Alpha's Instant Connection

Alpha's Instant Connection Author Veronica Fox Chapter 1 The Encounter Rosalie The click of my heels against the dull, New York concrete was quick and precise. The hours of practicing each night at home had finally paid off to the point where I could wear tall heels in public. The one thing I did not account for was the ever-present grates throughout the city. I watched the ground periodically for the ever-boding danger of a quick slip and fall to the ground. My phone began to ring annoyingly, distracting me from focusing on looming grates. With a huff, I buried my hand inside my trench coat, which elegantly flowed down far enough to reach my mid-calf and began to rummage through the coat pocket. Quickly picking up the ancient, old flip phone, I looked at the number, only seeing I did not recognize the number. With a quick sigh, I opened the phone to click the accept button. "Good evening, this is Lee Pierce from After Hours Computer Care; how may I help you?" I said with the utmost professionalism I could muster. "Yes, we need service on one of our company computers. Are you available this evening to travel to the Royal Suites Hotel?" the voice said annoyingly on the line. I glanced at my watch to see it was only 8 p.m., meaning that I should have enough time to make a quick service call before attending my friend's birthday party––at one of her favorite clubs. "Of course, sir, please text me your room number, and I will head that way now. I should be there in 15 minutes." He said, "Thank you," rather shortly, and then proceeded to cut the call. With a good eye roll, I changed direction and started to stomp my way back to where I had been let off by the taxi only ten minutes prior. I had only just passed the hotel a few minutes ago, so it was a blessing in some ways. I would be able to keep my promise to Amanda and join her at some point in the night and also earn a few bucks to help pay for the expensive taxi ride into the city. The lighting of the streets began to brighten, and the hotel came into view. It was a massive hotel, one for only the wealthy and money-hungry people. There were no substandard rooms here. All were suites and meant for big CEOs visiting the city or hosting out-of-town guests. There were several times I'd stopped in to drop off business cards at the concierge desk for them to recommend my services. CEOs and businessmen alike always needed their computers serviced, and it didn't matter what time of day they wanted it. Most large computer businesses had regular business hours. At the same time, I took it upon myself to have a small business on the side instead of my usual 9 to 5 job. It helped pay the extra bills and student loans from piling up. No scholarships here, I had to remain under the radar and a smart kid earned the extra stares. "Good evening, Jeremy," I spoke with a smile to the hotel's doorman. Jeremy was in his late 20's but carried the aura of an old soul. He had said once he has worked here for years. It was only a year ago that I met him and took a liking to him immediately. He was the father figure I never had in some ways, always making sure to take care of me. The first night coming to the hotel, he was worried I was some poor child lost in the big city. It was the first time I had to explain to anyone that I was just a computer freak who liked to help people with computer software to earn extra cash. Jeremy didn't like that I went into these prominent businessmen's suites alone to work on their computers, so he started following me and standing outside the door. He always scolded me that I would get in trouble one day, but it has never happened so far. I am always sure to keep room doors open while present and keep my trusty mase with me. "Well, hello Rosalie! It is good to see you again. Job this evening?" he chided. "Yes, thank goodness. Things have been rather slow recently, and my bills do need to be paid. You wouldn't have had anything to do with that, would you?" I gave him the side-eye. It was Jeremy's job to get to know the hotel patrons. Often, they needed help with computers after hours and would always slip them my business card. "Oh me? Never." Jeremy winked. "Well, thank you nonetheless. I'm on the top floor tonight. Don't worry about coming with me." I waved my hand in dismissal. "Wouldn't dream of it; the man that needs it fixed is a good guy." With his quick nod, I headed to the hotel's golden elevators. The hotel was grand; the cream of the crop, you could say. Chandeliers, large staircases, and a lot of classical art either hung or sat on tables. Fresh flowers were sitting on every end table, and many maids scurried across every floor. I made it to the top floor, and I was able to step out with a ding. I wasn't planning on having to walk so much in heels, so I knew my feet were going to be painfully sore in the morning––or even before I had the chance to get to the club. Walking softly to room number 2350, I gently knocked on the door, waiting for the customer to answer the door. Within seconds the door flew open to show a very disheveled man in his mid-twenties. His hair was a dark brown, along with his eyes. The man was massive, standing at least 6 foot 5 with muscles through his body. There was a light stubble to his face, and his lips were in a slight frown. "Who are you? We don't do prostitutes here; we also aren't into child trafficking!" he yelled. As he was about to slam the door, I stuck my foot into the door, which I instantly regretted. "Ouch!" I screamed. "I am not a prostitute; I'm Lee Pierce, here to work on your computer," I said in slight annoyance. "I know I look young, but I graduated top of my class. I graduated very early from