Page 38 of Enchant Me

“Not yet, but he’s close. He needs to be able to efficiently convert energy on the go, and if he can develop a lighter battery with a higher capacity he’ll have something truly incredible. More important, it would change the face of energy across the board.”

“Which is where I come in,” Jackson said. “Designing houses, apartments, office complexes, all with Stone’s tech. These places could be completely off the grid, creating their own clean and limitless energy.”

“That’s the dream,” Damien said as Troy buzzed over the intercom to announce that Preston had entered the waiting area with Noah.

“Send them in,” Damien said, then turned as the doors opened and Preston Rhodes, the head of acquisitions for Stark Applied Technology, walked in with Noah Carter, the president of the Austin office, at his side. A tech genius, Noah used to work for a secret vigilante organization known as Deliverance. Damien, however, had lured him away.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be able to get here today,” Damien said, after they’d both greeted him and Jackson. “I thought you weren’t coming into LA until the weekend.”

“Turns out Matthew wanted Kiki to fly out and record some tracks with a local band he’s signing,” Noah said. “When Preston told me that Ashton Stone was coming in, I decided to fly out with her. We’ll end the week with your ceremony, then head back to Texas.”

“I’m glad,” Damien said as they all took seats around the coffee table that dominated the huge office’s seating area. “You’ll have to come to the house before things get crazy. I’m thrilled we have so many friends coming, but I’m afraid that means I won’t have the chance to spend much one-on-one time on Saturday.

“Dallas and Jane are arriving midweek,” he continued, referring to Dallas Sykes, the man who ran Deliverance before ceasing its operations, “And obviously, Quincy, Tony, and Liam are already here.” Damien had snatched up the three former Deliverance operatives for Stark Security. “If you five have a reunion, I might have to crash it.”

Noah chuckled. “How about we induct you as an honorary member of Deliverance, and you can come at your discretion?”

“I’ll take it.”

The intercom buzzed again, and Troy announced, “Mr. Stone is here for his appointment.”

“Send him in.”

Damien rose as the doors opened again, and Ashton Stone stepped into the office.

For one surreal moment, it seemed to Damien that he was looking in a mirror. This was definitely the Ashton Stone he remembered from racing videos, but this Ashton’s face had lost the roundness of youth. Now he was all strong lines and angles, with an edge of determination and competence that Damien recognized.

He bit back a smile, certain he was going to like this guy. He crossed the room and held out his hand in greeting. “Mr. Stone. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Call me Ashton.” He took Damien’s hand, his grip strong, and Damien led him to the seating area, then introduced him to Jackson and Preston, both of whom stood. Noah stood as well, then reached over and shook Ashton’s hand. “Great to see you again.”

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Ashton said. And although it didn’t make any sense, Damien thought he heard an undercurrent of irritation in the younger man’s voice.

Troy had followed them in, and now offered the men coffee or juice. Ashton took a coffee with cream, sipped it, then he met Damien’s eyes and said, “Well, what’s your pitch?”

Damien saw Troy’s brows rise from where he stood behind Ashton. He kept a tight rein on his own expression, but was equally amused. “To be honest, I expected you to tell me a bit about your system. But,” he added, as Troy exited the room, “I’m happy to do this your way.”

He leaned back, ready to enjoy a conversation about the tech. “From what I understand, you’ve come up with a system to harness atmospheric energy and store it in battery systems that can be recharged on the go. You’ve had some success, but the charging process takes too long. The cars need a gasoline backup or, ideally, improved technology that allows the cells to recharge in transit at a much faster rate.”

“So far so good, Mr. Stark. I’m glad to see you’ve done your homework.”

“I always do my homework,” Damien said. “And what I see is a product that has significant potential. I won’t play games with you. We’d like the chance to work with you on this. I think that you’ll agree that Stark International, and especially Stark Applied Technology, has the resources to develop and improve your system enough that it would be fair to say that it could be the leading source of green energy by the end of this decade.”

Damien leaned forward. “My understanding is that you’re looking for potential investors, and while I may be biased, I think we would be the best partner for you in this project.”

Ashton nodded slowly. “I’m flattered that you’re so impressed with my work. To be honest, this started as a passion project in my garage. I never expected it to explode the way it has, but I’m glad that it did.”

“You clearly had the skills to make it happen,” Noah said. “Talent can go a long way. Money for R and D can take you further.”

“I don’t disagree,” Ashton said. “And I should point out that I’m serious when I describe this as a passion project. The tech is something that means a lot to me, and I’m very protective of it. I’m only going to work with the right partner. It’s not a question of rushing this to market.”

“I understand,” Damien said. “I suggest you give us the opportunity to take a closer look, obviously with non-disclosures in place. Let us see if what you’ve got so far is something that we can get behind as an investor or partner. Or possibly a full acquisition of the tech with you coming on board to manage its development and entry into the marketplace. What you’ve come up with is very exciting. We’d like to help you make the most of it.”

Damien watched Ashton as he spoke, but could read nothing on the younger man’s face, a fact that lifted the man in his estimation. Few in the business world had sufficient control not to show their hand.

Ashton took a sip of his coffee before finally responding. “I’m flattered, Mr. Stark, but I’m not surprised.”

“No?”