Page 10 of Decoding Emma
“What is the next department?”
“Research and Development, aka R&D.Marcus DeLuca’s domain.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”I wasn’t really, but my imagination was going wild.
Asher’s laughter sent shivers of anticipation up and down my spine.
“You name it, Marcus will try to make it happen.He and his group develop all the things in the name of pleasure.”
My curiosity was getting the better of me.“What else could there be besides sex toys?”
“So much more.”Asher slid his chair back.“Let’s go on a little tour.”
“Tour?”
“Yes.It’s easier to show you what R&D does rather than try to tell you.”
He picked up the phone.I couldn’t miss his sense of anticipation.“Hey, Marcus.I’m going to bring the developer I’m working with down and show her what you do…The one on loan for the mainframe project.”Asher nodded.“Thanks.”He glanced at me.Was that a twinkle in his eyes?“All set, let’s go.”
I stood.What could I say?In order to make a project of this scope run smoothly, I really needed to understand how each department functioned.Compatibility across platforms could be achieved only if we had a thorough understanding of each department’s requirements individually and those requirements’ impact on the functionality of the whole.Obvious on the surface, complex throughout.
As I pushed my chair under the desk, I had a thought that stopped me cold.
Four weeks to complete this project?Not likely.
As I’d done with every previous project, I refused to think about the time frame set by the bean counters then glanced at my laptop and told my internal nanny to go take a break elsewhere.
“The door automatically locks when we leave.Only your keycard, mine, my second in command Ben, and security are allowed in.R&D takes up three floors.”
I nodded.At least I didn’t have to pack up.He pressed the call button.“We’ll start on the seventh floor.Marcus is going to meet us there.”
“Okay.”My skin tingled with… Excitement?Apprehension?Anticipation?All three?
As the elevator doors opened on the seventh floor, a man stood there.Was this Marcus?His green eyes sparkled; his grin was infectious, and his black hair was slicked back.I stepped out of the elevator, and Asher followed.
“Emma, this is Marcus DeLuca, head of R&D.”Question answered.“Marcus, Emma Palmer, on loan from Tri-O-Tech for the mainframe project and to help solve any integration issues”
I noticed Asher was a little bit taller than Marcus.I wasn’t short, but these men had several inches on me.
“Welcome to R&D, Emma,” he said, extending his hand.
I shook his hand and managed to maintain eye contact even as my first instinct was to look away.“Thank you, Mr.DeLuca.”
“Marcus.”
“You’ll find we’re pretty informal,” Asher said.
I nodded.
“Shall we?”Marcus swept his hand out, indicating a door secured with an electronic lock across from the elevators.
“How long have you been in charge of R&D?”
“A year and a half.”Marcus reached around me to swipe his badge and hold open the door.“R&D is a fairly new department.”
I considered myself an informed person, but when I stepped into the room… I tried to keep my expression neutral, professional.I was pretty sure I wasn’t exactly bug-eyed, and I managed to keep my mouth closed, but I’d never seen anything like this.There were tables covered with various toys, definitely of the adult variety.I recognized a few, but I had no idea what a lot of other items were.
“You look shocked,” Marcus said.That about covers it.
