Love and Technology

by Cheryl Dragon

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Love and Technology Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Dragon Edited by Darlena Cunha and Liza Green

  Book Description

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  About the Author

  Want to read more from the Masters Wanted series? NowAvailable from Resplendence Publishing:

  Love & Technology

  A Masters Wanted Story

  By Cheryl Dragon

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Love and Technology

  Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Dragon

  Edited by Darlena Cunha and Liza Green

  Cover Art by Kendra Egert

  Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  2665 N Atlantic Avenue, #349

  Daytona Beach, FL 32118

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-746-9

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic Release: March 2014

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  Amber had long hoped Nelson was interested in her. Finding out that he’s a Dom convinces Amber to take a chance on her sexy co-worker. A matchmaker and a good friend, Nelson tried to resist his attraction to the gorgeous woman. He never expected her to hack his website. The innocent-looking woman was really a sassy sub who secretly wanted him. Both had struggled with finding matches in the BDSM lifestyle. While they are ultra-savvy in cyberspace, in real life things are much more complicated. Amber does her best, but Nelson’s past tests them both. She’s not giving up, and tests him right back. Nelson must rise to the challenge of the right woman who doesn’t walk away when things get tough.

  Chapter One

  “You’re sure you don’t mind?” Amber Lawson surveyed her new apartment.

  Minny Burgess shook her blonde curls. “No way. Colin and I have been living together for months. He’s been bugging me to sublet the place, but I wanted someone I trust.”

  Amber understood that. Minny’s life hadn’t been easy, but she seemed to be on the right path to a college degree and had found a great man. The two women had become friends working at the local university set in the Northeast. Minny was now the admin for the IT department where Amber, a doctoral candidate, taught undergrad classes.

  Though total opposites, they’d clicked. Minny was curvy and blonde. Amber’s pin-straight red hair and rather rail-like figure made her a bit jealous of her new friend. Men usually looked at Amber as if she were a gawky teen who needed to finish developing. Or as if she were a little sister. Maybe someday she’d learn to wield that sassy confidence Minny possessed?

  Amber had been helping Minny with some of her schoolwork so it was a fair trade to hand over a furnished apartment, which, while nothing fancy, was reasonably priced. She could have had grad student housing, but she was thirty and wanted to feel as if she was an adult. She’d been splitting an apartment with another grad student but her roommate had new men in and out of there all the time, and Amber didn’t trust them. So many younger kids were just staying in school and going for a graduate degree rather than facing the terrible job market.

  It certainly seemed as if Minny had moved in fully with Colin, the stern chemistry professor. Amber had looked through the place thoroughly and the only personal item left was a laptop on the coffee table.

  “What about your laptop?” Amber nodded to the slightly dusty machine.

  “That thing is so old, keep it. See if you can reprogram it or use it for something. Colin got me a new one when I was accepted into college. He spoils me, but I spoil him right back where I can.” Minny grinned.

  Amber had seen the adoration and connection between the couple. “I hope I find what you two have. I’m so tired of dating losers who cheat or want a mom, not a wife. Half of them still live with their mothers.”

  “I thought…” Minny bit her lower lip. “Never mind.”

  “Thought what?” Amber asked.

  Minny shrugged her shoulders. “I got the feeling you liked Nelson, but maybe that’s just me. Don’t worry and don’t wish for my relationship. Everyone is different so wish for a man who has what you need. Nelson might not be right for you at all.”

  The fact that Minny had so easily nailed down Amber’s crush proved to her they were friends. “What’s wrong with Nelson?”

  Nelson Cannon was another IT professor and acknowledged hacker extraordinaire around campus. He made Amber feel as if she were a naughty schoolgirl, but the department head said he just liked to tease the new people. That’s all he did, unfortunately. Nelson barely spoke to her beyond necessity.

  She’d hoped he’d ask her out but no such luck. The tall guy with brown hair and green eyes had a boyish face and adorable grin. There was an underlying power she was drawn to but couldn’t pin down. He had confidence in his work, certainly, but there was more to it than that.

  He respected her work, but hadn’t taken much interest in her beyond that even when she’d tried to talk to him more—and she wasn’t going to make a fool of herself over a man again. It was why she’d changed universities halfway through grad school to begin with. Since that big mistake, she’d kept her romances online and not too serious.

  Minny flopped down on the couch and grinned. “You do like him.”

  Amber felt her cheeks get hot. “Maybe. I get the sense I’m not his type, though. So I’ll just move on.”

  “Wait, no. Nothing is wrong with Nelson. He’s actually a bit of a romantic. At least he likes to play matchmaker. I owe my relationship with Colin to Nelson’s tampering. I was looking for something special on a certain site and well…things worked out better in real life.” Minny said it casually, but she didn’t make eye contact with Amber.

  “Matchmaker? With online dating? So he probably has lots of women all over the world after him.” Despite her resolve to get over her crush for the co-worker, she felt a flash of lust.

