LAUREN (Silicon Valley Billionaires Book 1)

by Leigh James

  “I’m going out for the rest of the day,” I told my assistant, Stephanie, as I hustled past. She looked shocked, but I ignored her. I texted my driver as I strode down the hallway. I need a ride. Stat.

  I had to pay a very important CEO a visit.

  The driver pulled up in front of Dynamica, and I just sat there, miserably, as he idled by the curb. “Would you like me to pull into the parking lot, Ms. Taylor?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Am I coming with you?” Timmy asked.

  “No,” I said again.

  Timmy raised an eyebrow, but I ignored him.

  I hadn’t called Gabe to tell him I was coming, in part because I wasn’t sure I would have the chutzpah to actually go up and see him. Maybe the supermodel athlete was there, dropping off his dry cleaning, waiting for him to take her to dinner again, or just staring at him in adoration.

  I cracked my knuckles, then just sat there for another minute, trying to gather courage. Finally, I sighed and opened the door. “I’ll just be a few minutes. I’ll text you when I’m ready to leave.”

  I headed into the reception area of the sleek building. I’d never been there before, but it looked modern and seemed brand-new. Gabriel had done well for himself. From what I’d read about Dynamica, it had been profitable from the beginning and had grown at a healthy rate every year.

  I would be happy for him if that were physically possible for me at the moment.

  I nodded curtly at the receptionist. “I’m Lauren Taylor. I’m here to see Mr. Betts. He’s not expecting me.”

  She picked up the phone and spoke quietly while I fidgeted, waiting. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window and noticed I wore a black skirt, black sweater, and black flats. My hair was pulled back in a low, lackluster ponytail. Hannah would have an absolute fit if she knew I’d gone to see him like this.

  “Mr. Betts will see you now.” She motioned for a security guard to collect me, watching me with thinly veiled interest. Gabe probably didn’t often accept unscheduled visitors.

  The guard led me to the corporate suites, through what seemed like an endless hallway filled with incandescent blue lighting and small potted plants. I felt as if I were in a luxury hotel rather than a technology company. Finally, we reached Gabe’s office.

  “Mr. Betts is waiting for you,” his young, male assistant said. He smiled at me from behind a pair of electric blue glasses. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Taylor.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too.”

  “Lauren,” Gabe said, smiling up at me as I shakily walked in. “This is certainly a surprise.”

  “Sorry,” I said.

  His assistant closed the door behind me.

  “You don’t need to apologize. I was going to call you as soon as I finished with this report. And I’m not unpleasantly surprised. Just surprised.” He looked different behind his desk. He was still wearing jeans, as was expected in Silicon Valley, but he seemed more serious. More commanding. He stood up and motioned me toward his couches. “Please, sit. Unlike you, I actually do use my sitting area sometimes.”

  I warily sank down on the couch. Last night I’d been in his arms, but now I sat across from him awkwardly. Still thrumming with jealousy, I had a hundred questions about that picture but wasn’t brave enough to bring it up. “Did you hear about Clive’s announcement today?” I asked instead.

  He nodded. “He’s forcing your hand.”

  “That’s exactly what I said. To myself.”

  “I’m surprised by how aggressive he’s being. He has balls of steel.”

  “And I’m going to cut them off.” I jumped up and started pacing. I hadn’t let myself think the whole thing through, but being there with Gabe, finally talking about it, the wheels started turning. “If he thinks that he’s going to ruin my company, he’s got a surprise coming.”

  “You should call the authorities,” Gabe said as he watched me pace. “Why not involve the FBI? You have the security video, you have the chip, you have the statements he made to you. What do you have to lose at this point by turning him in?”

  “I can’t. He said if I call the authorities, he’ll sell the specs he stole from me to a third-party buyer—a foreign one.”

  “He really is a piece of shit,” Gabe seethed.

