HACKING THE BILLIONAIRE: Part 2 Page 3

  “We just ate lunch. Next movie will require popcorn.”

  “Okay. Let me know if I break any rules.”

  “No rules besides sweats.”

  The movie started. “Do you do this often?”

  “Only when I’m sick. My mother used to do it for me when I was home sick when I was little.”

  “I didn’t get sick much, so I don’t have memories like that.”

  It had been the first time she’d mentioned a parent. He knew they were gone, but he didn’t know how. Not going to ask now. So he settled in to watch the movie. He laughed along with Riley, and then at the end of it she fell asleep.

  He escaped to get some work done, but chose to stay in his comfortable clothes. Maybe he’d underestimated the comfort level of sweats. Not that they’d ever be part of the dress code at his company.

  Chapter Four

  After a few days home with her bodyguard, Kent, Riley was ready to climb the walls. Her head felt better, but the doctor couldn’t see her any sooner.

  So she worked. Despite what Dirk had insisted. She wasn’t putting herself in danger. She wasn’t going to leave the house without Kent by her side.

  Instead she wanted to look at the notifications she’d received from her program. She still had to convince Dirk to let her be bait. That wouldn’t happen until she was cleared by the doctor. Maybe if she had more to go on and knew whom to target, Dirk might be amenable to her plan.

  She invited Joan over to help.

  The doorbell rang and her bodyguard answered it. Joan found her in the office.

  “That was a nice hunk of man you have following you around,” Joan said.

  “You like? I can introduce you. He’s single, looking to settle down.”

  Joan put her laptop on her side of the desk. “You know all that?”

  “We’ve had time to talk,” Riley said.

  She’d had time to do nothing else besides sleep. And talk to Kent. He was a quiet man, but Riley had gotten him talking. That’s how she knew about him being single. Fixing him up with Joan had not been in her plans, but why not?

  “I’m in, but let’s get this figured out.”

  “I want to be able to bring a plan to Dirk. One that he can’t resist. He refused to use me as bait. Clearly I’ve been getting close to something.”

  “You feeling better?”

  “I am, and now I’m bored, so I’m working on this. Dirk can’t stop me. I’m not going anywhere; I’m just looking at lines of code.”

  Joan laughed. “You can’t stop once you start.”

  “No, I can’t. And I know if I try hard enough I’ll figure this out. I have to. It’s Dirk’s company,” she said.

  This was important to him, so the company was important to her. Joan eyed her. “Dirk has become more to you than a client?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” She shrugged. “For now. The relationship has a sell-by date. When the job is over so are we.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “Doesn’t matter. That’s the reality of the situation.”

  She chose not to think too hard about it. Dirk wasn’t a long-term commitment. He was Mr. Right Now. As it was, she shouldn’t have gotten involved with a client. Now that she had, she had to keep her head about her and know that it was going to end.

  “Hm,” was all Joan said.

  “So I keep getting notifications that Zeke, Dirk’s friend, is sending information out via the back door in the firewall. Either he has contacted me, or someone using his e-mail has contacted me.”

  “Why do you think someone might be using his e-mail?”

  “Because he may be a douche, but I don’t think he’s the leak. I might just be giving him the benefit of the doubt,” Riley said.

  She didn’t want to have to tell Dirk that his best friend was the leak. Not ever, but if that ended up being true, then she would have to say it to him.

  “Both times I was supposed to meet with the person, something happened,” Riley said.

  “The last one putting you in the hospital,” Joan said.

  “Right. So I have to tread carefully. I don’t want to be there again. I have Kent, but I’m not willing to go off without him. This last time scared me. We’ve never had a case like this.”

  “I’ve heard of others getting threats, but no actual violence. Who do you think it is?”

  “I think it is his brother. There’s some resentment there of Dirk’s success. He’s a self-made man, and Chad has had others to help him, and he still is doing as well as Dirk. He isn’t doing badly, but I think the parents make a big deal about Dirk,” Riley said.

  For once she didn’t miss having siblings.

  Joan frowned. “Let me see what you put in there.”

  “Why?”

  “In case we can tweak it to get more information.”

  Riley showed her the code she used. Joan made a few suggestions. Then, like old times, they ordered a pizza. They asked Kent to join them in the kitchen with it.

  He sat with them, but with his back straight, he clearly was not comfortable. As women love to do when the man is outnumbered, they made him more uncomfortable. He took it well, not leaving, but giving it back.

  “So, Kent, how does one become a bodyguard?” Riley asked. “Is there a bodyguard school? Or do they pick you out when you’re young and feed you more meat than the rest?”

  He chuckled, his dark brown eyes dancing with amusement. “Yes, we’re picked out early. Most of us weighed nine or more pounds at birth. And they train us from about three years on.”

  Riley couldn’t help laughing. Joan joined in. “So, is the training done in Texas, since everything is bigger down there?”

  “Yes, we’re all out in a field getting as much sun as possible so we can grow,” Kent said, getting into the spirit of it.

  “And are you all proportionately big?” Joan asked.

  Riley wanted to smack her friend. That was crossing a line. “Don’t answer that.”

