Virtual Reality

by Kitty Cox

  Nancy did, then let out a whoop of a laugh. "And Tight Ass. Oh, honey, I'd hug you right now, if I didn't think you'd break."

  Kate stepped to Nancy's side and put an arm around her waist, pushing her head against Nancy's shoulder. "Now you have a bat to beat down Information Security. You should have seen the looks on people's faces when I walked in with it."

  "We should hang this somewhere."

  Kate waggled her eyebrows. "I brought the things to put it on the wall. It just seemed so appropriate after the way people looked at you yesterday, you know?"

  Nancy furrowed her brow and shook her head. "What do you mean?"

  Kate sighed and leaned back against the desk, gesturing to the door. "In here, everyone is terrified of you, but out there? I saw the receptionist at the law firm write you off with a glance. I watched people just dismiss you when we were shopping. I'm pretty sure no one treats Adam like that. I mean, it's like they couldn't put black woman together with rich and famous."

  "It happens." Nancy chuckled. "Ok, it happens a lot. Only really bothers me any more when they get snippy." She hefted the bat. "Now I got a way to put them back in their place."

  "Exactly," Kate told her. "And you have a meeting with the Boy Scouts in about fifteen minutes."

  "Papers!" Nancy hurried around her desk, pulling open the top drawer. "Sign those, then let's get all professional."

  "Yes, ma'am," Kate teased.

  The moment Kate got home, she just wanted to burn off a little frustration, and QQ was happy to help. She'd found a mission that should've been impossible, but this was Paradox. No one could stop them, and that was exactly what Kate needed right now.

  Pixelated walls loomed to their left. Three blue-clad ladies ran quickly across the ledge, trying to keep their silhouettes hidden. On the other side, gunshots rang out, broken by the sound of grenades exploding. They didn't stop, making their way for a tiny opening that would allow them to come at the yellow team from the back side.

  "So, he just thought he could smack you around a bit, and no one would say shit?" Kitty asked, bringing up the back of the line.

  "It's worked for him before," Kate explained, checking above her without slowing.

  QQ groaned. "He must have a little dick."

  Kate couldn't help but giggle. "Well, it wasn't the biggest!"

  "Ice isn't bad," Kitty added. "Least not from the stories Riley tells about his bulging jeans."

  "Shh," Kate told her. "I'm nervous enough as it is. Don't make me start thinking about if it ends up as more than dinner!"

  "Door's just ahead." QQ broke in. "Weapons silent until we're on the roof, and Lith, he's a gentleman. Spent more time trying to get me to play with Paradox than get me in bed."

  Kitty added, "He is a sweetie. Always keeps the rest of the boys in line on chat and won't tolerate anyone giving us shit in game."

  QQ made a noise that sounded like she was agreeing. "And he never once cared that I had tits. Even that first match, he didn't play easy because I was a girl."

  "Wait!" Kate hissed. "Baddies, eleven o'clock."

  They all paused, then QQ slowly eased forward, looking for threats. "Yep. Got a guy napping over here. I'm gonna knife him, then we're up in a rush. Ready, ladies?"

  "Waiting for the call," Kitty assured her.

  QQ rushed the man, hitting him twice with her melee attack, and they all surged up the stairs, weapons ready. Around another corner, up a gravity lift, then across a catwalk, the girls got into position, each of them taking a different angle.

  "Paradox," QQ said, her voice formal. "We're in place. Time to pick a fight."

  "Paradox," a deep voice replied, "Hell will break loose in three, two, one."

  Explosions erupted outside the building. In seconds, players in yellow streamed beneath them, all blinded by the assault outside. Kate chose her targets, doing her best to maximize the headshots and minimize kill time. The bottom of her screen dinged repeatedly, the kill notifications coming so fast she couldn't keep up. Over and over, the enemy ran in to die, and the women were more than happy to help them with that.

  Eventually, someone realized what was happening. The women of Paradox were holding the spawns, tucked away nicely in a hard to reach section of the map, while the rest of the outfit exterminated anyone outside. The kill feed was churning wildly in the top corner, then all at once, the icons for all three cap points began to blink.

  "Second wave incoming," QQ told them.

