Virtual Reality

by Kitty Cox

  He secured the button on his jeans, then reached over for a shirt. "Darlin', you know you can back out of this at any time, right?"

  "Adam," she said, turning in her chair to face him. "For the first time in my life, I have the chance to make a difference. Let me do this?"

  "I am not about to stop you. Not even close. I just don't want you to feel pressured." Then he sighed, dropping the shirt back on the bed. "Kate, I also don't ever want to see you hurt again. That day when your husband found you in the parking lot? It fucking killed me to see you like that."

  "I know," she said softly. "And I'm scared. I really am, but I finally figured out what I'm so afraid of." She waved out toward the rest of the suite. "Last night? Everyone in there has something to lose. There's only one thing they can take from me." She tipped her head at him. "You. That's what they were trying to do with the tabloid pictures. They were trying to chase you away from me."

  He laughed once. "Then it's gonna suck for them that I'm not going anywhere. Kate, I'd been thinking about telling Paradox about my real life. I'm not crushed that they made it easy for me, ok? And this thing with you and the gamer girls? Darlin', I'm fucking proud of you right now. You have no idea. I just..." He shrugged, unable to finish.

  "What?" she asked.

  "This. The Kate I'm seeing right now? She's the one I was chasing. The girl who turns into a honey badger when she needs to stand up for someone. Yeah. I..." He shoved a hand over his face. "I've gone full dork again." Then he took a steadying breath. "I'm falling hard, darlin', and I like you when you're gentle, but I think I love you when you're a little demon."

  "Adam, we haven't -"

  His lifted hand cut her off. "I know. And I know it's stupid, but you know what? I had a chance to tell you who I was up front, and I didn't have the balls to say anything. So this time, it's out there. I've never felt like this for anyone, and I like it. I love how you're always right there when I do something stupid, and you've always got my back. This time, I want to be the one doing the protecting, ok?"

  She jiggled her head in a weak nod. "I think I'm going to need it, and there's no one else I'd rather have helping me."

  For the second time, he grabbed his shirt, but he managed to actually get it on. "And we're gonna help Rhaven. I don't know how, but damn if she didn't hit me right in the feels last night."

  "So," she asked, "we're going to completely ignore that whole baring our souls moment?"

  "Pretty much." He glanced up to meet her eyes. "See, I do a whole lot better when I've had a chance to plan things out, and that was kinda spontaneous. How about you give me a week or so to try again with a little more preparation?"

  She pushed herself to her feet and marched right over to grab both sides of his face. Then she pulled him down, making him kiss her quickly. "Adam, I like it best when you go full dork. Makes me feel like this has a chance of working."

  "I always get what I want, darlin'," he said softly. "And I want you, because you're the best damned partner I can imagine. Now get pretty and let's go make sure everyone knows that you're banging your boss."

  "Not my boss," she reminded him, but she did finish putting on her makeup.

  It took long enough to get the right look, that by the time she walked into the gaming hall wearing her bright blue Paradox shirt, she only had a few minutes before she was supposed to speak. Adam promised to get her computer turned on and her character loaded into the game, but he didn't leave until he knew she wasn't alone.

  But it wasn't Chance who came to greet her. It was Dez, and she looked just as determined as QQ ever had. "You ready for this?" she asked.

  Kate nodded, aware that Riley and Rhaven both were making their way closer. "You know," she said, "the strangest thing happened last night. I don't know when, but I started getting pissed about this. It was like it all finally hit me, and I realized just how unfair all of this is."

  "Makes it easier," Riley told her. "And we're standing up there with you. Know what you're going to say?"

  "Not at all," Kate admitted, but she didn't give them the chance to stop her. She simply turned and headed for the dais.

  The clock said it was time to start. That meant the cameras would be set up to record all of this, and the microphone was on and waiting. No, Kate didn't know what she was going to say, but she knew how. This, right here, was her job. Time and time again, she'd gotten the lucky break. Well, today, it was time to pay up.

