Authors: Julia Sexton
“Oh, I don’t know. We’re matching colors. I think you’re copying me.”
Giulia walked past them pushing the cart to the kitchen.
“Invite me in,” Josh said.
“We definitely need to talk. I’ll put some clothes on.” She couldn’t help it, she smiled. He looked so…inviting. Everything about him spelled M.A.N. in capital letters. She felt it again, that spark. Her body tingling.
She dashed through the bedroom into the closet. What to wear. I’ll see his navy sweater and raise him one. She rummaged through the racks and found just the thing. She was never sure where navy stopped and midnight blue began, but this dress—silk, short, body-clinging, spaghetti straps—was just the thing, almost nothing. She wiggled into a black lace bandeau to keep her nipples under control and slipped on the dress.
When she emerged in the great room, he stared as if dumbstruck.
“You look beautiful,” he said breathily. “I never noticed. I mean…”
One for me, thought Sandy. He is going to suffer. Because what he sees is just not available. Never.
“Thank you.” Sandy smiled what she called her glamor smile. Sort of like a beauty pageant queen on a parade float, all teeth and no sincerity.
“What’s on the agenda, Mr. Harrington?”
“This isn’t a meeting. I thought we could get to know each other. We’ll have a good meal, a glass of wine. Talk.”
“Well, here I am. What you see is not what you get.”
“Sandy, truce.” He raised his hands. “Can we just spend a couple of hours talking? Have a nice meal? Enjoy the sunset? I’ll explain more. You were in shock this morning.”
“What’s my other choice?” One last defiant stand.
They both burst out laughing simultaneously.
Giulia set two chilled flutes and a bottle of champagne on the table.
“Come,” Josh said. “Let’s toast the truce and the evening.”
“Truce,” Sandy sighed, as Josh gently lifted the cork out of the chilled bottle. The cork made a little swooshing sound.
Chapter 3: Gilded Cage
“I can’t eat one more bite,” Sandy declared as she watched chocolate sauce drip down the pear poached in champagne. Josh was right. “Giulia is a good cook. The entire meal was one sensuous taste treat after another.”
“Here, I’ll help you,” Josh said. He pushed his fork into the pear and gently pulled up a piece and held it to Sandy’s lips. When the pear touched her lips, her whole body went Zing! She was glad her bandeau kept her nipples under control, they would have been a dead giveaway.
The chocolate covered bite of pear sent flavor sensations all over her tongue.
“Mmmmmm,” she murmured. “I feel sated.”
“Oops,” Josh said as he pulled up his napkin and dabbed a drop of chocolate off her chin.
There it was again. All he had to do was touch her. I’ll beat Josh Harrington. I’ll beat Josh Harrington. Ah, that’s better.
“So, you will help me compile the data I get for the research project. I’ll give you the data, you will categorize and sort.”
“You have the categories set up, I just add new data? Isn’t that sort of like a glorified data entry girl? Not much thinking?”
He gave her what she dubbed the beam smile. She’d seen it work on clients in the office. He seemed to smile with his entire body, everything open and ready for agreement.
“Sandy, you’ll be helping my real research. Now that we have that AI contract with the big search engine, will be getting the information we need about neuroscience and the patterns in the mind that connect with reality. That’s the real information we want about humanity. What it is that makes you all tick.”
“But just the data, no connection to the outside world.”
“Yes.” The beam was still in place. And, damn it, she was responding. It must be some Zinka trick.
“So, I’ll be working in that study down the hall?” Uh oh, she was giving a tentative agreement. But, she didn’t know how to say no. Without agreeing she’d be a living vegetable hiding out in these rooms with nothing to do but prisoner exercises.
“Yes, there’s a feed from my computer here. The Zinka computer.”
She considered the alternative, then nodded her head in agreement.
“Great. We’ll set up the connection tomorrow before I leave for Denver. Shall we toast our new working agreement?” He picked up the second bottle of champagne and filled their flutes.
They gently clinked their flutes. Sandy smiled but inside she had a sinking feeling. She was not beating Josh Harrington. He had won this round.
*
The next morning Josh arrived as she was finishing her breakfast yogurt and fruit. Still sipping her coffee from the espresso maker, she followed him to the study.
He started pulling cables and cards out of a briefcase.
“Josh Harrington, the man who does everything. Most people would have a team of technicians do this, or at least one,” Sandy quipped.
