Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1)(165)

“Well, thanks for the advice,” she said stiffly. “Maybe I’ll go. Maybe I can salvage that mauve dress.”

He couldn’t tell if she knew what a blow that was to him. Instead, he tried to recover his faltering smile. “Great. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. You want another round?” He didn’t expect her to stop hating him. But maybe he could get her to hate him a little less.

“I have things I should do.” They both knew she was lying.

“One drink,” he beseeched. “I didn’t give you all my insight on what SCI’s doing.”

After several agonizing moments, she nodded, not looking that enthused. “Sure.”

Justin scooped up the empty glasses. As he waited at the bar for his refills, he looked up at a screen showing—of course—Lucian giving some speech in San Francisco, going on about his great unknown age. Justin had felt a headache coming on since they arrived at the bar, and this only made it worse.

“Goddamned politicians,” a voice said. “You can’t trust any of those government types.”

Justin glanced over and saw a steel-haired businessman sitting at the bar with a glass of wine. With all the emphasis on national security and loyalty that surrounded Justin, he kind of liked the occasional conspiracy theorist. “I am a government type.”

The man studied Justin, and the light just barely reflected off of what was a very, very good artificial eye. It was nearly indistinguishable from the real one, and judging from the guy’s expensive suit, he had money to throw around. He even had a cluster of little white flowers on his lapel. Aside from Justin, he was the best-dressed person in the bar.

“Is that so?” The man chuckled. “Should I be worried then about what we aren’t being told? What this Age of X is really going to entail for humankind?”

It was a good question. “Well, Senator Darling says it’s going to be bright and wonderful. He seems to know.”

“Of course he does,” the man said with a snort. “Guys your age always think you know everything. Believe me, there’s always more to learn.”

“Not true. I’m a big believer in the pursuit of knowledge.”

The man looked over to where Mae sat alone. “I’d like to get to know more about her. You’re with her, right? Girlfriend? Wife?”

“Neither. In fact…she doesn’t really like me right now.”

“Lucky for me.” The man knocked back his wine and stood up. “I’m going to go talk to her.”

Incredibly, the guy made good on his word and walked over to Mae. Strangers’ advances were second nature to her, and she looked up at him with a polite smile. She even seemed to thank him when he brazenly took the flowers from his jacket and tucked them behind her ear. He gave her a nod of farewell and walked away.

Justin returned with the drinks. “Did he ask you out?”

“Him?” She laughed, which was nice after the earlier animosity. “No, but he laid it on kind of thick. He could be you in thirty years. Started waxing poetic about how my beauty will live forever in thought and memory and how these were a paltry offering.” She pulled the star-shaped white flowers out of her hair and examined them. “They smell good.”

“Stephanotis,” he said, pulling up his mental encyclopedia without thinking. “From the Greek word for ‘crown.’…”

Her eyebrows rose. “Stephanotis? Wasn’t that the flower you told me about in Windsor?”

Justin nearly dropped his glass. He scanned the room frantically, searching for the man. No luck. “Be right back.” He hurried up to the bar and waved to get the cute young bartender’s attention. She was knocking back what looked like aspirin, something Justin wouldn’t have minded since his own headache still pulsed at the back of his skull.

“You probably can’t tell me this…but do you know that guy’s name? When he scanned his ego?”

She hesitated about the breach of privacy and then groaned. “He didn’t scan it. I asked him, but he started asking me if I played chess, and I forgot. My boss’ll kill me. That was our most expensive wine!”

But Justin was already walking away. “I have to leave,” he told Mae.

“Why?” She looked him over, and her concern for him was real. “What’s wrong?”

Justin swallowed. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just…well, the bartender’s getting off her shift soon and asked me to go out. I can’t turn that down.” He put on what he hoped was a smug, bastardly smile.

This time, Mae’s thoughts were perfectly obvious. She was floored that after asking her for another drink, he was about to ditch her for a woman he’d just met.

“I see. Well, far be it from me to stand in your way.” She stood up, rigid and formal. “Thanks for the drink. I’ll meet you at SCI tomorrow.” And without a backward glance, she strode out of the bar, the air freezing around her.

Justin stared after her, feeling forlorn.

Wallow later, said Horatio. Do you want your answers or not?

Justin did. He had to know. He had to finally know. He scooped up the flowers and headed out. Back at the house, he found the usual buzz of activity as his family welcomed him home. He ignored them all and went straight to his office, slamming the door behind him.