Game Changer

by Rene Folsom

  “A proposition?” he asked, quirking his brow with what seemed like mock interest. “This should be… fun. What do you have in mind?”

  I rolled my eyes at his response before sucking in a ragged breath and steeling my nerves.

  “When is this charity event of yours?” I asked, my voice a little too high pitched, making me inwardly cringe at the sound.

  A cocky grin crossed his face and, of course, I noticed the dimples. The fucker pulled all kinds of mixed emotions from me, and the thought that any man had an effect on me just drove me plumb crazy.

  “Next Saturday,” he said with quiet skepticism. Leaning on his elbows and inching into my personal space, he stared at me with amusement sparkling in his eyes and said, “What? Have you changed your mind about me, Ms. Layne?”

  Adamantly shaking my head, I began to regret the offer that was about to spill from my lips. Wait, what did he just call me?

  “How the hell do you know my last name?” I seethed. Maybe this was a huge mistake. This guy didn’t sound trustworthy enough for me to even waste my time on.

  With an infuriatingly sexy smile, he backed away and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s on the credit card you’ve got there on the table,” he explained with a curt nod of his head.

  Ahh, yes. I was paying my tab today, like I did every Tuesday.

  Embarrassment flushed through me as I realized my imagination got the best of me. Damn him. The exasperating bastard got me on that one.

  Without waiting for me to respond, he said, “So, you have changed your mind about me.” This time, it wasn’t a question.

  I had to wipe the look of bewilderment and fascination off my face as I attempted a half scowl, struggling with all my might to keep up the hard-ass look I was oh so famous for.

  “You’re definitely not that talented in mind control, Liam. I just need to get out on the town and make a few connections if…” I paused, thinking of some sort of excuse on the fly. I didn’t want to reveal who I was to him because just one quick Google search would change his attitude toward me entirely. “If I want to get the promotion I have my eyes set on, I need to start making some networking connections. A charity function sounds like a good start.”

  Leaning forward on my elbows and mimicking what he had done moments before, I eyed him squarely and said, “Make no mistake, this is not a date. This is just an arrangement. You get out of your requirement to find a girl to take to the event, and I start making a few connections with wealthy or important people. That’s it.”

  “Hmm…” he buzzes while tapping his long, strong finger on his lips. Well, that’s not supposed to be distracting. Not in the slightest.

  “What is it that you do, exactly?” he asked, and this time I knew I couldn’t brush him off like I had before. The staff at Pembroke Publishing knew of my need to keep my identity a secret, so our steady fallback story was as good as any—foolproof. I almost chuckled at the thought that this man was probably no fool. Infuriating, yes… but not a fool. “I work as a file clerk for Pembroke Publishing, but I’m up for a promotion to be a literary agent.”

  His brow furrowed, as if he were confused with my answer and didn’t believe me. However, he must’ve chosen not to press the issue because, the next thing I knew, he reached his hand out toward me and said, “Deal.”

  With a sly smile, I slid my hand across his to shake and solidify our agreement. And wouldn’t you know it… my maddening female hormones completely betrayed me as our palms came in contact, skin on skin, making the sudden sensation of warmth all too inviting. Gasping, I quickly retracted my hand, hiding my dazed look as best I could, pissed I let a man make me feel so out of control with just a simple touch.

  Attempting to recover from my obvious gawking, I grabbed a napkin and swiftly scribbled my number across the unstable paper surface, nearly ripping it beneath my ballpoint pen’s frantic movements. My hand shook and even the thought he could see what he did to my nerves made mortification coat my cheeks in bright red. This was so not me. I was never one to react so strongly to someone—anyone—especially an infuriatingly handsome geek boy.

  “Here’s my number. Just call or text with the details sometime next week.” I avoided his gaze as I slid the napkin across the table in his direction. A mixture of embarrassment, irritation, and all-consuming lust had my head swimming. The need to bolt was eating away at me, and I hurriedly began packing my things into my bag.

