His Nerd Girl (Falling for the Geek Girl): A New Adult Romance

by Lila Moore

  He seemed so smugly satisfied with himself that for a brief moment I saw flashes of my father in his expression. My hand instinctively curled into a fist. I forced myself to drink instead of hitting him.

  “You know what happened next. You fell into my trap perfectly,” he said. I knew what happened but that wouldn’t stop Ansel from reliving the moment. “Sage saw you assault me and the best part is that you never denied that you were the one who proposed the bet even though it was me.”

  He laughed as if he couldn’t quite believe it. I regretted not calling him out on his lie, but at the time I was too pissed. I just wanted to talk to Sage. The damage was done.

  “Have you talked to her?” I asked.

  “I called her the night you got arrested. She didn’t answer the phone, but I texted her a link to a story about your arrest. It’s all over the gossip sites.”

  I doubted that. I’m famous locally, but not nationally. The local papers would write about it; no one else cared.

  “I sent her, like, twenty links. She never responded though.”

  “So, what am I getting for my two hundred thousand dollars?”

  “Well, I’ll go over to her place and confess that I made it all up. I’ll lie and say I was jealous.” He and I both knew that was no lie. “I’ll tell her I knew she was listening and I saw an opportunity to ruin your relationship, that I was secretly hoping she’d run to me for comfort.”

  “And did she?”

  “What?”

  “Run to you for comfort?” I gripped my beer so tightly that I practically shattered the glass in my hand.

  “No. She came in today, went into her office, took meetings and did her work. I tried to talk to her, but she won’t say anything to me other than, ‘Yes, Ansel.’ That’s all I heard all day from her. ‘Yes, Ansel.’ It’s like she can’t stand talking to me. I mean, you’re the bad guy, not me. Let’s not forget that. I tried to remind her, but I was met with more of the same.” He shook his head and slurped his drink. “Chicks.”

  “If she won’t talk to you, then how are you planning to deliver on your promise?”

  “Oh, she’ll talk to me. She doesn’t have a choice. I’m her boss.”

  The shit-weasel grin reappeared on his face. I wanted to smash his drink into his stupid smirk and knock out his teeth. I needed to keep Ansel occupied until my plan was complete.

  “I’ll get you the money, but it’s going to take time,” I said.

  “Time? You’re a billionaire. Why would it take time? Just call your accountant, or the bank, or whatever.”

  Ansel’s screaming about me being a billionaire had drawn several curious stares.

  “This isn’t the movies. I don’t keep that much cash floating around. Besides, it’s late. The bank’s closed. I’ll have to call my accountant, move funds around, then go withdraw the money in person. It’s going to take me a few days.”

  Ansel groaned. “I’m not going to talk to Sage until I have my money. Don’t think for a second that I’m going to be fooled by you. I won’t talk to her until you pay me. I’m not going to get stiffed money that’s owed to me.”

  “I promise you Ansel, you will get exactly what you’re owed.”

  I was going to destroy Ansel if it was the last thing I ever did. The best part was he couldn’t see it coming. He knocked his glass against my beer with a loud clink.

  “I knew we’d make great friends,” he declared.

  He was beyond delusional. I had three days at most to win Sage back. I was going to have to act quickly if my plan was going to work.

  9

  I never called my accountant or the bank. I had no intention of giving Ansel a penny. Striking deals with that shit-weasel had gotten me into this mess. Striking another deal would only make things worse. Instead, I called Mr. Harrington.

  “Great to hear from you,” he said. “You took off so quickly after… the incident… in the office. I wasn’t sure I’d hear from you again. You know the job of chief executive is yours if you want it.”

  It was a huge responsibility and time commitment. I’d given it a lot of thought. There was once a time when my father was a generous man. Then he got sucked into corporate culture. It changed him into the greed monster he was today. I didn’t want to turn out like him. I was just now figuring out what an asshole I’d been for most of my life. It was time to turn things around.

