LITMIR.BIZ

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in high school there were two girls. Well, there were a lot of girls, but there were these two in particular. Stephanie was flawless. Tall, blonde, volleyball star and a mouth that was always dewy-moist like in those lipstick commercials.”

      She blinked, and then she absently licked her own lips. His groin tightened at the sight. Her lipstick had mostly worn off, but that just made her more natural in his mind. No cosmetic mask, so to speak. Just her, clean and pure.

      “Did you win her?” she asked.

      “Geek me? No. But I did hang out around her at a couple parties, listening at the fringe, trying to fit in.”

      Her lips curved. “I know it well.”

      “And then one day I went from her crowd to the food table. I was munching on some chips when I started talking to Heidi. She was on the volleyball team, too, but wasn’t the star. She had a scar right here.” He pointed to a place right above his lip. “We started talking movies, then chemistry class, then philosophy.” He snorted. “Well, philosophy the way two sophomores in high school would.”

      “How long did you two date?”

      “That’s just the point. We didn’t. Not for another year and a half. But suddenly, I realized the difference between beauty and substance. Stephanie’s beauty ended up just leaving a bad taste in my mouth because it wasn’t real. But Heidi had substance. I could talk with her. We ended up being friends and that was so much better than being attracted by Stephanie’s flawless beauty.” He gestured to the pile of photos. “These girls are just another pinup, but you’re someone I can talk to. I could do it in the hall, and I can do it here. You have no idea how powerful that is. It means the world to me and will to the kids who are going to buy my product.”

      She stared at him and he just looked back. Did she understand? “But actually, I’m kind of shy.”

      He smiled. “I know. It’s like the difference between a whisper and a shout. I’ll tune out a shout. Everyone shouts. But a whisper? Now I’m intrigued. Now I’m leaning in to hear more.”

      She blinked, and he wondered if he’d caught her. She’d certainly captured him. It wasn’t just her unconscious beauty, which certainly grabbed him. It was the way she bit her lip when she was thinking. The way she listened when he spoke. And the way she thought about what he said without just throwing back what she thought he wanted to hear.

      “Let me explain what I’m planning.” He pulled a series of screen captures out of his folder and pushed them to her. “We’re launching this game.” He pointed at the cover image of Winning Guinevere.

      “Wow. She’s gorgeous.” She traced the woman’s face with a long, tapered finger.

      Looking at the design, he made a quick decision. “I’m changing the cover design. Blondes are overdone.”

      She glanced at him but didn’t comment. So he took a deep breath and plunged into his pitch.

      “Winning Guinevere is a take on the King Arthur legend turned video game. Players can be anyone in the legend they want—knights, fair maidens, Merlin, King Arthur or Lancelot. They can even be Mordred if they’re so inclined.”

      “The betraying bad guy?”

      Ken nodded. “He’s there to muck up the works, so to speak. But the core of the story is between Arthur and Lancelot. Who will Guinevere choose?” He lifted the page to show her another picture. “That’s you. Guinevere.”

      She peered down at it. “I don’t look anything like her.”

      “But you feel like her. And besides, I’m changing her look to reflect you.”

      Her eyes widened. “You’re not serious.”

      “I am serious. I can’t express how important it is to have the right Guinevere. She will make the campaign that should launch the product that—” He cut off his words. He probably shouldn’t tell her that this one product could make or break his whole company.

      “And you think I’m Guinevere.”

      “I know it.”

      She looked back at the picture in front of her. Then taking a deep breath, she turned the page, looking deeper at the product specifications. “The point of the game is to win…me?”

      “You. Your love. Your gifts.”

      “Seriously?”

      “That takes on very specific meanings depending on the player’s score. Plus, if they work very hard and do very well, then they get a discount on the purchase of Winning II.”

      “And kids will do that? Spend hours on the game just to get a game bonus that isn’t even real?”

      “And a sales pitch for the next game. Yes, they will.”

      She looked skeptical.

      “Trust me. They will because the game is that good. But I have to get them playing the game in the first place. I have to get them started, and I have to show them you.”

      “Me.”

      “Yes, you. Beautiful, sexy as hell, but approachable. Someone who would bestow royal gifts. Someone who understands them and is worth the time and money.”

      “But I don’t understand them. I don’t—”

      He waved that aside. “You do know them, you just don’t realize it yet.” He huffed out his breath on a sigh. “Look, I know this doesn’t make any kind of logical sense, but I know what I’m talking about.” At least he prayed he did. “You’re Guinevere, and I’d like to hire you to spend the summer with me.”

      “With you?”

      He flushed, his mind going to all the wrong things. “I mean, on tour with the whole crew. It’s an entire summer of buses and hotels. You’ll get time off, I swear, but it’ll be in a different city each week.”

      He pulled out the schedule to show it to her. Not surprisingly, her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s a lot of dates.”

      “Like I said, at least one every week. We do a different step in the story in every city. We start with Arthur and Guinevere getting married at the first stop, but with Lancelot in the wings. Then the next week there’s affection from Lancelot. Next Merlin plays a hand. After that, there’s Mordred causing problems. It builds throughout the summer until there’s a showdown between Arthur and Lancelot.”

      “Who wins?”

      “You’re Guinevere. You get to decide.” Then he flashed her a grin. “Well, actually we’ll see how the fan choices go. We’ll be blogging and getting fan commentary throughout the summer. In the end, the fans choose for you.”

      She smiled up at him. “That sounds like a lot of fun.”

      “It is. Exhausting but fun.” He pushed another page forward and prayed that she didn’t flinch. “This is the pay schedule. We cover all expenses and travel. I’m sorry, but my company is being cut to the bone to do this launch. I’m afraid I can’t offer more than this.” It was a lie. For her, he’d pay a lot more. He’d find the money somewhere, somehow. For her.

      She nodded slowly, chewing on her lower lip as she looked at everything.

      “And, um, I’m sorry, but I think the agency will take a cut of that. Marilyn will insist on that. Even if you don’t have a contract with her right now, I did meet you here.”

      “Yeah,” she said softly. “I can’t see Marilyn giving up her piece of this.”

      He sighed. After agency fees, the dollars weren’t great. Not bad for a summer actor. Good pay, actually. But he had no idea what she made at the hospital. He probably shouldn’t have reminded her about the agency fees. Let her think she was getting the whole amount so she had more incentive to say yes. But he didn’t want to lie to her, even by omission. Still,

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