Code Monkey

Mechele Armstrong

(c) 2011

ISBN 978-1-59578-870-2

Code Monkey

Mechele Armstrong

Published 2011

ISBN 978-1-59578-870-2

Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2011, Mechele Armstrong. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Liquid Silver Books

http://LSbooks.com

Email:

raven@LSbooks.com

Editor

Maria Rogers

Cover Artist

Amanda Kelsey

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Blurb

Baxter Savage is bored at his job as a code monkey (aka computer programmer). He dreams of leaving his job for better but his sensual dreams of the company’s receptionist, Anna Marie, keep him at his job for now.

Anna Marie is the low woman on the totem pole who wants to be more and dreams of hitting the big time. When she’s asked to spy on a suspected secrets thief for a promotion, she can’t believe her luck. Only it means spending time with a code monkey, namely Baxter.

Baxter is thrilled to have Anna Marie’s attention and Anna Marie soon finds that the code monkey is a lot more interesting than she ever thought possible.

When she finds herself falling for him, will she answer the call of her heart or of her dreams? Can they catch the real thief together or will the code monkey lose it all?

Dedication

Sometimes a song can inspire more than just off key singing. Thanks to Jonathon Coulton for the song that inspired me to go, “What if…?” Big thanks also go out to my own code monkey, David, for answering all the computer questions and for the encouragement to let the song inspire Baxter and Anna Marie’s story.

Chapter One

Baxter yawned as his clock sped through the theme from Star Wars. If he didn’t turn it off, it would start talking about “the dark side” in Darth Vader’s extreme baritone. He whacked at the clock and hit snooze.

He wouldn’t be so tired but a new game had come out and he’d stayed up until the wee hours of the morning playing with some friends. Placing a pillow over his head, he closed his eyes again. He could lay there for five more minutes. Maybe even ten. He wasn’t in any hurry to get to work. Nothing ever happened there anyway.

The door opened to his room, letting in way too much light for someone trying to sleep. “Don’t you have a meeting today?” Joel, his roommate and gaming buddy, spoke from the doorway.

Baxter breathed a sigh, but not one of relief. Oh crap. Yes, he had a meeting. He’d forgotten about it. Again. Deliberately more than likely. He tossed the pillow in Joel’s general direction. “Go ‘way.” Which left him nothing to cover his head with.

“Just reminding you.” Joel sounded amused. “Told ya you should have gone to bed at midnight.”

“Don’t you have an elsewhere to be? With Sam?” Baxter swung his legs out of the bed, still glaring at his roommate.

“Samantha had an early morning meeting. That she made.” Before Baxter could launch anything else at him, Joel sauntered away.

Probably for a bike ride. It was Joel’s day off. If only Baxter could be so lucky. He had every reason to leave Cybernetics and only one reason to stay.

Anna Marie Lawson.

A damn good reason to stay.

Even if he had to suffer through stinking meetings like this one. Even if she barely knew he existed.

One day he’d have everything. One day.

But for today, he still had to work for a living at a job that sucked.

He rubbed his face and headed for the coffee pot. Time to do some code monkeying aka programming.

* * * *

“…stinks. Your writing isn’t very elegant. It’s not very functional, even though you are very diligent.” Boring Bob puckered up his lips like he’d just bitten into a lemon. Must be the way he felt about Baxter’s code. Baxter sometimes felt that way too. “What do you think?” Bob folded his hands and looked very soberly into Baxter’s eyes.

Baxter couldn’t say what he thought. Not out loud. Not unless he wanted to get fired. “I’ll work on that.” Bob wouldn’t know good code if it bit him in the ass. Now that would be a picture.

“Good. I’m glad we had this meeting.” Bob stood up and smiled that fake placard of a smile he had. “We’ll touch base again in a few weeks.”

“Good.” Baxter held out his hand for the flash drive that contained his current work. He wasn’t leaving that behind with anyone, not even his boss.

Bob handed it over to him. “I see you put in measures that won’t let me amend this file or save it.”

“Yep.”

“Good thinking. With the leaked secrets and all.” A flicker of a shadow passed over Bob’s face. He was probably annoyed he couldn’t redo all Baxter’s code and put his name on it.

But his words expressed exactly what Baxter had thought. “I’m also keeping an eye on my hardware. Making sure no one installs anything without my knowledge.”

“In case of a keylogger?”

“Exactly.” A keylogger recorded every keystroke on a computer, sort of like a typewriter ribbon. “I don’t want to take any chances with the code I’m working on.” The new program would be a nifty one if they didn’t get scooped.

“More good thinking.” Yeah, Bob could stick his not diligent comment up his ass. Another good metal picture.

Baxter nodded half-heartedly, said his goodbye, and cruised out of Bob-the-Boob’s office. He grabbed a cup of coffee—his fourth for the day—being careful not to drop the Styrofoam cup, and swung by the receptionist’s desk.

Intent on her phone conversation, Anna Marie didn’t notice him approach. Not that she ever did. She brushed a stand of brown hair behind her ear and tapped with the pen on her message pad. “I’ll make sure he gets that fax right away.” She had a deep throaty voice that sent spirals wrapping around Baxter’s body and gripped him tightly as his cock expanded into maximum drive.

Her curly locks hugged her head even while tumbling out in every direction. The purple shirt she wore today had a plunging neckline that showed off cleavage, of which she had plenty. Baxter ached to run his hand down to the goodness below. He’d bet her globes were firm, her nipples large and rosy, and that she was sensitive. The rest of her was always hidden behind the desk but he could always envision what he couldn’t see. Trim hips, usually encased by a knee length skirt of black or brown. Tan or black hose would coat her long legs from ankle to knee. Small black shoes that encased her entire foot finished off the parts he couldn’t gaze upon. She never showed her toes. Never. Not once in the three years she’d worked there. Stupid thing to notice but he always wondered why. Why no open-toed shoes? Just like he wondered about the locket she wore. Was it from a boyfriend? She’d never been picked up by one for lunch or at any other time. Baxter would have noticed if any man picked up Anna Marie. But why wouldn’t she have a boyfriend? With her looks, it made no damn sense, even though it gave him free reign with fantasies.

Long as she wasn’t seeing anyone, he could have all the daydreams about her that he wanted.

As she hung up the phone, she glanced around and looked shocked to see him standing there. “Oh, hey Baxter.”

She. Said. His. Name. Without prompting or reminding or prodding. “Ah, hi, Anna Marie.” His voice sounded horrid. All deep and gruff like his Darth Vader clock. He cleared his throat. “Oh, would you like a soda? I can bring you a cup. Bring you ice.” Where had that come from? He wanted to pound his head into the grey, granite desk. Of all the things to say. You are officially an idiot.

A plastered smile moved across her face as though she didn’t know what to say. “Oh, well, thank you but no thank you.” She lifted her hand. “Too many calories.”

Baxter tilted his head to the side. She didn’t need to be watching her weight. Not one bit. She was perfect. But he couldn’t make his mouth tell her so.

“Anyway, I’m sort of busy.” The phone rang again with different bells going off, indicating it was lots of different incoming lines all ringing at the same time.

Baxter nodded and didn’t even say goodbye. She was too busy to chat. He stalked back to his cubicle. Four squares made of rug-like material over particle board. He didn’t even have real walls. It felt like it took him years to get back to his desk as he ran the whole scenario with Anna Marie over and over again in his head.

He sat down in his squeaky chair and pulled up to his particle board work station. Turned on his desktop computer and pretended to work for several seconds.

Yes, he needed to get out of this place. His muddled thoughts knew that. This job was crap. Lectures. Doing stuff that didn’t make him creatively happy. He was doing programming that didn’t matter to him.

Though he couldn’t imagine not seeing her pretty face anymore. Even when she told him in her polite way to bug off.

His side computer business would soon escalate to the point where he’d need to make a decision about his future. Many more mornings like this one, it would be easy. He’d be able to work from home if he took the side business full time, designing software for his own company. For himself. He could get up when he wanted. Take baths and naps. Stock his fridge with Tab and Mountain Dew. Eat Fritos all day long if he wanted to.

But he wouldn’t see her any more.

He blew out a long suffering sigh and got to work. There were some things too deep for a code monkey to decide on only four cups of coffee.

* * * *

Anna Marie watched Baxter walk away. He seemed dejected about something. Maybe his work wasn’t going well. A shame. Baxter was a nice guy. She watched as he schlepped through the doors.

He had a nice ass, too.

Not something she should be thinking about a fellow employee, especially not a…what had she heard what he did referred to? Code monkey? Yes, that was it. He was a computer programmer. Not exactly a high brow job, not that it mattered to her. Well, maybe, it did matter. She’d been going to night school for eons, attempting to major in business. She didn’t intend to answer phones forever, oh no. She had plans where she wasn’t going to be another flip flop wearing, gum chewing, non-working member of society. Like her mother.

Those plans didn’t involve a code monkey distracting her. No matter how nice he was or how nice his ass was.

He does have a nice ass, though to go with his nice personality.

She viciously stabbed the phone with her finger, dialing up the number to her boss to tell him he had an important conference call.

Maybe she was a telephone monkey. It didn’t take brains to do this job. She could do it in her sleep.

She often had, especially after night classes.

As the phones finally quieted, she rubbed her head. She’d had a late class yesterday and now it was telling on her. Maybe she should have taken that soda that Baxter had offered. She could use some caffeine about now. Even with all the calories.

The intercom buzz almost made her jump. She shook her head to clear it and picked up the phone. “Yes, sir?”

“Anna Marie, I need to see you. In my office. Right now.”

She rubbed her temple again. Not good. She slowly left her desk and strode to the heavy wooden door of the office to her boss. Timidly, she raised a hand and knocked on the dark door.

“Come in.”

She pushed open the heavy barrier and went into the office, shutting it behind her. What had she done? She hadn’t been late or left early. She had no projects to get done and had answered every call that came in immediately with fake politeness. She’d been the model employee, trying to impress. She’d always come to work dressed up with her hair in place. Okay, maybe her hair never sat in place for long but that was no reason to write her up. Why was she now in the boss’s office?

Bob Minor looked at her like he could eat her alive as he stood behind his desk. He always looked like that. He had beady eyes like a rat and with his grey hair, he reminded her of a rodent. She wasn’t sure if he liked her looks or just looked at every woman the way he did her. She’d heard him referred to as boring Bob and Bob the boob. He did tend to drone on and on. Most of all, she found him creepy.

“Sit down, Anna Marie.”

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Minor?” This wasn’t good. Not good at all. You didn’t get asked to sit for good news. Good news involved standing. Bad news involved sitting in the chair so your legs didn’t collapse when it was delivered. Her knees knocked together some as she sat in the enormous chair in front of his mammoth desk. She looked across the great divide at him as he sat down too. Everything seemed so much bigger in his office. Furniture. His creepy look. The feeling of being closed in. She wasn’t about to have a panic attack was she? No, she was just about to lose the job that paid all her bills and for her schooling. She took a deep breath, trying to get as much air into her lungs as possible.

“You’ve been with us a few years now.” His voice adopted the droning tone of a robot speaking.

Three years to be exact. But of course no one at the company knew exactly how many years she’d been there. She wasn’t noticed enough for them to know that. This couldn’t be a good sign either. Why would he bring up her time of service to the company? She was about to get fired. Fired. Why else would he start out like this? She couldn’t even squeak out response, though he seemed to be waiting for one. She’d be unemployable after this, probably ending up like her mother, wearing muumuus and sitting around the trailer waiting for “her day to come” without doing anything to get that day to come. She’d never finish school. The office walls seemed to be closing in on her, much like the trailer walls had when she’d been a little girl and trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Would he still fire her if she passed out? Hope he has a paper bag handy. Instead of breathing, she sucked in air without releasing it.

He gave her scathing look, probably due to her lack of response and continued, “I know you have aspirations of doing more with this company. Which is why when this assignment came up, I immediately thought of you.”

She blinked and released the pent up breath she’d been holding. Maybe this wasn’t leading up to being fired. An assignment? Maybe there was some hope after all. Maybe all the time and effort she’d been putting in was worth it.

Bob got up and locked the door, which was not anything she’d seen him do before or heard of him doing. He sat back down and pushed a button on his phone. “Carrie, I’m in an important meeting. I don’t want to be disturbed. And answer Anna Marie’s calls, too, would you? That’d be great. Thank you.” He hung up and then pressed another button on the phone toward the left.

Anna Marie knew the phones inside and out. What he’d just pressed wouldn’t let any calls or pages come into his office. Whatever this was, it must be huge. He wasn’t taking any chances to being overheard. She’d seen that security measure taken a time or two but only when the managers above Bob had some secret meeting and that was before she was booted out the door. She’d never known of Bob to shut down his phone. “An assignment, sir?” First no response, now repeating what he’d said. If she wasn’t careful, he was going to mark her down in the stupid column and leave her out of whatever he had in mind. She sat up straighter in her chair.

“It’s of the utmost importance for Cybernetics.” He looked soberly at her as if assessing her for the job.

She wasn’t sure how she measured up. She sat up even straighter and pulled her skirt down. Maybe she should start wearing longer skirts to be taken more seriously. She tried to look as assignment worthy as possible. She’d do anything to stop being a telephone monkey. Well almost anything.

A dark thought occurred to her. What if Boring Bob wanted something…sexual? An assignment to give him head. She barely kept from wrinkling her nose. Not even if her life depended on it.

“What I’m about to tell you must be kept confidential. No one else can know.” He pursed his lips together. “No one. It’s strictly between you and I.”

She nodded to encourage him to go on. The way he was acting, you’d think they were with the FBI or something, instead of a lowly computer company. What could he want her to do that was going to be so secretive?

God, please not a blow job.

“In going over the communications for the company, I’m convinced we have a leak to our competitor.”

Company espionage? She’d heard of it but never imagined it happening in the computer world or to her own company. Didn’t that happen to bigger players? “Someone is leaking secrets to Omnitech?”

“Not just secrets but base level code. They seem to always be two steps ahead of us. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.” He didn’t raise his voice and let any emotion creep out on his face. Unlike the last boss she’d seen talking about this situation to another supervisor. This other boss had gotten all red in the face to where she was worried about calling 911.

Everyone had heard about Omnitech scooping them. They’d debuted every single piece of software and system just before Cybernetics could do so over the past six months. Everyone at Cybernetics had been talking about it. “Yes, I have.”

“I think someone is selling us out.” He folded his hands over his desk like he was praying to some computer god for answers. “And I think I know who.” The latter was said smugly with no trace of a smile on his face.

Anna Marie leaned back in the chair. It didn’t creak or groan like most chairs at the company. Must be nice to be the boss. He definitely had the better chairs. “That’s great that you’ve figured it out.” She still didn’t know what this had to do with her. She didn’t want to say that for fear she’d seem stupid.

“Where you come…”

Ah. She quickly leaned forward to show she was listening. Maybe she should take notes? Dictation? How did one show you were attentive to every word? She had to be. This could be her ticket out of being the lowly receptionist.

“…in. I’m sure you’re wondering about that.” A fake smile graced his lips, making him look like a Halloween mask and a gross one at that. His face was too thin for that smile. His skin stretched taut over his head.

“Yes, sir. I am. What do I have to do with this?” Another horrible thought popped into her head. She was full of them today. Surely he didn’t think she was involved with this? She didn’t have access to anything that was top secret. She was just a receptionist who wanted to be more but hadn’t gotten there yet. Heck, she barely had clearance to use the restrooms here or get an occasional cup of coffee. She was too low on the totem pole. She didn’t even have a totem on the pole, she was so low.

“You’re a beautiful gir—woman.” He amended the word at the last possible second. “You know that, don’t you?” His eyes seemed to bore into her a little more heavily than she wanted them to.

She shrugged her shoulders, compressing herself, especially her breasts, which had always seemed to get in the way from recess in elementary school to running on her college campus. Should have worn a turtleneck today. This conversation wasn’t going in a direction she liked. He could be praising her business savvy or her brains, not that she ever got to use them here, but instead was talking about her looks. Why? Why would her boss be discussing how she looked?

Blow job, baby.

But then why the build up about the company espionage?

“What my superiors and I have discussed is not letting the snitch know that we know, but instead, trying to get close to them and find proof of what they are doing. That way, they won’t just run and hide but we’ll get the true scoop of what they’ve done and how far this has gone.” He relaxed his hands on top of his desk.

“Sounds like a good plan. But I still don’t see what this has to do with me.” She crossed her legs and regretted it as his gaze followed the movement. She’d been an expert in staying still when she’d been younger around her mom’s many boyfriends. She slunk into herself again, trying to emulate the teenager she’d been.

“We’d like you to get close to this individual. Use your charms. Get proof of what they are doing. It’s a tough assignment. But one we feel you can handle.”

Bob had to be kidding. She was supposed to use feminine wiles to get information out of a cheat? Someone who’d sold out the company to their competitor? How did he know this person wasn’t dangerous? Only how dangerous could they be? Most of the guys who worked here hadn’t seen the inside of a gym during the past presidential administration. “Sir…”

“Perhaps we were mistaken on our choice of assignee.” He narrowed his eyes at her hesitation, scanning her. “Perhaps you don’t want to work for the rewards that this assignment would bring. After all, this would be a huge coup for our Cybernetics. To seal this breach would be instrumental in our future.”

She hesitated as she glanced around his office. This could be her shot at moving up in the company. She might actually get an office or at least a cubicle. She’d have doors, or at least an opening, and walls, even if they were made out of cheap wood. She’d be a fool not to take this chance. After all, who knew when it would come again? “You can depend on me, Mr. Minor. I will get evidence on the person selling secrets.” She fought off an insane urge to salute him.

“Good. I knew I could. I told my higher-ups there was no one better for the job.” That saccharine smile was back in place. He had a coy sound to his droning voice.

Yes, Bob still gave her the creeps. She didn’t think she’d ever get over that. “Who…do you suspect of this? Who will be I be tailing?” Or doing whatever it took to get evidence. How far did they expect her to go?

“We expect…more than tailing.” That didn’t say a lot about what she was supposed to do. “Use your charms to get information. By whatever means necessary.”

She gulped. It looked like they expected her to take the charade pretty far. But it would get her from behind a receptionist’s desk and into proving herself in business. God, I hope this is no one I know.

“I know it’s asking a lot. But your company needs you.” She half expected trumpets to play on that comment or banners to unfurl. “We need to get this settled before we plan to release any more projects. We can’t face another first release by those bastards.” From anyone else, it would have sounded threatening. But from him, it sounded even more empty than the coffee pot after an all nighter.

“I know. I can handle it.” She met his eyes with her own solid gaze. She was determined to look like she could do this, even with her doubts. “Who do you suspect?”

“Baxter. Baxter Savage.”

The code monkey was the seller of secrets? No way.

Chapter Two

Anna Marie looked in the bathroom mirror. She fluffed out her hair, not that it ever needed much fluffing. She applied some lipstick.

Rumor Red wasn’t going down as her best color.

She rubbed her lips together, trying to soften the hue. It looked as though she’d painted on clown lips.

“This isn’t working.” She grabbed a paper towel and blotted the garish gloss. Nothing helped.

The sticky color smeared, making it look even worse on her because it now went beyond her lips.

She wet the paper towel and rubbed off the awful hue. It took some scrubbing but she finally got the last of it off.

Five ninety-nine down the drain. She tossed the tube in the trash and pulled out her standby. Good old Peach Passion.

She finished up her lips and tossed the lipstick back in her purse. Looking carefully in the mirror, she smoothed down her hair again.

You’re way too nervous for this.

She hadn’t been this nervous on her last date several months ago. She should have been. It had been a bad one. A jerk in handsome package. She’d met him at some school function and thought he’d been nice. Until she’d seen underneath that thin veneer of varnished personality into the cesspool below. Lots of guys she’d dated had been like that. Octopus arms and only thinking about one thing…getting under her skirt.

Why was she so nervous about this situation? It wasn’t like anything was going to happen.

Because this would help her get ahead in life or send her to the bottom of the barrel. If she succeeded at this, she’d finally get a chance to use her mind, rather than her voice or looks. If she succeeded at this.

She would.

How complicated could it be to seduce Baxter Savage?

