Hacking His Code (Beguiling a Billionaire Book 7), page 18
“I much prefer that Hunter stay single,” Gabriel says. “My mother would be livid if Ernestine were to become a grandmother before her.”
“About that,” Zev says wryly. “Fiona says Remi is drinking water.”
Gabriel casts him a caustic look.
“Is Gabriel gonna be a daddy now?” Alistair says. “The fatherly type, not the perverted kind.”
“You guys are crazy!” Gabriel takes a long pull of his beer.
“Oh my God, are you not claiming your very own child!” Cassius cuts in.
Gabriel’s eyes light in fury, but it doesn’t stop Cassius from continuing.
“I tell everyone I knocked up Sadie because I never want anyone ever to say that I didn’t claim my beloved child.”
“For once, Cas—you disgust me!” Gabriel snaps.
“Is this seriously the first time Cassius has disgusted you?” Alistair says with a grin. “And quit dodging the question.”
“Let me just say that if she was, both Remi and my mother would kill me if I were to tell you guys before they had a chance to announce it.”
“Well, congratulations,” I reply. “I really hope my mother doesn’t look in the tabloids.”
Cassius directs his attention toward me. “I thought you should know, Arinessa’s mother is doing well. She’ll be woken from her coma Monday.”
“That’s good…right?”
“She was under a lot longer than we had hoped, but we found out what was wrong. She should be fine.”
“That’s great!”
“Hey, no shop talk during boys’ night out!” Alistair chastises.
“Oh, I was merely giving Hunter suggestions as to how to deal with his erectile dysfunction,” Cassius japes, and again the table breaks out into laughter.
Gabriel orders me another beer once mine is drained, and I listen to the antics of my contemporaries, getting in a smart remark every so often.
Elric elbows me. “You know, I remember when we were like seven, our parents got us together for a playdate. Your parents were so anal about everything, it’s no wonder you turned out like you did.”
This time, the table doesn’t laugh.
“Elric, I think it’s time you slow your roll,” Zev suggests, pushing Elric’s beer just out of his reach.
“No, it’s fine. After my aunt’s disappearance, which I’m sure you all know about, it kind of cast a shadow on our world. I don’t want that to be the way you define me,” I say quietly. “It’s all anyone ever associates me with.”
“Sorry, man,” Elric says.
“Go ahead, ask me about it if you’d like.”
After a long minute, Cassius asks, “How is your mother? It was said that they were close.”
“She’s had years to process it, and I think she has, but it changed her.”
Cassius nods. “I imagine that it would have.”
“In about an hour, we’ll meet up with the girls,” Gabriel says.
An alarm on Elric’s phone sounds. “Looks like I have to cut out. Early flight.”
“I think I’m going to cut out too,” I say.
“Nonsense!” Sven says. “Soon, we’ll be meeting up with the ladies. Meghan will be with them, and you’re exactly her type.”
Alistair snorts. “I hardly think you can say he’s ‘her type’ when you barely know him.”
“I knew it!” Sven shouts. “I knew you were hitting it!”
“Just because I don’t go making broad assumptions of who my friends should be seeing and hooking up with doesn’t mean I’m ‘hitting it,’ as you suggest.”
“Oh, he’s hitting it,” Cassius mumbles under his breath.
Gabriel settles the bill, then turns to me and says, “You’re coming back to my place. It won’t be a lovey-dovey couples’ thing. I promise.”
“Alright,” I relent, figuring it would be better to keep my mind occupied.
My phone buzzes, and I look down to see a text from Neon.
Neon: You can keep those big bucks of yours. I’m no longer spying.
Fuck! I need Neon to make sure Ari is okay.
Hunter: Why not? I need you.
Neon: She knows, and she’s pissed. You really need to talk to her.
Fuck!
Arinessa
Going to girls’ night has me feeling like an archeologist of sorts, studying a completely different culture, only they’re alive and right in front of me.