  “I have someone in mind for CEO,” I said.

  “Oh, who?”

  “You. I think you’re levelheaded and smart. You’ll do fine.”

  He thanked me and acted humble. I wasn’t sure if he was sincere or if he was putting on a show. It didn’t matter.

  “I’m retaining my spot on the board, and I’d like to become a kind of silent partner,” I said.

  “Of course. You’re still the majority shareholder.”

  “There’s one more thing.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Good. There’s a small company I’d like to acquire.”

  It was that easy. The company was small. We bought it for fifty million dollars. Chump change. I wanted to act quickly so I paid ten million more than it was worth. It didn’t matter. Protecting Sage was my top priority.

  The owners were more than a little confused. No one was interested in buying their small, start-up game developer. Getting a call from a multibillion dollar company with an offer far exceeding their wildest expectations raised a few eyebrows. When I met to sign the paperwork, they had a lot of questions. How did you hear about us? Why are you interested? I was vague with my answers.

  Ultimately, I think they decided I was nothing more than a billionaire playboy gamer that wanted to own a game developer for my own amusement. I wasn’t a gamer, and I didn’t care about the industry, but Sage did. It was her dream to design a game. Now that I owned her company, I could do whatever I wanted with it.

  I smiled as I signed the contracts. I was now officially in the business of gaming. I shook hands with the previous owners, then headed straight down to the office. I managed to avoid Sage’s office as I walked through the building. I suddenly realized that I’d just paid fifty million dollars for a company I knew nothing about. I didn’t know how many people they employed, what projects they were working on, how much revenue they generated. Nothing. It didn’t matter. I didn’t buy the place because I was looking to make money. I bought it for Sage.

  One of the former owners, a stick-thin, scarecrow-looking man, led me through the office. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater even though it was warm out. He looked like a poor imitation of Steve Jobs. As we walked through the office, he pointed out different sections of the building. He talked about beta testers and future projects. I wasn’t listening. My priorities lie elsewhere.

  “Can I use your office?” I said, interrupting him.

  “Of course. It’s your office now.”

  He led me up a winding staircase to a glass office that overlooked the open floor below. I stood at the window looking down. People whispered to each other over their cubicles. Word was spreading that the business had been sold. I was sure they were all more than a little scared. They probably thought they were about to be laid off, or shut down completely. That’s how a lot of business mergers worked. I needed to hold a meeting soon to reassure them that their jobs weren’t going anywhere. I had no intentions of firing anyone. Well, actually there was one person I was dying to fire. First, I wanted to see the look on his face when he discovered I was his new boss.

  “I understand you employee a man, Ansel?” I asked.

  “Yes.” He sounded unsure, like maybe he wasn’t proud of the fact Ansel worked there. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one that thought Ansel was an asshole.

  “I’d like to speak with him.”

  “If you’re interested in learning more about the day-to-day operations of the company, or the projects we have in development, I’m more than happy to help you. Or, if you like, I can have one of our project managers explain o
ur work.”

  “No, thank you. I’d like to speak with Ansel. Alone.”

  He looked a bit confused, but he asked one of the assistants to find Ansel and bring him to my new office. When Ansel walked through the door, his eyes practically popped out of his head. The former owner excused himself, leaving us alone.

  “What are you doing here?” Ansel asked.

  “I considered your offer, then I thought hell, why should I play ball with Ansel when I can just buy the company and fire his ass?”

  Ansel’s eyes darted around as he tried to process these developments.

  “You were right,” I continued. “Two hundred thousand dollars is chump change for me. You know what else is chump change? The fifty million dollars I just paid to buy this place. You work for me now.”

  “But-but I’ll tell Sage-”

  “You’ll tell her what? You’ve already done all the damage you can do. You have no room to bargain with me. In fact, you’re fired.”

  Ansel looked like he was going to faint.

