“Um. See you all later.” The petite woman quickly left the room. Right after the door closed, Cassie marched herself over to Edric’s mahogany desk and slammed her closed fist on it, hoping that it would rattle the man somehow. He just looked up at her with a furrowed brow.
“This desk costs fifteen grand you know.”
“Can it, Scrooge.”
He sighed. “What’s got you so irritated today?”
Cassie slammed her fist down on the table again. “Back the fuck off my sister!”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything to Eleonore.”
“Bullshit! We all know that you’re a rich playboy. I respect that, but don’t you fucking dare target my sister.”
“I’m not targeting Eleonore or whatever the fuck you’re talking about. Relax.”
“Really?” Cassie asked in a high-pitched, condescending, tone. “And you expect me to believe that? I just got done playing your little game. There’s a character named Elena in there with white hair that looks an awful lot like Ellie. Coincidence? I think not!”
“Why do you think that Elena’s character is based off Ellie?”
“Do you take me for a fool? Two short women. Both pale. Both have white hair. Both dress mostly in white or pale colors. Both have names that begin with ‘El’, for Christ’s sake! Oh!” Cassie threw her hands up in the air dramatically. “And Elena’s mission is to heal the sick and look out for the fucking homeless. Sound fucking familiar?”
He pursed his lips. Cassie brought forth a convincing argument. He hadn’t even realized how much he thought of Ellie when designing Elena. He figured that a healing character with white hair was somewhat generic.
“Both blush a lot when they’re nervous.” Cassie continued. “And they wring the hems of their skirts, giggle a lot when things are funny, read a shit-ton of books. To top it all off, they both have dogs for companions. Although that fluffy white dog Wolfie looks nothing like Spots—but I digress.” The red-haired woman exhaled dramatically. Her rant done for now. “Anyways.” Her tone returned to being slightly curt. “I know what you’re up to, Scrooge, and you’re going to stop.”
Edric sighed. “Cassie.” He paused and drummed his fingers on the table, trying to choose his words carefully. “As a rule, I don’t date my employees.”
“So, you’re making an exception to prey on my sister.”
“I’m not—”
“Look.” Cassie held her hand up. “Ellie’s actually a good person, unlike you and I. My God, she donates most of the money she makes to the poor and spends all of her spare time helping others. She’s innocent, naïve, and willing to see the best in people—even you. If you fuck her for a couple of months and then toss her aside, that makes you a really, really shitty person.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Edric snapped. “I’m not going to do anything to hurt Eleonore. Understand?”
Edric was surprised by the conviction in which he spoke. He sincerely meant every word. He wasn’t going to hurt Eleonore. He hadn’t even said so much as a cross word to her in about a month. There was no way he would hurt her. In fact, he realized that wasn’t going to let anything else hurt her either.
Cassie stood up straight and ran her fingers through her firetruck-red hair. “Good. I’m glad that we have an understanding.”
There was an awkward moment of silence between the two of them. Finally, Edric spoke up.
“About the reason why you’re contracted in the first place…”
“The game?”
“Yes, the game. Well…?”
“Oh, it’s good. It’s very good. I was pissed that you put my sister in there but other than that, it’s great. Likable characters, strong main plot, interesting subplots. Superb graphics as usual. I think you’re ready to go.”
“And the headsets?”
“They have the same quality as the pods.”
“Then I’m going to pick a launch date.”
“Wait, there’s a few things I want to fix before you do.”
Edric leaned back in his chair. “All right, I’m listening.”
“First of all, change Elena’s name to something that doesn’t begin with an ‘E’ and maybe change her eye color from violet to blue or something? I don’t want the paparazzi speculating that there’s something between you and Ellie, so just change a few things.”
Edric hadn’t even thought about that. He was sincerely glad that she brought up that up. Given Ellie’s shy and nervous nature, the paparazzi would destroy her.
“Good point. What else?”
“The dungeon in the Farlands is a bitch. I hate it. It’s boring and repetitive, and it took me five hours to get through. I wanted to deck whoever made it afterwards. Fix that.”
“Anything else?”
“Most importantly, put me in it, Scrooge. I play-tested it. The least I deserve is a cameo. Call my character Desperado.”
“That doesn’t even fit. Desperado is more of a cowboy thing.”
“It was worth a shot.”
“Well, I’m scheduling a product launch for a month from now. Then I’ll work on mass-producing it. Hopefully it should hit the shelves by Christmas,” Edric said.
There was a soft knock at the door.
“You can come back in.” Cassie called out.
Ellie slowly pushed the door open. She glanced at Edric and then at Cassie. The businessman could tell that she was trying to assess the situation before her. He and Cassie both looked calm though.
“I have good news.” Edric declared.
Ellie cocked her head to the side. “What is it?”
“Our product is nearly ready. We’re going to have a launch party a month from now and then it should hit the shelves by Christmas.”
“That’s great! Oh wow, what’s the launch party going to be like?”
“A gala here at the foyer. It’ll be a black-tie event, catered with the best foods. Open bar. I’ll invite lots of press and paparazzi, so there will be a mini red carpet. I’m inviting everyone—even that son of a bitch Charlie Logan.”
