“We are.”
“Why Athena?”
“You’re the best.”
She scoffs. “Try again, Mr. Wilde.”
“You, Ms. Livingston,” Shane interjects, instantly drawing her attention. She turns toward him as he continues, “We’re here because of you.”
“What about me, Mr. Kelly?”
“Our former business partner is ‘making a name for herself’ in this community. Your words, from your recent interview for the Bulletin. We thought you, as an advocate for women in tech, might have a vested interest in her fate.”
“One of you needs to spell it out for me.” Her voice is hard, her expression fierce, and my desire flames. “I have little patience for games.”
“She stole our original tech,” I blurt, intent on getting her to see our side. “It’s fatally flawed, but she ran with it, pitched the hell out of it, and got acquired. She’s building that name for herself on false promises and she lacks the skill and knowledge to make it viable.”
Lex is silent, considering, then turns her attention back to me. I try to ignore the pleasure that flushes through me, but there’s no denying I want her as fiercely as I want Athena’s funding.
“Why are you here, Mr. Wilde?”
Pushing everything else aside, I focus on what we came here for. If we can convince her to support our business, I can figure out what to do about my raging libido. “We want your help. To bring our product to market, yes–the real one, the one that works. But we also want to…stop her. Bring her down. However you want to say it.”
I take a deep breath, gazing at Lex with what I hope is an open and earnest expression. “She’s playing a dangerous game in a highly visible arena. If she fails, as we expect her to, it would be damaging for the industry, the startup community–”
“Female startup founders,” Shane adds.
“Yes, exactly.” I gesture toward him with an open hand, catching sight of my glowering asshole of a brother as I glance back. Your silence isn’t lost on me, shithead. “Imagine what her highly visible public failure could cause. She’s sold so many lies, attracted so much press. Hell, she’s the poster child for female startup founders right now. It’ll hurt more than just us if she isn’t stopped.”
Her gaze is assessing, but she doesn’t acknowledge or validate our concerns. I admire her poker face; it’s almost as strong as Shane’s.
“You’ve brought updated data?” she asks, and I could fist pump I’m so happy she’s not dismissing us. “I recall inconsistencies in your test results.”
A derisive snort sounds behind me. Goddamnit, Declan. Lex’s attention turns to my brother, her eyes narrowing.
“Yes,” I interrupt, keeping her attention on our pitch and, if I’m honest, me. “We’ve refined the formula considerably since the last time we were here; the building material is far more stable across all normal-range weather conditions. Shane and I lead the research and development, but we’ve hit the point where our lab can’t meet the testing needs for the next phase–extreme conditions.”
Shane nods during my brief pause. Grateful I’m not the only adult in the room with Lex, I continue. “We need equipment to finalize the stress tests before we can ship a production-ready prototype. Declan’s been running the business and operations side of things. He has all the forecast details, but the tech we need is...pricey.”
“You’re out of money.”
“In short, yes.”
She relaxes back in her chair, her elbows propped on the arms. “I see.”
“I know we have no business being here and asking–”
“Stop, Mr. Wilde.” She holds up a hand. “No platitudes. You’re here. You’ve asked.”
I’d never noticed a power imbalance in a room until the first time we sat in Lex’s presence three years ago. Being before her again is a stark reminder that she wears power as easily as she wears her suit. Strength and command radiate from her relaxed body language, ring in her hard tone.
But something tells me she’s a well of vulnerability under the armor she’s crafted for her professional persona. I desperately want to peel that armor off her, bit by bit.
I bet she’d break so beautifully.
“What do you need from us?” Shane’s voice cuts through the fog of lust surrounding me.
Her eyes move to him, energy sizzling between them. Like recognizes like. Shane can be a stoic, scary motherfucker, but he looks at her with nothing but respect. It’s not something he gives easily, and it speaks volumes of his regard for her as both a professional and a person.