Broken Enagement

by Gage Grayson

  Doesn’t he care at all that I just turned down the job he’s been offering? Marcus remains a bit of a mystery, even though I technically know all about his life because I researched it.

  Still, there’s a part of him that’s far removed from me, and I’m aching to get to know it. I want to understand all of him.

  “You know, Marcus, if you really want to know me more, you can join in an outreach program that I volunteer at,” I joke.

  I don’t know why I even extended the invitation. I’m trying to lighten the mood, and I just hope it works. I’ve just turn them down after all.

  To my surprise so he says, “Yes, I’d love that.”

  The fact that he just took that offer seriously sends a swarm of nerves going through my body. The idea of seeing Marcus in the future makes me nervous. The idea of sitting here on his couch in his posh apartment makes me nervous. Everything about Marcus makes me nervous.

  He pours me some more wine, and we begin to talk all through the night. I ask him about his family and about his interests and everything.

  He asks me the same, and I have to lie a couple times, but also I tell him some of my truth. I don’t lay my whole life out there for him to see, but I do tell him bits and pieces that are real, like that my favorite food is sushi and that I have to have a pot of black coffee every morning just to wake up.

  He strokes my legs and rubs my back. I lean into him and feel safe against his solid, rock-hard body. The fire flickers into the night as we keep talking.

  It’s fun getting to know him in this more intimate way. Usually, we’re just having sex, not talking like this.

  The fact that he can hold a conversation with me is endearing. I hate to be narcissistic, but most people bore me to death.

  Not Marcus. He’s enchanting and charming and everything a woman could want.

  Too bad it’s not gonna last.

  He’ll get over me quickly, I tell myself.

  We drink so much wine that I don’t realize that I’ve fallen asleep on his couch.

  I dream of him and of hacking and of our two lives intersecting. In my dream, everything explodes. Marcus finds out who I truly am, and my dream turns into a nightmare. He leaves me because he despises my lifestyle.

  I guess my inner fears are embedded within my subconscious and are expressing themselves.

  I awaken with a start, and I’m alone in his bed. He must’ve moved me here. We didn’t even have sex last night.

  There’s a note on his pillow telling me find the breakfast he arranged for me on the table, and that I can stay as long as I like.

  He must’ve gone to work early.

  I stretch and wake up, taking my time to get ready. To my utter delight, he has a pot of black coffee waiting just for me. I eat the breakfast he’s laid out, and I stay until just before lunch.

  I feel cozy and comfortable in his apartment. It’s a feeling I relish. Normally I’m not so at ease with strangers. I guess Marcus is becoming less of a stranger and more somebody I care about.

  I leave a note saying thank you to him before I go.

  I make sure to keep everything in order. I make the bed and clean up after myself so that he can come home to a spotless apartment.

  And then I leave.

  Except for the first time, I’m not running away.

  18

  Marcus

  Finally, I got a lead on who Katy really is.

  She’s been hiding her hacker life, and last night she revealed just enough to give me some of the information I need.

  She’s a part of some online hacking world. So it’s not just her working alone. There are others.

  For a second I feel bad about betraying her, but it has to be done. She’s betraying me too, after all. An eye for an eye, right?

  I’ve been so wrapped up in Katy lately that I haven’t been able to focus on work. Today’s the day to get back in the office and to accomplish some things.

  I might be into Katy sexually, but don’t get me wrong, my mission is clear. I’m going to uncover her secret plan to take me down. I can’t let someone get in the way of my business, no matter who she is.

  I didn’t expect to fall for her so hard. She’s fucking gorgeous...and smart. But I can keep business and pleasure separate.

  The problem is when Katy finds out who I really am, she’ll despise me. But that’s a fate I’m willing to deal with later. As for today, I have business to do.

  I drive to work in my Mercedes. I’ve been forgoing the limousine lately because I enjoy driving, and also because I don’t want to tip Katy off as to who I really am.

  I drive hard and fast around the streets of New York City, and it feels good to be behind the wheel.

  When I get to the building, however, I see a small group of people forming outside to protest. I’m pissed. Not these animals again.

  Can’t people just move on when things don’t go their way? Why do they have to keep harboring on the fact that they were fired? This irritates me. And I take that aggravation to work with me.

  “Why are they here?” I practically scream at Jeremy.

  “I don’t know, sir, they’ve been forming since very early this morning. What should I do?”

  “Well,” I say. “You should’ve called me, to begin with. I have to get the security team on this. Next time they do this, let me know immediately. We can’t let the press get a hold of this.”

  He’s mumbling his apologies when I slam the door to my office. I don’t want to hear it from him or anybody else. Those assholes downstairs are starting to put me in a bad mood. Anything that could jeopardize my business puts me in a bad mood.

  It’s a wonder I’ve been able to sleep with Katy and to put our differences aside, considering she’s planning to burglarize my entire firm. She’s lucky she’s gorgeous.

