Page 10 of Hacking His Code

She cocks a brow.

“You see, your mother has recently decided to forgo treatment for her condition.”

“Wait—what?!?”

“It’s good that she did, actually. I have an acquaintance, Cassius Lavinius, who works in pharmaceuticals. I’ve already given him a call, and he’s willing to put your mother on a promising experimental treatment, if you’d like.”

Her eyes light in anger. “You want my mother to be some lab rat?”

“The drug has completed its trials, it’s just waiting on the powers that be to bless it. So far, it knocks all other available treatment options out of the park. If you agree to call your kidnapping water under the bridge and take my offer, I’ll send a text to Cassius right now.”

“What kidnapping?” Arinessa says with a smirk.

I send a text to Cassius, a man I barely know, and give him the green light to approach the doctor caring for Arinessa’s mother. After I hit send, I return my gaze back to Ari.

“Oh, almost forgot. Mercs gave me this.” I hand Arinessa her phone. “I’m sending you something right now.”

I pull out my own phone and forward some documents I have ready for her to sign.

Her phone vibrates, and she clicks into the links I sent her.

“You’re going to have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. It basically says you can tell no one of your work with me, even the people you encounter here.”

“Okay…” she says, her eyes scanning the paragraphs of information.

“And…you’re going to have to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

Her head snaps up, her eyes round with shock, and if I’m not mistaken, horror. “What?”

“I can’t go telling my mother you’re investigating her sister’s kidnapping. It will get her hopes up and undo years of progress. Just act like we’re dating. That will explain why you’re staying with me.”

“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that.”

“Well, you’re going to have to be,” I say nonchalantly. “You’ll have people coming in to attend to you shortly after you’re escorted up to my suite.”

“Attend to me?”

“Get you freshened up. Order you a wardrobe. You’ll get to keep the clothes, by the way.”

“What? Hold on—I didn’t—”

“There is no other way. I can’t have you meet my parents in that.” I gesture to her shorts that are bunched up, exposing a full asscheek. One careless movement from her, and I’ll be blessed with a visual I’m pretty sure will have me making her an entirely different kind of proposition.

She curses as she corrects her shorts, and after mulling over the situation a good minute, she says, “Why do I feel as though this is either the best decision I’ll ever make, or the worst?”

“So, you’re taking the job?”

After signing the eForm, she says, “Count me in.”

“Great, we’ll go over the details in my office.”

As we continue toward my office, her shorts bunch up again, to her utter frustration. She’s such a mess, but delightfully so.

Any interest I must show in this woman will not be faked.

Arinessa

Hunter’s office has a modern,contemporary flair, oozing simplistic extravagance. Something you see in both magazines and sci-fi movies.