Page 46 of The Hacker
“Pot and kettle there.” Natalie took a sip of champagne.
“I get eight hours of sleep every night. Leland is lucky to get four, and we’re talking about on the weekend.”
“Alice says all those KRG partners are workaholics. Derek less so now, thanks to her good influence.”
“You think that Leland has something to prove but it’s more like he feels responsible to everyone in his life. He can’t disappoint them by not taking on a project. I’ve tried to get him to let go of the gym issue but he won’t.”
“Because that would mean letting go of you.”
An annoying spark of hope flared to life. “Do you really think that’s the reason? He says it’s because he can’t walk away when something illegal is going on.”
Natalie gave her a look. “Were you expecting him to admit—even to himself—that it’s a personal, not a professional, commitment? You give the man too much credit this early in the game. He’s having sex with you, so trust me, that’s why he wants to stay involved.” She took a sip of her champagne. “So what is happening with the whole gym problem?”
“Leland plugged into the gym’s router last night and collected whatever data a tech genius needs to collect. He’s going to analyze it on his high-powered computer at the office.”
“And how did he get to this router?”
“I let him into Ramón’s office.” Natalie was giving her a narrow-eyed stare so she had to defend herself. “I have a key so it wasn’t a break-in or anything. We told Tiffany—she’s the night receptionist—that we were looking for Leland’s lost phone. People give Ramón stuff they find and he often sticks it in his desk drawer and forgets about it.”
Natalie drummed her fingernails on the leather seat. “I don’t like you doing things that might get you in trouble with bad people.”
“I’m not worried.” Dawn shrugged. “If anyone asks, Tiffany will spout our cover story. She swallowed it whole.” She decided not to mention the security camera in the hallway. “Besides, Leland feels the same way you do so I don’t think I’ll be involved in any more espionage.”
“You listen to him?”
“When he’s right.” Dawn smiled as she remembered their early email exchange. “Which he claims he always is.”
“If you’re smiling at that bit of arrogance, you must love the man.”
“Love?” The word startled Dawn even though Natalie was using it ironically. “No, just lust after.”
Yet there was more to how she felt about Leland than amazing sex. She liked dueling with him verbally because it made her feel smart. She liked training him because he worked hard. She liked the way he listened to her opinions as though they mattered. She even liked his protectiveness. Maybe she loved the fact that he was perceptive enough to know that she had a problem but didn’t insist on an explanation.
“Besides, he was just trying to get a rise out of me.”
“Instead you got a rise out of him.” Natalie’s delivery was deadpan.
“Natalie!” Dawn giggled. Yup, hanging out with girlfriends was a good thing.
Once they were settled around the antique refectory table in Alice and Derek’s spectacular kitchen, Alice served them eggs benedict topped with caviar before she poured them more champagne. “I’m so excited to have you help me with my gown,” she said. “I know I want it to evoke my favorite Regency romances but I also want it to have a modern edge. You’re going to figure out how to do that.” She beamed.
“Well, some stretchy yoga pants would say ‘twenty-first century,’” Dawn said. “And you’d be comfortable at the reception.”
Alice laughed. “Okay, so maybe Natalie will help more than you will. Now eat.”
The conversation devolved into ridiculous suggestions about how to give a wedding dress a contemporary feel until Natalie announced into a lull, “Dawn is sleeping with Leland.”
Alice choked on her eggs and had to grab a glass of water to wash them down.
“Jeez, Nat, could you maybe wait for a natural lead-in?” Dawn said. “Or let me tell her myself?”
“Why?” Natalie showed no remorse. “It’s significant news.”
“When? How?” Alice croaked. “Wait, is this about the gym Wi-Fi problem? Oh my God!” She fell back in her chair, laughing. “History repeats itself.”
“Just because you and Derek fell in love when you were working on that accounting fraud doesn’t mean the same thing is happening with me and Leland. It’s just sex.”
Alice took a swig of her champagne and shook her head. “Wow! I don’t think Derek knows or he would have told me.”
