Page 29 of Decoded
I can’t help but think of all the naughty scenes we could reenact in a professional capacity. Under my desk. Over my desk. On my desk. My dick twitches, reminding me that Anna and I aren’t there yet.
“Professionals carpool to work all the time,” I counter. “Besides, think of how much better it would be for the environment.”
Anna looks behind me, staring at my vehicle parked in the driveway. “You drive a huge ass truck.”
“Ah, this is true. But one huge ass truck is better than one huge ass truck and one sedan.” I smile at her cheekily.
Her assessing gaze suddenly has my confidence slipping, unsure if I’ll be able to change her mind. Looking at the two vehicles in the driveway, her head darts between them like she’s watching a heated tennis match. Anna takes a deep breath and yields. “Fine. For the earth.”
It may just be a ten minute drive to the office, but that means I get twenty extra minutes of my Anna’s undivided attention today. Operation Get-My-Wife-Back is officially a go.
Chapter twenty-one
Anna
“S
o, how was work?” Keaton asks as we drive back to our home. I mean, notourhome, but the houses we both live in. At his address. Separately. But still also together. Ugh.
“You should know. You were there with me all day,” I grumble.
He glances over at me with a smile that lights up his entire face. “I know. Wasn’t it great?”
A snort escapes me. "It wasn't bad, really." I fidget my hands in my lap and he seems to notice.
"What's wrong, Anna? Do I need to fire someone?"
"Oh my gosh, no! Nothing like that. I just had a question and, well, it's kind of embarrassing." I look over at him as he stares out over the road, but when he turns his head in my direction, I look back down at my hands.
"You can ask me anything, Anna."
I'm not sure why, but I trust him. "Umm, it's just. Well, I had a question about. Ugh." I decide to just spit it out. "What do you do?"
He laughs. "What do you mean? Did I not appear busy enough for you?"
"No, I don't meanyouwhen I say you. I mean, what exactly goes on at Phisherman's Cybersecurity?" I want to hide at the lack of knowledge when it comes to my new place of employment, but my genuine curiosity has me looking at his handsome profile.
Keaton nods his head and hums before speaking. "Let's see where I need to start. What exactly do you know about cybersecurity?"
I cringe. "That it has something to do with security for computers and stuff?"
His laughter fills the cab of the truck, but it doesn't make me feel ignorant, though I am. It's a beautiful sound and I can't help but want to hear it more often. "So, basically nothing."
I shrug.
"Think of the internet like a giant city. Cities are full of tons of people, and most of those people are upstanding citizens, but a few of them are dishonest, unethical, even criminal. The good people just want to do their day-to-day routines of working, shopping, talking to friends and such. But the bad people are working the scene. They're stealing wallets, breaking into houses, and tricking people out of money." He glances over at me. "You with me so far?"
I nod and he continues, "Our job is to be a full-time security team to businesses. We keep out hackers, scammers, and viruses that are trying to steal money or identities."
"And how do you do that, exactly?" I ask.
"We install protections like firewalls and antivirus. Look for cracks in the system. Train their employees so they don't fall for phishing scams. And if one of the bad guys get in, it's our job to take them out."
"So you're like a superhero?" I ask, cheekily.
Keaton's smile is contagious and I can't help but feel my cheeks tighten at the grin spreading across my face. "Fuck, yeah."
A few moments pass between us, the silence growing awkward before he finally breaks it. "I'm really relieved I don't have to fire anyone. I hate that shit."
