Tech Baddie (Hot)

"You know that they'll come for you eventually, right?" My adopted father and mentor looked at me with a grin, but I didn't find it amusing at all. "I don't think this is something to joke about."

"I'm not joking, dad," I replied with a casual shrug. "I'm just thinking about you being all tough for the guys." When I said "guys," it didn't really fit because they were grown men-big, full-grown men.

He grumbled and shifted the papers on his sturdy oak desk. The London skyline served as a backdrop, with twinkling lights all around. He let out a deep sigh, his shoulders tensing up. Anxiety etched his face as he ran a hand through his long black hair.

"I'm not threatening you for them. They said it... I just felt I should forward the message."

"Alright!" I raised a palm in mock surrender and said, "Message received, loud and clear."

He frowned. "But you still won't come home?"

My throat squeezed at his tone. "You know I can't."

"It's dangerous for you to be out there alone."

"Nothing is more dangerous than being at home."

"At least at home, there's someone to protect you."

"If I will always need a protector, what do I need all this tech for?" I knew that my eyes were glowing now, and my system flickered to life inside me. "I should just get it removed and call Viber Tech now, ready to hand over all my designs."

"Hey!" He shouted, "Don't you dare do that. Don't you dare let that animal take what you worked so hard to do. And damn you for threatening to do that."

"That's what has happened anyway, dad." Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes, and my voice broke. Frustration gripped me, and I promised myself I wouldn't cry. "I'm just trying to make this right."

"By disappearing? Leaving the five behind?" Another sigh left him, his hand fisted until his knuckles turned white. "Leaving me? I'm your father, and I don't even know where you are right now."

Well, that wasn't technically true. Garett Jones wasn't really my father, though he was the one to raise me. My parents met their untimely end twelve years ago at the hands of the father of the man who now runs Viber Technologies.

I was too young and too weak to save them. That's what drove me to do what I had to do. That's why this whole situation was going to shit... is shit.

"Just know I'm safe." I tried. He looked so withdrawn, pale, and exhausted. "Have you been sleeping?"

"No." He mumbled, "How can I? You're gallivanting across the globe with no protection."

"I'm not gallivanting... I'm more... traipsing." I laughed.

"This isn't funny!"

Immediately, I sobbed up. Garett was right. This was no laughing matter. Real people were after me-dangerous people-which is why I had the six in the first place, but the dream was perverted.

"I'm sorry, Garett." His wandering gaze latched onto mine again. "This isn't a joke, and I don't consider it to be. I need to do this. You have to understand."

"I don't understand, Rose." He tapped his fingers on the desk, staring pensively out in front of him. "But there's nothing I can do about it."

"There, that's the spirit!"

"That doesn't mean I'll stop the six."

My throat struggled to swallow. "They won't find me either; please tell them to stop looking."

He smiled then, exposing his crooked white teeth. His beard was thicker and untrimmed, and his eyes were red. The worry was getting to him, but this was something I had to do.

"It doesn't matter what I say."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't. Men like that. Men who feel like that."

Suddenly embarrassed, I squirmed in my seat. "Men who feel like what?"

"Men who are desperately in love like they are will move heaven and earth for what they want."

I scoffed. "They aren't in love with me."

"Don't lie to me." He chastised sharply. "I thought it was just Finch, but all of them? They're possessed, obsessed with finding you."

"They won't. I'll be fine."

"You should call them."

"And have they threatened me face-to-face? Don't think so. It's not needed. You'll tell them I'm fine, and they'll let it go."

He didn't look convinced. "If you say so. I just want you safe and sound."

"I am, dad." My eyes drifted to the clock. "I've gotta go."

"I know." His sad tone tugged at my heartstrings. "Same time next week?"

Nodding, I forced another grin. "Same time next week."

The screen went black. Garett was gone. He was on the other side of the world, tucked into his neat office, and here I was, rampaging across the United States on fumes.

I hadn't wanted to spend time talking about them. The last nine months had been literal hell. Every cell inside of me was screaming to go back home and let them have me again.

That was why I left in the first place. The need to be with them-the need to let them catch me-nope! I shot up in my seat, dumped the burner phone on the passenger side, and drove to the nearest phone recycling bin, fighting off the desire to relive my heated nights in bed with them.

