Bad Boy Romance: Nick (Romantic Suspense Alpha Male Romance) (New Adult Rock Star Contemporary Short Stories) (Hard Rock Star Series Book 2) (70 page)

Carter—
Eric,
she
corrected herself—smiled, relief plain in his expression. “Yes, exactly. I’m
ashamed to admit that because of your age, I went through the other four before
I tried you…but none of them ever even found me.”

Cassie laughed. “That doesn’t
surprise me.”

Eric peered at her, and she felt
a peculiar tingling sensation spread through her body—like she was massaged all
over with light particles, or a vibrating mist. “Why not?”

Cassie thought for a moment,
trying to find a way to explain it to him. “Let me ask you this: why do you
think those other PIs didn’t find you?”

Eric blinked slowly in response
to her question. “They all went in different directions,” he said at last. “One
of them started trying to cross match identities to find my real one. Two of
them took the picture and started asking around places, and that got them
close, but never actually anywhere I turned out to be. And the other one tried
to get around the block by running my finger prints.”

Cassie was nodding as he spoke,
and she chuckled as he finished talking. “That sounds like grizzled PIs.
Depending on their careers, they may pick up a few really good tips and tricks
and use them well enough to get by—but ultimately, if you work in the dirt,
everything starts to look like mud. They’ve learned bad habits, and often, they
lead to bad decisions. That’s one area where my age is an advantage—and lucky
for you, it’s a big one.”

Eric was gazing at her in
wonder, “Wow. I should have just come and talked to you.”

Cassie laughed. “The way you live
has given you blind spots too, I’m sure.”

Eric smiled at her, and it was
so unselfconscious that she felt her own smile broaden in return. “Oh, please.
Tell me what my blind spots are. And how would you know them, anyway?”

She laughed again, and this time
it was distinctly surprised; an ultra-rich type with a sense of humor about
himself was rare—but then, so was a client catching her completely off guard.
“Well, you’ve just said your name is Eric Riverston—and despite the fact that I
know you’ve taken care to avoid doing almost any press or allowing any real
information about you to be spread on the internet, I make it my business to
know things that are clearly none of mine.”

His eyes were sparkling with
excitement. “You really
are
good. But how do you know about me if you
didn’t assume my identity was false, like the other guys?”

“I didn’t say I never figured
out the false lead,” she corrected him. Cassie took a step closer to him and
lowered her voice when she noticed the bored looking store clerk gazing over at
them, not even pretending to do work anymore.

“I knew Carter was fake, but I
didn’t know which of the identities my searches traced back to was yours, or
even if any of them were. So I worked on the assumption that none of them were
real, but that I was right about the fake name. Photos are hard to fake, and I
could tell the one you provided was authentic. And then I started with obvious
places—listing places that only had real physical receipts. Sometimes it
doesn’t work, but my gut is usually right. And it was, partially. So you’re
really Eric Riverston, software-wunderkind-turned-tech-giant worth more than he
could ever spend in his lifetime, huh?”

Eric laughed. “Yeah, that’s me.
Although I regret the
wunderkind
title. I’m twenty-seven; not exactly a
baby.”

“
I’m
twenty-seven,”
Cassie interjected, “and
I
don’t have my own island.”

Eric arched one of his sandy
blonde brows. “How do you know I have an island? How deep into the identities
did you get?”

“Deep enough, Eric Sue
Riverston.” Cassie struggled to keep her face still as color rushed to Eric’s
cheekbones.

“How did you—I had that
changed!”

The store clerk was wandering
over to them, and instead of answering, Cassie just laughed and shook her head.

“Come on. We should go somewhere
else, Sue. The locals are starting to get restless.”

****

Cassie’s step was light as they
walked to the coffee shop two blocks away, and she told herself it was because
the case had turned out to be more interesting than she expected—not because
Eric’s aquamarine eyes kept connecting with hers and refusing to pull away, or
darting to her lips and back as she spoke.
He’s just intense. These Silicon
Valley types always are, and you’re probably just a tad cuter than he expected.

The coffee shop was mostly
deserted, since there were two chain coffee bars a few blocks away, and most of
the college kids who frequented places like it were in class or sleeping away
hangovers. Cassie settled into a seat next to the window, indicating to the
waitress that they’d like to see menus.

“So you found out more than
anyone else did about me, but still didn’t connect the photo to my identity?”