  I nodded, feeling jittery. “If I call the FBI, they can arrest him, but he’d still have time to sell. And he’ll do it—I know he will. So I either sell him a majority stake in Paragon or he sells my patch.”

  “But you can’t sell to him,” Gabe said, shaking his head. “He’s an asshole. So I say, either let me have a go at him or call the police.”

  “I can’t…and I can’t let you do that. If I have him arrested, I’d have to start disclosing trade secret information. What my patch is, what it does. The fact that I’m finally having successful clinical trials.” I whirled toward him. “Please don’t tell anyone that. This is such a vulnerable time for my company.”

  “I won’t. You have my word.”

  I resumed pacing. “If he sells the technology to someone else, someone who has the means to bring the patch to market—my company is dead.”

  “But even a foreign company has some sort of regulatory process they need to go through and laws they have to obey,” Gabe said. “They can’t just steal your technology and skip merrily to market. Doesn’t work that way.”

  Gabe was correct, but Clive had pretty much said otherwise. “Clive made it seem like his potential partner wouldn’t have barriers rushing the patch to market.”

  “He could be bluffing.”

  “I know. I just need to think it through. There are a lot of moving pieces.” I wrung my hands together. “If I say no to him and contact the authorities, he’ll sell. But even if that’s a bluff, or if the buyer can’t go to market, Paragon would still be in trouble. If my protected information starts to come out, in court filings or in media articles, I lose my trade secret status. So anyone can start to recreate the technology that I’ve developed for my invention. I don’t want that—I don’t want any competition. One of the major advantages of the patch is that it’s unique. It needs to be first to market to be successful.”

  “Then…have you considered just giving him what he wants?” Gabe asked quietly.

  “He wants a majority stake in Paragon. And for me to partner with him and his error-riddled technology that’s destined to fail, just so he can profit from my hard work! There’s no way. He’s not going to get either.”

  “But think about it. What if you agreed to partner with him on his deliverable now? You could help him with the technology. That would give him at least some of what he wants without risking everything you’ve worked for. It might be enough of an incentive for him—enough of a gain—that he’ll leave you alone.”

  I softened toward Gabe, even as I disagreed with him. “I appreciate that you’re trying to be reasonable. I know I’m not capable of that right now. But I can’t agree to work with Clive. I could never trust him, and giving in to his demands would just be giving him permission to continue his abuse of the relationship. Plus, I don’t think he’d accept that now. It’s probably not enough.”

  “You might be surprised. He might say yes.”

  “I doubt it. He wants more.”

  Gabe looked at me thoughtfully. “He wants you. He wants any piece of you he can get. Don’t underestimate your power, Lauren. Look at what you’ve built. Look at what you’ve achieved. People are trying to steal from you because no one else can do what you’re doing.”

  I felt miserable, not powerful. “I don’t want to have power over him. I just want him to go away. And I know that’s not going to happen. Not easily, anyway.” I looked at Gabe’s handsome face, feeling that yearning again.

  “We can make him go away. But you’re right. It won’t be easy.” He paused for a second, as if he were thinking it through. “For now, we have to deal with the fact that Paragon has a very large problem on its hands. He went public with that s
tatement because he knows you haven’t told the FBI or your board about what happened—about the data breach. He wants to put you in a corner. Either accept his buyout or he’s going forward with the stolen technology.”

  I nodded, anger starting to burn through me again. “That’s what he’s trying to do, but it won’t work. I can still tell the board about the breach.” I kept pacing, my fists clenched, my knuckles whitening at my sides.

  “Why haven’t you told them?”

  “Because the timing of this is so horrible. I’m supposed to meet with my investors next week for another round of fundraising in order to bring the technology to market. If news breaks that we’ve had a data breach—and even if that news stays internal for now—my people will doubt my ability to bring this to market safely. The only thing my investors and my board have known for the past six years, without a doubt, is that they could trust me to keep Paragon safe. That’s why I have all this security, all this secrecy. We’ve been keeping this thing under wraps for this long to prevent our competition from beating us to market, and that’s exactly what Clive’s threatening to do. At our most vulnerable hour.”

