HACKING THE BILLIONAIRE

by Jenny Devall

He pulled out of the spot then glanced back at her. Her mouth hung open.

  “Helicopter? You own a helicopter?”

  “I fly a helicopter,” he said.

  That had been one of the great things about growing up rich. He learned to fly.

  “Holy shit,” she said.

  “We’re taking that to my parents’ house next weekend.”

  “We are? You haven’t asked. You just assumed I was free.”

  Right. He had to remember that she was here on business and that they weren’t really a couple. Except that they fucked like they were. So he forgot.

  “Would you please come to my parents’ house next weekend?”

  She frowned. “I’ll check my calendar.”

  “It would give you a chance to meet my brother and sister who are responsible for my firewall.”

  She tapped her chin then looked back at him. “I’ll clear my calendar.”

  “Good.”

  He pulled out onto the street, but of course this was Manhattan and he couldn’t get his baby going. Later, when they left the city.

  He parked in the garage for Riley’s apartment then rode with her to her place.

  He hadn’t ever gotten a good look at it. She didn’t show him around, just got to work. He sat next to her on the couch as her fingers flew over the keyboard. Made him think of her fingers on him, but he blocked that out. This was business.

  Fun time would be later.

  “Did you find anything?”

  “Your brother did some routine maintenance, but it doesn’t look right to me.”

  “What do you mean?” he said, leaning closer to her.

  “Not sure. There are certain things you do to shore up the firewall. As new viruses and cyber-attacks come out, you update your code. This was updated, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this code. I have no idea what it does.”

  “Is it an immediate threat?”

  “I don’t know. I’m going to have to reach out to one of the other hackers in the company. She may know what this is.”

  “Do you need to talk to her?”

  “No, I’ll send her the code in an e-mail. She may not be available today,” Riley said.

  Dirk stood. “Send that e-mail, then let’s go find some wine to drink.”

  Riley glanced at him as she typed on her laptop. “You don’t seem too concerned about it.”

  “You haven’t given me enough reason to be concerned. Just because you don’t know what it is, does not mean its purposes are nefarious,” he said.

  Besides, he wanted to spend the day with her, not think about who was out to get him.

  “True. It’s your company,” she said.

  She closed her laptop, smiled up at him, and then said, “Okay. Off to the winery.”

  Chapter Nine

  As Dirk drove them out of the city, Riley puzzled over the code she’d seen. Hopefully Joan would have an answer or know where to get one. Until then the problem would go into that unconscious part of her brain that solved things.

  Now out of the city, Dirk took back roads, and he seemed to be enjoying his car very much. Riley wasn’t a car person, so she didn’t know to be impressed by it. The thing went fast and went around curves well.

  “So what is this?”

  “The car?”

  “Yes, the car.”

  “It’s an Aston Martin. A British car. Twelve cylinders.”

  “I think mine only has four,” she said. “You drive it in Manhattan?”

  “Very rarely. I save it for trips out of the city like this one.”

  They arrived at the winery, and Dirk held the door for Riley. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy held the door for her. Maybe she was dating losers, like Joan said.

  She approached the bar, which was made of stone with a Formica top. Behind it shelves held bottles of wine on their sides.

  “Welcome to York Cellars,” a perky brunette said. “Are you here for a tasting?”

  “Yes, we are,” Dirk said.

  The girl put menus in front of them, along with pencils. “You get to choose six. I’m Paige, and I’ll pour them when you’re ready.”

  The winery had seventeen varietals to choose from. “What do you like?”

  Riley looked them over. “Not sure. Any suggestions? You seem to know about all of these things.”

  “What wine do you usually drink?”

  “The on-sale kind,” Riley said.

  “Oh, Riley.”

  He leaned against the bar. She liked the sound of her name in his mouth. He’d said it with a deep, throaty, exasperated voice. And a wry grin on his face.

  “So help me pick.”

  “How about I pick and we both taste the same ones. If we like one we’ll buy a bottle for dinner,” he said.

  Dinner? He was planning on dinner? “We’re having dinner together.”

  “Sorry. I forget. You have a mind of your own. Would you have dinner with me this evening? My place.” He leaned closer. “Plan to stay over.”

  His voice in her ear sent a good chill down her spine. He was so sexy. How could she resist?

  “I’ll come for dinner. Staying over is negotiable.”

  He laughed. In that laugh like he knew she would be in his bed in the morning. She probably would be.

  “Just pick the wine,” Riley said.

  He marked six on the sheet, and then they waited for Paige to come back. She did. She poured the wine, describing it.

  When she left, Dirk turned to Riley. “Now swirl the wine around.”

  She did as he did and managed to spill some on the counter. “Whoops.”

  “Not with such vigor,” Dirk said.

  She shrugged and did it again, this time not spilling any. “Why do you do that?”

  “It excites the esters. Now put your nose in the glass and tell me what you smell.”

  She did. “Chocolate and berry.”

  “Good. Now sip a little and roll it around your mouth.”

  The burgundy liquid danced across her tongue. “I taste cherry and smoke.”

  “Yep. Did it finish quickly or slowly?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you swallowed, did the taste linger or was it gone?”

