Gamer Girl

by Carmen Willow

  “We? I thought you were second generation Irish,” Sarah said to him as they walked back to the car.

  “On my Dad’s side, sure. But my Mom’s people…well they’ve been here a long time.”

  “Really? And you’d never visited the Vaile or the Bingahm?”

  “You know how it is. You live somewhere your whole life and don’t bother to investigate the treasures that surround you. Besides, my folks lived north of the river.”

  “And that makes a difference?”

  “Some.” Eamon helped her into the car. When he got in on the driver’s side, he turned to her. “Look, I’d really like to show you my place, let you see my game room and mess around with my stuff. But, I wanted to be sure you were okay with that. I’ve got food in the fridge, and I can cook something for dinner. What do you say?”

  “I’d like to see your video game setup,” Sarah told him.

  “Let’s go then.” Eamon drove them down to the Country Club Plaza, to one of the most luxurious condominium complexes there. Eamon parked in the locked garage underneath the building. They took the elevator up to a floor near the top of the building. When Eamon opened the door to his loft, Sarah gasped and walked forward into the space.

  In front of her was a step-down into a large living area. The wall in front of her was glass. Sarah could see the entire Plaza district spread out before her. The street lights began to come on and it went from spectacular to magic. “Oh my God,” she whispered, “this is…stunning!”

  Sarah knew that Eamon was well off. After all, he owned a company. But for the first time his wealth smacked her in the face. Eamon wasn’t just well off, he was rich: Ferrari rich, Versace rich, the kind of rich that goes on holiday in the South of France. For the first time, Sarah wondered why Eamon would bother to ask her out at all.

  She felt his hands on her shoulders. “Hey. What sounds good for dinner?”

  Sarah turned around. “Well, I suppose that depends on what you can cook.”

  “How do you feel about spaghetti? I can make a mean pot of spaghetti. My Mom’s recipe.”

  “Great. Want some help?”

  “Sure. You can chop the onions.” He pointed her toward the chopping board and the block that held the knives.

  “Thanks!” Sarah replied. “I just love crying over my meal!”

  Eamon pulled out the garlic, onions and other vegetables and gave them to Sarah. He browned the meat with some of Sarah’s garlic and onions. When the sauce was all together and simmering, they quickly washed up and Eamon took Sarah by the hand. He led her to a door and opened it up. “Have fun!”

  If the view from Eamon’s loft sent Sarah into shock, his game room nearly stopped her heart. The walls were lined with video games sorted by category and console, pc or game toy. “I download a lot of the games now, so some of the newer titles will be on the console hard drives,” Eamon told her. “You play awhile, and I will tend to supper.”

  Eamon continued to get the meal ready. He set the table and put out a red wine for his own pleasure and a bottle of moscato in the refrigerator for Sarah. The sauce was done, so he made the pasta. Then he went to get her.

  Sarah was busily engaged in a massive boss fight with a dragon, a bear and a couple of bandits. It was a random encounter in an open world game. Her avatar was obviously a spell-sword for she was up on her feet, summoning creatures at the same time that she was hacking away with a bound sword. It was close, but she finally managed to take down all her opponents. As she delivered her last blow to the dragon, she yelled, “BAM! Yeah!” as she held the controller above her head and did a short victory dance.

  “I hate to interrupt this coup, but dinner is ready.”

  Sarah turned around with an ear-to-ear grin of triumph on her face. She saved the game and turned off the console. “Did you see me blast that dragon to smithereens?”

  “Yep, smithereens covers it, but your spaghetti grows cold.” Eamon gave her a whatcha gonna do, look.

  Sarah heaved a theatrical sigh but she was already at the door. Eamon had set the table with some candles and cloth napkins in napkin holders. “I’m impressed. You won’t see napkin holders at my table until Thanksgiving!”

  Eamon pulled out her chair. “Have a seat and we’ll eat dinner.”

  Sarah took her place at the table and Eamon dished out the spaghetti and sauce. The aroma was rich and wonderfully Italian, and Sarah was hungry. She took a bite. “Wow, I pride myself on a good sauce, but this is really fantastic!”

