“Do I think he’shot?” I murmur, tapping my chin. “Um, you know what? I know I’m in the minority here. But I have to say, I’ve never seen it. When it comes to men, I’m much more interested in what they have to say, how they talk to a lady, if it goes beyond compliments and empty platitudes… than justlooks.”
I look directly at the camera. Wicked smile in place. Knowing he might see this later when I upload the clip to my channel.
CHAPTER 6
JACKSON
That cheeky smile…
I watch the clip a few times, Dakota saying she’s not attracted to me. Saying she’s more interested in substance and character, in what a man has to say, rather than just looks. I love that look on her face. A hint of danger. Excitement, as if she knows this is going to get to me.
How much clearer can I be? I used her name,afterusing words plucked directly from our messages. It gives me plausible deniability while still confirming it.
A knock at the office door breaks me from my reverie. “Yes,” I call.
“That was… interesting.” Pete walks into my office, massaging the knuckles of one hand with the other like he’s trying to process some inner tension. “It would’ve been better if you’d run that by the media team first.”
“I doubt I did any harm,” I say. “I didn’t make any firm commitments.”
“Exactly,” he replies, sitting down. “No offense, Jack, but sometimes you haven’t got the best head for this PR stuff. An announcement in which youannouncenothing can draw suspicion. It can make it look like we’re panicking.”
“By assuring our users we’re working hard on the issue?” I ask doubtfully.
But he’s right. I’ve always functioned better in the coding dungeon. Or wrangling disparate teams to unify them into one cohesive purpose.
“Mentioning specific states, too,” Peter says, sighing. “That’salwaysa risk because it’s so open to leaving places out. Making people feel ignored.”
“Noted,” I growl.
He shrugs. “Just keep it in mind, please.”
“Noted,” I repeat.
Once he’s gone, I massage my forehead, trying to get rid of this tension headache. He’s right, that’s the annoying part. I was so eager to play games with Dakota, to make her smile, laugh even, feel special and wanted, I crossed the line, using company resources without even acknowledging it was a line. It felt so easy. And, even if I know I should, I don’t regret it.
I don’t have time to tune into Dakota’s stream today. Back-to-back meetings until eight, then design meetings with the heads of all my major teams to work out the Cove issue. As we talk through it, I can’t help but think how valuable Dakota’s insight would be here.
I get back to my apartment just after midnight, but I feel too wired to sleep. It’s not just from the long day of work—essentially telling my senior advisers that the only thing that’s going to fix this game is to, well,fix the game… They want workarounds. Shortcuts. Solutions that don’t require removing and reintroducing a new zone.
When I boot up my laptop, I pull up our conversation thread. Dakota isn’t streaming, but there’s a little green icon next to her name, letting me know she’s online.
With a smirk, I type,
TheRealCreator: Did you see Jackson Cross’s announcement earlier?
DakkyDuck:
She’s quick to reply. No games. No waiting, so she doesn’t seem too eager.
TheRealCreator: Is that a yes?
DakkyDuck: That’s just the emoji I send to people playing games, stranger.
TheRealCreator: Have you heard of the concept of saying something without saying it?
DakkyDuck: Sure. But I think I prefer when people just say it.
TheRealCreator: You’ve got to admit, it’s one insane coincidence. How much emphasis he put on Dakota… But I suppose it doesn’t matter, since you’re not attracted to him, anyway.
