Straightening her Road Runner sleep shirt, which was a mess of wrinkles after days in bed, she made her way through the pile of luggage and fast food containers cluttering her apartment, stopped at one of the windows, pulled back the drapes, and blinked like she’d just walked out of a cave. Brilliant sunshine, the outside world was still intact. The street was empty, melting snow piled up on the curb, grimy and gray—city snow. Not like the snow at the lake.
She could go home. Nana was waiting.
But she’d be better off doing something rather than going home and being depressed in different surroundings. She had been thinking about checking to see if some of her job offers were still open; thinking about it being the key phrase.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she reviewed her conversation with William McCormick, parsing and dissecting each of his replies. Simple, uncomplicated answers, no hesitation when it came to Dominic’s name. If she had to bet, she’d say he really didn’t know the selfish fucker.
And she couldn’t deny that the idea of working for herself was appealing.
So really… she was being offered the consummate work experience.
She refused to let anything dampen her excitement. This was a glorious prospect and what seemed like a fabulous job. Furthermore, with Dominic’s fee and the one from McCormick, she’d be financially secure for at least three years—maybe more.
She suddenly smiled, feeling a little bit cheerful, even faintly inspired, for the first time since she’d come home. She adored matching wits with possible hackers, peeling back the layers of potential fraud, and entering the murky waters where the dark market operated.
So why not? There really wasn’t a down side.
And it was a game she loved to play.
Oops, wrong words; the thought of playing games generated a hot rush of lustful memories: the feel of Dominic’s body pressed against hers, the quiet authority in his soft, deep voice, the exquisite pleasure he so casually delivered. Seriously, that was another reason she had to reenter the work force. She needed a distraction. Masturbation was all fine and good but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Turning from the window, she went to call her grandmother.
“Guess what, Nana?”
“It must be good. You sound cheerful.”
“It is. I was just offered a great assignment. Lots of money, nice hotel, first class airfare, even my food—it all comes with the deal.”
The fact that Katie wasn’t on the verge of tears was the best news of all… “Give me the who, what, when, where, and why, sweetie.”
“CX Capital, a bank that recently was shut down by hackers. As soon as I want. Singapore. And they need me—”
“For their fix-it-up chappie,” Nana finished.
Kate laughed. “You betcha. Dr. Seuss and me to the rescue.” She’d loved those books so much as a child, she’d memorized them all before she was four. “I’ll stop and see you before I go.”
“Lovely. Although I warn you, you might have to endure a coffee party with my bridge club. I’ve been telling them how you’ve become a world traveler.”
“An opportunity to jerk Jan Vogel’s chain is not to be missed, I see.”
Nana chuckled. “That goes without saying. When it comes to bragging rights, no one outdoes Jan anyway. I’m years behind her since I’m polite, so I expect you to tell a good story.”
Kate had a story to tell that would curl Jan Vogel’s toes, but it wasn’t for public consumption. “I did see how the rich and famous live. I could describe Dominic Knight’s house in Hong Kong, his private plane, and the fleet of Mercedes-Benzes at his beck and call…”
“Sounds exciting,” Nana said. “But really, I just like to show you off. You know that. So talk about whatever you want.”
“It was another world, Nana. You wouldn’t believe the luxury, the huge number of servants, the beautiful surroundings, the incredible food and expensive wines. And it’s all just taken for granted.”
“I’m glad you had a chance to see it,” Nana gently noted. “Most people don’t. At least people we know.”
Kate sighed, feeling a pang of heartache. “You’re right. It was definitely a not-to-be-missed opportunity.”
“Perhaps Singapore will be equally exciting. You never know.”
“It might be,” Kate politely replied, even though it couldn’t possibly be without Dominic. “I’ll call the banker and tell him I’m taking the job, then I’ll let you know when I’m coming home.”
“Anytime, sweetie. Leon and I will be waiting. Did I tell you he’s gained another twenty pounds? He’s like the pony you always wanted.”
Kate chuckled. “The one Gramps didn’t want in his garage.”
“One of the few times your grandfather didn’t give you everything you wanted,” Nana said drolly.
“Only that once, Nana.” Kate’s voice trembled and tears blurred her vision. Her Gramps had been a kind, generous man with rock-solid convictions who was devoted to her. Who challenged her to try anything and everything. Her Santa Claus and badass drill sergeant rolled into one.
“I think he was saving himself from mucking out a pony’s stall. You would’ve done it once or twice at that age and then it would have been his job. Your grandfather was a practical man. Now we better change the subject or we’ll both be crying.”
