“True,” she acknowledged. “But I’m talking about real work. My mom is the epitome of a hard worker. She raised me all by herself to have the same work ethic and as a result, I’m a freak about school and take my classes very seriously.”
That was definitely true, seeing her hacking skills.
“From what I can assess from your handiwork, Anonimo, you don’t need a computer science degree. With your talent, you could
land a job easily at any tech company right now,” I remarked ruefully, pulling that curvy form close.
Mia nodded. “I agree, but mom doesn’t see it like that. It just isn’t about money and getting a job. It’s the accomplishment of getting a college degree. She never got to get one herself, so for her, it’s about being the first in my family.”
She turned back around to face me, her expression earnest.
“She raised me to value integrity in my work and myself. Money and fame are not virtues. They’re just things and nothing more. I grew up poor, but I never felt like I needed anything because my mom gave me everything I could want.”
Her big brown eyes sparkled as she spoke. In a way, I understood where this woman was coming from. In the orphanage, we were all poor, but we had each other. And now, as a billionaire with all the money I could ever ask for, I was still searching. For what, I had no idea. It was ironic because after blowing my money on houses, cars, planes, and yachts, I’d begun to realize that the thing that I yearned for might not be something I couldn’t buy.
Mia traced a line down my abs with her finger softly. “All she wants for me is to be able to make a decent living and stand on my own two feet. Riches and fame don’t impress her. Hence, her reaction to the Mark Janow ad.”
I nodded. “I see. That makes sense.” I exhaled slowly feeling suddenly guilty. “I’m sorry that caused problems for you and your mom. Was she really mad?”
Mia laughed. “It’s okay. She’ll get over it. She did say despite being disappointed in me, I looked pretty. She was mostly upset about me flicking off the camera.” She gave me a squeeze. “She’ll get over it soon. We can’t stay mad at each other for too long. She’s my best friend.”
If I had known my parents, I wondered what kind of relationship we would have had. Would we have been close? Doubtful. They didn’t even want to be my parents in the first place, after all. I was an orphan for a reason.
Curious, I asked, “What about your dad?”
Mia’s body tensed at the question. “I don’t know. Never met him. Not even once.”
I kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Does it bother you?”
Mia nuzzled her head on my chest. “No. Not really.” She paused. “Well, maybe sometimes? Mostly on Father’s Day. You know, the one holiday where I am reminded that I don’t have a dad, but in general, no. I’ve been happy with just my mom.”
Something I knew about all too well. Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. Grandparent’s Day. Even Distant Relative’s Day would be a drag, seeing that I had no one.
Twirling a strand of her hair around my finger, I said, “What if I offered you a job?”
Mia giggled, “Then, this is a highly inappropriate interview seeing that we’re currently like this,” she said, gesturing to our entwined bodies. But it looked exactly right to me, her softness complementing my hardness, every angle fitting perfectly like puzzle pieces.
“Very inappropriate, but so amazing.” I cupped her chin in my hand kissing her luscious lips. “Seriously, I’d like to offer you a job. We obviously need help strengthening our security measures.”
Mia winced, “I couldn’t. I’m in school right now.”
I broke in, “You can work as much or as little as you want. It’s up to you. I can arrange it so you get school credit.”
She gave me a charming smile. “You can?”
Shrugging, I asked, “What’s the name of the new computer science lab on campus?”
Mia laughed and said in a saucy voice, “The Theodore Wainwright Lab.”
I lightly touched her nose. “Exactly! I can arrange for you to get credit for working for me. How does that sound?”
Mia blew a raspberry, frowning a little. “I don’t know. My schedule is so busy right now. It would be a pain for me to ride BART all the way to Mountain View.”
Cupping my hands around her round ass, I gave her an encouraging squeeze.
“Why would you have to ride BART, sweetheart?”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “I don’t have a car. Duh, most students don’t. We’re impoverished peasants, remember?”