  I call my head of my security and tell him to get the entire weight of his team behind this. I don’t need more protests happening in front of the building. I don’t need the scene exploding into a media frenzy―which it definitely will be, if anybody finds out.

  It’s probably exactly what those protesters want. They want to drag my name through the mud, to delegitimize my business, and to tell lies. It’s not gonna happen.

  I give the security guy a piece of my mind and tell him that he should on top of things like this without my telling him so. He’s supposed to be the best, after all.

  I’m able to at least focus on work for most of the day. I have so much stuff that I need to catch up on.

  My whole mind and heart have been wrapped up in Katy and it’s so unlike me. Normally a woman doesn’t get between me and work, but she’s the exception.

  It’s nice to be back in my penthouse office. I don’t mind going to the dummy apartment with Katy but I’m so used to having the best. My constant staff and fine furnishings calm me and make me feel powerful.

  I’ve built a goddamn empire, and it’s my time to enjoy it. Having the best is how I operate. I’m a billionaire, and I enjoy acting like it.

  Being in the dummy apartment with Katy should make me uncomfortable, but something about her puts me at ease, even in the midst of a modest living space.

  I spend the afternoon immersing myself in work and thinking about Katy. She’s always on my mind. We have this connection that never seems to go away. I’ve never felt it before with anybody else. I try to ignore it, but I also try to get some work done.

  Eventually, as evening descends on the city, I decide it’s time to get out of here. I go back to the apartment I use with Katy to pick up a few things.

  Once I walk in the door, I see that she left me a note. It’s nice that she said thank you. She’s thoughtful.

  I pocket the note and give her a call. “Hi, Katy, it’s me. Thanks for the note.”

  “Well, thank you for breakfast. It was nice to wake up that way.”

  “Miss me yet?” I ask.

  “I haven’t had time to miss you, Marcus. I just saw you this morning.”

>   She certainly says it like it is, doesn’t she?

  “I’ve missed you. I want to see you again, Katy. When can it happen?” I say, anxious to see her again.

  “Remember that outreach program I was telling you about last night? I’m gonna be going there, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?” she says.

  Damn. She caught me in my lie. I agreed to go because I didn’t think it would really happen.

  I don’t want to go volunteer my time. I never should’ve said yes to that. But now I have to go for the sake of getting Katy to trust me more.

  “Of course I remember. And I would love to go with you.”

  “That’s great, Marcus. I wasn’t sure if you really meant about being there with me. It should be fun. I’ll text you the address,” she says.

  “That sounds fine, Katy. Bye.”

  We hang up, and I think about what I’ve just gotten myself into. I hope it’s worth it. I hope it makes Katy trust me more, so that she might tell me some more information in the process.

  I need to know about her life and, most of all, about her online community that plans to take down my business. Things are getting real between us. I have to start finding out more information or this whole relationship will have been for nothing.

  I leave the apartment and go to my real house, the penthouse.

  I’m glad to be back in my true environment for the rest of the night. I don’t mind living like a pauper for just a little while, but at this point, I’ve had enough. I’m ready to be back in my own environment.

  I don’t know how Katy does it. She obviously has access to a lot of money, which she doesn’t take for herself. She’s happy living in some old apartment building. I just don’t get that. How can money not matter to her at all?

  She kinda reminds me of myself when I was a young and idealistic person. I built my business from scratch. I definitely know what it’s like to have nothing, but Katy seems to thrive in it.

  She’s so into her hacking that she doesn’t seem to realize what her environment looks like or something. I just can’t figure this girl out. And yet I want to so bad.

  Back at the penthouse, I play some music on the loudspeakers and pour myself a stiff drink while the chef prepares a healthy dinner.

  I plan on taking the night off, just to be alone and to reset. But instead, all I can think about is...her. She continues to permeate my thoughts.

  For one night, I wanted to get away from it all, but her allure continues to unravel me, and I can’t set even the thought of her aside.

  What does this mean?

  I have my drink and go to bed early. I think about her, tossing and turning all night. I doubt this will be the last night, either.

  19

  Katy

  I don’t know why I answered when Marcus called.

  Something about seeing his name light up on my phone causes a wave of thrilling pleasure to ignite within my body.

  I need to become better at saying no to him.

  As much as I enjoy being with him and as much as it’s the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, it can’t become a habit. I wish I could give into just this one thing, but I have to protect myself at all costs.

  There’s absolutely no way on earth that Marcus can ever find out my real vocation. He would likely hate me and turn me in.

  This fact makes me feel lonelier than ever. Being with Marcus has made me think outside of the box for once. Being with him has made me realize what I’m missing in life.

  But at the same time, I know that what I’m doing is for a good cause―and I can’t stop doing it. There are too many poor people depending on my work. That’s ultimately what drives me.

  When I invited him to help me with the outreach program, I was sure that he would decline and make excuses. That’s the only reason I brought it up. But to my surprise and chagrin, he still agreed to go.

  What am I gonna do now?

  I immerse myself in my online work.

  In the familiar chatroom, I’ve come to depend on all the others that are there.

