Zach felt all the blood drain from his face. “No,” he said. “No… shut up, James.”
The president’s white eyebrows rose in shock. “What on earth is going on here, Dean? Is this some kind of joke?”
The dean stepped toward Zach, her words cutting through the mumbles of the onlookers. “So, she’s in my office, huh?” she sneered, then turned toward the president. “No joke, I’m afraid. Professor Wheeler’s new star is attempting a burglary as we speak. When we find her, she will be expelled and prosecuted. Jones,” she said. “You’re with me!”
Chapter 31: Lindsey
Lindsey closed the door to the den quietly behind her and sat at the dean’s computer. She swiped the mouse across the desk and the monitor lit up, revealing a screen saver littered with pictures of cut diamonds. She perched her trembling fingers above the keyboard and began to type as fast as she could. Her fingers flew to ctrl/alt/delete in an effort to over-ride the system. A box popped up: USER ID: SYSTEM. Lindsey typed in the password: SexyJ6969, then hit enter.
The system responded, Invalid authorization code: access denied.
“Crap, crap, crap,” Lindsey muttered.
She tried again. USER ID: SYSTEM. Password: SexyJ6969.
As she hit enter, the desktop opened up. “Thank, God,” she said. Immediately, her mouse flew down to examine the network. James was right—the dean’s system wasn’t connected to the internet. No wires in, no wires out. Her heart lurched; the VPN they needed to send the code out to the van was still in Zach’s pocket.
“Think, Lindsey, think, think, think,” she muttered to herself. Her eyes flew around the room. She didn’t even see a printer. She slid open the desk drawer slowly, hoping the creaking noise didn’t arouse suspicion from people walking up and down the hallway outside. Her hands rifled through pens, loose keys, condoms, and what looked like a silver pack of cards. Lindsey grabbed it. “Yes,” she squealed as she plugged it into the side of the terminal. Dozens of file folders popped up, but none were the team’s master code.
“You dirty mother,” Lindsey muttered as her eyes took in an avalanche of skin. There were dozens of revealing photos, all of male students in compromising positions. Attached to each picture was a series of documents, mostly recommendations the dean had given. In the upper right corner, she saw James’ face staring back at her. She clicked on his picture, trying not to look at what was exposed and instead clicked on the attached document. His algorithm lit up the screen. Hearing voices trailing down the hall, she cut his algorithm and erased it from the drive. At least she could do that. Now, if she could only find their master code, she could load it on this external hard drive and get back out to Zach.
A whine shot through her ear piece. “What is going on in there?” she heard Cedric say. “Professor? Is everything alright?”
Lindsey silenced her ear piece, concentrating on her fingers and her new search of the computer’s hard drive. She searched in every corner for their program, but each time the same answer popped up. Search results: 0. Lindsey gripped the edges of the keyboard. The file wasn’t there and voices in the hall were getting louder. She and Zach would have to come up with a new plan. She quickly erased her trail and put the computer back to sleep. She pushed away from the desk with the hard drive still in her hand and sprinted across the den toward the door. Her hand flew up to push the door open, right as someone pulled it from the other side. Instead of pushing on wood, Lindsey’s fingers pushed right into the stiff face of Dean Cruz.
“Oh!” Lindsey cried as she fell into the hallway, the hard drive flying out into a sea of feet. “Sorry.”
The dean stepped back and tried to smooth the invisible mark of Lindsey’s fingers away from her cheeks. “Ms. Monahan, I assume.”
Lindsey looked up at the range of faces squeezed into the hallway, including Zach’s, which looked stunned and completely drained of blood. Beside him stood President Sanders, a teetering James, and Officer Jones. As Zach reached out and helped Lindsey up, she kicked the hard drive out of sight.
“President Sanders,” the dean announced, “this student, at the behest of her professor, was just attempting to steal my personal property.”
“What?” Lindsey said, holding up her empty hands. “Sorry, I didn’t know this area was off limits. I was just looking for the bathroom.”
The dean stepped forward, pushing her chest just inches from Lindsey. “You are expelled. Officer, Jones,” she continued, “escort Ms. Monahan from this property.”
Lindsey’s jaw dropped open. She wanted to say something but her mouth was dry. Zach pushed forward. “What proof do you have?” he asked the dean. “You can’t accuse people without proof.”
“Yes, Dean Cruz,” President Sanders said. “It goes both ways. We can’t expel a student without evidence she has violated the code of ethics.”
“I know Lindsey,” Officer Jones broke in. “I don’t believe she—.”
“James!” The dean called over the voices. “Go to my computer. Pull up the activity log.”
