I know enough people online who can advise me, though, and I can’t bear to let this opportunity slip from my hands. It would mean the end of treatment for Grandpa. Despite how much I might want to deny it, part of me thrills at the idea of doing something clandestine with Konstantin, even if it is merely business.
“I know how to hack and not leave a trace,” I lie. “I take it, this isn’t legal.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “But the person you’re hacking isn’t going to be going to the police anytime if he finds out someone has got into his information.”
“Fine. I’ll do it. When do I start?”
“How about Monday?”
“Okay.” Then I think for a moment. “I’m already working on a big project.”
“I can easily reassign someone to cover that.”
“Okay. Will I get a private office? I can hardly hack into someone at my desk; anyone can see.”
“Yes, you will. I’m going to say you’re working on something super sensitive for me personally, which is true.”
“Fine. So Monday, you will show me to my lair?” I give an exaggerated evil cackle and then realize I’ve just shown myself up for the dork I am.
Instead of rolling his eyes the way Tim used to at my antics, Konstantin smiles. And this is yet another new one for me to catalogue. This is almost gentle. I’ve never seen him look remotely gentle. Maybe this is how he could look if he was happy, something I think he’s decidedly not. He’s ruthless ambition, hugely successful, but he doesn’t seem remotely happy. I smile back and shake my head at myself as I leave, closing the door softly behind me.
The rest of the weekend passes in a daze as I keep having to pinch myself at the fact I’ll soon have a hundred grand! Enough to pay for Grandpa’s treatment. It’s incredible, as if the universe for once smiled on me rather than laughed at me. Come Monday morning, I’m a nervous wreck.
This could be dangerous. I can’t fuck it up. I spent Sunday night in one of my forums, on the dark web, asking for advice and taking an awful lot of notes. My confidence level is about an eight that I won’t fuck it up.
Not sure what to do, when I arrive at work, I go to my desk as usual. I’ve got an iced peach tea and a bagel. Breakfast of champions. Settling into my chair, I sip at my tea and then take a bite of my bagel and cream cheese, but it makes me nauseas. Damn nerves. I sigh and sip at my tea again. You can’t beat iced peach tea.
My stomach rumbles, but I know I can’t eat. Suzy takes her seat at our quad of desks and shoots me a cheeky grin.
“Good weekend?” she asks.
“Yeah, okay; pretty boring,” I say. “You?”
“I had a blast. Got shitfaced on Saturday night and had a threesome.” She waggles her eyebrows at me. Then leans in close and whispers, “Two guys, babe, and me. The filling in a hot beefcake sandwich.”
A threesome? Is she serious?
“Really?” I ask.
“Yeah, hottest thing I’ve ever done. Oh my God, you have to try it. Two cocks at the same time. It was insane. Hot and a little bit scary, which only added to the thrill, and honestly, I thought I was going to explode from pleasure.”
“Why scary?” I ask.
“Two big men and little old me? Could have gone all kinds of wrong, but they were total gents. Filthy, but gents. They never pushed me for anything I wasn’t ready for. Let me lead the whole time. And, after all, a little bit of danger only adds to the frisson, no?”
Her words immediately make me think of Konstantin. As if she’s read my mind, Suzy looks behind me, and mutters, “Talk about danger and hot sex.”
I glance around to see Konstantin prowling through the office, like some lion returning to his pride after a hunt. Although, the males don’t hunt, do they? I remember a documentary about that. The females do. They’re the true warriors in the lion world. The males are all for show. They preserve their energy to better grow their mane, or something like that. I ought to look it up, so I know for sure.
Konstantin’s mane is his build. The way he uses his body intrigues me and always has. I think he’s aware of it, the effect he has. Aware of how intimidating he is, with his height,