"Impressed is good," Dallas said. "But what I need to know is if you're interested in producing and marketing it on the terms I outlined."
The terms were extremely favorable to Stark, while still providing Dallas the equipment he needed for Deliverance, and a nice royalty to Noah for the design.
"I might be." Stark crossed the room and pulled out a chair, then sat with his legs extended and his fingers steepled under his chin. "I've been intrigued by the concept since you first pitched it. Now, I'm curious as to why you don't use your own resources to build and market it. You have manufacturing capabilities in Asia. And your security division could not only make use of this equipment but could license it to law enforcement."
"I told you before I have my reasons," Dallas said, hoping that he hadn't misread his friend. That Stark wasn't going to push. The truth was that Dallas couldn't run the device through Sykes channels--not without raising the kinds of red flags that would make it impossible for Deliverance to safely and anonymously use the tech. Farm it out to Stark and license it back, though, and there was no trail.
Stark nodded slowly. "I'm sure you do. And I'm sure that you know I have the resources to learn those reasons."
"You do," Dallas said, and the truth was, he'd never gone outside of the circle of Deliverance before. For one thing, it wasn't practical. For another, Dallas didn't trust easily. But for this project they needed the help, and he believed in his gut that he could trust Stark. "But I think you're a man who understands discretion. And who realizes that a man's secrets are his own."
For a moment, Stark simply held his eyes. Then he nodded slowly and stood. "I'll take a look at your terms and get back to you within the week. We'll shoot for a prototype within sixty days."
"Good." Dallas stood, surprised at the extent of his relief. He liked Stark, and although he feared he was being naive, he believed that even if the other man learned about Deliverance, he'd keep the knowledge to himself.
When he returned to his office after walking Stark to the elevator, he found Gin Kramer, his secretary, standing beside his desk holding a clipboard. She held it out for him, then tapped the end of her pen on a signature block he'd missed that morning despite the red flag that clearly ordered him to sign here.
He whipped off another signature, then passed the contract back to her.
She tucked it efficiently into the portfolio she'd carried for every one of her twenty-plus years with the company. "Your mother wanted me to let her know when you would be arriving at the island. Tonight or tomorrow?"
"I'll fly to Norfolk tonight, and hire a helicopter to take me to the island in the morning. Can you arrange that for me?"
"Of course."
"Did she say when everyone else was coming?" He wondered if he should ask Jane if she wanted to travel with him. Then again, he wasn't sure he was up to being in such close proximity to her for an overnight jaunt.
"I'm sorry, sir, she didn't. Shall I ask?"
"No. It doesn't matter."
"And I'm supposed to remind you to bring a gift. Shall I pick something up?"
"Already done." He often let Gin pick out corporate gifts, but this was Poppy, and he wasn't about to let someone else select a gift for his great-grandfather. "Anything else?"
"Mr. Foster asked that you call him when you have a moment."
"Will do. Thank you, Gin."
She reached over to straighten the papers on his desk, then turned and slipped out his door, shutting it behind him.
Alone, he stood and stretc
hed, then went to the window and looked out at lower Manhattan and, beyond that, the Statue of Liberty, still majestic despite his perspective from so high above the city.
They were coming up on the end of the fiscal quarter, and before Stark had arrived, he'd spent the morning catching up on Sykes business. Although his father still retained his position as chairman of the board, Dallas had taken over as CEO of the retail side of the Sykes empire five years ago, and he genuinely enjoyed the work. And, because there were Sykes Department Stores all over the globe, the job provided a nice cover for his work with Deliverance.
From the moment he'd stepped into his office this morning, he'd been inundated with contracts, reports, and columns of numbers. But at least the flurry of paperwork had kept his mind off Jane. Because Jane was very much where his mind wandered lately.
He hadn't seen her since the night he'd gone to her house. The night he'd wanted to touch her. To kiss her. To rip off every stitch of her clothing, press her against the wall, and do all sorts of dark and dirty things to her.
He hadn't, and he considered that a victory.
But the desire wasn't fading, and that was a goddamn fail. If anything, he wanted her more. Thought about her more. The scent of her perfume lingered on his clothes. He sipped sparkling water, and she filled his thoughts. Any bus with a videogame ad plastered on the side made his cock ache for her.
And, damn him, in the last week he'd listened to one of her voicemails, then closed his eyes and jacked himself off.
Pathetic.