The Wager: A Game Changer Prequel (3 page)

“Yep, as always. I’ll never go a day without visiting her. You know that,” I said, steadying my hand while applying some generous eyeliner. If only I could talk while holding my mouth just right...

“And? Did things go a bit smoother this time?”

“Nope. Same as every day so far since she’s been there.” Taking a break from my makeup application, I stared at my friend through our reflections in the mirror and sighed heavily. “She begged me not to leave her... said I was giving up on her. Needless to say, I had tears in my eyes before I even made it back to my car.”

“Shit,” Sam whispered. “I was hoping the longer she was there, the sooner she’d forget it wasn’t her home.”

“Yeah, well, Alzheimer’s or not, she doesn’t just forget her habits and lifestyle. She had it good with me. I would give anything to change it,” I said, tears threatening to muss the artwork on my face.

“Oh, no. No crying. You’ll undo everything you just did,” Sam demanded, grabbing a few squares of toilet paper before the waterworks started.

“Well, you brought it up, damn it,” I said, dabbing at my eyes and allowing a few small tears to drop onto the soft surface of the tissue paper.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. So, are you done with your face? I want to see the finished product before I have to go,” she said, obviously trying to change the subject quickly before I completely lost it and decided not to go. I took in a deep breath and willed my sadness away, focusing on how awesome my costume was.

Placing my mask over my eyes and readjusting my tits in the curve-hugging outfit, making sure my cleavage was perfect, I stood in front of Sam and asked, “How do I look?”

“
Marvel
ous,” she said with a smile that reached her eyes, obviously proud of herself with that corny little joke.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me to this party? It’d be fun. I have several costumes you could wear just waiting for you in my closet,” I said, practically begging her.

“Oh no. This is your thing. I’d much rather go home and watch the ball drop from my warm sofa.” While Sam continually pushed me to get out more and have fun, she never really knew how to take her own advice and often chose to stay indoors. “Plus, I have your latest masterpiece to enjoy,” she added with a wink as she collected her purse.

“One of these days, I’m going to drag you out of that editing hole and into the real world,” I said, my words losing their conviction as they spilled from my mouth. In all honesty, I didn’t blame her for wanting to delve into the pages of fictional characters. It was more often than not how I chose to spend my time.

*****

A
bout ten minutes later, I pulled up to the luxurious condo along Channelside and was greeted by a valet ready to take my keys. It figured the execs of nZone Studios would be able to afford such a party perk. I felt very important as I brushed the fir of my costume away from my skin and made my way into the foyer. I decided to drive, telling Sky I’d meet her there. Even though I was insisting on alcohol, I really wasn’t in the mood to drink much. If all else failed, I could leave my car here and force my pixie friend to escort me home.

The heels of my knee-high boots clopped loudly on the tiled floor, echoing through the lobby area over the few muffled voices of people mingling about.

“Oh, good! You’re here!” When I looked up at the voice, a beautifully dressed Gothic Lolita came bounding toward me. The costume was very well done too. I almost couldn’t tell it was my friend, Sky, under the getup.

“Sky? Wow, that’s a kickass costume.” Even though it was inspired by the Victorian era, Lolita fashion was very popular in Japan, and Sky pulled off the corset top, poufy skirt, and platform boots with an effortless style—all topped off with a cute little mask and spikey pigtails in her short hair.

“You too, Maci. Very sexy! And I love what you did with your hair. The gamer nerds will go crazy over you tonight,” she said while running her long fingers through a curl in my hair and showing off a really cute, flowered bracelet with black ribbons that matched her outfit perfectly.

“Nu-uh. I came to hang out with you. You better not ditch me for anyone either.” And I was serious. I hated feeling like the odd man out.

Grabbing my arm and leading me toward a bay of elevators, she grinned devilishly and said, “No promises.”

We rode the elevator to the very top floor along with two guys—one in an entire
Deadpool
getup and the other dressed as Finn from
Adventure Time
. Their costumes looked completely different, which matched the variations in their physical appearances. The one dressed as Finn was a tall, lanky dude resembling a beanpole, his simplistic costume jiving well with his height, while the other was a short, stalky nerd with black-rimmed glasses over his
Deadpool
mask and obvious padding under his red suit.

