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And as the events began to unfold yesterday—first at the office and then on the plane and shortly after we landed in San Francisco—it turned out that the plan wasn’t just genius, it was one of the best I’d ever come up with.It was exactly what needed to happen to clear Drake’s name.Originally, using David had merely been a way in. An unprotected pathway, as though I were hacking into the truth. Never did I think it was going to be this easy to get the information I needed.Of course, there was still lots of work to do, but at least this trip to the West Coast hadn’t been a waste. Within the next hour, I would have a much better understanding of how Faceframe had a design that looked almost identical to Hooked’s.The SUV dropped us off at a café several minutes before the scheduled meetup. David and Grayson grabbed themselves a coffee while I waited for them at a table. I didn’t need any more caffeine in my system. I was already wired enough, even though I’d been up all night.Knowin
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“Grayson, you’re fucking pathetic, you know that? You were always jealous that Easton came up with the idea first. Always pissed off that Holden got the better-looking women because he’s the nice guy that you’re not.”I was on the verge of verbally destroying him when Grayson moved his coffee aside and set his arms on the table. “What scares you the most, Brennon? The fact that we have proof that the Dating Place designs are yours? That even though you met the end of your noncompete, we can and will file suit? Or that your design will never be as successful as ours because, in this day and age, people want anonymity? They want to avoid getting into bed with motherfuckers like you, and the Dating Place can never offer that.”“You’re going to sue me?” His laugh turned even louder. “I dare you to try.”“Try?” I laughed back. “That’s what you think we’re going to do? We’ve hired Declan Shaw, the top litigator in the state of California, and the second we leave this café, we’re flying to L
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“That’s a good question,” Grayson said. “I’d like that answer as well.”Declan smiled. There wasn’t a single feature on his face that warmed from the expression. “I don’t think Brennon is the only person at fault here, although I fully plan to roast his ass in court.”“Are you saying . . .” My voice faded out as Declan nodded.He knew what I was about to voice.He adjusted his cuff links and set his arms back on the table. “Yes, Easton. I think we sue the social media giant and take both motherfuckers down.”Me: I know it’s late, but I just got back to the hotel and wanted to say good night. Hopefully, this text doesn’t wake you and you see it in the morning.Drake: I’m up.Me: I had a feeling you would be.Drake: How did things go today?Me: I’m going to tell you everything tomorrow. Will you meet me and the executive team at 6:00pm at the office?Drake: At the office? Are you sure that’s okay?Me: It’s more than okay. It’s where you should be—and where you should have been today. On
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“Drake . . .” I shook my head as I gazed at the woman I loved. “You have to know that if I was in your shoes, as a partner, I would have been treated the same way. Our in-house counsel has standard operating procedures. All she was doing—all we were doing—was following them to protect Hooked. This wasn’t personal, trust me when I say that.”“I know,” she replied.“We didn’t want to do this, Drake,” Holden added. “We didn’t want to have that meeting. We didn’t want to even consider that you had something to do with the Dating Place or that you were acting as a mole or that you had sent that email. But for the sake of Hooked, we had to do our due diligence. Although none of us were able to voice this, we didn’t think for a second that you were involved in any way.”“Shit no,” Grayson said. “If you wanted access to our system, you would have hacked in—we all know that. You wouldn’t have wasted your time and taken a job here.”Holden chuckled. “What he said, but that still doesn’t change
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“You better come inside before I eat you in this doorway.” He turned, giving me enough space to slide into his condo.I’d already smelled dinner the moment he opened the door, but the closer I got to the kitchen, the stronger the aroma became.I set my overnight bag on one of the barstools, and that was when I heard “Draaake!”Heavy, clunky footsteps came barreling out of the living room. Belle’s head barely exceeded Easton’s high counter, her pigtails bopping just above the edge of the stone, her ringlets finding flight as she sprinted toward me.“Belle,” I sang back, kneeling on the kitchen floor so I could give her a hug. “What are you doing here?”As she circled her small arms around my neck, I immediately got a whiff of chocolate chip cookies. A dessert, I was positive, Easton had fed her.Although Belle’s nanny often brought her by the office, those stops were quick. The most time I spent with her was during occasions like this, when Holden needed to speak to Easton and they wer
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“I love that,” I whispered.“I tried something different tonight.”I smiled, taking in more of the aroma. “Oh yeah?”“When I brought you to lunch last week, you ordered a salad with grilled shrimp. It got me thinking about seafood.” He led me over to the stove, opening the cover to the large, flat oval dish. “I just took this out of the oven before you got here. It needs time to sit and gel and cool off from its current molten-lava state.”I laughed at his description. “It looks divine.” The base appeared to be thick rice with sausage and seasoning and a large collection of seafood on top. “What’s it called?”“Paella.” He took a spoon from one of the drawers, dipping it into the mixture. He blew on the rice and sausage before holding it up to my lips. “Taste.”Now that it was closer, I saw the bits of onion and the small round peas in the rice. “Easton, my goodness,” I moaned, covering my mouth the moment it hit my tongue. “This is heavenly.”“The first time I had this was when I was
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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENEastonIf I was going to take Drake on a trip, our first that wasn’t work related, I wanted to make sure she never forgot it. That it was a location she could absorb on a level that went beyond restaurant reservations and tours and cultural experiences I normally planned. I wanted her to connect to the landscape, to feel the air. To listen to the stories the mountains whispered.Utah was a place where I’d spent a lot of time. Not just skiing in the winter, but camping in the spring, summer, and fall. Never promoted as much as Colorado or Nevada or Montana, more of a hidden secret that always surprised people when they arrived, it was a state that was often overlooked.I didn’t know why.These grounds were some of the most beautiful in the world, and as someone well traveled, I had every authority to say that.That was why I wanted to share this with Drake.I wanted her to know what it felt like to be in the middle of nowhere. To have to rely on natu
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She glanced at me, scanning my eyes.“I don’t want you to feel anything but amazement while we’re out here,” I continued. “But, at the same time, I realize this is my kind of vacation. I’m hoping you’ll experience it the way I want you to . . . I just don’t know if that’ll be the case.” I nipped one of her knuckles and soothed it with a kiss. “To make that adjustment easier on you, I want to deal with any concerns you have before you see our accommodations.”She laughed. “Are you reading me the back of a Moab camping warning label?”“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” I winked at her.“And you’re saying I may hate you after this?”Now it was my turn to laugh. “Hate is a strong feeling. Let’s go with . . . camping will continue to be my thing, and all other non-camping adventures will be our thing.”While her hand was still near my lips, she wiggled it out of my grip and cupped my cheek. “I’m going into this very open minded. I want to love it.”“Good.” I kissed her fingers as they got cl
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