Page 221 of Savage Bosses

closed myFriends with Beniespaperback and placed it on the nightstand. It was currently the last book in the series. With it complete, I had finished re-reading Paris in Springtime. I should find no issue taking first—or second, unless there was some sort of blessed one out there—place in the trivia contest and securing my position at Dani Bond’s table.

Teddy and Jason thought it was a worthless fan endeavor since I was wealthy and well-connected. They thought I should've just contacted her agent and arranged a meeting.

As if I could go to lunch with her as myself. I may not be instantly recognizable to all, but news of my presence would come out eventually. Add in that I was with her and then others would make the press curious about me beyond what I showed them. As long as they believed I was the playboy tech CEO, they would keep their news about who I dated and my stock portfolio. If I gave them a reason to look at me any further, I’d ruin my carefully crafted reputation,andmy ability to move around in my fandom would be limited.

I liked things as they were.

My friends gave me hell. However, they had their vices too. At least mine separated me from my public persona and added to my creativity. It was why I was the leader of our pack. I took the money for our first year of college and turned it into a million. I did things my way.

Winning Dani Bond's trivia contest at Martinicon was one of them. I couldn't buy it with money or connections, only the determination to crush all the would-be fans with my knowledge of the author and her work. I read all her books, including the multicultural ones, and I scoured her social media for information. I was ready. Victory in the trivia contest and a cosplay award would set the tone as I recovered from the disaster Jerry created with the Amber app team.

The coders and the graphic artists were fine. It was the leadership. Over the next few weeks, I would weed the leads to determine the Jerrys and Ellens. Teddy was excellent at ferreting out information from people, especially women. They were the backbone of most offices anyway due to gender culture practices. I didn't write the rules, though I would use them to my advantage. It was what I did. If the norm was to ignore something, I paid attention to it and overlooked people had the freshest ideas and perspectives.

That was the path to innovation.

In the spirit of that, I'd given Judy-Lynn a shot.

Ding.

A text. I glanced at my phone. It was from Teddy.

“Get some book babe booty. There's a lot here we have to unpack and correct to make our deadline. You won't have time.”

Great. “We will have to see what Judy-Lynn comes up with in her strategic plan.”

“I do not doubt that she will be creative. She's better than Jerry and Ellen.”

“Because she was your pick?”I scoffed.

“Precisely.”

I imagined him pushing up his glasses in that condescending way he always did. If I didn't know better, I would swear that he wore glasses so that he could do that. It would not be out of pocket for him. Our entire friend group had quirks. It was why we didn't fit in with others in high school. We took that difference and made a success from it while others were still finding themselves. It started with trust.“What do you think? Jerry was the Golden Pen, but he was a lead one as far as I'm concerned.”

“We let Judy-Lynn sort it out. She has a talent for making friends. She broached the department war without any interference from us,”he replied. “Then we do what we do best to dominate the field. So I advise you to live it up because the next four months will be hell.”

Fine.

“Then let me get back to my con. I have some competitions to win.”

“You need other hobbies,”he chuckled before ending the exchange.

I straightened my Galaxy Federation uniform jacket and placed my helmet on my head. My cosplay as Commander Murphy was complete.

I quickly drew my blaster and pointed it at my reflection. It was as perfect as I had imagined. I would much rather cosplay as Benedict, but that character didn't wear a mask. It was too problematic for me to portray a character openly. If I found a Victoria cosplayer, I could play out a fanfiction I read.

I was supposed to live it up once I won, after all.

I left my hotel room and headed downstairs. There was aMy Fair Warriormeet up in one of the salons. If I found a Victoria, it would be there.

My fellow Martinis did not disappoint. There were several Victorias, though all of them either went as Captain Strong or Queen Victoria. None were Vice Admiral Strong. Her Vice Admiral persona was my favorite.

“I love your uniform. Galaxy Federation, right?” a woman gushed. “I just startedMy Fair Warrior.I love it. Are you a particular character?”

“I'm—“

“It's Commander Murphy,” someone shrieked. “Can I take your picture?”

I pulled out my blaster and posed. After a few pictures, I put my prop away and nodded to the fan paparazzi. The girl from before smiled.

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