Leah’s name flashed up on the car’s BlueTooth just as an email alert sounds on my phone, then Calebs and Matthews. Without even knowing what, it is pretty clear that it is going to be bad.
“Leah, you are on the car phone, Ginny is in the back seat. What’s going on?” Matthew asks, his jaw clenching as he waits for her response.
“You need to see what I just sent through. This is not good. I have the shareholders demanding an immediate explanation and we have reporters already gathering,” her tinny voice through the car phone only seems to amplify how angry she is.
Hunter reaches for my phone, quickly opening up the email that she is referring to. It is a short video, I think from where I can see. I lean in closer to see.
“Oh my fucking god. How did he get that?” I groan.
“What?” Matthew demands as he is pulling over to the side of the road to see what we are dealing with. Caleb had it up to show him even before the car rolled to a stop.
“It’s okay Gigi,” Hunter adds softly.
“Pretty sure it’s not okay. That is a video of me getting all sorts of fucked to Sunday by you in my office Hunter. It is not okay. Not at all. Was this what John was doing? Spying on me? No one in this city will ever take me seriously professionally again. My family is going to be so disappointed,” I look at him imploring him to understand.
“They will Gigi. I will ensure they do. Don’t you ever doubt the lengths I will go to to protect you. Hey, look at me, the three of us in this car have your back like no one ever will. Caleb and Matthew will deal with the security breach and Gigi, what we do is nobody's business but our own. I’ll call in a favour and it will be gone from every phone, download, tv station within minutes. And your solicitors can issue a writ to anyone that has downloaded it, saved it or shared it. I got you. Trust me, okay,” then he passes my phone back, grabs my shoulder and tucks me into him. Once I am swaddled in his arms, he pulls his phone out and dials a number.
“Leah, we will call you back,” Hunter barks quickly. “Hang up and don’t make a fucking sound,” he warns.
The silence in the car is electric.
“Take me off speaker. I will have someone so far up your ass Hunter before you hang up this phone. This is a gross invasion of my privacy, how dare you,” a computer generated voice sounds.
“Settle the fuck down!” Hunter shouts suddenly, “Watch your damn tone and do what I pay you to do. I have emailed a video to you. You just incurred a time penalty, you have three minutes left to remove it from everywhere or I do at long last release every bit of shit I have collected on you over to the Feds. And don’t you ever threaten me again. You are wasting valuable time. Send me a confirmation and I will send you your fee, with a juicy bonus, for putting you on fucking speaker phone. How fucking rude are you!” he snarls into the phone, his sarcasm dripping off the last of his words. Before hanging it up with a soft push of the button and placing it back into his pocket before looking at me. My mouth is open in shock at the aggression that is hiding within him.
“It’s okay, that’s just Gordo. He is head of client development at Cybersécurité,” he smirks angelically at me.
“Take me home first. I am not going to face the media looking like I have been dragged through a bush backwards,” I say still looking at Hunter, trying to understand just how many facets there are of him, before I dropped my face into my hands thinking of my mother’s reaction.
Hunter’s phone buzzes only a minute later and he barks a laugh out making me jump.
“Gordo said that he has dropped a virus on every available download which replaces the video over to a discount coupon for PornHub. It will encrypt every copy, even those now stored on individual back ups. He has a hit rate of nearly one hundred percent and the other small percent will annoy him incessantly, he won't stop until he destroys every copy. He is quite tenacious our Gordo. A little hot headed and paranoid, but otherwise truly one of the best employees around. It’s done. Check your email,” he adds quickly pushing my phone back into my hand. True to his word I am now looking at the subscription page of PornHub.
“Thank you,” I offer before my Grandpa’s number flashes up on my screen, picking up the call on my handset, not needing everyone to listen to this.
“Hello Ginny. I just went to show your Grandma what all the fuss was about and now she is looking at me like I am a dirty old man asking me what PornHub is. Seems we have a bit of an issue, I’ll meet you in your office in an hour, but first do me a favour Ginny and pass me over to the the star of your very own blue movie,” he speaks carefully and it is hard to detect his reaction, which is not like Grandpa at all.
I pass my phone over to Hunter a little reluctantly.
Hunter accepts my phone, I am surprised that he already had his hand out waiting, maybe he has supersonic hearing. He then turns his whole body towards the passenger window, leaning away from me and holding the phone tight to his ear. His shoulders are bunched up high in his anxiety. I place my hand on his shoulder hoping to share some of Grandpa’s ire, as it should be directed at both of us. After a series of “Yes sir. Of course. I am sorry. Of course. Correct. Hmm possibly,” Hunter turns slightly, his eyes sparkling in his eagerness before he grabs a hold of my hand and finishes listening to grandpa’s lengthy tirade. He hangs up without passing it back to me or signing off which either means grandpa had hung up on him or Hunter had just hung up on grandpa. My eyes close in defeat, either way, I am pretty well screwed.
“Gigi, he just put the phone down cause he started arguing with Regina about PornHub. She doesn’t believe it was a virus and apparently she gets very jealous, very quickly. Must run in the family.... He wants me to phone her. Can you call her up for me,” he asks hesitantly. At least Hunter is smart, he is about to face the wrath of my Grandma.
I find her contact and press it handing it over to him, before I move away. As soon as Grandma answers she pretty much explodes. Caleb and Matthew are sniggering from the front seats. She is pretty unrelenting not even letting Hunter get a word in edgeways and then as suddenly as it starts it stops. And Hunter bursts into laughter, his deep chuckle rolling through our car, sweeping us all up in it.
"Holy shit, she is a force to be reckoned with, isn't she. So, she is very upset that we haven't gone and had dinner with the family. So apparently we have dinner there tonight, just Gigi and myself. She said to let you guys have a night off. And she somehow got me to agree to Sunday brunch with just her before we go and see her jeweller," Hunter looks way too happy with himself.
"Hunter, what have you done?" I question him slowly.
"Gigi, I can't have them thinking you mean nothing to me. Your Grandpa started it, and well, Regina just didn't stop talking about my intentions and your honour," he speaks through a fake grimace, though his eyes are shining like diamonds in his excitement.
"Hunter. What. Have. You. Done?" I ask him again, the horror of what he had agreed to with my family conniving behind my back.
"Well," he starts, drawing the word out long, looking quickly over to Matthew and Caleb who are both laughing hysterically.
"Hunter!" I demand.
"Gigi….," he peeks at me through his long damn eyelashes, his delight evident.