  She wondered whether his taste would linger or be gone when she swallowed. She almost laughed out loud at the thought. “Uh, it lingered, and I felt as if it dried out my tongue.”

  “That would be a slow, dry finish. This is a Malbec. It will have that sometimes. Did you like it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, very much.” She took another sip, finishing what was in the glass. “I never thought this much about wine.”

  Dirk poured out the rest of his. “I have to drive, so I’m watching what I’m drinking.”

  “You should have called your driver.”

  Dirk laughed. “He does get days off.”

  “Really? He isn’t at your beck and call?”

  “No, he isn’t. I’m not a slave driver.”

  She mulled that over. In her mind Dirk had people to wait on him all the time. His penthouse staff had either not been there or been so discreet she didn’t see them. “You have staff at your place?”

  “A little, but I do like my privacy,” he said.

  Paige came back and poured more wine, describing it again.

  “This one should have more fruit in it,” Riley said. She swirled and stuck her nose in the glass. “Ooh, I smell it.”

  She smiled up at Dirk, who looked down at her, amused. “Very good.”

  They finished the rest of their tasting then grabbed lunch. Dirk bought two bottles of the Malbec before they left.

  Riley slumped in her seat, enjoying the tiny buzz she had going on. “That was fun.”

  “You like?”

  “I did. I’ve never done that.”

  “You look relaxed,” he said. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you like this.”

  “We work together, Dirk. I’m solving a problem for you.”
r />   “Not just one problem, but a recurring one.”

  She shifted to look at him. She didn’t know what he was talking about. Joan had not gotten back to her, and she didn’t see another message saying someone had been in the back door. “What recurring one?”

  “My recurring hard-on.”

  She giggled. She didn’t know why that seemed so funny. Must be the wine. She yawned. “I’m going to take a nap.”

  “You should. You may not get any sleep tonight.”

  The idea that they might have sex all night long did appeal to her. This man was going to be the death of her for sure. She’d enjoy dying of sex. Or lack of sleep. He was sexy and powerful and not her usual type. Why did she find him so attractive?

  She puzzled over that as she stared out the window. The countryside flew by as Dirk drove them back to the city.

  “If I’m to stay overnight, I need clothes.”

  “We can swing by your apartment again.”

  She yawned. “Maybe by then Joan will get back to me. I’ll bring my laptop in case she does.”

  “There will be no work tonight.”

  He made it sound as if his word was final. She was too tired to argue.

  ***

  Dirk turned to Riley after he parked the car. She looked so sweet asleep. She’d let out a little snore every once in a while.

  What the hell was she doing with him? She deserved someone who would love her and give her babies and a picket fence. Too bad he was selfish. He was going to have her for as long as she’d have him. Even though he knew he could not offer her marriage.

  He was not the marrying type. That was Zeke and people like him. Dirk was not going to commit to one woman only to break her heart later on. No, this was business in a way, and Riley knew that.

  Brushing a hair away from her face, he thought about just carrying her upstairs. He could do it. Would she hate it? Probably. Being independent, he didn’t think she would like it.

  “Riley.”

  She made a noise then blinked open her eyes. “I fell asleep. I’m sorry, Dirk.”

  “You were a little buzzed. You slept it off. We’re home now.”

  Home. His place, he should have said. Slip of the tongue. She was probably too sleepy to notice.

  She stretched, yawned, climbed out of the car. She stretched again, looking like a cat.

  They rode the elevator up. Her leaning against the wall. His gaze watching her every move. Sexy and lithe and his. For now.

  “You want food?” Dirk said as he unlocked his front door.

  “No. I’m still full from lunch. Probably why I fell asleep.”

  When he closed the door behind them, then he brought her into his arms. He kissed her, igniting fires in his own soul when she kissed back. “I have another idea then.”

  Rested her chin on his chest. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We never stopped to get my stuff,” she said.

  “We can go later.”

  He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to stop this moment. They would end up in bed again, and he wanted that more than anything. Something had changed as they sipped wine today. He wanted to explore it.

  Or maybe she didn’t feel it.

  “Okay.”

  She took his hand and led him to his own bedroom. As if she owned the place. He wanted to laugh at her confidence. Her gumption on taking the lead in his place. That was so Riley.

  Not being shy, she seemed to take what she wanted as much as he did.

  She didn’t wait for him, just took off her shirt and bra. She stood for a moment in front of him, and he might was well have been a kid staring at a candy counter. They were beautiful breasts. Not too large. Not too small.

  He knelt down in front of her and kissed them. “You are such a beautiful woman, Riley.”

  She blushed. Even her breasts blushed. How could she not see who she was? She had no idea how the world viewed her.

  How sweet and innocent in some ways.

  Dirk undid her pants. Naked now, she climbed onto the bed. He disrobed and joined her, his dick ready for her.

  “I want quick and dirty,” she said.

  “Hot monkey sex,” he said as he kissed her neck down to her shoulder.

  Her breath came out in pants. “Yes.”

