Friend Me Read Free

they had in their hands was overwhelming. She shook off the lightheaded feeling.
    People would be re-creating deceased children, mothers, fathers. They’d be getting e-mails on their birthdays from people who’d been gone for many years. Was it a kind of self-deception? Sure, but how different was it from hanging a picture of a loved one in the hallway? Wasn’t it there to remind you of the person? Something to help you recall old conversations, hugs, and special times? And perhaps to imagine what might have been?
    I can make it real .
    She felt again the pressure of Getz’s gaze on her as she worked through it mentally, emotionally. This will work, and I can do it .
    Another idea tugged on the edges of her mind with tiny, insistent fingers. The one that would make it supremely worthwhile. Not now. Later. I’ll think about that when the time comes .
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    THE WAY HE’S LOOKING AT me. A shiver fluttered along Melissa’s exposed forearm.
    She needed to steer the conversation somewhere else, and still stroke the man’s ego. “How did you come up with the idea? Imean, this isn’t just numbers lined up in columns. This is genius.”
    He rolled his head to one side, as if savoring the memory. “I remember the moment of . . . inspiration . .  . when the concept of the virtual friend came to me. It left me nearly breathless. This was the multimillion-dollar idea I’d been searching for all my adult life.”
    She watched an expression slither over his features and recoiled at the way it made her feel. The man was a snake.
    â€œAnd you will be the greatest asset of all. Your design and architectural talents will make the virtual friend a reality, Melissa. There is nothing to stop us.”
    Us . She swallowed, smiled back.
    â€œWe’ll make an incredible team, Mr. Getz.”
    No one had to tell her she was good. And there was much more he would learn about her, but he could wait a little longer for that surprise.
    He slid his soft fingers across her hand. “Yes, Melissa. The two of us will be working very closely over the next four or five years. A project this size will surely take that long before it’s ready for the world to see. And all the time, we’ll be working together, planning, developing. Both of us learning what the other has to offer.”
    The question was, how closely would they be working? Getz was a predator. He probably thought of himself as the big brass ring every girl wants to snag, but she wasn’t here to become his trophy. She was here for work, serious work.
    She still clutched the employment letter in one hand as she looked up at the whiteboard.
    Getz asked, “So, what do you think? Are you starting to see the possibilities?”
    Always the suggestive comments. How should she answer? “The possibilities? Yes, absolutely. This is brilliant.”
    Melissa looked up at Getz, who still stood by the whiteboard. Keep his mind on the project. “We could build out a library of celebrity characters. Everyone from Madonna to Steve Jobs. People would go crazy.”
    â€œThere you go, you’ve got the idea,” said Getz. “Already in the plans. What else?”
    Melissa looked at the whiteboard, then back to Getz, forcing herself to remain clear and focused. “Some people will just be looking for a new relationship. A boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Someone to talk to. There’s that.”
    â€œPremium content.” Getz grinned. “And you’ve just approached what’s probably going to be the main profit center. What we call ‘The Virtual Ideal.’ There’s something inside people that’s always searching for that ideal relationship. We’re going to come pretty close to fulfilling that.”
    I have an ideal man, and he’s not virtual. He exists somewhere, and this will help me find him .
    Getz erased the Doughboy figure with the