Sometimes It Is Rocket Science Read Online Free Page A

once the valet had retrieved their respective vehicles.  Robert’s black, mid-range rented sedan looked clunky and unrefined next to her bright blue Aston Martin Vantage convertible.  The valet had put the top down; the chrome accents caught and reflected the moonlight.
    “Mmm,” Robert hummed.  “Angling for a dinner invitation, already?  I will admit that I’m not used to dining solo and party food never quite satisfies.”
    Georgiana jangled her keys impatiently.  Her eyes were steadfastly fixed on a point just over his left shoulder.  “I don’t know why you bother flirting with me.  It’s never going to work.”
    Robert leaned forward so that the tip of his nose grazed her cheek.  The fresh, citrusy tang of her perfume was twice as potent as the whiskey he’d consumed earlier. He resisted the urge to bury his face in the curve of her neck and let the scent fill his lungs.  “I never say never, Georgiana.”
    He was rewarded with a slight shiver and the dilation of her pupils.  Despite what she claimed, she wasn’t completely immune to him.  He could work with that.  He rocked back on his heels and grinned rakishly.  “I’m in the mood for a nice, juicy steak.  You look like you could use the iron.”
    “I don’t need… I’m not…”  Georgiana’s cheeks flushed.  Irritation glittered in her eyes.  Her face scrunched up a moment before smoothing into a placid smile.  He knew better than to trust a debutante’s serene expression.  “I wasn’t asking you to dinner.”
    “That’s a shame.  Now I’m heartbroken and hungry.”
    She snorted.  “You’d have to have a heart first.”  She leaned against the bumper of her convertible and jerked her pointed chin in the direction of his father’s house.  “I’ll follow you to the house.  Dan changed the locks last year, and I should explain about NORA.”
    “Who is she?  I wasn’t aware Dad had a housekeeper on staff.”
    “Oh,” she said, laughter spilling from her mouth, “I think this you’re just going to have to see.  NORA is something you need to experience to understand.”
    It was a pity about dinner.  He was looking forward to spending more time with Georgiana.  He wanted to solve the mystery of what had happened to make her so guarded.  He wanted to see one of those bright, full-on smiles she’d been famous for as a child.  He wanted to know if she tasted as good as she smelled.
    On the drive to his father’s Memorial-area mansion, Robert set his assistant Cedric to work digging up information on Georgiana and Collier Analytics.  By the time he pulled up to the white metal gates leading to the reproduction 18th century French Chateau his mother had designed, Robert was caught up on new NS business and had canceled his outstanding social engagements.
    The blue convertible stopped near the electronic panel mounted to a sturdy white pole.  Georgiana hopped out of her car before Robert could open his door.  She lifted the panel’s protective covering.
    “Delivery drivers are assigned a one-time use code.  If you have any regular visitors, they’ll have to pass the background check before we can set them up with the biometric readers. Currently, only the fingerprint reader and retinal scan work properly.  Your father and I were working on implementing the facial recognition software before the heart attack.” 
    Georgiana rested her left palm on the panel.  After a second, two green lights flashed.  She crouched down and positioned her face in front of the tiny camera.  The lights flashed again.  The gates squeaked as they rolled open. 
    “I don’t recall Dad being so security-conscious.”
    Georgiana grimaced.  Her eyes slid back to the panel.  “He’s been working on a few new projects, ones that he hasn’t even shared with your NS board.  I’ll explain more in the house.”
    He followed the Aston Martin up the long driveway to the seven-car garage.  The topiaries and statues his mother