  He didn’t move or respond, which had me peeking up at him through my lashes to see what had caused his sudden silence. Piercing, blue eyes stared at me with pure hunger, his pupils dilated to big, black orbs surrounded by a brilliant ring of sapphire.

  Without breaking eye contact, Liam lifted his phone and unlocked the screen with a smooth swipe of his long middle finger. The separation of our staring contest was brief as he deftly moved his thumb over the slick touchscreen. Moments later, my phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump with the sudden vibration over my sensitive skin.

  “Well, aren’t you going to get that?” he asked as he set his phone flat on the table, causing me to narrow my eyes at him in an attempted scowl. My concentration was swiftly broken when he smirked at me, showing his cute dimples again.

  I shook my head in disgust with myself that I let this man get to me so easily. Fishing my phone from my jeans pocket, I looked at the one new text message.

  Looking forward to our DATE, beautiful Maci.

  I peered up at him in surprise, my eyes probably looking too wide for my face, and watched him wink at me before sliding from the booth and walking out the door.

  *****

  “Guess what I have?” Sam chanted, her cheerful voice emanating happiness through the phone. Even though I couldn’t see her, I could just imagine the cute little half smirk on her face as she dangled some sort of imaginary item in front of me like the tease that she was.

  Not many authors became besties with their editors. So, I was more than grateful she put up with my shit. The fact I had to put up with hers though was an entirely different kind of struggle. She was a pain in my ass, and I loved her for it.

  “What?” Would she just tell me already?

  “I finished the edits. Document should be in your inbox any second now.” She paused for a moment, and just as I was about to thank her, she added, “You’re fucking brilliant, by the way.”

  “Brilliant? Why?” I was speechless. Sam always praised me, but very rarely did she build my self-esteem up so high, and with dirty words to boot. Most of her compliments were said in a joking manner, showing how close we were as friends and colleagues.

  “You built the characters up to a whole new level,” she explained. “I could feel their angst, their adventures, and their love. It was just… brilliant. I have no words for how much I loved this book. It’s your best yet.”

  Her approval had me beaming from ear to ear. I was smiling so hard, I thought my face would crack with the strain. Yet, I couldn’t help it. Her opinion mattered most out of everyone.

  With a light chuckle, I said, “So I guess I don’t have to go on that date this weekend after all.” I didn’t dare admit I couldn’t keep my thoughts from straying to the day I met the bastard.

  “Ooh, Maci. What date?” she prodded with a teasing, singsong tone. Her excitement could almost be felt through the phone. I rolled my eyes.

  “It’s nothing. You and Cam telling me I had to get out more and live life in order to improve my writing seemed to make me lose my head momentarily, and I sort of agreed to go out with someone.” I bit my lip at the realization that I still wanted to go—not just out of necessity—I actually wanted to.

  “Well, just because your head doubled in size when I said I liked your book just now doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, Mace. I think it’d be great for you to get out and meet new people.”

  “Ugh.” I groaned. “Meeting new people is way overrated. But, I can’t really cancel on him anyway. That’d just be low, even for a social leper lik
e me.”

  “So, who is this guy?”

  “Just some guy I met at the coffee shop around the corner,” I said with a shrug, sure she could see right through my tone.

  “That’s all you got for me? I need to know details. Name, looks, the whole shebang!” she demanded excitedly.

  “Did you just use the word shebang?” I asked with a cough as I stifled my laugh.

  “Damn skippy. Now quit stalling and tell me—” Her words were cut off as a mumbling sound ensued over the line. “Shit. I gotta go. We’ll pick this conversation up later.” Before I could protest, she hung up.

  As if on cue, my phone buzzed with a new text while still in my hand. I thought it would’ve been Sam apologizing for hanging up so quickly, but when I saw the sender’s name, my heart leapt into my throat.