He looked up from the floor where he was crawling around behind the desk. “You are right,” he said as he got up and sat on the edge of the desk. She couldn’t help noticing how his jeans pulled taught over the curves of his thighs.
“I am a man. I was made into a man at the cellular level. My conception was artificial insemination, the other AI. Those genes were then modified to make me as human as possible. I kept only my Zinka brain”
He chuckled, then continued.
“I’m a man, but with certain inherited…let’s call them gifts. As a man, I can’t help but respond when you dress in a next-to-nothing silk dress that reveals everything, even the lines of your bandeau, that almost hid the inviting buds of your nipples.”
Sandy gasped. She hadn’t fooled him one bit.
“But I am also the Prince of the Federation of Zinka, and whatever I feel, for the moment, as a man, that responsibility comes first. We can’t have, what you think will get you out of this with your feminine wiles. It can’t be. I must keep my mission secret. That is more important than any momentary feelings I may have as a man.”
Sandy felt her heart sink. He was smarter than her. He had an intelligence that she would never comprehend and he seemed to know every move she made and how to thwart it. She was trapped.
Josh looked at her with calm. “You are a very good looking woman. I can’t help but notice. Most men would do just about anything to have you all to himself the way I do. But, it’s not the way most men would be. I am promised for my mission. I was made for my mission, physically created for this mission. My human body would not last if I went ‘home.’ Earth is my adopted home. I can never go back to Zinka. I’m doomed to be here as a man, but not a man, a brain that retrieves and sends data. That’s my mission.”
“Josh.” Sandy put out her hand, but he brushed it away. “In a way you’re as trapped as I am.”
“Well, my dark-haired beauty, you’ve described the scenario. Now we both have to live with it. Now, it’s back to getting you set up here.”
He got back down on the floor and continued fitting cables and boxes together.
Sandy sipped her espresso. It was cold. There was so much to think about. Now, that she knew what, who, Josh Harrington was, she’d have to rethink her escape. It would be the most challenging thing she had ever done. She had to outwit a man whose brain was more than human. I’ll beat you, Josh Harrington. I don’t know how, but I’ll beat you.
After Josh left for Denver Sandy sat at the desk and turned on the computer. It was really just make-work. This was nothing like integrating a spreadsheet with a word processing system. Strings of numbers flew by on the screen. Every once in a while the computer would ping, stop at a string of numbers, and wait for her to flag the string. At the end of the session, her task was to collect all the flagged strings and send them as a file to Josh’s computer. That was it. Glorified data entry.
While the computer scrolled faster than her eye could follow, she tried to figure out what to do next. Josh was smarter than she was. There was no denying that. A part of her was sympathetic to his plight. He could never go home. In a way, he was just as trapped as she was. But, his prison was bigger. It was the entire globe, not a grandmother unit inside a very large mansion.
OK. Plan. First since silky dresses and revealing clothes were not going to work she would stop. She would stop wearing makeup. Well, maybe a little lip gloss. She would be a jeans and tops girl. No suits, no dresses, no high heels. He wanted plain, he’d get plain. She’d be the plain sparrow inside the gilded cage.
Chapter 4: Alien Abduction
“Yes, yes,” Josh said. He looked up from the desk in her study and smiled at her. “Exactly. You’ve kept those anomalies sorted. I’m glad the system is working. Of course, I designed it.”
“There’s nothing you can’t do,” Sandy mocked, mostly meaning it. She’d come to realize that when it came to thinking he was the one, even if he was arrogant about it.
“Well, that’s great. You really are helping. These are just the patterns that don’t fit with the patterns that were trying to discover.”
“What do you mean, patterns that don’t fit with the patterns?”
“We want to understand the paradox of the human mind. To understand that is the basis of knowing human behavior. It seems that the way humans act results in suffering and discontent. We want to examine the nature of patterns to gain an understanding of human life. How humans make decisions. We want to see if there is a way to eliminate, or at least reduce, that suffering.”
“I don’t know, Josh. It sounds like you want to be some kind of god. Those mysteries are part of being human.” Here he went with the superior arrogance again! He will know all. Beyond, keeping her in seclusion, he was determined to understand the nature of being human! She shivered.
“No, no. You humans…we humans, have a branch of science called neurophysics. Those patterns are exactly what are studied in neurophysics. We take those patterns and then examine them at a higher level. I’m a scientist, not the crazed, egotistical, fanatic you seem to think I am.”