Whoa, back the train up. Who said anything about seduction? That’s not gonna happen. Ever.

Bob had said by any means necessary.

She would use charm. She would cajole. She would snoop. But she wasn’t about to seduce Baxter for this. Not even for a promotion.

No part of her body would touch any parts of his. There would be personal space maintained at all times.

She swallowed.

Not even that nice ass of his would come near her.

Well, if you’re ever going to work on selling out that nice ass, you’d better get your ass out of the bathroom.

She flounced out of the bathroom, trying to do her best sexy walk as she flounced down the hall by Baxter’s cubicle.

She cruised by it several times without being noticed by its inhabitant before finally stopping at the entrance and hesitantly knocking on the wall or whatever it was that the side of a cubicle was called.

A head popped up in the next cubicle, rather like a meerkat popping out of a den. “You looking for me?” Baxter’s neighbor seemed hopeful. A little too hopeful.

The Peach Passion and low-cut blouse were for Baxter, not him. She resisted the urge to slouch or slink down. “I’m looking for Baxter.” She poked her head inside the cubicle and walked over toward his computer. “Who isn’t there.” Figured. He was always in his cubicle or…

“I think he went down by the front desk. To get a soda or something.” The man mumbled, looking dejected, as he lowered back down. A desk chair let out a loud groan.

Baxter had gone down by her desk while she’d come to his to find him. Figured. She zipped down the hallways, heading for her area.

She rounded a corner on the fast side and ran right into someone. An open Styrofoam cup with soda sloshed and spilled all over her.

A strong hand moved to grab her so she wouldn’t upend. The other hand that wasn’t holding the cup belonged to Baxter. Her prey.

Who had a strong grip for a code monkey. His hand was warm and firm as he grasped her tightly. His body also came against her as he moved. A warm body that was much harder than she’d expected.

Oh my.

His face went from surprised to stricken in the span of ten seconds. “Anna Marie. Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.” He sat the soda cup on a little nearby table and looked down at her.

Sitting at her desk, she’d never realized he was taller than her. It wasn’t hard to be taller but he was a nice height. Their bodies would fit together perfectly. Almost as if they’d been made to go together.

Oh my.

She throbbed in places she hadn’t since she’d been a teenager lusting over the latest guy on the cover of a teen magazine. Since she’d lain in her bed looking at the pin ups on her wall and found all kinds of special places. Nipples. Nether regions. She’d read that in an old romance. All of them were tendrils of energy right now. Over Baxter? Her body screamed Yes! even while her mind questioned the way being up against him felt.

He released her much to her disappointment while still babbling. “Let me get you some paper towels. I wasn’t expecting you to be there. Here. Wherever.”

The soda chilled her body as it soaked through her thin cotton shirt, maybe a good thing as she felt a bit heated. She felt like her body was on fire. “It was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” Because she’d been headed for her desk to find him. Now, he stood in front of her. How fortuitous.

“I…just…let me get some…” He strode around the corner and came back with an armful of paper towels. He began dabbing at her clothes. “Here.” He swabbed away at the spots of soda now staining her shirt and matching skirt.

Which made her body tingle in unusual places even more than before.

Especially as he came close to her breast, making it jump with his ministrations. A shiver ran up her spine as he was so close to touching her intimately. He could probably see down her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a nigh neckline. Not to mention her breast was jiggling as he tried to wipe away the soda

He dabbed for several seconds in that one spot. His eyes seemed focused on doing what he was doing. He licked his lips.

She held her breath.

The next spot was on her nipple. Just how far would he go to clean to her up? How far did she want him to go?

So much for the personal space that she was going to maintain. How had that gone out of the window?

She grabbed for the towel. “Here let me.”

He let go of it and took a step back, albeit reluctantly. His eyes seemed to be darker than they were before “Yeah. Um yeah. I’m sorry. I should have been paying more attention. I can clean your clothes. Either dry clean or wash them for you. It was Mountain Dew.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his tan pants. That were now tented over a huge erection.

She tried not to blatantly notice or cheer as she was still blotting the spots on her breasts. She jerked her gaze up to his face and noted the way his eyes lit with each movement of her breasts under her hands. “What? Oh the type of soda.” No wonder he was so jumpy. That had a lot of caffeine. And sugar. Her mom had been addicted to soda, which probably explained a few things about her. Anna Marie didn’t touch the stuff. “It’s okay, really.” She kept her eyes level with his face, though she wanted to look down again and see if he was still excited.

He didn’t seem convinced at her reassurances. He looked miserable as though he’d lost his best friend.

Yet, she couldn’t help but want to make him smile again. He had a nice one. She’d noticed it last month when he’d popped by her desk. “Were you going back to your office?” Did he call his space an office? Or a cubicle? She didn’t want to insult him by referring to it as the wrong thing.

“Yeah. I was just getting a soda.”

She didn’t point out that the soda machine wasn’t from the way he’d just come. Now her desk? Yes, that was from the way he’d come but he didn’t have to pass her desk at all to get to the soda machine.

She’d never realized that before.

He came to visit her a lot. Almost every day that he worked. He didn’t have to. There was no reason for him to come by her desk.

Her heart pounded inside her chest as her breathing escalated.

Why would he do that?

She’d been an idiot not to have realized that he didn’t have to visit with her every day. That he could hit the soda machine and never come by her desk.

There wasn’t a good explanation for his trips there.

Except that maybe Baxter Savage had interest in her.

In her?

She put that thought away to think about for later. It might make her mission a lot easier if he were. But surely there had to be another explanation. After all, he was the smart computer geek. She was the phone jockey with little education, something she was working on but she’d never been considered “smart.” Not like Baxter. How often had her mother told her how stupid she was? Too often to count.

“I really will clean your clothes. I’m very sorry.” He leaned against the wall. “I’m going back to my cube now.”

“No!” She cringed at how desperate that sounded. “I mean, I was coming from your cube. I just stopped by there.” She used his word for his office.

He cocked an eyebrow. “You did?” He sounded incredulous and why shouldn’t he. She’d never stopped by there before.

She nodded, head moving furiously. How should she play this? “Yes, I did. I stopped by to…ask a computer question.” An inward groan rattled her throat. That hadn’t been the best plan. What could she ask that would possibly fly with this computer guru? He’d see through her in an instant.

“Home or office?” He pulled one hand from his pocket and brushed his hair back from his face, looking less sheepish and more serious. His hair was semi-long. Dark, too. His fingers were tanner than she’d thought they’d be and he had a jagged cut on the back of his index finger.

“My home.” Now that was brilliant. It might mean after hours visitation which would surely help her nab what she needed from him. Good move.

“Desktop or laptop? Mac or PC?”

“My desktop. It’s a regular old computer.” It was ancient. Didn’t even go to the internet very well. She had to use dialup and it was slow as molasses in January. She went to the library to do anything important.

“What’s going on?”

She thought a minute about what to say. “I think I caught a virus.” Should be easy enough to find one of those to put on her computer. Plus, there were lots of problems with them in the world. She’d seen them in headlines every other day.

“There’s a lot of them.” He confirmed what she’d already known.

“Yep.” Another good move. This was like playing a game.

“Do you use protection?”

She looked at him with a tilt of her head.

“Virus protection.” He said it all as one word as his neck turned a little red. “Do you have anti-virus software installed?”

Good question. “Maybe?” She put on her best stupid girl face. She’d been doing it for years so it was perfected. It had gotten her car fixed or something done for her on more than one occasion.

He nodded, almost as if to himself. “Do you have a firewall?”

The blink she cast at him was real and not anything to do with a game or trying to bust him. “A what?”

His smile was brilliant. Sunny. And captivating. He had a crooked tooth on the bottom that kept it from being too perfect. She liked his smile, something she’d noticed a month or so ago. “A firewall. For protection. If you don’t have one and you don’t have virus protection, it’s no wonder you got a virus.”

“Yeah. Yeah. That must be why I got one. Anyway, I was wondering…if you might come over to fix it. I’ll pay you with dinner.” She held her breath, waiting for his answer. Surely the computer geek wouldn’t turn her down?

*

Baxter almost couldn’t catch his breath. Anna Marie was talking to him. Talking to him. Asking for his help on her computer. She wanted him to come over to her house? “I…well, you could just bring it in to me. I could take it home and look at it.” He took a deep breath, mentally kicking himself for being too honest, but he didn’t have to go to her house. Most of his friends’ computers he looked at, he took home with him. “And you don’t owe me anything. I’d be glad to help you.”

She frowned.

What had he done now? He was trying to make things easier on her. But she didn’t appear to like that.

“I need it fixed tonight.” She hemmed and hawed for a second as if debating what to tell him. “I have a paper due…”

Ah, so she needed his computer skills posthaste, which explained her seeking him out at his cubicle. She’d come to his world instead of him going to hers. No wonder she was being so nice to him. He’d take advantage of that though. He’d keep her talking to him. Yeah, he was pathetic. “I guess I could come over today. After work.” He didn’t have anything better to do. Joel and Sam would be off cavorting with each other by then probably. He’d planned to play more of the new game but this was Anna Marie. Anna freaking Marie.

“Oh, would you?” Her face lit up like Christmas came early this year. “That would be so awesome. This paper is due tomorrow and I need to print it out. It’s on my computer.” She said the latter as if he didn’t know that.

He was going to her house. He resisted the urge to puff out his chest and howl. Yes, he did need to keep her talking, not to mention he might need to know some things. Focus, Bax. “Did you back up your computer recently? If you didn’t, you might have data loss.” He hated to break that news to her.

Her smile stole his breath with its brilliance, even more so than the last two times. He needed shades to dampen it, not that he wanted to. “Now, I do know what a backup is and I do backup.”

“How often?” It still might not be a good answer for her. Some people backed up once a month and thought that would save them. Mostly, it bit them in the ass.

“Once a week.”

Not great but better than never or once a year. He pulled one hand out of his pocket. “You might lose anything since the last backup. When did you write the paper?” He only hoped the next answer was better than the last.

“Pap…oh. I…uh…worked on it way before the last backup. Yep, before the last backup. So it should all be there. I just hadn’t printed it yet. Was waiting until it was due.” She seemed awful happy about her answer. Maybe because she wouldn’t lose that much data. “My computer is old and it’s hard to deal with…”

“Procrastination huh?”

“Yeah. Something like that.” She shrugged. Her shoulders were even pretty. He’d bet they’d be as milky white as the rest of her. Probably covered in freckles. Or would she have none? “So could you come over tonight to fix it?”

He nodded. “Sure. I’ll come right to you after work. We get off at the same time. I don’t know how long it will take…”

“No!” Her face went into what looked like a panic attack. “Um… No. I mean after work I have this thing that I can’t get out of. It’s a thing and I have to do it. So right after work isn’t good but how about seven p.m.?”

“That’s cool.” He’d get to go over, she’d feed him dinner and he’d spend most of the evening knee deep in her files. If only he could be knee deep in her.

She licked her lips. “I’ll make it worth your while.” She sidled up a little closer and her eyes sparked at him.

Was she flirting with him? Now he knew this had to be a too much soda induced dream because Anna Marie never flirted with him.

Only she batted her lashes at him coquettishly. She had long lashes, too, the kind that would shed, leading to lashes in eyes. If she kept batting them like that, they were going to start losing hairs. She’d never done that before either. But it didn’t become her. If only she’d stop.

“I…uh…I’m sure you will make it worth my while.” Just being around her would make it worth anything.

He waited to wake up to the alarm going off any second now and starting this miserable day as code monkey over again.

Only Darth Vader didn’t seem to want to speak.

He and Anna Marie stared at each other in silence a minute. He couldn’t think of anything to say and she seemed lost in thought.

Finally, he asked, “So what’s your paper on? And who’s it for? Surely they don’t have you taking work home with you?”

She blanched as if he’d hit her. Not his intention. “Ohhhhh noooo. I don’t take work home. Work here and here alone.” She twisted her hands around, looking almost miserable. “Hard to be a phone monk…er answer phones at home.”

She’d been about to call herself a phone monkey. He’d never heard the phrase but as he often thought of his job as playing code monkey, it fit. “I’m sure.” He waited a second but she didn’t seem inclined to answer. “So what’s the paper for?”

“Oh.” She twisted her hands some more. “It’s an economics paper. On supply and demand for the mushroom industry. It’s for a class.” Her eyes widened a little as though she couldn’t believe she’d told him that.

“Oh? You’re going back to school.” He rocked back on his heels. “Where you going? Whatcha majoring in?”

She waved a hand dismissively as though what she was doing didn’t matter. “Oh it’s nothing important. I just need to get the paper in on time.”

“Well of course you do. You want an A.” He noticed she had a dimple when she smiled. He liked it. “Seriously, where are you going? What are you majoring in?”

“University of Glen Allen.”

He whistled. “Nice school.” They had a great academics reputation. “And your major? It’s computers, isn’t it?” Suddenly he didn’t feel like as much of a geek as he usually did around her. He was teasing her, not anything he’d expected to do, ever, with Anna Marie. She put him at ease this time in talking. Maybe because for the first time, she was talking to him. And he was seeing her as a real, live human being, not some angel on a pedestal. He liked that even better.

“Nooo. Not at all.” She laughed a bit. “I’m majoring in business with a minor in economics.”

“That’s great. What do you want to do with it?”

“Ultimately I’d like to manage a small business. Maybe start off doing the books, sales, and financials and move my way in. I…” Her mouth clamped closed. Now she definitely looked as though she couldn’t believe she’d said that. “You know, business stuff.”

He could use one of those people himself. His computer software had taken off but he wasn’t a businessman or a salesman. He liked the design part and resented how much the other parts took away from that. “You’re going to be great.” He said the words softly. Couldn’t believe he said them but he did.

Red moved up her neck and into her cheeks. “I’ll get by.” She seemed taken aback he’d said that to her.

“More than get by. How much longer do you have? Before you tackle that master plan?” How much longer would see her here at work? He’d never thought about her leaving here before he did.

“A year. At least.” Her smile was rueful. “I’ve been in it for the long haul. Having to work and do this, I can’t take but so many hours of classes. I’m not smart like…”

He shook his head, interrupting her. “You’re smart.”

“No.” Another denial from her. “I’m not.”

“You answer fourteen phone lines at a time. You have to be smart to do that. Trust me, you are. You’re going to do great in business, too.”

She looked as if she didn’t know how to take that comment. She shifted her feet, looking a little uncomfortable.

Which meant it was probably time for him to retreat. When you start scaring the girl, time to go home. “I’d better get back to my desk. Lots of stuff to do.” Like banging on the keyboard and pretending to work while he dreamed of what would happen later.

“Oh. Yeah. Me, too.” She bounced away.

He watched that lovely rear walk toward the turn that would take her away from him. He was going to see that rear and the rest of her tonight. “Oh, Anna Marie?”

She half turned to him. “Yes, Baxter.”

God that name on her lips sent chills racing down his spine and made his cock jump. “E-mail me your address.”

“I can give you dir…You’ll use your GPS won’t you?”

“Yeah. How did…never mind.” He waved at her.

She continued her walk away and he watched her until he couldn’t see her any more. Then he pumped his fist in the air. “Yes.” It was only fixing her computer, but it was a start, along with the conversation they’d just had, and more time with her than he’d ever hoped for.

He couldn’t wait until tonight.

Chapter Three

Anna Marie pounded on the keys. “Come on you stupid slow thing.” One hand balled into a fist. Her dialup was so slow. She’d never find a virus by seven p.m. if it didn’t hurry up and load a webpage.

She had to have something on there to back up her story.

Her head was still dizzy from how easy this was going to be. And from his comments. He had seemed sincere when he said he thought she’d do great in business. She hadn’t told anyone at work what she was doing with school. It had really just slipped out to Baxter. She hadn’t expected encouragement from him. She still couldn’t believe what she was shooting to do with her life sometimes anyway.

Seemed a wide stretch from the girl who’d tried to be invisible most of her teenage years and lived on the other side of the tracks from decent people.

Her gaze shifted to look around her apartment as she waited on her computer. Everything was in its place. No mess for her.

Her small apartment was decorated with mostly old pieces of furniture that might be slightly ratty but everything was neat and scrubbed. Her entire house smelled of cleanser as usual. There was no debris, no soda cans or pizza boxes.

No girl peeking over a book from the sofa as her mother yelled at her to get off her “lazy ass and amount to sumting, Stupid” even while she tried to remain as still as a rabbit evading detection. Her mom’s boyfriend had been the predator. Her mother had never taken her side against them.

She tossed off that image. She hadn’t been that girl in years.

Her own mother hadn’t believed she’d be anything more than a slut or welfare whore, so why should Baxter? Yet, he’d seemed sincere.

About the girl who’s trying to bust him.

Not that Baxter seemed thrilled by working there, but she’d never imagined he would be a spy.

Which is why they don’t pay you to think, just do what they (or I) tell you. A corollary of her mother.

She turned her concentration to her PC. At least that she understood, even if it was running even slower today than usual. Maybe she had really caught a virus.

She grabbed a brush from her desk drawer and ran it through her frizzy, tangled hair. “Come on.”

She’d just managed to find what she thought was a virus and download it when the doorbell rang.

It was six-fifty. He was early.

Figures.

She found her hands sweating as she switched off her computer. Her heart started to race, too.

Surely she couldn’t be nervous.

Not over the computer geek?

Her hands trembled before she yanked over the door. “Hi, Baxter.” She bit her lip, looking at the man standing outside her door.

“Hey, Anna Marie.” He smiled, showing all of his teeth. “I’m here.”

“So you are.” She motioned him inside and shut the door behind her. “My computer is over here.” She pointed, which was sort of stupid, because the computer desk wasn’t in another room so he could plainly see where the computer was. Her hands bunched up and then released. She needed to pull herself together.

He sidled over to it and then she saw a transformation that took her breath away. Baxter Savage, goofy guy with definite hint of geek, turned all business. He even walked differently to her machine, like he was in his element. His strides were long and cocky. “Let’s see what you got here.” Without any fumbling, he reached down and turned on her computer. His fingers hit the keyboard as though he were stroking a piano.

Long deft fingers that had a couple of scratches. Fingernails were clean and short. He had nice hands.

Oh now that was pathos in action. Noticing a man’s hands. But she’d never seen him so sure of himself, nor had she ever seen him so tactile with anything.

Remember what you’re supposed to be doing? Standing here like a bump on a log won’t get it done.

Oh yes. “Can I get you something to drink?”

He barely shifted his gaze her way. Which considering how much attention he usually paid to her was troubling. “What? Oh yeah…” His fingers tumbled over the keys, clicking and clacking. “…geez this thing is slow. How about some Tab?”

She blinked at him for a few seconds before realizing she had to answer him. But watching him work was fascinating. “Oh, I uh don’t have Tab.”

“How about some Mountain Dew?”

“Er, no.”

“Cola?”

“Uh, I have milk, orange juice and water.” She didn’t keep soda in the house. Guess she should have mentioned that.

“Water. Water’d be great.”

This was going well. Not. She’d been turned into a babbling idiot. Interesting that at work, he was the one who seemed to struggle, yet get him working on a computer, and he became a different man. She was usually so sure of herself that she wasn’t sure what was going on. She took a deep breath before she carried out the glass of water and ice. “Here you go.” She sat it down beside him.

“Thanks.” He still clacked on the keyboard. “This thing always run so slow?” He still didn’t glance at her.

“It’s old.”

His laugh was genuine Baxter. “Yeah.”

“It’s been getting worse though. It’s why I think I might have a virus.” She did have a virus, she’d made sure to download one.

“Probably you do but it is an old machine too. Have you considered getting an upgrade?” He paused to take a sip of water.

“Can’t afford it right now.” Her partial payments to school and her rent took almost all of her money. There was little extra.

He scratched his head. “I could probably build you a computer. Pretty cheaply. I mean what do you use this for? Some research? Writing papers?”

She nodded, then realized he wasn’t looking at her. “Yeah.”

“You play games?”

“Does solitaire count?” And lately that hadn’t even worked. She’d have to wait two minutes just to move a card.

“No.” He snorted. “I’m talking like…games. Real games.”

