Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
“Oh wow!” she remarks, studying the track pants and hoodie I hand her.
“Joey would love these,” she says, but I already figured that.
I hold up the smallest version of everything we have that I’ve put into a bag for him. “Already done,” I let her know, hovering shamelessly in the doorway and watching her dress.
My own instant arousal as I watch her telling me that sweat pants might be the new and preferred workplace uniform.
“You’re just one surprise after another,” she sighs, standing on tippy toes to peck my cheek before I take her hand in mine, and we make our way back out to the workshop area.
“Don’t worry about the confetti,” I remark, referring to the stacks of fallen papers still on the floor. Miles’ notes and ideas to himself mostly. “I’ll put everything back the way it was later.”
“Everything we need is right…here,” I explain, logging in to the main menu of the virtual reality design portal we’ve created.
“…A lot of it will be kid’s stuff to your eyes, but we’re using our own coding program too,” I tell Jade. “Interfacing everyday code and tech with our newest project,” I remark with just a hint of pride in my voice.
I bring up the files I’m talking about, displaying them on the bigger monitors on the walls so Jade can see what I’m talking about at a glance.
Her expression changes, and she becomes engrossed in scanning the files I open up one after the other. Finally, she takes a deep breath and shakes her head in amazement.
“You’re the only other person to see any of this,” I add. And once I see her face shift to bewilderment bordering on confusion, I know my coding secrets are safe.
“How is any of this going to translate?” she asks, frowning with a clinical air.
“I mean, I get the shift. I understand the differences, but isn’t this just change for change’s sake?” she quizzes me, looking up with a critical eye.
“Yep,” I beam back at her, hooking my arm around her and pulling her close as we each study the monitors.
“But the coding isn’t the difference,” I explain. “Hell. We’ve got AI over in the next suite, crunching out its own code that even we don’t understand yet.”
“Our big difference, and what’s going to be the real game changer, literally, are these,” I announce, sliding open a foam-lined drawer and lifting out two prototypes of our virtual reality headsets.
“Sunglasses?” Jade remarks do not mean to sound disappointed, but they make me chuckle.
“Kind of,” I smile, handing her a pair while slipping on my own, not seeing anything when I do.
Because they really are just dummy prototypes.
“They are part of the research Miles is doing, but it’s a long way off being integrated into our gameplay,” I note.
“Neat.” She smiles, handing hers back after a moment, gnawing at her lip as she looks around.
“So…how soon can you start?” I smile down at her.
“You mean…?” she asks, giving me a long and vacant look.
“Yeah,” I’m quick to tell her. “I want you, Jade. All of you all the time, and if tonight’s anything to go by, I just know you’re a perfect fit.” I beam.
“You mean I’ve got the job, though?” she asks, surprising me a little that she hasn’t figured that part out already.
Keeping my mad grin going, I nod feverishly before she squeals with excitement, and catching her as she leaps into my arms, I kiss her again.
The slow and steady approach is really paying off, Zak. Can’t wait ‘til her mom finds out.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jade
Creeping inside after Zak drops me off, I’m figuring maybe mom wasn’t serious when she said I had to be home by ten, which was about three hours ago.
Zak and I got tied up with him showing me more of his work. The work he insists I’m more than capable of working on with him as part of his team.
And how’s that going to work with everything else we want to do together? Especially when both of us are still unable to keep our hands off each other.
There’s only one way to find out, and Zak’s quick to remind me before I get out of the car that he has bigger plans for us both than just developing a new game.
And he doesn’t want to waste any more time when it comes to being with me.
“I’ll pick you up at eight,” he informs me, but apart from the crazy early hour for a Saturday he’s suggesting, I think it’ll look better if I get myself to work.
For now, at least.
“I can borrow mom’s car,” I explain. “No need to come and get me,” I add, noting his expression.
He reluctantly agrees but is equally quick to let me know he’ll let the security company know I’ll be coming in.
“We can have a security pass made up for you first thing,” he says with his usual confidence before we share one last, never-long enough kiss before I really have to go inside.