I glance back at Ethan as I walk out the door, but his expression is impassive, showing no sign of the fleeting amusement that passed over it after catching me staring at him. I’m not sure what about him unbalances me so much within such a short time of meeting him. I need to pull myself together and remind myself that he’s off limits. After what happened with Sebastian’s little fling, it’s best that another of the Johnson brothers isn’t seen fraternizing with people outside of The Society... for now at least.
Chapter Eight
Ethan
I spend the next few days settling into the new routine, on my third day here, I receive a message from Devin informing me that I have access to the mainframe and my security clearance has been authorized. It’s time to begin.
In order to maintain my facade, I decide to do the job I’m being paid to do: routine software maintenance, identifying and repairing the security breach in the firewalls which were created by my predecessor, and searching for any data theft as well as eliminating viruses, and any other technical tasks required of me. The first week I’ll be spending most of my time in the main hub, working through the backlog and compiling all the data that will be useful to both myself and the job at hand.
Every day so far, I’ve been accompanied by Devin, who hovers around, watching while I work, and sometimes engaging me in conversation about what I’m doing. It makes me uneasy, and I’m hoping he doesn’t decide to do this all the time, or I’ll never be able to enact my plan. Sometimes he talks to me about the work, and at other times I think he’s trying to get to know me.
It’s unnerving to say the least, but it also makes me angry when I think about how these people carelessly cast aside my sister. I don’t know what she could have done, or why they would have singled her out for death. Surrounded by opulence and grandeur, I can only guess that it came down to money, and the vast difference between our own lack of wealth and theirs. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not poor by any means, our family has enough money to live in comfort, but not anything as extravagant as the house and grounds I’m currently working in.
One thing I’m almost certain of is that Devin is attracted to me. I feel little more than loathing for The Society and everyone in it, including the wealthy son of a founding father who appears to be attracted to a lowly technician such as myself. Mentally, I scoff at the thought of getting involved with any of these people beyond employment, and even then I have my own ulterior motive for being here.
From the looks of things, my predecessor sabotaged the security systems by installing and initiating a shutdown protocol to override the main hub from a portable device, probably a laptop. It would leave the entire property vulnerable and therefore the people inside. It seems to be just the cameras and alarms that were taken down and interfered with, nothing deeper like the sensitive and confidential data that I intend to compromise for my own means. I plan to shred their empire apart from the inside, and the only man here with the means to stop me is sitting right beside me asking probing questions about my work and myself.
I pause, giving him a sideways glance. He’s not paying attention, instead he’s staring down at his phone with a look of annoyance on his face. Shrugging, I turn back to what I’m doing and continue to ignore him, that is, until he gets up with a heavy sigh and storms out of the office. Not wanting to waste this unprecedented opportunity to do a little digging without having Devin looking over my shoulder, I start sifting through the stored security footage for any sign of Katy. I vaguely recall that a couple of months ago Mom had mentioned that Katy had made some new friends at school and was spending a lot of time with them, so I decide to start looking from then.
I find nothing of interest at first, just the everyday comings and goings of the Johnson family. As I continue to scan through the footage on fast forward, I get a few glimpses of her laughing with her friends, and with the youngest brother’s arm around her. That must be Sebastian Johnson. I’m torn between feeling the ache of seeing her laughing and happy, and the fury of seeing her with these people. It’s because of these friends she was even at the formal event where she was cruelly killed. I clench my hand around the mouse, squeezing the plastic until it creaks at the pressure I’m exerting. Forcing myself to take a few deep, calming breaths, I slowly release it, and hit pause when I hear the heavy sound of several sets footsteps and raised voices moving closer to the office. I grab a sticky note and a pen, make a quick note of the date and time I’d reached and close the program before I get caught snooping.
“I can’t believe you would do that to me, Devin!” an unfamiliar male voice says accusingly, and I turn towards the closed door with interest.
“You would’ve done the same thing if it was you. In fact, if I recall correctly, you have done the exact same thing, yet you’re giving me the third degree,” Devin responds.
Abandoning my work, I stand and move towards the door, listening intently.
“You slept with Quinn,” the male voice hisses.
“What’s your problem? You weren’t even interested in her until recently. It was a one-time thing!” Devin counters, and I roll my eyes at his words.
I quietly open the door and peer out into the hallway. Looking to the left yields nothing but emptiness, but to the right I see Devin and Sebastian heavily engrossed in a heated discussion with each other.
“That’s not the point, Devin. It’s bad enough that Quinn was being accused of killing Katy, when I know she wouldn’t have done that, but then you had to go and sleep with her too? What else are you hiding, Dev?” he demands.
I straighten my back at the mention of Katy and continue to watch them closely. Devin’s back is to me, so I’m unable to see his reaction to Sebastian’s words.
“Who was accusing her of anything? Look, I don’t get why you’re so upset about me and Quinn. Up until a week ago, you were banging the other girl. Is it my fault she came crying to me? I’m not sure what she told you, but for the record, she was the one who came on to me. I just didn’t say no,” Devin responds, and I can hear the amusement in his smug tone.