  "Good, I need the stats," Kitty said.

  Kate glanced at her map. "They know where we are."

  "Spacing!" QQ ordered, and they all moved a bit apart, far enough that a single grenade wouldn't take them out.

  Then they started taking hits. "Above us," Kitty yelled.

  Kate strafed, breathing slowly, and caught sight of a tiny head peeking over at them. She took her time, like she'd been taught, then fired. Getting a red marker for a hit, she waited, and as soon as the guy looked over again, she got the kill.

  "Ha!" Kitty laughed. "That's going to piss him off."

  "Who?"

  "Murder!" Kitty was giggling. "You just tagged a pro, Lith. Means PD's here though. How's the cap?"

  "Paradox, status on cap?" QQ asked.

  "Paradox," came the reply. This time it was obviously IceMan. "Thirty seconds and we've got PD incoming."

  QQ shot back, "Paradox. Least we know Executive Pain is out for the night. We got this."

  "Paradox. Yes, ma'am. Have an extraction team headed your way."

  "Thanks, Ice," QQ said. "And Paradox, and all that."

  Kate was grinning, still taking shots at anyone she saw. "Someone's going to have to explain the chat commands to me."

  "Easy," QQ assured her. "We're about to merge the TeamSpeak servers. All three outfits - Paradox, Executive Pain, and PsychoDreads will be just a click away. So, we're making group chat commands for squad work like this. Then 'Command' will mean open to all channels."

  "Ah, ok! So, why's Ice running Alpha squad?"

  QQ laughed at that. "He's the second in charge. Back when I joined, Ryno was leader and Ice was second in command. Ryno's out for a few months, his dad isn't doing well, so he put it up to a vote: give Ice lead, or me. Ice didn't want it."

  "I had no idea," Kate admitted. "Just thought he was one of the regular players."

  Kitty blew that off. "It's Paradox, Lithium. None of them are regular. Over in Executive Pain, we have ranks. We also have a lot more members. I think we've got like two whole platoons if we want them. Thing is, takes three of us, on average, to kill one Paradox."

  "Teamwork is overpowered," QQ said, sounding amused. "We take fewer players, but we trust the ones we take."

  "And PsychoDreads?" Kate asked.

  QQ hummed, thinking about that. "They're newer. They also don't have a single leader, but three of them. Murder, Psych, and Dread. All good guys. The kind who'd beat the shit out of your ex."

  Slowly, the base counted down. With only ten seconds left, the enemy was dissipating, heading to the next, ready to start a new fight. The ladies waited, though, knowing their position was too good to simply abandon.

  "Thanks for the shirt, by the way." Kate hadn't had the chance to say it before.

  QQ laughed. "Welcome. Heard you'll be making a speech, so wanted to make sure you looked the part."

  "From Void's dad?"

  There was a long pause. "No. I have a funny feeling I shouldn't say who, though."

  "C'mon!" Kate begged. "Tell me."

  "I'm curious too," Kitty admitted. "Spill it, chica."

  QQ groaned. "No, it's a Cynister thing. I'm not supposed to know what I know."

  "That freak?" Kate asked.

  "Wasn't him," QQ assured her. "And he's a good guy. Weird as shit, but seems to be trustworthy. Thing is, I'm not so sure your date didn't quiz him."

  "Ice?"

  "Yeah," QQ muttered. "No wonder he's not worried about what you look like. He cheated!"

  "Not fair! QQ
, you have to send me pics."

  Both QQ and Kitty laughed. "No," Kitty said. "She's never seen Ice, and I wanna hear all about her reaction! Trust me, Lith. He's definitely worth the wait."

  Kate groaned. "Fine. I'm gonna go give him shit."

  "I'll help," QQ agreed.

  "You have been moved."

  Chapter 18

  Ice actually had a good excuse. He'd gotten her name when she'd applied to the forums and did a little google research. He also pointed out how the Columbus Game Expo website listed the speakers before the opening round, and her name was right there, in bold letters, representing Degrass Industries. He still wouldn't give her a picture.