Each of them is devastatingly beautiful, even Sadie, who is enormously pregnant. They’re all wearing sexy dresses that either show an abundance of cleavage or way too much leg than I’m comfortable with.
Well, I guess it’s kind of hypocritical of me to say that when I’m wearing booty shorts and thigh-highs.
A redhead named Fiona is taking digs at a dark-haired beauty named Sari who refuses to drink out of the glass cups at Madison’s and has very vocally deemed the place a ‘public health hazard.’ What a piece of work. Another woman named Meghan is signing autographs, so I can only assume she’s some kind of celebrity, though I can’t place her. And Remi is excitedly talking about analytics, which is very Remi.
“So, can you like hack into the Pentagon?” Sadie asks excitedly.
“Remi probably upsold my capabilities, but honestly, I’m not really sure. If I can’t, I maybe could after some research.”
“I think it’s awesome what you did to those traffickers,” she enthuses.
My head snaps in Remi’s direction. “Did you really tell everyone what I did?”
Her cheeks flush pink. “I was just bragging about my new hire.”
My hands begin to tremble as I remember my years of fear.
“That’s deeply personal,” I manage to get out, but as I look around the table, I don’t see angry faces. I see looks of admiration.
“Honestly, I’d pay you a six-figure salary to do that all day, every day,” Sari Heartshire says. “I may be a fucking bitch, but I’m not evil.”
Fiona quirks a brow up. “Seriously, Sari…I’m not so sure you’re qualified to make that statement, but I’m glad we’ve found some mutual ground to stand upon. I’d pay her six-figures too.”
Meghan turns to me. “You’re a real hero, and if you’re ever willing, I’d love to do a docuseries on you.”
I laugh so hard, I snort. “A docuseries on me?” I place my hand on my chest.
“Absolutely. You could raise awareness and really draw a crowd.” She holds her hand out for me to shake. “And I may have been introduced as Meghan, but I go by Might Be Meghan, professional YouTuber who is now branching off into other methods of distribution.”
I accept her hand, giving a professional shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“We’ll talk later,” she says with a wink, then turns to Sari.
The loaded cheese fries are to die for, and I finish off a whole basket by myself. Remi’s ordered so much food, I thought we’d surely only be able to eat half, but we absolutely destroy everything set on the table.
Fiona looks over at me, then spies my glass. “Did the waitress forget to take your drink order? What would you like? I have a big mouth, and I’m hard to ignore.”
“Oh, I’m just sticking with water,” I say, digging for another fry.
Fiona’s brows knit together. “That’s half of us drinking water on ladies’ night. Interesting.”
My anxiety spikes to astronomical levels, but luckily, Fiona’s eyes are trained on Remi, and I’m quickly forgotten.
“So, what does Remi have you working on?” Sadie asks.
“Ummm…boring things,” I reply because the air-tight nondisclosure agreement I signed is not something I intend to break.
Sadie rolls her eyes. “You probably have the least boring job of all of us.”
The truth is, I have no idea what I’m doing. Remi gave me all these instructions, and I’ve followed them to the letter, but I’m looping in and out of systems I’m completely unfamiliar with. The security is top-notch, beyond what even the Davies had, and they are world-renown for their anti-hacking platforms.
“I only hired her to keep her out of trouble,” Remi says with a wink. “If I know what she’s doing all day, she can’t be hacking Icor Tech.”
“Oh my gosh—guess who gets to be a bridesmaid?” Meghan exclaims as she eyes her phone.
All eyes turn towards her in anticipation.
“Ali Kat Carter has given me the honor!”
I blink, trying to register what she has just said.
Remi raises her glass in a toast-like fashion. “That’s great!”
Still a little surprised, I ask, “Wait, you know Ali Kat Carter? The celebrity?”
“Look around, Ding Dong—we’re all kind of a big deal,” Sari says condescendingly.
“Hey—back off,” Fiona threatens. “We want her here waaaay more than we want you.”
