“Talked to her,” Elliot said. “Felt her up in a back room. Got her off…”
Fuck me. Wasn’t expecting that, but the instant he said it the images flooded my mind, and rented a space.Hot. Scorching even. I was saving that idea to beat my meat to later. “She return the favor?” Because that image could be the first one’s neighbor.
I was half hard and should probably clear both thoughts from my mind, but I didn’t want to.
“Didn’t give her a chance.” Elliot’s reply didn’t quell my desire.
I’d simply adjust the fantasy. “Bryce was harassing her.”
Elliot’s arm where it pressed into mine stiffened, and a glance confirmed he was standing more rigidly. Bryce had threatened Elliot’s people, and he didn’t stand for that. There was no question he felt at least as strongly about the situation as I did.
“They’re working on ejecting him.” If they hadn’t already.
“Good,” Elliot said.
The next few hours passed quickly, with the exhibitor’s hall getting busier as people finished work and stopped in, and as panels wrapped up for the day. The last hour before the doors closed, the line to demo the game grew out of control, and Elliot and I spent most of our time handing out ‘jump the main line’ passes to anyone we had to turn away for the night.
When the hall doors closed, the group breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone from the office who wasn’t on call had shown up, because the entire group was attending OpeningCeremonies. We were the star of the show, and Plaid Peanut Butter was playing at the end, to officially kick this event off.
Dustin had arranged for one of the Mexican food vendors to bring dinner by the booth, and for the next hour or so, we all sat wherever we could find—on the stools for people visiting the booth, Luna was perched on a folding table, on the floor—and ate and joked.
Moments like this, like the team conference call the other morning, were the ones I really lived for. The reminder of what a great family I’d found.
I glanced at Elliot, who was trading insults with Nigel and playing the part of Luna’s knight in shining armor. Elliot was laughing along with everyone else. Looking incredible. Sounding fantastic.
This was perfect.
Danny and Alys had to break away—they were half of Plaid Peanut Butter. Danny was a founding member along with Reese, and Alys and Maddox had joined a few months ago, adding a new layer of sound to the band.
Dustin left to prep for the presentation that came before, and the group kind of broke up after that. Each of us drifting into our own, smaller cliques.
Two-by-two and three-by-three, we headed to the main hall. The line was still out the door, but security was seating people quickly. We didn’t have to wait. A flash of our badges, and we were let in through a side entrance, to find spots near the front of the room.
I tried to avoid looking for Fallyn when we walked in, but when I caught a glimpse of black and red fuzzy ears, I couldn’t help but make a mental note of their exact location.
The show started with Rinslet levels of hype. Psyching up the crowd, showing clips of our game, making sure the energy in the room was off the charts. Putting Dustin and Chloe on stagetogether probably made it possible to power the building off their enthusiasm.
When they introduced Plaid Peanut Butter, and the curtain behind them came up, the noise in the room reached deafening before the music even started.
Most of the band was already up there—Danny on guitar, Alys on drums, and Maddox, our newest artist on bass. But one member was conspicuously absent.
“RinCon.” Reese’s voice carried above it all as she strolled to front and center stage. “Are you ready to rock?”
The response from the crowd probably broke the sound barrier, and the band lit intoGlass Slipper,the song that had made them a viral internet sensation. Half the room, including me, sang along. I loved their music, and this song especially.
For the next hour or so, we rocked to the music on stage, and I happily lost myself in moving and screaming and singing along. They did a few covers, but most of the songs were their own.
Even Elliot was grinning most of the time.
I tried to avoid glancing into the crowds for Fallyn, but I couldn’t help the occasional look. It was probably a good thing she wasn’t up here with us, because the glimpses I caught, where she was lost in the music, were enthralling.
As we hit the encore, Elliot leaned close, his mouth on my ear. “Come home with me.” His words barely carried over the music, and the offer sent a shiver of desire down my spine.
We rarely spent the night at each other’s houses during the week, but this week none of the rules seemed to matter.
Could we reach a point where there were new rules? Where I had more with Elliot?
I shoved the thoughts away before they could become more than whispers of curiosity. No. Elliot and I didn’t have that. We weren’t meant to have that. We would never have that.