Virtual Reality

by Kitty Cox

  "Her other Executive Assistants - because that's really what the position is, a backup to her job - well, they didn't want to do anything that could be confused for administrative duties. They wanted to be the head bitch with a corner office. They resented being treated as second fiddle. In most places, they'd be the queen of their pond, not the handmaiden in Nancy's."

  "Ahh." Well, that made a lot more sense. "I've only ever been a secretary or temporary admin. I've never had an official Executive title of any kind." She paused. "Or business cards."

  He reclined his chair back another notch and stretched out his legs. "You know, Nancy's going to retire one day. Hopefully not soon, but when she does? I'm hoping to find someone willing to tell me when I should fuck right the hell off."

  "Like me?" she asked.

  "Yeah." He gestured between them. "Regardless of this, I think you'd be good at it. Just figured I should put that out there now. I mean, I like this thing between us, and I'm more than willing to make the next Chief Marketing Officer the same deal I made Nancy if it means I get someone who's just as invested."

  "But..." She had to readjust her hands on the wheel. "Adam, what if we break up in a blaze of glory? I mean, we've been together a whole week."

  "Which is why I'm saying something. Believe it or not, I can separate the two things. Watching you deal with your ex? I think you tried to do the same. I just figure that if I say something up front, you might not quit the job with the man."

  She realized she was sucking on her lower lip, hating the topic, but also thankful he was willing to talk about it so easily. "I want this to work out between us. I really do, but if it doesn't?" She took a deep breath and nodded. "I really like my job."

  "Yeah." He sounded proud of himself. "So you know, I'm also ok with a Mrs. Degrass operating the other half of the building. Flexible, you know. And I thought about all of these things before you ever repaired my bus."

  Somehow, that made it even better. "So work and play, not related at all?"

  "Not at all," he promised. "And this weekend is all about the play. Well, mostly. Seventy-five percent?"

  She laughed. "Oh, that means you're going to use me for my talents!"

  "Every single one, darlin'. Oh yeah. Especially the ones that make me moan."

  "Ice!"

  He laughed. "I love it when you call me that."

  "And you have a whole weekend to get sick of it," she reminded him. "By the time we get back, you'll be begging me to forget all the bad gamer habits I'm going to pick up."

  "Not a chance."

  Chapter 30

  They arrived at the Clairmont early. The parking lot still had plenty of room, and Kate found a space within sight of the doors. Popping the hatchback, she and Adam grabbed their computers, slung bags over their shoulders, and headed in looking like pack animals of some kind. Both of them had a collection of lanyards around their neck and passes proclaiming they belonged there. Kate may have swayed under the load, but Adam didn't seem to notice. Or didn't admit he did, which was close enough.

  First, they waited in the line for the gaming hall. As they slowly shuffled forward, Adam explained that this was normal. Every tournament had a dedicated room that would have restricted access during the official rounds, but be open for play the rest of the time. When they reached security at the front, they were assigned seats side by side, then waved in. Not a single person realized he was their boss, and Adam made no move to correct that.

  Their seats were in the middle of the room, almost exactly. Kate set her computer on the spot designed for it, then started pulling out the rest of her goodies. When she tried to get the cables, they all came out in a gigantic wad, making a man laugh right behind her. It wasn't Ice. She turned, hoping to identify the voice.

  The guy was smiling at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Those looked like they would never warm all the way up, trapped in some frozen shade of light green, almost grey. His hair was a little too long as if he was trying to grow it out, and dark, but not black. Just a darker shade of brown. Thankfully, he wasn't a large man. Still, he gave off this vibe that made her think he might not be completely safe to be around.

  "Lithium?" he asked.

  "Yeah?" she replied, starting to feel a little nervous.

  He ducked his head and pushed both hands into his pockets. "Cynister, babe. Recognized you from the website." Then he jerked his chin at her boyfriend. "And I'm guessing you're IceMan."

  "Hey, bro." Adam offered his hand, and Cynister took it, looking almost hesitant about the contact.

  "You're Cynister?" she asked.

