CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Jack
“Jack, who’s that on your arm?” reporters called as Daisy and I walked the red carpet leading into Salazar Nights.
I usually only answered them when the woman I was with wanted to be splashed all over the entertainment websites and social media.
But now it was my turn. Not that I wanted those things in particular, but I was proud to be seen with Daisy.
And I wanted everyone to know she was mine.
“This is my girlfriend, Daisy,” I said, turning around with her on my arm.
She’d never looked lovelier, and we almost hadn’t made it out of the condo after I’d seen her in that dress.
Her tits were barely contained, and the slit showed her entire thigh and half her ass.
She looked fantastic. So sexy, so beautiful, so classy.
And I swear she was the first woman who’d even gone to one of these events with me whose smile was genuine.
The photographers loved it. She smiled and posed for them as many times as they asked, talking and laughing with them as if she knew them.
It was great, and I was so thrilled to have her on my arm.
We slowly made our way inside. Everyone wanted to stop and talk with us. Well, mainly with Daisy. I just stood by, smiled, and answered the occasional question thrown my way.
The party was perfect. It was hands down the best one I’d ever been to. I didn’t feel nervous or anxious with Daisy on my arm. We danced to several songs, including one playing right before I was supposed to go up on stage and give a quick speech revealing the new character for CaveSphere 4.
“Lover,” by Taylor Swift was the song, and I twirled her and dipped her expertly to the surprise and delight of most of the people gathered around the dance floor. When the music faded, Laura’s voice broke through the applause as people clapped for us.
I was riding a high. Was I nervous to give the speech? Yes. But with Daisy by my side, I knew it would be okay. I gave her my arm, and we walked up the stairs together. I held onto her hand as I stood at the lectern and spoke into the microphone.
“I’m going to keep this short and sweet.
I know you didn’t come here to hear me talk for a long time.
You came here for a party. I want to thank Nico Salazar for the use of this fabulous club.
I couldn’t ask for a better place to unveil something big and exciting.
Something that’s been a long time in the making. ”
The audience got quiet. No one had been expecting a major announcement about the game, but they were about to get it.
I gestured to the guy in charge of broadcasting a slick new slideshow of the new character on a drop-down screen hidden in a wall at the club.
The lights dimmed and soft, dramatic music played in the background as an image of the new character, Flora, appeared on the wall.
“Meet the newest character in the CaveSphere universe,” I said.
Applause broke out, but I felt Daisy stiffen at my side. I turned to look at her, and she was frowning in confusion.
“Ladies and gentlemen, meet Flora. She’s the first new main character introduced to the game since its inception over ten years ago. She’s smart, sexy, skilled at magic and sword fighting, and ready to inspire a new generation of CaveSphere players.”
The slideshow began, showing a video montage I’d made with Flora advancing through some of the basics, advanced levels, and quests in CaveSphere. I waited until the show was on the last screen, where it purposefully froze, to make the last announcement.
“I’d like to credit Daisy Tiller, my girlfriend and the inspiration behind Flora, with the idea to add a kick-ass female character to CaveSphere that would appeal to mass audiences.
We especially want to attract the female audience our game has largely ignored until now.
So, thank you, Daisy.” I turned, smiling, to look down at her.
She was still stiff as she stood next to me, and the smile was frozen on her face.
What I had chalked up to nerves seemed to be more than that.
I quickly shot a look at Grandma. I could read the look she gave me instantly.
Still, she mouthed, ‘did you tell her?’ to me.
I gave a subtle shake of my head, and she closed her eyes briefly, clearly frustrated.
The audience, cheering and clapping, seemed entirely unaware of any potential drama.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” I said, as the video started playing again, and Daisy and I made our way off the stage.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Um, yeah.” She bit her lip, then her eyes flicked up to mine. “It’s me. Your new character.”
I nodded, pushing her gently towards a private alcove where we could talk. “Is that a problem?”
She looked conflicted. “No,” she said slowly, “I guess not.”
I wasn’t at all convinced. The look on her face seemed much closer to horrified than flattered. “Talk to me,” I urged, as I held one of her forearms and ran my thumb along her jaw.
“I… well, I just wish you’d warned me first. That’s all.”
I shook my head and looked at the floor. “I should have. I’m sorry. My family told me I needed to, but I was afraid you’d tell me to make her look different or name her something else. And I didn’t want to,” I admitted. “I wanted her to look like you, Daisy.”
“She doesn’t just look like me. She is me.” Her eyes were focused on the screen. “How did you do that?”
I shrugged. “It’s complicated. Coding and all that.” I didn’t want to tell her that I had thousands of digital video images of her I’d been able to download into my software. Then I’d have to explain where I’d gotten the images.
And that was a can of worms I never wanted to open.
“Are you okay?” I asked again.
