Chapter 20 #2
“Now who’s the capitalist? You don’t have to contribute to society. Your mere existence is a gift.” He blinks, as if he didn’t expect to say something so kind.
I want to joke that I am a gift, and he should be grateful for being in my presence, but instead, I say, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And if you want a business plan on how to become a full time artist, my rate is a mere $100,000 an hour.”
“Oh fuck you.”
I’m smiling when we pull up to the Sentience building.
They’ve hired a valet and rolled out a red carpet for their execs and the Who’s Who of New York they want to impress.
My stomach drops to my feet as I remember why I’m here.
It’s not to trade insults with Billy Billions.
At some point in the party, I’m going to need to slip away and break into the subfloor server room.
How am I going to do that?
Billy helps me out of the limo and offers me his arm.
We move up the red carpet and into the party.
After a short meet and greet with the COO of Sentience and a few other execs, I’m no longer smiling.
These people exploited artists to create a tech machine that will lead to more exploitation, but tonight they’re celebrating their “commitment to art.” Spending all this money on a mural and a party to show it off.
“Look at us, we love artists. We’re not stealing from them at all. ”
I can’t wait to take them down. I just have to figure out how to do it.
Billy gets me a glass of white wine and a G&T for himself. We sip our drinks and watch people ooh and ahh over my mural. I know I only took the gig to get access to Sentience, but knowing my art is being used as a form of color washing only makes my mood more sour.
Noticing my sober silence, Billy turns on the charm and makes excuses for us to leave and head to the open bar.
“Nervous?” He nudges me.
I’m busy thinking of how I’m going to sneak off unseen with all these people milling around. My throat is full of acid, but I swallow and sniff dismissively. “No.”
“Good. Because you have nothing to be nervous about. You’re the realest person here.”
I blink and turn to him. “That sounded like a compliment.”
He smiles. “Because it was. These people,” he gestures with his glass at the crowd. “Aren’t adding anything to society. They’re just cogs in a corporate machine. Whereas you are creating something from nothing. And living true to your values.”
My throat clogs again. I never expected Billy would say anything like this. “I try.”
“You succeed. And that’s why your art is so powerful. Because you put all of yourself into it. Everything you believe, everything you are.” When he turns to me, I see every striation in his blue eyes.
My heartbeat’s picked up, and my hand holding my wine glass shakes a little. I’m overcome with emotion, and it’s not just because Billy is paying me a genuine compliment. It’s because it sounds like he sees me, fully. It’s caught me off guard and makes me want to run. Or fight.
I pick a fight because with Billy, that’s what I always do. “And what about you? What are you creating and putting out into the world?”
He puffs out his cheeks, accepting my censure. “That’s a good question,” he admits. “I know you think Moon Co is just another cutthroat corporation out for profits.”
“Isn’t it?” I set down my wine glass and face him.
“You talk about everyone here being cogs in a machine. But aren’t you just like them?
” My cheeks are hot. I’m being harsh, driving him to admit my accusations are valid.
But I don’t want him to give in, I want him to defend himself, and I’m not sure why.
“I am focused on profits. But there’s a lot of good my company can do.”
“Please,” I scoff. “You got your start in crypto. You’re just like these AI guys, getting rich off of speculative tech, all the while destroying the environment.”
“Except that Moon Co is a leader in green investment,” Billy says mildly. “Solar power, lithium batteries–tech that has the capability to provide reliable green energy all while reversing climate change.”
“I didn’t know that.” I thought Billy was just another business bro out for profits.
“We’re very interested in saving the planet.
And we have the vision, and we have the funds to invest in R&D.
Think of it–” he holds up his phone and shakes it, his eyes lit with excitement, “One day, a battery the size of this cell phone will power this whole building for a year. We’ll be able to capture solar energy in long term storage, and when that happens, electricity will be practically free. ”
“Really?”
“Really.” He tucks his phone away, grinning boyishly. A bit of hair falls in his face, and he brushes it back, as if self conscious that he shared so much. “You sound surprised.”
“I am.” I feel like I just met a whole new Billy, one who I have a lot more in common with than I thought. “I didn’t think you cared about anything other than making money.”
“Ouch. I guess I deserve that. There are plenty of examples of corporate greed and capitalism destroying the earth and society. But we create the world we want–and I choose to create one where I can create solutions to humanity’s biggest problems.”