  “No, he doesn’t. He isn’t involved with anyone that I know of. He definitely doesn’t do online dating. If you look at my laptop, you’ll see a bookmark for a place called Masters Wanted. It’s a website by women who are submissive sexually and are looking for Doms or Masters who aren’t interested in being public, extreme, or 24/7.”

  Amber processed the information and since Minny shared so much, Amber felt safe enough to do it too. “Like a bedroom Dom?”

  “Exactly. So you’re interested in bondage? Reading, fantasizing or actually trying it?” Minny grinned.

  “All I guess. I’ve only played online. Every guy in person who was willing to try it was a big mistake. But how can he run a matchmaking site when he doesn’t believe in online dating?” Amber’s hopes grew again, and she wanted to scream.

  Love never had worked out for her, no relationship was every easy. She didn’t mind the effort if it ever worked out, but thus far she was a big failure in the love department no matter how hard she tried. Submissive sex turned her on, she wasn’t confused about that, but finding a man who knew how to handle it had been a huge mess.

  “Well, he matches people locally. He belongs to the local BDSM group and attends events so he knows
the people. The forum is tied in so when new local people sign on, he can help. Assuming someone out there is a match. He’s good at it. People who aren’t local can network and link their local groups so they meet in person safely.”

  Amber grabbed the laptop and pulled up the website. “But if all he has is their profiles, how can he know it’ll be a match? He’s just guessing.”

  “He’s a computer guy.” Minny rolled her eyes.

  Grinning, Amber surfed the website. “So he hacks the profile and traces the IP address. Digs into your info and personal stuff to make sure of who you really are. If he knows you, odds are you’ll get matched even faster.”

  “If he knows the right man. He and Colin were friends for years and knew each other were Doms. Until I put my profile in, Colin was waiting around for the right woman. I never dreamed Colin was wired that way, but he’s very good.” Minny’s smile turned blissful.

  “So Nelson is into BDSM. I’m not sure it’ll work out.” Amber had never played in person with anyone truly experienced. It was a fantasy. A trustworthy man was a unicorn…a cute dream she wanted as a child. As an adult, she was pretty sure a bedroom Dom like that didn’t exist.

  “You’re not into it?” Minny shrugged. “Well then he won’t be the guy for you. You said you played online. You don’t want to try it?”

  Amber buried her face in her hands. “I can’t believe we’re discussing this.”

  “Come on, we’re friends. It’s not as if we’re living in Puritan times. I’m sure as hell not sharing my Dom or spanking you so don’t worry so much,” Minny laughed.

  Amber dropped her hands and sighed. “I know. Men just always treat me as if I’m a little sister. I never really developed much and have that innocent look. Whenever I fell for a guy, I’d ask for more than vanilla, and they thought I was kidding or crazy. One wanted me to dress up as if I were a little girl; age play is not my thing. So maybe the site would work for me, but Nelson sounds as if he’s too far ahead. Plus he’s met me. If he was at all interested, he’d have made a move.”

  “At work, he’s at work. Men don’t always pay attention to details in real life. You don’t match and fall in love based on bondage experience or dating site. Fill out a profile and tell the truth. Say what you’re looking for. Not what you think Nelson or any man wants to hear. What you want. See if he matches you with someone. He might have a great guy or he might be the great guy.” Minny headed for the door, grabbing her purse on the way. “Just do it. If you get a shot with him, be direct and confident. The shy girl thing is cute but I know you have fire inside if you’re hanging out with me. And if it doesn’t work out, he’s in the lifestyle and I promise, the man is discreet.”

  Amber trusted her friend and, on some level, trusted Nelson. They’d worked together for months, and he was nice. She paid too much attention to every detail of him even though he didn’t seem to notice her, but he was respectful, and people went to him for things both personal and professional.

  “I think I will set up a profile and make an account. Thanks so much! You have nothing to worry about with the apartment. I’ll be on time with rent, neat, and I don’t make a lot of noise,” Amber said.

  “This place will you save money.” Minny tossed the keys to Amber. “Move in whenever you want. The utilities, cable, and all of that is included with the rent so you don’t have to worry about switching anything.”

  “Great, thanks.” Amber waved as Minny left. She could move her stuff in over the weekend, there wasn’t much. Luckily, the place had furniture.

  For several minutes, Amber stared at the website. She’d gotten involved at work before and it was a disaster. One of the big reasons she stayed quiet was avoiding answering the question of why she changed schools in the middle of a degree. She’d jumped into a relationship and let her guard down with a man who claimed knowledge of dominance. She trusted him but others found out. He lacked discretion and bragged too much. It made her feel sick just to think about it. Not all men were like that, she had to hope that much. Nelson was discreet and Minny trusted him. He was in the lifestyle and kept it private. If she hid and never tried again, she’d regret it.

  She quickly created a profile account and instead of second-guessing herself, she plugged her honest answers into the simple questions. For the big box of comments on what she was looking for, she let her fingers fly.