I chucked it inside and drove off, hitting the highway to make the six-hour drive back to Thungston Canyon. The sleepy community housed just over 80,000 people. It was just off the main highway, easy to get into, and even easier to leave.

My fingers tapped the stereo to the whining beat of Aloe Blacc as I drove under the scorching sun. A lead weight settled at the centre of my chest as my thoughts turned again. It had been nine months since my disappearance, and I was still no closer to correcting the glitch in coding.

The technology underneath my skin was functioning, barely, and still very much tied to the Six. Even though they could read a lot of my body functions, my location was elusive and constantly pinged far out of the way. It took hours of studious work to create the complicated network used to house it.

I could feel them too. They were deranged, horny, and tittering on the edge of oblivion with me gone, and that was the issue. All my work had fallen under a code glitch.

Each and every single one of them was suffering from the same feelings. They had to have me. They had to touch me, kiss me, fuck me, and love me.

With just Finch feeling this way, I was drowning, and now, six? I could barely breathe. They never let me out of their sight, and rarely did I have more than five hours of sleep a night. It was five cocks down my throat before breakfast and at least two up my throat before I went to work.

I was cornered leaving the lab, trapped in the shower, fucked in limos, and fingered at movie theatres. There wasn't a moment of peace, and I was tired of it. I had to find a way to fix the code, or I'd

My brain ground to a halt. There is no or for me. I had to find a cure, and with my current alias starting at Thungston Canyon High School tomorrow, I didn't have a moment to lose.

"Professor Piper, I understand you're really busy, and you might have forgotten the school rule about not wearing hoods and hats inside. It's against the rules," I said to the slightly plump professor. He looked at me, the attractive brunette in the front row, and seemed unsure of how to respond. His chubby hands clenched on the pile of papers on his desk, and he reluctantly shifted his attention towards me.

"Yes, Kira. I'm fully aware of the school rules," he admitted.

"Well, I don't think anyone should get special treatment when it comes to following the rules. What do you think?"

Sadness clipped his face as he blinked, but he nodded his head in agreement and let his shoulders droop. I could hear the blood pumping through my veins as I slunk further into my chair to avoid the piercing gazes of my new classmates. Kira Xi had been baiting the instructors all morning, but none of them had fallen for her little trap until now. In the very last period of the day.

From the second that I stepped out of my Jeep Wrangler, she'd been watching me like a hawk. She and her group of loyal sycophants had made it their mission to get my hood off my head. I eyed her from the darkness of my jacket, taking in each of her features.

She would be described as pretty by most people. Thin, willowy form with golden skin and large doe brown eyes with bee-stung pink lips, Kira checked the boxes for most of the male population. If the herd of four followers wasn't enough to show she was 'Queen Bee' of this ridiculous shitshow, her uppity attitude certainly would.

Patiently, I waited for Professor Piper to utter the command. Kira may run the other suckers in this high school, but she sure as shit didn't run me. I had had enough people bossing me around, and this little girl wasn't making the list.

Suddenly, I wildly regretted choosing to be a student instead of an instructor. Time seemed to stand still as Piper gathered himself together. He patted a dry towel across his bald head and forced his chair back to stand unsteadily.

"Miss Vanderwalt, I'm sorry," and bless him, he actually did look sorry! "But I'm going to have to ask you to remove the hood. As Kira pointed out, it's against school policy for students to have headcovers outside of religious observance."

My tongue stuck to the top of my mouth when I tried to speak, but I swallowed my fear and squared my shoulders. "I don't believe I was asked if the wearing of my hood is religiously based."

His face reddened painfully. "Well, is it, Miss Vanderwalt?" Pretending to cringe, I closed my arms around my abdomen and folded into myself. He began to dig into the drawers of his desk. "If so, I can provide you with a pass to see the Zayn in order to have this observance documented."

With the patience of a saint, I delicately stacked the strewn papers on my desk. My eyes flickered to the clock directly above Piper's head. The bell was due to ring in less than 30 seconds. Fisting my hands, I stuffed them in my pockets and deliberately delayed answering.

"Professor Piper, I do believe this is something I should discuss with Zayn Summers. May I be excused?"

Kira's face was slowly reddening as well. She looked just about ready to burst with anger when the bell rang. Her body started to jangle, nearly throwing her out of the seat.

