I don’t know why I answered when Marcus called.

Something about seeing his name light up on my phone causes a wave of thrilling pleasure to ignite within my body.

I need to become better at saying no to him.

As much as I enjoy being with him and as much as it’s the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, it can’t become a habit. I wish I could give into just this one thing, but I have to protect myself at all costs.

There’s absolutely no way on earth that Marcus can ever find out my real vocation. He would likely hate me and turn me in.

This fact makes me feel lonelier than ever. Being with Marcus has made me think outside of the box for once. Being with him has made me realize what I’m missing in life.

But at the same time, I know that what I’m doing is for a good cause―and I can’t stop doing it. There are too many poor people depending on my work. That’s ultimately what drives me.

When I invited him to help me with the outreach program, I was sure that he would decline and make excuses. That’s the only reason I brought it up. But to my surprise and chagrin, he still agreed to go.

What am I gonna do now?

I immerse myself in my online work.

In the familiar chatroom, I’ve come to depend on all the others that are there.

Enigma16n4 writes, You guys ready for another job? It’s a smaller one but it will still be fun.

I’m in, I write. This project is personal for me so let’s not get it wrong.

The money we’re gonna get from this job is gonna be donated to the outreach program that I volunteer at once or twice a month. It’s the one I will take Marcus to in a couple days.

We’ll go to the poorest part of the city, give them help, and teach them livelihood programs. It’s really important to me that this job goes well. They need the money like nobody else I’ve ever seen.

Dragon168 types, Let’s do this! Another one bites the dust.

That’s the thing about this unique group of people. We all work together with the same goal in mind, helping people who don’t have anything.

I’m lucky to have found them, really. Before joining this online world of hackers, I was doing it all myself. By having their support, I’m able to funnel so much more money into organizations that we care about. It’s way more than I could do on my own.

We all get online and do our part. I alter the security features of the firm we’re trying to infiltrate while the others gain unauthorized data to all their systems.

We successfully get in and get out quick. And then we donate the money to the outreach program I’m so fond of. They’re never gonna know where it came from. It’s gonna look like a large, sizable donation from an unknown donor. The plan is perfect.

It takes us all night to do it, but we get it done. Knowing that the special program now has the funds to continue makes me happy. I sleep well all night. I may be cheap in terms of decor but I always invest in good sheets.

I wake sleepily around noon. I make my usual black coffee and log on to my favorite websites. Then I check my calendar and realize I’m supposed to volunteer at the outreach program in two days. I’m hesitant to make contact, but I have to inform Marcus about the date and time.

I do via text message. I make it short and sweet.

Meet me at the convenience store around the corner in two days at noon for the volunteer work.

Instead of texting me back, he calls me. That’s just like him. Once again, his name lights up on my screen. And I get excited despite my best intentions not to.

“Hi. Are we really gonna do this?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say. “I do it every month. Normally twice a month at least. I know it’s probably not that different from what you do, but it’ll still be fun.”

“What is the attire?” he asks.

Attire? Isn’t he supposed to know what all this is about? And the fact that he just said the word attire makes me think that Marcus is more upscale than I might’ve thought.

Then again, maybe he isn’t one of the hands-on social workers at his organization. I guess I just assumed he was, which is stupid, given that the guy drives a fancy car. No, he’s probably one of the upper managements, if not the director.

He doesn’t brag about it, though. Which I think is cute, how humble he is.

“You should dress in very plain clothes. I’m picturing a very simple shirt and jeans. You need to be comfortable and to lose the suit. Okay?” I say.

“No problem. I can’t wait to see you, Katy.”

His words cause me to feel a certain amount of warmth and elation at the thought of seeing him. It’s been many days apart, and even though I’ve vowed to myself that this will be the last time, I have to admit I’m excited to see Marcus.

Pulling away from him in the end will be so hard, especially since I’ll have to do it with no explanation. He’s gonna think I’ve abandoned him or I hate him or something.

But none of that should bother me now. I have one more day left with him, and after that, I need to cut it off.

On the day of our volunteer work, Marcus meets me around the corner.

He pulls up in his luxe Mercedes, but when he gets out, he’s wearing a faded t-shirt and ripped jeans, I have to say I’m as attracted to him as ever. He really is so handsome that he could be dressed in a suit or old clothes, and he’ll still be hot.

I approach him and he gives me a hug, picking me up and twirling me around in the process.

Being back in his arms feels so good. It feels like home. A home I’ve never known.

I push these thoughts out of my mind and think about the task at hand.

He puts me down, and I say, “I need you to know that today is gonna be a different experience for you. You’re going to see and experience things that you never thought were possible. I just want you to be prepared.”

He grabs my hand and says, “I trust you to show me the ropes, Katy. I can handle anything. You know that.”

Indeed, I do know that he can handle anything. He’s the strongest and smartest man I’ve ever known. He’s got me smitten in so many ways that I refuse to admit to myself.

We ride in his car all the way to the destination. I give him directions about where to go, and we have a nice conversation before edging into the bad part of town.