  “I could show you,” Kent said.

  Riley almost fell off a chair, but he didn’t stand to take his pants off. Joan blushed. Served her right for asking that. “Okay. Let’s leave poor Kent alone.”

  Kent shrugged. “It’s fine, Riley. I can handle two women busting my balls.”

  Riley laughed, but she knew that Joan would have his phone number before she left today.

  ***

  Dirk wanted to call home to see how Riley was, but he knew she’d chafe at the intrusion. Kent had texted him that Joan was over and they were working. He couldn’t blame Riley. He’d be climbing the walls also.

  He was restless at his office just thinking about her. And this leak. His phone rang.

  Jenson Walters, one of his biggest clients. The man rarely called, and if he didn’t he didn’t insist on speaking to Dirk.

  Dirk answered, cringing. “Hello.”

  “Dirk?”

  “Yes.”

  “I just got a call from a Zenith Investments.”

  That couldn’t be good. Was this another leak?

  “Oh?”

  “They seemed to know a lot about my portfolio at your place. I don’t want them to know that. It’s not their business. Are you selling my information to other brokers?”

  “No, of course not, Mr. Walters.” Time to tap dance. “We had a leak that’s now been plugged. We’re sorry. We’ve taken extra security precautions so it won’t happen again.”

  “I don’t like them calling me. I’m trusting you with my money. You’ve always done well for me, and only you and government knows what’s going on. That’s how I like it. There’s never been a problem before this.”

  “There won’t be again. I personally promise you,” Dirk said.

  He rubbed the bridge of his nose as a headache was starting. Walters had been his customer from the beginning, and he’d made the man a lot of money. Of course, the man had paid him and his company a lot of money, too.

  “I hope not. I don’t want to
have to move my money elsewhere.”

  “I assure you, Mr. Walters, we’ve brought in a top notch security firm. They’ve solved the problem, and it won’t happen again.”

  The man hung up, mollified, but Dirk felt dirty. They hadn’t plugged the leak. Riley needed to be back on her game. Maybe she found something today.

  He shouldn’t encourage her to go back too soon, but he needed this leak plugged. Before other clients called him. If they talked to each other, his company was finished. He’d always prided himself on confidentiality. He didn’t want to lose that reputation. No one would trust him anymore.

  He might as well close up shop, and that would put a lot of people out of work. He owed it to his employees to stay in business. He’d personally survive, but some of his workers might not.

  The whole situation weighed on him. Marcia, his administrative assistant, entered his office. “Tough phone call?”

  “Yes. I think there’s been another leak. This whole situation has gotten out of hand.”

  “You need Riley back working on it.”

  “I think she has a plan, but I don’t want her to be bait.”

  “Maybe there’s another way. Set up a dummy account and give it to a specific person. Know who has access to the information; then you can narrow down who might be the leak.”

  “Marcia, you are a genius. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “I think you’re too busy looking at Riley.”

  He laughed. “Is it obvious?”

  “Yes, it is. What are you going to do about it?”

  “Nothing. She doesn’t want long-term. When the job is over, we are over,” Dirk said.

  That made his heart ache, but he knew that’s how it had to be. He wasn’t a white picket fence kind of guy. Riley deserved that. She deserved some guy that would sweep her off of her feet. Give her babies and a house in the suburbs.

  He didn’t think he was capable of forever. He couldn’t offer it to her, so he didn’t bother trying.

  “How do you feel about that?”

  He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

  “Dirk? Are you Dirk Trent? The man who built this company from a few investors? Has someone chopped off your balls?”

  He looked at her, his anger spiked. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “That you would never stand for this in business. Why would you stand for this in your life?”

  He wanted to stay mad at her, but she was right. He needed to take control of the Riley situation. Would Riley cooperate? He doubted it, but he had to be honest with her.

  “I can’t offer her what she wants.”

  “How do you know what she wants? Have you asked her?”

  No. “Don’t all women want the white picket fence?”

  “Some do. Some don’t. You have to ask Riley to find out what she wants.”

  Dirk didn’t deem that necessary. He knew what Riley wanted, and it wasn’t something he could give to her. He wasn’t the marrying type. Settling for one woman was not in his life plan.

  “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “It’s the end of the day and I’m going home. You should too, since you have someone waiting.”

  “Not waiting patiently. As soon as she’s okay, she’ll be back to work.”

  She already was, but he wasn’t going to tell Marcia that. Would seem like he had no control over Riley, which he didn’t. All of his women had been easy to manipulate. He’d been smarter than all of them.

  Riley was more intelligent than he was. That scared him a little, but he refused to be intimidated by her.

  “Go home, Dirk.”

  “In a few minutes.”

  “Don’t keep her waiting,” Marcia said.

  “Why are you so sure she’d waiting for me? Or even if she feels the same way I do?”

  “I’m a woman and I can tell.”

  Did Riley have feelings for him? Didn’t matter. They’d agreed that they would part ways when this was all over. He didn’t plan on changing her mind on this. She would be free to find someone who could marry her. Someone who would give her babies and a house in the suburbs.

  Something he was pretty sure she wanted, even though she hadn’t said anything to that effect.