The smile she gave me was forced and didn’t reach her eyes, but she nodded. “Yes. I’m just not feeling that well. I might go on home if you don’t mind.”
We’d been there for a couple of hours already and the announcement had been made.
“I’ll go with you. Just let me say a few goodbyes.
” I looked around for a member of the catering staff and raised a hand subtly in their direction.
I grabbed two glasses of champagne from his tray, handed one to Daisy and walked in the direction I’d last seen my sister. “Will you be alright?”
She nodded, and I left her standing in the alcove, glass in her hand.
I was so pleased with the audience’s reception of Flora.
Their gasps of surprise and excitement hadn’t been faked…
even I could tell that with my subpar social skills.
It took me much longer than I’d anticipated to reach Grandma and Laura.
People stopped me every few steps I took to try to talk with me.
I was as polite as I could be until I couldn’t take the small talk anymore and practically ran from a half dozen others who had wanted to talk to me.
“My God,” I said as I finally reached Laura and Grandma.
“I thought I’d never reach you.” I pulled at the uncomfortable bowtie of my tux until I finally untied the damn thing and left it hanging like that around my neck.
I unbuttoned the top couple of buttons on my shirt, too, and finally felt a bit more like myself.
I mean, not like I had on my favorite jeans and T-shirt, but there was only so far I could go to get comfortable at the party.
“What did y’all think? Pretty great response, huh?” I grinned at them. Laura looked happy, but Grandma shook her head.
“You didn’t tell her. Jack, we told you to warn her about the character…”
“I know,” I sighed, looking back to where I’d left Daisy. She wasn’t there. I frowned and looked around for a bit until I saw her standing and talking to Nadine and Reynolds. “I just didn’t want to. I wanted Flora to look like Daisy. She is Flora to me.”
The looks on their faces softened when I said that. “Just be careful. She didn’t exactly look happy, little brother. You’re going to need to make it up to her in a big way.”
“How? I’ve taken the thing I love most in the world besides my family and put her in it. That’s the biggest declaration of my feelings for her I can imagine.”
“Did you tell her that?” Grandma asked.
“Well, no. Do I have to? I thought it was pretty obvious.”
“For all she knows you just think she’s hot and wanted the character to look like her,” Laura chided. “Tell her what it meant to you to put her in the game.”
Huh. That made sense. “I get it,” I nodded. “Look, I really came by to say goodnight. Daisy and I are headed back to the condo. I wanted to say thank you for everything,” I said, leaning in and giving my sister a quick hug.
She looked at me like I was the creature who popped out of someone’s chest in the Alien movie. “Wow. I don’t know that you’ve ever thanked me before. And an unprompted hug? Daisy is fantastic for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. I’m not that bad.”
“Yes, you are,” Grandma and Laura said together.
I laughed. “Whatever. I will agree, though, that Daisy is good for me.” I looked around until I spotted her again. “And I’m going to go tell her so.”
They both beamed at me, and I hurried to get to my girlfriend.
We said our goodbyes and left from a private exit Nico Salazar directed me towards. He called for our limo, and we were on our way after I helped her inside.
“Hey,” I said, once we got going, “I shouldn’t have sprung Flora on you like that. I need to tell you something…”
A wild buzzing in my pocket cut me off, and I fished my phone out. “Ah, shit. Laura needs something I left at my house.” I leaned forward and directed the driver to stop by my place at Estates at South before we headed back to the condo.
My phone rang right after that, and I spent the rest of the short trip to the house reassuring Laura I’d get what it was she needed to her as soon as I could.
By the time we’d pulled up, it no longer seemed like a great time to tell her I loved her.
“What were you going to say?” she prompted as we walked through the foyer and into the airy, open family room.
I started to tell her, but as I looked around, I felt like this rather impersonal space wasn’t the place to do it. I still hadn’t added any personal touches or decorations to the Estates at South house. “Can I tell you when we get to the condo?”
I felt much more at home there. It was where I’d been sleeping ever since the auction. Contrary to what Carmen wanted, Daisy and I hadn’t slept away from each other even once since the night I’d ‘won’ her.
“Sure,” she said, but the look on her face was disappointed. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back. I just have to grab an external hard drive.” I took the stairs two at a time as I hurried to get back to her. I looked down at her, catching a last glimpse before I turned a corner, and almost stopped when I saw how unsure she looked.
She was standing alone in the foyer in her beautiful gown, but she had her arms crossed over her chest, almost like she was hugging herself for comfort. She looked lost—small and vulnerable in the huge space.
I started to go back to her, to swoop her up in my arms and carry her up the stairs so she’d be with me the whole time we were here.
But then I told myself I was being silly. We could stand to be apart for a few minutes. I didn’t want to smother her.
Besides, I’d clear up any doubts she had about us once we got back to the condo.