Gamer Girl

by Carmen Willow

  “No problem.” Sarah left the office.

  “That is one pissed off woman,” Martin said.

  Eamon looked at his friend. Eamon’s eyes burned and he nodded his head, he jaw clenched tight. When he did speak, he said, “Yeah, well screw that.”

  “Okay.” Martin watched his boss grab his stuff and head out. “Well, this sucks,” he whispered to himself. Then he headed down to his own office.

  Sarah went to her office and packed up her tote. She took the elevator to the parking garage and walked quickly toward her car, eager to leave.

  “What the hell is the matter with you?”

  Sarah whipped around at the sound of Eamon, shouting as he strode toward her.

  “I was trying to help you! I know you’re still sad. I just wanted to give you one less thing to worry about,” Eamon shouted, “and you treat me like…”

  Sarah dropped her gaze and stared at the floor. “Leave it alone, Eamon,” she said quietly.

  “No!” He came over and touched her arm. Sarah looked at him as tears fell from her eyes. She looked away from him again. Distressed that she was distraught, Eamon’s anger faded. “It could have been me, you know. I was pretty sloppy about...”

  Still not looking at him, her voice soft, sad, she said, “What does it matter? It all ended well, didn’t it? You don’t have to worry about…anything now.”

  Eamon opened his mouth to say something, but Sarah shook her head. “Look Eamon, you can be kind by keeping your word. I am your employee, nothing more.” She faced him again, her eyes filled with pain. “I can wear the mask, but you have to treat me with a little respect.”

  They stood frozen in an anxious tableau. Sarah turned away, Eamon still holding on to her arm. He frowned as he searched for some way to make this better and realized that there was nothing to be done. Sarah was right. He let go of her arm. “My apologies, Miss Adams. It won’t happen again.”

  Sarah turned away once more. “Thank you, Mr. Byrne.” She walked to her car and then drove away.

  He watched her leave and then whipped out his smart phone and called someone he knew would drop everything to sleep with him. He made arrangements to meet her at her apartment. Then he left the garage.

  Chapter 29

  September passed into October and Gryphon World went into high gear to prepare for the November release date of their big title Mirrored Nation: Reflections. Part of Sarah’s staff was commandeered to help with last minute details.

  Wickerworld’s DLC was a smashing success. The companions had their own fan forums and fan fiction or fanfics as they were known were being written about them.

  At Sarah’s suggestion, T-shirts and Hoodies were designed and sold with the Wickerworld logos and characters on them. Sarah made sure that each member of her team received free Wickerworld clothing. The shirts sold so well that replicas of named swords, in miniature form, were crafted as was some of the distinctive jewelry from the world. These also sold well.

  By the time the new title was due to release, Wickerworld had earned a net profit of over seven million dollars and there was no real drop off in sales of merchandise. The team, when they weren’t working on Mirrored Nation, put together a proposal for a second DLC and the idea for a second title in the series. Sarah planned to pitch them both before she left.

  She stayed busy with her work on Wickerworld and the upcoming Christmas party and stayed out of Eamon’s way.

  There was a great deal of talk about the boss. He was appearing the society pages with a new woman on his arm in just about every picture. He came in to the office in the early hours of the day, worked like a demon and then spent the night on the town. There were pictures of him clubbing, going to upscale events, attending the Lyric Opera. It seemed as though Eamon was always out and about.

  Sarah studiously ignored the talk and remained entirely noncommittal when gossips asked her opinion. She immersed herself in the work, determined to set Wickerworld a steady course for the future and create a grand Christmas party that would allow her to leave with a triumph.

  When she had to communicate with Eamon, she did it through emails and IMs. Thankfully, she was seldom summoned to the eighth floor; and when she was, it was never alone.

  It was during this time that the choir came in to record their best songs. Sarah asked Eamon for extra studio time so that they could also record a Christmas Album, and Eamon agreed. His email told her to keep track of the actual time used and which employees participated. Martin would want the documentation come tax time. She’d also gotten permission for the choir to sing at the Christmas party.