  Chapter Four

  Liam: Got Game

  Fighting the urge to text her for damn near a week, I couldn’t hold back any longer. A woman I barely knew had managed to weasel her way into my thoughts, and I was beyond eager to talk to her, text her… hell, any sort of interaction with her would suffice. She hadn’t been showing up at the coffee shop, which drove me mad with curiosity.

  “Here goes nothing,” I mumbled as I held my breath and pressed the send button.

  Liam: Saturday. Would you like to grab dinner before we schmooze with the yuppies?

  Maci: What’d you have in mind?

  Liam: There’s a really good Italian restaurant in Ybor City. Since the event will be at the hotel just around the corner¸ I think it’ll be a great place to grab some grub.

  Maci: Hmm, you mean the nice place across from Coyote Ugly? That better not have any underlining meanings.

  Liam: Hah! Never. But yes, the place across from CU. You game?

  Maci: I’m always up for a good game. ;)

  Liam: Challenge accepted, beautiful. So, dinner?

  Maci: Sure.

  Liam: Okay, I can swing by around seven. Text me your address.

  I probably had the dumbest look on my face as I read the address she sent. It was the publishing house, not a residence. Meaning, she didn’t want me to pick her up at her place.

  Liam: Work? On a Saturday?

  Maci: Yes.

  Liam: Sounds like a plan. See you Saturday at seven.

  Maci: See ya.

  Scratching my head, I had to remind myself this was only a business deal to her. It wasn’t a date. If I had to be honest, the last thing I wanted was to get involved with some high maintenance chick.

  Yet I knew, deep down, this was going to be a challenge. Just texting her made me smile, which was pretty uncommon for me.

  Without warning, a hard slap landed square on the back of my head, making me jump up in defense, my guard up and immediately reverting to my black-belt instincts.

  “What the hell are you thinking about so hard, dude?” Thad asked, dodging my approach and plopping down on the plush couch in the lounge.

  “You motherfucker,” I seethed as I rubbed the back of my head to quell the pain.

  “Seriously, I can smell your gears grinding, you haven’t played online in nearly a week, and your fucking shirt is on backwards,” he said while pointing in my direction. “What gives?”

  Looking down, I noticed my Optimus Prime shirt was perfectly situated on my chest. Thad’s laughter confirmed just how much of a douche he was.

  “I hate you,” I said in a near whisper while glaring at my so-called friend.

  “But I’m right. Something’s eating at you.”

  I glowered at him while he sat in front of me, his pale skin in stark contrast to the black couch as he stretched his arms out and stared me down.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I’ve just been busy,” I said noncommittally, completely dismissing him and storming out of the lounge toward my office, deciding I needed to bury myself into work and forget about the rainbow-haired beauty from the coffee shop.

  *****

  It being Friday night and all, Thad nearly begged me to go out with him and some chick he landed a date with. Why the man couldn’t grow up and go on his own was beyond me. It was like he constantly needed a wingman to back him up every step of the way.

  He was never going to get laid that way, so I told him to stop being a pussy and go without me. I’d bet my left testicle he ended up canceling on the girl.

  As for myself, I was fighting the idea that I was actually nervous. Starting a game of Assassin’s Creed, I continued to contemplate why my mind had been so jumbled over the past week and a half. I’d never really been the type to get so bent out of shape over spending time with a girl. Most of the guys I hung out with, who just so happened to be my gaming buddies or coworkers, never really bothered with chicks. If they did, they didn’t talk about it. Most of the time, you could tell how nervous chicks made them.

  But me? Naw. It wasn’t the norm for me to freak the fuck out over a chick.

  So, why was my mind completely obsessed with her? I barely knew the woman, only that she seemed to put on a good act at hating me for no particular reason. Maybe I wanted to give her some reason to like me, or at least tolerate my presence without a slew of snarky remarks.

  Resolve settled over me as I scaled the side of a building and hopped from rooftop to rooftop in the game. Well, one thing was certain—once she would learn my true identity tomorrow night, her tune would likely change. Usually, once a chick figured out my status or the number padding my bank account, they couldn’t seem to get enough of me. It was exhausting.