Cassie frowned.
“I’ll get started on planning it right away.” Ellie smiled. “It sounds fun.”
“Ask Mary for help too—she’s planned formal galas before.”
She walked over to her desk and took a seat. “It’s incredible that this technology is going to be in everyone’s houses cheaply soon. You and Violet did invent something that will change the world. It’s incredible.”
“We should take Violet out to celebrate.” Cassie said. “I mean, she did play an instrumental part to this whole thing by tinkering with the headsets.”
“That’s a great idea. Where should we go?” Edric asked.
“Awkward.” She cringed. “I was talking to Ellie. We’re having a girl’s night, you’re not invited, Scrooge.”
“All right. Whatever.”
Ellie giggled.
“I’ll pick you and Violet up at the lobby here at five sharp.” Cassie sauntered over to the door of Edric’s office. She gave her sister one last smile before shutting the door behind her.
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between Edric and Ellie. He couldn’t push aside his conversation with Cassie and couldn’t help but wonder what other effects she had on him. Clearly, she had burrowed her way into his conscious and subconscious.
“Can I see it?” Ellie finally asked.
“See what?”
“The game—this medieval fantasy world that you have created.”
“I have some things to fix some things before I can show it to you. But maybe next week.”
After I tinker with Elena’s character before Ellie sees it. Edric thought.
“How long does it take to play the game?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t have a finite ending. It’s an open world that’s about ten miles by ten miles and there’s approximately one thousand characters in it, each with a quest. But there are about ten main quests to compl
ete. I would assume that it would take a person eight hundred hours to exhaust the game completely.”
“How much will it cost?”
Edric sighed. “About five hundred dollars.”
Her jaw dropped slightly. “That’s expensive.”
“Considering the work that went into it and the technology, it’s not.”
“When should the launch be?”
“On a Friday night about a month from now. July 28th?”
Ellie nodded her head. “I’ll get started on planning it right away.”
“Thank you, Eleonore. You don’t have to. Mary can do it if you’re too busy.”
“But it’s my job.”
“That’s true but…” Edric hated to admit it, but he felt bad giving Ellie any sort of work these days. It seemed wrong.
“I know you probably think that I can’t organize this event after the lunch catering fiasco, but I can do this, Mr. Kensington.”
“I know you can, Eleonore. I’m just saying that you don’t have to.”
“But I want to.”
“All right, then go ahead.”
***
Ellie hardly noticed the day pass by. Her afternoon became so busy with preparing a launch and a press conference. Edric was on the phone all afternoon. When five o’clock came, Ellie felt a bit guilty for leaving when there was all this work to be done.
“It will be here tomorrow.” Edric finally said to her.
“Pardon?”
“The work. It will be here tomorrow.”
Ellie nodded her head gently.
“But I might not be if Cassie catches me keeping you late on a day where you’re supposed to go out with her and Violet.” Edric finished.
The comment made Ellie laugh. “Okay, I’ll go now.” She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Goodnight, Mr. Kensington.”
“Goodnight, Eleonore.”
She made her way out the office and over to the elevator, feeling an odd sense of relief. Ellie pondered the thought as the elevator descended from the fiftieth floor to the first. The loud pinging sound of the elevator arriving in the lobby snapped Ellie from her train of thought. She saw Violet standing there in jeans and a tee shirt—both marked with oil and grease.
“Violet!” Ellie grinned and hugged her lightly. “What happened to you? You’re covered in grease!”
She shrugged. “I got into a fight with the limo this afternoon.”
“Who won?”
“I did, of course.”
Ellie giggled. “Cassie never wins any fights with machinery and neither do I.”
“People like you keep people like me in business.”
“You should have seen Cassie’s old car. That would occupy you for a while.”
“I know!” Violet said enthusiastically, darting her hands up in the air. “She gave it to me. I refurbished it and it’s at my shop. Oh, speaking of Cassie, we should meet her.”
The two women walked out of the building. The hot summer air felt good but the sun started to sizzle against the exposed parts of Ellie’s skin.
Cassie’s car peeled out in front of the building and stopped abruptly, causing a barrage of blasting horns and curses.
Violet and Ellie exchanged glances and then hopped inside. Cassie immediately peeled off.
“I hope you all are ready because we’re going out!” Cassie exclaimed.
“To where?”
“A bar.”
“A bar?”
“Yup.”
“I’ve never been to one,” Violet said.
“Well, you’re in for a treat. I found this place just for you.”
Cassie slammed on the gas and peeled down the road. Fortunately for the trio, the bar was only a five-minute drive away—ten with the rush hour traffic. Technically the three ladies could have walked from the office, but it was a far-away enough walk where it made more sense to drive. Cassie parked in a spot where her car could be safely left overnight and not cost a small fortune.
Finally, they made their way into the establishment. It as a small dive bar that smelt of bar rot and was dimly lit. Ellie wrinkled her nose when she went inside and Violet looked around with wonder and awe.
“Cassie, are you sure this place is safe?” Ellie asked.
