“Gideon’s a good guy. He’s guilty of working too much, a lot like some other people I know. I’m the problem here,” she said.
“You?” Josh frowned.
“Gideon knows what we’re doing, that it’s not a permanent thing. I’m the one who has problems remembering that.”
“I reserve the right to disagree and act overprotective.”
“Fine.” She chuckled.
It was good to remember she had these people in her life now. Ones that would stand by her. They looked out for her.
Her phone vibrated, Gideon’s name flashing in white letters.
“I need to take this,” she said.
“Go ahead. I’ll get your luggage.”
Josh got out, leaving Piper in the vehicle alone.
She stared at the screen and took a deep breath. It was hard to get the air into her lungs with the way her throat constricted. She flicked her finger over the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hey,” she said.
“You’re going on a cruise? When?”
“Right now, actually. I was thinking about what you said, about being able to pick up and just go...”
“Oh.”
Deep down Piper had wanted to do these random, crazy things with Gideon, but after the hard look at her relationship with him, what she really needed was perspective. On her life, her relationships, and she wouldn’t get that if she was pining for Gideon to make time for her.
“I’ll maybe see you when I get back?” She knew that leaving while she had his attention might mean he was deep diving on a new project when she returned.
“For sure. You’ll have to tell me all about your trip.” His voice sounded funny.
“It’s just a few days.”
“How many?”
“Five.”
“That’s too long.”
Piper loved—and hated—how her body reacted to those words.
“I’ll miss our dates, but I hope this is a good trip for you and the girls. Have fun. You deserve some time off. I’ll be waiting for you.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up. Piper powered her phone off and sat in the SUV for a few moments longer staring at nothing.
He’d be waiting. Would he really? She wanted to believe him.
She was doing the right thing by taking this trip and putting herself first. Besides, she needed the time with the girls. It’d been months since they were all on the same page like this. Maybe when she got back she’d have a better idea about what to do with her feelings about Gideon.
GIDEON TAPPED THE STEERING wheel while the phone ring through his Jeep’s speakers.
“Mr. Mackenzie, hello.” Lola Gómez’s perky tone caused the knots in his stomach to tighten further.
“Hi. Got any news for me?”
“I just got off the phone from speaking with your client’s attorney. I was going to touch base with Fernando before I called you, but he’s probably not even awake by now. He’s taking retirement very seriously.”
“He deserves it. How’d the meeting go?” Gideon was desperate for some good news after the last five days.
“They understand the terms of your contract now. Based on what they were saying and what their attorney wasn’t saying, I don’t think they understood what they were getting. They’re kids with too much capital and unrealistic expectations.”
“Okay. Fine. Good. What about the threats?” Gideon could handle problematic clients, but this was what he paid Lola to do. His biggest concern was the growing threats toward Piper.
“This is where it’s a shit show and I wish I had Fernando on the line.” Lola sighed. “The two claim that the third person in the email exchange was let go from their start up before the emails happened. Since this is a bunch of friends working together, I’d call bullshit. Their lawyer is smart and has them reciting a script about how they don’t know a thing. He is damn well aware of whoever is sending the threats, but it will take court order or a warrant to pin this on one person. I’ve got the ones we know of scared and in line, but it’s this third person who is the issue.”
“I see.” Gideon swallowed.
“I’d suggest making Piper aware of the emails and have her file a complaint with the police so there’s documentation on file.”
“That’s—no. No, that’s not good enough.”
“I know what the case did to her, but if she doesn’t want it to happen again she’s got to take action.”
“What if I pay them off? Make them shut up and go away?”
“That would mean whoever is sending the emails would have to fess up to accept the money. And if they don’t admit to who it is, what’s keeping the one stirring the pot from blackmailing you for more money to keep quiet?”
“Then...what if I just finish their product? From beginning to end? That’s what they really want, right?”
“You and I both know that’s a bad idea.”
“If it’ll keep them from going after Piper, I’ll do it.”
“I can’t advise you—”
“It’s a stupid thing to do, but Piper is worth it.”
Lola sighed, and they didn’t speak for a few moments. Gideon steered the car into the lot of a florist shop and shifted into park.
“The romantic in me says that’s a beautiful offer. You really care for her. The realist in me says that if you go down that road, no matter how much you care for her, you’ll begin to resent her later on. As a lawyer, I have to say it’s the worst choice out of the bunch. You’re showing them weakness, that all they have to do is make a threat and you’ll roll over. None of this is like you, Gideon.”
“I want to spare her the pain of this making the rounds again.” He’d hoped to turn the five days of her cruise into a solution period. He’d wanted to make the problems go away, and he had to some extent. But there was still a very real possibility it could all blow up in Piper’s face.
“All legitimate adult websites have complied with court orders to remove the material.”
“Lola, come on. We both know the facts here. Once something is on the internet it’s there forever. This is going to haunt Piper for the rest of her life. I just... I want to protect her if I can.”
“You really care about her?”