“Nope. I don’t play any of them.” She didn’t have time with school. Nor did she have the inclination. She was trying to make herself better, not get caught up in some stupid game that didn’t mean anything. Of course she knew Baxter played, so she wasn’t about to make any cutting comments no matter that she was thinking them. He didn’t have any ambition, which made it easier for her to stop thinking about him in the romantic sense. Not that she was. She had to remember her goal. Hmmm, probably time to get more personal with him. “You play a lot don’t you? You and that security guard…” The guard’s name wouldn’t come to her.

“Joel.”

That was it and she nodded emphatically.

He went on even though he couldn’t have seen her head bobbing. “…we play a bit. A lot. Maybe.” He clicked a button or two. “This virus is embedded. I’m going to have to clean off your PC and maybe reload it.”

“Reload it?” She hadn’t even thought about what he’d have to do to fix this. That sounded complicated.

“Yeah. But I can restore it from your backup.” He pressed a couple of keys. “Where do you keep your backup anyway?”

She moved toward him and opened the drawer beside him. “In here. It’s a drive thing.” She couldn’t remember what it was called, even though she knew.

He grinned, looking up at her. “Flash drive.”

His smile kept knocking her off balance. “Huh?” She fingered the small piece of metal in her hands. Baxter smelled good. He was wearing something musky. She couldn’t help but notice that Baxter had a few muscles too. He must not spend all his time sitting behind a desk on the computer, playing games.

“The drive thing. It’s a flash drive.” He reached over to take it from her hand.

Their fingers met.

A blinding spot of heat moved up her hand as his finger grazed hers. Electricity ran up her arm to her shoulder.

They both swallowed at the same time.

She quickly snatched her hand away. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn’t supposed to be feeling things about Baxter for real. He was a…code monkey. She had plans. Aspirations. That didn’t include him.

Except to bust him.

He closed his fingers around the flash drive. “Good on the backup.” He seemed to be out of sorts for a moment as he sat there without saying anything or turning back to his computer. Then, he looked down, and got back his professional mojo. He sat the drive on the desk and turned back to the screen. “Do you have copies of the programs on here?”

“Some. Why?” She watched as his fingers clacked over the keys.

“Might need ‘em. If you tell me what you had loaded, I may be able to find you free access copies or equivalents.”

“For the reload? I probably have all my CD’s. They’re in the top desk drawer.” She watched as his back muscles tensed.

He swung the drawer open. “Excellent. You’re so neat. My desk sometimes looks like a tornado hit it.”

Hers never did. She wouldn’t let it. “I’m sort of a neat freak.”

He glanced back at her and smiled. A smile that would melt any heart. “I sort of got that.” His voice was teasing but not cruel as people so often were. His attention quickly turned back to her computer. “This thing really runs slow. I’m amazed you can do anything on it.”

She was sometimes too. “I don’t do much on it.”

“You must have the patience of a saint.”

“Not really.” She didn’t know how to reply to that. On some things she did have patience, like building her career. On other things, not so much.

“Well lemmee get down to business. You might want to pull up a chair. This is going to take a while.” He flashed her another look. “You’re going to need that patience.”

*

Baxter stared at the monitor in front of him. Surely that bar on progress had to move soon. It didn’t seem to have moved in the last few hours, though it had only been a few minutes.

Hey, it’s keeping you in her presence longer. That’s a good thing. Right? Only if you use the time to get to know her. And you’ve been sitting in silence for a while now. Talk to her.

She’d finally pulled up a chair and sat behind him, legs crossed. She’d changed into pants but wore the same shirt she’d had on at the office.

“So, have you lived here long?” He pushed back from her desk a little. The desk where everything had a place. Was she one of those women who couldn’t stand for anything to be out of place?

Probably.

He could be neat, just most of the time chose not to.

“About three years.” She crossed her legs.

He liked seeing her leg encased in pants that hugged to it, but did miss the skirt and hose. “So since you’ve been working at Cybernetics.”

Her voice came cautiously. “Yeah. How did you know how long I’ve been working there?”

Oops. Because the angels sang the instant you walked into that building. If he answered that way, she’d see “stalker.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Just saw it recently on some files I was looking at.” A lie. He had no reason to be in employment records. But maybe she didn’t know that.

“Oh.” Her voice came through with what sounded like interest. “You were looking through files.”

“Just something I was working on.” Actually he’d been doing code and had noticed something a while ago. Someone had tried hacking into his system from an outside computer. He was paying more attention these days and had set up several alerts if it happened again. There had been leaks and he didn’t want the work he did outsourced like that. He might not like working for the company, but he wasn’t about to betray them. He was going to check into his desktop soon and maybe some of the code monkeys’ computers, too. Maybe someone was doing something after hours.

But that was neither here nor there right now. Right now, he had the woman of his dreams sitting with him as he fixed her computer. And he couldn’t think of a damn thing to talk about.

“What kinds of things are you working on?” He looked back to see she’d sat up in the chair.

“It’s all boring code stuff.”

“Oh, tell me about it.” She put on a falsetto voice that didn’t suit her one bit. She sounded eager, as though they were discussing something interesting.

“It’s boring.” It bored him, how could it be exciting to anyone else? Now his computer software company? That he could talk about all day.

“Not to me.” Now her voice dipped down into a husky territory. She slid her chair closer to him. “I’d love to hear about what you’re working on.”

He’d had many dreams about talking to Anna Marie. It never involved talking about his work. “Well, I’m doing some code for this program…” He droned on with technical jargon that he couldn’t bring himself to explain. Boring himself out of his gourd. This wasn’t the Flash of computers. Now Flash was a superhero worth getting excited about. “…it’s compliant with all the company policies.” He glanced back and her eyes had glazed over so he’d brought it to a short end. “Told you it’s boring.”

She blinked as though she’d just realize he’d stopped talking. “Oh no. No. Really interesting stuff.”

“Then what did I just say?” He arched a brow at her.

Her eyes widened and her tongue came out to lick her lips. At that point, she could have said the Pledge of Allegiance and he’d have agreed that was what he’d said. His cock stiffened uncomfortably under his tight pants. “I…uh. You said stuff about computers. I can’t explain it. Not like you did. I’m not smart like you.”

He whirled his chair around to face her. Second time she’d dumbed herself down in his presence. “You are a smart capable woman. Don’t put yourself down.”

Her smile was wry. “I know what I am.” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked vulnerable. Too vulnerable.

Without thinking, because if he thought about it, he wouldn’t do it, he jumped to his feet. He crossed the two steps to her chair. He knelt down in front of her and put his hands on hers. “You are a very capable woman. I don’t know how you do what you do with the phones. Put up with Bob the Boob, who’s nothing but a two bit phony.”

A smile crept up on her lips at Bob the Boob.

“You’re intelligent. I couldn’t answer so many lines. You’re…so beautiful. You have a smile that can light up the cosmos. You’re going to school and holding down a job.” He shook his head and stroked her fingers so cool under his. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re wonderful.”

Oh boy. He’d shot off his mouth. Maybe he should have thought that through before he started. Was there any way to hear all that and not realize how he felt about her? What a stupid move. But he couldn’t sit by and do nothing while she said such untrue things about herself.

She gazed down into his eyes. Her eyes registered confusion, then softened. She shook her head at him. “Why do you think so highly of me? I don’t deserve it…”

He squeezed her hand before she could finish. “You deserve it and more.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean it. You are wonderful.”

She blinked, almost as if tears were invading her gaze. Her hand shifted to escape his and went down to stroke his face.

His face.

He swallowed. Her hand was cool as she stroked along his cheek. She was touching him. Him. He shivered a little and then nuzzled into her touch. Tingles rippled up his spine and jingled along to his stiff cock. If she touched him much more, he’d come right there in his pants like some sixteen-year-old nerd. Only he was a nerd, just not sixteen.

He shifted upward, again acting before he could think it through and rose to tower over her.

She looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes and a look of “what’s next?” shining in her eyes.

What was next?

Only the thing he’d dreamed about doing for three years. Since the first moment he’d walked into the reception room and seen her smiling face instead of the dowager who used to have the job.

He dipped his head, quickly but not too quickly. He wanted her to know what was coming. If she chose to evade him, that was fine. It was her choice, this matter.

She didn’t evade him but sat right there in the chair, back ramrod stiff. One hand tightened on his in her lap. The other was somewhere else and he didn’t know where.

He moved ever closer to her and gently placed his lips on hers. Whatever he was expecting he got even more.

Heaven.

Her lips were soft under his. Soft and pliant. They snuggled into his like she’d been made for this moment. Slowly as his lips gently probed hers, she opened under his pressure to let him in. She tasted of mint. Must have just brushed her teeth.

There was little time for that thought as he deepened the kiss, tasting her and melding his lips with hers. Her scent surrounded him. Somehow utterly wholesome like vanilla in a warm kitchen. Only he was hot. The fires of his long suppressed passion were banking and igniting within every fiber of his being.

It was when his tongue tasted the outside of her lips and then pressed inside that he felt her shudder ever so slightly.

She was just as affected as he was by this kiss.

The flames roared up from those embers of passion and threatened to take him along with them.

He ran his hand behind her head and captured her hair in his fingers. The strands were soft and silken.

She stiffened a little.

Which meant it was time to back off.

He didn’t want to but knew that he had to. He couldn’t press this any further unless he wanted to lose his chance with her completely.

He pulled away and shoved his hands in his pockets. Probably not the best course of action as it did bring attention to the raging erection bulging out in his pants. “I better get back to your computer.” A nicer man than him probably would have apologized. One who was more a gentleman. But he wasn’t sorry that he’d kissed her. He couldn’t be. He’d dreamed of it for far too long. Not only was it everything he’d thought it would be, it was even more.

Her voice sounded hoarse. Strained. “Yeah, I guess…guess you better.” She brought her hand up to touch her mouth as though she couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t know how long this will take.” He sat down in the chair, trying to ignore how turned on he was. “When did you need the printout?”

“The what?”

“You know, your paper. That was due. That you needed to print?” There was still a blank expression on her face. “You said you needed to print and the virus was impeding you.”

“Oh.” Her eyes went wide. “Oh, yeah. I…umm…I don’t need it until next week.”

Was that what she’d told him before? He couldn’t remember. She seemed to have trouble remembering too.

Which filled him with positive energy.

His kiss had done that to her, hadn’t it? Had to be. He’d thrown her that much off balance, not an easy feat for Anna Marie. He’d watched her multi-task and never break into a sweat.

Yes, he’d done that to her.

He pressed a couple of keys on the computer as he went about wiping the virus from its hallowed disk drives.

She still seemed discomfited, shifting her weight in the chair as though she couldn’t get comfortable.

And that’s when he started to get an idea.

A wonderful, wacky idea.

Could he really do it? Could he really make his mouth move to ask?

He remembered once in high school, trying to ask a girl out. He’d shouted it out at her as she walked by in a fit of teenage boy hormones. He’d panicked, doing it before he lost his nerve. Maybe he should do that now? Without the shouting.

He didn’t turn to look at her but tried to appear lost in the computer’s whirs and whizzes, with his hands still on the keyboard.

“Anna Marie, would you like to go out tomorrow night?” His voice was surprisingly steady and he didn’t shout it out, so he was improving.

Her breath caught in her throat. He heard the slight sound like a gasp but didn’t dare turn to look at her. “Go out? Like a date?”

“Yeah. We could go to dinner.”

“I owe you a dinner.”

“No, you don’t. And this would be a date, not a payback dinner.” He held his breath, waiting on her answer. There was no way she would go. No way the likes of Anna Marie would spend time with him other than when her computer was in need. That kiss had frazzled his hard drive more than the virus had fried hers.

“Okay.”

The heavens might not have opened, the hallelujah chorus might not have sounded out loud, but in his head, those things happened. “Good. We can talk about it tomorrow. Or tonight before I leave.” Or any damn well time she wanted to.

He had a date with Anna Marie tomorrow night.

Chapter Four

Anna Marie fluffed her hair up for the fiftieth time. “I need to have my head examined.” And not by a hairdresser either. What was she thinking? She was thinking that the more she got to know Baxter, the easier it would be to get evidence on him and earn her promotion. That’s all she needed to be thinking about.

She definitely shouldn’t be thinking about that stolen kiss and how good his lips had felt on hers. Nuh uh. That shouldn’t be crossing her mind.

Stay focused on your goal. She then repeated the words out loud.

No matter how good his mouth feels.

“Uggh.”

The doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock. He was early. Figures. It was show time. Wonder what he had in store? Probably dinner where they sold Tab or Mountain Dew and an evening filled with Star Trek. Or Star Wars. Or one of those Star movies.

She took a deep breath and painted a smile on her face. She’d have to keep that in place no matter what the evening held.

She opened the door and Baxter stood on her stoop with his hands in his pockets. He glanced at her.

He wore a blue button down shirt and khaki pants, looking like his usual code monkey self. Only a lot more nervous. “Hi.”

She plastered that smile on her face, hoping her visage wouldn’t crack under the strain. “Hi.”

“You ready?”

“Let me just grab my sweater.” She motioned him to step in and scurried to grab her green sweater. She was wearing an emerald blouse and black skirt. She remembered to swing her hips, accentuating her walk. One look back confirmed he liked it. He seemed mesmerized. Good. That would distract him from her true purpose.

“How’s the computer working out for you?”

“Oh, it’s good. Much better.”

“I’d still like to work on building you a machine.”

She walked back, sweater in hand. “I can’t really afford it right now. My slow one will have to do.”

He nodded. “Gotcha. You ready?” He repeated the question from earlier.

“Now I am.” She tried to put on her game face as she led them both out of the door. She shut it behind her and locked it.

“Your chariot awaits. Or…well, a Honda.” He led them to a black four door. He opened the passenger side and motioned to her to get in.

Wow. He was holding the door for her. Most dates she’d had—not that she’d had many—didn’t seem interested in playing chivalrous. She hadn’t expected that from Baxter. She settled herself in the car while he ran around to the driver’s side to let himself in.

He quickly started the car and put it into reverse. His hand seemed so large on the gear shift. Amazing how those big hands could go so quickly over a keyboard.

She mentally smacked herself. She was here to gather information, not gawk at his hands. “So what are we doing tonight?”

He smiled. “I thought we’d have dinner at Bilagios.”

Bilagios was a small Italian restaurant that wasn’t at all where she’d expect him to take her. She’d never been there but had heard the food was good, price was excellent, and the atmosphere…romantic. She gulped. Not what she’d expected.

“I know you like Italian but if you’d rather eat somewhere else…” His hands gripped the steering wheel as he broke off.

He’d noticed her lack of communication and was attributing it to unhappiness at the choice in place. Darn it, she needed to get her act together or she never was going to pull this off. “Oh, no, it’s a good choice. I love Italian food.”

He beamed, happy at that answer.

The muscles in her stomach clenched involuntarily. She liked seeing him this happy. A little too much. Even as he continually surprised her, she found herself surprised by her reactions to him. She’d never been so star struck by a guy before. She shouldn’t be now. There was too much she wanted to do with her life. She’d watched her mother give up on dreams for men one too many times. That wasn’t going to be her. Her fingers bit into the door frame. No way was that going to be her.

“After dinner, I thought maybe…well, I have a friend who’s having an art show tonight down at La Casa.”

“That sounds…wait, an art show?” An art show? First Italian food, then an art show? This was a completely different scenario than fast food and a sci-fi movie—science fiction movie. She’d learned fans preferred the latter term over the former in her research about the genre. She’d been putting on her stoic face about the evening but this actually sounded as if it might be fun.

“But we don’t have to go…”

She’d clammed up again. Dang it. “No, that’s great. A friend with an art show huh? Neat.”

He shrugged. “He’s a gamer. Two other friends of mine, Joel and Sam are going to be there.”

“Joel’s your roommate, right?” Joel handled security at the company where they worked. Did he know about her assignment? Probably not. They would probably keep him out of the loop so as not to alert Baxter as they were friends. Not to mention, Joel was a security guard, not on any other security detail. Amazing that a gamer had his own art show. That was interesting. She didn’t think people who wasted time on games like that would do much else. Look at Baxter. She had to keep pointing that out to herself. Otherwise he might just seem to be a dream come true. No, Baxter was no prize even as much as he seemed to be. Or was he? She couldn’t help the doubts that kept creeping in, which was why she had to keep her thoughts on what he wasn’t rather than what he was.

“Yep. For the most part. He spends a lot of time with Sam now.”

She nodded and glanced at the scenery whizzing by. Baxter kept her off balance. She didn’t like it. She’d always seen what she wanted, gone after it without problems, and this promotion should be no different. She was going to get into trouble if she didn’t watch her thoughts. She rubbed her head and before she knew it, they’d arrived at the restaurant.

Baxter opened her door and held the door for her at the restaurant. They were seated within a minute after entering.

“So you like Italian? What do you usually like to order?” Baxter had opened and now perused his menu. The flickering candle made some interesting shadows on his face.

“Chicken parmesan or spaghetti.” She could be healthy other places but Italian was her one vice.

“That’s what Sam likes. Here, it’s pretty good.”

The elusive Sam. Must be a gaming buddy. Funny how they were all male in that world. Or so she thought. She nodded as the waitress came and took orders and provided drinks. Baxter did order a Mountain Dew, so she’d been partially right about where they’d eat. She’d never thought it would be here though.

They sat in the silence for a few minutes. The candle flame danced like a ballerina, bowing and straightening up. The only sound was the hushed conversations of the other diners and clinks of forks on plates.

“So, what are you working on with work?” She couldn’t stand the silence any more. Maybe she should. But of course that silence wouldn’t get her anywhere on her mission.

“Not a whole lot. Just some code… Didn’t you ask me this the other night? When I was working on your computer?”

Her insides eeked. “Maybe.” She had asked him. He’d tried to explain it to her and that had resulted in the…kiss. “I guess I did.” She gave an easy laugh, trying to blow off the repetition in question.

“It’s really boring stuff anyway.” He seemed to look down and become fascinated with the table. “The exciting stuff is what I do outside of work.”

She blinked at him. Surely it couldn’t be this easy. Was he about to tell her all his extracurricular activities? The ones that she could bust him on? Surely she couldn’t be that lucky, could she? She should have had a listening device. Something she could record this conversation on. Maybe next time. Or maybe was he was going to talk about gaming? That would be a subject that would enthrall her—not. “And what’s that?”

“I…” He seemed to have trouble articulating words. “I…run my own computer software company. It’s totally different from my work stuff.”

Not from what Bob said. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I design all the code and I’ve been working on some gaming software. A new platform.”

Gaming software? Figured. What a thing to do with his spare time. “Is that going well?” Their definitions of well would be different. She didn’t play around with games, she went to school.

He shrugged again. “Sort of.”

Yeah, that was what she’d thought. He was playing games. No ambition. That had to make him less shiny in her eyes. She wanted to go somewhere. Be someone. She wanted to be as far away from her mother as possible. She had no time for games. Or gamers for that matter. No matter how nice they seemed or how cute they were. “Interesting.”

“What about you? Your classes? How are those going?”

She gritted her teeth in a minor frustration. She didn’t want to lose the moment but didn’t see how she could turn this back to him without being suspicious. “Boring. I don’t think you’d find economic theory interesting.”

He nodded. “Eeehhhh. Maybe not. But you do?”

“Yes. Yes, I do. It’s amazing what you can do with theories on supply and demand and laws of…” She lowered her head before meeting his gaze. “Sorry. I get carried away.” She’d never had anyone to talk this over with.

“No. It’s as exiting to you as binary code is to me. I understand. Don’t be sorry about sharing.” He took a sip of drink. “Do you have family around? I know you saw my mom and dad when they had lunch with me that time, but I never see you going out to lunch.”

She put her arms over her chest. “There’s just my mother.” Her lips closed together. She wasn’t talking about her. Ever. “Tell me more about what you do when you aren’t doing code.” Tell me about stealing secrets. “Or do you go into the office every weekend? Over night?” When did he steal the secrets from the office?

“I’m…well, not that dedicated to work at Cybernetics. I work a lot on my own software after hours. And on weekends.” His grin seemed to grow, eating up his face like a Pac-Man. “Of course I like to play computer games. That’s where I get some of my ideas.”

“I’m sure.”

“I also bike.”

She didn’t think she’d heard right. “Bike?”

