The God Particle: Excerpt page two

Fifteen minutes later they're seated in a dark corner of the restaurant. Steve is thoroughly soaked.

"I hope this food is as good as you say," Serena says. "I'm starving."

She chatters on while they wait to order, and Steve struggles to guide her away from the deeper waters of intimate conversation. He reveals the imminent acquisition of a new product database. He asks her opinion about moving the U.S. Web servers to Zurich. Serena responds by asking whether he prefers Merlot or Chianti, but before he can answer she grabs a passing waiter and orders something that doesn't sound like either one.

"Janine is going to be so surprised," she says, turning back to him. "I mean really. Three carats. She is so lucky."

"Well, it wasn't the size of the stone I was after so much. I was just looking for something unique."

"I know, silly. But you have to understand girls. Rings are very important to us. Engagement rings, I mean."

Steve smiles politely. He's not sure what else to say.

"Let me see it," Serena says.

"Now?"

"Come on. Just a peek."

Steve retrieves the box and places it on the table. He tries not to notice how dark it is in this corner of the restaurant, how candlelight twinkles in Serena's face as she opens the box and removes the ring. He wishes Janine were here. He wishes she were sitting across the table from him, twirling the ring between her fingers, smiling. He wants to reach out and snatch the ring back. He wants to wipe that dreamy smile right off Serena's fleshy face.

Instead she presses the ring against her left hand. "Do you mind?"

Steve glares at her, startled.

"It probably won't fit," she says. "But I just want to see what it feels like. May I?"

He looks again at the ring. The stone is nearly pure in its color and clarity, a supernova in the candlelight.

"Actually," he says, "I'd like to put it back now."

Serena's smile withers. "Right. Don't want to tarnish the precious ring with my cooties."

"Serena, it makes me nervous to have it out. I paid a lot of money for that thing."

"Money, money, money. Is that all you ever think about, Steve?"

Predictable as they are, Serena's mood swings constantly amaze him--from sunny skies to tornado warning in an instant--but such volatility has its place, and he'd guess (were he interested in such a thing) that she probably makes love like a monster, probably screams and moans and shouts obscenities that curl paint. But he can't be interested in such a thing, because tomorrow he'll be in L.A. with his soon-to-be-fiancé, and any guilt Steve incurs here will undoubtedly follow him all the way home. It will taint the first sight of Janine's smiling face and forever color his memory of the proposal. Serena might even tumble off her precarious ledge of good judgment and fall into the Fatal Attraction abyss.

"Are you going to answer me?" she asks him. Her eyebrows are arched perfectly above heavy liner and green irises. Red lipstick over straight white teeth. Her pink tongue dancing--

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Jesus, Steve, are you so lovesick that you can't even listen when I ask you a question?"

"I'm sorry. I'm really tired. What did you say?"

She slides the ring box across the table. "It doesn't matter."

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