GAMBLING ON LOVE (Travis Series) (6 page)

Sam’s heart leapt
.
“Anne!”
 

He pulled her into his arms so
fast,
she didn’t have time to say anything else
.
Sam’s mouth crushed her lips with a powerful, bruising kiss and all the doubts she’d had about returning to the party vanished instantly
.

“You came back,” he said thickly
.
“I didn’t think you would.”

“I almost didn’t
.”
Beth looked into his eyes, surprised by the obvious anxiety
.
“I’m sorry, Sam
.
I guess I was afraid.”

His brows drew together
.
“Afraid of me?”

“No, not of you
—
of the way you make me feel.”

“I know what you mean,” he said quietly and Beth saw the sincerity of his words reflected in his eyes.
He was still holding her as if he was afraid to let go
; a possessive gesture that she found strangely
comforting.
"I think we have an audience,” she said even as she laced her arms around his neck.

“Let them watch
.
I’m not letting you go again until I get you back in my room.”

“And what makes you think I’ll go back to your room, Sam Travis?”

A low growl
hummed
in his throat
.
“You’ll come with me if I have
to
carry you over my shoulder to get you there.”

“Just promise I won’t wake to find a rose on your pillow and a note that says
thanks for the good time
.”

Sam’s eyes danced with amusement
.
“Honey, I
never
leave a note.”

“But you always leave, don’t you, Sam
?”
she asked
solemnly.

He leaned down and kissed her tenderly
.
“Not this time, Anne.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                     *
**

“Nanotechnology w
ill
allow us to make high-quality products at an extremely low price as well as making new nano
-
factories at that same low cost and speed,”
John
Peterson explained to the small group of people gathered around him.

“What about the economic upheaval caused by this cheap manufacturing and duplication of designs
?”
Sam asked.

“The risks are minimal,”
John
dismissed Sam’s concerns
.
“Just think of the benefits of using this exponential technology
.
In just a couple of weeks a few nano
-
factories could become billions because they reproduce themselves.”

Beth shook her head
.
“Sam’s right
.
Overuse of these products could cause widespread damage to the environment
.
Trying to control all the potential risks could create a black market that would be nearly impossible to stop because the nano
-
factories could so easily be smuggled
.
And think how irresistible it would be to some deviant who suddenly had the power to release a self-replicating entity on the world.”

Evan Drake, who had somehow wheedled his way between Beth and Linda Peterson, looked down at her with a mocking grin
.
“Who cares
whether
a few replicating assemblers break loose
?
Think of the money that c
an
be made from computers that
are
billions times smaller and us
e
so little power
.
It’s mind boggling.”

Beth couldn’t believe the ignorance of the man
.
“You’re kidding
,
right
?
What good will any
amount of money do
if they start running amok
?
Apparently, you haven’t done your homework, Mr. Drake, because these things have the mobility to travel through the environment
.
They’re designed to be impenetrable by chemicals and
ultraviolet light
,
as well as coming with a complete set of blueprints
and
the computers to interpret them.

"On top of that," she continued, "they have a metabolism of sorts that can break down random chemicals and turn it into feedstock from which
new
nanosystems are produced
.
They literally make their own food and use it to self-replicate.”

Evan glared at her
.
“I
have
done my homework, Miss Dawson,” he
ground out.
“What would a woman who hires herself out for dates know about it anyway
?
What did you do, watch a special on the Science Channel?”

Beth felt Sam stiffen
next to
her and hastened to keep a fight from breaking out
.
The rest of the people around them had gone completely silent, no doubt expecting her to break into tears or at the very least wait for Sam to come to her rescue
.
O
f course
,
she did no such thing.
 

"
Again
, you
have
a misguided concept of the truth,” she replied in a condescending tone that even this self-important jackass couldn’t miss
.
“I do
not
work for an escort service
.
I met Sam on a flight back from Greece
.
Not that you
would
have thought to ask, but I’m an investigator and work mainly on felony offenses against large corporations.
”

Beth lifted her chin defensively
.
“As for how I know about the potential risks of self-replicating assemblers, I spent two months working a case in Scotland for
your
employer’s
primary
competitor
.
Even
with
tight security, one of their trusted scientists smuggled out an assembler and mutated it
.
The clean
-
up was costly to say the least
.
The world is full of criminally irresponsible people, Mr. Drake
.
As an attorney, I should think you would know that.”
 