“I don’t understand. I don’t understand how it works.” She felt stupid. Usually she felt like a fairly sharp cookie, but this was all new to her. And now that she had no access to the outside world, she couldn’t even check what he said on the internet. She had to take his word for it. The word of Josh Harrington, mighty billionaire, Zinka Prince, and scientist. But, she wasn’t going to let him see how weak minded he made her feel. “You have to tell me more. I thought physics was magnets and force fields, not the human brain.”
“I will,” he answered. “But now I have to go to the office. I haven’t been there since Thursday. A lot has happened. I’ll tell you more this evening.”
He got up from the desk. Walked by Sandy and went down the hallway to the door. The door with the lock that clicked shut.
When Sandy sat down at the desk, his scent lingered on the chair.
Just yesterday Sandy had been putting together end-of-month reports for Harrington, Ltd. secure in her new job. She was working for the most eligible bachelor, possibly in the country, in a beautiful office by the ocean. In less than 24 hours, her world had turned upside down.
However lush her new housing was, it was still a prison. The door locked from the outside and there was no escape. The glass on the balconies was sturdy and high.
Sandy stood by the pool after an hour of swimming. She picked up her sandal and threw it at the glass. The little shoe bounced off the glass as if swept aside and inconsequential. It would take more than a shoe to break through.
Josh Harrington. When she thought about him, her blood boiled. She was sure this was the first time in her life she had truly felt rage. Every part of her wanted to destroy him. Josh, the billionaire. Josh, the alien prince. Josh, the know-it-all. And, most of all, Josh the jailer. That was the truth of it. He was her jailer. Like some long ago story of princes and princesses. And, she wasn’t even a princess, just an ordinary woman making her way through life.
In that talk of his of studying the brain to reduce suffering, he hadn’t mentioned one word about imprisonment and how it caused emotional suffering. She might as well be a guinea pig in a cage. He’d watch her suffer while he luxuriated in his grand mansion. Palm trees, ocean views, delicious food were not regular prison fare, but she was trapped. She wanted out. She didn’t know how to get out. And she wanted escape, to get away. Never see Josh Harrington again.
He might sway other women with his height and strength and good looks. His tousled red curls, his mighty shoulders, his more than handsome face, his lips…Why was she thinking about him like this? She didn’t give a flying fajita how he looked. All she knew, right now, was that he was her enemy. Her personal enemy.
Sandy picked up the tossed shoe and went inside. She took a quick shower, dressed, and felt hungry after her swim. From the kitchen, she grabbed a small salad and a sandwich Giulia had left earlier. She took them to the dining room. The big, dark Spanish style table sat 10. The mosaic of tiles on the floor complemented the stark table and chairs. She sat at one end staring out the window at the ocean. After all her anger, her mind felt blank. She had no answers. She didn’t even have a question. She took a bite of the sandwich as she looked at the tall palms swaying in the ocean breeze.
The lock on the door clicked. Sandy put down her sandwich. Now what?
“Sandy, Sandy,” Josh Harrington called. She heard hurried footsteps running down the hall. He appeared at the arched entrance to the dining room. “You’re here. Come with me.”
He grabbed her hand. His strength flowed up her arm as he literally pulled her from her seat and led her through the door. Through the door! She was out!
“What’s happening?” Sandy said breathlessly as she trotted beside him keeping up with his long, hurried strides.
“Just come,” he replied.
Once again, Josh Harrington took arrogant command without a thought of explanation or treating her as someone who deserved an explanation. With him, it was “Do it my way.” But Sandy could tell something important was happening. First, she was out of the prison! This could be the time she got free. Free of her prison. Free of Josh Harrington and his commanding ways.
Wordlessly, he led her down the same long hallway she’d been in the night before. The night before when she’d seen…those things, those creatures. They went to the doorway of the same room. Josh opened the door and pulled her in. They stood, still holding hands in front of the same table with the same beings. Well, she wasn’t sure they were the exact same ones. It had all been so vague and so fast.
Now that she had a better look and they weren’t disappearing, she counted seven of the creatures. The skin on their faces was slightly blue, the color of the veins under her own skin. What she remembered as hairless heads, were heads covered in thin, pliable helmets each one with a badge on the front. They wore sleek bodysuits covering them from head to foot. Only their hands were visible.
