Acquainted With Atlas

By Tina Martin

Army Reservist AKA Special Agent, Atlas Zayvian, has infiltrated Genetix Industries, not because he’s really a biochemist working on discovering breakthrough cures for common illnesses. No, his business here involves a woman with a mean strut who possesses effortless beauty and the brains to match.

She’s his ‘target’ – pharmaceutical scientist Bria Mallery.

Bria has no idea she’s in the agent’s crosshairs. Like all the other women at Genetix, she can’t deny the appeal of Atlas. With his blue eyes and caramel complexion, he’s a whole lot of eye candy and a whole lot of man. Bria soon discovers that his blatantly obvious, awkward personality is likely his downfall when it comes to establishing connections with people – that is until she begins to like the weirdness that comes along with him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tina Martin
• Release date: Jan 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005972035

Tina Martin

TINA MARTIN is the author of over 80 romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction titles and has been writing full-time since 2013. Readers praise Tina for her strong heroes, sweet heroines and beautifully crafted stories. When she’s not writing, Tina enjoys watching movies, traveling, cooking and spending time with her family. For more information, visit www.tinamartin.net

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ACQUAINTED WITH ATLAS

The Hero Reservist Series, Book 1

TINA MARTIN

Copyright @ 2021 Tina Martin

ACQUAINTED WITH ATLAS

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Acquainted With Atlas – Synopsis

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Military Romance/A touch of Sci-Fi

Army Reservist AKA Special Agent, Atlas Zayvian, has infiltrated Genetix Industries, not because he’s really a biochemist working on discovering breakthrough cures for common illnesses. No, his business here involves a woman with a mean strut who possesses effortless beauty and the brains to match.

She’s his ‘target’ – pharmaceutical scientist Bria Mallery.

Bria has no idea she’s in the agent’s crosshairs. Like all the other woman at Genetix, she can’t deny the appeal of Atlas. With his blue eyes and caramel complexion, he’s a whole lot of eye candy and a whole lot of man. Bria soon discovers that his blatantly obvious, awkward personality is likely his downfall when it comes to establishing connections with people – that is until she begins to like the weirdness that comes along with him.

Book 1 of The Hero Reservist Series.

ACQUAINTED WITH ATLAS

Chapter 1

Bria

I haven’t been checking for him like all these desperate women up in here, and that’s because I’ve determined that there’s something screwy about this guy. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s something. His name is Atlas Zayvian and that in itself is a bit arcane. Sounds like some futuristic, made-up name from a Sci-Fi TV show – not the moniker of some big-shot biochemist who supposedly was hired at Genetix Industries for his ‘elite skills in chemical processes’. He works on the third floor with the ‘higher-ups’ while us pharmaceutical scientists operate on the second. Word from the break room is that Atlas came on board as an adviser for the rest of us. Whoop-de-doo. I wish he would advise these thirsty women around here whether he’s single, married or other so they can stop fantasizing and return to their normal work life before the new, hot guy arrived. Atlas has been the topic of conversation for the two weeks he’s been here thus far, and rightly so.

I’m not blind, and I tell no lies – the man is fine.

He’s a raw, effortless kind of fine – the dangerous kind. Catch him at the right angle and he’ll have a woman blinking off her fake lashes. And he’s mysterious, too – makes you wonder how those suits he wears lay on his body beneath those long white lab coats. I’ve witnessed my colleagues sneak pictures of him and turn all red-in-the-face whenever they see him. He’s handsome enough to make a woman flush, so I can’t half fault them for that. I’m a woman, I have eyes and my eyes are always satisfied by the sight of him, with his creamy, smooth complexion, well-trimmed beard and black fade that’s tapered and edged to perfection.

The first day Atlas stepped a foot up in here, Kiani, my friend and colleague, told me he had the most amazing, deep blue eyes, and she was right. He has eyes that make you think you’re lying on the beach, staring out into the ocean, feeling the waves calling you to take a dip. Eyes the color of water when the depths are deeper than the water surrounding it. Eyes you can immerse and drown in. But if I had to pick something about him to gawk over, it’s the walk for me.

Oh mercy, mercy, me…

Atlas has this lazy, effortless, unique walk – one that makes a lasting impression on your mind. Like, if you were across the room and saw that walk, you’d know for certain it was Atlas even if you couldn’t get a full view of his face. It’s a kind of walk I’ve never seen before – sort of like the anomaly of a black man with dazzling blue eyes who’s also a smoldering hot biochemist.

Still, I ain’t checking for him. I don’t know a thing about Atlas. We haven’t been formally or informally introduced and he doesn’t work on my team, so I guess there’s no need for an introduction. Besides, I don’t know if I can handle one. There’s something about him that’s unsettling. Anytime he’s near me, I feel his presence. Don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t pinpoint exactly what I mean. If you twist my arm and made me attempt to explain it, I guess I would say it feels like a nascent energy – an unexplained, unseen phenomenon that jolts me into awareness. It’s freaky. I don’t have to physically lay eyes on him to feel the slight chill that runs through my bones. Like when we passed each other in the hallway this morning, for instance – I felt a ripple effect of his aura surrounding me and I didn’t have to look up from my clipboard to know it was Atlas. The feeling tells me it’s him. The vibes. The waves.

Whatever it is, it’s been two week’s worth of it. Since day one, I’ve been brushing it off and keeping it moving. Why? I can’t afford any distractions or entanglements, especially with a peculiar, yet super-hot colleague. My work occupies my time, and I’m passionate about what I do. My research at Genetix will one day save lives. It’s my primary focus. My life’s work. My passion. It’s the reason I breathe. I couldn’t do a thing to save my brother, but if I work hard enough, I can save someone else’s brother. Or sister. Or mother.

Sitting in the cafeteria, I’m scarfing down a taco, staring out the window when those vibes alert my being that Atlas Zayvian is somewhere in the vicinity. I look up to confirm this theory, hoping I’m wrong and that this vibe nonsense was just a fluke, but I’m not wrong. The moment I look up, my eyes meet his. Visions weld together in mid-air like they hold secrets to a past, a story – our story – but we have no story and no past. We’re strangers. All we have in common is white lab coats and Genetix Industries.

Atlas continues filing through the line behind two lab technicians who’ve been trying hard to engage him in conversation, but he doesn’t look too interested. I resume destroying this taco so I can get out of here and back upstairs to the lab. These vibes are making me uneasy and putting knots in my stomach and Kiani isn’t here to talk some sense into me. To tell me I’m crazy and these vibes are a figment of my imagination. That they do not exist. But they do exist. I’m currently experiencing them.

Jeez…what’s happening right now?

I glance up again and catch a glimpse of Atlas’ food tray while he pays the cashier. He has a salad (no dressing), two green