“You’re a dick, Dev,” Sebastian spits, and I find myself nodding in agreement.
“Why? Because I didn’t say no to Quinn when she threw herself at me? Like I’m going to turn down sex when it’s offered to me by a girl as gorgeous as she is,” he states.
Sebastian loses it. I watch as he punches Devin in the jaw with enough force to knock him off balance. Devin throws out a hand, pressing it against the wall to stop himself falling into it. The thud of flesh reaches my ears, and I bite my cheek to keep myself from laughing. Devin deserved that, and probably more in my opinion, but it was satisfying to watch, nonetheless. Sebastian moves closer, getting right in Devin’s face.
“Don’t you ever touch her again,” he threatens, shoving Devin before he turns and storms past him down the hallway, not even noticing me standing in the open doorway.
I watch him go and turn around to see Devin glowering at me. “Enjoy the show?”
Chapter Nine
Devin
My jaw is smarting from Sebastian’s blow, but I deserved it. I may have blown it off, but I know I really riled him up with my offhand comments. I don’t know what Quinn said to him about our little dalliance that night, but I knew her intentions when she chose to initiate what occurred between us, it seems she got her wish. Sebastian is angry, and protective of what’s his to the point of obsession, and while he may not have seemed interested in her, it didn’t mean he didn’t want her. Those two are going to create one hell of a storm together.
Right now, though, I have an employee who I’m desperately fighting my own attraction to. Ethan is standing in the doorway to the office with a deer caught in the headlights expression on his face. He knows I caught sight of the smirk on his face after Sebastian took a swing at me. I don’t know what’s going through his head right now, but I’m not in the mood to find out. What I need is some ice for my jaw so it doesn’t swell or bruise too badly. I can
deal with my potential Ethan problem later, probably with my hand around my dick in the shower again.
“Get to work, I’ll be back,” I order, before turning around to storm off toward the built-in bar that’s a feature in our sitting room.
Sitting at the bar, I hold an ice pack to my jaw with one hand and a glass of whiskey on the rocks in the other. I think about Sebastian and the lengths I’d go to protect him. Sleeping with Quinn was a dick move, I know, but I don’t regret it either. I played my part in her little game and it seems to have had the results she desired.
Ethan is another problem, and one I’m not sure how to deal with. It’s clear to me that he dislikes me, although he certainly behaves otherwise by indulging me when I pepper him with questions, alongside maintaining a professional distance from me. I’m not sure what I’ve done to earn his contempt, but it’s slowly driving me mad. I don’t know whether it's the element of a chase and actively trying to get to know him better that’s affecting me, or that for once he’s someone who I can’t easily seduce into liking me. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s even inclined that way. Fuck, is this how girls feel when they lust after their gay friends? Shaking my head, I lower the ice pack, which is now warm, and down the rest of my drink. I better get back up there in case he needs anything. Not likely, but I enjoy watching him work more than I should.
Remembering the way his elegant fingers moved swiftly over the keys, I try not to picture how they would look and feel running over my body, manipulating and navigating me like the intricate computer systems he’s delving into. I bring the glass to my lips and tilt it, letting the small ice cubes slide into my mouth. The shock of cold makes me shiver, and as they melt on my tongue, it still does nothing to douse the heat that is building inside of me. I need to get ahold of myself before I do something stupid like burst back into that office and bend him over the desk.
Slamming the empty glass down on one of the coasters lined up at the bar, I toss the ice pack into the trash and get to my feet. Deciding to take care of the problem that’s tenting my slacks before I tackle the one up in the office, I head straight upstairs to my bedroom. The farther away from him I do this the better, as I’ll be less tempted to see if he’ll be willing to let me vent my pent-up frustration on him instead of doing it myself. I need some damn relief before I can even think about going back into that small intimate room with Ethan, not in the state I’m currently in.
I barely know him, but he’s already slowly consuming my thoughts and I hate that I want him so much. He isn’t one of us, and I shouldn’t be entertaining such delusional thoughts. Now that the security systems are back online and fully functional, and I feel more at ease I’m going to get out of the house tonight and find someone to sink my dick into before I lose my mind completely. Feeling a little calmer now that I’ve a plan in mind, I slow my pace, while still focusing on my destination.
As I round one of the corners I collide with a hard body and almost lose my balance. I manage to grab hold of my unfortunate victim to stop them from falling, and my back slams into the wall. When I look at who I’ve bumped into my heart thumps heavily and then stutters.
“Ethan!” I exclaim in surprise. He’s the last person I expected and wanted to run into right now, and yet I’m still holding onto him. “Why aren’t you working?”
“Well, unless you intend for me to work around the clock, I’m done for the day,” he responds, and at his words I glance at the watch on my wrist.
“Of course,” I agree, relinquishing my hold on him when he clears his throat.
He takes a step back, straightening himself out, and I attempt to do the same while trying to cover my aching hard-on, which I’m half-hoping he didn’t feel while I held him against me. I don’t miss his subtle downward glance, which he swiftly attempts to disguise by looking at his watch. Seems he did notice, and I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or annoyed that he’s caught me in such a compromising state.