Evan glanced nervously at his employers, wisely interpreting their unhappy
expressions
correctly
.
“My apologies
.”
He
tipped his head to Beth
.
“I stand entirely corrected on your career status as well
as
your knowledge of the subject.”

The
uncomfortable silence
that ensued
was broken
when
Krista Jordan announced the band was playing her favorite song and
left the group to dance
with her husband
.  Li
nda Peterson looped her arm through her husband’s, intending to haul him to the dance floor as well
,
but paused for a moment to whisper in Beth’s ear.

“Good for you, sweetie,” she said
.
“I can’t stand that arrogant buffoon.
”
She
tossed
Evan Drake a scathing glance before she left.

Sam took her hand
.
“Would you like to go for a walk in the gardens?”
 

Beth nodded gratefully and was glad to see Evan excuse himself from the group and leave
.
They headed for the French doors
leading
to the gardens and when she was sure they were out of earshot, she looked up at Sam,
concerned
that his silence meant he was upset with her
.

“Are you angry with me?”

Sam smiled reassuringly
.
“No, sweetheart, I’m not angry with you
.
A little afraid to carry on a conversation maybe,” he teased.

Beth frowned, positively miserable about the whole thing
.
“I’m sorry, Sam
.
I should have kept quiet like all of the other women there.”

Sam stopped short and pulled her into his arms
.
“You don’t get it
,
do you, Anne
?
If you were like all those other women
,
I
would
have lost interest in you five minutes after we arrived.
”
With a devilish grin, he gathered her closer
.
“I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve ever been turned on by a woman’s mind.
”
He glanced down at her cleavage, his grin spreading into a sexy smile
.
“Although in your case, there’s a healthy balance between brains and beauty.”

Beth
felt a furious blush burning her cheeks
.
“I think I need some fresh air,” she rasped, the blush deepening when Sam purposely pressed her breasts tighter against his chest.

“Getting a little hot, sweetheart?”

She tried to push herself away from him, but he only laughed at her feeble efforts to free herself
.
“You’re a very bad man, Sam Travis,” she chided.
 

“I told you, I’m not letting loose of you until I get you back to my room.”

Before she could respond, Scott Jordan walked up
.
“Sorry to interrupt your
…
conversation,” he teased, “but I need to borrow you for just a minute, Sam.”

“I’ll meet you by the gazebo,” Beth said, pausing to admire his magnificent form as he walked away.
 

She let out a heavy sigh, sincerely hoping the party wouldn’t go on much longer
.
Beth walked through the French doors and found herself in a heavenly flower garden
.
She took a stroll down the path leading to the gazebo
,
surprised that more people weren’t enjoying the gardens on such a pleasantly warm evening.
 

A bit disappointed to find a couple had already claimed the gazebo, she decided to see more of the gardens before turning back to find Sam
.
The path was dimly lit and there were smaller paths leading off to secluded, romantic alcoves
.
Beth was just about to turn back when she heard heavy steps quickly approaching from behind
.
Assuming it was Sam, she turned with a smile on her face
,
her good mood instantly dispelled at the sight of Evan Drake moving swiftly in her direction.

“I’m glad I caught you alone,” he said.
 

Something in his voice made Beth wary. Better smooth things over before they got into another debate.
She started to apologize for letting the earlier conversation get so heated when Evan gripped her arm and yanked her roughly from the main path.

“How dare you
!”
Beth hissed indignantly.

Evan stopped and whirled her around to face him
.
His other hand shot up and locked over her free arm
.
His grip was painful, his fingers digging into her delicate flesh as he pulled her up so their faces were only inches apart.

“How dare
you
,” he snarled
.
“I don’t know who you think you are, embarrassing me like that in front of my employers, but I promise if it happens again you’ll be one sorry little girl.”

“Are you threatening me?”
she asked
incredulously.
 

Evan’s malicious laugh sent a cold fear winding through her entire body
.
“You bet it’s a threat, honey
.
You come waltzing into this dinner party like you’re an equal,” he spat derisively, “but you’re
nothing
.
Sam Travis has a different woman on his arm at every function so don’t fool yourself into believing you’re anything special
.
By
this time
next week, you’ll be a distant memory
.
He probably won’t even remember your name.”