by Haley Travis
Then I thought again about Terry mentioning that Andrew’s erratic schedule was often his own fault, not Andrew’s. That would also explain why he seemed such a jerk about giving me information at certain times, and keeping things to himself.
Was it possible that he seemed like lousy boyfriend material because he was busy being a good brother?
As I jumped out of the cab, forcing myself to smile brightly, I looked for Cliff. Luckily, he managed to be right at the front of the media pit.
“Jenna!” He called out, and I instantly posed for a few shots, then went over to him.
“Your friend Andrew made quite a splash on his way in,” Cliff grinned, flashing me a wink. “He’ll get some good coverage, don’t worry.”
“That’s why you’re my favorite, Cliff,” I laughed, blowing him a kiss before walking inside. The gatekeepers were surprisingly friendly, and I was given a hot pink glitter wristband for free drinks.
I began by walking through the vendors’ area, noticing that the HarperTech booth looked even better than the photos and sketches Andrew had shown me.
He had a tall knockout blonde and two handsome young men taking questions and giving out flyers, hats, and water bottles. I knew that they would be saving the exclusive t-shirts for the VIPs.
Entering the large party room, it was like walking into a video game. Positively enormous screens on the north and south walls stretched up to the ceiling, showing the gameplay of some of the most famous gamers as they huddled in groups.
The east and west walls had giant screens as well, but those were filled with live mixed electronic art, courtesy of the VJ, who worked with the DJ to create different moods.
It was all a bit extreme and high-tech for my taste , but I kept my smile intact as I walked diagonally through the giant space.
In one corner of the hall was a stairway that clearly led to the VIP area. Security was at the bottom of the stairs, so people couldn’t even reach the top mezzanine without being approved.
However, once you were on the mezzanine it gave you a fabulous view of anyone walking in, as if you were a king or queen waving down at your subjects before entering the private chamber.
These exclusive events always made me laugh to myself. What kind of world was it where an exclusive event had to have an even more exclusive nook so that special people could feel like the very best?
Finally I spotted Andrew speaking with the representatives of Lightning Games – typical corporate guys who would normally wear suits, but were dressed down for the night. They looked slightly uncomfortable, as if casual wear were some sort of costume.
Andrew looked spectacular. My breath caught in my throat as he turned to me, those deep eyes fixated on my little blue dress, then meeting my stare. He gave me a nod, then laughed at something one of the other men said.
He looked me up and down again before turning away. His expression had been unreadable. As if he was in a good mood, but his energy wasn’t really directed at me beyond being polite.
Given how desperately he had been pursuing me yesterday, that made no sense. But he was doing exactly as I had told him, concentrating on being social with the right people, so I had no right to expect any of his attention. He was also wearing a gorgeous designer shoulder bag, but that wasn’t a fashion statement. I knew that he was packing a laptop or two that was loaded with their new processors.
Since Andrew was focused on his work, I decided to do the same. Walking around the perimeter of the space, I sent him a text every five to ten minutes, with key technology people’s whereabouts in the room.
He responded with “OK” and “Thanks,” but nothing more.
After about an hour, the music became too loud for me to handle, so I went back out to the convention area. When I saw a mop of messy teal hair in front of the HarperTech booth, I raced right over.
“Hey, Caitlin,” I said brightly, “How are you?”
“Fabulous,” she smiled, her cheeks slightly glowing, likely from the endless glasses of pink champagne that were circulating around the main room.
She leaned in to whisper in my ear, “I just saw Distrekxion wearing a really cool HarperTech shirt, and he said he got it here. I was just about to ask these guys if they knew where I could get one. Jimmy is wearing his tonight, and I thought it would be dope if we matched.”
“I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed. “I put one in Jimmy’s gift box with a note for him to give it to you.”
She rolled her eyes. “He was running around like a maniac today. No worries.”
“What size do you need?” I asked.
“Ladies medium.” She was practically bouncing with excitement.
I signaled to the tall blonde and whispered in her ear who I was, and to please hand me the right shirt.
She passed it to me, and I spun to present it to Caitlin with a flourish. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw that the tissue wrapping was labeled, “Number 57 of 200.”
“Limited edition!” she exclaimed. “Amazing.” She paused and looked around. “I’m surprised that Andrew isn’t glued to your side. You two are the cutest couple, seriously.”
My lips pressed together as my breath felt strained. “I don’t think cute is enough, and we’re not a couple.”
“The hell you’re not. I saw the sparks between you.”
I appreciated her concern, but I had to change the subject. “Hey, have you seen FlashFleaze around anywhere?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “I’d really like to introduce him to Andrew.”
