For the Win

by Brenna Aubrey

  "You know...when I'm really going to need you is when I talk to your dad."

  Her mouth twisted at the thought. "I might throw you under the bus on that one."

  I laughed. "As long as he isn't a firearms enthusiast or trained assassin. He's not, right?"

  She laughed. "My dad won't even kill house spiders. I think you're good. He might get my grandma to level a curse upon your head, though."

  "I might be tempting fate by saying this, but I'm curse-proof. Those young ladies of my previous acquaintance who may have, at one time or another, cursed me that certain vital organs would shrivel up and fall off, would attest to it."

  Her eyes widened. "It had better not shrivel up and fall off, or I'd have to dump you. The only reason I plan on keeping you around is for the hot sex."

  "And the scruff. Don't forget the scruff."

  She broke into a smile. "For sure."

  And with that, I kissed her, taking her up on her royal decree to kiss her whenever and wherever I wanted. She was tingling with scruff burns for days.

  Chapter 30

  April

  To say that my dad didn't take the news well was an understatement of epic proportions. Jordan and I had decided to tell him before informing the employees at Draco, so we arranged to meet for lunch at a neutral location--a private room in a nearby restaurant.

  Dad had his elbow on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. Jordan and I exchanged a long look and my throat closed up in fear. That same flight instinct raced through my veins, making me want to bolt for the door and let Jordan deal with the consequences alone.

  "So, let me get this straight--you recorded yourself having sex with him--but you didn't know it was him."

  I worried my lip between my teeth. "Yeah..."

  His hand dropped, eyes opening. He locked eyes with me, and though I really wanted to look away, I held his gaze. "This story gets more and more bizarre. I feel like I've stepped into some weird alternate universe, and you..." He shook his head. "What the hell were you thinking, April?"

  I shifted in my chair. "We've already been over this--where my mind was at when I made those choices. The only difference now is that you know who the other person in the video was."

  Dad's cheek bulged where he clenched his jaw. He hadn't so much as looked Jordan's way since we broke the news. "That is a rather important detail you left out. But"--he flicked a brief look in Jordan's direction--"he also could have filled me in."

  Jordan straightened in his chair. "April and I both made some big mistakes, David. I'm not going to deny that--"

  "You can call me Mr. Weiss," he bit out. "And really, is there any point in denying it now?"

  Jordan hesitated, shaking his head, clearly flummoxed.

  Dad's eyes snapped back to me. "April, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but...your choice of boyfriends in the past has not been great. Starting with that idiot who took you out to get that tattoo right up through this last jackass who ended up marrying your mother."

  Ouch. That hurt.

  "And don't think I haven't heard the office gossip about this one." He turned back to Jordan, his nostrils flaring. "The parties, the boozing, the women... Every pimply geek at that place reveres you like some kind of womanizing god. I know you're a natural-born charmer...so it looks like you've pulled the wool over my daughter's eyes for the moment. To say I'm not happy that you've set your sights on her is an understatement."

  Jordan took a deep breath, having flushed a little during my dad's rant. "Mr. Weiss, it's not like that. I know we're in a difficult situation, given our work relationship. But I have nothing but the best intentions when it comes to April. I'm not stupid enough to lie to you about this. I know there is a lot riding on it if things go south. But...I love her."

  Dad paused for a beat, scowling at Jordan, appearing completely unmoved by his speech. "I'm going to assume you don't have any children--that you know of, anyway." Jordan flinched slightly. "But you do have a sister, right?" He jutted his chin toward Jordan. "How'd you feel about some player taking her for a ride? Hmm? Your little sister, hooking up with someone who's bedded--I don't know, dozens? Hundreds? You think I should be happy about that? Would you be happy about that?"

  Jordan's leg bounced up and down in place, and his hands tightened on the tabletop. "No. I wouldn't be happy at all. But there wouldn't be a whole lot I could do about it. My sister is an adult. The decision is hers. However, I'd do exactly what you are doing now and warn her away from someone like me. But ultimately...it would be out of my hands." For the first time since my dad had engaged with him, Jordan looked over at me. My mouth turned up in a small smile of encouragement.

  "I care about April. I want to start a future with her. We love each other. My past is my past. I can't change that. Everyone has done things that they regret. It doesn't mean I have to stop living at the age of almost twenty-six because I've suddenly woken up and realized that the lifestyle I was living no longer does it for me."

  "There's a saying--a leopard can't change its spots--"

  "Enough, Dad." I scooted up in my chair and put my hand over his on the table. "It's my decision. I'm an adult, and I love him. I want him. And I want you--and Rebekah and Sarah and Daniel. I want to be a part of your family. But you need to accept that I want Jordan, too."

  Dad's eyes cut to Jordan, sharp as blades swiping through the air. "You're right. I have no say. But don't think I'm not going to watch you like a hawk. If you hurt her..."

  "I understand. You love her, too. But I want you to know that I'd rather stab myself in the eye than hurt your daughter."

  "Dad, please. Please let us give this a chance."

  "So I assume he's giving you your recommendation to business school?"

  I looked over at Jordan again. "I've been having second thoughts about business school. Remember how I was telling you that I love studying theory?"

