Hate Love

by Katie Ford

  “You hired someone?” she asked. “What did he find? Is everything okay?”

  I shook my head.

  “I don’t know to tell you the truth. I haven’t even looked at the email.”

  The brunette was contemplative for a moment, saying nothing. “Are you afraid?”

  Shit, this girl knew me too well and I sighed.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m a mix of emotions. I have all these made up fantasies of who my parents were and the reasons why they gave me up,” I admitted. “But what if they’re just trash? What if they never wanted me because they’re terrible people?”

  Mia murmured soothingly before lifting my hand to kiss one rough palm. “You’ll still be who you’ve always been. That information doesn’t change anything. And if you decide ultimately that it’s better not to know, then that’s okay, too.”

  My stomach relaxed a little, unclenching from a tight ball.

  “Thanks, baby,” I said. “I appreciate that.”

  She smiled again.

  “Of course. You know,” she began slowly. “I don’t have a clue who my father is either.”

  Really? I turned to look at her, keeping a firm hand on the wheel. “How do you feel about that?” I asked.

  She shook her head, pausing again, eyes contemplative.

  “I don’t know to be honest. I guess it’s a little like you. I want to know, but I also don’t want to because what if it’s bad? All I know is that this guy ran out on my mom when she was pregnant, leaving her with some bills and some unpaid rent. She’s never heard from him since.”

  Shit. That was really fucked up. Running out on a pregnant woman? This guy had no morals whatsoever.

  “What a dick,” I said.

  “I know. Who does that, right? How could my dad do that, knowing that a woman was expecting his child? So, yeah, maybe it’s better not to know him,” she said with a sad laugh.

  We were both silent for a moment, letting the revelation sink in.

  “Do you know his name?” I asked, trying not to push.

  Mia swallowed. “I do. Raymond Turner.”

  “Have you ever tried to look him up?” I asked.

  She nodded her head. “I did. Once in middle school, but I couldn’t find anything.” She paused and then said with a laugh, “But I didn’t look too hard, you know what I mean?”

  I nodded. “Sure, totally get it. I mean, I have two parents and I’ve never really looked for who they are or where I’m from before now. So I understand.”

  But there was an angry lump in my throat because this Raymond Turner person was missing out on his brilliant daughter. What the fuck? This guy was so clueless and shitty, it was unbelievable.

  Soon enough, the Ferrari pulled into my circular driveway and I helped the gorgeous girl out of the car. Shit, one glimpse of that plump thigh and I was hard.

  “Ready for a horror movie?” I quipped. “Something to make you scream?”

  Mia laughed. “Only if there’s a lot of popcorn.”

  With our arms around one another, we stepped into the mansion. Of course, I had an ulterior motive. I love horror movies on dates because hopefully, the woman will scream and jump right into your arms, burying her face against your neck. And sure enough, that’s what happened once the killer made his appearance. Well, that and more.

  Sure enough, each time her breasts jiggled with a scream, I grew hungrier and pretty soon, I’d whipped that gown right off, leaving the girl nude in my private theater. Shit, she was unstoppable, all heaving, creamy flesh with a slick wet slit between her legs. I pulled the emerald out of her.

  “Oh god, I’m wet,” Mia moaned. “You’re so bad, Theo.”

  “You are wet,” I confirmed, easing two fingers into her soaked pussy. “I love how drenched your pussy gets for me.”

  Mia mewled helplessly, arching her back so that I could get in deeper. She looked like a goddess with those brown curls tumbling around her shoulders and a sweet pout on her lips.

  “Hold on baby,” I groaned. “There’s more.”

  And pulling my fingers out of her, I stuck them into my mouth. Oh shit, her pussy was so juicy and tangy with just a hint of citrus. Reading my mind, Mia leaned backwards with her legs wide open and pulled her knees up, baring everything. The position was obscene and yet an absolute turn on. I knelt before her on the floor, dick dripping with cum.

  But Mia couldn’t wait. She traced a finger down my chest to my abs.

