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Twenty-Five
I dozed, wrapped up my in my men and feeling safe. Each time I managed to register the clock, thirty minutes had passed, or sixty. The sun had set and the sky was growing dark. It was almost nine.
I forced myself to consciousness again when Oz extracted himself to answer a ringing phone. He came back into the room a moment later. “Call for...” He put the receiver back to his ear. “How did you phrase it?” He listened for a moment before holding the device toward me. “Call for the adorable little sprite who holds my leash.”
“Sprite doesn’t work for me,” Graham said. “It’s too much like Soda. Imp?”
I scrunched up my face. “No. Game of Thrones call backs.”
Oz looked at us, brows raised. “Would you like to take this, or should I tell her to call back?”
“Her?” My curiosity swelled and I took the phone. “Hello?”
“You’re a hard woman to get a hold of.” It was Judith.
Calling for me? “I’ve been screening my calls.”
“Never screen me again.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The agreement slipped out before I could consider the words.
“Damn straight.” Her tone lightened. “I know it’s late, but is now a good time?”
“For...?”
“A job interview.”
What in the what? Did I even remember how to act in an interview? Was there a different protocol when it was with my boyfriend’s ex-wife? Who also happened to own what was about to be the hottest game on the market. “Of course.”
“What did you think of the game?” Judith asked.
In order to tell her, I’d have to separate the bad of that night from the good. Doing so would be a lot harder if I didn’t have Graham next to me and Oz climbing into bed again. Was it weird to do a job interview naked? Was it irony, considering the kind of game Judith was making?
I pulled the sheet tighter around me, like it would make any difference in the grand scheme of things. “I love the idea. The gameplay looks incredible. The concept is top notch. It’s been a long time since I saw something so innovative, and honestly I’m a little jealous of the people who get to work on it.” But she’d said job interview. I didn’t want to let my hope skip ahead several steps, but it was too late.
“A game like ours needs airtight security,” Judith said. “Not just to keep the bots out, but to make sure minors can’t get in. To ensure privacy. Protocols have to be top notch and impenetrable.”
“No offense, but there’s no such thing.”
“If you were going to keep yourself out, how would you do it?”
The pieces slid into place in my mind in an instant. Age verification. Layers of checking. Firewalls. Encryption. Salt. Hashes.
I reeled off about three sentences before Judith said, “Hold up. Wow, you make me feel out of the loop, and I own the fucking company.”
“Security development is a different mindset than game development.” I had respect for both, and she could without a doubt teach me a few things about her side of the business.
“It is,” Judith said. “I had to let one of our security developers go two weeks ago. A company like ours has to be twice as vigilant about things like harassment and privacy violations, and the lawyers won’t let me say more beyond he wasn’t working out.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
“I’m glad we caught it before it became more of an issue. Would you like to come work for me? On the hottest coming soon game in the industry?”
I hoped the offer was coming the moment she said job interview, but I still needed to process the word. “I’m sorry. What?”
“You heard me. You don’t have to answer tonight, though. Text me your email, and I’ll get you a contract so you can think things over.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Crap. That might sound like I was turning her down. “I mean, yes. I want the job. Yes.” My excitement bubbled to overflowing. “I definitely want it. Yes over and over. When can I start?”