  I stopped pacing and rubbed my temples. “A security breach right now threatens my credibility with the board and my investors. And my credibility’s all I have.” I slumped on the couch across from him, feeling relieved to at least have talked to someone—but then I remembered. The photo. The supermodel athlete.

  I shot back up to my feet. “I have to go.” I grabbed my bag.

  Gabe stood and blocked my exit. “Oh no, you don’t.”

  I looked him in the eye. “Yes, I do. I appreciate that you’ve heard me out on this. Now that Paragon is partnering with Dynamica, I should keep you in the loop.” I tried to dodge past him, but he caught me by my shoulders, gently stopping me.

  He cautiously released me. “Why are you running away?”

  I straightened up and adjusted myself, lackluster ponytail and all. I thought of the photo, with Gabe’s hand on that woman’s arm, and the jealousy came back. “I want to make sure I get out of here before another one of your dates show up.” I groaned inwardly at the way I sounded.

  Gabe nodded, as if he’d expected my reaction, but he didn’t budge an inch. “I’m guessing you saw the picture online. That’s Sara. I see her from time to time. We’d had those plans for two weeks, though. Before I met you.”

  “It’s really none of my business, anyway.”

  His eyes bore into mine. “Well if that’s the case—what’re you doing here, Lauren?”

  I shrugged, feeling as if I were crumbling on the inside. “I really have to go.”

  Gabe smiled at me then, but it wasn’t his nice smile. “You and I both know that’s not true.”

  “Please. Let me go.” I felt like I might cry for the second time that week.

  “I want to hear you say it.” His voice sounded stubborn, but there was something more underneath. It was…need. I heard his need.

  “Say what?” What the hell did he want from me?

  “That you were jealous.”

  I took a step back, surprised at his directness. “I was surprised when I saw the picture, that’s all. I thought you wanted…”

  He raised his eyebrows, waiting. His face had softened a little, almost as if he felt sorry for me. “Wanted what?”

  I took a deep breath. I might as well tell him the truth. I didn’t think it was possible for me to embarrass myself any further.

  “Me.” I thought you wanted me.

  He took another step closer to me. “Well, you were correct. As usual.”

  Electricity crackled between us, but I had no idea if that was real or if he could feel it too. I had no idea about anything, for once.

  “If I’d thought I had an actual shot with you, I would have canceled that dinner.” He reached out and brushed the hair from my face. “As soon as your sister called me, I left.”

  I melted against his palm, then I remembered myself and opened my eyes. Gabe was staring at me. Suddenly, yet another room felt too hot.

  He traced my jaw with his finger. “So, do I?”

  “What?”

  “Have a shot with you?”

  “I have no idea what that means,” I said weakly.

  “I know.” He smiled at me. This time, it was his nice smile…the one with the dimple. “But I’d like to show you, if you’ll let me.”

  Chapter 8

  Gabe’s hands gripped the steering wheel of his Porsche as he maneuvered through the late-afternoon traffic. “I want to send a message to Clive.”

  “What sort of message?”

  “He needs to understand that not only are you powerful, but that you have powerful allies. Who can hurt him. Who would enjoy hurting him, actually.” He must’ve seen the alarmed look on my face, because he smiled at me reassuringly. “Not just me—my security team’s been bored lately. Nobody’s tried to hack me for weeks. They need something to do.”

  I swallowed hard. “I don’t want you to break the law. I’m already in trouble. I don’t want you in trouble too. There’s too much at stake.”

  “That’s the point. I have a lot to lose now too.”

  I knew he meant his business interest in Paragon, but there was another undercurrent to what he said. Something more…personal. The thought thrilled me while simultaneously frightening me. I looked at my watch. “I need to call my sister,” I said, eager to change the subject. “She’ll be worried.”

  Gabe trained his eyes on the road. “Of course.”