  Eamon took a bite. “It’s my Mom’s recipe. I helped out in the kitchen and got pretty good at making her food, though I’ve yet to get her macaroni salad right.”

  “We ate out a lot. Both my parents worked full-time. I taught myself to cook. I do okay, but I don’t have many special mom recipes. But, if you want to know the best places to eat in Bonita, I am your woman!” Sarah lay her napkin aside, rose from the table and began to gather the dirty dishes.

  “Leave those,” Eamon said, “I’ll get them later.”

  “No, please, let me help you.” Sarah carried more of the dishes to the kitchen and came back again.”It is the least I can do.”

  Eamon stood. “I pay people good money to clean up after me, Sarah. Come on, let’s go play.”

  Sarah looked out the enormous window at the fabulous view and it hit her again. Eamon wasn’t just a guy who liked a lot of the same things she did. He was a man who counted his net worth in multi-millions of dollars. He was a man who owned large portions of some of the most lucrative tech companies and game shops in the world. His condo was fabulous. But she didn’t understand how it fit him. The game room was real enough. It was used, lived in, but the rest?

  “Well, if we aren’t going to clean up, then maybe it’s time I went home,” Sarah told him softly.

  Eamon was walking down the hall toward the game room. But her words brought him back to where she stood. “What is it, Sarah?”

  “Nothing, I—“

  “Uh, uh. I have two sisters. You aren’t pulling that one on me. Something’s bothering you. I’m a guy. Unless you tell me, I’ll never figure it out.” Eamon held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go sit down and you can tell me.”

  Sarah slipped her hand into Eamon’s and they went into the living room and sat down on the sofa. “Spill it!” Eamon said.

  Sarah looked around the room. “It’s stupid. I know it sounds stupid, but this place doesn’t fit. It’s gorgeous and the game room is right somehow, but the rest? Or maybe it is right for you, and I’m the one who doesn’t get it. ”

  Eamon leaned his head back against the sofa and laughed. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had someone tell me my apartment is too cool.” He turned his head so that he could see her. “Look, I’m a working class kid who made good. When the first company went ballistic and the money started rolling in, I went wild. I bought every damn toy, gadget, boat, car, bike, bicycle…you name it, and I bought it. I mean, if you’re nouveau riche you gotta do it right, right? When I bought this place, I had someone find me the best decorator, the best furniture, the best china.” Eamon gestured toward the room. “This is what I got. It’s like living in a hotel, but it’s an easy commute to work and it’s quiet. So, yeah, it’s a little impersonal, but it’s okay. Except for the game room. I love that room.”

  He looked her way once more. “Sarah, I love having money. Nothing in the world felt better than paying off my parents’ mortgage and sending my siblings to college. Between rich and poor, I’ll take rich every time. I worked damn hard for it, and I plan to work damn hard to keep it.”

  Eamon sat back up and gently drew Sarah close. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her lips softly, teasingly for a long time. Then he pulled back a little. “But it still bothers you.”

  The color that stained Sarah’s cheeks told him everything he needed to know.

  “I get it, I do, Sarah. You need time. Not a problem. You need to get to know me better. We can manage that.” Eamon pull
ed Sarah to her feet. “Come on, let’s go play.”

  Eamon and Sarah played a video game for about two more hours and then he took her home. He kissed her thoroughly at the door but did not ask to come in. On the way home, Eamon silently cursed the fact that he hadn’t slept with her the week before. Because for some reason, she’d caught a scent in the wind and she was running for the brush.

  Chapter 5

  Rainwhite Games

  Sarah got a call from Jim to come in early. She got there at seven. Jim was in by seven fifteen.

  “Rainwhite is definitely in play. We have a meeting at eight. Could you set up the conference room?”

  “Sure, Jim. Coffee’s ready if you want some. I’ll start a second pot.”

  “No, ask Rita to do it. I need you in that meeting to take notes.” Jim was already on his way to the coffee pot.

  Sarah found Rita, had her rearrange Jim’s morning schedule, put on coffee for the conference room and order their favorite continental breakfast bar to be sent up as soon as possible.