Cassie shrugged as she accepted
the greasy menu from the wide-hipped waitress. “My results were inconclusive,
and my gut told me I’d found out more by just doing something instead of making
endless guesses.”

Eric pushed his hair away from
his forehead and sat back in his seat; Cassie felt that odd tingling sensation
sweep over her skin again, and she couldn’t fight the shiver that rolled
through her this time. “I’m so glad you turned out to be the best; I know
you’re going to be just perfect for this job. Two coffees, please?” Eric smiled
at the waitress as she nodded and strode away to retrieve two mugs.

Cassie watched the woman until
she was out of sight, then made herself meet Eric’s gaze. “Eric…Mr. Riverston,
you still haven’t told me what this job
is
, so there isn’t any guarantee
that I’m going to take it.” She kept her voice level, but it disappointed her
to even say it aloud; hormone-based reasons or not, she did have a feeling that
whatever he had for her was big—possibly even career changing.

He nodded thoughtfully, adding
sugar the coffee the waitress had just poured. “Eric, please,” he said. “You
probably know about my security project?”

Cassie nodded. “Not the
specifics, but I know it’s something that the big search engines are after, and
even a few mobile phone developers.”

“It’s going to change mobile and
internet security completely,” he confirmed. “It’s been in the works for nearly
three years, and last month I got close to finishing it. Then something weird
happened.” Eric shook his head bitterly. “I should have caught on immediately.
Bits of code kept changing slightly—not enough to detect immediately, but
enough to change functionality in a major way. Then when I fixed it, things
started to rewrite themselves—which, at first, was just annoying. But it lead
to a major shutdown of my systems, and I lost a chunk of the program
completely. It took us months to get back up and running.” He sighed. “Then
everything started all over again. I finally started to look closely and saw
the instances of where the source of corruption was introduced to the software
and had started to wipe it, but not completely erase it. I found enough data to
tell me that someone is sabotaging my project. And it’s coming from inside my
own company.”

Cassie’s mouth dropped open.
“Wow. Really? Are you completely sure? Don’t get me wrong,” she said hurriedly
at the look of irritation on his face, “when things are sabotaged, a likely
suspect is someone involved in the situation directly. But it’s also natural to
get a little defensive or jumpy after working on something so hard for so
long.”

“I understand,” Eric said
mildly. “But I’m sure. It’s one of the few things I’m sure of.”

Cassie bristled, but forced
herself not to react to his attitude.
He’s just stressed out,
she
reminded herself. “I just want to be sure before I start investigating and
feelings are inevitably hurt. When the truth comes out in cases like this, it’s
usually ugly, and bonds that are broken are nearly impossible to repair. And
I’d generally recommend against trying.”

Eric dropped his eyes from hers
and sighed, his shoulders slumping forward as he seemed to visibly deflate.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just very nervous. This could all turn out so
badly.”

She felt a rush of empathy for
him. “It’s going to be ok. I’ll make sure of it.”

Cassie reached across the table
and squeezed his shoulder lightly, smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring
manner. But when Eric’s green eyes met hers, she grew less sure of her ability
to stay completely controlled during this case: there was heat there in his
gaze, whether he meant for her to see it or not—and she pulled her hand back
quickly, her blood running hot from the scorching energy coursing between them.
Eric smiled slowly, and he caught her fingers in his hand before she could
finish retracting her arm; Cassie gasped softly, and she felt herself blush.

“Thank you,” Eric said in a low
voice. “You’re too kind.”

Her skin grew warmer, and she
realized the odd tingling sensation was back, like the sun was shining to warm
her and her alone.

You can’t take this case,
she told herself desperately—then, almost simultaneously:
you have to take
this case.

Eric pulled his hand back, and
it was like she had been pushed from cloud nine and left to fall to the Earth.
“I know your rates, and I’m prepared to offer you double.”

That startled her. “Double?”

Eric nodded. “Something tells me
that this might get…” he trailed off, looking for the right words. “I’ve seen
people get dangerous when they’re cornered,” he finished. “And I’m sure you
have, too. They may be different kinds of danger, but I want to make sure this
is worth your while.”

Cassie laughed. “Are you afraid
someone’s going to hack my social media pages? Ruin my reputation?”

Eric didn’t laugh. “You never
know.”

