Beauty and the Billionaire

"No," I said, forcing my eyes to stay on the screen. "I'm just really good."

Quinn paused her avatar, whose heaving breasts and skin-tight suit were not helping me at all. "So you didn't do any Beta testing on Dark Flag, you just picked it up and became the all-conquering Light Slayer?"

"Yes. And before you ask, I had the sponsorships beforehand."

"Wow. So you really are that good," she said.

I reactivated her avatar and kept playing. "You'll figure it out too. I mean, you've only been playing for a few days and you can keep up with me. I'm thinking you could be a good protégé."

Quinn bounced forward on the leather sofa. "God, how great would that be? I really want something I can just throw my whole self into, you know? That's what's so hard about the nursing program. Everywhere all around me, classmates are doing exactly what they always wanted to do. And every day, I'm wondering why I don't feel the same way too."

"But you feel that way playing Dark Flag?"

"Yeah, I know. It’s corny and I'm sure it just seems like a convenient escape."

"No," I said, squeezing her knee. "As long as you want to really learn about all of it and not just play for fun."

"Show me," Quinn said.

I gripped my controller. It had been days, no, years since I saw Quinn look so inspired. She had been dutiful, responsible, and practical. But none of those things lit her from within like she was now. The fact that doing what I loved had the same effect on her was too good to be true. My blood was pumping.

I brought up two hidden menus that showed some of the master commands. "Knowing how to find things like this is part of my super power," I said.

"All those years of Beta testing paying off, huh?" Her chocolate brown eyes flew over the new information.

"Don't worry, it’s not completely unfair. Stuff like this is all over the internet. A few hours of research and you could find it," I said.

"Ooo, what's a Portal Spell?" Quinn asked. Her lithe fingers were already trying out the sequence over the top of her controller buttons.

"It sends you and any chosen player into a private space. A lot of people use it during combat," I said.

"Oops," Quinn said.

She had accomplished the tricky sequence and now our avatars were alone in the great hall of an abandoned castle. Anxious messages flashed from my clan members, and I sent them all our coded message for “stick to the plan.” While Quinn's avatar shimmied across the wide open hall, my clan was still preparing to cross the Black Fields and take the next stronghold.

"This is so cool," Quinn said. "Once you get the hang of it, it can almost move like a real person. I bet it almost feels natural to you."

"That's the whole point," I said. It was hard to take my eyes off her now graceful avatar, but Quinn herself was irresistible. "We've gotten to the point in gaming when you can actually step into whole other worlds."

"And do things you would never dream of doing in real life," Quinn said.

Her eyes were on mine, the chocolate brown melting as I returned her look. "That's the attraction for a lot of people."

"Not for you?" she asked.

I put my controller down and took her hand. "No. I spent a lot of my life setting aside what I really wanted to do. That's over now."

Her lips only inches from mine. I wanted to move, to kiss her, but I could not. Our eyes held as if some greater force had paused us there.

#

I took a deep breath. "We should go to Vegas."

Quinn's eyes opened wider, and I wondered what she thought I meant.

"There's a great arcade, lots of people. A lot of people there like Dark Flag. You'll get good experience," I said.

She laughed and sat back. "Sure. Sounds great. I was thinking about heading back to school, anyway. I don't want to spend another night with my parents."