He nodded.

“As in a bicycle?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Uh yeah.”

Well that had made her sound like an idiot. “I never pictured you as someone who would bike a lot.” That explained why he was in great shape. He didn’t spend all his time in front of a keyboard.

“Joel’s hobby. He got me into it. It’s great exercise. And it’s a great way to think things through.”

She bet it was. Good way to work off all the soda calories. “You work alone a lot, don’t you? You must have a lot of access to things.” To secrets and who knew what else. He’d known how long she’d worked there for one thing.

“I don’t work on a team, no. I prefer to work alone. What I do, the coding for the software, isn’t something that could be a team effort.”

“Like the Lone Coder, huh?” She giggled a little but then said, “I know. Stupid joke.” She hadn’t been able to resist making it.

He chuckled. “I like it.”

“You must have access to a lot of different areas. I bet you see a lot of programs come across the screen. Lots of ideas there, too, huh?”

The waitress dropped off their food.

He shook his head. “Not really. My company is something totally different. Besides, borrowing from Cybernetics would be stealing.”

Yeah, his company would be…wait a minute. She shifted her gears to listen to what he’d said. “Stealing?” That was what she was investigating him on. She took a bite of chicken and pasta and chewed on that, as well as what he’d said.

He nodded. “Yeah. Just like downloading games or music. There’s copyright issues. Books too.”

“So you don’t download any games unless you buy them?” She saw things that way but was surprised to hear such an avid computer person and gamer talking the same way.

“Pretty much. It’d be like walking out of here without paying for the meal. And…I mean, my software, I need people to buy it to make a living. I can give away demos but unless I make something, I can’t develop anything else.”

She stabbed at her chicken. “You’ve got a point.” A point that someone who was stealing…wouldn’t make, would they? Unless they were trying to throw people off the trail. But as far as she knew, he didn’t know anyone was on his trail. This was not going the way she’d expected, gosh darn it. How could that be?

* * * *

Baxter tried not to stare at the gorgeous creature walking by his side into La Casa. He did find a spring in his step and had drawn himself up to his full height. He wasn’t that short for a geek, just was shorter than Joel, which was one of his only comparison friends.

But with the beauty by his side, he felt like he was ten feet tall. Maybe even eleven. He had to keep glancing down at her to make sure she was still there and wasn’t some hologram that wasn’t real.

Getting to know her? Bonus points. He was finding that he liked her even more than he’d thought he would. She listened to him and seemed interested in what he had to say. She had a humor that he enjoyed and was self-deprecating and witty. He had enjoyed himself immensely at dinner. His cock stayed stiff and he was starting to wonder how long a man could maintain an erection without getting sore. Or hurting himself.

He watched as Anna Marie took in the pictures hanging on the wall and all the geeks out in mass taking in the show. Gayton had invited everyone from their gaming group that lived in the area.

Anna Marie stopped in front of a picture of a deserted beach with waves rolling in. “Wow. That’s really good.” She seemed surprised.

“He is good.” Baxter made a note of the picture and the cost. Who knew? He might need it down the road.

“Poe?” A voice behind them made him turn. “I know that’s not your full gamer name or your real one, but I recognize you from the last con. I’m glad you made it.”

“Hey Gayton.” He shook the shorter man’s hand. “These are great. This is Anna Marie.” He motioned towards the woman at his side. At his side. Boy that made tingling happen all over his body.

Gayton picked up Anna Marie’s hand and kissed it. “Enchanted to meet you. Any friend of Poe’s is a friend of mine.” He moved on to greet other guests.

“Poe?” She turned a questioning gaze his way.

Baxter pretended to be engrossed in the next picture for a second. “We have gamer handles on X-box Live. Mine has the name Poe in it.”

“Like Edgar Allen?” She stepped ahead to a smaller picture of a graffiti wall.

“No. Although I do like him.” He stepped around her. “There was a singer a few years back. Her name was Poe, she sang alternative music. I was a fan.” He’d gone to see her in concert a few times and still followed her.

“Ah.” She tilted her head, looking at a portrait of a woman. “Your friend is really good. I’m not surprised La Casa booked him.”

“Yep, he is.” She seemed very surprised to note this. He wasn’t sure why.

“He must not play games a whole lot.”

Baxter snorted. “He’s on almost every weekend. He games more than I do, believe it or not. And he works a part time day job as a waiter or something.”

Her mouth crinkled up but she didn’t comment.

They came to a picture that Baxter had noticed from a distance but hadn’t realized what it was. As he did, he started laughing.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He toned down his chuckles. “That’s the realm of Halo 2 giving way to Halo 3.” It wouldn’t mean anything to anyone not involved in the gaming community. He flipped a card to see how much the painting was but it wasn’t for sale.

“Hey Bax. I wondered when you’d get here.” Joel slipped up behind them, Sam’s hand in his. “Hey Anna Marie. You do have legs.”

Her eyes did a slow blink as Sam elbowed him in the side. “Oh, because I’m usually sitting when you see me. Hi Joel.” Her gaze swept to Sam.

Baxter hurriedly offered an introduction. “Sam, this is Anna Marie. She works where Joel and I do…”

Sam offered her hand to a gaping Anna Marie, who shook it. “I sort of figured that out. As much as you talk about her…” Now Joel put his elbow into her side as she broke off. “I mean… Well, Anna Marie. It’s nice to meet you.”

Nice move Sam. You told her I think about her. Care to mention my wet dreams, too? Baxter groaned but not aloud.

Anna Marie still looked stunned though, which puzzled Baxter. “Hi. Baxter talks about you, too. I just wasn’t expecting…I mean…”

“Yeah, she’s a girl. I bet Baxter didn’t mention that.” Joel seemed amused as he gazed at the picture in front of them and chuckled too. He nudged Sam, who broke out into a big smile.

“No. No, he didn’t.”

Baxter hadn’t thought to mention it. “Oh, sorry.” He wasn’t sure why Anna Marie seemed so shocked about Sam being a girl. Course he remembered it had been a shocking fact to he and Joel at the convention where they’d met.

“That’s okay. We gamed together online for years, and she never mentioned it to me either.”

Sam rolled her eyes at Joel’s comment and shook her head. “It never came up.” She pointed to the picture. “I love this.”

“Yeah.” Baxter nodded.

“You game? With them?” Anna Marie moved backward just a bit to give someone else room who wanted to look at the picture of the Halo world.

Why did that bother her so much? She definitely had her own ideas about gaming. Maybe she thought they all lived in their mother’s basement, watching Star Trek between games and never held down a job? He’d have to work on that with her if that was case.

“Yep. I kick their asses a lot.” Sam laughed as she ran her arm through Joel’s.

“Not that often.” Joel leaned into Sam’s touch.

Baxter looked at Anna Marie who had moved further away from them. “I didn’t think women gamed that much.” Her mouth was still pursed into a frown.

“Didn’t used to.” Sam’s smile was grim. She’d lived that time period where she was often the only woman. “Things are changing.”

“For the better.” Joel leaned down and pressed a kiss on Sam’s lips.

That easy familiarity that they always had made Baxter’s stomach churn. He wanted to be that way with Anna Marie. One day. One day, he vowed. He was already on a date with her, something he never thought would happen. The rest would come.

“You ought to come over tomorrow night. We’re having a big gaming session. I’m bringing my X-box over, Joel and Baxter have theirs already. We could make a real gamer chick out of you.” Sam’s grin was huge.

Sam’s suggestion made Baxter twitch. He wasn’t sure this was the best opportunity to introduce Anna Marie to gaming. Not to mention he wanted time with her alone. Not…time with his buddies and her.

Someone came up and neither Anna Marie nor Sam brought it up again.

* * * *

When Baxter arrived at Anna Marie’s apartment, his hands bit into the steering wheel. He didn’t want to be too presumptuous and kiss her again. But damn that kiss the other day haunted him. Made him crazy and kept him awake at night.

“So…” He broke off and looked into the starry eyes of the woman sitting in the passenger seat.

“So…” She began and broke off looking into his face with her chin upturned a slight amount. She giggled.

He laughed along with her. “Guess we both think alike sometimes, huh?” If only she was thinking what he was right now. It would involve her inviting him in, but he didn’t think that was going to happen. Who knew though? Life was full of oddities.

“Sometimes. Maybe. I definitely don’t think computers like you do.” Her eyes were still shiny and her mouth looked kissable in the light from the streetlight outside her apartment. She didn’t have that lost look that she sometimes got when she put herself down.

“Well, I don’t think business like you do.” Though he probably needed to with the way things were going.

“Touché.” She reached over and touched his arms. Innocent gesture. Her touch was warm and kindled sparks in him that he didn’t know he had. His entire body felt as though it went up like tinder on a fire. “I had a nice time tonight.”

“Did you?” He shuddered as she kept her hand on his elbow. Even that innocuous place was turning him into mush.

“I did. I loved the art show and dinner was great.” She shifted forward in her seat. “It wasn’t what I expected.”

Was that good or bad? He wanted to go out with her again, so he’d pick good. Please let that be accurate. “I’m glad to hear that. Would you like to go out again tomorrow night?” He held his breath waiting for her answer.

She removed her hand from his arm and rubbed it with the other.

“I mean if you don’t already plans. Or a date. Or class.” Was he babbling? He didn’t usually but this was unusual circumstances.

“I don’t have plans.” She met his gaze. “But don’t you?”

“Huh?” He couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.

“Sam and Joel. She mentioned that you guys were gaming tomorrow night, didn’t she? She said she…was bringing her X-box over.”

Oh. “That.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just to play this game that came out. They’ll understand if I have to duck out. Actually, they’ll probably like that.” They would because then they could play kissy face all night long. They tried to tone things down for his benefit.

“You shouldn’t bail on your friends.” Her face grew thoughtful, and almost crafty looking. “Is this at your apartment?”

He nodded. Dammit, how to convince her that he could take time for a date from his gaming schedule? “I don’t think they would mind…”

“Can I come?”

“…I mean it is… What did you say?” Had he heard her right?

“Sam invited me. Could I come over? Game with you and your friends. I wouldn’t distract you.” She touched his arm again and her mouth grew pouty. “I’ll stay out of the way.”

She’d distract him with her mere presence. “I…uh…” He’d never expected her to want to game.

“You could teach me to play whatever you’re playing.” Her hand moved on his arm, throwing his senses into a whirl. “Please, Baxter.”

Like he’d say no. Where did this desire to play video games come from? After all, she’d had ideas about gaming that had come out this evening and none of them were positive. “Okay, I guess.” He would have sounded more sure but her touch made him crazy.

“Yay!” Her face lit up into a smile that rivaled the biggest Christmas celebration. “It’ll be fun.” Her mouth parted.

An opportunity. One that he couldn’t help but take. He moved closer to her and propped his lips on hers.

A slight startled gasp met his ears. But that was all. Her hands actually drifted around him to run over his back.

She was the sweetest damn thing he’d ever tasted. Too good. He deepened the kiss, tasting all of her and making her respond to him.

He wasn’t gentle as his mouth explored her. He nipped her lips and made sure he took everything she offered and more.

His hand came down her neck, stroking and caressing her as it explored her as well. He reached her breast.

She started as his hand began to fondle her.

He felt her nipple pebble through her thin blouse. Her sweater must be unbuttoned. He strummed his thumb over it again and again.

Her body shivered as though she were in a deep freeze but the heat emanating from her roasted him.

He hardly noticed when she stiffened suddenly but when her hand went to his chest and pushed him away, he paid attention. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done to pull away. But he wasn’t about to push her any further.

Her lips were swollen and red from his kissing. “I…need to go in.” She grabbed her stuff but seemed discombobulated.

He ran around the car to open her door before she did so herself. “I’ll walk you up to your door.”

“You don’t have to.” Her voice was sharp as a tack.

“I want to make sure you get home safely.” He didn’t give her a choice.

When they reached her door after walking in silence, her voice was back to normal. “Thanks for a great time. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She quickly opened the door but seemed to want to run inside and slam it behind her instead of talking.

“Do you want me to pick you up…” He got that out before the door shut in his face. It slowly opened up again

“No. I’ll come over.” She let out a wan smile. “Thanks Baxter.” The door did shut between them that time.

He stood staring at it for a few minutes. She’d run away from him. Why? Was he that reprehensible? With his hands in his pockets, he stalked back to his car.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to be more than a glorified code monkey. But that was a likely to happen as Darth Vader not turning to the dark side.

Chapter Five

Anna Marie turned over in the bed as she came awake. She pushed the hair away from her face. She’d sweated and was hot. She kicked off the blankets. Her body was humming with…pleasure. From the dream. The dream that had awakened her.

Baxter.

They’d been kissing in the dream. He’d been touching her breast. Much like he had when they’d been out earlier and she’d panicked.

Her eyes shut as she shivered. The feelings cascaded down her body in a waterfall of desire. She couldn’t think about anything but his touch.

It was bad.

Only she couldn’t remember why. She wanted more of his delicious hands touching her willing body.

She was so tired but couldn’t sleep. Not with everything abuzz like this. Not with her body on such high alert. She couldn’t even bring herself to be upset about what had transpired. That would come later, she was sure. But for right now, she just needed something to take away this frustrated passion.

She’d be a mess at work tomorrow if she didn’t get this figured out. She didn’t want to think, even if she could have formed a coherent thought beyond one man. She only wanted to feel and give herself over to the hungry sensations bombarding her body.

Baxter.

But he wasn’t there right now. She was all alone. And…horny. She’d never been horny before. This was a new experience. Sure, she’d had sex. Yes, she’d played with herself both with her hands and with toys. But there had never been this all consuming need present in her body before. Not like this. She didn’t like it but had to answer the call or go crazy.

She ran her hand down her face and didn’t stop there but drifted it down to her breasts and stroked them in gentle swirling motions through her top. She found a nipple and pinched it between her fingers.

She moaned. Her sex moistened, asking for something. Her body was asking for something that she needed. Desperately.

Baxter.

Her hands went down from her breasts to reach between her thighs. She hurriedly pushed away the material covering her. Her thighs went apart as far as she could kick them out. She needed to give herself more room. She pushed down more covers with her feet.

Her hips bucked as her fingers found their mark. Everything within her felt energized as though she’d stuck her fingers in the biggest light socket imaginable.

So much.

She wanted so much.

She wanted Baxter. But this would have to do on short notice. Tomorrow, she could remember why it was not a good idea and deal with what had happened tonight. Right now, she was just going to feel.

His mouth would be so warm as it traveled around her body. So giving. So wet. He’d pleasure her in a hundred different ways. His kiss had been surprisingly masterful. Dominating even. Not anything she’d expected.

She sped up her ministrations, causing another groan to break from her lips. If only it was his hand.

If only it was his penis.

Her body shuddered in a cavalcade of sensations that such an intimate thought brought up. His hard member going inside her, filling her up in a way she’d never been filled before.

Oh, she’d had sex before, but never with anyone who might matter.

Even in her tired delirium of desire, Baxter was someone who might matter to her. A fact that scared her more than anything else. It made him more dangerous than anyone had ever been to her.

Her hand was coated in her own juices and it still wasn’t enough. She wanted more. For the first time in her life, she wanted it all.

Her thoughts drifted back to his cock being inside of her, filling her. His body moving up and down above her. His face consumed by passion that was for her and only her.

His lips whispering sweet nothings as he took his time making love to her. With Baxter, it would be love making and not just sex. She’d bet he could be wild too. It wouldn’t just be gentle. It would be all consuming.

His hands would worship her as would his lips.

He’d take care of her needs and then in a final blaring round of frantic desire, he’d find his own pleasure. He’d cry her name again and again as his orgasm drove him over the fine edge and into oblivion as he spilled his seed. For her. With her. Because of her.

Her body clenched in time with the imagined Baxter as her climax ripped her apart as though she was made of paper.

She lay in bed for a second, panting and sweaty.

If only he’d been here. If only the dreams could turn into reality. She’d never wanted anything more than this moment to turn into something she could hold onto.

She pulled the covers back along her shivering body and finally drifted off to sleep with dreams of her geek lover still taking her under their control.

* * * *

Baxter rolled over again and stared at the plain white wall. He rubbed his face and glanced toward the clock though he’d told himself last time he wasn’t going to look again. Five minutes had passed. Only five minutes. It felt like hours. He wasn’t going to make it until morning. Not at this rate.

Damn.

He couldn’t get Anna Marie out of his head. Or calm his raging body down. He’d daydreamed enough about her when she’d been out of reach. Now that she might be attainable? He couldn’t stop thinking about her. She consumed every bit of him from his body to his mind. She’d be working on his soul next. He wasn’t even sure he minded.

He put his arm over his face and rolled onto his back. This was ridiculous. Yes, they’d kissed but they hadn’t done anything else. Well, one grope and then he’d been kicked out of there. But he couldn’t forget and move on.

Her mouth had felt so wonderful. He didn’t want to think about her pushing him away. He only wanted to focus on being with her. That was all his addled brain could even conceive of right now.

His hand moved down his body to his chest. He rubbed it against the crinkly chest hairs before he hesitated. His hand rested on his chest as he had a debate about its destination. He could just roll over and go to sleep.

Because that was working so well?

He could try and release some of the tension in a time honored tradition that the first man with opposable thumbs and a libido had to have done.

Wasn’t like he was going to get together with Anna Marie and have sex anytime soon. He might be closer to it than he’d been before but he was still miles away from it happening. Of that he was sure.

But why do this now?

Why not?

Joel wasn’t in the apartment tonight. He was spending the night at Sam’s. No one was around. No one would walk in on him. Or hear him. He had the place to himself.

He hadn’t masturbated in a good long time, except maybe once or twice in the shower. He was long over due and now that Anna Marie was attainable? He couldn’t help but fulfill this need.

His hand meandered down his body and came to his stiff cock. His shaft seemed to become magnetized to his hand.

Her hand would be smaller than his. More delicate. It would grip him tightly as she slid her fingers around him. Wind from his swollen tip down around to his aching balls and everywhere in between with light touches before getting more serious.

He cupped his hand around his cock like a sheath and went quickly up and down. He could feel moisture when he came back up to his tip.

Her hand would feel better.

She’d tighten around him and tug so gently. So elegantly. Until she would stretch him out in her hand and quicken the pace.

Her other hand would dip down and cup his balls tightly, even as her first hand moved on him faster and faster.

She’d take him to the brink and then back off.

Her face would gleam as she looked down on him. Her eyes would sparkle with the passion of a thousand stars. Her throaty voice would ask what he liked and what he didn’t. She’d concentrate on what he liked. On what made his cock leak.

Her mouth would descend to follow her hand and take him sweetly into that warm, wet, repository.

She’d slide her tongue around him as her mouth took him in then let him slide expertly out, without catching him on any teeth.

She’d suckle…

The jerking of his cock and spurting of his come caught him by surprise. He quickened his efforts until his body stopped shaking. He hadn’t expected that to happen so quickly. Usually he took a while.

Afterward, he released his cock and lay there limp under the bed covers. His body was coated in sweat but that wasn’t helping him to cool down.

He still couldn’t stop thinking about her but maybe now he could get some sleep so he could face whatever she threw at him tomorrow.

* * * *

Anna Marie held her head in her hands as she sat at her desk. Her stomach churned and had since last night.

What was she thinking?

Her mind wouldn’t shift gears from the kiss and grope that she’d let Baxter have. It had weighed on her mind enough that she’d dreamed about him. Dreamed about the Code Monkey and kissing him. Bad enough she’d let him kiss her in the first place, but the worst part was…

She’d enjoyed it.

His kiss had felt good. His hand had felt better. She’d lost herself to his embrace and had been willing to let him go further until she’d come to her senses in a moment of pure panic.

She ran her hand down her face. Shouldn’t be touching it because it would probably result in a breakout of zits from the oils on her fingers. Yeah, that would be nice for tonight’s gaming adventure. The one where she was going into his lair. To collect secrets about him. Like some comic book super-heroine.

She’d been trying to find out information about Baxter and the secrets that Bob said he was stealing. Going to his apartment was the best way to locate that information. Instead of feeling confident about what she was doing, she had mixed messages that were confusing her. Baxter’s diatribe about stealing was absolutely puzzling, considering what she was after him for. Not to mention, Baxter seemed to be such a nice guy, not who she would picture embroiled in computer espionage.

