Seducing the Professor (9 page)

“
Two, possibly three weeks.”

“Travel safely and keep me up to date during this week.  I will need as much information to pacify him when he returns.”

She ended the call and handed Brett’s phone back to him.

“Okay, that’s sorted then, but I want to prepare enough of the emulsion and the antibiotic, just in case you might need it.  And Brett, please promise me you will phone me if there is a crisis.  I would rather be here to deal with it and go back, than not being here at all.”

“Deal.  Draw up your list and I’ll send David to go and fetch what you need.  It would be good for me to know how to prepare the emulsion as well.”

They worked closely for the rest of the day and Wade was just as excited about Alexandra’s idea.  He instructed his secretary to make the necessary flight arrangements for the following day.

Alexandra walked into Yellow Blossoms pasture and the colt came running towards her.  He jumped up and down when he reached her and she fed him a peace of apple laughingly and some to Blossom as well.

She leaned against Blossom and stroked her nose, while she hugged the Colt around the neck.

“You two are so spoilt already!  Paul is going to have a cadenza when he gets back!  I am going to miss you two so much!  You must be good and don’t bite David when he feeds you again, little mister!”

The colt shook his head up and down as if in agreement and Alexandra laughed.  She sobered and felt her heart clamp inside her.  She was becoming too attached to all the animals here.  It was going
to break her heart when she has to leave!

She refused to think about what it would do to her when she had to leave the owner of the Ranch behind.

Paul
‘s good mood sunk when he cantered into the stable yard with Lancelot on Saturday afternoon and noticed a string of cars parked in front of the house.

All he wanted to do was take a hot shower
, take Alexandra’s clothes off and make love to her until the sun came up.  He could not get over how much he missed her during the past six days.

Samuel chuckled when he noticed the look on Paul’s face.

“Guess your family missed you too!    But I am glad I can just go home and Betty can pamper me.  Enjoy, Boss!”

He swung his horse around and set off in the direction of his house, waving at Paul.  He grunted and got stiffly off the horse.  David hovered close and lead Lancelot to the side of the stable to water and rub him off.

Sometimes the closeness of his family was just not to be appreciated, but he knew he would be lost without them too.

“
Paulie!  You’re back!  We were just wondering when you’ve had enough of roughing it! Ugh!  You stink!  No … don’t you dare touch me!”

Amy held out her hands to ward him off and he chuckled.  He greeted everyone and searched for Alexandra.  He frowned when she was not there.  His Dad noticed and pulled him aside.

“She’s not here, son. She went back to Plum Island.  Paul!  Where are you going?  Get … Paul!”

He ignored his father and stormed to his room and slammed the door shut.  Here he was in a state of expectation and where was she!  Ran back home!  He ripped the door open with the first knock.

“What!”

Thomas shook his head.  His son had it worse than any of them thought.

“Relax Paul.  She did not run away.   Brett and her spoke to me first and I agreed that she go immediately.”

“Spoke to you about what?”

“She designed a micro gene chip for thoroughbreds and she realized that it would be ideal to monitor and identify the defective chromosomes.  She went back to do the modification to incorporate DNA and Chromosome strands.  She could not do it here and she has to test it before they can manufacture.  We agreed it would be silly to wait a week only to talk to you about it.”

“She could have send someone out to find me.  I would have come back.”

“To what purpose?  But I guess she already knows you better than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“She said you would be angry that she left.”

“Damn right I am angry!  How long does she plan to be gone?”

“Two, maybe three weeks.”

“Three damn weeks!”

Thomas shook his head and smiled.  He gripped his shoulder.

“Phone her, Paul.  I know she
expects you to when you’re back.  I spoke to her yesterday and she has made a lot of progress.”

He nodded and whipped his shirt over his head.  He walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on.  He
stood under the warm rays for thirty minutes before he started feeling human again.

He dressed in shorts and a tee-shirt with flops and walked out on his balcony, dialing Alexandra’s number.
He listened to the ringing and was just about to end the call when she answered out of breath.

“Hello, Paul!  Hello!”

“Angel.”

“Oh … I thought I missed you!”