  She was trying to figure out a way around his secrecy the next day while Nancy finished her latest meeting. She typed in IceMan, PLG, and Eternal Combat into a google search, then hit the images. What came up wasn't helpful. She got pictures of the final rankings - with IceMan's name - she got pictures of a full convention hall, and a handful of blurry cell phone pictures that showed little more than a dark-haired man.

  QQ was easy to pick out, so she knew she was on the right track. Unfortunately, the best one she could find was of his character wearing a limited-edition camouflage. Kate groaned and pressed her head into her hands.

  Adam walked up behind her, his hands clutched behind his back. "What are you doing?"

  She chuckled, then gestured at the screen. "Trying to cyberstalk someone."

  "Your date?"

  "Yeah. I'm not on even footing. He got my name from the forum application and googled me. I've just got his game name to work with."

  Adam nodded slowly. "So, you have no idea who this guy is, what he looks like, and I'm losing to him?"

  "It's not a competition!" She turned to look at him. "Ice asked first."

  "And if I had, you would have said no."

  She sighed, knowing it was true. "Yeah, but I thought you were stuffy, egotistical, and a player."

  "And now?"

  She felt her face growing warmer and looked at her lap. "Um."

  He smiled and revealed a small vase with a single sunflower in it, the reason he'd been clasping his hands behind him. "To a bright future," he said, placing it on the corner of her desk.

  Then he just turned and walked away, shoving his hands in his pockets as he sauntered back toward his office. Kate stared with her mouth open. He'd just given her a flower. She couldn't remember the last time someone had cared enough to give her flowers!

  And she'd never answered his question. She almost stood to follow, but the door to Nancy's office opened, and a group of men made their way out, tossing friendly comments over their shoulder. Evidently, the meeting had gone well because they seemed to be in a good mood.

  Not one of them even glanced at her, but she could hear everything they said. Smiling at her monitor, she eavesdropped shamelessly, gaining that much more leverage for the next time Nancy met with them. The goal was to get as much as possible for the contract, without dragging it out endlessly. This was how Adam made money, which meant, how she made her paycheck.

  They barely boarded the elevator when the one beside it opened, releasing the next wave of executive snobs. Kate quickly closed the browser and turned her chair, greeting them with a kind smile.

  "Good morning," she said.

  "Yes, Tina Mark and Linda Cornell to see Nancy Macintosh."

  Kate nodded at her politely and gestured to the leather chairs lining the other side. "One moment, let me make sure she's available."

  While the women took a seat, Kate strolled into the office, waiting until the door closed before she spoke. "Nancy, Revlon is here. Tina Mark and Linda Cornell."

  "Nice sunflower." Nancy didn't bother looking up.

  "Yeah, I like it. Ready for them?"

  Slowly, Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Rebound tomorrow, then I'm rooting for Adam."

  Kate laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything else. He's sweet, but I'm just not convinced that's a good idea, you know? Besides, there's no spark between us like that."

  "Is that what you're worried about now?" Nancy finally looked up. "Or maybe you just haven't given him the chance to be persuasive."

  "I'm sending them in, Nancy."

  She smiled. "That would be great. Thanks, Kate. Now go across the hall before I have to send you there for some trumped up reason."

  Kate laughed, heading to the front, and flipped her hand back at her boss. As soon as she pushed open the glass, she caught the women's eyes. "Nancy would be happy to see you, please come in." Then she stepped to the side and held the door.

  They weren't even seated before Kate left. Adam was on the phone again, but that seemed to be his typical day. She strode past Mark, tossing him a smile, then stepped into the office. He looked up, catching her eye, then held up a finger.

  "I understand," he said into the phone. "Of course. I'm sure you're hoping for the most, but I can't justify that offer. No. The building may have been elegant at one point, but it needs a complete structural overhaul. I'm sorry. One point nine, that's all I'll offer. Well, it's not like there isn't a perfectly good empty lot right across the street. Yeah, you think about that. Mhm. Just remember, tomorrow it will be one point eight. Talk to you soon." He placed the receiver in the cradle and sighed.

  "You're buying another hotel?"

  "Always. I'll get it for one point six, drop three into it, and make five the first year." He leaned over, palms pressed on the top of the desk. "Coffee?"

  "Sure." When Adam gestured to the quiet area, Kate followed. "Thanks for the flower."