She liked him. A lot.

Which was not good. Not good at all and not just because of what she was supposed to do with him.

How was she supposed to bust someone that she liked? Not to mention, she didn’t have room in her life to “like” anyone right now. She had goals and didn’t want a relationship to get in the way of those goals.

Yet both doors had been opened, they couldn’t be slammed closed without cause, and she wasn’t sure what to do with the information she’d gained. She couldn’t process it fast enough. Maybe she needed a speedier processor like her computer did. Or maybe she needed more of whatever memory increased your computer’s speed.

Or maybe she needed to talk to Bob again.

Her head came up from her hands. Yes, that was it. Maybe Bob was wrong about who was doing this. Stranger things had happened. Look at her enjoying Baxter’s company. Not anything she would have suspected before spending time with him. Maybe someone was even trying to implicate Baxter in their place. Maybe they were trying to put suspicion on him to keep the trail from them.

Happened all the time on cop shows. Not that she’d watched too many of them, but she’d seen a couple.

Yes, she needed to talk to the man that had sent her on this witch hunt.

She leaped to her feet and almost ran to Bob’s office. She stood timidly in front of his secretary’s desk until the dragonlike woman finally looked up at her.

“Yes?” The woman bared teeth like a pit-bull. She took her job as guardian of Bob’s office a little too literally.

Anna Marie couldn’t remember her name so she plunged ahead with the request. “I’d like to see Mr. Minor.”

If there had ever been a look down a nose, now that was one. Could she even see past the tip? “In reference to…”

“He’ll know. I needed to discuss something with him. As soon as possible.”

The woman picked up the phone and buzzed into Bob’s office. “Anna is here to see you.” Anna Marie couldn’t help but notice the woman only used her first name, no one called her Anna. And politeness would have dictated the use of her last name. “Anna Marie. Yes. She says you’ll know what it’s about. Yes. She says she needs to talk to you. Immediately.” With a click, the woman hung up the phone. “He’ll see you now. I’ll be holding his calls.” The woman motioned with a smirk for Anna Marie to go in.

Anna Marie scrambled into Bob’s office, hearing the door click behind her, feeling slightly like she might just throw up.

He sat at his desk watching her walk across his floor with eyes a little too like a weasel’s and rose when she reached his desk. “Hello, Anna Marie. You’ve had headway? Already? I knew I could count on you.”

She pasted a smile on her face. “Actually I came to talk to you. I need to talk to you.” She wrung her hands in front of her and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. She was struck again by its comfort and how different it was from the rest of the chairs in the office. Yes, it must be nice to be the boss. Even more reason to move up in the company.

He sat down, too, and kept his gaze on her face with an occasional glance down at her breasts, making her uncomfortable. “Go on.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. She’d become quite adept at trying to hide them when she’d first started developing and became even more adept with every boyfriend her mom brought home. “Are you sure Baxter Savage is responsible for these leaks?” Maybe he would say no and that it had been a big mistake. He’d still honor his part of the bargain (a fantasy but a good one for her) and she could leave Baxter alone from now on. She had to leave him alone. He got into spaces in her she didn’t even know were empty. She didn’t need that. Not with her future planned that didn’t include a relationship for a long time, maybe even never.

“Why do you ask that?” Bob’s lip drew up into a frown as though he’d tasted something distasteful.

“He just doesn’t seem like the type to me to do this. I’ve been spending time with him and he’s…just not that type.” She knew it sounded lame even as the words left her mouth. It sounded like a woman who might be developing feelings for her quarry even to her own ears so she could just imagine what it sounded like to Bob. This wasn’t the way she wanted to come across.

“Hmmm. Has he talked to you about something? About leaks of information? He will do anything to disguise his trail, including try to throw suspicion elsewhere. Probably at me. If he suspects you…”

Why would Baxter try and implicate Bob? How could he? “He doesn’t suspect. He hasn’t said anything to me about the leaks. But I was thinking. He just doesn’t seem the type to steal. And maybe someone else is setting him up to take a fall so that they don’t get caught. I mean have you looked at anyone else?” Her hands tensed on her arms as she kept them in front of her as she always did when she questioned. With her mother or any of the boyfriends, she’d never known if she’d get an answer or a slap.

“It is Baxter doing these things.” Bob’s voiced words sounded finite and sure of himself. “I’m positive.”

Not what she was hoping to hear. “But you don’t have proof. I mean, if you did you wouldn’t need me, would you? If you…”

“Anna Marie.” His voice was commanding and decisive, unlike her wandering inflections that went no where.

She stopped blathering. Idiot. She’d acted like an idiot as soon as she’d crossed his threshold. She needed to pull herself together before she destroyed any hope of ever moving up in this company whether from this assignment or other ways.

“I have some evidence that the leaks are from him.” He shook his head as though disappointed. His tone became reproachful. “I wouldn’t have asked you to do this otherwise. Wouldn’t anyone to do something without cause. But I don’t have enough to submit, nor is my evidence…well, let’s just say it’s not admissible. I didn’t gather it in an up and up fashion. That’s why I needed you.” He leaned forward over the desk. “I need you, Anna Marie. I need you to collect evidence that he’s stealing our secrets. Find something, a file, a monitor, anything that we can use against him.” He seemed so earnest. Almost too earnest, like this was a performance.

So much for this working out to exonerate Baxter. Bob was determined that Baxter was the one. “But sir…” She wasn’t even sure where she’d go in the argument. What could she possibly say to change his mind? Her only reasoning for Baxter not being the secret seller was a feeling in her gut.

Bob sat back in his chair with a dismissive air. “If you don’t think you can do this, say the word. I’ll find someone else. Someone else will get the promotion that’s already set up for you. My superiors were quite thrilled to find out about your ambition. We were discussing putting you in charge of some administration duties. Your own cubicle.”

She wanted to hide under the desk or close her eyes and be back home again, not that she’d ever had one. His superiors had been thrilled. How nice. How many people knew about her undercover assignment? A promotion. Not more playing phone monkey. Maybe even getting up in the ranks enough, her degree would come in handy and move her up further. Her own cubicle. She had a price and that was it. “No. You can count on me.” She felt like a traitor saying it. But he’d said he had evidence against Baxter. Real evidence that Baxter was the one dealing in secrets. For all his pretty words, Baxter had betrayed her first by stealing.

“Good.” Bob picked up several papers. “I’m rather busy so you can see yourself out. By the way…” He seemed to glance around. “…if you see a file labeled ‘highball’ that will help us get him. You can copy it onto a flash drive. It will be on his computer. You do know what a flash drive is?”

Her lips clamped together. She caught the undertone in his words, that she was stupid. “Yes. Yes, I do.” Like she wouldn’t know what one of those was. She might not be a code monkey but she did know something about computers. She’d fooled Baxter with the virus attempt. Bob had a condescending air about him that made her want to go out and get evidence on Baxter right now just to take that look away from Bob.

“Fine. Goodbye. Don’t come back until you have evidence.” A real dismissal that spoke more than words and said, “Get out and don’t come back until you’re done.”

She walked from his office without a glance back or a look at the dragon guarding him. Baxter was guilty. Her stomach sunk to her ankles, or at least it felt like that. How could Baxter do this to her? Yes, it felt like it was to her.

But Bob’s superiors had been excited, at least that was something positive to come from the mess that was her life.

Wait a minute.

When he’d first assigned her this mission, Bob had said no one could know about it. Not even higher ups, and she’d gotten the impression it was all a secret that he was doing this. So which was it? Had he kept it a secret or told the powers that be about the mission he’d sent her on?

She should have asked him for the evidence against Baxter and seen it with her own eyes. But Bob wouldn’t lie…would he? What reason would he have to make this up and send her on a mission to catch Baxter? Bob had been with the company since it had started. She couldn’t see him doing anything to endanger its viability. Selling secrets hurt them every time the other company beat them to a release.

Did Bob’s superiors really know? Had he told them or had he kept it a secret like he’d told her in the beginning? What was the truth or had she misinterpreted him in the beginning. She thought back over his words. No, she couldn’t have.

Maybe Bob was out in this for himself and once she gave him the evidence she collected, he’d move up in the company himself, forgetting her and leaving her behind. That bore watching.

Just like Baxter.

* * * *

Baxter blew out a breath as he looked at the screen. He’d become more and more sure someone was trying to get into his system and nose around. The only reason someone would want to do that was to steal stuff from him. If they were doing that, they might be stealing from the company.

He’d been doing all kinds of checks and was still checking his hardware for a keylogger, which would record every keystroke typed into a computer.

He scratched his ear. How many of the others who did what he did, didn’t have their settings that high or do all the things he did? How many would have noticed that someone was breaking in? Hell, a few of his ilk didn’t even have their computers password protected.

He was paranoid and he reset the system password once a week to a random generated sequence of numbers and letters. Yes, having a photographic memory came in handy sometimes. Most times actually.

Who could be breaking in?

A thief. Possibly a big thief.

If Baxter were to find out who and offer proof to the company moguls, he might possibly stop their competition from one-upping them.

He clicked keys on his keyboard.

Why hadn’t he noticed all this a few days ago?

Because Anna Marie had approached him about her computer. He’d been lax and thinking about being with her more than he was about his work.

He sighed.

Anna Marie.

Last night had been going so well. Until the kiss. She’d run from him faster than an enemy tank out of ammunition in a video game.

She’d felt so damn good. He’d had dreams about her all damn night.

He’d never understood being off balance about a woman. He sure did now. He saw why Mal was messed up by Inara in Firefly. Why Han Solo was so affected by Leia in Star Wars. Why Joel had gotten into Sam so damn fast.

Had he blown himself out of the water with Anna Marie?

He hadn’t heard from her and she’d dashed away from him after the kiss as fast as those gorgeous legs would carry her.

She’d said she was coming to game night tonight with Sam and Joel. Baxter wasn’t sure that was a good idea anyway.

But it would give him time to spend with Anna Marie.

He glanced at his computer.

Maybe he should go find Anna Marie and find out if she was still coming tonight. He could do this investigation later.

He clicked out of his folder labeled, “highball,” which contained his current project so that no one could copy or edit it.

He rounded the corner by Anna Marie’s desk and tried to come over casually like he approached her desk every day. Actually, he did approach her desk every day.

She was on the phone but saw him and shot him a big smile.

Yeah, he melted. To the floor. His cock tightened even more. That smile was directed at him. He almost couldn’t believe it.

Maybe he hadn’t screwed up as bad as he’d thought last night.

He sauntered to her desk and waited for her to get off the phone. “Hi.” He looked down into those beautiful features. If only he could paint, he’d love to immortalize her in a painting. Maybe his buddy, Gayton, would do something for him. Her scent reached his nostrils and he took in a long drag. She was better than any cigar or cigarette.

“Hi.” Her smile grew as those lovely eyes regarded him seriously. “Whatcha up to?” She folded her hands in front of her.

“Eh, nothing too vital. Just playing the monkey again.” He cleared his throat. “Did you still want to come over tonight? For gaming.”

Her nod was quick and emphatic. “Oh yes. I want to come over and play games with you guys. You and your friends. I know I’ll suck…but…”

“You’ll be fine. We’ll teach you the ropes.” Baxter felt heat licking all over his body. The beauty was coming over to game with him. Hallelujah, and pass the joystick. He’d never thought he’d find a woman, much less one willing to game with him.

“Oh. I’m sure.” She blew out a breath. “So how much work do you do at home?” Her face was still bright and shining.

“Uh. Some.” She asked a lot of questions about his work. He’d begun to notice a definite pattern.

“Taking work home this weekend? Or do you leave all your files on your computer here?”

“Eh, probably taking work home and yeah, I take files home occasionally. Why do you want to know?” He tried not to get lost in her eyes as he waited for the answer.

She shrugged beautiful shoulders. “I wondered how much time we’d have to spend together this weekend.”

Have mercy. “I don’t have to take any work home.” He’d spend his whole weekend letting her distract him if she wanted to.

“Oh. Oh, no, don’t let me distract you from your work. In fact, I’d love to watch you work.” The phone rang and she pointed to it, “Speaking of work…I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yeah. Yeah.” He waved as she answered the phone.

She mouthed, “Send me your address,” and smiled at his nod.

He took the long way back to his cubicle, lost in thoughts of Anna Marie and this weekend. He still couldn’t believe it.

His distraction lasted long after the smell of her had left his nostrils. He was halfheartedly plugging away at trying to find who was attempting to invade his computer instead of work when his neighbor’s head popped into his cubicle.

“Hey Bax.” Rodney shifted his feet and pulled up his pants. “How’s it hanging?” He cackled as though he’d made a good joke.

Baxter willed him to leave. His head was full of Anna Marie and he wanted to go back to his daydreams. “Good.”

“Did ya hear about the receptionist and Bob?” Rodney leaned back against his cubicle wall but not too heavily.

“No, what about them?” Gossip was always flying about someone. Baxter might have heard it but he paid little attention to office rumors.

“Bob’s secretary said she’d been in there twice alone with Bob and Bob had her hold calls while they were together. Receptionist has no reason to go in there. Secretary’s theory is that she’s knocking boots with dear old boring Bob. Probably trying to get a promotion from the desk.”

Rodney never knew names. He had a rather annoying habit of not using names in his commentaries except for higher ups. Another reason Baxter hardly ever paid attention to his gossip. Half the time, he couldn’t tell who Rodney was talking about. “I don’t think boring Bob has that in him.” Who’d want to sleep with Bob anyway? Even for a promotion.

“Secretary said receptionist was in there a while. And receptionist looks like a loose woman if you know what she means.” Rodney let out a hearty laugh. “She’s got bazookas that would take a man’s eye out. I’m telling you, I wouldn’t mind having some of that. Least Bob has taste. Bet he has her on the desk and she’ll never get the ink stain out.”

Baxter rolled his eyes at the innuendo. “Look, I’ve got some work to do…I’d like to look over your computer if you have time later too. I think I’ve been catching someone trying to hack in. Have you noticed anything?”

Rodney moved toward the doorway, nodding all while. “Sure. But I haven’t noticed anything unusual.”

Baxter welcomed the quiet. Bob and the receptionist. Who would have thought? Suddenly his fingers paused. Receptionist? Big bazookas? He shot from his seat and didn’t stop while rounding either doorway. “Rodney, who is the receptionist? The one you said that Bob is…”

“Banging? Oh, she’s some flake at the front desk. You spend a lot of time there. I think her name is Amy Maghee?”

“You mean Anna Marie?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Anna Marie and Bob? Baxter’s lip curled up as he thought about what Rodney had said. Couldn’t be. That was just unthinkable.

“You know, she came by here the other day. Looking for you.” Rodney’s smile was sleazy. “She was close to your computer. Bet she was going to look up porno.”

Unlikely on the porno.

Anna Marie and Bob? Really? “Bob’s secretary said she’d been to see him? Twice?” There had to be a rational explanation, other than sex.

“Yep. Said she was in there a while. Went in there today and said she had to see Bob immediately on some matter only he knew about. Who knew banging someone was a secret project?” He laughed with gusto.

There was no rational explanation. Bob wasn’t directly over the receptionists, though he could be considered their boss. There was another person directly under Bob and over Anna Marie. Why would she be going to see Bob?

“You didn’t have…designs on this one did you, Bax?” Rodney settled back in his chair and it made a squeak.

“What?”

“You wanted to bump uglies with Miss Phone Jockey?”

“No.” Yes, yes he had.

“Women like that, they don’t give us time of day. Unless they need something. Like a computer fix. Or a promotion.” Rodney shrugged. “You know the score by now as well as I do.”

She had wanted a computer fix but why keep at him. Why go on a date with him? Or want to come over tonight?

“You wanted to look at something on my computer?” Rodney moved his chair to the side. “Why don’t you go ahead and take a look?”

As the alternative was obsessing over this all afternoon, he took up Rodney on the offer. Maybe he could find out who was stealing secrets and that would get his mind off the antics of someone he thought he was getting to know.

Chapter Six

“Let’s take it off!” Rodney looked panicked as though Baxter had just told him that he was going to be executed.

Baxter held onto his shoulder. “Uh-uh.”

“What do you mean uh-uh!? That’s a keylogger. It’s taking down everything I type.” Rodney was almost yelling.

Baxter shushed him and looked out in the hallway. No one was there. He whispered when he got back to Rodney’s side. “No. Leave it in and keep your voice down.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rodney at least lowered his voice. “Why would I keep my voice down? Why would I leave it there? This was probably put there by the person who is selling secrets to the competition!” His voice grew louder toward the end.

“That’s exactly why we’re going to leave it there.” Baxter kept his hold on Rodney just in case he went wild and tried to get the device from the back of his computer before Baxter explained to him why they needed to leave it there.

“Huh?” Now Rodney looked puzzled as though he was completely lost by Baxter’s logic. “What?’

Baxter took a deep breath. Idiot. No one said a code monkey had to be a genius. “Whoever did this is probably the person stealing secrets. If we take it off, we have no way of knowing who did it. Which leaves them still out there to steal more secrets.”

Rodney nodded as though it was finally coming clear to him. “True. But how are we going to catch them? They can sneak in here after hours, take off the keylogger, and go about their merry way.”

“Unless we catch them.” Baxter wagged a finger. “I knew someone was up to no good.” This just proved it. But who could be stealing secrets from the company? Only one way to find out. He pulled out his cell phone. A smart phone actually, with internet and email capability. “I have a friend in security.” He dialed. “Hey Joel? Yeah, you at the office? Good. I’m in Rodney Crater’s office…right next to mine. Could you come up? Great.”

Joel was up in three minutes flat. He didn’t even look winded. Baxter didn’t call him often at the office. “What’s up, Bax? Hey Rodney.”

Rodney nodded at him.

Baxter motioned Joel to the back of Rodney’s computer. He motioned toward the device.

Joel looked at Baxter and then toward the computer with wires snaking from it in all direction. “Uh huh.”

Baxter pointed toward the white device plugged into a particular port. “It’s a keylogger. It…”

Joel whistled. “I’ve never seen one. Are you sure?”

Yes, Joel knew what the thing was and he didn’t even work with computers. Baxter had had to explain it to Rodney. “Yeah. I’ve seen them and looked up the latest technology when secrets stared disappearing. I wanted to be able to recognize one.” Yes, he was a paranoid SOB and now it had paid off. “It’s one alright.”

“But you don’t know who put it there.” Joel didn’t finger it but crept his head in close to get a closer look.

“Exactly. We need to find out. The person who did this will have to come back and get it to see the keystrokes that they keylogger recorded from this computer. We can’t be there twenty-four-seven and not only that, the person who did this will not come by with anyone here.”

Joel nodded and stroked his chin with one hand. “Good point. So what do you propose?”

Baxter grinned. “I was hoping you’d ask. What I’m thinking is a camera.”

Rodney looked back and forth between them both. “A camera?”

Baxter nodded furiously. “A spy camera. One we can set up that’s disguised. We can record when we aren’t here and see who comes to visit your office. Unless the company already has surveillance cameras…”

Joel shook his head. “Not in offices or cubicles.” He rubbed his chin again. “We could hide it anywhere. Just have to make sure it’s pointed at the back of the computer and the desk to get a good view.”

“Is that legal?” Rodney blinked at them both. “Recording people who come into my office?”

“To catch a thief? Sure as shit it is.” Baxter folded his arms across his chest. “This person is scooping our company and succeeding at putting us out of business. It might be unethical…” He might not enjoy what he did but it had paid the bills for a long time. He didn’t want them to be put out of business in this manner. “…but what they are doing is unethical and illegal.”

Joel glanced at the doorway and lowered his voice. “My supervisor would be onboard with this. He wants to catch the person doing this. He’s ranted a few times. I don’t even have to tell him to know.”

Rodney still looked dubious. “Shouldn’t we report this? I mean to Bob? He’s our supervisor…”

“No.”

“No.”

Joel and Baxter answered at the same time. Joel went on. “We don’t know who’s been selling secrets. We can’t tell anyone because we might tell the person who did this.”

“It can’t be Bob.” Rodney guffawed. “Boring Bob? I mean really? And I don’t want to get in more trouble.” Rodney was often in trouble.