  “You’re amazing, Theo. Absolutely irresistible,” she whispered.

  And words like that only get you a prize because with a slow moan, I pushed my fat, veiny cock into her wet cunt. She arched her back and cried out as I thrust deep.

  “Mmmm. That’s so good.”

  With my thumb, I rubbed her clit and watched her squirm. She rubbed her breasts with her hands. When she moaned again loudly squeezing her eyes tight, I could feel her pussy contracting and gushing down on my cock.

  I loved making Mia come. She looked so good when she did and her pussy got so insanely wet.

  But my girl is a good one and her eyes flickered open then. “Fuck me in my ass, big guy,” she begged, pulling her knees up even further so that that brown hole below was revealed. “I’m ready.”

  God, the woman was irresistibly dirty and how could I say no? Girls like this are once in a lifetime.

  So obligingly, I pulled out of her pussy and brushed my dripping tip against her asshole. It twitched and winked, beckoning to me even as Mia squirmed a bit on the seat.

  “Now,” she begged breathlessly, trying to catch me in her anus. “Now, Theo.”

  And slowly, I pushed against the dark star. Oh shit, she was so small and it was impossible to get in at first.

  “Take a deep breath, sweetheart,” I urged into her ear. “Relax and let your asshole go.”

  Ever the A student, Mia inhaled deeply and sure enough, there was a popping sound down below. My cock eased into her asshole, the brunette crying out at the sensual penetration while arching her back again. Oh shit. Her butt was so tight on my cock. I knew I was going to explode any second.

  But she always gets her way, turning to me in the middle of her ecstasy.

  “Come in my ass this time,” she panted. “Give it to me deep.”

  And her wish was my command. Gripping those thick thighs, I pushed in and out of her harder before losing control and erupting violently into that asshole, spraying that dark star with virile semen.

  “Shit!” came my roar. “Shit, fuck, shit!”

  The sensation threw Mia over the edge too. Her body was still for a moment before gripping my cock so hard that it almost broke off, the spasms were a powerful vise.

  “Oh Theo,” she moaned, eyes alight with desire. “Oh god yes, just like that.”

  And with that, we were locked together in every way because as a couple, we’d find the answer. We’d figure out our sad, shared history. We’d figure out the decline in Pictogram users with the investors calling for my head. We’d figure out how to prevent new hacks, even as Mia completed her degree. Because this woman was right for me, hands down…and I couldn’t wait to discover more.

  Chapter 11

  Mia

  Whenever I wake up at Theo’s, there is no way of knowing what time it is because Theo’s room is a dark cave at all times. At first, the dark foreboding look to his bedroom was off-putting, but now, it feels cozy and intimate like I’ve been invited into his private lair.

  I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was still early, only a little after midnight. The breathtaking emerald and diamond necklace lay in front of the clock. The warm white light from the digital clock shone through, illuminating the necklace into an otherworldly, almost alien artifact. It was that beautiful.

  And it was mine.

  Picking it up, I marveled at the intense magnificence of it. Theo had outdone himself. Gently laying the necklace back down, I marveled at the spectacular night we had together.

  Recalling
the night, I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten upstairs into Theo’s room. I must have fallen asleep sometime during the movie. Such a gentleman again, Theo carried me upstairs. The fatigue of my busy week still lingered in my bones.

  Theo wasn’t lying next to me. Stretching my limbs in the bed, I wondered where Theo had gone.

  A sinking feeling hit my stomach.

  How long had he been gone? Had he left? What was he doing sneaking off when I’d fallen asleep?

  A horrible thorny thought came to mind. Was there someone else in the picture? Had the necklace been some kind of admission of guilt? Or worse? A parting gift?

  All of Theo’s past girls were beautiful, thin actresses and models. Who was I kidding? I looked nothing like them with my curves, gigantic breasts, and huge ass.

  An even worse thought came over me. Everyone at Pictogram had been so nice and welcoming to me except for one person. Penny.

  Why? What did she have against me?