The table was in the shape of an ellipse, oblong and transparent. If this all weren’t so strange she would have thought it was translucent plastic. So were the chairs. The creatures looked (what was that sci-fi word?) humanoid. A head, a body, two arms, two legs. The one in the center with the red badge on his helmet started hissing and growling. He waved his arms at Josh. He issued a few more hisses and then waved his arms at Sandy. Her gripped tightened on Josh’s hand. She felt a gentle squeeze back.
“What is he saying?” Sandy whispered.
Josh didn’t answer, he squeezed her hand again as he hissed and growled back.
Everyone at the table started hissing vehemently. Obviously there was an argument. Sandy was bewildered. Josh growled in a commanding tone. The table fell silent. He hissed at them all and turned to Sandy. He took both her hands in his. She felt a wave of compassion come from him.
“This is an emergency meeting to decide what to do with you.”
“Why are you sounding so, so…protective?”
“They want to get rid of you.”
“Get rid of me? What do you mean get rid of me? Imprisonment isn’t enough?” Sandy suddenly felt weak. She held on to his hands as if to pull strength from him.
“You know, get rid. Make you disappear.” She could tell that the super intelligent Josh Harrington was struggling for words. He took a breath. “End your life.”
“What?” She felt weak and trembly. This couldn’t be happening. She had to wake up from this nightmare. “End my life.” She whispered and blinked. She could feel tears coming.
“Shh. Shh. I am in command, I have the final say. This is only their proposal. I won’t let it happen.” He looked into her tear brimmed eyes and gave her an encouraging smile. That smile. This wasn’t a fake beam smile, this was real. Did he care about her? “Don’t say anything. Just stand next to me and be brave.”
Sandy took a deep breath. Her knees trembled. She wanted to sit down. She took another breath. She looked into his smoke blue eyes. He gazed back and nodded.
“Shh,” he whispered gently. “Shh. You will be fine.” He raised his hand and stroked away the hair that had fallen over her cheek. Sandy felt a thrill surge through her body.
Josh turned back to face the table. Still holding her hand he hissed and growled at the aliens.
For what seemed an eternity, but was probably only five minutes, Josh and the aliens argued. All of a sudden, the creature in the center stood up.
“What’s going on?” Sandy said, seeing the menace in the alien’s face.
“That’s General Baliik. He’s the planetary general for all of Zinka. He says this mission is his personal command.”
“What does that mean?” Sandy wanted to understand what they were saying. She had no idea what they were proposing other than “get rid” of her. Josh was too busy with the general to answer.
Josh and the general hissed at each other. The general growled. Josh growled.
Josh squeezed her hand again then held it firmly. He lifted her hand in the air. He pointed at General Baliik, then pointed at Sandy. His growls were terrible to hear. Sandy’s heart raced. Her trembly knees were going to betray her. She wanted Josh to put his arms around her. Wanted him to hold her up and tell her everything was fine. Instead, she could feel his anger. His deep growl filled the room. Sandy started shaking.
“Josh, what is he saying?”
He didn’t answer. He gripped her hand and raised it up in the air again. He issued another thundering growl at the group.
General Baliik, stood silent. He sat down in resignation.
“Josh, please tell me what’s going on? I can’t stand much longer. My knees are going to give way.”
“Not right now,” he hissed between gritted teeth. He squeezed her hand. She felt his strength flow through he body. Her knees stopped shaking. She took in a long breath.
The aliens at the table started hissing amongst themselves. Twice they all turned to stare at Sandy. Josh kept his eyes focused on the general. The aliens hissed and growled at each other, always deferring to the general.
Sandy felt helpless. She couldn’t understand what they said. What would happen? Why was Josh so tense?
The aliens stopped “talking.” The general stood up. Then, as one, the other six stood up.
Josh almost crushed her hand.
“No!” Josh shouted.
“Josh, what is it?” Sandy began shaking again as the aliens moved slowly from behind the table and approached them.
Josh let go of her hand. He put his arms up in command. He growled commandingly at the group of aliens as they advanced.
“No!” Josh shouted again.
Were they going to take her? Was Josh going to stop them? Should she try to run? Sandy felt frozen to the spot.
One alien took Sandy’s arm. His touch was like ice.
The general pointed a small red pen at Josh. For an instant, Josh turned his face toward Sandy, a look of helplessness in his eyes. Then he fell to the floor.
Sandy watched him fall to the ground.
The alien next to her pointed a red pen at her and everything went black.