  Hannah picked up immediately. “Where are you? Stephanie said you’d left, and I’ve been freaking out—”

  “I’m with Gabe,” I interrupted her. “We’re going to his house. Security’s following me. Everything’s okay.”

  We chatted benignly for a minute. I could tell she was burning with curiosity, but she couldn’t give voice to it. Why aren’t you at work? What about the picture with the supermodel? You said you’re going to Gabe’s house, but for what?

  For what, indeed?

  I hung up as we pulled up to an electronic gate. Gabe rolled down his window and placed his thumb against a scanner. The gate immediately swung open.

  “Fancy,” I said.

  “The lady likes the high tech. Phew. I might be in better shape than I thought.”

  I said nothing, trying to suppress a smile. He looked as if he were in excellent shape, and I had a feeling I might be about to confirm that once and for all.

  We pulled up the long drive to the base of what he called his home. But I had a home. Gabe had what could only be described as an estate.

  He got out and opened the winglike car door for me, offering his hand.

  “This is your house?” I stared up at the massive stone structure with warm lights and ivy climbing its walls. “Who do you live here with?”

  Gabe looked sheepish. “Myself. Want a tour?”

  “Do you even know your way around this whole place?”

  He laughed. “It’s not that big. Wait—text your driver and security.” He nodded as my car pulled up behind his. “They can hang out and have pizza with my driver and security.”

  “You have a driver and security?”

  “I have one guy who’s my driver. I never let him drive, though. And I have security—I always have men at the house, and others on the grounds and at Dynamica.”

  “Why?” I knew why I had security, but I was curious about Gabe. He hadn’t talked about himself much or why he needed protection.

  He jerked his thumb at the house. “’Cause if someone broke in here, I’d never find them.” He grinned. “I’m kidding. I have security for the same reason you do, the same reason most Silicon Valley companies do. As CEO, I’m worth a lot. My company needs me. Even though I have backup systems in place, my business is very dependent on this.” He pointed to his head. “And this.” He pointed to his smile.

  “Your business needs your smile?”

  He shrugged. “My business contacts see
m to like it. It doesn’t hurt, in any event. C’mon.” He threw his arm casually over my shoulders. “Let me show you around.”

  I relished being that close to him, feeling his strong body next to mine, even as the simple familiarity made my nerves go haywire. We toured the grounds first, so I could see them in the fading light. The mountains surrounded us, and we could see the lights from the valley below. I saw stunning acres upon acres of private peace and an enormous pool lit up in the backyard. A hot tub and cabana dotted the surrounding area. We walked farther, through his impressive and somewhat wild gardens, until I spotted a helipad.

  “You have a helicopter?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t take it out much.”

  I wondered if all the other CEOs in town had helipads and hot tubs. I should probably get something similar to keep up, but I didn’t care about things like that. I had no one to show off to and little interest in luxury. I’d been raised like that.

  Due to the sale of several of my father’s coveted patents to plastics corporations, my parents had been extremely wealthy in their own right. You wouldn’t have known it if you’d met them, though. They’d shared a beat-up station wagon, my father had favored plaid shirts from L.L. Bean, circa 1980, and my mother’s purse had been from Target. I was definitely their daughter. Hannah was the only one with the luxury-shopping gene. She would go crazy over Gabe’s estate and his rarely used helipad.

  I followed him back to the house. The entire rear-facing side was made of windows so he could enjoy watching the pool and the majestic skyline above it.

  “I’m impressed.” I looked out at the view. “I don’t get excited about material possessions very much, but this is amazing.”

  He stared out at the hills. “But I don’t own the things that make it amazing.”

  We sat down on the enormous stone steps leading up to his house and watched the sky.

  He turned to me after a minute, his eyes searching mine. “You know what I’m going to ask you, don’t you?”

  I took a deep breath, imagining the possibilities. Will you sleep with me? Have you ever done this before? What do you like?