Page 45 of Degrading Her

“When the workers and other associates are already under contract, Hatchcom Focus comes in to make sure communications are clear.”

He knew more than the computer did. So again, why was he asking me to do this? Part of me hoped it was secretly a way to get closer to me, maybe even order me around for a while, but as my eyes glazed over the screen, he motioned for me to click the next digital resource, and that hope faded.

This was probably just work to him. Like everything else.

BecauseIwas just work. Another job. A mildly amusing project to pass the time.

But something inside of meknewit wasn’t that. At least, not anymore.

“You don’t need my help for this,” I said.

“Your research skills are different from my team’s.” He leaned back in his seat. “I figured there was a chance—although a slim one—that you might find something different.”

Tenderness swirled inside of me. Did he respect my skills?

The computer froze. I smacked the screen. “Crap,” I muttered. I hit it again, willing it to work with a forceful love tap, but nothing changed.

“Happen often?” he asked.

I didn’t want to admit the truth or to seem like I was begging a rich guy to help us. He already wanted to trash the place, anyway.

“These computers were donated about three years before I started working here.” I didn’t mention that they had been refurbished, and therefore, were already outdated before they got here. “We were supposed to get new ones last year, but after we began the construction for the multi-purpose room, we only had money to update two of the patron computers.”

“You gave the new computers to the patrons?” he repeated.

“It’s easier than having to restart their computers every hour. Trust me.”

He clenched his jaw. “Fix it. I’ll be back.”

After I ended up unplugging and replugging the tower, the computer finally booted up. I typed in the search bar, but Sawyer’s words popped into my head:We go after the same clients.I glanced around to make sure I was alone, then put Sawyer’s office file in the port. A screen popped up, showingthe contents of the drive, but when I tried to double-click the file, an error popped up:Action cannot be completed!I tried a different program, but the same error kept repeating.

“Crap!” I muttered again. But then I had another idea.

Thiswas a database. It’s not like I was breaking into his personal files.

My heart pounded as I checked the time. When would he be back? How much time did I have left? I typedFeldman Farm,then clicked search.

The results were blank.Completelyblank.

What was Sawyer hiding?

The lock on the back door clicked. I quickly put the file in my pocket and exited the search. Sawyer pushed the door open with his back, carrying a few large boxes with him. Another person dressed in similar attire brought in another huge package. Desktop computer pictures were printed on the cardboard. My stomach sank. What was he doing?

“Sawyer—”

He nodded to the man, who left and retrieved more boxes until finally, all the boxes had been brought inside. Six new computers. Then the man left. Sawyer grabbed one of the smaller boxes and carried it to me.

“You’ve gotta stop,” I insisted.

“You can set it up tomorrow during business hours,” he said, shoving the laptop’s box in my lap. “Don’t worry about it tonight.”

“I can’t accept that,” I said.

“I’m not giving you a choice.”

My cheeks flushed. “What about your business rental space idea?” I asked. “Isn’t this an extraneous expense?”

“Businesses can use computers,” he said. “But that laptop is yours.”

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