“You won’t.” Baxter moved closer to the back of the computer. “Even if it’s not Bob…” And Baxter was eliminating no one as a suspect. “…it could be someone that Bob tells. We have to keep this between us. Tell no one.”

Joel nodded. “No one. Not even our supervisors. Not anyone who works here. Even if they are in…not so sensitive positions.” He gave Baxter a pointed look.

Anna Marie. Joel meant Anna Marie. Obviously he hadn’t heard the latest gossip. Of course that didn’t explain why Anna Marie would be coming to the game night tonight or anything else. Why would she dabble with Baxter when she had Bob to dangle around? No way this could be her…Baxter hated the thought even went through his brain but it did. She didn’t have enough knowledge to do this, did she? “Point taken.”

Rodney looked back and forth between them yet again. He was becoming a bobble head. He seemed to realize they’d communicated without verbally saying anything. “What?”

“Nothing.” Joel moved toward the exit. “I’m going to secure a camera. You two figure out where we can stash it. Don’t leave this offi—”

Baxter finished it for him. “Don’t leave the office alone. Right.” He waved Joel on. “Go. I’ll figure out where we can put it.” He wouldn’t trust Rodney to.

“You know that babe receptionist…Ana Margaret…”

“Anna Marie.”

“Yeah. The one fucking Bob. She’s been over here a lot lately. Maybe she had something to do with this.”

Baxter frowned as he did some rearranging, looking for a camera spot. “I don’t think so.” Even though he’d thought about it himself.

“She was in your office. By herself. Did you check your computer?”

“Yeah. Often. Nothing there.” But he’d made a big deal in staff meetings about security. Everyone knew he was on the lookout and considering how paranoid he was about security, it was no wonder no one had tried to keylogger his computer. He’d check it again after this just to be sure. His opinion on computer security was that no one could be too paranoid.

“Still it’s odd she was coming to the geek section of town. Especially when she had the boss eating from her honey-pot.”

Baxter rolled his eyes at the crude term for pussy, but Rodney did have a point. It wasn’t something he could figure out. Maybe she’d needed his computer services and needed Bob for his hiring services and decided to use both of them? Only she’d acted like she wanted to date him.

He paused in his looking as he kept trying to figure out her motivation. Maybe there wasn’t any. But why would she be going into Bob’s office and staying? He frowned. He didn’t like the feelings in the pit of his stomach. He had no right to be jealous but he was, honey-pot or no honey-pot.

Eureka. That was it.

He could try and fool the person trying to hack him with a honey-pot. It would be a section on his computer that would look like vital information but wouldn’t contain anything of interest. Maybe then he could figure who was trying to hack him before they could get out of his computer.

* * * *

Anna Marie fingered the flash drive in her pocket. She kept making sure it was there. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to get to Baxter’s computer but she was going to try. She didn’t want the drive to fall out of her pocket. Or have Baxter feel it. “Is that a flash drive in your pocket or are you happy to see me” wasn’t the way she wanted to start off her evening.

She checked the address yet again. Yes, she was at the right apartment. If she didn’t hurry up and go in, they’d spot her and wonder why she was sitting in the car, not going in.

She marched to the door and stood outside it for a second, gathering her thoughts. She could do this. She had to do this.

The doorbell rang and even though she’d pushed it, the sound made her jump. It’s just Baxter, relax. She wouldn’t be able to relax until this evening was over. Until she had her evidence and her promotion. Only then would be she able to relax.

I’m not going to get distracted this time either. He may say pretty words but there’s evidence he’s not so pretty.

It was a good thought in theory.

Baxter opened the door. He looked a little distracted but smiled when he saw her. His mouth went from frown to smile setting a speed record. And he handed her a single rose. A red rose. He wore jeans and a button down shirt. Blue. Which made his eyes stand out. He looked so much more casual than he did at the office. He looked yummy. Not words she ever thought she’d hear about a computer geek but he did.

She twirled the single bloom in her fingers. “For me?”

He nodded. “I was leaving work and there was a vendor. They looked pretty. Like you.” He shrugged as though it was no big deal.

No one had ever given her flowers before. Not even her mother or any boyfriend… No, she couldn’t be thinking of Baxter as a boyfriend. She swallowed, unsure of what to say.

Joel sauntered to the doorway behind Baxter. “Bax, you gonna let her in or stand there at the door all night?”

Baxter grunted and then waved her inside. “Welcome to the domicile.” He stepped aside and let her pass him.

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. Two bachelors. Two geeks. Living alone. She might have expected fast food wrappers and shelves of cinder blocks and two by fours. That wasn’t what was there.

A brown couch and a matching loveseat faced a big flat screen TV. There was a glass coffee table with gaming controllers on top of it and what looked like coffee table books underneath it. There was a plant in the corner that looked healthy. Everything was in its place.

Baxter motioned her to the couch. “Sorry it’s such a mess. We didn’t get time to pick up. We were…uh…working late.”

Joel chimed in. “Yeah, working late.”

“Don’t even ask them on what.” Sam came in carrying a tray of chips from what presumably was the kitchen. “They won’t tell you.”

Both of the men glared at her.

Which was odd. Joel and Baxter might work for the same company but they were in different departments. Why would they have been together or maybe she was reading too much into their comments? Anna Marie plopped on the love seat where Baxter had indicated and Baxter sat down beside her. His leg touched hers.

Cozy.

No, she wasn’t supposed to get cozy with him, gosh darn it. She was supposed to find his computer. She glanced, trying to be discreet. Not in the living room. Where could it be? Kitchen? Bedroom? Which was problematic.

“So what do you want to play?” Baxter’s eyes were so probing as he gazed at her. He seemed to see everything about her.

But of course he didn’t, otherwise he’d see her playing him. Not a good thought. “Err…Whatever you guys want to play. Do you play in here?” Maybe that would get her access to other parts of the house if they played video games somewhere different.

“Sometimes. It depends on what we’re doing. We can either play something and take turns with controllers or hook up the other X-box in someone else’s room.”

That sounded like a plan. Maybe Baxter’s room so that way she could find his computer. But before she could speak up, Sam said, “Let’s take turns to start with.” She sat beside Joel and grabbed a chip. “Get to know Anna Marie.”

Anna Marie didn’t frown or do anything that might give her disappointment away. “Sounds great.” She put on a smile.

“Maybe we should Wii?” Joel leaned over and nabbed Sam’s chip from her fingers.

Sam glared at Joel and raised an eyebrow.

Anna Marie blinked at the word. “Wee?”

The three of them laughed. Baxter sat back and put arm along the back of the love seat. “Wii. It’s a gaming platform.”

She shivered at the warm arm that she could feel touching her even though he was a millimeter from making contact. His arm would feel good against her.

Joel and Sam exchanged knowing looks.

Sam grabbed another potato chip, which Joel promptly stole before he got to his feet. “So Wii it is?”

“Looks like it.” Baxter grinned at her as Joel went over and began messing with the TV.

“I probably won’t be any good at this.” She forced a laugh out. She’d never gamed before.

He reached across and tucked a piece of her wayward hair behind her ear. The touch was so gentle and genuine. “You’ll be fine.” He looked into her eyes and his were shining brightly. “I don’t care how well you do.”

Her throat constricted and grew tight. He didn’t. She could see the sincerity in him. A lot of men had asked differing degrees of things from her. He didn’t ask anything. Only seemed to want to spend time with her. Gah. Why did he have to want that? Why did he have to be so nice?

Joel turned on the TV and music blared. “I think our guest should go first. We’ll play fishing.”

Sam snorted. “You just like being able to hook the biggest fish. He’s such a dork. He has to win at everything.”

Joel sat beside her and grabbed a remote. He promptly handed it to Anna Marie. “Hush woman.” That seemed to be directed at Sam.

She’d never seen such teasing in a relationship. Her mother’s boyfriends had never acted like this. If her mother had said anything like that, they either would either have hit or left.

“You probably should stand up.” Baxter stood with her and walked her through starting the game.

As fishing started and she was doing miserably, he came up behind her. He held the hand holding the remote. “You should swing like this.” He showed her the correct way to handle the remote.

His hand burned her. His body scorched her. His heat enveloped her like a glove. Her body tingled in all the right places and even a few wrong ones.

She caught a fish. “Hey I got one!” It was her first one of the game. “It was a big one.” She couldn’t help but laugh.

”You’re getting the hang of it.” Baxter backed off. “Maybe you’ll give Joel a run for his money. He does like to win.”

Joel snorted. “You two are just jealous because I win so often.”

Anna Marie jerked another fish up. “I got another one!”

A few more rounds of fishing, lots more laughter and good natured teasing, and Joel said, “I think it’s time to move to another game.”

“You’re just worried that she’ll beat you.” Baxter dropped his arm a hair closer to her shoulders. “She’s getting too good.”

“In your dreams, Poe.” Joel shook his head and leaned back on the couch. He touched Sam’s hand and held it.

There was a lot of touching going on. Joel touched Sam every so often and she would touch him back. Baxter seemed to want to touch Anna Marie but couldn’t get up the nerve so he just came close.

And Anna Marie had never wanted anyone to touch her more. “Can’t we play a little more of this?” And to her surprise, she meant it. She was enjoying herself.

She closed her eyes for a second. She was enjoying herself. A lot. She liked the banter between the three friends. Not anything she’d ever imagined when she took the invitation.

“Yes.” Sam crunched another chip.

“No.” Joel spoke at the same time.

They both looked at each other. Sam blinked quickly and cocked her head to one side.

“Fine.” Joel muttered something under his breath. “We can keep playing before we move on to something else.”

“Ignore him. He just wants to win at something.” Sam patted his head and handed Anna Marie the controller again.

Baxter didn’t even have to help her this time. She found herself missing his touch. His closeness. His breath on the back of her neck.

“Oh, that’s a big one.” Sam took the last chip. “Why don’t you and I go into the kitchen and get more snacks. Baxter and Joel can figure out what else we can play.”

“Sure.” Anna Marie handed the remote to Baxter and traipsed into the kitchen behind Sam.

Sam pulled into several cabinets and bought down an assortment of junk food. “Having fun?”

“I am.” Anna Marie was still surprised at that. She hadn’t expected to have fun while she was there tonight. She’d almost forgotten her mission, which came back to her in appalling clearness. She couldn’t forget what she was there to do. Could she?

“Good. Baxter…” Sam turned her back to Anna Marie. “…is a good friend of mine. He really likes you.”

Waves of sensations moved across Anna Marie like a sail on a turbulent sea. He liked her? That had been obvious but to hear it stated outright was still mind numbing. “He does?”

“Yeah.” Sam turned back around, having dumped out some tortilla chips. “A lot. He’s a nice guy, Anna Marie. I hope you aren’t jerking him around for…whatever reason.”

Anna Marie grasped a tendril of hair between her fingers and twisted it. “I’m not jerking him around.” She was spying on him. Collecting evidence to bust him for a crime. That was all. “He does seem like a nice guy.”

“He is one.”

“I’ve known a lot of guys who seemed nice and weren’t.” Altogether too many. She had evidence that Baxter wasn’t as nice as he seemed. Or rather, Bob did.

“Baxter is the real thing.” Sam got down a few glasses. “He is. He’s also a hard worker.”

“Oh?” Hard worker at stealing? Anna Marie looked in the fridge. “Should I get out sodas?”

“Yeah.” Sam sat four glasses on the counter. “Baxter operates his own software company.”

“Oh, his hobby? He told me about that.” Hobbies weren’t anything productive. So that was what Sam considered hard work?

“It’s more than his hobby. Joel told me Baxter is having trouble keeping up with demand because his software is getting so popular and he also has a lot of clients who want individual programs.”

Anna Marie poured soda in a glass. That sounded…successful? “Seriously? He doesn’t just do games?”

“Yeah. He also is starting to make more money with his own company than he does at Cybernetics.”

“He’s not getting money from other things?” The instant the words were out of her mouth, Anna Marie wanted to call them back. Way to alert Baxter if that gets back to him.

Sam didn’t comment on Anna Marie’s look but did look confused. “Something else? No, it’s from his company. I sometimes help Baxter with his books. He needs a real businessperson though to do things like that. We’re all just faking that aspect.”

Sam would have noticed if the money Baxter was making came from their biggest competition. Which meant that the money she’d seen had to have been from Baxter’s own company. “Ah. He must be…successful.”

“He is. He’s doing well with his own company. Joel said he needs to leave but…doesn’t want to. Yet.”

Anna Marie poured soda in the third cup. “Wow.” He must be doing well with his company to be contemplating leaving his job. That sounded like more than a hobby or being frivolous with his time. She’d had no idea he was that successful. Because she hadn’t asked. She’d assumed things about him. She’d always heard the word assume makes an ass out of you and me. It definitely had her this time. Not to mention, these were the only things she could argue with herself about liking Baxter too much. Now that those impediments were removed, how was she supposed to keep herself at a distance? Figures. She would get herself into this situation.

“Yeah.” Sam got out another bag of chips. “He’s doing great. And he does like you.” Her face turned serious. “Don’t mess with him.”

Anna Marie helped herself to some water in the fourth glass, glad to be doing that so Sam couldn’t see her face. Sam was a good friend to Baxter. Joel too. If only she had friends like that. She didn’t. No one would defend her like this. She hadn’t had time for making friends the past years. There was too much she wanted to accomplish. But now, she was having fun with these people. Who’d have thought gaming could be fun? Definitely not her. But they made it fun. They were funny, smart. Vivacious. If this was what being a nerd was like, maybe Anna Marie should have signed up years ago.

How could these people defend a thief though? Did he have them fooled too? Only they both seemed to know Baxter better than anyone else and they both seemed astute. How could Joel, Baxter’s roommate, not suspect that Baxter was stealing secrets from his employer and selling them? Joel was in security!

But Bob has evidence.

That you never saw.

Both Sam and she loaded up on trays and drinks and went back into the living room. Anna Marie’s stomach churned. Too many questions were milling around her brain.

She followed behind the woman she was starting to like, which wasn’t why she was there. The more she was around Baxter, the more confused she became.

* * * *

Baxter had had one of the best evenings of his life. It beat going to PaxEast, a gaming convention, which had been his dream for a while now. Anna Marie was everything he’d ever thought. She was beautiful. She was funny. She caught on to gaming like she’d been doing it a while.

He’d intended to be cool to her after finding out what he had about her going to Bob’s office—even though he hadn’t been able to resist the flower for her—but once she’d shown up at his door looking so beautiful and fragile, he’d lost that resolve. He couldn’t believe what the gossips were saying. He still needed to confront her. Maybe now that they were alone, he’d get a chance.

Sam and Joel had retired to Joel’s room with knowing winks and glances. They were going to end their evening together.

Just the way he wanted to end the evening with Anna Marie. Maybe. He looked at her. Definitely. What was the deal with Bob? “So…word around the office is that you’ve been spending a lot of time in Bob’s office.” He put it out there. He didn’t have time for games unless they were video games, and if she were playing, he didn’t want to. He’d always been a fan of the direct approach.

Her hand trembled on the controller. “What?”

“His secretary said you’d gone in there a few times and spent a while. The rumors are flying.” Better she know from him than someone else.

“Shoot. I should have known that would happen.” She took a deep breath. “Bob is mentoring me. He gave me a special assignment with Cybernetics. I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

It was plausible. Business degrees did sometimes require internships which she might be referring to. Bob had mentored people before.

Which meant she didn’t have to be banging him. Thank God. He couldn’t imagine Anna Marie with the little weasel. Leave it to the office rumor mill to get away from the truth. Once they’d had Rodney having an affair with the copy guy. Now that had been a funny rumor. “Ah. Well good luck with that.”

She frowned. Looked away from him. “I think it’s turning into a dead end though. I don’t think the assignment is going to pan out.”

That didn’t sound good. Before he asked anything else, he shot Anna Marie with a gun or rather his character did on the screen. They’d moved on from Wii and were now playing Halo on X-Box.

“Hey. You shot me!” She gave him an incredulous look. “I can’t believe you shot me!”

He shrugged. “Had to be done.” He had done it to ease the tension.

“Hmph.” Her character came back to life and promptly shot him. In the ass. “Had to be done.”

They both started laughing.

She held the controller out. “I’ve…I’ve had such a good time. This was a lot of fun. I like your friends.”

“Me, too. On the good time. And liking my friends.” He set the controller down on the nearby coffee table.

“I haven’t had a lot of friends. You’re lucky.” Her voice softened and she looked thoughtful.

“Why haven’t you had friends?” He couldn’t imagine this creature was lonely but that’s the way her tone sounded. Her face looked wistful.

“I’ve been busy with school the last few years. And growing up…” She stopped. “Never mind.”

“What?”

She frantically shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

He leaned over and placed his hand on hers. “What?” He didn’t ask her to tell him but he tried to let her know it was okay if she wanted to tell him.

Her eyes grew larger as they stared into his. “My mother… I didn’t like to have friends over so I just didn’t make any. My mother was…well, she was…is… she’s not the best person. I never wanted anyone to meet her.”

Baxter had often wondered about comments that Anna Marie made about her mother. “I’d like to meet your mother.”

“No.” Her voice was brittle. “She’s a hoarder. She’s…not right in the head. She had boyfriend after boyfriend when I was growing up and couldn’t…deal with reality. She’s the opposite of who I want to be.”

Which explained her drive to finish school and other things. Anna Marie had opened herself up to him in an intimate fashion. He reached out again to take her hand. “You can be anything you want to be.”

Her throat moved up and down. “You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“My mother always said I was stupid. She said…I’d never amount to anything.” Her mouth drew up into a frown.

He wanted to take that pain away. Only no one could. Not until Anna Marie was ready to let it go. “Okay, now I don’t want to meet your mother.”

She looked shocked and the frown did disappear then. Her forehead crinkled as tiny lines ran through the skin. “What?”

“I’ve never wanted to hit a woman but for that, I’d like to.” He squeezed her hand. “Or maybe I would like to meet her and tell her how wrong she is about her daughter.”

“You really believe in me. You’d not just saying it.”

“Always. And I don’t say anything I don’t mean.”

Another swallow moved down her throat. And she moved closer to him. Took his head in her hands and brought his mouth down to hers.

His head swam in the feeling of her mouth on his. A kiss initiated by her. Her scent captivated him. Made every synapse in his body hum with anticipation. He staked his own claim on her mouth. Their mouths grew more and more frantic toward the other.

He was breathless when she pulled away from him. “Baxter?”

“Yeah?”

“Are Joel and Sam really done for the night?”

He nodded. He still tasted her on his lips. He could still feel her lips under his. His cock felt so hard, it might explode. He might explode with all these sensations coursing through his body.

She took his hand. “Take me to your room, Baxter. Take me to your bed.”

His mouth dried out completely. He’d had enough fantasies about this moment that he had to be sure this wasn’t one of them. “Just to be sure. You want me…”

“I want you.” She hesitated but tugged on his hand. “I want you to make love to me. Tonight.”

“Okay.” He leaped to his feet, almost getting tangled in them and falling. Not now. He managed to get up without tripping and kept his hand in hers. “Let’s…”

She stopped him when she got to his door. “I need to tell you something. I’m not doing this—”

He didn’t let her finish but placed his mouth on hers and ate her words. He didn’t know what she was about to tell him nor did he care. He could only think about one thing. Consuming her. Having sex with her.

He swooped her up in his arms.

“Baxter! I’m way too heavy.”

He shushed her and swung her through the doorway without hitting her on the doorframe. Yay for him.

She glanced around his dark room as he cut on a light and locked the door behind him. It was a mix of science fiction toys and computers. She chuckled as her fingers went over his Star Wars clock.

He felt sort of like Luke must have when he’d held his first light saber in Star Wars. This was going to change his life. He kept his gaze on her and made sure she was watching. He lowered his hands to his shirt and began undoing the buttons.

Without a word, Anna Marie came over to him and began undoing the buttons herself. “I should have told you before. I should tell you…”

He shook his head. “Later.” He didn’t want to mess this moment up with words. Words had a way of biting him in the ass. He didn’t have the brain for words. Not with most of his blood having hightailed it down south.

She reached the end of his shirt and she pulled it free from his jeans. He felt the slide of the material.