  "Today, we are here to kill or be killed," she said, leaning into the microphone. "But we're supposed to keep that online. Yesterday, one of you - maybe more - thought it would be a good idea to take the fight into the real world. Trust me, that was a mistake. You see, I haven't been playing that long, but there's one thing I've learned about gamers. We do not quit. We respawn, reload, and report for the next mission. And yes, I consider myself a gamer.

  "But let me assure you," she continued, "that telling everyone I have a hot, rich boyfriend isn't going to scare me off. Threatening me? Oh, now see, that's where you've crossed the line. My name is Katelyn Gaskill, and I'm the Executive Marketing Coordinator for Degrass Industries. That means it's my job to make sure that events like this go smoothly."

  She looked around the room, her eyes pausing on a few people before moving on. "I don't care if you're a man or a woman. I don't care if you're big or small, old or young. The Clairmont prides ourselves on making our guests feel comfortable. Because of this, any hotel employee will be happy to assist you if you are being harassed or threatened at any of our events. After what happened yesterday, I'm going to take that one step further."

  Kate grabbed both sides of the podium and glared. "Anyone found to be involved with the Kings of Gaming will be banned from every hotel owned and operated by Degrass Industries. You see, boys, it doesn't matter if I slept my way to the top, I still ended up with the power." She stabbed down at the podium with one finger. "This is my hotel, and it will not become a place for you to terrorize women - or anyone else. I don't care if it's worked for you before, the rules have just changed.

  "You came after the wrong bitch, boys. Let me say it for you again. My name is Katelyn Gaskill, and I am a gamer girl. I'm also not alone. I have my online sisters beside me, and my gaming brothers behind me. And that is what makes me better than you. If you really want to make this a fight?" She smiled. "Then come at me, bro. I don't think you have the balls."

  She turned and almost made it off stage, before realizing she missed the whole reason she was supposed to speak. "Oh yeah. Emergency exits are marked with signs, no food or drink..." She paused to laugh once. "And anything you do on the private network can be monitored for illegal activity. You know, like doxxing me. Whatever dumbass tried that? You're so fucked. Now let's play a game!"

  As she walked away from the microphone, heading toward her computer, she heard Chance behind her. "I don't think we could ask for a better introduction than that. All right, boys and girls. Let me remind you, this is not a PLG tournament, but we do have a pretty nice prize for the winner. Rounds will be run in the same manner, and the last person standing - because I'm not convinced it will be a man - will take home a little something extra."

  When Kate reached her chair, she found a very big, very bright computer set up where her old one used to be. Sometime last night, someone had done this. Turning around, she looked at Cynister.

  "You?" she asked.

  He pointed a few rows over. "Synjd. He said he wanted to make sure his outfit mate had a reason to keep fighting. Little did he know."

  "Nah," Kate said, turning back to her screen to pick her character loadout. "I'm not fighting." And she clicked the icon for the support class. "I'm just here to back up the people on the front line."

  "Support?" Adam asked, seeing what she'd picked.

  She just nodded. "Yeah. I'm not the best shot or the fastest to aim, but you know what I'm good at? Keeping it together when everything tries to fall apart. All this time, I wanted to be like QQ, but I was wrong. My job
is to make sure that people like her, Dez, and even Rhaven can keep going. I'm here to support the front line, not be on it."

  He reached over and caught her hand. "Hyperbolic angel and all. Go show them what it means to play like a girl, darlin'. I'll always have your back."

  "Yeah," she said as her character loaded into the match. "You always have, Ice. Every single time."

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Virtual Reality.

  Check back for the next release in the series, Fragged.

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  One More Day by Auryn Hadley

  CHAPTER 1

  She went through the motions. They were the same motions she'd gone through the day before, the week before, and hell, every day for the last year, really. Mack stepped to the counter, ordered her caramel macchiato, and found her place at the tiny round table in the middle of the cafe. She dropped her sketch pad on one side, took a long sip of the sweet, hot beverage, then set it on the other and looked up. The Super Hot Guy was sitting in his usual place in the corner, so everything was normal. Everything was fine.