“Sure, come on.” She linked my arm with hers as if we were old friends, leading me back into the huge party room. FlashFleaze was in the far corner, surrounded by several young men who were peppering him with questions about some tournament that happened a few weeks ago.
Caitlin went straight over to pull him by the shirt, dragging him out of the circle and over to me.
“Geez, pushy much?” he grumbled, but his eyes were smiling.
“FlashFleaze, this is Jenna. There’s some sort of top-secret high-tech thing she needs to tell you about.”
He pushed his bright orange hair out of his eyes as he turned to me and shook my hand, his eyebrow raised. “Secret tech? Naturally, I am intrigued.”
“Would you be interested in being one of the first gamers to test a new system that has extremely upgraded graphics?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah.”
“Then follow me,” I grinned, as Caitlin gave me a wave and a big thumbs-up.
Quickly searching for Andrew, he was near the center of the room, flanked on either side by tall, willowy girls dressed as some sort of anime characters, likely from one of the games. He had his arm slung around one of them as they took a selfie. The girls were both definitely making every excuse to snuggle up to him as closely as they could.
I nearly tripped on my left heel, but composed myself. Those were the kind of girls that belonged with a gorgeous billionaire playboy type. Those were the kind of girls that would likely make him happy. Not a quiet girl with wide hips that read psychology articles for fun on a Saturday night.
Tapping him on the shoulder, he spun around, looking surprised as he saw who I was with.
“FlashFleaze, this is Andrew Harper of HarperTech.”
They shook hands as FlashFleaze said, “Hey, man, I saw a couple of your shirts go by. Killer artwork.”
“Thanks,” Andrew said.
“Andrew, if FlashFleaze doesn’t mind escorting you to the VIP area, maybe you could show him the prototype?” I suggested.
“Yeah, I’d love to,” Andrew said. “Our new processor enables faster rendering with no loss of quality to the key graphics.”
They both resembled kids in a candy store, their enthusiastic, boyish expressions completely adorable.
“Yeah, let’s see this thing.” FlashFleaze nodded for Andrew to follow, and they headed for the stairs.
“Aren’t you coming?” Andrew asked.
I shook my head. “Go.”
Looking around for the bar, I saw a server instead, carrying a tray with a single glass of pink champagne on it. She paused in front of me, and as I reached for it, so did a thin young man to my left.
“Oh, sorry,” he laughed. “Go ahead.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said. “I shouldn’t be drinking anyway.”
“Why not?” He picked up the glass so the server could leave, but held it between us as if he wasn’t sure yet who should take it.
I realized at that moment that it was SnakeRunzz. “I’m working,” I said. “I’m here with HarperTech.”
“Oh, really? Damn. I heard something about them making the graphics faster without changing the gameplay. Making things easier when we’re maxing out the processors. Can you tell me about it?”
Glancing across the room, FlashFleaze and Andrew were at the top of the mezzanine, about to go into the VIP room. Miraculously, I caught Andrew’s eye and mouthed, “Stay right there.”
He nodded, tapping FlashFleaze on the shoulder.
Turning back, I said, “Listen, Andrew Harper is about to give a demo to FlashFleaze. Why don’t you come up too, and the two of you could have the very first game on the new system. It would be epic.”
He handed me the champagne. “Here. Drink half of it while I think.”
I swigged a huge gulp while he laughed, taking the glass from me. “I haven’t played that guy in years. But I’m willing to let bygones be bygones if he is. Let’s go.”
He chugged the rest then set the glass on a table. I waved to Andrew to stay put, as we headed for the stairs. Taking a deep breath, I followed SnakeRunzz up, realizing that I would have to be direct, and take control of this monumental moment.
Timing my steps so that I was just behind SnakeRunzz, I positioned him on Andrew’s left, so that FlashFleaze was on his right, so I could make a quick introduction and then step out of the way. Andrew gave me a wide-eyed look as he realized what I was setting up.
Flashes from the event photographers went crazy as FlashFleaze and SnakeRunzz shook hands on the mezzanine above the whole room, with Andrew in the center. There was no way to crop him out of the photo later since he was standing behind that historic handshake.
This was it. After all of my hard work, the pinnacle of my success came down to reaching for a drink at the right time. But I didn’t care. Versions of that epic photo would circle the world, and people would find today’s HarperTech press release describing their new product.
This success was a bit of a shock. I’d had some very satisfying PR moments already in my short career, but this felt deeply rewarding – even more so because I did it for Andrew.