  Enigma16n4 writes, You guys ready for another job? It’s a smaller one but it will still be fun.

  I’m in, I write. This project is personal for me so let’s not get it wrong.

  The money we’re gonna get from this job is gonna be donated to the outreach program that I volunteer at once or twice a month. It’s the one I will take Marcus to in a couple days.

  We’ll go to the poorest part of the city, give them help, and teach them livelihood programs. It’s really important to me that this job goes well. They need the money like nobody else I’ve ever seen.

  Dragon168 types, Let’s do this! Another one bites the dust.

  That’s the thing about this unique group of people. We all work together with the same goal in mind, helping people who don’t have anything.

  I’m lucky to have found them, really. Before joining this online world of hackers, I was doing it all myself. By having their support, I’m able to funnel so much more money into organizations that we care about. It’s way more than I could do on my own.

  We all get online and do our part. I alter the security features of the firm we’re trying to infiltrate while the others gain unauthorized data to all their systems.

  We successfully get in and get out quick. And then we donate the money to the outreach program I’m so fond of. They’re never gonna know where it came from. It’s gonna look like a large, sizable donation from an unknown donor. The plan is perfect.

  It takes us all night to do it, but we get it done. Knowing that the special program now has the funds to continue makes me happy. I sleep well all night. I may be cheap in terms of decor but I always invest in good sheets.

  I wake sleepily around noon. I make my usual black coffee and log on to my favorite websites. Then I check my calendar and realize I’m supposed to volunteer at the outreach program in two days. I’m hesitant to make contact, but I have to inform Marcus about the date and time.

  I do via text message. I make it short and sweet.

  Meet me at the convenience store around the corner in two days at noon for the volunteer work.

  Instead of texting me back, he calls me. That’s just like him. Once again, his name lights up on my screen. And I get excited despite my best intentions not to.

  “Hi. Are we really gonna do this?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I say. “I do it every month. Normally twice a month at least. I know it’s probably not that different from what you do, but it’ll still be fun.”

  “What is the attire?” he asks.

  Attire? Isn’t he supposed to know what all this is about? And the fact that he just said the word attire makes me think that Marcus is more upscale than I might’ve thought.

  Then again, maybe he isn’t one of the hands-on social workers at his organization. I guess I just assumed he was, which is stupid, given that the guy drives a fancy car. No, he’s probably one of the upper managements, if not the director.

  He doesn’t brag about it, though. Which I think is cute, how humble he is.

  “You should dress in very plain clothes. I’m picturing a very simple shirt and jeans. You need to be comfortable and to lose the suit. Okay?” I say.

  “No problem. I can’t wait to see you, Katy.”

  His words cause me to feel a certain amount of warmth and elation at the thought of seeing him. It’s been many days apart, and even though I’ve vowed to myself that this will be the last time, I have to admit I’m excited to see Marcus.

  Pulling away from him in the end will be so hard, especially since I’ll have to do it with no explanation. He’s gonna think I’ve abandoned him or I hate him or something.

  But none of that should bother me now. I have one more day left with him, and after that, I need to cut it off.

  On the day of our volunteer work, Marcus meets me around the corner.

  He pulls up in his luxe Mercedes, but when he gets out, he’s wearing a faded t-shirt and rip
ped jeans, I have to say I’m as attracted to him as ever. He really is so handsome that he could be dressed in a suit or old clothes, and he’ll still be hot.

  I approach him and he gives me a hug, picking me up and twirling me around in the process.

  Being back in his arms feels so good. It feels like home. A home I’ve never known.

  I push these thoughts out of my mind and think about the task at hand.

  He puts me down, and I say, “I need you to know that today is gonna be a different experience for you. You’re going to see and experience things that you never thought were possible. I just want you to be prepared.”

  He grabs my hand and says, “I trust you to show me the ropes, Katy. I can handle anything. You know that.”

  Indeed, I do know that he can handle anything. He’s the strongest and smartest man I’ve ever known. He’s got me smitten in so many ways that I refuse to admit to myself.

  We ride in his car all the way to the destination. I give him directions about where to go, and we have a nice conversation before edging into the bad part of town.

  20

  Marcus

  Unclothed and unsupervised children are running everywhere.

  People walk by wearing dirty clothes.

  There are women shouting at each other amidst a slew of hanging clothes and dirt and grime.

  I feel like vomiting because of the unpleasant smell of the place. This is the kind of scene I never would go to in my wildest dreams.

  I wish I could back out, but I'm already here. And I need to be here to earn Katy's trust. Somehow I just have to suck it up and get through this day.

  I try to look good to Katy. I don't want her thinking that I can't handle this. I can handle anything that I put my mind to.

  She walks around the place like she's completely comfortable here. She introduces me to some of the other volunteers, and I have to admit, they seem like nice people.

  I enjoy stepping back though and watching her interact with everyone. She looks so alive and happy while playing with the children. I can't help but wonder how she can be this motivated to be here.