  His forehead creased with a frown. "You're going to study theoretical economics? And what the hell are you going to do with that?"

  "I don't know...maybe work as a consultant--like on a game. Or develop new models, or teach."

  Dad's phone chimed and he checked it. "We can talk more about this later. I'm not opposed to that idea, as long as you are sure that's what you want to do." He stood and took us both in again. Those nervous jitters were back in full force. I didn't need Dad's approval--but I really, really wanted it.

  He rubbed his jaw and sighed. "I'm going to be honest and tell you that I don't have a good feeling about this--especially considering how things started. But you're a woman. You're my beautiful daughter and I'm proud of you, and I really hope that I'm wrong about him."

  Well...that was as good as it was going to get, I guessed. I stood and hooked my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug, then kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Daddy."

  He patted my back, eyes widening in surprise. "Love you, April. Please...just be careful, okay? That's all I ask."

  I pulled back and looked him in the face, nodding. "I will. If he hurts me, you can fire him and kick him out on the street."

  He laughed, but at the edge of my vision, I caught Jordan fidgeting. To let him off the hook, I sent him a sly smile and he narrowed his eyes at me before returning the smile. Dad turned to go when Jordan stepped forward, putting out his hand for a handshake.

  Dad waved him off. "I'm not quite ready for that yet. Give me a few. I'm an old man. But..." I almost busted out laughing when he pointed two fingers toward his eyes and then turned to point them at Jordan in the universal symbol of 'I've got my eyes on you.'

  "See you soon, sweetheart." Then he turned and left.

  Jordan expelled a long breath, and I suddenly realized how nervous he must have been. He'd hidden it well. "Shit, that was rough," he said.

  "Were you expecting a picnic?"

  He shook his head and approached me, holding out his arms. I slipped into them and he pulled me against him, kissing my cheek. "Thanks for speakin
g up for me," he said. "I was this close to bailing when he started playing hardball."

  I pulled back to give him a dirty look and saw he was smiling, clearly teasing me. "Well... I guess it was worth it." A slow smile crept across my face.

  His arm around my waist tightened. "How about I make it worth your while? I don't have to be back to work 'til tomorrow, so we have a whole day to burn, my naughty fairytale princess..."

  I grinned. "What was it Snow White kept singing about? Someday my prince will come..."

  His mouth twisted. "Someday? Your prince plans on coming tonight--more than once." I burst out laughing and he waggled his eyebrows. "Just so you know, I'm in this for the win. And I can be pretty goddamn stubborn when I set my mind to something...so no bailing, no balking, no running away."

  "Hmm. But inappropriate behavior, that's okay?"

  He grinned. "Fuck yeah. It's required."

  Chapter 31

  William

  I hate being in the warehouse. Every sound echoes and bounces off the floor, the walls, the high ceiling. It's not a bad place, but everything here is strong. The lights are brighter, the sounds are louder, the smells--I really don't like the smells--are oily and plastic. Synthetic and overpowering.

  But I find that if I breathe through my mouth slowly, it helps. So I stand at the back of the crowd and fold my arms tightly over my chest. When I start to feel agitated, I tense them suddenly. The pressure helps keep me calm. Just like clenching my jaw helps or squeezing my eyes so tightly I can see spots behind them.

  These are tricks I've taught myself to deal with the loud, strong, brightness of places like this. It's either that or my sketchpad, and I left that on my desk because I had no warning about this meeting.

  That's another thing that makes me itchy and agitated. I tense my arms again just at the thought that the whole routine for the day has been thrown off by this announcement the officers want to make. I suppose that Adam would let me stay at my desk if I tell him how much I dislike it. I actually have told him before and he understood--or at least he said he did. But this time, I have a thing or two to say to his annoying best friend. And he's here too, standing next to April Weiss.

  Adam has just finished with the announcement regarding the stock prices and release dates on vesting shares owned by employees. He's also declared that Draco will be acquiring a company to make the hardware for the new virtual reality equipment. This means more work for me as I am on the team to create the three-dimensional modeling for the new interface.

  I blink. I don't know what to think about that and I try not to, but I squint as Adam announces that Jordan has something he wants to talk about now. I saw him outside in the parking lot this morning, holding hands with April Weiss when he thought no one could see. He gets all the girls to fall in love with him.

  And yet all of his advice is pure bullshit.

  Maybe he lies so that no one else will compete with him. Maybe his techniques are secrets. The look on his face means he is nervous, I think. He is already talking, and I'm in my own thoughts so I've missed what he's said. He is standing about fifty-three feet away and there are a lot of people between us...because in crowds, I never stand in the middle. Always on the outer edge. It's easier to breathe there.

  "If you care about the welfare of this company, know that it's expected that what we talk about here is internal company business only," he's saying. I have to scrunch my brow and narrow my eyes and really focus to follow him. He's far away, and the noise--feet shuffling, people whispering, echoes of every little thing. "The incident at the pool party in which one of our interns was wrongly humiliated should not have happened. What's worse, it should not have been shared with the outside world via social media. But the most shameful thing about it is that she was left to face that humiliation all alone. I want to make that right. On behalf of the company and myself, I'd like to apologize to April Weiss for the behavior she had to endure at the party. I also think it's right to let you know that I was the other party involved in the video."

