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“You can buy all of goddamn Apple with that credit card. You could hire someone to come here and build you a computer from scratch and someone else to bring a small menagerie of animals to entertain you while he did it. Go for it.”
She bites her lip and shakes her head. “I have no use for those products. Apple?God,are you even serious right now?”
She’s fucking adorable. “Let me guess. You want to build your own computer with open-source software so no one can track you?”
She throws her hands up in the air. “Of course! Jesus, tell me you’re not using a MacBook.”
I show her my own laptop, custom-built by Aleks. “Of course not.”
“Good, they’re fine for like normal people, but people like me and you need privacy and security,” she says with a serious nod.
“Right. People like me and you. So get yourself some equipment already.”
“But I can’t go in person?”
I think it over. I could send her with one of my brothers or security guards. While Volkov’s sent an apology, we did indeedget our retribution, so I have no doubt he’s ready and able to strike again, and soon.
“No. Not this time.”
With a labored sigh, she sits back in the chair. “Alright, so I can work with you?”
“Of course. I’ll expect you to. The credit card has been loaded into your phone so you may buy what you need.”
She eyes me suspiciously as she takes her phone out and swipes on it with her fingers. “Noway.Well, fancy that. Whoa.” She quietly swipes across screens for a few minutes. “Do you have any idea how risky that is? You should definitely not have this loaded on a phone.”
“Really? Interesting.”
“Unless you don’t care about losing a few grand before your credit card company realizes.” She pauses. I continue to read the data on the spreadsheet I need for a meeting later today. “Wait. Like youdon’tcare about a few thousand dollars?”
“I do care about a few thousand dollars, yes, but it’s more important to me that you can easily buy what you need rather than bother about details. Just buy what you need, Aria.”
“Alrighty then.” Another few minutes of quiet swiping. “You sure I can’t grab a ride to Coney Island? It says here?—”
“No. You may ask Aleks to pick up anything you need. He’s the best man for the job.”
She gives a little grimace. “Yeah, pretty sure he hates my guts.”
He’d better fucking not “hate her guts.” I go still.
“What gives you that impression?”
“Oh, only the way I made him look like a douchebag in front of all of you because he’s shit at cybersecurity and he thinks I’m threatening him or something.” She clamps her hand over her mouth.
I slowly close the laptop and turn to face her.
“He doesn’t hate you, but you’re not exactly his best friend. Has he been rude to you in any way?”
My voice is deceptively calm. If he so much as looked at her sideways…
“Well, no. It’s just avibe.”
“Ah. I see. A ‘vibe.’ Don’t think I missed the curse you said, Aria.”
My dick throbs at the look she’s giving me. Pure, unadulterated defiance. Her chin juts out and there’s challenge in her eyes.
My little hacker needs attention, it seems.
“You’re not allowed to curse. I don’t want to hear those words coming out of that pretty mouth of yours.”