  So he obliged. He kissed as much of her as he wanted then poised his condomed self over her. “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  He slid into her, but was not slow about it. No, this was fucking. This was sex, and her body arched up to him with each thrust. Her fingers dug into his back and her orgasm convulsed through her.

  He couldn’t hold back. She’d milked him, and he was right there with her. It exploded out of him like a rocket. He couldn’t see, but some part of his brain kept him thrusting into her until they were both done.

  That had been the most powerful orgasm he’d ever had. He didn’t want to think about why. That would go down a road he wasn’t willing to traverse.

  “Damn,” she said.

  “I know.”

  He slid out of her, took care of the condom, then snuggled up against her.

  “Must have been the wine.”

  He chuckled. He’d go with that. “Sure.”

  The phone on his nightstand rang. He didn’t want to be bothered, but knew by the ring it was the doorman, so he answered it.

  Zeke was in the lobby.

  “You okay for company?” he asked Riley.

  “I just need a shower.”

  “Okay. Zeke’s here. Not sure why, but if you want to stay out of sight you can,” Dirk said.

  He pulled on his pants, his body sad for not being able to be next to a naked Riley anymore. Zeke must have some reason to be here.

  They didn’t have plans as far as he knew. He would have cancelled them.

  “I’ll shower and come out.” Though she didn’t seem to be thrilled with it.

  “I’ll get rid of him.”

  She bit her lip then nodded. “You want me to wait here.”

  He grinned. “Oh, yes. Wait right there. Don’t put a stitch of clothing on, and I’ll get rid of Zeke.”

  He left her under the covers, after kissing each breast one more time.

  “Am I interrupting?” Zeke said when he’d been let up and Dirk opened the door.

  “Yes. You are.”

  Zeke looked at him, a frown on his face. “I was in the neighborhood.”

  “Yeah? Not doing family things today?”

  Zeke followed Dirk into his living room. The man seemed to be looking for something. Or someone.

  “I’m going to a soccer game later,” Zeke said.

  His gaze never met with Dirk’s. “What’s up?”

  “I have something I have to tell you.”

  “Oh?”

  “This is really hard.” Then Zeke shook his head. “I don’t want to, but I think Riley tried to come on to me in the elevator.”

  Dirk blinked. That didn’t seem like Riley, but why would Zeke lie? “You must be mistaken. She knows that you’re married.”

  “I thought it odd, too,” Zeke said.

  “Could you have misunderstood?”

  Zeke put up his hands. “Maybe I did. Look. Forget I said anything. I’ve got to go.”

  His friend left, but he left behind some doubt in Dirk’s mind.

  Chapter Ten

  Riley stretched and shifted in her chair, but parts of her body were nicely sore from the weekend. She was working from Dirk’s apartment. She hadn’t been home except to pick up clothes. He’d convinced her that he was taking a half day and that they would get started on the fun if she was here.

  Truth be told, he didn’t have to work that hard. She liked his place, and she could do her work here at a giant desk in his office.

  In the chair she felt like a little girl in an adult’s chair, so she had her legs underneath her. She wore sweats and sneakers. She’d change later if they were going out.

  What puzzled her
was that her program sent her a notification. Zeke had sent an e-mail to an anonymizer. It could be something as simple as he was having an affair, or he was selling corporate secrets. Either way she didn’t want to tell Dirk until she knew something more.

  So she did what she didn’t want to do and tracked down the e-mail. She hadn’t told Dirk she was going to read people’s e-mails, but to her this was part of the job. She doubted any secrets were sent via e-mail, but meetings might have been set up and she’d have records of them.

  When she finally got to the e-mail she was disappointed. It was merely a test e-mail. As if he wasn’t sure he had the correct e-mail. Or maybe he had never used the anonymizer before and wanted to test it.

  Either way, she had nothing definitive to bring to Dirk, but she was going to keep an eye on Zeke. Not that she wanted to spend any more time with him than she had to. He skeeved her out completely. She wanted to shower whenever his name was mentioned.

  That bad.

  Too bad he was Dirk’s best friend. She might have to spend time with him. Just not alone.

  The front door opened and then closed. Dirk poked his head into the office a few minutes later. He frowned at her.

  “What?” she said as she closed up her laptop.

  “Sweats?”

  “No one is seeing me,” she said.

  “I am.”

  “Then sometimes you are going to have to live with it,” she said.

  One eyebrow went up. She’d put money down that none of his girlfriends had ever spoken to him that way. She wasn’t his girlfriend. She was a temporary lover. When this was all over she’d bring her wardrobe and her memories back to her tiny apartment.

  She’d still wear sweats at home. She refused to let him change her that much.

  “Okay. Lunch?”

  “Out or in?” she said.

  “Not out, the way you’re dressed.”

  She cocked her head. “I can get changed.”

  “I would advise that.”

  He took off his tie then left her in the office. He would advise that? Maybe she didn’t want to go out? Maybe she wanted to go back to her place and wear sweats all day. She stomped into his bedroom.

  “You are an arrogant son of a bitch.”

  He stopped unbuttoning his shirt. “Where did that come from?”

  “You can advise me what to wear when I am on your arm, but you don’t get to tell me what to wear when I am working from home.”