  He just nodded. "That's what they tell me."

  "Then I owe you this." And she stepped closer to wrap her arms around his neck.

  His reaction wasn't quite what she expected. He sighed as his hands found her waist, refusing to reach all the way around her, but he did press in. To Kate, it felt like he'd been braced for rejection and her hug had just convinced the man he was actually ok. It made him feel a little less intimidating and more like someone who just needed a damned good friend.

  "Thank you," she breathed by his ear before pulling back to see his face. "I honestly don't know what strings you pulled the other night, but I appreciate you doing it for me."

  His smile warmed just a bit. "I just gotta take care of my girls, babe. Kinda what I do."

  "Yeah, but it's sweet that you do it." She patted his arm and stepped back. "So who else is here?"

  "QQ and Void haven't made it in yet. Should be soon, and Knock's with them. Murder isn't coming, but PsychoCut is at the high table." He scratched at his hair. "Um, Synjd is checking into his room, but his rig's over there." He pointed over a couple of rows.

  "Oh, I wanted to meet Synjd!" Kate said.

  Adam chuckled as he turned back to his computer. "Cyn? You want to help her get her parts together?"

  "You cool with that?" he asked Kate.

  She nodded quickly. "I will have you know that all of this stuff?" She waved in the general direction of her computer. "It's truly evil, and I think it hates me. I mean, did you see the cables? I wrapped them up before putting them in the bag."

  "You're cute," Cynister teased. "Now move, and I'll take care of your... Is that a prefab?"

  "She got it at Walmart," Adam told him. "Just be glad it's not a laptop or she never would've been able to play."

  "Yeah, we're gonna have to do something about that, Ice."

  The two shared a look. Adam smiled, but Cynister just looked devious, like he had some trick up his sleeve. Kate was pretty sure she didn't want to know. Besides, who cared if her computer was ugly and boring? It did the job, and she'd been able to afford it. Then again, Adam wasn't the only one with a few too many lights and a lot of fancy stuff on his case. His weren't on yet, but she'd seen them at his apartment, and they weren't the brightest in the room.

  It seemed like most of the guys around them had their machines decked out. It kinda reminded her of high school boys with their cars. They needed the tool, but something that simply worked wasn't good enough. They had to personalize it, make it stand out in some way to prove theirs was the best of all the ones exactly like it.

  But the guys were cute as they dove in. Both of them had their heads inside the open computers and moved like they knew what they were doing. Cynister wasn't a bad looking man, but Adam looked good like this. It was almost like being in his element turned him into someone else. As if the man she'd imagined online those first few days had come to life when all of his corporate manners fell away. Not that he was rude. Adam just seemed a lot more normal in this setting.

  Which was what he'd been trying to tell her in the car. This was the real him. The man he was when no one else was looking. This guy was her boyfriend, and she kinda liked the change. He cursed more, cared less, and it made him feel just a bit more real.

  It didn't take long before both guys were plugging in the monitors and turning on the machines. Adam's glowed inside and out, but Kate's just
whirred with cooling fans. By the time everything had loaded on hers, Adam was done with his check, looking pleased.

  "She on the network?" he asked Cynister.

  "Yep," Cynister promised. "Kate, you ok with me tweaking this a bit? Get you running a little faster and clean up some stuff for ya?"

  "Don't delete anything," she gasped, leaning over to look at her screen.

  "Nothing you need. Promise." He glanced back at her. "Just old registry crap and things you'll never notice are gone. Put a few unimportant programs to sleep, so they aren't burning resources when you play. Should feel like a turbo boost."

  "That bad?" Adam asked.

  Cynister nodded. "She hasn't done anything but use this baby since she got it, and the poor thing needs a little pampering."

  But Kate had no clue what they were talking about. "Um, is that safe? I mean, what if I can't find something I need?"

  "Like a resume?" Cynister teased.

  Adam slapped his back playfully. "She's got a job." Then he looked at Kate. "If there's anyone in the world who knows what he's doing, it's Cyn. Let him play. It'll make him feel like a hero, and I'll show you the rest of this circus."