“While still making billions.” I narrow my eyes.
“Money is power. Power to create. To protect the things we hold dear. Why do you think the Blackthroat Foundation is focused on land preservation?”
“For tax write-offs?”
“I know you think billionaires should be taxed out of existence, but remember, businesses make money by providing value. And if we provide trillions in value, why shouldn’t we earn billions?”
I roll my eyes. One day I’ll sit Billy down with Jan and let her give him her argument about billionaires and taxes. “Agree to disagree.”
“I’ll take it.” He raises his glass in a toast to me and drains it. “Another drink?”
I open my mouth and remember I’m supposed to be breaking into the subfloor server room. “Uh, yes. Will you get it for me? I need to use the ladies.” The hall leading to the bathrooms will allow me to use the key card I stole to get up to the offices.
He pauses before answering, which makes me think he notices my distraction. “All right,” he murmurs eventually. He raises my hand to his lips and presses a kiss to my skin. My insides flutter. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
“I won’t.” My voice is breathy in a way I hope is sexy, not nervous.
I wait until he’s at the bar to glide to the hall.
There’s an exec on the phone there, and I smile and nod to him before placing my hand on the bathroom door.
He wanders off, and I change direction, moving to the stairs at the end of the hall.
I slip inside and start the long descent to sub floor three.
The stairwell is empty, but my heartbeat booms in my ears as I descend.
Jamie told me the company doesn’t have many layers of security.
And tonight, the team will have their hands full managing the party.
Still, I walk on tiptoes, so my heels don’t make a sound on the concrete floor.
At the bottom of the stairwell, there’s a locked door barring my way, but no sign of a security guard.
I have the keycard in my purse, and I hold my breath while I swipe it to gain entry. It feels like eons before there’s a beep, and the light flashes green.
One hurdle down, several more to go.
My heartbeat pounds in my ears as I take careful steps towards the room Jamie told me about. I have to use the keycard again, but it works. The door opens, and the chilly air hits my face.
The room is quiet except for the hum of air conditioning and machines. I hustle down the rows of equipment and insert the special flash drive Jamie gave me into a server at the end of the rack, where it shouldn’t be noticed. If this works, she’ll be able to see all of the company’s backed up files.
I let out a long breath. They keep the temperature low in this room to protect the machines. Goosebumps pebbling my skin and my nipples are showing through my silvery sheath.
“Are you finished with whatever you’re doing?”
I nearly leap out of my skin.
There in the shadowy doorway, is Billy. And he doesn’t look happy.
“Aubrey?” He frowns, coming closer. “What are you doing in here?” His gaze flicks behind me then back to my face. “Taking down their servers?”
“I can explain–” I say, but then stop. Billy caught me red-handed, and even if I do tell him the truth, he’s more likely to side with Sentience than me. Right?
“We need to get out of here.” He beckons to me. “A security guard will be walking by any minute.”
“How’d you get in?” I whisper, hustling toward him.
He arches a brow. “I could ask you the same question.” He takes my arm and propels me out of the room. “You missed the cameras.” He nods to the ceiling.
“Shit,” I breathe. I didn’t even think of it. Neither did Jamie. But of course, Sentience has cameras. Maybe Jamie will be able to do something to alter the footage when she breaks into their servers.
“I’ll take care of it,” he mutters.
“What?” I jerk back, but he puts an arm around my waist and hustles me along.
“Shhh, someone’s coming.”
I don’t hear anyone, but I don’t argue. We hit the stairwell and hustle up the stairs. We’re almost back to the main floor, when he tugs me back.
“What are you doing?” I hiss. I’m breathing hard, but Billy barely looks winded.
He pulls me close, so I’m practically leaning against his body. “Follow my lead.” He tucks his head into the crook of my neck and shoulder and inhales. Goosebumps prick my skin again, and this time, it’s not from the cold.
No, I refuse to be aroused right now. We’re in the middle of our escape, for fuck’s sake. But Billy is acting like we’re teenagers in the back of a car.
I’m about to push him away when I hear voices approaching.
I gasp, and Billy cups the side of my face. “Just breathe. I got this.”
For some reason, I trust him. I give him a tiny nod, and he leans back in to claim my lips.