  “I want you out of this building within the next ten minutes. If you’re seen on the property again, I’ll have you arrested,” I said.

  Ansel turned like a zombie. He was clearly in shock. He was convinced that I was a moron, incapable of getting the best of a ‘genius’ like him. I’d just owned his ass.

  I watched him stomp down the stairs. By the time he reached the main floor, reality hit him. He knocked over the wall of a cubicle and shouted. Every eye in the room was on him. I couldn’t stop laughing. The security guard who’d thrown me to the ground and arrested me emerged to escort him out. Ansel slapped at him when he attempted to take his arm.

  The security guard was not the guy to fuck with. I’d learned that the hard way. I was going to give the guy a pay raise. He was good at his job, and watching him drag Ansel, kicking and screaming like a toddler out of the office was a memory that was going to make me laugh for the rest of my life.

  Below, an office door opened. Sage stepped out to watch the scene unfold. The security guard had Ansel’s arm twisted behind his back as he led him out. Sage was doe-eyed and curious. She’d missed news of the company’s new owner. Now Ansel was being dragged out like a criminal. She was probably more confused than ever.

  I told the secretary to ask Sage to come to my office. She ran off to fetch her, as if she was afraid I’d fire her next. Every eye in the office followed Sage as she walked up the spiral staircase to my office. They were probably terrified that they would be unemployed soon.

  I paced the room. I was nervous about talking to Sage. I didn’t have time to think. The office door opened and she stepped inside. When she saw me, her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

  “Sage, why don’t you have a seat?”

  She didn’t take my offer. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at me. “What are you doing here? Did you just fire Ansel?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “How can you fire Ansel? What did you promise Greg?”

  I assumed Greg was the previous owner, though I hadn’t even bothered to get his name before diving head first into purchasing his company.

  “I didn’t promise Greg anything. I own the company now.”

  Sage laughed, then her laughter slowly turned to disbelief. “Oh God, you’re serious. You actually bought the company? Why?”

  “For you.”

  She stared at me blankly. Silence stretched out before us. When she didn’t talk, I felt like I had to fill the silence or else I’d go crazy.

  “I did it for you. Ansel was planning to use his leverage as your boss to take advantage of you. I knew he’d fire you, or worse, if I fought him. This was the only way I could intervene.”

  “By buying the company?” Sage started to laugh again. I wasn’t sure if I should take it as a bad sign or a good one.

  “Look, I know you hate me,” I said. “This wasn’t about trying to win you back. Actually, that’s not true. I want to win you back, but what’s most important to me is protecting you. I didn’t want to see you fall victim to Ansel’s bullshit. You deserve better than him-and better than me, for that matter. You need to know you were never a bet to me, Sage. Ansel suggested we bet about who could get into your pants first. It’s disgusting and wrong. I’d take it back in a heartbeat if I could. I’d give away my entire fortune to take back that moment.”

  Sage looked away uncomfortably.

  “You don’t have to forgive me,” I continued. “I just want you to know the truth: that I hate myself for ruining the best thing that ever happened to me, and that I love you.”

  She tensed a bit at hearing the ‘L’ word. In truth, I’d surprised myself by using it. The last time I told someone I loved them I was speaking to my mother on her deathbed. Suddenly, I had a burning sensation in my chest, like I’d swallowed hot, liquid metal. I swayed a bit on my feet.

  “What’s wrong?” Sage asked.

  “Nothing.” I leaned against the desk, trying to regain my balance.

  “Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down.”

  Sage brought a chair over to me. I took a step towards her, then collapsed. When I came to, a paramedic had a blood pressure cuff on my arm. Sage was standing in the corner of the office chewing on her nails. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying. The sight of her puffy eyes brought me back to reality. I wanted to go to her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

  I was confused at first about why I was lying on the floor, then I remembered the pain in my chest and becoming dizzy. I tried to sit up but the paramedic told me to stay down. I sat up anyway.