  She nodded. "Ok. Just don't mess it up, Cyn? I would never be able to fix it on my own!"

  "Just taking care of my girls," he promised, shooing her away. "I'll power it down when I'm done, too. Go. It's your first convention, Lith. Live it up a bit."

  Adam snagged her hand and tugged. That was the last encouragement she needed. If he trusted this guy with his computer, then who was she to worry? Plus, she did want to see what a gamer convention looked like in real life after spending so many hours making sure all the moving pieces lined up properly back in the office.

  And it was wild. Even before all the people showed up to fill the building, there were enough banners on the walls and pavilions set up in the main lobby area to be almost overwhelming. When they reached the vendor area, she breathed out in shock. It reminded her of a farmer's market, but the cyber kind.

  Everything a person could want was here. There were cute USB drives with cartoon characters and custom graphic stickers. On the other side were companies showing off hardware, peripherals, and even gaming consoles. Then there were the games. She counted five different booths, all of them with curtains around the outside and people carrying computers and equipment inside. Today was the day they all set up, so she wasn't shocked, but she hadn't expected each one to be quite so big.

  "They give demos," Adam explained. "Have a few computers set up to show off the next game. A few others to show off what's currently for sale. Tomorrow, there will be long lines through here. And that big one at the end? That's Deviant Games, the makers of Eternal Combat."

  "Oh." And that was where he was taking her.

  When they reached the edge, a pretty girl was standing around with a clipboard, scanning the people. Her shirt proclaimed her as an employee, but her attire was a lot more punk than Kate had expected. Maybe gothic? That would explain the stark makeup. She noticed Kate and Adam before they got close and stepped up, smiling behind her darkly painted lips.

  "Hi, I'm Amy with Deviant Games. Our booth will be open tomorrow for demonstrations, or were you looking for someone in particular?"

  "Chance around?" he asked. "I'd say Dez, but we both know she won't come out from behind there."

  Amy flashed him a smile, as if Adam had just used the secret password. "Yeah, they're fighting with Flawed. Let me get him for you. One moment."

  Kate was staring at Adam in shock. "You can just ask for a meet and greet with the developers of EC?"

  He winked at her. "Perk of the job, darlin'."

  A few minutes later, the curtain parted again, and a man with hair only one shade darker than Kate's stepped through. His silver-grey eyes landed on her, and he smiled a little too nicely, then his gaze turned to Adam. Immediately, his smile changed to one of recognition.

  "Adam!" And he thrust out a hand.

  Adam slapped his palm against it hard. "Hey, Chance. Thought I should introduce you to our spokesperson for the weekend, Katelyn Gaskill. She goes by Lithium."

  "You play?" he asked, a slight purr tinting his voice.

  "And my girlfriend," Adam added.

  Chance immediately dropped the subtle seduction. "Question still stands, though."

  "I do," she admitted. "I'm not any good, but I'm learning."

  "Good enough to wear a Paradox tag," Adam told them. "And she came in because of the support class. Found her repairing my bus."

  "Mm, which means I just lost my bet with Dez." But Chance didn't look upset. "Come in. Let me introduce you to the team."

  When he held the curtain back, Kate ducked through first. Adam followed, and Chance was last, making sure there were no gaps in the fabric before gesturing to the mess of exposed cables, desks, and computers spread out before them. Kate looked around in awe. This was everything she'd expected, and so much more.

  Dozens of people moved like they had a purpose. They came in all shapes and sizes, from the big guy twisting sideways to make sure he didn't bump a computer with his girth to the scrawny woman covered in tattoos on her knees in the back corner. Clearly, this was a lot closer to a circus than Kate had guessed, but in the very best way.

  "Guys!" Chance called out. "I have IceMan and Lithium here. They will be our hotel representatives for the weekend. Both can be reached through EC, and are set up in the main gaming hall. Ice's number's the one listed on your call sheets."

  That tattooed woman in the back looked up. "Hi, Adam."

  He made no move to go near her. "How's it going, Dez?"