"Perhaps some other time, Miss Vanderwalt?" Piper offered. I nodded and stood, quickly jamming the papers he handed out into a blue folder and throwing the bag across my shoulders to leave. "Miss Vanderwalt?" His voice stopped me at the threshold; hesitation crossed his features briefly, but he steeled himself and spoke. "Please be careful. Miss Xi is not likely to stop coming after you soon."

The sour look on his face spoke volumes. This man obviously knew the lengths the tall brunette would go to for her own gain. I smiled at him as I pushed my hood back slightly and let the door close lightly behind me.

I have never been to high school. With two doctorate degrees before I turned eight, the entire institution made no sense for someone like me. So, under Garett's watchful eye, I went back to MIT and Harvard to test my absolute limits. Those days, though dim and cast under the grim cloud of my parent's deaths, are so close to my heart.

So when I stepped into the esteemed halls of Thungston Canyon High School, I wasn't prepared for the chaotic atmosphere. More than once, my body has been hidden in a tiny bathroom stall, trying to calm my rapid breathing. The Six had enough to deal with already. I was panicking because a few hundred kids behaving like maniacs would do them no good.

Sighing heavily, I turned north and walked down the streamer-covered hallway to my locker. The blue and gold hallways were decorated with big letters, streamers, balloons, bows, and other things that I couldn't identify, all centred around a single night called 'Homecoming'. Something similar happened at my alma maters as well, but we didn't dress up and vote a 'King and Queen' nor was there a large football game.

A grimace was on my lips as I finally stepped up to my assigned locker. This contraption was made from solid steel; it looked more like a narrow isolation chamber than a'safe' place to hold my belongings. Throwing my things into the slot, I slammed the door and spun around to head to the parking lot.

Anxiety rolled my stomach before I burst outside in the sunshine. Even though the parking lot was filled with Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, and even a bright fire-engine red Lamborghini, my Jeep was the centre of attention. All the students who had parked around me were long gone, leaving behind a gaggle of the popular kids, each one posting about their expensive rides across the lot.

Doing my best to ignore them, I pressed my wireless earbuds into my ears and tried to relax to the quirky tones of Doja Cat. Her happy tune brought a half-smile to my face and put a pep in my step. Oddly enough, Camron was the one who introduced her music to me.

His face had been red with embarrassment as he made the suggestion for my playlist, and he even hummed along to the beat under his breath. Outrageously tall, auburn-haired, with clear green eyes and the body of an adonis, Camron always surprised me. He was different than the rest of the six.

He connected with me on a friendly level, invested time in the things I liked, and always suggested that I try new things. My breath spazzed out of my mouth, and my pants dampened when I thought of the things he enjoyed doing with his talented tongue. Swallowing harshly, I tried to block out memories of his first sexual advance and my inability to tell him no, but they came forward anyway.

Camron had followed me to the server room dedicated to my personal office that night with his big hands stuffed into his jean pockets that day. As I opened each of the bracketed panels, he would turn his head the other way. Confused, I stood up to confront him but ended up trapped between his hulking frame and the fourth server that was permanently affixed to the floor.

My pants and pants were down at my feet in a heap as he freed one of my legs to stretch it over his shoulder. I remember grasping at the server on my back, struggling to find something to hold onto before his tongue sank into my folds. Camron was relentless.

I was out of my mind, begging and pleading, as he feasted between my legs. There was no way he could do this here; he had to stop. Anyone could come in and see us. He tongueed me lustfully as he proclaimed that no one ever came in that room, but he certainly made sure I did... twice.

"It has been three hundred and five days since your last uplink." Fisting my hands, I let my gaze drop to the ground. "That is," the soft, calm voice paused briefly, "four-point zero six six six cycles."

Annoyed, I swallowed down the next bottle of what Finch somewhat affectionately called "Nickelodeon Slime". It tasted terrible but offered a laundry list of needed vitamins, minerals, proteins, and electrolytes. Basically, the nasty green substance kept my system running, and if I wanted to function properly, it meant drinking 72 ounces of it once a week.

For shits and giggles, I asked, "What is the previous longest cycle before system uplink?"

"Roughly one point five zero six cycles or one hundred thirteen days."