“I do. I wish there was something I could do to make it all go away, so she never has to deal with it, but... You’re going to tell me the best thing I can do is to let her make up her mind on how she wants to handle this, aren’t you?”
“You’re smart and handsome, Gideon Mackenzie. The right thing is often the hardest. You know I was hired during the end of Piper’s trial, but she left quite an impression on the whole office. She is a strong young woman who didn’t shrink from doing the hard stuff before.”
“No, she didn’t. Thanks, Lola. I’m headed over to her place now, and we’ll see how it goes.”
“I’ll keep my phone on for you.”
“I appreciate it.”
He hung up and leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes.
Back when Piper’s ex uploaded his homemade sex tapes, the world was a less friendly place toward women in tech and gaming. The cultural climate was changing. The things that had happened to Piper wouldn’t happen now without jail time. She was a trailblazer, in many regards. The protections in place for women in her industries were based on what happened to her.
Piper had been so righteously angry when the first uploads were brought to her attention. If Gideon hadn’t been on his way over, he was fairly certain Piper would have gone straight to her ex’s house. It wasn’t even Gideon who’d first thought of lawyering up. That was, once again, Piper. She’d very quickly realized that the only way of making change was to go after her ex where it hurt. Back then, there weren’t laws in place to govern the sort of things Carl had done, which was why the trial had taken so long. There was no precedent. She’d seen the trial through till the end, never wavering in her resolve, but it’d taken something out of her. Something she was s
till trying to get back.
Gideon feared what this would do to her, but he had to believe in Piper. She was a remarkable woman.
This was going to be a blow to her. She’d spent five days on vacation, was no doubt coming back relaxed and refreshed, and he was about to ruin it all. At least she’d been gone long enough for him to have a plan in place. They weren’t starting from scratch.
Before he knew it, he was pulling into the lot at her apartment complex. It was still funny to think about how the girl who couldn’t commit to anything more than a month-to-month rental had lived in the same apartment for going on four years. The Piper he’d met would have panicked at the thought.
Gideon grabbed his things, locked the Jeep, and headed up the stairs.
They’d chatted a bit while she was on the trip. The rift between her and the rest of the girls appeared to be healing. He was a tad bit jealous he wasn’t the one whisking Piper off on a trip, but this was the one she needed. There would be time to clear their schedules and do something together in the future.
He knocked on the door and rocked back on his feet. They hadn’t set anything in stone about when they were seeing each other again, but he couldn’t wait. He’d missed her presence, her touch, holding her, all of it.
The locks scraped, and the door cracked open. Piper peered out at him and blinked.
“Gideon?”
“Hey, welcome home.” He held out the flowers.
“Hey. I wasn’t expecting you.” She let the door go and it drifted open. She took the blossoms and sniffed them.
A figure stepped into his line of sight inside the apartment. Gideon stared at the other man. He was medium height with a muscular build. His clothes were typical surfer wear, shorts and a muscle shirt, plus one of those overly shaped trucker hats perched on the back of his head.
“Gideon, this is Kobe. Kobe, meet Gideon.”
Kobe.
Her gay starter date.
“Hey, nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Kobe grinned and his eyes twinkled, as though he knew where Gideon’s head was going.
“I was just catching Kobe up on the last two weeks.” Piper shut the door behind him and locked it.
“Yeah? How was the cruise?” Gideon and Kobe followed Piper toward the kitchen.
“Give those to me before you mangle them,” Kobe said.
Piper sighed and let Kobe take the flowers from her. He squinted at them and frowned.
“Kobe’s parents own a florist shop,” Piper explained.
“These are good blooms.” Kobe grabbed a vase from the drying board. “I just got here a few minutes ago, man. Piper was catching me up on her homework.”
“Was she?” Gideon glanced at Piper, who was busy slathering her arms in lotion. Either it was his imagination, or her cheeks had a touch more color to them than when she’d answered the door. “Got a bit pink?”
“We spent a lot of time lying on the deck. I thought I put on enough sunscreen, but clearly I didn’t. Rashae is panicking about the color dying down before the con.”
“How are things between you girls?” Gideon leaned against the bar, turning his focus on Piper.
“Good.” She stared at him, her eyes so bright and full of life it killed him knowing what was coming. “We’re never going to be like we were, but that’s okay. Life just got in our way and we forgot to put what’s important first. We’re all doers, which means talking gets pushed to the back of the line. We just need to remember that we’re important to each other.”
“This is why she’s my brother’s favorite client.” Kobe grinned but never took his gaze off arranging the blooms.
“You want to sit down?” Piper gestured at the sofa.
“Sure.”
Gideon followed her past the dining table and to the couch. Piper sat, twisted around to face him, her face scrunched up.
“I’m sorry I picked up and left like that.” She spoke softly, for his ears alone, and placed her hand on his thigh.
“You needed some dedicated girl time. Like you told me, everything up until now has focused around con stuff.” He smiled, savoring the moment.
“Yeah, I just... I could have told you sooner.”
“I deserved it. How many times have I deserted you?”