  Penny was absolutely gorgeous and so put together, but she hated me from the very beginning before I even had a chance to offend her. Was there something going on between Penny and Theo?

  My negative thoughts were piling onto each other at a ridiculous speed. I stopped myself from jumping to conclusions and letting my self-doubt poison what a wonderful night I’d had with Theo.

  It had been a truly magical night in every way. There was no reason to spin out of control when Theo had most likely only been out of bed for a few minutes.

  Why was I so hung up on Penny? Was I threatened by her?

  It was stupid of me to be even a tiny bit worried about Penny. Theo had given me no reason to believe their relationship was anything more than professional.

  Besides, a plausible explanation for Penny’s attitude toward me could be simply because she was a bitter bitch. Any time someone didn’t like me, I always blamed myself, fearing that I’d wronged them somehow. Penny hadn’t even given me a chance to offend her.

  To allay my fears, I got out of bed putting on one of Theo’s shirts. He was probably up late working. Walking out into the hall, Theo’s voice trailed from his home office.

  “You can’t be serious, Warren!” Theo bellowed.

  I crept down the hall carefully listening.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m dead serious. The Board is going to take a vote on whether or not you should stay on as CEO,” Warren, Theo’s COO, replied gravely on speakerphone.

  Seeing Theo at his desk with the strain of worry on his face made all my doubts about his feelings for me rush away. This had nothing to do with another woman. This had nothing to do with me. It all had to do with Theo’s company.

  “I’m not giving up,” Theo said firmly before looking up and seeing me in the doorway.

  His face lit up into a smile and my chest exploded in happiness at the warmth I saw there. He really did care for me. I’d been so stupid to let my negative thoughts almost get the best of me.

  “I’ve got to go, Warren,” Theo said hanging up. He came over to me and scooped me up in his arms. “Did I wake you?”

  “No, I just couldn’t sleep without you,” I stammered.

  “You want a snack?” he asked, kissing me on the top of my head.

  “Sure. I always want a snack,” I said.

  “Great. I’m starving,” he said, giving me another kiss, this time on my nose.

  I’d always dreamed of the day a man cared for me enough to kiss me on my nose. A nose kiss was such a sweet delicate gesture and Theo did it with such casual grace. I was the luckiest woman on Earth.

  He held my hand as we walked downstairs. “You ever have a waffle BLT?”

  “No, but it sounds delicious!” I answered, intrigued.

  In the kitchen, Theo was upbeat and cheerful, but I knew there was so much on his mind. Warren didn’t sound optimistic on the phone.

  Opening the freezer, he pulled out frozen waffles. “Waffle BLT’s are so good and incredibly easy to make. You’ll love them.”

  “Can’t wait!” I paused, reluctant to spoil the mood. “Um. So, who were you talking to?”

  Theo’s face tensed as he took out a frying pan from a cupboard and bacon from the fridge. “Warren.”

  It was best to not reveal how much of the conversation was overheard, so I played stupid. “Oh? Something important? You two were talking so late. Everything, okay?”

  Theo clicked on the stove. His face was conflicted before he said, “I don’t want to worry you.” He took my hands in his. “Nor do I want you to feel responsible for any of this.”

  It was too late. I already did.

  He turned back to the stove and placed four pieces of bacon in the pan. “But, because of everything that’s happened, the Board is going to vote on whether I can stay on as CEO.”

  I hugged him from behind, squeezing him tight. “Can they do that?”

  He clasped my hand on his stomach and just nodded.

  I felt awful. “There must be something that can be done. Something that I can do? I’m the one that started this whole thing any way.”

  My rogue activism as Anonimo could cost Theo his company. Pictogram meant everything to Theo. If he lost it, it would be all my fault.

  The bacon sizzled and crisped in the pan. The salty, savory smells of mouth watering bacon wafted throughout the kitchen.

  “Can you pop some waffles into the toaster?” Theo asked me.

  Regretfully, I pulled away from him. Worries that our relationship could be in jeopardy stirred back up inside me. How would Theo ever forgive me if he lost Pictogram?