I dropped my third and final bottle on the marble counter, letting my head fall forward. 113 days, or 1.506 cycles, was the longest I'd gone before. The longest I'd gone without being fucked by at least one of the six men now hunting me down

My muscles and joints ached almost constantly, riding on the dying edge of pleasure that I could gather from my trusty vibrator. Frustration climbed inside me again, and my own ministrations paled in comparison to what I actually needed. Even with the modifications I'd made, I still couldn't uplink on my own.

A grimace was still painted on my face as I pulled up at the school in my Jeep. There was only a small group of students milling about the campus. I was thirty minutes early, and the sun was just barely coming over the horizon. My fingers tapped the steering wheel with the pulsing beat of the music as I turned my thoughts over to my main problems.

My mind drifted back to my conversation with Garett. His sad face popped up in my mind, bringing me further into depression.

"You look exhausted. You haven't been taking care of yourself."

I rolled my eyes at Garett's chiding tone and stuffed another chip in my mouth. Parked near the edge of the canyon, I was isolated from the rest of the world. The sun, bright and cheery, was suspended above me like a beacon of hope.

"Just a little insomnia; nothing to worry about, dad."

"You'd sleep better if you were home," he tsked, twisting his eyes away from mine. "Yet another reason to return to London."

"Dad, you know I can't. Not... not yet."

"The six... they told me what's going on."

My lips pinched and rolled inward as annoyance shot through me. I had enough to deal with, and my father, knowing just how bad it was getting, wasn't on my to-do list. Trying to remain calm, I took a deep breath and slid down further in my seat.

"It's nothing to worry about." My voice whispered, "Just an adjustment period."

"You need to uplink."

I sighed, nodding my head. "I know."

"Right now."

"I can't right now!"

"Why not?"

"I just... can't."

Disbelief and annoyance rolled into one on his face. My face reddened as he continued to stare, obviously hoping for some type of explanation. I bit my bottom lip as I waited for him to drop the subject.

I was absolutely, positively not having this conversation with him. My uplink process was easy at first, but then it became an uphill battle that the Six loved to climb. Garett tipped his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, watching my increased squirming with interest.

"I'm guessing this isn't something I, as your father, want to know."

Chagrined, I nodded. "Definitely."

He sighed but mercifully dropped the subject. My adoptive father looked just as bad as I did. His shoulder-length coal hair was gelled backward, curling at the ends where it touched his jacket collar. Dark circles were under his red-tinted eyes, and the droop in his shoulders was more pronounced.

A week had passed since our last conversation, and it felt like a lifetime. I felt wild and restless as I sat and twiddled my thumbs. The vast openness just outside my car called to me. It made me want to run. It made me want to laugh. It made me wish I was free.

"I know that look."

Despite myself, a smile curled the edge of my mouth, and I glanced down at the screen again. Garett's face mirrored my own. It was caught up in the moment, and I knew which memory it was centred on.

"You're thinking of the Barrington Cottage." He continued, smiling largely. "Those were some summers fraught with peril."

The name Barrington Cottage set the stage for a cosy small home on the edge of the forest. In complete opposition, Barrington is a four-story, football field-sized cabin with all the modern amenities you could possibly think of. We spent plenty of summers there, inventing, relaxing, hiking, and enjoying life. Those times were the ones I held dear, especially since my parents were part of many of them.

"Do you think of them?"

Garett froze, blinking at me with a suddenly sorrowful stare. "Often." His hands fisted on the table before he leaned back in his chair. "Your mother and father were better than I deserved. They were so selfless with anything and everything. Your father would have given the shirt off his back." A tear streamed down his face. "It's heart wrenching to think they died in that manner."

"No kindness for the kind." I croaked, sucking in a breath.

"I know that's why you started this project, Rose."

"To save others."

"It still can."

"Not yet; it's not ready yet."

Garett frowned. "It'll never be ready if you keep saying that."

"Because it's not!" I shouted. "You put this on the market now, and it'll only hurt people. I can't risk that, Garett. I won't."

He was silent for a moment, but he eventually nodded his head. Hesitation crossed his features and fell away as his eyes glanced above the tablet screen. My stomach dropped, and I was hoping beyond hope that one of the six hadn't walked into the room.