  Everything is a lot quieter now. No one is moving. Some eyes are growing rounder, postures are changing, mouths are dropping. Surprise. They are surprised. Unpleasantly so.

  "I also owe you, my fellow employees, an apology..." But I'm not listening now. I'm feeling tense, my fists are tight. I'm angry. I don't like Jordan. I used to like him, but today I don't like him.

  And I'm going to tell him...just...just as soon as these people go away and it's not so crowded. So I focus my attention inward, trying to use my tricks to think about not being in this room with these bright lights and this noise.

  I spend time thinking about her. How her hair is so pale that it is almost white. Pale blonde. Sometimes she pulls it away from her face. The way it forms tiny curls around her neck. I like her wrists. They are delicate. Thin. Elegant. Even her wrists are beautiful. And her eyes. So soft a blue that if I were painting them, I'd have to mix white with the cerulean oil paint. Maybe two parts white to one part blue.

  She reminds me of a Raphael angel.

  It's thirteen minutes before they start clearing out. I wait until then to step forward and speak with Jordan. He is walking beside Adam and April, and when they are nearby, I wave to catch his attention.

  The three of them stop. My cousin says, "Hey Liam, everything all right?"

  I take a breath, remind myself not to be irritated. Only family members call me 'Liam.' I tolerate it from three people only--Dad, Adam and my sister, Britt. Oh, there's my new stepmother, too. Sometimes she slips and calls me 'Liam' because the others do and she forgets that I don't like it.

  "I need to speak with Jordan." I point at him.

  Jordan's facial expression changes. His eyebrows scrunch together. Adam says something to him and then turns back to me. "Okay. See you later." He keeps walking. April follows Adam after a little hesitation.

  "I am angry with you," I say to Jordan.

  He sighs and his eyes look into mine. I jerk my eyes away. I don't like staring in people's eyes. I clench my fists, trying to calm myself.

  "The advice you gave me was very bad."

  Jordan tilts his head to the side. "I'm sorry. Did it not work out?"

  "You said to invite Jenna out in a big group of friends. I invited her to my medieval reenactment society, along with Alex, Heath, Connor and Katya."

  Jordan blinks a couple times. "Okay... I take it she didn't like that?"

  "She likes it a lot. She keeps coming back."

  His feet scuff loudly on the floor. I hate the way his feet sound on the warehouse floor. He's not wearing sneakers today. Those are much quieter.

  "Isn't that a good thing? Don't you want her to keep coming back so you can see more of her?"

  My fists clench again. I want to swing one of them at him. "No, it's not a good thing. Because that first night she met Doug Callihan. He's one of the chief knights of our organization."

  My hands ball up and then relax over and over again--another thing I do to calm down. I take a few more deep breaths, because I still really want to hit Jordan.

  "Okay...and what happened when she met him?"

  "He asked her on a date. And now they are boyfriend and girlfriend."

  Jordan's mouth gets round, like he's shocked. "Oh man. I'm sorry...but that doesn't mean it's over. You can still swing this. I'll--"

  I hold up my shaking hand. "I don't want to swing. I want Jenna. I don't want more advice because I don't like your advice. You said that if I asked her out in a group that we would get more comfortable with each other, and then we could become boyfriend and girlfriend. You were wrong."

  Jordan holds his hands up, palms out. "I'm sorry, dude. My advice doesn't come with a guarantee. But let me see if I can--"

  "No!" I shout. I don't like to shout, but I'm so angry that the choices are either hitting Jordan or shouting. I turn and start to walk away from him. I need to leave this warehouse.

  "Whoa, William, wait up." Jordan speeds up his steps to walk besi
de me. "Let me see if I can fix this."

  "I'm going to do that myself. Doug is my foe. My rival. My arch enemy. I've already challenged him to one-on-one combat."

  Jordan stops walking and stares at me. I pick up speed and run from the warehouse, and I don't stop even though Jordan is calling my name.

  I have to prepare for a duel.

  The Gaming The System series continues in For The One, William and Jenna's story, coming in late 2015.

  Afterword

  Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed For The Win. I am writing the next book in the series, For The One, which stars William and Jenna.

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  The Gaming The System series continues in For The One, William's story, coming in late 2015. Details forthcoming on her website and in her newsletter.

  Acknowledgements

  There are so many people to whom I owe all gratitude for the invaluable part they have played in helping to bring this book into being. To my first readers, Kate McKinley and Sabrina Darby who never hesitated to pull their punches and push me to make the story better. To those who helped me with research: Mia Kayla, Kate Pearce and Mr. Pearce, Mimi Strong and Jennifer Lewis. To my production team, who make it all pretty and shiny: Sarah Hansen, Lindee Robinson, Chasity Jenkins-Patrick, Eliza Dee and the amazing S.G. Thomas. Thank you to my lovely ladies in the moral support department: Tessa Dare, Courtney Milan, Carey Baldwin, Leigh Lavalle, Natasha Boyd, and the awesome chicas in the Fast Draft Club TM.