  By eight, the team leads and management were seated in the conference room, drinks and donuts in hand, tablets and handhelds in front of them.

  Sarah took her place and Jim began. “Here’s what we know. On Friday, at approximately 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Rainwhite stock began trading very heavily on the New York Stock Exchange and continued until the closing bell. In the week before there had been some moderate trading, but this last big push is a strong indication that someone is planning a hostile takeover of the company.” Jim looked at everyone at the table. “Any ideas? Thoughts? Who would want your company and why?”

  Aaron Birnbaum, Lead designer and CEO, said, “Well, there’s only one company out there with both the money and a competing line. That’s Gryphon World, Inc. The question is what’s in it for him? Wickerworld isn’t doing as well as we hoped—“

  “You have something he wants.” Everyone looked at Sarah, rather astonished. Usually paralegals didn’t speak up at meetings. “I think I know what it is. He wants your game engine. ” Sarah realized that she had spoken out of turn. “Sorry.”

  Birnbaum said, “No, go on.”

  “Well think about it. Gryphon World just acquired Boneset’s physics programmer for the next game in their frontline title. It stands to reason that they want a new game engine as well. Byrne likes your game engine a lot. And taking control of your company, while expensive, takes less time and money than building an engine from the ground up. Plus you have other assets he can exploit.”

  Aaron looked at Sarah with new respect. “Makes sense.” Birnbaum looked at Jim. “So can we stop it?”

  “Well, it’s too late to construct a poison pill, and a Pac-Man defense won’t work either,” Jim said.

  “Pac-Man defense. What’s that?” Birnbaum asked.

  Jim rubbed his eyes. “That’s where you start buying up the other guy’s stock to get a majority vote in his company. You don’t have that kind of money, and I think Byrne maintains a fifty-one percent control of Gryphon World Stock. So that’s out.”

  “What about a Crown Jewel Defense?” Sarah asked Jim.

  Jim looked at her. He thought about it and nodded. “Painful but possible.”

  Birnbaum looked expectantly at the two of them. Jim said, “It’s where you sell the asset Gryphon World wants to someone else, preferably a friendly competitor, one who will license back your product at a reasonable price once the danger has passed. In this case, it would be your game engine.”

  “Shit!” Birnbaum exploded. “We have to sell off our most valuable asset in order to keep our company?”

  “In order to try and keep your company. There may be other assets he wishes to acquire in your organization as well. Or he may have other reasons for buying you up. Selling your game engine may not be enough to put them off.” Jim read through Rainwhite’s by-laws. “How much is your game engine worth?” Birnbaum mentioned a figure. “Well then, that lies within the discretionary amount allowed by your by-laws. Your current Board of Directors has the authority to sell or exclusively lease out your game engine without a stockholder vote. But we only have forty-eight hours until the next stockholder’s meeting. I’m willing to bet that’s when Gryphon will make its move.”

  The Rainwhite people looked stricken. Most were game designers, artists, programmers and writers, and few of them understood business.

  Jim and Sarah looked at each other. When Jim decided to make this move and become Rainwhite’s in-house counsel, he’d done so knowing that the first order of business would have to be doing what was needed to protect the company against what appeared to be happening. Unfortunately for them all, Eamon Byrne, had seen their weaknesses as well and had acted before they could.

  “So, is there any company who is in a position to purchase your game engine?”

  Birnbaum leaned forward and put his arms on the conference table. “Perhaps.”

  Gryphon World Inc.

  Martin came rushing into Eamon’s office. “We have a problem.”Eamon looked up from the report he’d been studying. When his eyes met Martin’s, his lawyer continued. “I just got a call from Tom over at Cyclone systems. Rainwhite has offered to sell him their game engine.”

  Eamon winced. He leaned forward, his elbows on his desk and his hands under his chin as he mentally ran numbers in his head.