James exhaled loudly through slack lips. “I don’t work for you anymore, lady.” he sputtered. “I’m with the professor, now.”
“Enough!” President Sanders said. “Professor Wheeler, explain yourself. What is going on here?”
Zach stepped forward and stood next to Lindsey, silently touching the very tip of her shoe with his own. She looked up and saw the question in his eyes. With a little shake of her head, she told him: we didn’t get it.
Zach dropped his head then put his hand on the small of Lindsey’s back. “President Sanders,” he said, raising his eyes. “The dean has been stealing our work and plotting to sell it to a third party.”
“Absurd!” The dean said indignantly. “That’s slander. Your career is over, Wheeler.”
Lindsey leaned against Zach, wanting to absorb some of the pain she knew he was feeling. She remembered his tender words, that when you care about someone, you want to keep them close. She felt the same. In a rush, the words took on new meaning. The things you care about you want to keep close! Her head spun as her eyes washed over the dean. As she did, her heart began to pump with blood. Over the heads of the growing crowd, she saw a drink tray plowing through. It was Cedric. As their eyes met, she began to beat her hand against her chest and cast her eyes toward the dean. Cedric gasped, then nodded.
“Excuse me,” he said, pushing his way forward. “Thank you, excuse me, drinks to serve.” Just behind the dean, he tripped, the drinks cascading forward along with the tray. Cedric slammed against the dean, who slammed into the wall and collapsed to the floor.
“Oh my God, Ma’am,” Cedric said, pulling her up by the arm. “I am so, so sorry.” He flipped a white cloth out of his back pocket and ran it over her dress, trying to erase the dewy specks of liquid that had cascaded across it. Then he bent down on one knee to pick up a broken glass, and ran the white cloth over the hard drive, making it disappear.
“Out! Out!” screamed the dean. “All of you, out of my house!”
The president pushed forward on his cane. “Stop,” he said.
The dean turned, her hair falling over one black smudged eye. “What?” she snapped.
“The professor has leveled a serious accusation against you,” he said. “What is your response?”
The dean scoffed. “My response? It’s ludicrous! My response is that I want his tenure stripped. He is a failure and a loon.”
The president turned to Zach, a grave look on his face. “Do you have evidence?” he asked again.
Zach shook his head.
Lindsey grabbed him by the arm. “We do now,” she whispered.
Zach’s head whipped toward her. “We do?”
Lindsey nodded, pointing toward the dean. Zach turned, and saw the large pendant that hung from the dean’s neck was now gone, a thin silver string hanging loosely in its place. Lindsey watched as relief swept through Zach’s body. “We do.” He grinned, turning toward President Sanders. “We do have
evidence. She stole our code to sell to a defense contractor. We can prove it.”
Dean Cruz lunged forward and teetered off her high heel. “Out! Out!” she cried, grabbing Officer Jones by the elbow and pushing him forward. “I want them all out.”
President Sanders shook his head. “No, Dean. This house is university property. I am instructing Officer Jones to escort you out until a full investigation can be waged.
Officer Jones exhaled and threw Zach and Lindsey a smile. “Happy to,” he said. “Ma’am?” Dean Cruz spun on her remaining shoe and began to hyperventilate. “Don’t you touch me!” she screamed at Jones, her arms swinging in the air.
Onlookers began to fall back quietly, gathering their coats and mumbling in stunned voices as they walked toward their cars. Lindsey and Zach followed them, their hands gripped tightly together. They found Cedric leaning against a pillar on the front porch, smoking an electronic cigarette, his waiter uniform draped over a nearby chair.
“Hi, all,” he smiled. “Voila!” Against the dark of his skin shone the jewel encrusted pendant, pulled apart to reveal a USB.
“It’s all on there?” Zach asked.
“It is,” Cedric sang.
A rush of delight enveloped Lindsey and she flew forward, wrapping her arms around Cedric. “Thank goodness for you,” she said.
He grinned. “Ah, shucks, I am finally appreciated in my own time.”
Zach grabbed Cedric roughly and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you,” he said, then turned toward Lindsey. He looked down at her, his face filled with a joy. She reached up and trailed her fingers along his cheek. “We won,” she said. “I want to see you this happy forever.”
Zach swept her up in his arms and dipped her slightly. “You do?” he said. “Then I won,” he said, grinning. “And you’ll graduate. Now everyone will want to work with you.”
“I guess.”
“You guess? Do you still not know how amazing you are?”
“I do, but, what if I want to keep working with you?”
“I’d be lucky, but…I don’t want to hold you back.”
