Page 25 of Royal Hacker

You found something on my stalker?I added an emoji of a guy fist bumping the sky.

Neal:No, sorry. I meant about the project we were working on and how you were trying to cut down the time it took to search the network.

I responded.Next time say I have to talk about work, ass. You got my hopes up. I will call. You want to meet for dinner also?

Neal:Yeah, let’s meet at Shula’s. I’m in the mood for steak.

I picked up my breakfast plates and put them in the sink. Since Sam gave me the okay, I was going to text the staff and let them know they could come clean Sam’s house. I’d never liked cleaning and cooking. They would be happy Sam had finally broken down. They were worrying no matter how many times I told them there was nothing to worry about.

I started back toward the bedroom to say goodbye to Sam. I needed to grab my bodyguard, who was probably already waiting for me downstairs in his office, and head into work. I heard the click of Lemon’s nails behind me. She was more than likely going to climb into her bed and go back to sleep.

When I walked into the room, Sam grabbed me and wrapped his arms around me, crushing his mouth to mine. I was taken off guard for a second, and he took full advantage by surging into my mouth. He continued to devour me while his left hand came behind my neck to hold me in place. His right hand grabbed my ass.

My knees were weak, and I was out of breath. A whimper left the back of my throat as he wrapped his tongue one more time around mine. When he pulled back, he nipped my bottom lip, which made me whimper even more. I heard the growl in the back of Sam’s throat that he did when he got really turned on.

Every time he kissed me, it made me fall more. I could never get enough of him. He tasted like the mint toothpaste I’d bought him, and I could smell the ocean-fresh soap he used. His skin had a layer of mist on it from getting out of the shower.

“Fuck… I can never get enough of you,” Sam said, pulling me in closer.

I could feel his heart pounding against my ear. His hard length was poking into my stomach. If one of us didn’t pull away, we would spend the rest of the day in bed and never get to work.

I pulled back and said, “I came to say goodbye.” I reached up, pecked him on the lips, ducked under his arms, and took off running. I knew if I stayed a second longer, we would end up in bed. I could hear him yelling something in the background about life not being fair as I headed for the front door.

13

Patty

It was a little after six o’clock when I pulled into the lot next to Shula’s Steakhouse. I was running a few minutes behind, so I quickly grabbed my things and rushed to the entrance. I could smell the aged-to-perfection meat while heading to the front doors.

Jessica and Neal were already seated at a small table in the middle of the bar area. Jessica waved me over. Her movement made Neal turn around just as I headed toward their table. I noticed Jessica was wearing a light-gray form-fitting pantsuit. This was a vast improvement from the oversized clothing she’d worn while married to the douchebag. My sister was so talented, smart, and beautiful when she let her true self show. Since the divorce, she had also dyed her hair a light blond that made her gray eyes pop.

Taking the seat on the other side of the table, I said, “Sorry I’m late. Brock had to drop something off at the office.”

Neal just shook his head. I was always running behind and had an excuse. “No problem. We’ve only been here a few minutes, and we ordered you a martini.” Frowning, he looked down at his phone and seemed to brush off whatever the issue was quickly.

Neal didn’t like people prying into his life, but I knew if it had been a work issue, he would have mentioned it to Jessica or me. When his phone vibrated again, he responded. His fingers flew across the screen so quickly, I wasn’t sure he could even text that fast. He then put away his phone, clearly done with whoever was texting him.

“It’s been so long since only the three of us have spent time together,” Jessica said, trying to get her long blond locks into a hair tie.

Neal made a clicking noise in the back of his throat and gave Jessica a pointed look. “It hasn’t been just the three of us since you got married.”

Jessica started to play with the napkin and was about to ask Neal something when the waitress came over to take our orders. We all ordered the same thing: the cowboy steak. The steak was to die for, and it always melted in my mouth. Neal added an order of brussels sprouts—because they were one of my favorite sides—and a side of garlic mashed potatoes for Jessica.

When the waitress left, Jessica turned her full attention to Neal, and she continued to play with the napkin on her lap. “Why did you not tell me Doug was a member of that club? You’re a member, and you’re telling me you never saw him there?” I could see the hurt in Jessica’s eyes. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that question earlier.How could he do this to her?

Neal ran his hand through his dirty-blond hair. I could tell it had been weighing on him. “Honestly, I never saw him there. He must have avoided me at all costs. I spent most of my time in back rooms or the bars. If I had known he was cheating on you, I would have told you. Despite the rules of the club. You and Patty are my only family, and I would have told you.”

Jessica’s shoulders sank, and I could tell she believed Neal. He wouldn’t lie to us. I could also tell she was happy to get that off her chest.

“No more talk about the douche. I got a call from Daddy today, and he decided it was time to come see his two favorite kids. I think he’s coming because I told him about Sam, and he wants to see if Sam is good enough for me. You will have to tell him you got divorced when he gets here. If you want, I can be there when you tell him.”

We spent the remaining time catching up with what was going on in our lives. Jessica said that since Alonzo was born, Alex hadn’t been getting enough sleep and was taking it out on everyone. Neal had been working with Brock to find information on the dark web about the stalker. His ability to hide his IP had led the team to believe he had hired a hacker to send the emails, so Brock and Neal reached out to a few hackers on the dark web. They said there was a guy paying in Bitcoin to have the messages sent out. The hacker who’d taken the job said they hadn’t exchanged any personal info and the job was paid for in Bitcoin.

Neal and I were known in the hacker community, and we put the word out that if the same guy tried to hire someone else, we wanted to know about it. I wanted it done and over with.

Dinner was fabulous, but I stopped eating because I wanted dessert. Shula’s had the best molten-chocolate cake. The warm, gooey chocolate inside would mix with the vanilla-bean ice cream. The happiness I got from that cake was close to what I felt when Sam gave me orgasms.

“Who’s ready for dessert?”

---