Free HACKING THE BILLIONAIRE by Jenny Devall Page A

bedroom.
    “You are an arrogant son of a bitch.”
    He stopped unbuttoning his shirt. “Where did that come from?”
    “You can advise me what to wear when I am on your arm, but you don’t get to tell me what to wear when I am working from home.”
    “But it’s my home.”
    She spun around. “Then I’ll got back to my home.”
    She ran to the office, gathered her things, then dropped them by the front door. She grabbed her suitcase from the bedroom, where Dirk still stood, not having gotten any closer to changing out of his work clothes.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Going where I can wear what I want,” she said.
    What an ass. No one told her what to do. She wasn’t married to him. She wasn’t even dating him. Who did he think he was?
    “You’re going to fight with me over clothing?”
    The clothes weren’t really the issue, but she was too pissed to explain it. She didn’t like to be controlled. “Yes.”
    She stalked out, not sure how exactly she was getting home, but she’d figure that out. How dare he look down his nose at her over her clothing. She had a bigger brain than all of his girlfriends combined. What did it matter what she wore in privacy?
    With her things in hand, she waited for the elevator. Dirk opened his front door and stood in the doorway looking at her. He was in the same state of undress he’d been when she’d last entered the bedroom.
    His tie was off. His shirt partially unbuttoned. His face held a quizzical expression. “Did you have a bad day?”
    She had. Finding the e-mail from Zeke hadn’t been the best. She couldn’t tell him that because she had noting substantial to go on. And she didn’t like Zeke anyway, so part of her wanted him to be guilty. Of something.
    “Why? Because I have an opinion?”
    What was taking the elevator so long?
    “Because you didn’t have to snap at me. You could have gotten your point across without being angry, but you chose that route. That makes me think this is about something else.”
    She wanted to throw something at him. How could he be so civilized? So genteel. So fucking right. The whole Zeke thing was bothering her. She let out a breath.
    “I may have found something, but I can’t talk about it yet.”
    “You know who is sabotaging my company?”
    Maybe? Possibly? She hoped that Zeke was not her suspect. Dirk wouldn’t like that at all. Would he even believe her? “No, not yet. I’ve made some progress.”
    He stood straighter now, his head cocked to one side. “You don’t want to tell me because of who it is?”
    “Yes.”
    He leaned on the doorframe. She wasn’t fooled by his lax posture. He was curious. “It bothers you that much?”
    “Yes.” He smiled. She wanted to throw something at him again. “Why are you smiling?”
    “You don’t want me to be hurt.”
    Yes. Why? She had no idea. He was just a client. This was business. She cared too much.
    There it was. That was the crux of it. She didn’t want him to be disappointed in his friend. She didn’t want to give him that bad news if it came to fruition. She nodded because the words escaped her at the moment.
    ***
    Dirk stared at her. She looked cute in those sweats. They still hugged her body as if they fit her. The forlorn look on her face was sweet also. How could he resist her?
    He held out his hand. “Come back in. You don’t have to tell me until you know for sure.”
    She trudged back to him, stopping just shy of the door. “I’m sorry that I snapped, but I’m wearing sweats if I want to.”
    “Just not in public.”
    “Fair enough.”
    She looked up at him with sad green eyes, and he wished he could take away that emotion. He never wanted her to be sad. He never wanted her to feel any negative emotions.
    He pulled her into his apartment, closing the door behind them. “I need a shower. You want to join me? I’d like to go out for lunch, so you’ll have to change anyway. That means you’ll at least be partially naked.”
    “You make an