Joan held up her wrist and tapped her watch.
“I have to run,” Stone said into the phone.
“Have a good flight, and let me know if you need anything else.”
Stone’s Bentley pulled up infront of Tamlyn’s building fifteen minutes later.
After her luggage was stowed and she was situated in the rear seat, she leaned over and gave Stone a lingering kiss. “Good morning.”
“It is now,” he said. “I take it I’ve passed some kind of test.”
“You passed the test the first night we met, with flying colors, I might add. I was just too busy to add you to my schedule.”
“You’re not as busy now?”
“Still busy, but I’ve made an executive decision to fit you in.”
“I’m honored.”
“You should be. I don’t do that for just anyone.”
“When was the last?”
She thought for a moment. “I can’t recall. So, let’s call you the first.”
“Then I amtrulyhonored.”
She kissed him again. “I do love an intelligent man.”
As Fred pulled the Bentley from the curb, Stone said, “Next stop Teterboro.”
“Teterboro?”
“Teterboro Airport, just outside the city.”
“Oh, I thought we would be flying out of JFK.”
“Teterboro is much better for our purposes. It’s what’s known as a reliever airport. It handles nonscheduled general aviation traffic, so that the larger airports don’t have to deal with everything. It’s where I keep my G-500. It is also where the Strategic Services hangar is located.”
“I suppose I’ll be seeing a lot of it, then.”
“Count on it,” he said. “Howarethings at the new job?”
“Even better than I’d hoped. Mike and Viv are dreams to work for, and my department is teeming with fascinating projects.”
“Such as?”
“Are you trying to get me to divulge company secrets?”
“I am on the board of directors.”
She smirked. “I guess that gives you a pass.” She thought for a moment, then said with growing enthusiasm, “Let’s see…we have developers working on light armor that can be tailored into a business suit, high-powered tasers small enough to be hidden in the palm of a hand, and we’ve just perfected a method of embedding a tracking bug in a piece of paper, such as an envelope or something similar.”
“Too bad the work doesn’t seem to excite you,” Stone teased.
She put a hand over her mouth to cover her smile. “Is it that obvious?”
“Speaking as a member of the board, I’d much prefer someone with enthusiasm for their job than not. And I know Mike and Viv feel the same.”
