Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“You’ve accepted that?” he asks.
“Yes,” I reply. “Even though trying to get a job at Fort was a big reason why I came to New York. But you were clear and… now… I don’t want to get a job and always wonder if I’m there because I’m fantastic in bed.”
He laughs.
“But seriously, you should know that I choose you over the job any day of the week.” The words could be brushed off as nothing. He could make a joke about how the sex between us is addictive or explosive or any of the other things it definitely is.
But I don’t mean that I would choose sex with him over the job. I mean, I choose him. Hanging out. Talking. Being. With. Him.
And he knows it too.
His stare warms me from the inside out, and I know there’s so much he doesn’t say. I don’t push him. I don’t want what’s not freely given. Not a job, not his heart.
He cups my face in his hands and presses his mouth against mine in a chaste but passionate kiss that leaves me breathless and wanting.
NINETEEN
Bennett
Worth’s dining table would seat twenty people. I’m sitting at one end, on the phone to my head of security, Aarvi, while Efa takes a shower.
“What’s the latest?” I ask.
“Something’s happened,” Aarvi says. “We’re not sure how, but they seem to have gotten access to an encrypted part of the systems. No one’s ever done that before.”
It feels like whoever it is, they’re closing in.
“They were in for a second before another layer of security kicked in. They won’t have gotten anything.”
“You think it’s the same source targeting us each time?”
“It’s all the time, and yes, I think it’s coming from one source.”
“You think it’s my identity they’re after or something else?” I’ve asked this question of Aarvi before and she always gives me the same answer. Doesn’t stop me asking.
“I think if someone just wanted to disclose your identity, they could bribe a member of staff. It’s not like there haven’t been photographs of you out there. It’s not someone looking for who you are. It’s Fort they want.”
It makes sense this time, just like all the times she’s said it before. I don’t know why I still feel like I’m being hunted.
“So you think they want details of Project Next Generation?” We’re working on groundbreaking AI tech—highly confidential. We don’t want it getting into the wrong hands before we have the right checks and balances in place.
“Everyone who has even heard a whisper of it wants details.”
“We need to build in more security,” I say.
“Already done. I’m implementing the security plan I sent you.”
“I don’t like that they got in. Even if it was for a second.”
Efa slides her hand over my back. I look up and pull her down onto my lap, trying to ignore her bare thighs and the way her already short skirt rides up as she balances on my knee. She lays her head on my shoulder as Aarvi and I discuss other strategies for keeping the walls at Fort strong. Aarvi is all over it, and her plan doesn’t require second-guessing. Fort is in good hands, but I wonder if there’s someone out there even better who’s going to crash into our systems. Are we just sitting ducks?
Efa presses a kiss just below my ear, and I know my phone call is about to come to an end.
“So you’ll send me a revised report?” I ask.
“By close of business today. And if anything else happens, you’ll be the first to know.”
I end the call and bring my attention to Efa. I pull her across my lap so she’s sitting astride me.
“Hey,” I say. “You smell nice.”
“All clean. That rain shower is incredible.” She wraps her arms around my neck, pushing her fingers through my hair. Being with her over these last few days has been… eye-opening. I’m more relaxed around her. Happier, even. It’s good to be out of the city, with nothing to focus on but each other.
“I can get you dirty again if you want an excuse to make the most of it,” I say.
She shifts and our bodies lock together like we came out of the same mold. She circles her hips, pressing against the denim of my jeans. I think she’s about to kiss me, but instead she changes tack completely—something I’m coming to expect from her.
“You know, you should really focus on tracking down who’s coming for you. You’ve got a real defensive strategy—and I’m sure it’s the best defensive strategy there is. But it’s like you’re waiting around for an attack. You need to take the fight to the hacker.”
It’s difficult to concentrate when she’s grinding against my dick, but what she’s saying makes sense. It echoes my own fears, that we’re just biding our time until the other shoe drops.