Page 10 of A Geek Girl's Guide to Kissing a Video Gamer
Sadie swooped in for the rescue. “We met at an after-party back in the day and then recently reconnected. He was cute then, and nothing much has changed.”
Cute? Xavier jerked his gaze to hers. “Uh, yeah. Not sure about the cute part.”
He thought he heard her say, “You should be.” But he’d never been cute or hot or anything else. “He was sweet, and I asked him out.”
“You asked him out?” Buck asked, still skeptical.
Poppy nodded. “That’s right. She called me that night, tickled pink she’d run into him again. She’d crushed on him back when, and I could tell she still liked him. I knew there was something there from the beginning. She couldn’t stop talking about him.”
Buck narrowed his eyes. “Where is her ring, and why were you in costume today?”
No way was he telling this jerk he’d lost a bet. “Her ring is getting sized, and I wanted to walk the floor without worrying about being recognized.”
Buck seemed to relax and then chuckled. “I can see that. I bet at a place like that, you do get noticed.”
“Just a little.” It was sorta true. He did get noticed by people who were in the industry, but regular people? Not so much. He was just a dorky guy in glasses who wore expensive suits.
Xavier glanced at Sadie. He hadn’t gotten that impression from her. She seemed down to earth, and he couldn’t deny he was attracted to her. It was a shame this gig would be up once dinner was over. But maybe it didn’t have to be. Maybe he’d ask her out. Hadn’t he said it was time for a change?
Chapter 7
Sadie was so ready to go. She hated even sitting across the table from Buck, especially when he was being all googly-eyed with Cinnamon. If it weren’t for the prospect of a steady income, she’d have already left.
“So, what’s this meeting about?” Xavier asked as the waiter trotted off after taking their drink orders.
Once the waiter was out of earshot, Buck set his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together. “Templar Games is looking for fresh artwork, and while they like Empire, they like Sadie’s style. The CEO asked me to talk to her.”
“Why wouldn’t they just come to me? Why do they need you as a go-between?” asked Sadie.
Poppy nodded. “That’s an excellent question.”
Buck shrugged. “He knew I had a connection to you.”
“Did you tell him it’d been blown to smithereens? Because it has,” Sadie nearly growled.
“No, because it wouldn’t be professional.”
“Or, you didn’t tell him because he doesn’t think your artwork is all that great and now you need me.” Sadie smiled.
Buck frowned and exhaled sharply. “Look, Templar wants you, but they also have their eye on another artist. If you do this, I’ll…give half the company back.”
Sadie narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“You heard me. Half the company.”
She had to be hallucinating. Under the table, she discreetly pinched herself. “What did you do, Buck?” The company was thriving when he took it from her.
“Banner Games pulled out a few months after you left. They didn’t like my art designs. After that, I tried hiring some talent, and they—”
“Weren’t as good as me.” Normally, Sadie doubted herself, but for just that second, she had nothing but confidence.
Buck shook his head. “No.”
Sadie grinned. “I don’t want half the company. I want controlling interest.”
“Controlling interest? We were fifty-fifty last time.”
Xavier huffed. “And look where that got her.”
