Part 1 (1/2)
THE SUN G.o.d'S WOMAN.
SAHARA KELLY.
Prologue.
The lights in the conference room dimmed and the polite babble of conversation diminished to an expectant hush. The dulcet tones of the moderator swirled around the guests.
”Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present our keynote speaker this evening. From Pendrake Industries, here to tell us about his exciting new discoveries, may I ask you to join me in welcoming Dr.
Kyle Pendrake.”
An enthusiastic round of applause greeted this comment, and in the back row of the room Annie Lynden caught her breath.
He was gorgeous.
He was one hot babe-magnet whose pictures hadn't done him justice.
And he was a dedicated scientist who had made magic. Literally.
There were some quiet moments while Dr. Pendrake's a.s.sistant carefully hooked up the small computer system next to the podium.
Annie's mouth watered as she used the time to study the notorious Dr. Pendrake.
Easily topping six feet, his hair was dark and longer than fas.h.i.+onable. Today he had tied it back neatly, but there were still fiery glints s.h.i.+ning through when he bent to straighten a cable.
His clothes were neat and well tailored, and reeked of expensively casual chic. His round-necked s.h.i.+rt was definitely a silk knit, and was topped by a jacket that probably had been custom made for his broad shoulders.
Tasteful khakis fell in perfect creases to his gleaming loafers.
Not a pocket protector in sight.
He stood and glanced around the audience, and Annie caught a flash of light from incredible green eyes.
Sheesh, he was s.e.x on a stick. She dropped immediately into a fantasy of licking her tongue up the sensitive flesh just inside his very naked hipbone. And back down. And over slightly.
A tap on the microphone brought her attention back to reality, although to judge by the parted lips and squirming bodies of the few other women present, she wasn't the only one picking up the major s.e.x vibes from this luscious set of walking hormones.
”Good evening.”
His voice was as appealing as the rest of him. He should probably have a government warning stamped on his b.u.t.t. Just thinking about his b.u.t.t distracted Annie and she wrenched herself back to business-to take notes on the lecture for her editor.
It was a coup for her to be here, because this was very much an ”invitation-only” affair. There were some pretty impressive looking suits in the front rows, and even a military uniform or two. Her editor had sworn that this project would probably end up cla.s.sified within months, and would have come himself, but his wife was due to produce a little editor any second, and he hated science anyway.
So here she was, Miss Junior Reporter, still months away from graduating with a degree in journalism, covering what promised to be the hot technological topic of the year-Kyle Pendrake's ”Magic”.
Developing a severe case of l.u.s.t for the noted scientist wasn't going to help her write the feature article she'd been promised, or the spot on the front page where her byline would appear. Her palms started to sweat as she worked the first sentences in her mind...
Dr. Kyle Pendrake may have discovered magic, but in the eyes of many of his audience, he managed to create a little of his own at last night's symposium... Yeah, that would make a nice intro ...oops, he was beginning his lecture.
Annie leaned forward, unwilling to miss a second of what this guy was selling. Whatever it was, she'd take some.
”Merlin.” The word floated through the now-silent room like a wisp of fog. ”A name synonymous with the forces of magic, the forces of nature, a command of the most fundamental elements of our existence.”
The audience was hushed, all attention focused on the man at the podium. The lights struck his head and upper body, leaving much of the rest of him in shadow. A nice dramatic touch, thought Annie, and one that worked well when you looked as yummy as the good professor.
”Magic,” he continued, meeting as many eyes in the audience as he could. This guy knew how to work a crowd.
”The premise that magic exists is not new. Scientists have played around with the idea for many years. At Pendrake Labs, however, we don't 'play'...we get serious!”
A quick smile moistened the panties of at least three women in the second row, judging by their reactions.
”The result of our research is here with me tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you...Merlin.” A wave of his hand and a click of the remote control b.u.t.ton produced a spotlight focused on the small unit at his side. He pa.s.sed his hand over it and it began to glow.
Infrared sensors, thought Annie, busily jotting down her impressions, and refusing to be seduced by the show.
”Merlin is an acronym, standing for 'Magical Energies Resonator and Linear Integration Network” board. Actually,” another smile crossed his handsome face, ”...it's more correctly known as M.E.R.L.I.N. dash B.”
The large screen behind Dr. Pendrake lit up with the Pendrake logo and a sleek graphic of the name Merlin.
”In our labs, it's the SR388 unit, and in our system here, it's...well, it's pretty special.”
A shade of excitement had crept into his voice, and Annie paused in her note taking to watch him. She could just make out a pulse beating at the base of his neck as he turned to his unit, and a faint sheen of sweat was beginning to film his forehead.
A period of very technical information followed, which Annie wisely let slip by. Her readers wouldn't care about the operating system, whether it would work on the latest PC, or MAC, how many bazillion gigs of memory it needed, or whether Microsoft would be releasing a bug update within the promised time frame.
No, her readers wanted the whole picture...the images of what she was seeing, the end result of what this machine was rumored to do.
His scientific presentation winding down, Dr. Pendrake laid his notes back onto the podium.
”You are probably all a little bit curious about MERLIN.” He smiled. ”We were too, when we realized what we had developed. A plug-in board that can harness every bit of magic that is lurking near it. And there is magic everywhere, ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake.”
He crossed to the front of the small dais and raised the lighting in the room with another click of his remote control. He could now see his audience more clearly, and the feeling of intimacy was heightened as he swept his gaze over the forty or fifty faces that intently watched him.
Annie felt his glance like a bolt through her body. His eyes hesitated a moment as they pa.s.sed over her, and she felt the pull of his attraction right down to her thong! Sheesh, what she wouldn't give for a night with this guy. No holds barred.
”There is magic in the materials we use to create our buildings, and magic in the earth they stand upon. There is magic in the plants that grow, the wind that blows, and the air we need to sustain our very lives. ”
I'll just bet there's some pure magic in your shorts, too, buddy, thought Annie.
His gaze flickered back to her, and for a second Annie was aghast at the idea he might have heard her. She blushed fiercely.
”This magical energy is collected by our friend MERLIN, and converted into digital impulses. The result? ”