  Eamon not only agreed to their singing at the party but also invited them to stay if they liked for dessert and dancing.

  Jason had, by this time, heard Sarah’s song from the video game. So when it came time to record the CDs, he assigned two solos to Sarah, one on each CD. The first was Silent Noon, by Ralph Vaughn Williams, and the second was Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Hugh Martin.

  The recording went well. The studio quality recording and the professional mixing turned a couple of great little community choir CDs into something really special. Jason was thrilled, the choir was thrilled, and Sarah was satisfied that she’d done something good for a group that had been her main social support for a long time.

  Meanwhile, Sarah grew silent and withdrawn. People noticed: Sarah was still kind, she was still careful of others’ feelings, but she’d gone quiet. She ate lunch alone, with a book in her hand. She stopped humming to herself at odd moments, but since she never lost her temper or became emotional, most let it slide. Everyone went through funks people thought; Sarah was just feeling a little blue. Sarah retreated into that small and quiet place she knew so well and pulled the covers in after.

  A Friend Indeed

  In the weeks since Sarah’s emergency, Nicole and John had begun to hang out together at lunch and at happy hour, but Nicole was still waiting for John to ask her out on a date. Nicole had tried everything: short skirts, tight pants, hair flips, lip wetting, but John never made the move. She asked Sarah to step into her cubicle. When Sarah got there, Nicole pulled her down into her guest chair.

  “Sarah, look, I know you’re hurting right now and ordinarily, I wouldn’t bother you with this. But I am desperate and you have to help me,” Nicole begged softly. “I have done everything I know how to do. John won’t ask me out. Find out what’s wrong, please!”

  “Why don’t you ask him, Nicole?” Sarah shook her head. “I don’t see what good I can do.”

  Nicole shook her head and hunched her shoulders. “But he trusts you; he’ll talk to you. Look, I was wild when I first started working for Eamon. I have a reputation.” Nicole grimaced. “I settled down, but I’m afraid John’s heard about it…if that’s the reason…I can’t….”

  Sarah almost refused, but this was Nicole and John. They’d saved her; she owed them. “Okay, Nicole. I’ll check it out,”

  Sarah sent an email and invited John to lunch in the cafeteria.

  “What’s up?” he asked, as he dug into a taco salad.

  “This feels kinda high school to me, but I promised, so here goes. Nicole tells me she has done everything short of dance naked into your cubicle and lie down on your desk, but you still won’t take the hint and ask her out. What’s up with that?”

  John looked startled.

  “Come on, John. You had to have picked up on the signals,” Sarah insisted.

  He dug back into his taco salad. “Yeah, I did, but she’s a kid—“

  “She’s twenty-four,”

  “And I’m thirty-one. I’m the old man around here.” John took another bite. “She’d grow bored in a week.”

  Sarah smacked John lightly on the side of his head. “Are you nuts? When I mentioned to Nicole that you weren’t a flashy guy, she told me you didn’t need to be flashy because you were the real deal. Look, Nicole may dress…exotically, but she’s a serious minded girl. Eamon’s office ran like a nuclear clo
ck. If it’s her reputation—“

  “I don’t’ give a damn about that. I had a bad rep once myself.” He put his fork down. “It’s just that I could get really serious about Nicki. I don’t know if I can handle it not working out.”

  Sarah pushed up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal the Ranger tattoo he wore. “It’s this, isn’t it? I grew up in San Diego, you know. A military town? I know the real deal too.”

  “Yeah. I was a ranger medic. I did three tours over in Afghanistan. That was enough. Didn’t want to lose any more friends. I got out, turned my hobby into my career and ended up here. I carry a lot of baggage.”

  “Nicole’s a woman who can handle baggage, John. She’s handled Eamon’s for some years now. I think she can deal with you.”