“I don’t want you to hold me back,” Lindsey said, wrapping her arms around him. “I just want you to hold me. And never let go.”
Epilogue
Lindsey’s body lay slack against the pillows, her arm draped over Zach’s belly. Every muscle in her body vibrated with a low heat she had never felt before. A distant throbbing beat between her legs and she knew later she would be sore, but didn’t care. His fingertips slid along her forearm until her whole body ached to respond. Every move of his hand sent ripples through her torso. She turned, throwing one long leg over him.
“How long can we stay in here?” she asked, her hand moving to the taut skin of his chest.
“Forever,” he responded, grinning.
“Won’t we need food? Water?”
“Eventually,” he responded, leaning over to trail soft kisses from her ear lobe and down the side of her neck.
Lindsey gasped and vaulted herself on top of him, needing her most tender skin to press fully against him. She felt him respond beneath her. “We can order in,” she teased, moving slowly back and forth.
“Uh-huh,” he said, shutting his eyes. “Delivery is good.”
Lindsey reached forward and touched his bottom lip, which had parted slightly. His skin glowed in the soft light pouring through the windows. She bent forward and laid her mouth on his, touching his lip with the tip of her tongue. As she did, a tiny ping came from the bedside table. Zach grunted as she bent to see the screen.
“It’s Kate,” she said, pulling a robe over her shoulders. “It’s about the funding.”
“Okay,” Zach said, grabbing her by the hips, “but after this, you’re mine.”
Lindsey grinned and accepted the call, pulling the phone up to her face. Kate illuminated the screen.
“Hey, Lindz,” she called out. “How’s everything? How’s Zach?”
Lindsey grinned into the screen, pushing herself down against Zach’s still swollen groin. “He’s great. I don’t have long to chat.”
“Gotcha,” Kate replied. “Did you get the latest email?”
“Yes! You saved us,” Lindsey said. “Who knew so many Boston elite would want to see our program go forward?”
“It took ten minutes. I just flipped through my contacts.”
“Well, we appreciate it.”
“We?” Kate prodded. “Us?”
Lindsey grinned into the phone then down at Zach’s beautiful face, smiling back at her. “We’re in love. Exhausted, starving, sleep deprived, but totally, utterly in love.”
“That’s amazing, Lindz!”
“Yeah,” Lindsey said, looking back at Kate. “After graduation, we’re going to Bora Bora.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. We got a bungalow over the water for two whole weeks. No computer. No phones. No internet.”
“Whose idea was that?”
“His, believe it or not! He wants to take a break before the new semester starts. I’m teaching undergrad, and we’re rolling out the new partnership. We have a lot of big plans.”
Kate beamed. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. I never would have done this without you. We have to celebrate. You and Chase have to come to Boston.”
“We will. We’ll find a time.”
Lindsey smiled down at Zach once more. “We were hoping you had time in the spring, actually. I’m hoping you’ll be my Maid of Honor.”
“What? Oh my God!”
Zach ran his hands up Lindsey’s thighs and grabbed the phone. Turning it toward his face. “Hey, Kate. Sorry, we have to go now.” He hit end and threw the phone to the end of the bed. He flung Lindsey onto her back and hovered over her, pressing himself against her. “I love you,” he said, and slid inside of her.
About the Author
Josephine Parker has been writing, reading, and loving books for 30 years. She holds a fine-arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and has worked as a literary agent, freelance writer, and editor before embarking on her own dream of owning several small businesses and writing books. She splits her time between Denver and Seattle with the love of her life and their very needy cat.
Josephine followed her own American Dream, and now invites readers to join her heroines in fulfilling their dreams and finding true love.
She also loves to interact with readers. You can find her on twitter @JosiePBooks, facebook.com/josiepbooks or keep up to date on new releases, free short stories, and her newsletter by going to her website at jp-books.com.
She is available for interviews, podcasts, and book clubs.
If you've enjoyed Loving Lindsey, please leave a review on the site from which you purchased it. Reviews are the lifeblood of all authors, and I'm no exception! Thank you!
If you haven't read Chasing Kate ~ Book 1 of the An American Dream Love Story Series, you can find it at Amazon.com or other fine retailers!
COMING IN THE FALL OF 2017
Seducing Sienna
An American Dream Love Story
Book 3
Sienna has a secret, and it’s not just the recipe she uses in her cupcakes. When cocky U.S. Marshall Sam Wheeler's investigation threatens to expose her, she'll do what she must to shut him out, but can Sienna resist the sweet indulgence he brings?
An American Dream Love Story
Where women chase their dreams and find love
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