It came as no surprise they had their masked eyeballs glued to us girls. Maybe coming to an all-nerd party wasn’t the best idea. It would be hard to make these dudes see us as one of the guys. They always seemed to act like total morons around chicks. If only they could be themselves, we’d have more fun.

“I’m only assuming we’ll be able to game while here?” I asked Sky, never dropping my voice in volume. I didn’t care if geek one and geek two heard me. I wasn’t ashamed to be a geek right along with them.

“No doubt,” she answered. “And I can’t wait to watch you kick all these guys’ asses when we do.”

The bubble of laughter that left my throat was unintentional, but still had the guys in the elevator with us sporting slight grins. I would bet my left tit they thought I was full of shit.

I couldn’t help the dropped-jaw expression on my face as we walked into the condo on the top floor. There was no way someone actually lived in this place. It had to have been for vacations or parties or something. Everything was so fancy and pristine that I was afraid to even walk on the shining hardwood floors for fear that my boots might make scuffs on the surface.

“Do you need introductions or just want to mingle?” Sky asked, leaning over to me as she took in her surroundings. She said she’d been here once before for another corporate party about a year ago, but she didn’t bother to tell me how amazingly intimidating the place was.

“Ahh, I’d rather just mingle.” I really didn’t want to be the center of attention, even in a small group while Sky made introductions. Plus, all these people were masked. It was kinda interesting to think that they were all anonymous beings I could just have a fun night without making a great impression. Lasting impressions were for the birds.

“Let’s go get a drink together first,” Sky said while eyeballing the bar around the kitchen.

I opted for a Jack and Coke, while Sky went with a fruity punch-looking thing she called Hippie Juice. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her. My editor, Samantha, would’ve chosen the same thing. Even though they were entirely different people, they sure had quite a few similarities. The fact that they both seemed to
get
me made them perfect friends.

Bobbing my head to the music, I looked around at the people who were there. Almost all guys, with only a few scattered girls, everyone seemed to have amazing costumes. It seemed more like a dang Halloween party than a masquerade, yet I figured gamers wouldn’t settle for silly peacock masks and such, instead going for the more meaningful comic book, video game, and movie characters.

“Hey, ladies!” a short man said while walking toward us wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. I say short, but he was probably my same height. But with my heels on, I dwarfed him. “Welcome to Casa de Phantom. Tonight, we stay masked and don’t share names. It’ll add to the fun!”

“Casa de Phantom?” Sky asked with a laugh. “Why are you being so shady, Tha—ahh, sorry, V?” Sky must’ve almost said his real name, and then backpedalled when he glared at her through his mask, the false smile on his face betraying the look in his eyes.

“Yeah, Phantom of the Opera over there,” he said while pointing to a man by the couches, “is the host for this evening.”

Hearing V say his pseudo name, the cloaked man turned around, showing the half of his face with the white mask first before turning completely.

I couldn’t help but gasp. Phantom of the Opera didn’t have piercing blue eyes like that—that was for damn sure. They were simply captivating.

Liam: No Names

H
earing Thad say my name—well, the name of my character for the evening—I turned to see who the turd was talking to about me when I caught sight of a beautiful Black Cat standing next to Sky. Both ladies were stunning, but Sky’s friend was seriously beyond words. The way her costume perfectly matched Marvel’s The Black Cat, all while keeping it classy instead of overly voluptuous, was striking.

Even though both Sky and Thad were talking to her, she seemed to have her eye on me, which made me wonder what Thad was blathering about to cause such an intense stare from her.

With my feet moving before my brain could catch up, I began walking toward her. I wanted to know her name, figure out who she was, but with Thad’s impromptu game of no names, I knew finding out would be a challenge.

Then it hit me. Maybe names were best left unsaid. After all, she had to have known this party was put on by an nZone Studios executive. The thought that she was like all the other leeches in this world soured my need to get to know her. I hadn’t even met the chick yet and I was already stereotyping her based on past experiences.

“Well, hello, Angel of Music,” Sky said, smacking me on the shoulder to gain my attention. Regardless of her comment and the fact she definitely knew who I was, my gaze was still glued to the beautiful Black Cat.

