I wanted our entire evening together to go smoothly and have no outside interruptions, because I felt this evening was paramount for getting Julianna to start opening up to me and begin putting her trust in me.
I give up trying to ignore the phone call and give a soft curse as I reach inside my suit jacket. Pulling out my cell phone, I glance down to check the caller ID and give a grunt. It’s Jared, and he knows better than to interrupt me. It’s amazing; he’s so smart, yet he can’t think his way out of a paper bag. I wonder what he can’t handle this time, or what can’t just wait until tomorrow. I swipe the screen with my fingertip, answering it with irritation. “Yeah? Better be important.”
“Nick, I need to talk to you for a minute.”
“Your minute’s ticking. I’m a little busy right now; you knew this,” I say impatiently.
“This is really important, and God knows I wouldn’t disturb you otherwise,” he continues, “but I have some information pertinent to you specifically.”
Well, now he’s piqued my curiosity. “Spill it. I’m busy.”
“Nick, is there any way possible we could discuss this matter in private, and not over the phone?”
“Don’t piss me off, Jared. I’ve been enjoying my evening up until now, and this moment with Julianna has been a long time coming. Speak now or don’t; I don’t care.” Jared hesitates over the line, and I’m about to hang up.
“Sir, I have every reason to believe Julianna is somehow skirting her doses of Blyss.”
“Excuse me?” I can feel surprise and indignation flash over my facial features, and hear them line my voice. I lift my gaze to Julianna’s, only to see her avert her eyes from mine, looking to her lap while she nervously begins to twist her fingers together.
“The biosensor data reports were revealing an irregular pattern with her Blyss levels over the past few days. So, I used the computer to generate a graphed report, beginning from two weeks ago and ending it with today’s readings. The results displayed a significant discrepancy in her blood levels. It’s truly humanly impossible to obtain those peak levels, Nick, not unless the capsule disintegrated all at once in her system. If that were the case, the other women’s blood levels would be fluctuating too, but they’re not.”
“Now say that in English, Jared,” I demand coldly. Damn scientists. Why the hell can’t they just speak in simple terms?
“Something isn’t adding up; she’s either taking a partial dose, or not taking the dose at all. If she’s not taking it, I think she’s finding a way to dissolve it in something and somehow trick the computer system. Those are my only two guesses, Nick. Otherwise, I’ve never seen this phenomenon. The fluctuation levels are spread too far apart with serious inconsistencies.”
“How in the hell could that be possible?” My voice is growing thick with agitation. Cameras are everywhere, and my men would have caught that bullshit. My eyes narrow with suspicion as I stare at Julianna with accusation; she still won’t look at me, but she should at least be feeling the heat of my stare as it bores a hole in the side of her head. I watch as she shifts nervously in her seat, and then averts her eyes to the dance floor.
“Hold on a minute, Jared.” I put the phone down and reach across the table, grabbing her chin. As I raise her eyes to mine, I see guilt written all over her face; this young woman cannot hide a lie to save her soul. I raise both my eyebrows in question. “I hear you’ve been finding ways to avoid taking your Blyss. Would this be a correct theory, Princess?” I ask while watching her face as it turns a hot shade of pink, flushing upward toward the tips of her ears, and I immediately know my answer. “I asked you a question, and I expect an answer,” I warn. Her breathing escalates, and if that’s an indication of her building up the nerve to tell me a lie, I nip it in the bud. “And let me tell you right now…if you decide to lie, your punishment will be that much more severe.”
Her eyes have nowhere to go as I still hold her chin captive in my tight grip. I witness the beginning of tears as they well up in those baby blues, and they scream, ‘She’s guilty as charged!’ She whispers, “Yes, Sir.”
I promptly release her chin and pick the phone up off the table to ask Jared a question I most likely know the answer to, but I’m too pissed to remember it. “When you give an injectable, how long before it hits peak performance?” Jared hesitates; he knows where I’m going with this. He hates people dictating dosages, Tough shit.