“Holy Maiden Mother, would you two get your shit together.” Sadie exhales dramatically. “Why do you two even bother doing anything together if you’re always going to fight?”
I listen to them ramble back and forth like an eavesdropper. I can barely follow what they’re saying half the time, so I dig into a basket of fries, praying I’m not this ravenous throughout my entire pregnancy.
“Stop obsessing over Teagan!” Fiona’s shrill voice draws my attention. “She’s moved on, and you should too!”
“You think I actually want Teagan? I can get anyone I please.” Her eyes scan the table falling on me. “Take her, for example. One smile, and she’s all mine.”
The heat of their gazes makes me incredibly uncomfortable. “Ummm….as great as that sounds, I think I’m gonna have to pass.”
A look of shock crosses Sari’s face.
“She is so obviously not a lesbian, so why did you expect differently?” Fiona says.
“I’m Sari Heartshire,” Sari sneers. “Straight as fuck girls kneel to me.”
I counter with, “Well, jokes on you, because even if I were so inclined, I wouldn’t know what the hell to do.”
At that, the whole table breaks out into laughter, and for the first time during the evening, Sari’s face loses its dire and condescending expression as she silently chuckles into her hand.
And I can’t help but kind of like the self-proclaimed bitch.
Remi’s phone vibrates, and she looks at the screen. “The guys want to meet up now.”
I dig into a wayward basket of fries while Remi settles the bill and tell myself that this is a one-night thing, and I’ll start eating salads for baby tomorrow.
And there it is again—my pregnancy. No matter how hard I try to push it from my thoughts, it’s always there.
Exhausted from a long week, I grab my purse and turn to Remi. “Thanks for inviting me out. Your group is wonderful, all of them.”
“Why don’t you come back to the tower with us? I’ll have a car take you home later.”
The excitement I feel from being invited to hang out with her crew overcomes any tiredness I previously felt. After seeing how the group of friends interact, I’m dying for more of it. To be included in their special circle.
“Okay!”
Hunter
Lounging around Gabriel’s penthouse, I can’t help but notice how tame they are. Not long ago, they were making tabloid headlines for their antics. Now, they’re tired after a night out.
“Ladies will be here shortly,” Gabriel says, pouring a round of drinks.
My stomach twists in knots, but it’s not from nervousness. I’m quite charming around women, and they tend to adore me. The problem is, there’s only one I wish to see.
No one ever tells you the exact moment you’re going to fall in love, so I had no warning. I so badly wanted to tell her, and almost did as my head laid on her thighs, but the phone rang, forever changing my relationship with Ari.
She didn’t yell or scream. It would almost be easier if she had. Instead, she simply walked on past me, out of my life.
Afterward, she proceeded to erase all parts of me from her existence, returning the college tuition I had paid off and reversing the bank transaction. She tried to return all the gifts, but Neon convinced her to keep them.
Now, I get to hang out with Gabriel’s crew, seeing them dote on the women in their lives, while I have none.
I accept a shot, drinking it down quickly.
“So, give it up.” Zev glares at Gabriel. “You can’t hide it forever.”
“Whatever are you talking about?” Gabriel says with an arched brow.
“Remi isn’t a huge drinker, but she always has a daiquiri or something fruity,” Zev returns.
Gabriel glares at him. “Maybe she’s eating ‘clean’ as they call it.”
Zev takes a long pull of his drink. “Not with the cheese fries she was eating.”
“Are you stalking my wife?”
“No, but my wife certainly is.”
“Well, I suppose you can ask her about her diet when she gets here.” The look Gabriel gives Zev tells me that there will indeed be an announcement made.
My mom’s going to be pissed that Scarlet Primrose beat her to becoming a grandma. There’ll be no end to the jabs and dejected looks.
Fuck me.
Gabriel glances down at his vibrating phone. “They’ve arrived.”
Zev sighs. “Please, dear God, say that Sari isn’t with them.”