  Except it wasn't.

  She took another sip of the coffee and opened her sketch book. That's where she'd stashed the letter. It was the one place she wouldn't lose it. Refusing to let her hands shake, she opened it. The news still wouldn't make sense to her mind. Her name, Mackenzie Lawrence, was there, and yes, she was twenty-five, but those just couldn't be her medical results. There had to be a mistake. Those results said she had cancer.

  But they'd immediately scheduled a biopsy, and now a CAT scan. The doctor said a lot of really nice things, she was sure - but she couldn't remember what. The only thing Mack's mind could recall was that she had cancer. Twenty five years old, and she had cancer. They weren't sure how severe, not till the next results were back, but they sounded like it was already a done deal.

  She took another drink of the macchiato, her hands shaking only a bit, then opened her sketch pad. Her teeth found the edge of her lip as she debated what to draw this time. She wanted hope. She wanted security. She wanted to make the feeling in her chest flow through her hands and become something beautiful, but nothing came to mind.

  Glancing up for inspiration, she saw dozens of people, packed nearly shoulder to shoulder for their lunch time fix, and all of them were alone. This is how she'd been living. Day in and day out, she always did what she had to, never thinking about how her life was wasting away. So many minutes and hours that she'd just given up, thinking she was supposed to, and now she could never get them back.

  She didn't want to live like this anymore. Yesterday, it seemed like just a part of the daily grind, but today, everything was different. Today she had cancer.

  Mack, closed her eyes for a long moment then looked up again, hoping to see anything that would make her hands work, to pull her mind out of this never ending spiral of self pity. At least there was one thing in this place that was always nice to look at: the Super Hot Guy in the corner. He always sat there reading a book, and always looked like he'd been photoshopped to perfection. While she watched, he pushed up the edge of his long sleeve tee and scratched absentmindedly at the back of his wrist, a myriad of colors peeking from under the cloth.

  Then she realized he was looking at her. Her! She tried to smile and jerked her eyes away, forcing herself not to blush. People probably stared at him all the time. He had to be used to it and wouldn't think anything of another boring woman gawking at him. Hell, he wouldn't notice her anymore than she'd notice the face of one of these nameless men in khakis and white shirts.

  Biting her lip, she set the pencil to the paper, trying to get her mind on track. Finally, her hand found a will of it's own. First it was short stiff little lines, but they quickly added up. When she felt the image, she pressed harder, making stiff, solid strokes as the phoenix's wings begin to take shape. Rising from the ashes. A second chance. That's what she needed. She would stop taking things for granted. She would figure out how to beat this cancer. She wouldn't give up, not yet. Just one thing at a time, and she'd make sure she appreciated every little thing left in her life.

  Clenching her jaw to hold back tears, she scrawled the brutal form onto the paper. Each stroke seemed to purge something deep inside her, and she stopped thinking about anything but the form, the shape, and the balance of the art, finally pushing her fears away - even if only for a moment. It should be harsh, and flames, she needed flames for a phoenix, burning up its soul, giving it the chance to live again.

  "You ok?" asked a warm, rich voice.

  Mack smiled politely, and lifted her head, some automated reply on her lips, expecting to see one of the wait staff. Instead, Super Hot Guy sat there, the corner of his lip lifted, his book closed around his finger, waiting. Sitting at her table. Talking to her!

  "Yeah. No. I - What?"

  "Sorry," he said. "You just seem off today. I mean, we're both in here everyday, and you're normally face first in that sketch pad of yours, colors everywhere. But it's just a pencil today. You ok?"

  "You watch me draw?"

  Dear god, he was beautiful. Sitting this close made that even more obvious. Her eyes moved across his mouth, wondering what it would be like to kiss him before she regained control.