  John hesitated, and Sarah smacked him on the head again. This time she was serious. “Damn it, what is it with you men! Can’t you take a risk? Don’t you want to be happy?” Her eyes filled with tears.

  John guessed at how much Sarah was hurting, but he knew she was trying to shield herself so he made a mock gesture of horror. “I give up! Don’t hit me again you crazy woman!”

  He got a soft laugh out of her before she said, “John. Just tell her. Take her out, tell her all about it and let her decide what she wants to do.”

  “Is that an order, boss?”

  “Only a suggestion, John.” Sarah went back upstairs.

  John finished his taco salad and went upstairs to Nicki’s cubicle. Without saying a word, he took her hand and led her out of the office space and into a hall where they had some relative privacy out of sight of the security cameras. John pressed Nicki against the wall and kissed her long and hard. When he finally stepped back, both of them were breathing fast.

  “The Rocky Horror show is going to be in town this Friday. Wanna go?” John asked.

  Nicole got a mischievous grin on her face. “Only if we can cosplay.”

  “Nicki, darlin’, you are smokin’ hot and I would do just about anything for you, but I am not going to cross-dress—”

  Nicole pulled him back to her by his shirt. “Oh you can go as Brad. I’ll go as Frank N. Furter.”

  John got a mental picture in his mind. “Damn—” but then his mind went blank. Nicole planted another kiss on his lips and that was all he could think about.

  When she walked away, Nicki left him with a hard on that wouldn’t quit and the taste of her raspberry lip gloss in his mouth. He was one happy man.

  Sarah watched John take Nicole away, saw Nicole come strutting back, and saw John follow a few moments later. He gave her a thumbs up sign. Sarah smiled. It was nice to know that at least one romance was working out.

  The Christmas Party

  The days passed and slipped into weeks. Mirrored Nation: Reflections was released and appeared to be a giant hit with the RPG crowd. The forums were lit up like Christmas trees with praise for the game and the data coming in indicated that many people were playing through the game more than once, an excellent sign of a success.

  The Christmas party was scheduled for December 19th. The dress code for the party was business, cocktail and black tie. The corporate bigwigs who managed the sports division of Gryphon World, Inc., were flying in from Nashville and most of the staff, out-of-towners and local, booked rooms in the hotel at a reduced rate. Sarah planned to attend and then go home and continue packing.

  In a cold and businesslike interview with Eamon, Sarah tendered her resignation and asked that she be able to use her vacation days to finish out her allotted time.

  “I would really prefer not to have to return to Gryphon World after the party.” Sarah told him.

  Eamon was stone-faced. “Very well, Miss Adams. You have been a valuable asset to this company, and we will be glad to give you an excellent reference.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.” Sarah started to leave but turned around to face him once more. “To my mind, I finished what I started here, and I have done so successfully. Is this also your assessment of my performance?”

  “Yes, Miss Adams. You achieved your goal. We are going ahead with a second DLC and another game in two years.”

  Sarah nodded. Her feelings were a mixture of pride and anguish. She was so proud of achieving this goal, but she hated the thought that she would not be around to carry the work forward. “Good,” she managed to say. Then she did leave.

  The night of the party, Sarah debated and then wore the orange evening gown. After the party, she would clean it and donate it to a charity.

  Eamon would have the satisfaction of knowing that she kept it, but he probably knew that already. He grew up with sisters.

  Her hair was longer now, easier to glam up. The gown was loose. She’d lost weight over the past two months. Well, at least I’m not busting out the seams, she thought.

  Sarah got to the hotel early to make sure everything was set up and ready. Everything was in place.

  There would be cocktails before dinner. The bar was free tonight, but Eamon’s rule was in place. Anyone drinking turned in their keys and only got them back when they were sober enough to drive. Eamon was adamant, despite the grousing. Now it was a tradition at Gryphon World. Sarah realized that she was one of the few who knew why Eamon was so insistent that no one drive drunk.