After that, they ordered,
chatting idly as they waited for their food to arrive. Cassie was surprised to
find that everything she’d discovered was true—he owned low income housing in
several cities that he rented out for free or reduced prices, he was a digital
artist whose work was sometimes showcased at museums in cities around the
globe, and he’d graduated college at the age of sixteen. Cassie was astounded
that he’d managed to keep nearly everything about himself under the radar, even
the fact that the biggest software breakthrough in years was his; she was even
more shocked to find that his aversion to attention was genuine. It made her
want to know more about him, and Eric was genuinely impressed with her, so they
ended up talking for more than two hours after they’d finished eating. Finally,
Eric reluctantly paid the check and mentioned that he had to get back to work.

“I’ll start right away,” Cassie
promised as he walked her to her car. She looked around as he stopped next to
her passenger side door. “Where’s your car?”

“A few blocks back,” he
answered. “I thought you might be staking the place out.”

She smiled at him. “All that
trouble, and I found you on my first try.”

Eric returned her smile, and she
saw the smoldering heat occupy his gaze again for a moment before it faded
away. “You’re very impressive. I look forward to being further impressed by
you, Miss Vine.”

Cassie’s heart skipped a beat,
and her mouth felt suddenly dry. “Cassie. Call me Cassie.”

Eric paused for a moment, as
though he was savoring her name on his tongue. “Cassie. I’ll see you later.”

For a second, it looked like he
was leaning down toward her, and her stomach seized with terror and exhilaration;
then the moment was over, and he was turning and walking down the street, his
hands in the pockets of his jeans. Cassie’s eyes fell on his backside as he
walked, and she felt a burst of desire awaken inside her.

Godammit. I’m in trouble.

But Cassie had never been one to
flee from trouble. Instead, she did exactly as she promised, working on the
case as soon as she received a huge zip file filled with information. Cassie
had some tracking and security software of her own, and started to cross reference
information with what she knew about the company. Unfortunately, her mind kept
coming back around to Eric, and she repeatedly lost the thread of her
investigation until she finally gave up and took a break, collapsing on her bed
and giving herself over to a vivid fantasy in which Eric massaged her sore
muscles with his powerful hands underneath the lip of a waterfall.

Cassie was dumbfounded. It’s not
like she wanted action—sure, she didn’t always have the most
memorable
one-night stands, but they got the job done. And she knew she was
attractive—all shapely legs and long curves, generous breasts atop a slim
waist, striking features and long, sweeping soft brown hair. She knew how to
dress herself down and blend her body into any situation, and because of that,
Cassie could basically become invisible at will. It was a skill she took pride
and not a small amount of pleasure in—but it was a skill she found was rendered
useless in front of Eric. The entire time she spoke to him, it was like his
gaze was a searchlight, illuminating her world with dazzling white energy after
being so used to slipping noiselessly through space. He saw her, and she wasn’t
sure what that meant for her—only that it filled her with terror and a warm,
dizzy joy.

****

By the end of the night, she’d
managed to create some leads, and Cassie woke up at the crack of dawn to find
her cellphone tinkling shrilly in the darkness of her bedroom. She reached for
it blindly, upending an empty water jug as her finger unlocked the screen. The
time read 5:42, and she realized her blurry eyes were staring at a text message
from Eric.

Barbara’s Café? 1 hr?? E.R.

She didn’t remember giving him
her number— but she didn’t remember giving him her address either, and after
she showered, dressed, and printed all of her work so far, she opened the door
to find a package wrapped in an overnight envelope.

What the hell?
Cassie
looked around the hall, but no one else was moving down the too-bright
corridor. She ripped open the envelope slowly, shaking it upside down until a
heavy black rectangle fell out into her palm. It was a brand new cell phone,
already charged and loaded with her contacts. Anxiety crowded in her chest; the
return label showed that it was from Riverston Enterprises. Eric had sent her a
phone that was already connected to her personal account—but how had he gotten
her login information?

He’s a tech genius,
she
reminded herself.
Assume he knows everything. Assume he’s seen those
lingerie pics you posted once and then deleted out of shame.

She didn’t feel any less put off
by the time she’d driven to Barbara’s Café, but she wasn’t anxious, either.
Eric was clearly trying to be nice, and she would just need to lay down some
ground rules.

Cassie pushed into the little
café and saw that Eric was already seated at the table they occupied the day
before. He turned when she entered, and when he smiled, the leap her heart made
in her chest did nothing to comfort her nerves. He was wearing a light blue
sweater and khakis, an outfit oddly similar to her blue polo and khaki skirt.

