Page 77 of Miles Apart
Thousand Oaks is an affluent city outside of LA with mansions and expensive rides. Aside from a few lust-filled glances from women who are curious about our endurance for reasons other than fitness, no one is paying us any mind. Rico and I are both tall with athletic builds. His tracksuit and my joggers and long-sleeve tee make it look like we just came from practice, which feeds into an image I don’t mind portraying for this meeting.
I don’t conduct the type of discussion we’re about to have over the phone or on the computer. A Thousand Oaks is a twenty-five-minute trek from the house, but the sunshine and promise of more money in the bank make up for it.
Right on cue, Kristie, our server, rushes to the table with an extra water and intrigue in her eyes at the curly-haired light-skinned guy sitting across from me. Rico favors the actor fromGood Girlswho is always talking crazy to Elizabeth. I had to tell her twice I wasn’t Trevante, but she doesn’t seem to give a damn the way she keeps licking her lips.
She takes our drink orders and damn near faints when Rio cracks a smile and winks, sending her scurrying off. We’re in a corner booth, our backs to a faux moss wall and our eyes on the front door.
“You finish the traffic analysis?” Rico sips his water.
“I did. There were no red lights, so I gave it to Unc,” I say.
“Good, good. Thanks for helping with the dry cleaning.” Rico lowers his chin. “No spots. Still clean.”
I’m helping Rico and his team assess if they were under surveillance. It’s part of the services I provide on a case-by-case basis, fighting corruption and some of the most unimaginable shit. I’m what you call a floater, someone who pops in for clandestine operations, to gather intel and provide system support. Some rare missions require me in close proximity, to hack a database or monitor an area.
The company I run assists businesses with ethical hacking to evaluate security measures and provide data protection. But below the surface, I help expose shit by hacking the impenetrable without leaving a trace. I’ve scaled back on the projects I take on, but I always stay sharp.
Rico reached out about a job involving US officials dabbling in some scandalous activity. Oligarchs funneling millions into businesses and campaigns for their own personal gain are nothing new. The shit has real-life consequences that always end with a power grab and everyday people caught in the crossfire.
My client pushes his phone to the middle of the table and talks about some crazy ass goat video while I position an electronic device underneath to inject a signal to access data on his burner phone. Screen hacking requires no physical contact with the device so long as you keep the phone facedown. I’ll get what I need without issue or anyone around us suspecting a thing.
I nod when the transfer is complete, ask Kristie to box up my orders, and tell Rico I’ll swing by the dead drop on my way back to the East Coast in a few weeks.
I make it back to Emma an hour later. By one o’clock, I’m showered after a run up the beach and bored out of my fucking mind with the movie she’s forcing me to watch. It’s the second one since she scarfed down my steak and eggs I brought back. Imagine my surprise when the parfait I ordered her sat on the kitchen counter. I like fruit but ended up making turkey sausage, which I had to share, and more eggs.
Emma is living her best life, gnawing on a chocolate bar I picked up for her on the way home. She’s in one of my hoodies she found rifling through my drawers. It’s my favorite—go figure—a worn, light gray Bodie sweatshirt that hovers at the top of herthighs. She giggles at a scene, her laughter floating up and into my chest.
“How much longer until this is over?” I push down the big ass bun smacking me in the nose.
She peers up at me and rolls her eyes. “Not a Ryan Gosling fan?”
“I’m not a hater, but this movie is corny as shit.”
“That would be hating, Miles,” she laughs. “No need for jealousy.”
I brush Emma’s hair out of my face to stare down at her delusional ass. “I know you slipped on one of them rocks outside if you think that’s true. I’ve been your mattress for the last two and a half hours and have a chest twice his size.” I wiggle the pecs she’s been using as pillows for a reminder.
If Terrence or Zo saw me on the couch debating Ryan Gosling movies, I wouldn’t hear the end of it. This isn’t normal behavior for me. Yet I didn’t think twice about pulling a blanket out of the closet for a movie marathon at her request. I picked the last movie,Inception, which she fell asleep on. That little nap has her bouncy as hell now for a dude who deserves a drink to the face for these whack-ass pickup lines.
“Ain’t nobody jealous of that man,” I reiterate, making Emma laugh. “You’ve seen me in a suit. Shit, I sparkle.”
She cracks up like it’s the funniest shit she’s ever heard. “And you wear it well.” She pats my thigh and nestles into me when I pull her closer. I find myself cheesing more and more in her presence.
I’m learning more about her.
The way her nose crinkles when she’s pissed off at a scene in a movie or one of her books.
The twitch in her lower lip when she pulls it between her teeth at a happy thought.
The unrestricted grin she gives me when I take her into my arms.
Em isn’t big on showing emotion, which makes the glimpses she gives of herself a gift I’ll keep fighting to earn.
Sex with Emma is on another level, but time with her without it is just as good. There’s an ease about us that fits. I kept my word and haven’t touched her while she’s still on her period. We fill the time with food, sitcoms, and cheesy-ass romance movies when she isn’t on her horror kick. We sit outside and watch the sunset too.
Yeah, I’m definitely not telling Zo or T about this.
I nibble on her ear and whisper, “You’ve seen better game.”