  A man who is smart, strong, but also trustworthy and respectful. Business and personal in my life must remain separate and no Dom can push that limit. I want real life experience and love with my sex play. I enjoy role playing, bondage, and a lot of sex! Online role-playing isn’t cutting it, and I want my love life to link up with my fantasy. The impossible dream, I know…but I’m looking to explore.

  Once her info was posted, she started poking around the site. A normal blog was an easy hack. This one had extra protection. Nelson was good. She already knew that and went to work finding a backdoor. As she suspected, he’d only protected it from outside attacks. The idea that a user might try to hack the site had largely slipped by him.

  Sure, there were some security measures but nothing fancy. She accessed the files of the males who identified themselves as Doms and began searching. Age criteria, education, then she went for Nelson himself. His name didn’t pop as the owner of any account.

  The laptop was old and slow, she’d have to dump everything and reload it all to make it worth keeping but right now she was anonymous. If Nelson caught and tried to trace her, he’d find a computer belonging to Minny and the IP would validate it.

  When she tried to delve deeper into the blog, she found herself blocked.

  “Busted. He’s good,” she said to herself.

  She tried to look at her profile to see if she had any responses. It was probably too soon but people spent a lot of time online and were always connected now. She missed the good old days when hackers ruled cyberspace…but her teens were long over.

  Before she could get to her replies, the site froze and a message popped up.

  This site is currently undergoing routine maintenance. Please check back in a couple hours.

  Amber grabbed her smartphone and texted Minny she’d set up a profile at the Masters Wanted blog and poked around. Nelson probably caught her. He’d think Minny was hacked or something else. It’d still look like Minny’s laptop. Then she went back to checking out the computer.

  A few minutes later, Minny replied to Amber’s text that there was no reason to worry. Nelson might freak out but Colin knew the truth. Let the drama and fun unfold.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Nelson paced his office while he waited for Colin to arrive. He’d double- and triple-checked his data. A knock made Nelson jump. He opened the door, and Colin looked confused.

  “What’s going on?” Colin asked.

  Nelson waved Colin to a guest chair and closed the door. He walked over to his desk and cracked his knuckles. “I checked this over a lot.”

  “What’s wrong?” Colin sat back casually. The guy was unflappable.

  “Someone tried to hack the Masters Wanted blog last night. They actually got in before I shut it down. There was a new profile put up, and they were searching for something.” Colin still couldn’t believe Minny would go behind Colin’s back.

  “You need better security.” Colin smiled.

  “No, you don’t get it. I hacked it back, and the source was Minny’s old computer. It all linked up to her other profile and her log-ins.” Nelson had been so jealous of Minny and Colin’s relationship. They were a great couple and, from everything Colin had said, fit together perfectly in the bedroom. But if Minny was doing something on the side, Nelson wouldn’t hide it.

  He hated hurting his friend, but he wanted to deal in the truth. Nelson had grown too arrogant, believing he was a guru of a matchmaker. Now it’d come back to bite him in the ass.

  When Colin laughed, Nelson’s jaw dropped. “I’m not kidding. I’m not wrong.”

  “I know
you’re not, but Minny is all mine. She moved in with me and finally found a sublet for her place. I think you were confused.” Colin grabbed his phone and texted.

  Seconds later, Minny tapped lightly and entered Nelson’s office. She was the admin for the IT department, but Nelson had avoided her all morning.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Colin stood up and kissed her. “Who sublet your apartment?”

  Minny blushed. “A friend. She’s going to make use of my old laptop, too.”

  “She has your laptop?” Nelson felt a trick, and he didn’t like it. “Who is it?”

  “Relax, sounds as if it’s a joke.” Colin shook his head. “Minny is smart but no hacker. You should’ve known better.”

  He did, but thought maybe Minny had gotten someone else to help her. “I didn’t think she hacked my system, but I thought maybe she was looking to step out on you and had someone else do it.”

  “Oh please. Never.” Minny hugged Colin. “I told her about your blog so she could put her name and profile in. If she went poking around in the backdoor, don’t blame us.” Minny smiled.

  “Who is it?” Nelson demanded.

  “Why do you care?” Colin shot back.

  “Maybe he wants to play matchmaker for her?” Minny suggested.

  He wanted to meet the person who’d, for a few minutes anyway, beaten his system. “Sure. If the post was genuine. Felt more like a set up to get inside as a user.”

  “No, she wants it. She likes the idea of in-person and local, too. Really, you can’t guess?” Minny propped her hand on her hip.

  Colin chuckled. “It must be someone in his department. Staff or a student genius, maybe. They have to be impressive to beat your system for a bit.”

  “I’m not matching up students. Adults only, and I’m sorry but if they can’t drink they shouldn’t dabble in bondage.” Nelson was barely in his thirties, but people who were in the lifestyle didn’t want the random trend-followers who thought it was cool.