The shirt hung open, baring his chest to the coolness of the air. Left it vulnerable to the touch of the woman in front of him. God how he wanted her to touch him. He’d dreamed of this moment for three solid years. Since the first time he’d seen her, he’d wanted her. Now, he was about to have her. He shivered from head to his toes. He was about to have her.

One of her hands came up and pressed against his skin. “You’re so warm.” Her hand felt lava-like against his skin. And satisfying as she stroked him.

“You make me hot.” And filled with lust. And a dozen other things he couldn’t name. He’d never felt like this before. He felt out of control and wild, yet in control at the same time. How could she do that?

Her other hand came up and she explored his chest with careful hands. Such a delicate touch. She roamed her hands around his chest.

Each time they touched his nipples, he sucked in a breath. He hadn’t known they could react like this to a single touch.

Her hands lowered to his stomach and stroked the bottom of his belly. He sucked it in, enjoying the feel of her hands on him.

“You’re in great shape.” Her voice sounded wowed as though she couldn’t believe it. “You have a nice body.” A blush moved up her cheeks.

Guess all those bike rides with Joel had paid off.

Chapter Seven

Baxter waited patiently as Anna Marie tugged on the button to his jeans until it finally released. She unzipped it and then let her hand play in the hair there, tickling his chest. It was a good tickle, even though he wanted more of her touch. He would never tire of her touching him. Ever.

He reached out and stroked her face with his hand. She nuzzled into him like a cat seeking affection. Her skin ran soft against his fingers.

He half turned, keeping her hands on him but narrowing the distance between them so he could feel the heat of her body. He rubbed his hands over her shoulders and arms and they came to rest on the bottom of her shirt.

He slowly grasped the bottom of each side with careful fingers. He kept his gaze on her the whole time. He was waiting for her to stop him. Surely this couldn’t be about to happen. He wasn’t dreaming, was he? No this was too real to be a dream.

She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from his face either. Her somber eyes watched his every move.

He slowly lifted up the shirt, inch by precious inch. One word from her and he’d let it go and go back to his dreams.

She didn’t say a word to stop him. Instead, she moved her hands away from him, lifting them over her head to help him get her shirt off.

The garment went up over her head and cleared her hands. He tossed it to the floor and gazed at her lusciousness.

Beautiful.

She wore a plain white bra that brought out what little tan she had. Her skin was only slightly tanned, a step above milky white. A few freckles dotted her flesh. The bra was the only thing that marred seeing all her. It was the only thing that stood between him and seeing her breasts.

Which he desperately wanted to see.

He moved against her again and lowered his mouth to hers. He still couldn’t believe he was kissing her.

She let out a soft sigh, parting her lips just so for him to take full advantage of her wonderful mouth.

The kiss started out as a gentle exploration but he couldn’t get enough of her. He indulged in her taste. No confection could taste any sweeter.

His hands stroked her shoulders and her back before settling in the center of her spine. He searched for the clasp for her bra. Where was the damn thing? It had been a long time since he’d done this. Hell, truth was he’d never undressed a woman like this. He had no practice. No finesse. She was definitely going to know him as a geek if he couldn’t even find a damn bra clasp. He wanted her bra off. How to get there?

Her mouth broke from his. She stepped back an inch from him. Her gaze met his and she smiled. “Front.”

For a minute, he had no clue what she was talking about. Then he realized what she was saying. It was a front bra clasp. That was why he hadn’t been able to find it. She had known he was looking for it. She knew him pretty well. A wonderful yet scary thought that she could read him like this.

Her hands shook a little as they came up in front of her. She fumbled with the clasp until finally she undid it. She shrugged the bra from her shoulders and let it fall behind her on the floor.

He couldn’t speak. Not with her lovely breasts bared in front of him. They were magnificent globes. Firm. Rosy tipped nipples. They were even better looking than he’d imagined and he had a mighty fine imagination.

She was looking at him expectantly as though waiting for him to say something. Her face scrunched up and she bit her lip. Was she nervous?

Like he could talk right now. Not with the limited blood supply available to his head. Most of it was rushing around his incredibly hard cock. He had even less brain power than he’d had before.

So instead of talking, he moved forward and showed her with his mouth how much he liked how she looked. He claimed her mouth with a vengeance and wouldn’t let go. He kissed her until they were both panting and breathless. His heart raced through his chest like he was in the lead lap of a video game.

He lowered his head some more and took one pebbled nipple into his mouth, sucking it in. He’d wanted to taste her skin forever. Her taste enthralled him and made him want even more. Not to mention her reactions spurred him on.

She gasped and arched her body toward him as if she needed his touch. Her hands fisted in his hair as he suctioned his mouth around her.

He bit gently and she made a sound between a hiccup and a moan. Her back arched and her body shivered.

Her nipples were sensitive. Good to know for future reference. He’d have fun using that to his advantage.

He moved to the other nipple and bit while sucking it into his mouth. Not hard. Just a nip.

She wailed a breath that sounded like she might be having an asthma attack or was gushing air from her lungs.

He tried to lift his head but she yanked on his hair, keeping him down there. He took the hint and continued until she was writhing in his arms. He moved away from her, separating her hand from his hair.

Her breath came in gasps and pants. She took a deep gasp that almost seemed to choke her. Her hands went down to her pants. Keeping her eye level with his, she undid the snap to them.

The promised land was about to be revealed. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. His mouth dried out. He’d never thought this would ever happen. He still couldn’t get over that it was. He lowered his hands to his pants. He was offering quid pro quo. What she did, he would do.

She nodded as though he’d spoken the words. But he hadn’t, yet she’d understood him. She seemed to get him better than anyone else had. She tugged on one side, pulling it down a little.

He mirrored her actions.

As she slipped down her pants further, so did he. He pulled underwear down too just as she did. Luckily they’d taken off shoes earlier when they’d been gaming and didn’t have to worry about those.

In tandem, they shrugged clothes over their feet to the floor.

She blew out a breath, looking over at him. “Wow.” It seemed like a good thing for her to say.

He enjoyed the way her waist went into full hips and an ass that was kissable. Nippable. Yes, she definitely “Got Back” as the song by Sir Mix A Lot and covered by Jonathon Coulton said. The lyrics praised butts, particularly ones that were bodacious. “Yeah, wow.”

She continued to breathe slowly and they stood there, looking at each other’s naked bodies. She was the first to break the silence. “So, do we get into bed now?”

He chuckled. Neither of them seemed to be an expert on this. “I say, yeah.” He moved toward the bed and changed direction. He brought up his computer screen.

“What are you doing?”

He ticked a few keys. “Going to play music.” That should cover any noise they made. He turned the volume down low and set it on an instrumental track.

“What is that?”

“The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack.” He moved from the chair, then paused. “Is there something else you’d rather hear?”

Her laughter was light as a bell. “No. That’s fine.”

He moved to the side of the bed opposite from her and pulled back the covers. He slipped into the coolness of his sheets.

She smoothed a hand down the mattress. “No Star Wars sheets.”

“Nah. They’re in the laundry.”

Which made her laugh even more. “You’re something else.” She reached up to stroke his face, touching along his jaw line.

Her touch sent his skin into an electrified zone again. It was as if he’d touched an electric transformer.

She moved toward him and kissed him gently. Sweetly. Tenderly. Her hand urged him forward toward her.

He didn’t have to be told twice. He moved toward her and their bodies came together in a satisfying joining. She felt hot. Smooth. Bumpy. Everything all at once. He wanted to be all and end all in her.

His hand came up to her breast. He hesitated only a moment before touching her gently. He tweaked a nipple.

She whimpered and her hips bucked against him as if she wanted to be closer than ever to him.

She didn’t stop him.

Even though he half still expected her to halt any progress they made. He kept waiting but so far she gave no sign that she was thinking about not going further.

He pulled his mouth from hers and lowered it to her breast. He needed to taste them again. Taste her again.

She was as good as he remembered.

He sucked her into his mouth and laved his tongue around her. Her nipple was already pebbled against his tongue.

Her hips lifted off the bed as he threw his leg over her.

She ran hands through his hair, almost painfully as she tugged on the strands. He ignored the pain and move to the other breast.

Some more of the same treatment before he moved down along her torso to her belly. He nipped and laved small kisses against her skin.

Took a deep breath.

He hadn’t done what he was about to do a lot. But he’d heard what experience didn’t get you, exuberance did. He had plenty of that. He couldn’t wait to taste her. He licked to the start of her pubic hair.

She sucked in, creating a cavern in her stomach.

He moved down with his tongue licking all the while. He found her pussy and sunk into her like a man eating his last meal. She could be his last meal and he’d die a happy man. Her scent filled his nostrils and her taste flooded his mouth.

Ecstasy.

He speared her, going all the way up inside her channel before coming back out to circle around her clit like someone playing chase.

Her hips tried to lift off the bed and he held her down.

He wasn’t the least bit gentle as he consumed her pussy, licking and tasting in every place he could find. Then he centered on the bundle of nerves and ate her up.

Her body tensed. She shook all over like an earthquake was breaking out from within her.

He doubled his efforts.

Her cry was as loud as a seabird on the ocean. She almost came off the bed and gigantic pants followed the shriek.

He’d made her orgasm. Climax. He’d done that.

She continued to shake and breathe deeply as he moved away from her pussy. Her juices still covered his mouth and tongue. He liked them there.

“You killed me. I hope you know where to hide the body.”

He chuckled as he swiftly moved up to look her in the eye. “I have only just started with you.” He planned to do things like this to her as long as she’d let him.

“Be still my heart.”

He leaned over her, kissing her. Did she taste herself on him?

He broke from the kiss and went up on his arms as much as he could manage before he gently slid himself toward her. He wanted to watch her face as he entered her. He quickly slid on the condom he’d retrieved from his nightstand.

She parted her legs and her lips at the same time.

He took full advantage of both. He put his mouth on hers at the same time his cock went into her delightful pussy.

Her eyes widened and then rolled back in her head. Her outburst was a cross of a moan and a grunt.

He slid in and out, taking his time and working up to what would be a faster pace. After all, he had all the time in the world.

Only it didn’t seem that way. The tension grew within him to frustrating levels as he kept up his penetration.

His possession.

This woman was his. Through and through.

When a keening sound broke from her lips and her muscles clenched around him in mid-stroke, he lost it.

His orgasm consumed him much like he’d consumed her pussy. He lost himself within her walls, loving the feel of her around him as his climax took control.

He fell on her, spent and panting. His heart was racing like an onboard motor. Like a tank in Halo.

She gently rolled him from her and took off the condom. She wrapped it in a tissue and tossed it in his trash.

He smiled at her. God, she was so beautiful. He’d never imagined feeling this way about her, even when he’d daydreamed about her all the time. The reality was better than a dream any day.

She stroked his face. “We need to talk…”

He nodded. “Talk…later.” He pulled her against him and she snuggled into his body, warming him with her heat.

“Later…”

He didn’t hear what else she said, losing himself in the feel of her body against his.

* * * *

Anna Marie came awake slowly. She was warm. She was encased in another person’s body. She felt safe for the first time in…ever.

She refused to open her eyes on the grounds that this nice dream might run away if she woke up. She’d take a few more minutes to luxuriate before the shrill alarm clock pulled her away from this bliss.

Only it wasn’t a dream.

The sensations were too real. The person draped around her was breathing. She could feel each lift of their skin.

She’d had sex with the code monkey and was waking up at his side. Great sex. Hot sex. Wonderful ass-kicking sex. She almost let out a giggle at that but stifled it as she didn’t want to wake him up.

Life was good.

Only she’d never talked to Baxter about Bob and about what she’d been sent there to do. She wasn’t going to do that now of course. She didn’t believe that Baxter could be responsible for the thefts and she wasn’t about to collect evidence against him.

Somehow, he’d wormed his way under all her defenses. She liked him more than any other man she’d ever met. She’d let him into her last night. Not just her body but her soul and dare she say it, the beginnings of her heart.

Only she’d never told Baxter all of this. She hadn’t gotten a chance once she’d realized she couldn’t go through spying on him, but that she had to be with him.

She opened her eyes. Probably should have spilled the story before they’d slept together. Only it hadn’t been important enough to keep her from having sex with Baxter when he wouldn’t listen to her. Had that been a mistake? Probably. How was she supposed to tell him now? When last night had happened.

Because now, telling him was probably going to hurt him. Her heart skipped a beat. He might not even believe her. He might believe she’d betrayed him on many levels. Like the one that said she was screwing Bob. Like that would ever happen. But what if telling Baxter this secret made him wonder what else she could be hiding from him?

No. She couldn’t let this destroy whatever would be between her and Baxter. She’d cross over that when she got there and fight for Baxter at whatever cost. First, she had to tell him the whole story. Then, she had to confront old Bob.

Did she expect Baxter and her to live happily ever after? There had been no talk of love nor a future, not that she expected any. She still had school to finish and she would finish come hell or high water. This was a case of being unsure what would happen after the sex. Would he even want anything with her whether or not she told him the story about Bob and the offer she’d been given? She’d make him want her. She had wiles. She was savvy. She could make him. Had to make him. She wasn’t about to lose him.

Baxter stirred and moved over, kicking his leg off of her body. He started and glanced over at her. “Mmmm.”

She smiled at him. She could get used to this face in the morning. Get used to this smile. A scary thought but a fun one too. “Good morning. You okay?”

“Yeah. Just…making sure it wasn’t a dream.” He scratched leisurely at the hair on his chest. He moved again and something hard bumped up against her leg. Did he have an erection? She didn’t want to be rude and check. “Thank God. It wasn’t a dream.”

Him too. She closed her eyes again before reopening them to stare into his. He had such beautiful eyes. They were the windows to his soul. He had a nice soul. How could she have ever thought he would steal?

He leaned over and kissed her. A gentle peck. His hand caressed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” She probably had morning breath that was enough to gunk up the windows. She’d have to find some toothpaste. Maybe after that, there would be a round two? Her body tingled. That would be a fun rousing way to start off her morning.

Focus. You wanted to talk, remember?

Oh yeah.

He rolled over and got to his feet. He stretched, making her body go weak at the knees. She wanted to explore him. Things had happened so fast last night—the three times they’d had sex—she hadn’t gotten a chance to do much nosing around his body and it wasn’t her nose she wanted to touch him. She’d never had full reign of a man’s body before. He would let her. A smile raced across her lips. He would let her do anything to him.

He stepped away from the bed, not bothering to get dressed. He took two steps, presumably toward the bathroom and said, “Ow.” He grabbed at his foot and looked down at the floor.

She sat up in the bed, not bothering to pull up the sheet. She didn’t care if he saw her naked. He had seen all of her already. Nice to feel that way about someone for once and not be uncomfortable. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just stepped on something.” He reached down by the clothes on the floor and picked up an object. Actually they were her clothes. He was near where she’d dropped them last night. “Huh.” He looked down and picked up something else.

“You alright?”

He turned back toward the bed. His face wasn’t jovial any more. In fact it was downright serious. He held something in his hand along with a slip of paper.

A flash drive.

Her flash drive.

And a slip of paper. Containing the name of the file that Bob had wanted her to locate and download.

It must have fallen out of her pocket when she’d stripped. Figured. That was her luck after all.

She sat up straighter, back going ramrod stiff. This wasn’t good.

“What’s this?” His voice would have frozen the tundra. It sent chills down her spine that she couldn’t control.

“I…” She bit her lip. “It’s a flash drive.”

He held out the paper. “’highball?’ Why do you have a flash drive and a paper with the word ‘highball’ on it?” His voice was dangerously low.

“I can explain.” Her voice went into a higher pitch, which didn’t help her case one bit. In fact, it probably hurt it. How was she going to explain this? She’d put talking to him off and now it was about to bite her.

“Please do.” His eyes looked stormy and he tensed up. He looked like he wanted to kill someone. Probably her.

How on earth was she going to explain this without looking guilty as sin? She couldn’t get words past her rapidly swelling throat.

“I’m waiting.”

She pulled up the blanket. She felt too naked now in front of him. Funny how some things could change in the blink of an eye. “Look. Um. Remember when I. When we were about to. I wanted to tell you something. You told me not to.”

He nodded. Didn’t say anything. Just stood there with an accusing look on his stony face. He reminded her of a gargoyle right now.

“I wanted to tell you…” She couldn’t look at him any longer. Not and get through this. She’d been all ready to betray him up until the time came. A fact she felt most guilty about and would have trouble confessing.

He didn’t let her get started again. “Wanted to tell me what? How you were about to steal secrets from me? ‘highball’ is the newest program I’ve been working on. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“I wasn’t stealing from you.” Of all the things he could have said, that wasn’t the one she was expecting.

“Oh?” He shook his hand and the flash drive at her. “Then, this just happened to be in your pocket with the name of the most sensitive file I have?”

“I wasn’t stealing from you…wait a minute. ‘highball’ is a file of code you’ve been working on?” That had escaped her notice a few sentences ago. She’d been too focused on what he was accusing her of. “No.”

“Come off it. Like you didn’t know what it was.” His lips pursed. “You were all prepared to download the thing.”

“I was told…that that file was evidence you were stealing from Cybernetics.” If “highball” weren’t a file of evidence, if it were a file with sensitive information…that led to a lot of dastardly thoughts, the first one being, she’d been had. “Oh no.”

“Bull. You were stealing. How long have you been stealing from Cybernetics?” His eyes looked as wounded as a dog with a foot in a trap. “How many saps have you taken for this ride besides me?”

“I wasn’t stealing. I told you that.” She sat up straighter. “I was supposed to be collecting evidence. On you.” There’d never been any evidence. Never been Baxter stealing secrets. There had probably never been a cozy promotion for her either. Bob hadn’t just gotten her, he’d gotten her good.

“Against me.” His laugh turned bitter. “No wonder you’ve been spending so much time with me.”

“No. I mean…it started out like that. I was going to—collect evidence and turn it in but then—I spent time with you and I liked it. I liked it a lot. I like you a lot.” It sounded lame and like a movie of the week to even to her ears. No way was he going to buy into this.

“Cut the crap. You don’t have to suck up to me anymore. It’s over. You can come clean.”

“I’m not sucking up.” She was desperate for him to listen to her but it looked as though he’d already made up his mind. She was a dirty little liar and nothing was going to convince him otherwise. She’d known she wasn’t good enough for him and this just proved it. Tears pricked her eyelids. “I do like you. That’s why—I slept with you. I wanted to tell you this last night. Before we had sex. You wouldn’t let me talk. Remember?”

Though he seemed to consider it, he still looked like he’d been punched in the gut. In a way, he had. “You’re stealing from me. God. How many…” He rubbed his head with his hands. “How could I—stupid.”

How could he think this of her? How could he believe that she’d do this? Because she’d lied to him from the beginning. “Bob.”

He lifted his hands from his head. “What?”

“Bob. He’s the one who had me doing this. He told me to get evidence on you.” Would he believe her about this part? “He said I’d get a promotion if I collected evidence that you were the thief. He said he had proof.” She waited, hands twisting in the blanket for his reaction to that. “He’s the one who told me to get ‘highball,’ though he said it was evidence against you.”

Only a knock came at the door before he could respond. A persistent knock that sounded four times before stopping.

Baxter turned to look at the door but didn’t answer it. He glared at it and then turned back at her. She didn’t like being on the receiving end of that look.

The knock grew louder, greater in number, closer to together and a couple of “Baxter”s were added.

“What?” Baxter snapped the words without opening the door. He stood, hands clenched, body tense.

“I know…well, I know you have company. But I think we need to go check things out at the office. Remember you told me to get you up. This early.” Joel’s voice was sing-song with differing inflections on each word.

Baxter stroked his chin. “I know I did. I just thought…I didn’t expect you to come…after…”

After last night. They’d arranged whatever they were going to do last night.

“We need to check things at the office.” Joel coughed a couple of times. “Before anyone else comes in. Cough cough.”

“Yeah. I know. I’ll get dressed. Give me a minute.” Baxter turned toward her. “I’ve got to go to work and do something with Joel.” He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I’ll sort all of this out later. When I can think.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“I don’t know what to believe.” Baxter ran a hand through his spiky hair. “I truly don’t. I can’t think right now and have to go in.” He pointed. “You stay here. Don’t move.” His hand clutched the flash drive. “I’m going to hang onto this. We’ll talk when I get back.” His voice rose as she moved. “Don’t go anywhere. I will get to the bottom of this.”

