Page 34 of On Your Knees

Shivering at the thought, I have unlocked a new thing I like called exhibitionism. I enjoy being watched, at least watched by him. However, I don’t know how I would feel about a complete stranger watching me. It’s why the content for my page is pretty PG, yet people keep asking to pay for explicit content, though my reservation there is more about the content being on the internet forever in the hands of weirdos.

“It’s a good thing you watching us turns me on. I’ve never had someone look out for me before, Ridge.”

“Be careful what you wish for, stray. Me having that kind of power over you should scare you.”

“It does,” I whisper, and he stands back to his full height.

“Okay, so this has turned me on,” Zeland interrupts. “If you don’t want to fuck me right now, leave my officeso I can touch myself. I’m hard and I need to do something about it.”

“Your little obsession is working on finding bugs in our new game. If you want to pretend to be a new hire, I can call down for you.”

A smile takes over my face, and I look at Ridge. “You would do that?”

“To get rid of you so I can bend Zee over his desk, sure. Head downstairs and Theo will be waiting for you.”

I clap and practically run from the room. As much as I would normally make some quick-witted comment about watching them, I need to get a fix of Arlo. The elevator takes forever, but I finally make it downstairs to find Theo waiting for me. “Aspen?”

“That’s me.”

“The boss said you would come in to help run through the new game. I need you to sign a form saying you won’t talk to anyone outside the room about this game.”

“I’m well versed with signing NDAs for Ridgeland.”

Theo hands me an iPad and I sign on the dotted line. He tells me to follow him, and when he gets to a room, he opens the door and Arlo is inside.

“Arlo, we have a new girl here to help run through the game with you.”

Arlo turns and my chest flutters when he smiles, pushing up from the floor where he was sitting. He slides his black-rimmed glasses up his nose and walks over to me. I smile back, noticing he wore his Rick and Morty shirt today. “Hi, it’s nice to see you again.”

“I’m excited to work with you. I’ve heard good things.”

Honestly, I haven’t. Ridge doesn’t say nice things about people he works with. It’s either they’ve done their job well or they haven’t—there is no in between. But I know Arlo will benefit from the confidence boost.

“I trust you can bring her up to speed. Mr. Ellington wants this finished as quickly as possible.”

“Of course, and don’t worry, Theo. I should be done quicker with the help.”

Once Theo leaves, Arlo awkwardly shifts on his feet. “So, a quick tour. PCs, large screen with PlayStation and Xbox, and you can use the recliners, couch, or beanbags—I prefer the beanbags personally. Fridge is over there and is stocked with soda. Kelly brings in snacks and restocks them every day. If you have a preference, you can let her know.”

“Thanks. Should we get to work and maybe you can show me what we’re testing?”

“Right,” he says, his cheeks staining red. I follow him to the beanbags and take a seat beside him.

“We are working on a hyper-realistic online military strategy and survival game, where players control mercenary factions in a war-torn world. Unlike standard shooters, it combines FPS combat, base building, and political alliances. We have to build a squad, and right now we play against the computer, but with you here we can actually build our teams and play against each other, so I will set up the other projector after we go through this. Basically, you train your squad, which you can buy orslowly build using game points. You will be able to form alliances with other teams, but your own characters could turn against you if you are not developing them enough. We will release new maps with our monthly updates. Oh, and you have to treat your squad like humans—they will need to rest and eat.”

“And how does someone win the game?”

“There are a few ways—by dominating the world map at 75%, being the last fraction remaining, and there is a peace route, but I don’t suspect that will be popular. At all times, players risk rogue AI mercenaries infiltrating and taking over all the factions and losing the game outright.”

“Okay, I think I have enough information. What do I need to do?”

“Let me get you set up, and you can build your team. Mine is already done, so we can spend a few hours getting yours to the same strength as mine.”

Arlo does just that, spending a few hours sitting beside me as we build up my characters, buying all the things I would need to hold my own against his team. The aim is for us to play it enough to make sure there are no bugs and then it’s sent to the other beta teams, who will play it live from their own homes and send in feedback.

Who would have thought game testing was so fun? I’m tempted to ask the guys for a job. Gaming has always been my way to wind down and relax. Would Zeland be pissed if I ditched the app? Or maybe I could do both; it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve worked more than one job.

Chapter Thirteen

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