  With shaky hands, I took the waffles out of the package and put them in the toaster. What could I do to help him? Pictogram was everything to Theo.

  He held me from behind. “I don’t want you to feel responsible for any of this. The Board had already questioned my leadership long before any of the pics came out.

  Tears fell from my eyes. “I shouldn’t have been such an asshole and posted those photos and violated your privacy.”

  He turned me around to face him and touched his nose to mine, holding my face in his hands. “If you hadn’t posted those photos, we wouldn’t be here right now together. Everything happens for a reason. If those leaked photos led me to you, I would do it all over again. A hundred times over.”

  Wiping my tears from my cheeks, he kissed me on the lips. The bacon cracked and sizzled. Abruptly, he turned back to the stove. “The bacon! I hope you like them extra crispy!”

  “I love extra crispy,” I said, sniffling and wiping my tears away.

  My love for Theo made my heart burst. I couldn’t let him lose the community he built from his heart, especially since it was without a doubt all my fault.

  Chapter 12

  Theo

  With Mia staying over more, the last couple weeks had flown by happily. The joy I felt waking up to her overwhelmed me. The happiness that was inside me was unfamiliar, but I cherished it. With her in my bed, there was no need for my sleeping rituals: the fans, the noise machine. And I hardly bothered to draw the blackout curtains on most days now.

  All I needed was her warm body next to me.

  Lying in bed with her, an ease came over me allowing me to peacefully drift off into sleep even with everything going on at Pictogram. Admittedly, the nights she was away were difficult. I fretted over the fate of my Pictogram community into the late hours.

  All my sleeping rituals were required plus the addition of binge watching television and cuddling with one of Mia’s sleep shirts. Even then, I could only get a few hours of good sleep.

  It was no longer a secret that Mia and I were seeing each other. The paparazzi relentlessly followed us everywhere. Mia was taken aback by all the attention at first. The first time, the onslaught of clicking cameras as we left a movie theater, stunned her. I put my arm around her and held her close as we quickly walked to my car.

  The photos were all over the media within hours. Mia’s head rested on my chest with my arm around her. If I don’t
say so myself, we looked great together in the photos.

  Public displays of affection were generally not my thing, but that was the old me. The paparazzi captured so many photos of Mia and I kissing and holding hands. We looked to be so in love in the photos.

  In a weird way, I was grateful to have the paparazzi around documenting our time together. It gave me a little thrill to see photos of Mia with me. Every photo, I was astounded at her beauty. That bombshell buxom beauty was holding my hand or kissing me in those photos. I couldn’t have been more proud.

  The day the Board was going to discuss my fate as CEO, I was an emotional mess. Because of that, I just wanted to get off the Pictogram campus for a while, opting for Estrella, a Michelin starred California and Mediterranean cuisine restaurant, for lunch.

  I tried my best to hide my anxiety from Mia, but she was much too smart to not pick up on it. When the server walked away, she reached across the table and took my hand. Her outfit, a cream and black floral silk shift dress with knee length boots, looked stunning on her. Her unique flair of style upped the chicness of the Marc Janow clothes. She had a way of making a piece of clothing all her own.

  I’d given her diamond teardrop earrings last week. She had them on now and they sparkled as she cocked her head, looking at me intensely. “Everything is going to be okay. I just feel it.”

  I lightly brushed an earring making it swing gently. “These look fabulous on you.”

  She smiled and kissed my hand. “Thank you.” She paused gazing into my eyes with heavy worry. “Theo, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.” She took a sip of water before she continued. “Let me talk to the Board today at the meeting.” Kissing her hand, I shook my head. Before I could speak, she jumped in, “Let me tell them about all the security features I’ve added to Pictogram. We’re rock solid now. Pictogram is impenetrable!”

  Her face was so full of hope and optimism. I tried to assure her, “I appreciate that, Mia. But…”

  Her eyes began to well up with tears.

  “Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” I said, feeling touched by her kindness.