Smoothing my sweaty palms on my dress, I followed them into the quieter room, then had a quick chat with the man running the smaller gaming area, explaining how important this was.
It was incredible to hear Andrew explain the tech to a room full of people who hung on his every word. It was amazing to see him in his element, taking charge and confidently conveying a ton of technical info in a light, engaging way.
It was heartbreaking as I realized that the more I listened to that deep, gravelly voice, the more I stared at his handsome face, that I had made a terrible mistake.
I was already in love with him. Yes, it was too fast, and yes, I might not be suitable for him. But he was right for me. And I could try like crazy to be more outgoing, to keep up with his energy.
But after the way I’d behaved, there was no reason for him to give me another chance. He was always so direct that he likely had no patience with my insecurities.
His dream had come true tonight. I was glad to have done my job well, but I’d have to find myself a new dream.
14
_____
Andrew
This was the moment I’d been dreaming of for over a year. Jimmy Veiki, SnakeRunzz, FlashFleaze, and a few others were all freaking out over the new processors and asking a ton of in-depth questions.
As enthusiastic as I was, I couldn’t stop sneaking looks over to where Jenna sat to the side. I’d always been so focused on our business that I’d never wanted anything for myself. Now that I was positive Jenna was what I needed, this incredible success was going to be hollow if I didn’t have her to share it with.
Somehow that sweet, smart girl had changed me in just a week. What would she do to me if I convinced her to be with me permanently?
Terry had suggested a forced reboot. In relationship terms, I thought that perhaps if I acted utterly professional and aloof for the night, and stopped trying to be close to Jenna, we could start again. But instead, it made me feel absolutely terrible to see her sitting alone.
“Excuse me for a minute, guys,” I said, leaving them to the game as I went over to where she was scrolling on her phone, quickly adding links and comments to social media posts.
“You are stupendous,” I said, sitting close beside her. “I don’t know how you did it, but everything turned out perfectly. Thank you.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite touch her eyes. “A lot of preparation and a little luck,” she said softly.
“Plus, you are incredibly talented,” I said. “Do I have any more homework tonight?”
“No, just keep them entertained, and get everyone’s contact info so that you can send them complete information in the morning,” she said. “Never trust them to remember. Get their email addresses.”
“I already have, for most of them,” I said.
“Excellent. Then I should go and leave you to it,” she said, starting to stand, but I put a hand on her knee.
“Jenna, I want you to consider this job finished, so that I’m no longer your client. Please.”
Her adorable grin made my arms twitch from needing to hold her. Then she shook her head. “If there’s anything else to discuss, it can wait until tomorrow,” she said quickly.
“I’m not letting you leave,” I said. “Please, stay another half hour, then let me drive you home.”
“Last night was a hostage situation,” she said. “What’s your excuse tonight?”
Taking a deep breath, I blew out all of my air, deciding to go for broke. “Jenna, I’ve never felt this way before about anyone. The things I feel for you are crazy and intense, and I can’t make sense of everything yet. All I know is that I need you.”
Taking her hand, I stared into those soft blue eyes, ready to get down on my knees and beg if I had to. She slowly pulled her hand back, shaking her head again.
“Just let me leave,” she said. “I’m sure those anime girls will keep you company if you get lonely.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “What? I was taking photos with them for their tech blog. Those were two of the people on your own list of targets.”
She bit her bottom lip, looking sheepish. “Sorry.”
“You can’t leave,” I said, knowing how desperate I sounded, “Because there might be some important publicity moment that I need your help with. I’m new at all of this, remember?”
“That’s a pretty lame excuse,” she said, but at least she smiled slightly.
I looked up to see Caitlin out on the mezzanine, texting like crazy while waving me over. “Caitlin wants us for something,” I said.
I tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away again. We went out to the railing that overlooked the main room, looking down at the enormous crowd. Two of the giant screens were still showing games being played, but the other two screens had gone black.
“I hope they didn’t blow a fuse or something,” Jenna said.
“I love that your first thought is to go into problem-solving mode,” I said as Caitlin came over.
“I wanted to thank you properly for the t-shirt,” she said, then she gestured to the two giant screen
s on the east and west walls.
The black panels were suddenly awash in animated pink and white hearts, with giant teal lettering that read, “Jenna, Andrew loves you. Just look in his eyes and kiss him already.”
The entire crowd began to howl with laughter as Jenna looked up at me in horror.
“Don’t get mad, just obey the sign,” Caitlin laughed, dancing away.
“I swear I didn’t say anything to her,” I said quickly. “But if you were looking for a sign, there it is.”