“Right,” Kate said briskly. “So let me call McCormick back, then I’ll make my reservations for Minnesota.”
She could go home. Nana was waiting.
But she’d be better off doing something rather than going home and being depressed in different surroundings. She had been thinking about checking to see if some of her job offers were still open; thinking about it being the key phrase.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she reviewed her conversation with William McCormick, parsing and dissecting each of his replies. Simple, uncomplicated answers, no hesitation when it came to Dominic’s name. If she had to bet, she’d say he really didn’t know the selfish fucker.
And she couldn’t deny that the idea of working for herself was appealing.
So really… she was being offered the consummate work experience.
She refused to let anything dampen her excitement. This was a glorious prospect and what seemed like a fabulous job. Furthermore, with Dominic’s fee and the one from McCormick, she’d be financially secure for at least three years—maybe more.
She suddenly smiled, feeling a little bit cheerful, even faintly inspired, for the first time since she’d come home. She adored matching wits with possible hackers, peeling back the layers of potential fraud, and entering the murky waters where the dark market operated.
So why not? There really wasn’t a down side.
And it was a game she loved to play.
Oops, wrong words; the thought of playing games generated a hot rush of lustful memories: the feel of Dominic’s body pressed against hers, the quiet authority in his soft, deep voice, the exquisite pleasure he so casually delivered. Seriously, that was another reason she had to reenter the work force. She needed a distraction. Masturbation was all fine and good but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Turning from the window, she went to call her grandmother.
“Guess what, Nana?”
“It must be good. You sound cheerful.”
“It is. I was just offered a great assignment. Lots of money, nice hotel, first class airfare, even my food—it all comes with the deal.”
The fact that Katie wasn’t on the verge of tears was the best news of all… “Give me the who, what, when, where, and why, sweetie.”
“CX Capital, a bank that recently was shut down by hackers. As soon as I want. Singapore. And they need me—”
“For their fix-it-up chappie,” Nana finished.
Kate laughed. “You betcha. Dr. Seuss and me to the rescue.” She’d loved those books so much as a child, she’d memorized them all before she was four. “I’ll stop and see you before I go.”
“Lovely. Although I warn you, you might have to endure a coffee party with my bridge club. I’ve been telling them how you’ve become a world traveler.”
“An opportunity to jerk Jan Vogel’s chain is not to be missed, I see.”
Nana chuckled. “That goes without saying. When it comes to bragging rights, no one outdoes Jan anyway. I’m years behind her since I’m polite, so I expect you to tell a good story.”
Kate had a story to tell that would curl Jan Vogel’s toes, but it wasn’t for public consumption. “I did see how the rich and famous live. I could describe Dominic Knight’s house in Hong Kong, his private plane, and the fleet of Mercedes-Benzes at his beck and call…”
“Sounds exciting,” Nana said. “But really, I just like to show you off. You know that. So talk about whatever you want.”
“It was another world, Nana. You wouldn’t believe the luxury, the huge number of servants, the beautiful surroundings, the incredible food and expensive wines. And it’s all just taken for granted.”
“I’m glad you had a chance to see it,” Nana gently noted. “Most people don’t. At least people we know.”
Kate sighed, feeling a pang of heartache. “You’re right. It was definitely a not-to-be-missed opportunity.”
“Perhaps Singapore will be equally exciting. You never know.”
“It might be,” Kate politely replied, even though it couldn’t possibly be without Dominic. “I’ll call the banker and tell him I’m taking the job, then I’ll let you know when I’m coming home.”
“Anytime, sweetie. Leon and I will be waiting. Did I tell you he’s gained another twenty pounds? He’s like the pony you always wanted.”
Kate chuckled. “The one Gramps didn’t want in his garage.”
“One of the few times your grandfather didn’t give you everything you wanted,” Nana said drolly.
“Only that once, Nana.” Kate’s voice trembled and tears blurred her vision. Her Gramps had been a kind, generous man with rock-solid convictions who was devoted to her. Who challenged her to try anything and everything. Her Santa Claus and badass drill sergeant rolled into one.
“I think he was saving himself from mucking out a pony’s stall. You would’ve done it once or twice at that age and then it would have been his job. Your grandfather was a practical man. Now we better change the subject or we’ll both be crying.”
“Right,” Kate said briskly. “So let me call McCormick back, then I’ll make my reservations for Minnesota.”