college, so of course by default I look young!" I squinted my eyes directly at him as he contemplated my words. "Your attire doesn't seem appropriate." He spoke with skepticism as he folded his arms across his chest. "I was on my way to a colleagues' birthday party; your phone call just happened to be intercepted while I was on my way." I tightened my coat tighter around my body. "I usually have different attire," speaking with conviction. "If you have questions about my intentions, you could speak with the hotel's doorman or the manager. I could also leave and let you figure out your computer problem yourself." I turned around, ready to walk back to the elevator, when he grabbed my arm. "Listen, I'm sorry. People are trying to find any dirt on the president of the company, and the last thing I need is some underage person coming into his hotel room." He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and motioned me back towards the room. "That's understandable," I said. "If you could, please leave the door open. That would be for the best since the doorman is busy at the moment to accompany me." I walked inside the giant suite; it was bigger than the ones on other floors, and lavish was just a tiny word to describe how it looked. "My name is Keith Summers," he held out his hand as he walked with me to the large desk at the back of the main room of the suite. There was a laptop with several papers spread across the desk. The room was messy and in shambles. He was most likely dealing his frustration out on documents, small pens and pencils, and maybe a paperweight or two. "Rosalie Pierce," I spoke. One eyebrow raised in question, and I quickly added, "Sorry, I go by Lee while doing this job. Most men find women working on their computers either intimidating or a joke," I said with a laugh. With a nod of understanding, he pulled the chair out for me. "So tell me, what seems to be the problem." After a brief explanation of the problem and Keith's theories of what it might be, I got to work. Lucky for him, I was able to hack into my computer at home using his laptop to use my own software to scan. I usually bring along my laptop to these things, but I wasn't about to go all the way home for it––and then back again to drop it off. After a few minutes of scanning, probing, and searching, I realized this wasn't a virus as Keith had predicted. It was something more than that. His computer was in the process of being hacked by an unknown location, and it was doing it so securely that I almost missed it myself. This wasn't going to be a brief virus ridding session, but a full-blown defense and possibly offense job. "Keith," I sputtered. "How many confidential files do you have on this computer?" Keith looked at me quickly with his mouth agape. "Everything about the company is on this computer or has access to other computers in the network that could get information," he said quickly. "We have a problem then, you are currently being hacked, and they are trying to disguise it as a virus. I need your permission to be able to have access to your confidential files before I pursue this. I'll be able to tell you what information they have as well as retrieve it and secure your network." I said while typing on the laptop. Keith sat and thought for a moment. "I need to know now, Keith. You and your CEO's company are at stake of losing valuable information," I pressed. "Take care of it." He growled while grabbing a notebook and slung it at me. "What's this?" "Passwords you may need to access the files." He said pointedly. "That won't be necessary; I've already cracked them." I continued my assault on the keyboard while I felt eyes bare into the side of my face. I'm sure he felt threatened now; some young girl had the entire company at her fingertips while trying to fight off an unknown assailant. He's either in awe of my ability or pissed off. I'll take the former. I grabbed my off-brand AirPods and stuck them in my ear while I turned on music from my home computer to listen to. Linkin’ Park was my go to when dealing with an active hacker. Halfway through the battle, my phone began to buzz from my trench coat. Rolling my eyes and ripped the headset from my ears, and saw it was Amanda. She was going to be pissed. "Lee Pierce," I answered, annoyed. "Where are you, Rosalie? You said you were coming!" she whined. "I got a last-minute job; give me an hour and I'll be there," I said quickly as I scrolled through the data on the screen. "You’d better, your quarterly obligation of clubbing is well overdue. You can't skip out on this. Plus this is for my birthday!" "I'll be there, gotta go." I quickly hung up the call and stuck the headphones back in my ears. Keith was pacing across the floor in front of me. His hands were behind his back like he was waiting for his wife to pop out a baby and was awaiting the gender. Every time I made a noise of annoyance or sighed, he would stop and stare. It was funny, and if I wasn't concentrating so hard, I would have thrown some funny comments his way. I had finally put the defenses up on the network, successfully changing all passwords and even putting up a firewall––designed by yours truly of course; I was now on my last step. Finding the hacker’s IP number of the computer as well as a nice picture. My smile must have started to look manic as Keith came towards the desk. He tapped the desk three times with his index finger. I quickly looked up to realize there wasn't just Keith but also another man. This man had dirty blonde hair, pulled back into a man bun. His face was chiseled to perfection with his striking green eyes. I could almost get lost in his forest of green eyes as he bore into my hazel ones. He was breathing