“Here we go.” Kobe strode around the sofa to join them and placed the vase on the coffee table.
“Beautiful,” Piper said.
“You have no idea what I did.” Kobe planted his hands on his hips.
“No, but they look nice.” She smiled and earned a chuckle from Kobe. “How’s your boyfriend?”
“He’s working on set today.” Kobe shrugged and glanced at Gideon and sighed. “He’s a tad bit insecure. Thinks if I spend too much time with women I’ll go straight. He’s got issues, but I love him.”
“How did...” Gideon glanced from Piper back to Kobe.
“How did I become Piper’s fake boyfriend?” Kobe grinned. “My brother introduced us. He thought I might be able to offer her some perspective. My boyfriend is just...insecure. We’re working on his baggage, it just takes time.”
“I see.” Gideon didn’t want to wade into that complicated relationship when he had enough on his plate.
“How was your week? What have you been up to?” Piper squeezed his hand. He wasn’t sure when they’d linked fingers, it simply felt natural now.
Gideon stared at her palm in his, the cage he made around her. All he’d ever wanted to do was protect her, from the world, from himself, and now he had to tell her the truth. Not about his feelings, but about the threat he once more posed against her.
“It has not been a great week,” he said slowly.
“Oh, no. The clients again?” she asked.
“Do I smell drama?” Kobe grabbed one of the cushions and made himself comfortable on the floor.
“Yes.” Gideon squeezed Piper’s hand, not ready to for what came next. “They have made some very stupid decisions about how to handle getting what they want, namely, threats.”
“Seriously? What kind of threats? Why would they think that’s a good idea?” Piper gaped at him, her brow furrowed, mouth open.
“I’ve already got Lola, my attorney, on them because it gets worse.”
“Lola, is that the same one I remember?” Piper tilted her head to the side.
“Yes, the same.” Gideon took a deep breath. He just had to say it. “They’re threatening you.”
“Me?” Piper’s frown deepened.
“Yes. All I can think of is that either one of them is aware we are friends, or someone they know saw us at the grill together and knows your history. I’ve sent everything to Lola. The original email chain where someone made the first threat and the supposedly anonymous emails someone has sent since then. She’s going to get Fernando in the office to work on this with her.”
“What are they threatening her with? Why her?” Kobe asked.
“I won’t budge about giving them work for free, so they’re threatening to make all the old footage go viral again.”
Piper continued to stare at him, her eyes widening, but otherwise she was frozen. A deer in the headlights and he was driving the truck straight into her. God, he hated himself.
13.
PIPER FOCUSED ON GIDEON’S mouth. His lips were moving, but she couldn’t process his words. They were all so strange.
“Sweetheart? Piper?”
She let go of Gideon’s hand and stood. The room was too small. She needed to walk, to get out of here. She paced from the living room into her studio and stared out the windows. Usually she kept the blinds drawn and curtains closed, but the girls had opened them to let natural light in while they were working. Now she stood basking in the sun, her head buzzing.
Every year or year and a half, the videos resurfaced. There was always some newcomer to the scene that just found out. Each time the old wounds ached, and she struggled with the desire to run and hide and shut out the world. Life wasn’t fair, but she knew t
hat.
She closed her eyes and pushed the anguish back into its place. This wasn’t the first time she’d handled this and it wouldn’t be the last. For as long as she lived someone would trot her nightmare out for their amusement.
The world was a different place now. That was the one difference. There were laws in place that protected her and gave women in her position more rights. She hadn’t let Carl get away with what he’d done, and whoever these assholes were that thought they had Gideon over a barrel because of her would rue the day they poked the bear.
“Piper, I’m so sorry.”
She turned.
Gideon’s face was lined with worry, and his eyes were bloodshot. It was a face she knew well. He’d been her companion through the worst of it, and he took her pain personally.
“We’re going to make them sorry they thought this was a good idea.” Piper pushed her shoulders back and straightened her spine.
She wasn’t the same woman she’d been back then.
Piper grabbed a notepad and pen off her desk then breezed past Gideon into the main room of her apartment.
“What has Lola said?” she asked.
“Are you okay?” Gideon followed her, hovering just within arm’s reach.
“I’m numb. I used to think why is this happening again? Why me? This stuff happens because someone thinks it’s okay, and it’s not. So, they’re going to get an expensive lesson. What does Lola say?”
Gideon stared at her for a moment longer.
“Give me this.” Kobe took the notepad and pen from her. He sat at the table and scribbled a few things.
“The initial threat was vague sent by someone my clients claim was an employee they’ve let go. The other threats have come through anonymous emails. Right now, my clients are claiming they aren’t liable or involved since they quote, fired their employee.”
“You don’t believe that?” She braced a hand on the back of a dining chair.
“No. This whole thing is a bunch of rich trust fund kids wanting to do something cool. They had a slick marketing guy who got me on board and then left. I can understand why.” Gideon grimaced.
“Okay, so one friend is a loose cannon and the others are trying to not get shit on them.” Piper nodded.
The Fake Boyfriend and the Geek Page 12
