolan drained his glass. “All she did today was complain about the weather. How was I supposed to know we’d land in Antigua just in time for a tropical storm?”
The storm was still just a prediction, but the sun hadn’t made much of an appearance today. “I think the convention organizers planned it this way so we’ll all be good little industry professionals and attend their carefully planned sessions instead of heading for the beach.”
Not that Ben had noticed the weather at all. He hadn’t stepped foot out of doors all day. Then again, he’d been outside all day yesterday and still hadn’t noticed anything except for Beth. A hurricane could have been raging around him, and he would only have seen her smile.
“And here I
was, counting on everyone to leave the resort and take advantage of the sunshine so that I could get some work done without looking over my shoulder the whole time,” said Nolan.
“Does that mean you’re ready to tell me what the hell is going on, and why you need a buffer between you and some reporter?” Ben asked his friend.
“Okay, I admit it. I’m trying to hide from the woman from the Times. No matter where I go or what I do, I can’t seem to shake her.”
It was a running joke that Steve had a horde of women stalking him, but this time he wasn’t laughing about it. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”
“Jesus, no,” he said quickly. Too quickly?
“Was there something going on between you?” he amended.
Nolan groaned. “Nothing serious. We had a little fun, that’s all.”
“And did she know it was nothing serious?”
“Yeah, of course. You know me.”
The trouble was, Ben did know him. And while his friend never went into anything without being completely honest, he was also the type of guy women thought they could “change.”
But it was none of his business. If Steve couldn’t handle it, he’d say something when he was good and ready. Ben checked the time and stood to retrieve his jacket from the back of the chair. “Are we still meeting the rep from Magnatech later?”
“I can take care of it.” Nolan threw him a knowing look. “Don’t you have some more work to do with Ms. Carlson before your seminar tomorrow?”
Ben glanced at her again. She was smiling and shaking hands with the CEO from Innotech, who Ben and Nolan had already met with earlier. He shrugged.
“Exactly what is the deal with the two of you?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you sure nothing else is going on between you and the reporter that I should know about?”
