WeKare Inc.’s Conception

An Exceptionally Productive Future Together

WeKare Inc.’s Conception was as natural as a man and a woman meeting over drinks and discussing their futures. What Westley Eric Kerr didn’t know, Amy Rose Eaton did. And she had plans for him.

Westley Eric Kerr hit the end button on his phone, dropped it on the counter at the bar, propped his head on his hands, and knew that his life was over. Thanks, Dad! Always looking out for me. Teach me to learn from my mistakes, so I’ll become a better man. “Ha!” He hardly realized he had spoken the last word out loud until he felt a hand on his shoulder and a low whisper in his ear.

“Let me in on the joke, okay?”

Glancing aside, Westly confirmed what he already knew: Amy Rose Eaton was following him. Why can’t women just leave me alone? What am I—some kind of shiny toy?

“Why the long face?” As the barkeep stepped near, Amy nudged Westly. “What will lift your spirits off the floor? A glass of wine or will it take something stronger?”

“A Pinot Noir wouldn’t kill me.”

Smirking, Amy lifted two fingers, and the barkeep got the message.

The heavyset man wasn’t in a hurry as he paced away.

Amy slid onto the stool next to Westly. “Come on, Wes. It can’t be that bad. We just graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the blinking United States. We’re rich, young, and ambitious. And if you believe anything the commencement speaker said, we’re the top two percent in the world.” She nudged him again. “That should turn your frown upside down.”

Westly closed his eyes and counted to three. Then he opened them and looked over. Nope, she was still there. Well, if subtlety didn’t clue her in, then brazen honesty would have to do. “Look, Amy, my dad just told me that he’s cutting me off without a dime. What’s left in my account, a pathetic amount I assure you, is all I have to live on for the foreseeable future. So, basically, I am a dead man. You might want to sparkle your personality on someone more promising—”

The slug to the arm actually hurt. Amy’s cold brown eyes suggested that she had intended it that way.

“Listen, dimwit, I’m not exactly rolling in cash myself, but I have everything I need.” She pointed to her head.

Westly wasn’t buying that idea, though he accepted the glass of wine the barkeep slid in his direction. He took a long, appraising sip. The woman, about five feet nine inches, raven black hair, caramel-colored eyes, and a sculptured face—probably thanks to her daddy’s connections to the best cosmetic surgeons in the country—had more than her fair share of good looks. He took another healthy swig, his eyes savoring her face and form, mere inches from him. “Yeah? Care to elaborate?” He could have pointed out her unique qualifications, but that would have landed him a sensitivity lecture. Not today.

Amy took a measured sip and licked her lips enticingly. “I have ideas. And I know you’d agree with them. The way you’ve talked in class and your last presentation gave me hope for our future collaboration. That’s why I’m here, buying you drinks. You and I could have a beautiful future together.”

Oh, for pity’s sake. Is she proposing to me?

“I’ve applied to a Human Genomics PhD program in the Netherlands. I’m pretty sure I’ll be accepted. They pay for everything. I suggest that you do the same.”

After a long, soothing drink, Westly shook his head and wiped his mouth. “I’m not a genetics guy; that’s just a sideline. I’m an engineer. You should know that.”

“Yes, I do. They have a bioengineering degree you can pursue.”

The beer relaxing his muscles, Westly felt more amenable. She can blather on, so long as she’s buying. He signaled for another beer. “I want to build things, not people.” He couldn’t think of any way to make himself clearer.

“And I want to create the next generation of humans.” Amy offered a perky smile, a mask that worked to good effect every time. “I just need someone who can build the perfect environment for my enhanced family—human and hybrid.”

His head suddenly clearing, Westly straightened. “You want—what?”

With her fingers wrapped around the half-full glass, Amy stared into the mirror behind the bar. “My parents did the ugly divorce-thing when I was a kid. Dad had a bad heart and dropped dead shortly afterwards. Mom took up with a Neanderthal who likes to bowl and play video games. They’re both on unemployment and disability. My cousin is in and out of jail and has three kids by three women. There’s cancer, alcoholism, and drug abuse in every branch of our DNA tree. Both grandmas got dementia in their early sixties.”

A long sigh. “Most of my family is a mistake.” Turning, her gaze riveted on Westly. “I’m alone. A singularity that lives in a stupid world of insane human beings. Frankly, most people are not worth the food they consume.”

Thunderstruck, Westly wondered if he was in love. No one had ever dared to speak truth like this woman whose knees touched his own.

The barkeep slid another beer his direction, but Westly no longer needed it.

“You know what the French Revolution, Communism, and Socialism all have in common?”

Westly could hardly wait to hear.

“They had great ideas but used broken tools. If they had used proper technology and attractive marketing, they could have had the masses willingly pay to clean up the genetic pool.”

Leaning back and appraising the woman more carefully, Westly caught the hard determination glinting through her gorgeous eyes. Yes, she was a singularity all right. Strange, he had never noticed her before. Not really. Always on the periphery of his vision. But as his dad’s words played in the background, his gaze focused on her alone. Yes, perhaps this woman had what money couldn’t buy: the will to succeed at all costs.

After digging into his pocket, Wes pulled out his wallet and then slapped his credit card on the counter.

“I said I was buying. Don’t you trust me?”

He didn’t have to fake his signature smile this time. Westly planned to do more than trust her; he’d buy what she was selling. He took her hand and tugged her toward the door. If all went well, Westley Eric Kerr and Amy Rose Eaton would enjoy an exceptionally productive future together.