If there were a polite way to leave at this point, I would. The last thing I want is to be subjected to happy couples staring lovingly at each other, reminding me of what I can’t have. Part of me is angry with my mother and father, but that’s unfair. They may have made me this way, but it was out of love and their desire to protect me.
The door to the lounge opens, and a handful of chattering women come pouring through.
I recognize Remi instantly as she’s been on numerous magazine covers. Fiona is easy to pick out as well with her bright red hair.
A blonde and brunette enter, chatting with each other in what sounds like snarky tones. Trailing behind them, I see Cassius’s now-wife, Sadie, who is enormously pregnant but still light on her feet. My eyes don’t linger on her, though, as it’s the woman next to her that grabs my attention.
It’s Arinessa.
Fuck Gabriel for not giving me a warning.
She’s deep in conversation with Sadie, her hands animated and a smile on her face.
Her makeup is perfectly done, which means that Neon or someone else had to have helped her get ready. Her outfit is bolder than I would have thought, a black corset over a flowing blouse, topped off by booty shorts and thigh-highs. An absolute delight to behold, and I’m not the only one who notices.
Sven whistles loudly. “Hello, sexy lady.” He saunters up to Ari and Sadie, taking Ari by surprise.
“Oh, hi…” she replies.
I’ve never wanted to punch a guy so badly in my life.
“Name’s Sven.” He smiles obnoxiously. “And who might you be?”
If he were being honest, he would have introduced himself as Douche Bag, Extraordinaire.
“Uh, my name is Arinessa, but you can call me Ari.”
He steps forward, invading her space, and I nearly jump to my feet to intercede. Thankfully, no one seems to notice how riled I am.
It’s easy to see that Arinessa is taken aback by the domineering Sven, shrinking away until Sadie pulls her to safety.
My blood pressure continues to spike, however, as the hulking idiot doesn’t seem to take the hint.
Luckily, Cassius is on top of the matter, and he damn near throws Sven across the room, onto a couch.
“I believe introductions are in order,” Gabriel says, looking at each of us.
My eyes go back to Ari, begging her to see me, although I’m not quite sure that when she finally does, it will go as I hope. Will she show anger? Or perhaps joy?
The wait is excruciating.
Fuck, having real and true feelings for a woman is worse than I had ever imagined, and yet, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
Gabriel begins his introductions, but his words are lost on me. All I see is her. Everything else has fallen away.
When I’m announced, her gaze finds mine, and I have my answer. Her eyes grow round, her jaw falling open. She looks frantic, like she just remembered that she left the stove on.
My heart sinks.
I take another shot, a form of self-medication I’m not prone to, but I’m hoping it will do the trick.
“I just remembered that I’m tired. I mean, I just realized,” Ari says to Remi. “I think I need to leave.”
I want to tell her that she can stay and I’ll gladly go, but there’s no way to do that without it sounding terribly awkward.
“You have to stay!” Remi enthuses. “If only for a minute. There’s something you have to be here for.”
“And what would that be?” Fiona says with a smirk.
“Get yourself a drink and give it a minute,” Remi says to her redheaded friend.
It’s hard to force my gaze from Ari as she talks to Sadie. Her backside makes such a tantalizing visual in her booty shorts.
Zev plops down beside me. “You’re like a real stick in the mud.”
I realize what a dick I’m being, so I decide to soften my image a bit. “You and your friends are lucky to have each other, and I’m lucky to be here, hanging out with you all.”
“Agreed, and if you play your cards right, you’ll be invited back again.”
I force a smile.
“Something tells me you don’t want to come back.”
“That’s not it,” I insist. “You caught me at a rather unexpected time in my life.”
“You can relax with us. We all keep each other’s secrets, and you’re not the only latecomer to the squad.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Cassius catches Zev’s eye. “Hey, Cass!” he calls. “Get your ass over here!”
The pharmaceutical giant veers in our direction, and Zev and I rise from the couch.
Again, I sneak a glance over at Ari.