“I’m positive. I specifically picked it out because it’s a bar that a lot of mechanics and gear-heads visit. I figured that it would be perfect for Violet. And besides, they have karaoke.”
The young woman blushed. Sure, she loved to sing but the idea of doing so in public was a terrifying prospect.
Cassie took a seat; Violet sat to her right and Ellie to her left.
“What’s your specialty?” The red-head asked the bartender.
“Tequila.”
“All right then, let’s start with three shots of tequila.”
“Coming right up.”
Within a few minutes, drinks were placed in front of the three ladies.
“Listen up.” Cassie clapped her hands together. “There’s a special technique to drinking tequila: you lick the salt on the rim, down the tequila, and then bite the lime. Lick, drink, bite. Got it?”
The tone in which Cassie spoke reminded Ellie of Edric—that’s how he spoke during their flying lessons. She giggled.
Ellie and Violet exchanged glances behind Cassie’s back and they followed her instructions. Lick the salt. Drink the tequila. Bite the lime. The cheap tequila burned.
Ellie and Violet laughed.
“Now what do we do?” The mechanic asked.
“What do you want to do?”
She shrugged. “What do you normally do at bars?”
“Well, I flirt with guys, chat with friends, and play some billiards. I have a guy so I’m off the market but that’s no excuse for you two.”
“Oh, I…” Ellie began to speak.
I just want to be with Edric Kensington… Ellie silently finished her sentence.
“I’ll do the talking for you.” Cassie smiled. “What about those guys over there?” Cassie pointed to the group of four guys huddled over at the edge of the bar.
“I don’t think…”
Before Ellie could finish her sentence, Cassie waved the four guys over. They were youngish—in their early twenties—and reasonably attractive. Ellie could tell that they were all mechanics by the way that they dressed and the grease and oil spoils on their jeans and shirts.
“What are you all drinking?” Cassie asked.
“Beer. What about you three?”
“We’re tequila girls.” Cassie responded.
“Oh, tequila girls. Who’s this?” One of the men pointed to Violet. Violet blushed and shoved her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose.
“This is Violet. She’s an engineer and a mechanic.”
“Oh, one of us? Where’s your shop?”
“Over on Arbor street.”
One of the guys pointed at Violet and grinned. “You’re the rich girl—Violet Kensington! I’ve heard of you. Damn, people said that you’re hot but, you’re really hot.” Two of the nodded in agreement. One of the guys cringed in embarrassment. “I’d like to stick my wrench in you.” The two guys laughed. The third man had the same reaction as Ellie—he was embarrassed.
“Maybe you shouldn’t…” The sole embarrassed man began to say. When the three other guys glared at him, he threw his hands up in the air and took a step back.
“Hey, simmer down.” Cassie said.
“I wasn’t talking to you—I was talking to the hot girl.”
Cassie opened her mouth and shut it. Ellie could tell that she both understood the implication of that sentence—that she was not the hot girl—and she was livid about it.
“I don’t like being spoken to in that way.” Violet finally spoke up.
Ellie cringed. She was glad that she was hidden behind Cassie and Violet and that the two taller women blocked her from the four crude ruffians.
Great. We’re going to get into a bar fight.
“Come on, meet me out back, pretty lady. I’ll work you over real good. What do you say?” The guy asked.
“I say no.”
“Oh, don’t be a prude.”
“I’m not. A terrible mechanic will mess up your workings.” Violet crossed her arms.
“What did you say?”
“You heard.”
Enjoying bursting other people’s bubbles must be a Kensington thing, Ellie thought.
“I have a proposition for you.” Cassie spoke up.
“Oh?” The man raised an eyebrow and grinned at the red-head. “What’s your proposal.”
“I’m going to play you in a game of billiards. If you win, I’ll fuck you out back behind the dumpster. If I win, you buy us all two rounds of drinks and then you and your friends leave immediately.”
Ellie cringed. This was so embarrassing. At the same time though, Cassie has yet to lose at a game of Billiards so they were about to get two more shots of tequila for free if the man agreed.
The man laughed outloud. “Fine. Fair deal.”
The private detective sauntered over to the billiards table and grabbed a pool que. She stacked all the balls in the triangle and then swung them to the center.
“Would you like to break or would you like me to?”
“Ladies first,” the man said.
“Well that doesn’t narrow it down much.”
“Just make the damn break.”
Cassie leaned up her shot and made a nice, clean, break. One of the balls landed in the corner pocket. “Stripes.” She declared.
The red-head then continued to make shot-after shot. The other man watched over in horror and awe. Ellie laughed—Cassie was mopping the floor with this loud, obnoxious man. Finally, it was down to the eight ball. Cassie gestured to the corner left pocket, lined up the shot, and then sunk the eight-ball.
“It looks like you owe us two rounds and then the absence of your company.”
“Bullshit!” The man threw the pool cue on the ground and stormed off. Two of the three men followed him.
“Hey, our drinks, man!” Cassie threw her hands up in the air and called out to the three men storming off.
“Fuck you!” The angry man called back as he stormed out the door.
“Not tonight, asshole!” By the time she called out the insult, the three men were gone.
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