  “Can you walk to the ambulance, or do you need a gurney?” he asked.

  “What? I’m not going to the hospital. I’m fine.”

  “I can’t force you to go, but you need to get checked out by a doctor.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “You said your chest hurt, then you collapsed,” Sage said. Her voice sounded small, like a mouse. Whatever happened had really scared her.

  “I don’t see signs of a heart attack. My guess would be a severe panic attack,” the paramedic said. “Do you have a history of mental illness in your family?”

  I thought of my father’s narcissism. The pain returned to my chest. I looked at Sage and tried to focus on my breathing. The pain slowly faded away.

  “Sir, are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

  “I’m sure,” I said.

  “My advice would be to take it easy,” the paramedic said. “You tech guys always push yourselves too hard. If I had a nickel for every one of you guys I treated for stress related illness, I’d be rich.”

  The paramedics packed up their things and left me alone with Sage and Greg. Sage paced around the room, biting her fingers.

  “Could you give us a minute alone?” I said to Greg. He nodded and left without complaint. I stood on shaky feet. “Sage-” She slapped me so hard, I fell against the desk.

  “You scared the shit out of me!” she said. “I thought you were dead.”

  I smiled. “So, you decided to hit me?”

  She looked momentarily confused. “I’m sorry, but you scared me.”

  “I’m sorry. You’ve got nothing to apologize for. I deserve to get hit after the way I’ve behaved.” The moment quickly turned awkward. “Sage, I know you hate me, and you have every right to, but-”

  “Would you stop? I don’t hate you. I wish I did. You were right about Ansel being a creep. Jed and Daniel weren’t much better.” It took me a second to figure out that Jed and Daniel were Ansel’s two companions.

  “Did Ansel make a move on you?”

  Sage sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest protectively as if the memory left her feeling vulnerable. I didn’t need to hear a word. I could tell from her body language that Ansel had been a creep to her.

  I looked through the window overlooking the office. Most of the employees had gone home. I was disappointe
d to see that Ansel was gone. I wanted to beat the shit out of him.

  “You have to let it go,” Sage said. “You can’t fight your way out of all your problems.” It was pretty clear she could easily read my body language as well. “You can’t buy your way out of your problems either,” she added.

  “I wasn’t trying to buy you back. I was scared of what Ansel might do to you. I felt responsible. I just wanted to give you a place where you could feel safe. I don’t want you to think that you owe me something now that I own the company. I’m giving you Ansel’s job, and I want you to start your own project-your own game. I know you have lots of idea about making games with smart, strong women like you in them. I think that’s a great idea. You can do whatever you want. I won’t get in your way. You’ll never see me again, if you don’t want to. As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, I know fuck-all about gaming. I’m going to hire someone to manage the company. You’re free now.”

  She looked a bit taken aback. I was throwing a lot at her at once. I may have ruined her personal life, but I could at least save her professional life.

  “I’ve been with a lot of girls. I’m not saying that to brag, it’s just true. I never felt a connection with any of them. You’re different. I lied about liking Doctor Who and video games. I don’t know anything about them, but I wanted you to like me, so I pretended.”

  “I would have liked you regardless,” she said, sounding exhausted.

  I felt her slipping away.

  “Just promise me one thing: do what you want to do. Don’t let guys like Ansel bully you, and don’t let assholes like me lie to you. I don’t deserve you. I want you to be happy.”

  “Knox, I don’t want this to end this way.”

  I could tell by the pitying look in her eyes that she was trying to figure out a way to dump me gently. I decided to spare her the difficulty.

  “I’m leaving. You won’t see me again unless you want to. Take care of yourself, okay?”

  She nodded and blinked back tears. I took a step towards her. I wanted to hold her, but it felt wrong. I’d brought so much trouble into her life. She was crying because of me. I was the cause of her pain. The truth twisted in my gut like a knife. I hated myself then more than ever. I walked out of the office and never looked back.