  Chapter Five

  Joan had left with the promise to help Riley in any way she could. Riley had a better idea.

  Riley could meet the person again, but with Kent.

  She found him reading a magazine. “How’d you like to go on a field trip?”

  “Now?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Okay. I’ll let Mr. Trent know what we’re doing.”

  No way. “No need. I’ll talk to him when he comes home tonight. In fact, he should be home soon.” She crossed her fingers behind her back. “You get the night off?”

  “Yes, I do.” He grinned. “I have a date with your friend.”

  “Joan works fast.”

  Kent laughed. “She does. She didn’t take no for an answer. Tonight was it.”

  “Joan always goes for what she wants.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’ll let you know tomorrow. I haven’t decided,” Riley said.

  “Okay. It would be easier if I knew beforehand.”

  “I’ll tell you as soon as I know.”

  He nodded then went back to his magazine.

  Riley went back to her laptop. If she could talk to this person, she might find something out. So she e-mailed the person back.

  “Sorry about what happened. I got scared. The person who did that to you had nothing to do with me,” the person said.

  “Are you Zeke?”

  “No.”

  She hadn’t thought so. That didn’t rule Zeke out at all. Should she ask why this person was using Zeke’s e-mail? Maybe tomorrow.

  “Can you meet me tomorrow?” Riley said.

  “Yes. Lunchtime.”

  The person gave her an address. She wrote it down to give to Kent. That might satisfy him and he wouldn’t mention it to Dirk. She was going with Kent. How could Dirk be mad?

  “Do you have proof of whatever you’re going to tell me?”

  “No, but I’ll tell you where to find it.”

  “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

  She closed her laptop as she heard the front door close. Dirk was home. She called this the changing of the guard. Kent went home. Dirk stayed.

  She left the office, feeling restless and maybe a little like a bad girl. Dirk had stayed away from her this whole time, but now she was ready for sex again. Even if the doctor did not clear her.

  She heard the two men speak; then she heard the door close. Kent must be gone. Time to spring into action.

  She and Dirk had been sleeping in the same bed, but he’d been a gentleman.

  Then she remembered that the chef was here. She’d forgotten that he’d come in about an hour ago. Guess she had to postpone the seduction.

  Dirk stood in the kitchen, drinking a beer. Her mouth watered at the thought of one, but not until she was cleared by the doctor. Sex was one thing. That was harmless. Alcohol could do some damage.

  She stood on tiptoe to kiss him hello.

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” he said.

  “I’m hungry.”

  “I have something I want to tell you,” Dirk said as he removed his tie.

  “Oh?”

  She slid onto the stool by the island and waited.

  “Let’s talk over dinner. I want a shower. By then the food will be ready.”

  He glanced at his chef, who nodded. Dirk left. Riley followed. He would have to take his clothes off. That would mean he was naked.

  She plopped on the bed to watch him.

  “You okay?” he said.

  “I’m great.”

  He took off his clothes and hung them up in his walk-in closet. He’d made room in there for her clothes. Walking out, he was only in his boxers. Bright stripes. He had an interesting collection of underwear.

  Bu
t she digressed.

  “Hi,” she said, from the bed.

  “Hi. I’m going to take a shower.”

  “I get that.” She jumped of the bed and headed to him.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “Something I bet I can talk you into,” she said.

  She slipped off her shirt to reveal that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Dirk’s eyes lit up, his smile covering his whole face. “We shouldn’t.”

  “I’m feeling fine.”

  “But you haven’t been cleared by the doctor.”

  “So?” She put her hand on his naked chest. Her eyes wide, looking up at him. “But I know I feel better.”

  She glanced down to see his boxers tented. Before she could put her hand on his penis, he grabbed both of her hands. “No, Riley. I don’t want to risk it.”

  “I’m not some delicate flower.”

  “But you had a concussion.”

  “I haven’t had any headache for two days. Come on, Dirk. I’m dying.”

  She slid out of her pants, reveling no panties on. Dirk’s breath hitched. “This isn’t fair, Riley.”

  “I know.” She nudged her head in the direction of the bed. “Let’s go.”

  She tugged him toward it.

  “Riley, no.”

  That was a stern voice he was using. She wasn’t buying it. His body told a different story. His body showed her he wanted this just as much as she did. Maybe more. She put her hands on her hips. “I’m standing in front of you naked and you don’t want me?”

  “You know that isn’t the case.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you. You still have some bruises. And what about your head?”

  “My head is fine. My bruises are barely there. Come on, Dirk.”

  His eyes fell closed. “Damn, Riley. You aren’t making this easy. I’m trying to be good.”

  “I’m asking you to be bad,” she said. She put her arms around his neck and rubbed against his erection. “Your friend wants to come out and play.”

  “Oh, Riley.”

  He pulled her into a desperate kiss that sent tingles throughout her body. She’d won. Damn the torpedoes, or concussion, and full speed ahead.

  ***

  Riley tasted like honey and forbidden pleasures. He’d missed her, but he still wasn’t sure this was a good idea. She still had the remnants of bruises on her body. He was afraid he’d hurt her if they made love.