“I was just about to end the call.”

“You … sound angry.”

“You are quite perceptive, my dear.”

“Did your F
ather not explain …?”

“Yes, he did, but I still expected you here when I returned!”

She sighed and sank down on the couch, her heart thumping wildly.

“Are you going to fight with me?”

Paul sighed and saw her in his mind’s eye, looking at him with those bluer than blue eyes.

“No … I’ll leave that for when you’re back.  When will you be back?”

“I’m not sure.  I am nearly finished with the altering of the chips, and then we have to test them.   Hopefully by the end of next week.”

He gazed out to the setting sun and sighed.

“I really wanted you here, Angel.”

“I’m sorry, but this is important.  If this works it will not only solve this problem, we can also use the chips to identify what triggers better performance and we can guarantee top performers in all the future breeds from Silver Star!”

“Where are you now?”

“At home.”

“And where is that exactly?”

“2345 Sound View Road on
Gross Point Island.”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes, in a house that I bought when I took the job at ADC.  It’s not massive, but it is home.  Why all the questions, Paul?”

“You know everything about me.  It is about time I learn
t more about you.  My whole family is camped out downstairs again.  I guess I have to go and join them.  I’ll phone you later tonight again.” 

Alexandra clutched the phone to her chest and stared out to sea with a faraway look.  His voice sounded so close and she only now realized how much she missed him.
  Her phone rang again and she groaned before she answered the call.

“Hi Mom.  How are
you?”

“Alexandra.  I am well thank you.  You have not called for a while. 
Your Father and I am concerned.”

“I am fine, Mom.  I have been in Kentucky on an assignment.  I am only back here for another week or so, then I head back there again.”

“I see.  I imagine you are still happy with your job at ADC?”

Alexandra winced at the pained sound in her mother’s voice.  She was very upset when she moved away.

“Yes, Mom.  How is Dad?”

“He is doing well.  He is thinking about retiring.  Seems to think we should start travelling around.  With you out of the house …”

“Mom … don’t do this!  I am twenty seven.  I couldn’t live at home forever.”

“No, but you were supposed to get married and then move to your new home.  Not live alone on a deserted island!”

“It is not a deserted island, Mom and I am very close to all the major cities!  Once I am done with this assignment I will come and visit for a week or so.”

“That’ll be nice, darling.  I bumped into Andre the other day.  He asked about you.”

Alexandra winced and sighed.

“How has he been?”

“He seemed sad when he asked about you.  He really loved you, you know?”

“Mom, please, I really don’t have the strength for this.  We were not right for each other.”

“I disagree.  You two made the perfect couple!”

“Mom!  He bored me to death!  Our marriage would never have lasted.”

“Alexandra!  He is the nicest man you have ever dated!  He carried you on his hands!”

“Mom, I am sorry, but you are wrong.  He was selfish in our relationship on every level.  Yes,
you believed he carried me on his hands, because you chose him for me.  I don’t know how I managed to last for two years!  Please do not even think of trying to bring him back into my life!  If you really want to alienate me that would be the way to do it!”

“Very well, darling.  I accepted it is over
between you long ago, I was just saying.  Your Dad misses you.”

“Send him my love.  I miss you too, Mom.”

Paul was like a bear with a sore tooth over the following week.  Even Samuel got irritated with him and they had a major fall out.  When Brett spoke about Alexandra as if she was his best friend, he snapped and took to the hills on Lancelot before he took his fists to his face.

Talking to her on the phone every day was not enough and he was becoming increasingly angry.  He turned Lancelot back to the house, having
made a decision.

He handed the reins to David and jogged to his room.  He threw clothes in a duffel bag, took a shower and took off to his private airfield.  It was just
after noon when he landed his helicopter at the helipad at the Gross Sound Ferry.

He phoned Wade and he mentioned that he knew Alexandra went to lunch with a friend
at Orient Point.  He offered him the use of one of the ADC vehicles which had a division next to where he landed.  Following Wade’s directions he arrived at the restaurant at Orient Point at one.