Feeling reckless, I take a step toward him, and cock my head with a smirk. “Notice something you like, Ethan?”
I can tell he’s unsure how to react, and the slight exhale followed by him swallowing makes me want to groan. I watch his Adam’s apple roll with the motion and a sudden image of filling his throat and having him swallow around my cock flits into my mind. Damn it, I’m losing control, and I’m half tempted to drag him back to my room to have him do just that.
Ethan takes another step back and glares at me, his eyes and expression are hard, but there’s a minor flash of something that flickers in them before it’s quickly smothered... interest, maybe?
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Devin,” he says, before he walks off and disappears around the corner.
Stepping back, I let my head drop against the wall and close my eyes, cursing myself for taking such a stupid and bold risk. Ethan caught me by surprise. The sudden shock of having him pressed up against my body and in my hands eliminated all sense from my mind, and now that I know what he feels and smells like, I’m fucked because now I want him even more.
Chapter Ten
Ethan
I’m reeling from the day I’ve had. Not only did I find confirmation that the Johnson’s are the reason my little sister was involved with The Society, but there’s no doubt that Devin is attracted to me. I felt what he failed to conceal when he pulled me up against him after we crashed into each other in the hallway, and even had I not, there was no denying what he was trying to hide, followed by his blunt question. I’m ashamed to admit to myself that yes, I noticed something I liked, but hell no am I ever going to admit it to him.
Thankfully, I managed to duck out of there before it got too awkward. Although, I think I’ll only be dodging that bullet until tomorrow, when it comes shooting back around in the form of an arrogant prick named Devin Johnson. As I make my way through the house, out into the grounds, and across to my current residence I think about what I saw today, and not just on the screens. Sebastian’s words replay in my mind about how suspicion fell on his new girlfriend Quinn after Katy’s murder. Then his question to Devin, ‘What else are you hiding, Dev?’ makes me wonder the same thing. Devin slept with Quinn, did he sleep with Katy too, or was he asking something else? Does Sebastian think Devin had something to do with Katy’s death?
My mind is racing with questions I daren’t ask, at the risk of exposing my connection to her and my own safety when I’ve barely begun enacting the first steps of my plan to find out what really happened and to ruin them all. Minor attraction or not, Devin is the enemy and he’s going down with the rest of them. It’ll make my revenge so much sweeter to know they’re watching their little empire of blood fall in tatters at their fucking feet.
Now that I have full access to their network, it should make finding the truth so much easier. It’s only a matter of time, and it shouldn’t take long before it’s within my grasp and everything is in place. I managed to get a good start on planting the sleepers within the security encryptions, another few hours of work and I’ll have every piece of data ever created, logged, or stored at my fingertips. It doesn’t matter if they’ve tried to delete it or attempted to wipe it from the hard drive. If it existed once, it still does, but I’ll need to dig a lot deeper and sift through mounds of outdated information and files to find it. If Devin continues to insist on overseeing all my work, it’s going to take even more time. He’s a lot more perceptive than I’d like and he’s bound to ask questions if he sees me rummaging through stuff that’s not relevant to the tasks at hand. Hopefully, he’ll begin to trust me sooner rather than later, to do the job I’m being paid to do. I’m doing the work, just with my own added twist.
Running through lines and lines of code is dull to most, but it’s necessary for me to track down bugs in the systems and plant some undetectable ones of my own. Maybe when he sees me consistently working hard to complete my tasks and oversee all the data and software he’ll slowly back off. Resolving myself to doing the work I’m supposed to for the next few da
ys, I trudge across the grass and up to my front door. I didn’t bother disabling the cameras in here. There’s no point as they won’t record anything of note, and it would raise a huge red flag that I don’t need hovering above me when I’m aiming to be as stealthy and unobtrusive as possible.
I rake a hand through my hair, messing it up even more. I strip out of the shirt and pants I’m wearing and walk into the bathroom to take a shower. I want to let go of every negative thought threatening to drag me down, losing Katy, and the awareness of what will happen if I’m caught. If they wouldn’t let an innocent girl walk away, then there’s no way they’d let me leave. I’ve no doubt in my mind that they’d kill me first.
I stand underneath the strong spray of hot water, and let the heat draw out the tension from my muscles and allow the hot steam to clear my head. I don’t think of anything, just stand there and feel the water running down my body in warm rivulets, and the weight of my wet hair sticking to my forehead and neck. There’s nothing but me and a warm cocoon of steam and water wrapping around me and covering every inch of my skin, bathing me in it until I almost feel like drowning.
Chapter Eleven
Devin
The private club is exactly as I remember it, extravagant without being over the top. The elegance of the rooms within are understated while still being opulent. There’s little excitement to be found here, and I’m not sure why I bothered to be honest. The same faces grace the small dancefloor, and it’s full of other Society members and those who aren’t but can afford our ridiculously overpriced membership fees.
The Society Page 28