hard, looking at me pointedly as if he was holding back his anger or some sort of inner beast within him. My eyes furrowed, wondering what this god-like of a man was thinking. Possibly upset that I could hack his very own corporate system within a matter of minutes. Go me. I pulled the headphones from my ears quickly and tried to speak but couldn't. Keith finally cleared his throat, and I was knocked out of my longing daze into this man's eyes. "Are you finished?" Keith taunted. I cleared my throat. "Um, yes, actually. I'm working on getting a picture of your attacker. In fact, here you are..." The computer loaded the webcam as you could see a man on the other side. I slid the laptop so both men could see. His skin was white while his eyes looked almost red. His features were sharp, and his lips were in a frown. Obviously aware that I’d captured his face. I quickly hit the "print screen" button to capture the man's face so they could hunt the man down. The webcam was then covered by his hand, and I disconnected his connection to all of the networks. The printer's noise broke the unusual tension in the room, and I reached for the paper, slinging it onto the desk. I wrote down the IP address and which the computer belonged to, which was Derick Vanderveen. No, it couldn't be, I thought. "Here is all the information you will need to press charges." Quickly logging off the computer, so my home computer was now safe from their prying eyes, I stood up. I fluffed the collar on my jacket, preparing myself for the wind outside. "I also put on some of my virus and hacker software to help you build a better firewall until you are able to buy something more suitable for your needs. You will also need to reset all of your passwords to be sure this doesn't happen again." I grabbed my phone and earbuds from the desk and put them in my coat pocket, trying to ignore the stare from the blonde god in front of me. When my eyes lifted, Keith had his hand on the blonde's shoulder. I paused for a moment, not sure what they wanted me to do. "Is there something wrong?" I spoke slowly. "Where did you learn how to do all that?" Keith spoke. "How could you do all of that in under an hour?" The blonde had both hands on the desk, leaning forward, breathing in deeply. Keith was awaiting my answer, but I couldn't help staring at the man beside him. With a clearing of Keith's throat again, I shook my head to reply. "Like you said earlier, I'm young-looking because I am. I graduated high school at 14 and continued my computer and software education in college. I'm currently finishing my master's and working as an IT Tech during the day." I started walking around the desk and walked with them to the door. "Just trying to make ends meet." I finished. "Well, it is quite impressive," Keith spoke with certainty. "I've never seen someone work so quickly and effectively. How much do I owe you?" "$350," I said flatly. I knew I didn't charge as much as I should with these high-paying CEOs, but the work I did was easy to me, so I shouldn't charge an arm and a leg. I was doing what I like, the thrill of finding a problem and solving it as quickly and effectively as possible. Besides, I wasn't with that much anyway. "That's all? You aren't going to charge me thousands of dollars for a house call? You also did more than removing a virus but saved an entire company. Other people would have become greedy and charged more, especially for Storm Incorporated." Keith reached to his wallet to pull out the money while my eyes widened. Storm Inc.? One of the top physical security consulting companies in the nation. I should have been paying attention to some of the company name headings. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of what company I was working for; I came here to do a job and I treat every one of my clients fairly." I smiled and held out my hand to accept the cash. While we conversed, the blonde was still staring at me. However, it didn't make me feel uncomfortable, just more curious about the man. I wasn't that attractive. The only thing appealing about me was probably the black strappy heels on my feet under my trench coat that I still had not removed. "That's honorable of you; hard to find that in the business world." Keith looked at the blonde. My phone started ringing, and I let out another one of my infamous sighs. I held onto the phone tightly while still in my coat to silence it. It was probably Amanda wondering where I was; I still had 15 minutes to get to her drunken birthday party. "Thank you, it was nice to meet you," I paused, "both… By the way, I didn't get your name, Mr…?" I held out my hand to the blonde, who still had not let me out of his sight since he arrived in the room. He held out his hand and took a giant breath as he grabbed hold of my hand. Tiny tingles erupted on my hand as I took his in mine. It wasn't a lot but enough to be noticeable. "I'm Jack, Jack Storm." His voice was rough, smooth, and gentle. It was enough to calm my nerves. His voice spread over my entire body that gave me a slight shiver. Jack was better looking than any other man I had ever seen. Instead of a CEO, he could pass for a movie star or model. I'm sure he could have any woman he desires, and they would just be putty in his hands. Shaking the thought, I quickly shook his hand and pocketed the $350 in cash. "Well, thank you both. I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with you." I then turned to walk out the door. The door gently clicked behind me, and I continued to walk to the elevator in silence. I turned around as I entered the elevator only to see Jack Storm standing outside of his closed hotel room door, watching me as the elevator doors closed.