Bound To You

Chapter 6- Nick

 My palms were clammy and I could feel every bead of sweat drip down my forehead. I practically ripped off my suit jacket to allow my body to breathe for just a second before I entered the board room. I wasn't sure what I was more anxious about, the most important meeting of the year for my business or the girl who was currently moving into my penthouse. For the past three years, I'd been working with my biotech department and a team of physicians to develop the next biggest invention since SmartScan: a cure for all autoimmune diseases. The meeting in question was a pitch to the IRB to start human trials, to begin administering the drug to real life people instead of chimpanzees. I knew this was a long shot and I felt myself doubting every move I made regarding this project. There was no way the IRB would approve this trial. The drug was too experimental, too risky. They'd be crazy to accept this.

On the other hand, my mind kept turning back to Clara. There'd be another body in my home, but she wouldn't just be seen and not heard. She'd be a living, breathing person whose skin would touch mine, whose breath would synchronize with mine. I ached with the need to touch her, to feel her under me as soon as possible. Each time I tried to turn my thoughts back to focusing on my carefully constructed script that'd been planned for the past two months, Clara's image reappeared, reminding me of what I could have right now. I couldn't stop envisioning her lying in a lacy thong on my bed, ready to please me. No, I had to stop. Chimpanzees. Side effects. Benefits. Chimpanzees. Side effects. Clara. Wait, no. I had to keep her out of my mind. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted.

"Mr. Bettencourt? The board is ready for you."

I exchanged glances with my team, Dr. Lim, my chief of physicians, and Dr. Watts, my head of biotechnology, turned on my confidence, and marched into the boardroom. There sat three members of the IRB board, ready to scrutinize every word from my mouth. I quickly used my hands to straighten out my suit, a move I learned before my first important meeting to disguise that I was wiping off my sweaty palms. After this slick movement, I reached out my hand to the first board member on the right, a formality I learned in my first meeting as well, and introduced myself, "Good afternoon, I'm Nicholas Bettencourt and it's a pleasure to meet you all. On behalf of Dr. Mi Cha Lim, Dr. Shaun Watts, and me, thank you for taking the time to meet with us today to hear our proposal.

"We look forward to hearing it." Spoke a woman with red curls pulled back into a messy bun. "We're ready whenever you are."

Taking a deep breath, I began, "Imagine in a world where devastating diseases like Lupus, Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, Type I Diabetes, and a whole host of others didn't exist. A world where just one pill could take a person from being bedridden and hospitalized to living with no restrictions the next day. That's what we here at Bettencourt Incorporated aim to accomplish someday. That someday begins with this drug, Co-colaxamine. I'd like to pass this next part off to Dr. Watts who will discuss the intricacies of this drug."

"Thank you, Mr. Bettencourt." Dr. Watts began going on and on about how Co-colaxamine would be administered one time to autoimmune disease patients and how they would experience instant relief from symptoms. It was the same spiel we rehearsed at least 15 times prior to this date, I could practically repeat the script in my sleep. I turned my attention to the city skyline. There was something calming about staring off into the buildings, watching as the sun made its way towards the west. It was almost as if the world just stopped for a second and I could take a moment to breathe. My never-ending to-do list paused and my body felt the weight of my commitments lift off my shoulders. As I looked out toward the Freedom Tower, my eyes shifted toward the Vessel and the Highline, knowing Clara was in one of the surrounding buildings. She had to have just gotten to the penthouse and was exploring on her own. Or did my world scare her enough that she ran away? Was she still there?

"Why do the benefits outweigh the risks, Mr. Bettencourt?"

"What?" I was crudely brought back to reality.

"I asked, why do the benefits outweigh the risks?" The redhead scowled, "Or do I need to put it in simpler language?"

"No, ma'am." I exhaled, "While previous trials with chimpanzees showed side effects like fatigue, hair loss, and seizures, the drug effectively stopped their antibodies from attacking their own cells without suppressing their immune systems. This makes it so that people wouldn't be at high risk of infections. It would completely change the healthcare field. Patients wouldn't have debilitating symptoms and they could live their normal lives without fear of getting sick from others. While this trial comes with few risks, it would greatly improve the lives of patients all over the world."

The board members exchanged glances and the redhead spoke, "Thank you, all. We will take what we heard into consideration at our next board meeting." All three got up simultaneously, shook our hands, and left the room, like robots performing their programmed duties. I let out a sigh of relief once the door closed, "Great job today, guys. I appreciate all the work you and your teams have done."

Dr. Lim smiled, "Thanks, Nick. Hopefully, they see all the good things that will come out of this trial."

"Agreed," Dr. Watts added, "Otherwise all this would've been for nothing."

"Not for nothing." I chimed in, "We were able to make advancements in our research."

"Good point." Said Dr. Lim, "We should turn our attention to improving Co-colaxamine and reducing any risks."

I let out a small laugh, "Let me take you both out for dinner first, a way to celebrate all our accomplishments. How about a steakhouse?"

They both nodded in agreement and we said our goodbyes. Almost immediately after I left the room, Rosa's heels came clicking down the hallway, "There you are! My schedule showed that you should've been out of that meeting five minutes ago. How'd it go?"

I rolled my eyes, "Rosa, it went as expected. They gave us no feedback and now we just wait to see if the trial is approved."

"Okay..." She started to pull up a calendar on her iPad, "Remember, you have dinner tonight with that pharmaceutical rep–"

"I'll stop you right there. Let's cancel that."

She looked bewildered, "Cancel? But this has been on the calendar for a month and you know you've been booked up recently."

"Not tonight. That's my final answer." Good job, Nick. Good boundary setting. Though Rosa looked pissed that I ruined her perfectly constructed schedule, she proceeded to delete the dinner note on her iPad. "I'll reschedule it for a later date." She said.

She began to walk away as I hurried in the opposite direction towards the elevator to my office. All I had to do was pack up my things, hop into my Bentley, and bring myself home to Clara. Oh God, my cock grew harder at the thought of having her all to myself. Her body was mine. Shit, I had to get home before anyone could see how much I wanted her. Once I reached my office, I called down for my car, knowing that the second I got outside, my car would be waiting for me, ready for me to drive it.

As expected, the doors from Bettencourt Plaza to the outside world were opened for me and my Bentley sat in front of the building, keys in the ignition. Like clockwork, the doorman opened my car door for me and closed it once I entered. My heart fluttered from the idea of having Clara spread out on the bed, ready for me once I walked through my doors. "Hey Siri." I said to the virtual assistant.

The robotic female voice answered, "How may I help you?"

"Text Nikki."

"What would you like to say to Nikki?"

"Tell her 'Have her ready when I come home.'"

"Your text to Nikki says 'Have her ready when I come home.' Would you like to send it?"

"Yes."

"Okay, it's sent."