  "Well, your IT guy's a real bitch -"

  Kate interrupted with an accidental snort of laughter, making Dez lift a brow. "Sorry," Kate mumbled, "but he really is."

  "But he protects our interests and liability," Adam pointed out. "Just tell me if you guys need anything, ok?" His eyes never left Dez. "And I mean anything."

  "The suite is more than enough," she promised.

  He pointed at Kate. "We're across the hall." Then he looked at Chance. "That is not an invitation."

  "Fuck off," Chance told him. "I'm on the straight and narrow."

  "Mostly," Dez teased.

  Kate had no clue what they were talking about but could tell that Adam did. Clearly, they were a lot better friends than she's expected. Then again, Adam had called this Chance guy to buy a watch from him - and been turned down. He wouldn't do that to a stranger, would he? Or maybe that was how they'd met? She wasn't sure, but she was willing to guess Adam had a few stories to tell.

  While Kate was wondering about that, Dez had moved on to talking about technical things. Evidently the dedicated line was going to be a little overtaxed with all of the gamers using it at the same time, and Dez was worried about connectivity issues for the tournament. Since that was her job, Kate pulled out her phone and checked the stats on her fact sheet.

  "Um, ma'am?" she asked, interrupting.

  Dez lifted a brow. "I prefer just Dez."

  "I, uh, didn't want to presume. Anyway, I have it set up to increase the bandwidth tonight at midnight, so we should be running almost double the speed tomorrow. The IT guy was worried about unwarranted usage, so this was the compromise."

  "I can work with that," Dez said. "So tell me, Lithium, are you a trained monkey, or a gamer?"

  Kate just flopped her arms against her sides because she really didn't know. "Can I go with aspiring gamer but well-trained parrot? I think I started playing Eternal Combat less than a week before I got the job, but QQ's been showing me the ropes."

  "What?" Came through the curtains. "I heard my name!"

  A moment later, a mass of neon colors and brazen attitude pushed inside with a giant blonde guy right on her heels. The woman was taller, lean, very athletic, and had the most impressive dreadlocks. Those started in black at her head, but the tips changed to something brighter. Each one seemed to be a different color, making her hair look like a ps
ychedelic rainbow. There was no question who she was, but the man's comment confirmed it.

  "QQ!" he hissed.

  And while he may have been bigger, this guy clearly wasn't the one in control. He didn't grab at QQ harshly even if he was big enough and strong enough to hold her back. Instead, the man who looked like a gorgeous farm boy on steroids just sighed.

  "Oh, hush, Braden," she told him. Then her eyes found Adam. "I didn't know you got to play behind the scenes, bro."

  "Hey, Q."

  She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and almost threw herself against him. "Nice to see you again. It's been too long."

  "Q," Adam said gently. "This is Lith."

  And that got a squeal of delight as she spun to repeat the performance on Kate. The strangest thing was that it felt good. To Kate, it felt comfortable. It kinda felt like she actually belonged.

  Chapter 31

  "I thought this stuff was off limits until tomorrow," Kate said, stepping away from QQ's exuberance.

  QQ flipped a hand, dismissing that. "I'm here this weekend to represent the game. Kinda what I do for a living."

  Chance cleared his throat. "Among other contracts she has with us." And he stepped closer. "Chance Hunter."

  "Riley Andrews," she told him, accepting his hand. "Nice to finally meet you face to face."

  Chance gestured at Adam and Kate. "And you three know each other?"

  QQ pointed to Adam. "He found me in Dallas and got me into Paradox, or I'd probably be onto a different game by now." Then she pointed to Kate. "And she joined Paradox after starting the game as a support class player. I told you it'd work."

  "Game stats show over sixty percent of players choosing support as their starting class also claim to be women on their profile," Dez said. "Which means you owe me, Chance."

  "I know!" he groaned.

  Dez just chuckled. "Nice to see you, QQ."

  QQ moved to step toward her, but the big guy - Braden - dropped a hand on her shoulder. "Dez doesn't touch."

  "Right," QQ breathed. "I read about that, back when Silk was being released. Sucks what happened."