“What’s the matter, Phantom?” Thad said, leaning into me and talking low enough so only the four of us could hear him, his voice muffled behind the mask. “Cat got your tongue?”

Everyone, even Black Cat, decided to laugh at his joke, and I couldn’t help but join in. The man had a few funnies up his sleeve.

“I guess so,” I said, extending my hand out for her to take. “Nice to meet you.”

“Ditto,” she responded just as Sky cleared her throat.

“And what are you supposed to be?” I asked Sky.

“Just call me Lolita,” she responded as she rested her hand on her hip and popped it out slightly. “Black Cat and I can’t wait to hear you sing, Phantom.”

“Ahh, I’m all looks, no voice,” I said with a bow.

All four of us stood there without speaking, an awkward silence descending upon us. I noticed Black Cat sucking down her drink nervously like it was going out of style. It made me wonder what was going through that feline head of hers.

Before I knew it, Thad walked away, jabbering on and on to newcomers about the “rules” to his no-name game.

“And... that’s my cue,” Sky said, flitting off somewhere behind me, clearly eager to get away from the sea of awkwardness that seemed to cloud around me.

“Well, they took off quick,” Black Cat said, sipping the very last of her drink through her straw. Her lips were a perfect shade of black that seemed to fit the costume perfectly and just the look of them wrapped around the straw enraptured me.

“Yeah, I seem to have a knack for clearing a room. Sorry ‘bout that,” I said, running my fingers through my slicked-back hair. I almost forgot I had the half-mask glued to my face as I brought my hand down over it. Noticing her drink was completely empty, I pointed to the glass and asked, “What are you drinking?”

“Ahh, Jack Daniels and Coke,” she answered, lifting her glass up to examine it as if she didn’t know it was empty. “Man, I drank that quickly. Must’ve been thirsty.”

“Want another? Jack is my poison of choice too.”

“Sure,” she said, following me back toward the bar area. “Nice place you got here.”

“Thanks. I don’t usually have people over often.” I also seemed to blabber about nonsensical stuff when I felt uncomfortable or nervous. But she didn’t need to know that. Grabbing her glass, I decided to make more normal conversation. “So, how do you know Sk— oh, I mean,
Lolita
.”

“She’s been a buddy of mine for quite a few years now. We hit it off after meeting in a line on Black Friday, waiting for our turn to snatch up the new Xbox.”

Grabbing the drink I offered her, our hands brushed together for a moment, and I couldn’t help but notice how much I was acting like a goddamn teenager.

“Thanks,” she whispered, placing the straw to her lips again and watching me make my own.

Just as I finished mixing my drink, I noticed her staring at me, intently studying my features. I’d never had a woman gaze at me so fixedly, as if she wanted to lift the mask and meet the real me. Before I could speak, she smiled and softly said, “The Angel of Music never had such stunning blue eyes. I bet if he did, Christine wouldn’t have been able to resist.”

“I have a confession to make,” I said, crooking my finger for her to come closer. With her face close to mine, I bowed my head and said, “I’ve never actually watched Phantom of the Opera. I just thought the costume was cool.”

Backing away, she gasped, placing her gloved hand over her lips in mock horror. “That’s got to be criminal. How can you dress like a character you know nothing about? You must watch it right away.”

“Eh, I’ve never been a fan of musicals. I got the gist of it with a few quick internet searches,” I said with a shrug.

“Well, I might need to force feed it to you one of these days. It’s a classic,” she said with a giggle, and the idea of seeing her again was probably a damn good reason to suffer through it.

“Looking forward to it,” I said while leading her out onto the terrace where things were a bit quieter.

It didn’t take long for the conversation to start flowing, only taking breaks to refill our drinks a few times. Before I knew it, at least an hour had passed with us jabbering on about our interests, especially our love of the game. The winter night air was quite chilly, especially for Tampa, and I wondered if she was warm enough.

Suddenly, it seemed as if our conversation took a turn for the serious and we began to talk about our wishes and desires. It seemed a bit heavy when we were just getting to know each other for the first time, but we’d already had a few drinks and they seemed to be going straight to our head. So, I just flowed with it.