“How long are you staying?”
“Not sure yet. I move around a lot.”
“Where do you live?”
“That’s top secret.”
“Who do you work for?”
“I work for no one.”
“What’s your last name?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“You can’t tell me your last name? Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. By the way, my ass is freezing.”
“What do you do all day?”
“I hack.”
“I know that, but who or what do you hack? Besides me, that is.”
“I hack whatever I want or need to hack.”
“Pretty good at it then?”
“I’m the best there is. No one can keep me out. Why did you stop practicing law?”
Kate knew it would have taken him no time at all to unearth her education and former profession. “I’m supposed to be the one asking questions.”
“I’m just curious.”
“I wanted to help people. I couldn’t do much of that stuck in a tiny office filing briefs. At the food pantry I at least have tangible proof that I’m helping others.”
“Is that why you rebuffed me that day at the café? Because you believe the law is black-and-white and I work in a gray area?”
“I rebuffed you because I didn’t want your stolen money. Plus you violated my privacy in a way that was very off-putting and not okay. And, I might add, you’ve continued to violate it.”
“I know you probably don’t believe me, but I’m actually a really nice guy. As such, I have a proposal for you.”
“I can’t even imagine what it might entail.”
“I propose that you forget about online dating and go out with me instead.”
“Why would I go out with you? You engage in frequent illegal activity, and you have horrific boundary issues.”
“Because I promise you that spending time with me will never be boring. And isn’t that what you’re really after? Someone who can inject a little adventure into your life?”
There was no way she could ever take Ian seriously, but he was spot-on about the boredom. No matter how inexcusable his behavior, the few conversations she’d had with him had been the most stimulating exchanges she’d had with a man in a very long time.
“We are on a vastly uneven playing field,” Kate said. “You know things about me, embarrassing things. Conversely, my efforts to find out anything substantial about you have crashed and burned. Nothing you’ve told me is personal. If you don’t want to answer something, you don’t, yet you did not extend to me the same courtesy. Do you want to know how that makes me feel? Naked. I feel like you have stripped me completely bare.”
“I like the direction this conversation is going.”
An idea slowly worked its way into Kate’s thoughts. At first she rejected it, but then the logical side of her brain took over. Retribution of some sort was absolutely necessary. Her solution was bold for sure, but it was the only way for her to gain any equilibrium. She yanked on Ian’s jacket and said, “Come with me.”
“Oh good, we’re finally going inside where it’s warm.”
Kate led Ian into the elevator. She punched the button for the fourth floor, and when the door opened she led him down the hall. Once they were inside Kate’s apartment, she pulled a small canister of pepper spray out of her purse and flicked off the safety button.
“This just took a weird turn,” Ian said.
“Take off all your clothes.”
“Excuse me?” The shocked look on his face told Kate she had finally managed to rattle him.
“You’ve shown no remorse whatsoever for your all-encompassing and blatant invasion of my privacy. Because that makes me feel naked, I’ve decided it’s only fair that you should feel naked. Also, get out of my computer immediately. I’m willing to move past the fact that you hacked me, but it ends now.”
“No more backdoor?”
“No more backdoor.”
He appeared crestfallen. “Ever?”
“Never,” Kate said firmly.
“Not even on my birthday or like a special occasion?”
“Are we still talking about my computer?” she asked.