  “Tom wouldn’t have called unless he was willing to deal,” he said, more to himself than to Martin. Cyclone Systems was a small sole proprietorship just getting on its feet. Buying that game engine would be tempting. The license fees would be a steady income stream, but it probably would take all of Tom’s capital and then some. He’d need financial backing. “Get Tom on the phone and let’s see what he wants.”

  Eamon was connected with the owner of Cyclone Systems a moment later. The phone call lasted an hour. “Sounds like we have an agreement, Tom. Martin will send the paperwork. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that if any word of this leaks, the deal is off.” Eamon nodded as if in answer to a question. “Yep. Good doing business with you Tom. Bye.”

  Martin came back into the office. “How much is this going to cost?”

  “An extra seven hundred fifty thousand to start and he gets a license at a very nominal fee for the life of the engine. Ultimately, a million and a half, maybe two million.”

  “Crap! So? Do you think we have a mole in the company? How did Rainwhite tip to this?”

  Eamon shook his head. “I was the leak. I underestimated Miss Adams, but I won’t again. In fact, I’m going to call and ask her out.”

  “Ask her out?”

  “Yeah…because if I don’t, she’ll know that I know. I have to keep her thinking that I’m oblivious to what she’s done.”

  “What happened? How did you give it away?” Martin asked.

  “I played Wickerworld with her. We talked about how it was put together what was good about it, what wasn’t. I forgot who she was who she worked for and all those damned books I’ve seen her read over the last few months.” Eamon shook his head. He was pissed, but he had to admire the fact that she’d figured it out.

  “Well that was an expensive mistake.”

  Eamon said nothing, but the fact that Sarah had cost him so much money and might cost him more if he couldn’t garner enough stock and proxies to take over Rainwhite really stung. It had been a long time since he’d let his guard down that way. It was all that sweetness and light and the choir girl clothes. He’d underestimated her, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  He waved Martin out of the office and reached over to make the phone call. He wasn’t particularly surprised when Sarah didn’t pick up. He sent her a text. When she wrote back that she was unavailable, he knew that she knew. I’ll see you Friday, Sarah, he thought.

  The Takeover

  Thursday afternoon, the game engine buyer backed out at the last minute. Because of the timing, Jim and Sarah knew that he’d been bought off by Gryphon, and it was too late
to find another buyer before the stockholder’s meeting. “Shit!” was all Jim said before he went to give Aaron the bad news.

  Eamon walked into the annual stockholders’ meeting on Friday with more than enough stock and proxies to acquire of Rainwhite games. He saw Sarah there with her boss which gave him a great deal of satisfaction. He let Martin have the fun of the actual execution; he sat back and watched the show. The slaughter was brief and bloody. The current board was voted out and a new board elected. The measure to sell Rainwhite Games to Gryphon World, Inc., passed by a comfortable margin and by the end of the meeting, Rainwhite Games was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

  Sarah was taking notes on the meeting. She kept her expression neutral but inside her stomach clenched with anxiety as the votes were tallied and it became obvious that they were lost.

  When the meeting was adjourned, Eamon walked over to where Jim and Sarah were seated. “Send an email, tweet, whatever you use out to all Rainwhite employees telling them that there will be an all-company meeting Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. at Gryphon World, Inc.’s main office.” He looked at Sarah. “I’m sure you have the address.” He turned back to Jim before Sarah could say anything. “Make someone responsible for getting a response from every employee. And send a separate email out to your team leads that we will meet at 2:00 p.m. in the same room.”

  “As you wish,” Jim said.

  Eamon turned once more to Sarah. “By the way, I’m the one who killed your game engine deal. Nice try, but it didn’t work.” Sarah’s lips tightened. She simply glared at him. Eamon let her glower for a moment and then said, “You have something to say about that, Miss Adams?”

  “I hope it was expensive,” she said, looking like a really angry cat, claws out back arched.

  Eamon grew serious; his eyes were ice blue. “Oh it was. And it will cost Rainwhite’s employees more than it would have otherwise. But hey, what does that matter?”

  “Nothing to you, obviously,” Sarah replied. Before he could say anything further, Sarah rose and looked at her boss. “Jim, with your permission, I’ll get working notifying everyone of the meeting.”