  "Thanks for the book. I finished, by the way." He filled two cups and set them on the table, but Kate was still hovering beside him. "I like how you wrote Ryan. The story was from her point of view, but it made me empathize with him."

  She just shook her head, amazed that he was talking about her book. "I thought you just wanted to read the sex scenes. Instead, that poor guy cockblocked himself over and over."

  "No," Adam said, glancing down at the two still-empty chairs. "He was proving something to her."

  Kate hadn't expected him to get it. She walked closer, planning to accept the chair, but Adam was in the way. "You trying to say you'd do the same?"

  He tilted his head slightly. "I still can't touch you."

  "You carried my broken body up the stairs!"

  He shook his head, turning slightly until they were facing, chest to chest, just a single step apart. So close she could almost taste him. "That's not what I mean, and you know it." His deep voice rumbled softly, seductively. "I told you. We work side by side, and I will not make you feel uncomfortable here. I will not touch you until you let me."

  She remembered that brief moment when he'd rested his head beside hers, brushing her hair, but not her. In three weeks, he'd shaken her hand, guided her somewhere, but never once touched her in a manner that was anything but professional or helpful. Not a single time. He'd hinted. He'd come so close, but the line had always been there.

  She no longer felt whisked away by his presence, his title, or his ever-present bank account. Right now, she was simply standing before a man she thought of as a friend. A very sexy, very sweet friend.

  "What would happen if I let you?" Her question was a mere whisper.

  "I'd lose the last reason I have for not kissing you right now." He stepped closer, reaching halfway up. "Kate?"

  Now her heart was moving faster. She bit her lip and closed the distance. "Once," she breathed.

  His eyes closed and his hand slid to the back of her neck. Slowly he bent, savoring the moment, and brushed his mouth across hers, the tip of his tongue teasing the lower lip where her teeth had just held it. He was gentle, meticulous, and completely sensual.

  Her mouth parted and he pressed closer, deepening the kiss, his fingers soft against the tender skin behind her ear. She pressed her hands against his chest, hoping for balance in her off-kilter world. She'd said there was no spark, but she was wrong. She was so wrong. His touch wa
s a damned grenade, subtle yet powerful, shattering all of her weak reasons for refusing him. He knew what he was doing, he knew how to explain with just a kiss. He also knew how to prove that he was still holding back. Even now, with their tongues exploring, their lips moving slowly, he was proving that he wouldn't hurt her.

  Then he took a breath and pressed his forehead against hers. "Once," he said again, brushing his thumb against her jaw. "Now tell me about the damned book before I break."

  "Adam."

  He shook his head. "I just wanted to know I was right." His voice was rough, proving his attitude was all a matter of control, not a lack of interest. "You have a date tomorrow, and I'm going to prove to you that I'm a good man. Tell me about the book. Why cancer?" With a breath, he stepped away, then took his chair, looking as cool as if nothing had ever happened.

  Kate tried to mimic him. "My mom had breast cancer. My dad's a trucker." She could still feel where his lips had touched hers, like a phantom pain.

  "Ah. They live around here?"

  She shook her head, reaching over for her cup, trying to pretend everything was still normal. "No, and they're divorced. Dad lives in Miami, mom up north in some small town with husband number two - who hates me."

  He dipped his head. "Why?"

  "He thinks I'm irresponsible and wasting my life, so I can only guess what Mom told him."

  "I think it takes balls to start over like you are. Then again, I was raised by Nancy. Dad spent most of his time with his investments."

  She watched his finger rub a line beneath his lower lip and forced her eyes away. "What about your sister?"

  Adam groaned. "She lives in the penthouse suite of a Los Angeles hotel. Her meals are brought up by room service, she terrorizes the staff, and she's usually drunk or high. Tried to buy her a house, but she expected something bigger, she said."

  "You ever see her?"

  His eyes slid down her legs, proving that he was just as distracted as she was. "Yep, every time I am out that way checking the properties, and that's it. Until she makes an effort, I don't see a real need to make one back." He shrugged. "Probably sounds bad, but I've tried to get her into rehab, and she's just not interested. Maybe in a few years, but not yet."