“You said a guy with a thick neck came and threatened you, right?”
“Yes, he was a really big dude. Looked like he’d been lifting weights with his neck and had arms bigger than my thighs.”
“A computer consultant came in to help me with my coding errors. The guy you’re describing sounds just like him. I remember Mattie and I talking about how we judged him and thought he couldn’t know anything about computers.
“But he fixed the errors. He came in and fixed them,” I said almost to myself as I started to trail off. “Unless, he had really planted the bug and then came in to use my access to get the information he needed. One day, he copied items to a flash drive. Shit, I think I did have something to do with this. I let him copy files from my computer.”
Brandon didn’t seem as upset as I thought he would be after learning that I had pretty much given some dude direct access to his financial information. I certainly hadn’t done it on purpose, but still I was very reckless with private customer information and financial data.
“So, who is this guy, and why is he after me?”
“Oh, I don’t know all of that.”
“We have made a lot of progress on this together. Much more than I was able to make with my lawyer and the investigator this afternoon. I think we should take a break and dance,” Brandon said with a sly smile.
“Your bank accounts are frozen. How can you be so calm at a time like this?”
“It’s nearly one in the morning on a Saturday. No matter what I find out, there isn’t anything that can be fixed until at least Monday morning. I’d much rather enjoy the evening with you,” he said.
“I can’t believe I actually fell for that guy who said he was with the exchange commission and was going to stop talking to you all together,” I muttered. “How does he play a role in all of this?”
“Maybe that was his purpose? Maybe he wanted you to stay away from me so I’d be hurt? I have no idea; I’m just glad we are straightening this part of things out. I hated that for a moment I thought you might have been involved. I couldn’t believe it, though. I just knew it wasn’t true.”
“You didn’t know,” I teased. “You were angry with me – I saw it in your eyes when I turned around outside.”
“Not exactly angry. I was confused. But that’s just normal life for me when I’m around you,” he laughed and I laughed and our connection eased the tension between us. “Now let’s forget about that for just tonight. There will always be tomorrow to worry about this mess. Can we just have tonight?”
“Yes, we can have tonight.” I leaned in and put my head on his chest.
The chaos of the last few days wasn’t lost on me. I knew there was still so much we had to figure out, but in Brandon’s arms, I also knew I felt safe and I trusted that feeling more than the chaos and noise going on all around us.
His hands were like home as he wrapped them around my back and pressed me up against him. The warmth of our bodies offered comfort, and I felt that warmth exploding across my body.
Whatever else was going on in both of our worlds didn’t seem to matter in that moment. We swayed in perfect time with the music and the club belonged to us. I relished his touch as his hands moved up and down my back.
“I hate to interrupt, but am I on my own for the rest of the night?” Mattie said as she tapped me on the shoulder.
“Crap, I should probably check in with Josh,” Brandon added. “How about you two come sit with us. I can get a VIP… Oh wait, I can’t,” he started to laugh. “I don’t have any money! Well, we could just join Josh and all hang out.”
“But he thinks I’m a horrible person, remember?” I was joking a little bit, but I was a little serious, as well.
I didn’t feel comfortable hanging out with the guy who had convinced Brandon I was after him. Even if there had been a little circumstantial evidence, it would be really uncomfortable for me.
“Oh, he’ll get over it. Let me go talk to him for a minute and then you guys can come over.”
As much as I didn’t want to be around his friend, I really did want to be around Brandon, so I agreed. He went off to find his friend and straighten things out. I was left to straighten things out with Mattie because I could tell by the look in her eye that she did not agree with the way Brandon and I had been dancing.
“So apparently, his friend convinced him that I had something to do with his financial information being stolen. And, I guess the computer consultant who was at my desk probably was the same guy who threatened Brandon. Basically, I don’t think he’s under investigation for real, but I do think he’s still got someone after him. I know I really should stay away from him, but he was outside when I went out there and I couldn’t resist.”
“I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Of course, that was what Mattie thought. This was the same woman who continually took her no-good boyfriend back after he cheated on her. But in this circumstance, I was glad she was a forgiving soul and could go with me and let me give Brandon a second chance.
“Thanks, Mattie. I’m sorry I always give you a hard time about Markus. I won’t do that this time if you decide you want to give him another chance.”
“Oh, heck no! I’m done with him,” she said. “I gave him plenty of chances, and he proved they weren’t enough for him. I’m moving on. But, I do think giving Brandon the benefit of the doubt is a reasonable thing to do. You like him, and I can tell by the way he looks at you that he likes you. Things will either work out, or they will get worse, right?”
“Yes, exactly. Thanks, Mattie! I was so worried after that investigator came in and told me about Brandon. Now, it seems even he was a fake. It’s all a ridiculous mess.”