  He just shrugged. "Kinda a thing of mine. You willing to show any of that off?" He gestured to her pad. Over half the pages were wrinkled and well used, filled with images that just hit her, then waited until her few free moments to find their way off her fingers.

  "You want to look at my drawings?" The words were barely out of her mouth before her mind screamed at her. Good job, Mack. Super. Now you sound like an anti-social bitch. That, or stupid. Super Hot Guy is talking to you, and you're stammering over your tongue like some moron. Get it together. Show him the damned drawings! Show him so he doesn't ask you if you're ok again.

  "Ryan by the way," he said with a smile. "And, sorry. What ever has you upset, I hope it gets better." He stood to leave.

  "Mackenzie," she said quickly, pushing the pad toward him. "I mean, Mack. Most everyone calls me Mack. Mackenzie is kinda a mouthful."

  "You sure?" He pointed at her sketch pad. "I know how it is. Some stuff isn't for sharing."

  She just shrugged. "I'm not really used to anyone asking. They either grab or pretend like it doesn't exist. Sorry. It's cool."

  Cool? Oh god, did she really just say that? Not that it seemed to slow down Super Hot Guy - Ryan, she reminded herself. He had a name now. Ryan.

  He took the spiral bound stack of paper and carefully flipped through each one. Some he paused at, others he looked over quickly. She watched his strong, sensual hands glide between the pages. When he was near the end, he stopped.

  "You sell this stuff?"

  Mack laughed. "No. It's just what I do to vent, you know?"

  He carefully lay the pad back on the table and pointed at an image of a chameleon made of twisted tribal lines and neon colors. "Any way I could talk you into a copy of that?"

  "A copy?"

  Ryan jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "My shop is next door. I'll buy a copy from you, or what ever. But I need that. I mean, I can just scan it, real fast. That's all I need."

  "Yeah, no. That's fine. I mean, you can have it if you like it that much." She didn't know what else to say. He was serious.

  "Really?" He slowly started to smile.

  She nodded and pulled the book closer
, tugging the page from the metal spiral that bound it. "Yeah. Here." She chuckled a bit. "Never had anyone like my stuff before, so yeah."

  "Mack," he said, looking up at her, "this is really good. I mean, really good. I'd been trying to find the right piece, and this is exactly what I needed."

  "Piece?" God she was an idiot. She told herself it was because she was having a bad day, but it didn't help. She had cancer, and she was blowing her chance to talk to the hottest guy in the world. Never mind that her heart was beating twice as fast as normal, and she was struggling not to grin like some high school girl.

  "Yeah," he said, holding the page carefully, his eyes roaming across the lines lovingly. "To finish my sleeve."

  "Sleeve?"

  The look that crossed his lips was like a little boy, embarrassed to be caught playing pretend. Only the hint of stubble on his jaw ruined the image. That, and the amazing blue eyes he turned back to her. Perfectly sapphire. So perfectly blue, she was sure that he had to be wearing tinted contacts. He tugged at the wrist of his long sleeve shirt again, exposing a few inches of flesh, and shrugged.

  "Tattoos. It's almost done. I just needed something for the shoulder, and I wanted it to fit, but I couldn't think of anything. I've been stuck for about two months, just hoping the right thing would hit me, ya know? And then, this. It's perfect." He smiled at her again. "It's exactly what I needed."

  "Wow." Mack was a bit shocked. "Kinda strange to think that something I drew would be with someone for the rest of their life. That's kinda cool." And not just any one, but on him. Her art might end up somewhere on his body!

  The embarrassed smile turned into a grin. "You sure? I mean, some people would be kinda upset about me inking their art."

  "No!" she said honestly, as her phone started to beep. "No, that's actually about the coolest thing ever. Thanks, Ryan. You just made a shitty day a bit better." She flipped her sketch pad closed and shoved it back into her bag, dropping her phone beside it. "But that's my alarm. I have to get back to work."