He strode towards the restaurant, searching for Alexandra and stiffened when he noticed her sitting on one of the beach benches
opposite a tall blond man and an older woman.

He approached them without hesitation and came to a halt next to her.  She looked up when his shadow fell over her and she gasped.

“Paul? What are you doing here?”

“What do you think, Blondie?”

He noticed the blond man stiffening immediately and he stood up.  The older woman looked at Alexandra.

“Who is this, Alexandra?”

“Oh … ehm, Mom, this is Paul Shuttle.  Paul this is my mother, Rosa and this is … Andre Dutton.”

“Mrs. Simpson, Dutton.”

“Her fiancé.”

Paul’s body froze at the man’s introduction and he glowered at Alexandra.  She gaped at
Andre and spattered angrily.

“Ex!  Ex-fiancé!”

“I see.  Well, I do not want to imp …”

“No, please Paul, sit down.”

She moved over and took his hand to pull him down.  He lowered himself next to her reluctantly.  The blond man glared at him, his eyes possessive when it touched Alexandra.  Paul fisted his hands on his knees and took deep breaths.

“So, Mr. Shuttle, what brings you here?”

Alexandra held her breath.  He speared her a glance, then looked at her mother.

“I had things to discuss with Alexandra
.”

She released her breath slowly.  She really did not want her mother aggravated.  She was already mad at her for bringing Andre with to their lunch date.

“How do you two know each other, then?”

“Mom, what’s with the twenty questions?”

“Well, darling you are my daughter and I have to look out for you!”

“I am busy with research at Paul’s ranch.”

“Oh, so you are the assignment!”

Paul’s eyebrow rose at Alexandra.

“So, now I am an assignment, Blondie?”

“I never … oh Lord …”

“What exactly do you have to discuss with Alexa, Shuttle?”

Paul speared a glance at the blond man across from him and his one eyebrow shot high.
Alexandra noticed him shuffling uncomfortably under Paul’s direct glare.

“That, Dutton, is between Alexandra and
me.”

Andre grunted and glared at Alexandra.  She noticed Rosa was looking at Paul with interest and she sighed. She dropped her head in her hand and prayed.

“So tell me, Paul, if you are not the assignment, what are you to my daughter then?”

“Mother! Enough already!”

“What?  I have a right to know if he has an interest in my daughter!”

“I am not sixteen years old, Mom!”

“You are still my daughter!  Paul?”

“Definitely more than an assignment, Mrs. Simpson.  Otherwise I would not be here.”

“Hmm, I did not think so.”

“Do you still like to get up before sunrise, Alexa?”

Alexandra gaped at Andre.  His attempt at indicating his intimate knowledge of her habits annoying to say the very least.

“Oh
my Lord! This is …”

“No, Dutton … actually, she likes to cuddle in the morning.”

“Paul!  Oh Lord!”

“Alexandra!” 

Her mother cried the same time she did.  Alexandra dropped her head in her arms and prayed for strength.  Men and their damned testosterone!

“Okay, enough already.  We are leaving. Mom, it was nice seeing you, it is just a pity you had to spoil our meeting by bringing him along!  You, Andre, can pay the bill!”

She got up and pushed Paul to slide out of the bunk.  He resisted for a minute and she huffed irritably.

“Shuttle, move!”

He smiled and obediently rose and waited for her to rise and stand next to him.  He bent towards Rosa and she took his hand.  She looked deep into his eyes and smiled briefly and nodded.

“It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Simpson. I hope we’ll meet again.”

He took Alexandra’s hand in his and she followed him to the car.  He opened the door and she got in.  He speared her a glance, but decided to rather remain quiet.  She seemed very irritable at the moment.  She gave him directions and he parked the car in front of her house within ten minutes.

He got out and stood looking at the neat double story house.  It was very well looked after and suited her.  He walked around the car and
opened her door.  She walked towards the front door with long strides and he followed slowly.  She stood waiting for him just inside the front door and banged the door shut the moment he walked through. The next moment she grabbed his arms and slammed him against the wall.  She nearly climbed onto him and locked her lips over his.  He growled and his arms pulled her higher up against him, lifting her clear off the floor.