  There would be a piano player for the cocktails, the choir for dinner and then a ballroom dance band upstairs and a DJ down in the club for the rest of the evening. The meals had been ordered ahead of time: Garden or Caesar salad, Prime Rib, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Lobster Thermidor for the entrée. There was a choice of asparagus, green beans almondine or carrots for the vegetable, twice baked potato, home style French fries or a baked sweet potato for the starch. Dessert was a choice of chocolate cake, cheese cake or gooseberry pie.

  Sarah toured the dining room, talked to the hotel staff, made sure that the band was on its way as well as the DJ. Everything was ready.

  People began arriving for cocktails in the foyer. The piano player was playing away. Eamon entered escorting Danielle who was beautifully dressed in a fabulous red gown. Sarah felt a lump rise in her throat as she watched the two of them come in. She found a reason to be elsewhere for awhile. When she returned to the room, the cocktails had loosened everyone up a little and the talk was flowing.

  The choir arrived. They were waiting behind the curtains of the main dining room. Jason had given the women permission to wear something other than black and the choir was a riot of color framed by the black tuxedos of the guys. Sarah found Jason and assured him that she would be backstage in time to take her place.

  Sarah circled the foyer once more time. Nicole and John were at the bar getting drinks. John had his arm around Nicole’s waist and she was snuggled against him. They looked happy. Sarah checked her phone. It was time to move everyone into the dining room so she went to the mike. “Everyone? Everyone, may I have your attention? If you would, please step into the main dining room. We are now seating everyone for dinner.”

  The crowd moved toward the dining room and Sarah joined the choir backstage. They were singing a short program, twenty to twenty-five minutes, just long enough to get everyone served with drinks and their salad. The pianist who played in the lobby would play for the choir.

  Jason moved to the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Little Blue Community Choir. We hope you enjoy our presentation.”

  They opened with a medley. One of the coloratura sopranos opened with the first verse of O Come, O Come Emanuel, which segued into Once in Royal David’s City and ended with O Holy Night. Then the choir sang secular holiday songs, Silver Bells, Let it Snow and The Christmas Song.

  They were supposed to be done, but Jason took the microphone and said, “One of our choir members is an employee of your company. She is also my student. So, Sarah, please come down and sing, I’ll be Home for Christmas.”

  Sarah was shocked but did not make a scene. With a look to Jason that promised payback, she took the microphone, waited fo
r her cue and sang her heart out. Sarah’s team leapt to their feet to give a standing ovation, but Sarah did not take a bow. Instead, she moved away from the mike and indicated the choir. The applause grew louder and she slipped back into her place on the riser to take the bows with her group. The curtain closed.

  “Thanks, everyone. You were wonderful!” Sarah told them all. “There are some tables out there with your names on them, so go, enjoy! Merry Christmas!”

  Jason remained behind. “You’re really leaving?”

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t tempt you with additional solos can I?” Jason teased.

  “I’m going back to San Diego and sort some things out. After that, who knows?” Sarah kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Jason. You’ve done so much for my voice.”

  “Any time, Sarah.” Jason went out front to find his table.

  Sarah found her chair at her team’s table and thought the food was tasty; she had to force herself to eat. Surrounded by her team and their wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends, all happy and made even more so by the fact that Wickerworld had been resurrected and was doing well, Sarah felt utterly alone. According to plan, dessert was served in the foyer so the hotel could set up the main room for dancing. When the band was tuned, they opened with In the Mood, to get everyone’s attention, and then really went to town with dance music from the thirties, forties and fifties.

  The DJ would start an hour later than the band. For now, ballroom music was the only game in town while Sarah was still checking up on things. She had hoped this would keep her from being asked to dance but it didn’t work.

  “Hey, Sarah, how about dancing with me?” Martin held out his hand. “Don’t worry, this dance is Andrea Approved.”