  Then again, I typically dated chicks who were involved in the gaming community in some way. So, once they heard my name, recognition would immediately spike in their gold-digging core.

  Maci—she was different. She wasn’t some sassy gamer girl or nerd groupie. I’d be lucky if she recognized my company name, let alone who I was on the totem pole. Well, I’d know soon enough.

  I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as I killed a few guards. I’d almost been discovered.

  My cell phone ringing brought me back to the here and now. Without pausing, I absentmindedly answered. “Allen.”

  “Uh, may I please speak to Liam?” Her voice had me jamming my finger against the pause button and my stomach quivering like it was filled with jumping beans.

  Fuck, how the hell does she do this to me?

  “Hey, Maci. It’s Liam,” I said a bit too excitedly. Man, I sounded like a total nub, my voice cracking like an adolescent teen.

  “Oh, hello. Okay, so… what should I wear tomorrow? I know I probably should have asked earlier. Is it going to be super fancy?” It was amazing to hear her voice. I was beginning to believe I had dreamed her.

  “Shit. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s black tie. Does that help?” If she didn’t have a dress for this, I wouldn’t mind buying one for her. But she’d probably think I was a total creep if I even dared to offer. So, I kept my trap shut.

  “Yep, that’s perfect.” She paused, and I wondered what else I could possibly say to keep her on the line. I usually hated talking on the phone but, suddenly, I wanted to keep hearing her voice. “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she added and waited for me to respond.

  “I can’t wait,” I said honestly, stunned at how brazen I was being with her. The whole two times I’d spoken to her, I’d wondered where my damn courage had come from. She definitely pulled things out of me I didn’t even realize I had.

  Like balls?

  “Bye, Liam,” she whispered and hung up. Staring at the screen, I internally scolded myself for seizing up and not saying more to her.

  It didn’t take but five minutes back at my game for me to succumb and die a horrible death, my character slumped over like a drunkard, all because thoughts of Maci were consuming my brain. Paying attention to a stupid game was just not in the cards tonight.

  *****

  “Why can’t we just ride together?” Thad whined. He’d postponed his date from last night, inviting her instead to t
he charity event tonight as his plus one.

  “Because, you need to take the fucking girl out on your own. Plus, I have a date and I’d prefer you weren’t tagging along,” I answered as I straightened my tie.

  “Wait, you got a date?” he asked, sounding a little too surprised.

  “Of course, dipshit. You told me I had to. And since you’re the mistress of marketing, I was under the assumption I didn’t have a choice.” I felt silly standing in my room arguing with a damn suit on, the thin tie tucked neatly beneath the jacket feeling like a noose around my neck. “Now, go pick up your girl. I’ll see you there.”

  With a defeated and almost comically scared-shitless look on his face, he backed out and left my apartment.

  At seven on the dot, I pulled up to the curb in front of the office building that held Pembroke Publishing. The downtown streets of Tampa weren’t extremely busy, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case once we headed into Ybor City.

  There she was, waiting for me. For the first time in my life, a woman took my breath away, and it was all I could do not to just sit in the car and stare at her, mouth agape, like a fish out of water.

  Climbing out of my black Audi, I hurriedly made my way around the car to her. She stood on the sidewalk in a sleek, black dress that hugged every curve perfectly. One shoulder bare, the other was adorned with a small, black strap encrusted with rhinestones. A delectable slit had my eyes skimming up her body, giving me little hints of skin between the fabric and making my mouth water at the sight. With her hair pinned up on her head, I couldn’t even tell she had rainbow-colored strands—she hid it so well—which made me frown slightly at the loss of her… well… her.

  “What are you staring at?” she said in a humorous voice, not a hint of anger in her tone.

  Meeting her eyes, I cleared my throat and said, “You mean who am I staring at, not what. Because I’m not at all ashamed to say that my eyes have landed upon the most beautiful woman in this city.”