He moved into the bathroom to get dressed and left without a word to her.

She waited a few seconds and then quickly put on her clothes. She wasn’t staying there like Baxter had told her.

No, she had a weasel to confront.

Chapter Eight

Baxter slumped in his chair. He couldn’t concentrate on the data in front of him. He pinched his nostrils together. A low droning sound got his attention.

Joel talking.

He focused on the words. “…Earth to Baxter. Come in Baxter. We’ve located the device. What can you tell us? Earth to Baxter. Red Unit one to wingman.”

Baxter turned in his seat and glared at Joel.

“Finally.” Joel shook his head. “Thought I’d lost you. You’ve been awfully quiet for a man…well, who spent a good night.” Joel winked but when Baxter said nothing, he sobered. “You’ve been serious for a man in your shoes. What’s up?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He didn’t want to talk about how he’d been betrayed by someone he wouldn’t have expected it from. Didn’t want to talk about how Anna Marie had only slept with him…he couldn’t even think it. She’d denied it and said she’d come to genuinely like him. But how could he believe her after all the lies?

Joel’s frown deepened. “What happened? After last night, I thought I’d be scraping you off the ceiling from flying so high.”

“Me too, man. Me too.” He didn’t know what to believe any more. Logic said she’d had the flash drive and the file name, she’d lied to him when she’d sought him out, that she couldn’t be trusted.

Bob?

Bob had orchestrated this? He couldn’t get himself out of a paper bag without help. Or at least that’s what Baxter had thought about him.

“The keylogger had been taken off Rodney’s computer.” Joel sat down in the chair next to him with a laptop in hand. “I’m watching the video in speed mode but it’s going to take a while as it’s over twelve hours of footage. Any results from your honey-pot?”

Baxter had set it up last night before he’d left to come home. It had looked chock full of information that a hacker would want but it would take forever to download…or in actuality never download. It also would track back to the computer that had hacked it. “Give me a sec.” He punched a few keys on the keyboard. If only he could punch something more substantial.

Joel sat quietly for a minute. “So you’re not going to tell me what happened between you and Anna Marie? Sam said they had a conversation in the kitchen. She says Anna Marie likes you. A lot.”

Baxter said, “Hmmph.” That wasn’t likely. Unless she’d been trying to suck up to Sam, too.

“What’s that supposed to be mean?”

“Let’s just say I think I’m more into her than she is into me.” For reasons he couldn’t even think about. How could she ever have done this?

“Sam didn’t think so. And she’s a pretty good judge. She said Anna Marie had fallen for you, she just hadn’t realized it fully yet.”

Anna Marie’s words ran across his brain. That was what she’d told him. Only question was, he wasn’t sure whether to believe it. Sam saw it but Sam could be wrong. “Did you see that, too?”

“I…well, I’m not as astute as Sam is about people.” Joel leaned back in the chair and it squeaked. “But she did seem to enjoy our little get together. When we went to bed, she didn’t seem to want to leave.”

Baxter sighed. He still wasn’t sure what to believe or what he should do. If only people were as easy as computers… “Eureka.”

“You found something.” Another squeak sounded as Joel moved in his chair. “What did you find?”

Baxter hooted. “I found the source of the hacker. I’m GPSing the IP address right now. It won’t give me an exact address as I’m sure you remember with Sam.”

“Yeah. I remember.” Sam had been kidnapped by a fan of Joel’s and the kidnapper had faked some notes. It had taken Baxter’s help to sort that all out. Fitting that Joel was now going to help Baxter. The video would probably tell them more than the honey-pot.

“The IP is coming up Anandale:” He clicked on a few keys. “Six employees from here live in Anandale.”

“That’s a lot of employees to go checking on.”

“Yeah. Yeah it is.” He clicked on the keys in frustration. The brighter news was that Anna Marie didn’t live in Anandale. So it hadn’t been her trying to hack into his computer. That was something at least.

Joel blew out a long whistle. “I bet I can tell you who one of those employees is who lives in Anandale.”

Baxter immediately turned toward Joel. “You got something? It recorded the person who came to get the keylogger.”

Joel nodded with a huge grin. “Uh huh.” He turned the laptop toward Baxter and showed him the screen. “It’s blurry at first. You can’t tell who it is.” A shadowy person moved across the screen toward Rodney’s desk and pulled off the keylogger.

Baxter’s heart sunk. That wasn’t good. He couldn’t tell who it was. He needed an identity to catch this creep.

“You can’t see much until nine twenty-one in the tape. Then our mystery date gives a full view to the camera. Of his face.”

Sure enough at that precise moment, the figure looked up and the light was enough to see exactly who had come to get the keylogger.

Bob.

“Shit.” Baxter’s mind starting reeling.

“What? He doesn’t live in Anandale?” Joel reached down to press a button and stop the video.

“No. No, he does.” Baxter turned back to the screen to check out the address again. “He’s in Anandale.”

“Then why ‘shit’?”

“Because I think Bob set up Anna Marie to throw suspicion on me. He promised her a promotion for a special assignment in spying on me. But…”

“She couldn’t go through with it?” Joel looked serious, yet sympathetic.

“Right. She told me Bob did it but I didn’t believe her until now. If he’s stealing secrets, that’s bad. He’ll be desperate, especially since he hasn’t gotten mine yet.” Baxter tapped on the keys. “That will make him dangerous.”

Joel’s phone rang. “Hey Sam. Yeah, we’re at the office.”

Baxter snapped his fingers. “Tell her to tell Anna Marie I believe her. She has to stay away from Bob.” She’d been doing what she had to do to get a promotion. He could see how that would attract her to the assignment. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with that. But at least, she hadn’t planned to go through with it. They could sort this out. But right now, she had to stay away from a dangerous man.

“Uh Bax. Anna Marie isn’t there. Sam searched the whole place already.”

Baxter’s head came up. “Oh. That’s not good.”

Joel nodded in agreement. “Sam, we’re going to Anandale. I’ll call you back later.”

Both of them got up and sprinted to the door.

* * * *

Anna Marie didn’t stop when she got to Bob’s receptionist’s desk. Not that she was there that early. No one was. Except Baxter and Joel somewhere else in the building. She’d been careful to avoid those two when she’d arrived. The person she wanted to see was in early too.

Bob was at his desk. He glanced up “Anna Marie? Have you gotten the evidence? Gotten ‘highball’?”

“You used me.”

“What?”

“You used me to get to Baxter. I don’t understand why. But it’s not Baxter stealing secrets. I don’t know your game…unless you’re the one stealing secrets.” Which he was. That much Anna Marie knew, though she couldn’t prove anything.

The look on Bob’s weasel-like face confirmed he was the one stealing from the company. He’d been doing so all along. And she’d fallen for it. “Anna Marie. You were supposed to be the dumb blond.”

“I’m not that dumb. Or that blond.” Her hair was more brown than blond.

“You were dumb enough to go along with my plan.” Bob laughed as he leaned back in his chair. “See Baxter…he’s one of the best and brightest here. And with all his security, he just might have caught me. But not with being distracted by Miss Big Tits.”

“You weasel.”

Bob grinned, settling back in his chair. “I’m downloading some information from his computer right now. Soon as I get it all, it’s getting backed up and I’m out of this shithole for a shitload of money. I’m going to retire rich. Your boy Baxter sure won’t. Now who’s talented?”

“You’re not a quarter of the man Baxter is.”

“But I’ll be five times as rich and away from here before anyone knows anything.” His eyes narrowed.

“No, you won’t. I’m going to tell everyone I can find. I’m going to sing it from the rooftops.” She was on a roll. He wasn’t going to get away with this. She stomped her foot which made little sound on the carpeted floor. Somehow she’d prove Bob had done all this.

“I thought you might say that.” Bob’s hand came up with a gun and pointed it right at Anna Marie. “Which is why you can’t leave.”

Her heart pounded in her chest as her breathing went erratic. It was hard to think with a gun pointed at you. “I…”

He got up and pulled an extension cord out of his desk drawer. “Sit.” He motioned with the gun to the chair.

She looked longingly at the door behind her but she didn’t think she could make it before he’d catch her. Or maybe he’d just shoot her. After all, she knew his secret. She’d never thought that Bob would be packing heat. Never in a million years. She’d come there intending to confront him but she hadn’t considered that he’d be dangerous. This was Bob after all. Guess a cornered rat could turn into a lion if backed up enough. She sat.

“Put your arms through the arms of the chair.”

She complied. He kept the gun on her while he ran the cord through the arms of the chair, tying her arms to it.

He then went down on his knees. He secured her feet to the legs of the chair. “Now, no one is in and I don’t expect anyone to be in before I get this file to download. Still, I don’t want you to make any noise. Got it?” He brandished the gun near her face.

She nodded. Was it her imagination or did she smell oil and metal?

He laughed heartily. “You are gullible. First I get you to help me distract Baxter. Now you think I’m going to shoot you?” He tossed back his head and pulled the trigger.

She closed her eyes and jumped as far as she could in the chair, trying to escape the inevitable. He’d fired the gun. Only there was no sound. She opened her eyes to look at him.

Flame came from the end.

It was a lighter. He’d tied her up by using a fricking lighter.

She gritted her teeth.

“I’m into corporate espionage. Not murder. I’ll leave a couple of files around to throw suspicion on you and Mr. Baxter. That will throw the trail off and by the time it’s sorted out, I’ll be in Mexico. Sipping on a drink at a villa that costs more than a college education.” He sauntered back to the other side of his desk. “Thanks for playing into all my plans. This is going to get tied up nicely.”

No one would come for her. Baxter hated her now. It was what she deserved. She’d never deserved a nice guy like him and look what had been brought down on her head?

No. She was more than the sum of her childhood. She was going to be someone. She did deserve Baxter.

Even if he hated her right now.

She’d get out of this. Someone had to come into the office soon and she had lungs. A good pair of lungs if the boys from high school told the truth.

Bob tapped impatiently on his keyboard. “Why won’t this file download? It’s been trying for hours. Dammit.”

“Maybe because you stole my honey-pot, you son of a bitch.”

Baxter.

Anna Marie breathed in deeply. She’d not expected to see him again. Not that she could see him from her position, but she could hear him.

Baxter moved into the room and into her line of sight. “Are you okay?” he said, looking at her.

“Yeah. I am.” He was checking on her. That had to be a good sign right?

“I’ve got you, Bob.” Baxter shook his head. “You got caught on tape.”

“Tape?” Bob glared at Baxter.

“I set up a video monitor in Rodney’s office. We got you coming in to take off the keylogger. And I set up a dummy file. A honey-pot. The one you’re trying to get right now. I traced it. Right to your house which is where you routed the computer through.” Baxter waved a hand. “It’s over.”

“Please. You have nothing on me. Besides…what are you going to do about it?”

“Rescue the girl. Catch the villain. Live to fight another day.”

Sounded like a superhero plot from a comic book. She was willing to do it as long as she was the girl involved.

“You came here alone. Foolish. You really think you can get the best of me? Now that I have you, I can use her against you. Get those files I need. See I already have to be out of the country soon. I don’t care anymore.” Bob’s mouth went into a snarl and he pulled out the gun again.

Baxter took a step back. “Bob.”

“It’s a lighter.” She couldn’t believe Bob didn’t think that Anna Marie would tell him. Did he think she was a shrinking violet?

“But this one is real.” Joel’s voice came from the doorway. He stood holding a gun and had two beefy guys behind him. “And the police that are on their way have even more guns.”

Baxter hurried to her side as Joel swept in to detain Bob. He’d have a lot of answering to do.

“Baxter.” Anna Marie startled babbling. “I had no idea that Bob was behind the thefts. He said he’d give me a promotion. But then I started falling for you.” She hardly knew what she said. She was a babbling fool.

He began to undo the bindings at her wrists and ankles. Held one finger to her lips to halt the onslaught of emotion pouring from her. “I believe you.”

“You do?” Her heart began to throb in her chest.

“Yeah. I should have before. I was an idiot. Just…” He gave her a small smile. “Don’t keep anything from me like this again. I want to know it all.”

As soon as her arms were free, she grabbed him. “I won’t. You’ll know everything about me.”

* * * *

“How are you doing?” Baxter stroked her hair gently. It had been several months since Bob’s arrest. She’d been testifying in court today.

“Okay.” It had felt good to get this out. She stretched out her legs which were resting in Baxter’s lap.

“How’s school? Did you get too far behind with the time you missed?”

“It’s going well. I got an A on the computer project.” A good thing she’d gotten to know Baxter. Not only was he a wonderful boyfriend but he made a good teacher. He helped her study. He wanted her to finish school as much as she did and she’d learned he would never stand in her way. He’d made that perfectly clear. All her fears about a boyfriend interfering with her studies had been fruitless. He made her study more than she would have on her own.

“I turned in my two week’s notice today.” His voice was measured as though he wasn’t sure of her reaction.

“Wonderful. I’ve been waiting for that.” He needed to. His company had exploded beyond even what it had been a couple of months ago. “You’re going to do wonderful.”

He looked relieved. He knew the whole story about her mother now, which made him understand her better and how she felt about working. She’d even told him the story about her mother wearing flip-flops to every major event, which was why she always wore closed toe shoes, and how her grandmother had given her a locket that she always wore because her mother might steal it. Sad when her mother’s own mother had told her to wear it all the time for that reason.

He must have been worried about her reaction. She wasn’t worried. He was a hard worker in whatever he did. He patted her calf. “Look at the time. We both have to get up for work in the morning.”

She grabbed his arm. “You know…you don’t have to go.”

His gaze shifted to her eyes. “I don’t?”

She shook her head. They had only been together that one time. They’d done some making out and some playing around but hadn’t taken it all the way again since that night. He’d been taking it slow, trying to get to know her.

“Are you sure?” He stroked along her calf. “We sort of rushed it last time. I don’t want to do that again.”

She shook her head. “It’s not rushing. I’m ready. Are you?” She held her breath, worried he’d say no. She would wait if he did but she wanted him. Had for a long time. They were ready to take this step.

His smile was huge. “Hell yeah.” He reached down into his pocket as if checking for something. “I’ve got a condom.” His voice was hushed. Hurried.

He moved so quickly she was stunned. He scooped her up into his arms and headed for her bedroom.

“You don’t waste any time.”

“Nope.” He swung her through the doorway and deposited her on her bed in her small bedroom. “Strip.”

They both did in record time. This had been a long time coming so they were both frantic to be naked and on each other.

She was going to be with the code monkey. What an interesting turn her life had taken. She never would have pictured this moment six months ago. Now it was all she could think about.

She’d forgotten how good he looked. How much she liked his body. She wanted to be everywhere at once, devouring her. Her mouth watered with her desire.

It wasn’t just his body that she liked. His mind was the counterbalance and made her love his body all the more.

She loved him. Figured. She would fall in love when she least expected it.

She wasn’t sure when that had happened. Sometime during game night before Bob had been exposed. But she did. She sighed, looking him over. She still couldn’t believe he was hers.

“I was thinking…” Baxter climbed on her bed, crawling up to her. “Maybe it’s time Joel and Sam moved into together.”

She nodded. Stroking his cheek. “That would leave you without roommate. But I think I know where you could find one.” With most men she would have been unsure if that had been what they meant. With Baxter, she knew him well enough to know what he meant.

“Doesn’t have to be right now. But soon. Maybe?”

“Maybe.” He was the first man she’d even thought about living with. Another big step. They’d take it together.

His smile was bigger than before and infectious. He leaned over and kissed her. It started slow and gentle but quickly moved into fast and furious.

Only after a minute she pushed him down onto the bed.

He arched an eyebrow at her.

She ran a fingernail down his chest. “I didn’t get to explore you last time. It’s my turn.” She had dreamed about this moment since they’d been together.

He crossed his arms over his head. “Go right ahead.”

She would whether he invited her to or not but was glad to know she’d been given permission. Her playground. She’d enjoy him.

She leaned over and kissed him fully on the lips. Her tongue stepped in to gently tangle with his.

He groaned a little.

Her mouth left his and went to his neck. She could smell his aftershave. The slight stubble of his beard growing back. It pricked at her skin, electrifying it.

She moved her mouth down his neck to his collarbone and pressed small kisses all over him.

Her hand came up to brush around the hair on his chest. Couldn’t play in the hair without touching his nipples. He sucked in a breath when that happened.

She tweaked one in between her finger tips. Then her mouth went to find his flat nipples as she laved them one by one. They tightened under her ministrations.

He let out a little shiver.

She liked how she could affect him with a simple touch. What power that was. He gave her power in so many ways.

She then moved down his torso and kissed his lean stomach. She nipped and nibbled until he groaned.

Yes, she liked having him as her playground.

Deftly she reached down with one hand to encircle his penis. He was so hard. So soft at the same time. There was a little wetness at the tip.

She’d never gone down on a man before. She hoped she could do it right. She’d seen it in a porno movie once that a roommate had rented. Read about it.

She opened her mouth as far as it would open and slipped him in. The skin was surprisingly smooth. His taste was musky with a little saltiness. She twirled her tongue around his tip.

His hips writhed a little.

More saltiness.

Maybe she was doing it right. She kept her mouth open as she went down to his end, then closed her mouth slightly. She tightened it around him.

Was she giving him too much teeth? She tried to keep her teeth away from him as much as possible.

He moaned and mumbled something incoherently. His hands were bunched up in the sheets and white knuckled.

Must not be doing it wrong, at least, that’s what she hoped his reactions told her.

She shifted her weight and went up and down on him again. Slowly she built up a rhythm, keeping her mouth tight and taking him in and out. How many times she’d done the motions, she’d lost count.

Her jaw ached.

Funny how you never read about that in romance novels. But she soon ached too much to continue. She liked his member in her mouth. Liked giving him this. It must take some doing to build up stamina. She’d have to practice. Considering his reactions, he’d like that.

She released him, intending to take a break before she went back to giving him everything she could.

His head rolled back.

She liked the way he looked, all limp and satisfied. And he hadn’t even come yet. Her skin tingled in anticipation of having him inside of her again.

For the second time tonight he moved as rapidly as a cheetah and came at her with his body.

“Flip over.” His voice brokered no argument. He sounded as commanding as he did when he was working on computers.

She flipped. Wouldn’t have dreamed doing otherwise. Was he going to take her from behind? Oh my. She’d never done that either.

She heard the condom package open and felt the bed move under his weight as he was presumably putting on the condom. That just added to her anticipation.

He put one hand on each of side of her hips and maneuvered her into position, butt in the air. A little uncomfortable. Her body trembled trying to hold the unfamiliar position.

He moved close behind her. Used one hand to guide himself into her willing pussy. Pussy. First time she’d ever used that word even in thought. But it fit here. With him. A lot of things fit with him that she’d never thought about before.

So strange.

She’d never had sex from this angle.

Her channel felt stretched and tight around him. It set off nerve endings she didn’t even know she had. “Oh my.” She echoed her thought from earlier.

He was the only man she trusted to do this with. It still felt odd to be in this position.

He growled something and slowly began to thrust inside of her and all her inhibitions fell away. In and out went the pace as he picked up momentum with each down turn.

The orgasm grasped her in a vise grip before she even knew it was coming. She went spinning into the air and became one with the clouds.

He gripped even tighter as his whole body tensed and he came with a yell of her name. His body slammed one last time and shuddered.

Panting, they both settled down in the bed. She thought her heart might explode it was going so fast. He shrugged to his feet after a second to take off the condom and dispose of it. Then he came back and snuggled in beside her. “We make a great team.”

She laid her head on his chest. The code monkey and the telephone monkey. Yes, they did. And she was never letting him go.

The End

About the Author:

Mechele Armstrong is an author living in Virginia who pretends to clean while writing romance novels. She already found her happily ever after with her computer geek hubby, which led to two kidlets, which led to playing psychiatrist to a neurotic dog, thrower of balls to a spaz cat, and acting as servant to a cat who knows she rules the roost.

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Urban fantasy world: TerranRealm.com

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Table of Contents

Code Monkey

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight