LAUREN (Silicon Valley Billionaires Book 1)

by Leigh James

  “That’s not going to stop me from enjoying that hot little body of yours, though.” He rose up and fisted my hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me in for a deep, luxurious kiss. All my senses were in overdrive as he surrounded me. The taste of his lips. His masculine scent. The feel of his hands on me, in my hair. The sound of my own moans as he kissed me. The sight of our naked bodies facing each other.

  I committed the moment to memory, even as I lost myself in it.

  He grunted, picking me up by the hips and positioning me directly over his cock. He eased me down onto his erection, inch by inch. I cried out as he filled me so, so deeply.

  My body stretched to accommodate his as we stayed like that for a moment. Gabe was still, letting me adjust to the position. Holy wow.

  He kissed me again and simultaneously lifted my hips, only to bring me down again, slow and hard. He filled me so deeply that it shocked me and pleasured me to my core. “Gabe,” I moaned, “Oh…oh.”

  He grinned wickedly. “You like that?”

  “I…I like that,” I panted.

  He lifted me and purposefully slid me down on his length again and again. I moaned, throwing my head back in absolute ecstasy. I liked feeling him so deep. I felt as if he owned me, possessed me. I adjusted my legs so that my feet were flat on the floor on either side of him. I threw my arms around his neck. Then, I started to rock myself up and down on him, picking up speed. Fucking him. Being fucked.

  Gabe kissed my neck hotly, pressing his face against me there. I could feel the sweat of our bodies mingling. He flexed his hips, deepening the impact, burying himself in me, sending waves of intense pleasure ripping through me.

  “I want you to come in me like this,” I breathed raggedly, so close to my own release. “I want to feel you.”

  “See?” Gabe asked, his voice wicked. “You’re already telling me what to do.” He slammed into me again, and then reached for my clit… I saw stars as he rubbed me and continued to fuck me. He grunted as his thrusts got more urgent and he exploded hotly into me. I clenched around him, my body greedily squeezing him, accepting everything he had to give. I screamed his name.

  I wasn’t even close to finished making up with him. I could do this all day, every day, for the rest of my life.

  We clung to each other afterward, sweaty and spent. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my shoulder, his lips tenderly grazing me.

  “I have to go,” I whispered against him.

  “Not just yet, babe.”

  He picked me up and carried me to the bed, and he managed to make me forget about everything else for ten more wonderful minutes.

  I must have fallen asleep. I woke up and heard Gabe getting out of the shower, quickly drying his hair and brushing his teeth.

  Then I heard the doorbell ring.

  “I got it,” he said, coming out of the bathroom and pulling a clean T-shirt over his head.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I got up and quickly scrambled into a T-shirt of my own and some sweats.

  He didn’t look at me. “Yep.”

  Later, it would be the not-looking-at-me part that I remembered.

  I followed him out to the front of the house, not caring that I smelled like sex or that my hair was a mess. He opened the door.

  A police officer and a man with close-cropped hair, wearing a suit, were waiting outside. “Gabriel Betts?” the officer asked.

  “That’s me.”

  “Sir, I’m Detective Conant with the San Jose Police Department. This is Agent Marks from the FBI. You are under arrest for federal and state charges, including but not limited to wiretapping, internet fraud, and unauthorized computer use and access. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you. You have a right to have a lawyer present while you are questioned. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you. Is that clear?”

  “Yes. I’m coming with you willingly. I just have to get my wallet. You’re welcome to come with me.” Gabe and the detective walked past me. Gabe, still avoiding eye contact, grabbed his wallet and phone.

  “Gabe, what the hell—”

  He stopped me with a quick kiss. Then, he tucked a stray hair behind my ear and leaned over me, his eyes delving into mine. “I told you I wasn’t going to let you go to jail, babe,” he said lowly.

  “Gabe, please.” I followed him as he walked out with the detective, who put him in handcuffs and led him outside. Agent Marks watched us both with interest.

  Gabe’s security team was standing by in the driveway, as was Timmy and my driver. Gabe nodded at them as he was taken to the cruiser. “Take care of her while I’m gone. Don’t let her do anything crazy,” he commanded. They nodded back at him and respectfully didn’t turn their eyes my way.

  I stood in his doorway, bereft.

  Agent Marks got into the passenger seat, and the detective opened the back door of the cruiser. Just as he was about to get in, Gabe stopped and turned back to me. “Lauren,” he called. “Don’t do anything dangerous while I’m gone. There will be ramifications. And withholdings.”

  The dark tone of his voice suggested all sorts of delicious, inappropriate things. Desire twisted in my belly even as my face flamed and tears pricked my eyes. Lust, embarrassment, and despondency flowed through me. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or throw myself in the back of the cruiser with him.

  “Gabe.” My voice shook. This was happening too fast for me to process.

  Gabe looked at me expectantly while Detective Conant looked annoyed. “If you’ve got something to say, ma’am, say it now,” the detective said, clearly losing patience with us.

  I didn’t want Detective Conant, Agent Marks, and our security team to hear me, but it was now or never.

  “I love you,” I called.

  Gabe flashed that dimple. “I warned you that you’d get attached. I told you, my instincts usually are correct.” He slid into the back of the cruiser, and right before the detective closed the door, he stuck his head back out. “By the way, babe—I love you too.”

  Shaking his head, Detective Conant closed the door and hopped into the driver’s seat. Then, he drove the man I loved away from me, for crimes that I had committed.

  Chapter 18

  “I already told you—Clive Warren hacked into my system before I ever went near his company.” My patience was starting to wear thin. The fluorescent lighting in the room was giving me a headache, as was the endless circle of questions.

  Agent Marks of the FBI watched me, taking another sip from his burnt-smelling coffee. “But you haven’t told me what you were looking for. Or why your boyfriend turned himself in for doing the things you’re claiming that you did.”

  I’d gone in that morning and asked to speak to the detective about Gabe, but instead, Agent Marks had intercepted me and locked me in this room for over an hour. I hadn’t even notified my attorney that I was here. She was going to have an absolute fit. I rubbed my temples. The agent, his acrid-smelling coffee, his buzz cut, and his impeccable gray suit were starting to annoy me.

  The only thing I’d learned from him was that Clive Warren had indeed turned himself in for self-proclaimed tax evasion. His electronic equipment had been seized. However, Agent Marks had made no mention of Jiàn Innovations. I kept quiet on that subject for the moment, until I could figure out my next move.

  “I was looking for evidence that Clive was testing the technology he stole from me—or that he’d sold it,” I said. “When I heard that Clive had been arrested, I knew it was only a matter of time before my activity came to light. I wanted to be forthcoming, and I was about to call the police. Gabe turned himself in because he was trying to protect me.”

  Gabe. Just saying his name made my heart lurch. He’d spent the previous night in jail, awaiting his arraignment. I was wild to see him, to make sure he was okay. He was in a holding cell in the building somewhere. He’d been arrested for multiple things, including Internet fraud and unauthorized computer use a
nd access.

  “Why didn’t you just go to the police—or better yet, the FBI—when you found out you’d been hacked?” the agent asked. “Why all the secrecy? Why’d you break the law too?”

  I nodded at him. He had a valid point. “I had to keep my secret technology safe. I didn’t want it to come under outside scrutiny, so close to coming to market. It’s protected as a trade secret, and divulging information about it to anyone—even to the authorities—causes it to lose its secret status. That’s my only excuse, but it’s a real one.”

  Agent Marks crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me. “Ms. Taylor, I know you went to MIT and you’re a CEO and all, but do you understand that particular excuse is not a legal defense?”

  “Of course I understand that.” I tried not to lose patience with him. “But my technology has the potential to benefit millions of people. I have a duty to protect it. I made my decisions based on what I felt was for the greater good.”

  “You know that we could have helped you, right? If the FBI and the National Security Agency had gotten out in front of this, you might not be in this situation right now.”

  I swallowed hard. “That was a risk I wasn’t willing to take—that if.”

  The agent raised his dark eyebrows at me as if he thought I might be a little crazy. Maybe he was right. The longer I stared at his face, the more his eyebrows looked like hairy caterpillars. Woolly bears were what my sister and I called them. The kind Hannah used to collect and build habitats for when we were kids.

  “I’m going to need a signed statement from you,” Agent Marks said.

  Great. “Of course.” I tried to sound agreeable. “But my attorney needs to review the statement before I sign it. And I need to know what’s happening with Gabe.”

  Agent Marks nodded at me on his way out. “I’ll send his attorney in to talk to you. She’s waiting outside. And you can call your lawyer too. I’ll get the paperwork processed. But this is just the beginning, Ms. Taylor. We’ll be coming to Paragon soon for a preliminary investigation into this matter. We’re officially involved now.”

  Double great. As soon as the door closed, I put my face in my hands. I refused to cry, but I did want to take a moment to fully comprehend what a truly fucked-up situation I was in.

  Gabe was in jail. He was in jail because he’d confessed to crimes I’d committed, including wiretapping and hacking Warren Technologies. As far as I knew, he hadn’t yet been charged with the crimes I’d merely asked him to commit for me, which included having armed guards conduct illegal surveillance on Clive Warren. Not to mention physically threatening him.

  Clive Warren was also in jail. He’d confessed to tax evasion, which seemed out of place amidst the various other crimes he’d committed recently. As far as I knew, he’d said nothing about hacking into Paragon or selling my technology to Jiàn Innovations. Now that Gabe and I had come forward, the FBI knew that he’d hacked me—for better or for worse.

  At least the Chinese criminals he was working for couldn’t get to Clive in jail.

  Neither could Gabe, for that matter. He was going to have to keep waiting to bash Clive in the face.

  My patch was on track to win FDA approval soon. Of course, I had to get out of the police department and get back to work in order for that to happen.

  My phone buzzed. It was a text from Stephanie, my assistant. Board has called an emergency meeting for today at three. Can you make it?

  The board was going to have questions about Clive Warren’s arrest, and why the CEO of our new partner company, Dynamica, was currently in jail. I had a lot to answer for. Having the conversation wouldn’t be pleasant, but I would at least be able to cross yet another unpleasant thing off of my to-do list.

  Yes, I texted back. Then I fired off a quick text to my personal attorney, Bethany O’Donnell, letting her know that I would need to speak with her soon. I tossed my phone onto the table and made myself sit up straight. This was not the time to be weak or overcome with dread. I had serious business to take care of, and I needed to keep my wits about me. That was my best—my only—defense.

  After what seemed like forever, there was a brief knock on the door and an attractive woman came through. Her brown hair shimmered with tawny highlights, her makeup was carefully done, and she wore a blue skirt suit. As it was a Saturday morning and most professionals in Silicon Valley favored T-shirts and jeans, I figured she must be Gabe’s lawyer.

  I jumped up. “I’m Lauren Taylor. Is Gabe okay? Have you seen him?” The questions tumbled out of me, one on top of another, but all I wanted to hear was that Gabe was all right.

  “Kami Robards.” She held out her hand.

  Instead of shaking it, I just sort of clung to it.

  “I’m Gabe’s attorney. He wants you to know he’s fine. He wanted me to tell you that first thing.” She motioned for us to sit down. “I was just with him. They’re canceling his arraignment, and he’s going to be released shortly. The charges are being dropped.”

  “Oh, thank God.” I blew out a shaky sigh. “But…why?”

  “Because Clive Warren just signed a statement saying that he was aware that you and Gabe had been taking a tour through his system, and that he’d given you permission to do so.”

  I sat still for a moment while I processed the information. Clive was lying. “But Clive didn’t know that we’d hacked him. And he sure as hell didn’t give us—me—permission to monitor his system.”

  “That was Gabe’s response as well,” Kami said. “As his attorney, I advised him to keep that to himself. As should you.”

  “I’m not going to say anything. I just want to get Gabe out of here.”

  She nodded. “I just spoke to Detective Conant and Agent Marks on my way in here. You can go now. Agent Marks said he’d come to Paragon to get your statement, and also to interview you.”

  “Perfect,” I said, and swallowed hard.

  “I’ll make sure Gabe gets home safely after we process his paperwork.”

  “I’ll wait for him,” I said immediately.

  “It’s going to be a few hours.” Kami gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s interesting to meet you. All Gabe did was ask if you were here and if you were okay.”

  My cheeks burned. “He did?” I sounded as if I were a crushed-out seventh-grade girl, which I’d never been, even in the seventh grade.

  She chuckled. “Yes, he did. It’s nice to see him finally serious about someone.”

  I looked at her, startled by her bluntness. “What makes you think he’s serious about me?”

  She raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow. “Because Gabe’s been my client for a long time. He’s an upstanding CEO with an immaculate record and billions of dollars to lose. He had himself arrested for crimes he didn’t commit in order to save you from jail. If that isn’t serious, I don’t know what is.”

  “Oh. Huh. Thanks.” The words sounded stupid, but I had no idea what sort of response was appropriate.

  The attorney cleared her throat. “On a less personal note, I expect that the FBI, the NSA, and the police will be keeping an eye on the situation. They’ll also be watching you and Gabe. So you should proceed with caution. You should definitely meet with your attorney. I’m sure the federal authorities will want to follow up with you, no matter what Clive Warren’s claiming. There’s a chance your records are going to be subpoenaed.”

  My stomach sank. “What’s going to happen to Clive?” The fact that Clive had exonerated Gabe and me of any wrongdoing made me feel unsettled. Clive might do me a favor, but would he do one for Gabe?

  Only if it was in the form of a stab in the back.

  I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what Kami was telling me.

  “Clive’s going to have his arraignment for the tax charges, and they’re going to schedule a date for trial. If the presiding judge sets a bail amount for him, he could be let out on house arrest. What the FBI’s going to do with him about this other matter, I don’t know.” She paused for a be
at. “You really should go. I promise I’ll get Gabe out of here safely.”

  I nodded but still didn’t move. “Can I see him? Gabe?”

  “Only for a second,” she said. “And only because he already asked me if he could see you about ten times.”

  I tried to hide my satisfied smile as I followed her out of the room. The police headquarters was bustling as we headed down the dingy hallway to the room where they were holding Gabe. Kami knocked on the door, and we went in.

  Gabe was sitting at the table, running his hands through his hair. He looked up at us, and his eyes immediately locked on mine.

  My world stopped as relief flooded through me. “Hey.”

  He stood up and pulled me into his arms, putting his face against my hair and inhaling deeply. He squeezed me, then looked up at his attorney. “Kami, since you brought Lauren in here, I’m assuming introductions aren’t necessary.”

  She laughed briefly. “Of course not. But I can’t leave you two alone, and she can only be in here for a minute. This isn’t the time or place for a reunion. You’re being released. You can hug each other later this afternoon.”

  Still, I clung to him, unable to pull away just yet. “Are you okay?” My voice came out muffled against his chest.

  “Of course.” He pulled back, his eyes searching mine. “Are you?”

  I nodded. “I’m better now that they’re letting you out. But I’m still mad at you. Actually, I’m furious.” Even as I said it, I kept my hands on him, betraying my words.

  But I should be furious. Gabe had turned himself in to the San Jose Police Department and the FBI to protect me, and he’d done it behind my back.

  “We can fight about that later.” He ran his hands down my sides. “Right now, you need to go. With security. And I need you to either stay at Paragon or at my house. I want Timmy with you until I’m out of here.”

  I reluctantly released him and stepped back. “I’m going to go to the office. The board called an emergency meeting for later today.”