"What's happening to you exactly?"

"Nothing to worry about, dad." I tried to smile at him, attempting to alleviate the tension between us.

His gaze sharpened. "Tell me what is happening."

I couldn't uplink; I hadn't been able to find a solution to the glitch, and I was halfway around the globe from the people I loved dearly. And to top it off, my patience and time were wearing thin. A tremor shot through my body, making my fingers quake until I fisted them harshly. I couldn't tell Garett; I had avoided his hawking gaze until the bitter end of the conversation. He vowed that he wouldn't let it drop.

"Shit." The curse was out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn." It was getting worse, and even as I clasped my hands together, the bouncing was more pronounced. The tremor travelled restlessly up my hands, wrists, and arms to my elbow.

Frowning, I watched as Kira pulled into the parking lot. She threw her long brunette hair over her shoulder, stepping out on stiletto heels and directly into the arms of her boyfriend. Greedily, he kissed her, trapping her thin frame against the emerald-green Porsche Cayenne she drove.

Hoping to slip by unnoticed, I hurried inside the school and to my locker. Yanking my backpack from the confined space, I thrust my arms through the straps and tightened them. It was filled to the brim with books and the ridiculous joke that the professors called 'homework'.

The simple problems they spewed out were chump change and were insignificant compared to what I now faced. Dumping my bag on the ground next to my desk, I blinked slowly and slid backward in my seat. As I exhaled, my system came to life, bringing lines of bright gold through my vision.

With my sunglasses covering my eyes, I sorted through the lists as they flew by my sight at light speed. Last night I uploaded new protocols to the server, running through simulation after simulation until my eyes were red and I was barely standing. My breath wheezed out between my clenched teeth as more red text crossed my sight, signalling another failure.

The beating heart in my chest squeezed tightly, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe. I rolled my lips inward and flared my nostrils, forcing air into my lungs. Tears gathered at the edges of my eyes, ready to fall, but I wouldn't let them.

Kira slunk into the classroom just moments later, her semi-attractive boyfriend in tow. They rounded the first line of desks, stopping to my left, leaning against the flimsy tabletop. It screeched, displacing itself under their weight.

"Well, well, well..." the third voice caught the attention of the couple, and they glanced towards their friend. His gaze was on me, centred directly on my exposed face. "Look who finally came out of their hood."

Ignoring him, I dug into my backpack, pulling out my organic chemistry book to lay it on my desk. He came closer, rounding the first four rows of desks to stand near mine on the fifth row, pushing against the bank of windows. A slow smirk crossed his mouth as he gazed at my face; it grew as he dragged his gaze downward.

"I knew you had an incredible body." He whispered, leaning towards me. "You should let me see more of it."

I eyed him steadily through my dark shades. To some, I suppose he would be attractive. He had big brown eyes, lashed with thick blonde eyelashes that matched his shoulder-length blonde hair. His jaw was sharp and narrow, more feminine, underneath his slightly crooked nose.

Standing at 177 centimetres, I towered over other people, including him. The height difference didn't seem to affect him, and he pressed closer, smiling fully now, obviously emboldened by my lack of response. My lips rolled inward as I dropped all expression from my face. Disappointment and frustration, it seemed, would have to wait for later.

"Not on your life."

He blinked, surprised. "I know you'll change your mind, princess. They always do."

Scowling, I turned my head to look outside. "Not even if you were the last man on Earth. Not even if you were the last man in the universe."

"I think--"

"Sean, do you think that maybe just once you could be where you need to be when the bell rings?"

He cracked a confident grin and turned to face the professor. They made eye contact, staring each other down. Slowly, Sean raised his hands in surrender and moved towards his seat. His head turned towards me once more before he sat down.

The confidence he radiated was disgusting. I had already fallen prey to two blondes. And though both of them sported shoulder-length platinum blonde locks, neither one had ever approached me with that demeanour.

Both Will and Murphy were demanding; that's why they never paired well. Whenever they were inside me, they wanted my attention to be focused on them and nothing else. It was their name they wanted to hear, no matter who else was inside me too.

My stomach dropped at the thought. I wasn't sure I would survive them if I was caught. It would be six of them, all five of them, working in tandem to please me and themselves.

I wouldn't be allowed out of the room for days