“Cassie, thanks for meeting me
on such short notice.”

“No problem,” she said
graciously, plunking the phone onto the table. “Thanks for the…what is this? A
bonus? A bribe?”

Eric look startled. “What? It’s
a phone.”

Cassie let her skepticism show
on her face. “Come on, Mr. Riverston. You didn’t give me a cutting edge phone I
just happened to tweet about a few weeks ago as a way to try to speed things up
maybe? Can’t wait in line like everyone else?”

Eric’s green eyes were angry at first,
but he struggled to reign himself in. “I thought you said you didn’t have bad
habits like everyone else. I think you’re a little paranoid, Miss Vine.”

Cassie frowned. “I told you to
call me Cassie.”

“And I told you to call me Eric.
I also told you that I was impressed by you and was looking forward to seeing
your work. I wouldn’t ever try to rush your job. Just like I’m sure you’d never
try to dictate mine.”

Cassie fumed silently, but she
realized he was right; she’d come in defensive and expecting the worst. She
sighed and tightened her caramel ponytail, forcing herself to meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry. You’re a big client, and I’m letting that get in the way of how I
think.”

Eric’s expression softened.
“It’s okay. I only got it for you because I’m afraid someone at my company
could be watching me. I can’t chance them finding out about the investigation
before I’m ready.” He paused, and his cheeks flamed scarlet. “Wow, now I sound
paranoid.”

Cassie shot him a smile. “You’re
being smart. This is a good idea. I assume this is a secure line?”

“Yes. Everything you send and
receive on that phone will be completely secure.”

Cassie turned the phone over in
her hands. “Does this run on a version of your security software?”

“Yes. A simplified version that
only I have access to.” His eyes flickered to the folder she’d brought along.
“Do you have something for me?”

Cassie opened the folder and
explained what she’d found. “Just as you thought, it’s coming from inside your
company. It looks like they went through some trouble creating a sort of data
signature that shifts, so that it varies between its real source and a host of
others, making it harder for them to get caught. I’ve narrowed it down to
twelve possibilities…and one is your brother.”

Cassie was ready for the rage
Eric responded with. “Excuse me? My brother? My brother would
never
do
something like this to me.
Ever.
You’re mistaken.”

Cassie kept her face as neutral
as possible. “Eric, I understand that you and your brother are close. But if we
want to get your software secure, we need to take this seriously. James is a
real possibility. I’m sorry, but it’s true. He has a motive.”

Eric was silent, and Cassie
could see the anger in his eyes being replaced by the realization that she was
right. “I think I knew that,” he admitted. “He’s never stopped making weird
jokes about Dad leaving me the stocks that got me where I am today. Even though
he’s doing well on his own,” Eric finished defensively.

“But he’s not a tech savior,”
Cassie said softy. “He’s not a billionaire. He’s not you.”

He dropped his eyes and stared
at his mugful of coffee. “I wish being himself was enough.”

Her heart hurt for him; she
could see that their relationship had been more affected than he’d wanted to
admit. “I’ll give you daily updates,” she promised. “As soon as I can say for
sure who it is—or who it’s not—I’ll let you know. I’m sure I’ll figure out
something useful enough to justify billing you for breakfast each morning.”

Eric laughed, and the clouds
that had darkened his gaze rolled away. He reached across the table and grabbed
her hand again, and Cassie felt her smile widen automatically.

“I can’t thank you enough,
Cassie. Are you going to be okay meeting me early like this? Will this work out
okay?”

She shrugged, still grinning
broadly. “Guess we won’t know until we try. Let’s call it a test.”

And she kept her promise. Every
morning they met at Barbara’s and discussed her findings over bacon, eggs, and
the strongest coffee Cassie had ever ingested. He’d always text on her new
phone, and she’d always zip over to find him already there.

One morning, she surprised him
by being there before they opened, and she sat with him in his Mercedes with
warm air pouring from its vents. The woman who normally served them didn’t show
up for so long that she worried she’d been in an accident.

“Don’t say that,” Eric said, his
voice thick with worry. “Oh, great. Now I can’t concentrate.”

Cassie laughed at him. “We can
just go someplace else to drown our sorrows in caffeine.”

Eric paused and turned toward her,
his green eyes sparkling. “Or how about mimosas?”

Cassie gaped at him. “Champagne
at 5:30? Where are we going to find that?”

And that was how Cassie ended up
Eric’s apartment for the first time.