Page 56 of Sinner

At least he was whistling, which meant he was in a good mood. Every associate in the company had taken bets he’d be in arotten mood because of the surprise release from the Blackwell Group. Maybe he had something up his sleeve. We’d all been working so hard on our own new products, but I never learned about official releases until it was usually two weeks out.

He took the stairs up to the floor above as he usually did, nodding to several of our colleagues as he headed to his office. Once inside, he held the door open for me and I was surprised when he closed it. He never did unless the situation was serious.

I stood where I was and he seemed amused. “You can sit down, Jess. I’m not upset with you.”

Sitting down meant on one of his huge beanbag chairs where he preferred meeting with clients or associates. I’d thought it weird at first, but that was his way. He wanted everyone around him comfortable.

He was even wearing jeans, his usual attire every single day.

I chose the purple beanbag. He’d told his entire staff what color you chose often indicated your mood. I hoped this indicated playful.

“Are you happy here, Jess?” he asked and immediately, red flags were raised.

“You’ve been extremely kind and generous to me over the last couple of years.”

“That didn’t answer the question.”

“Yes, I’m very happy. I feel as if I make a difference.”

Sam nodded. “You do. Your work is tremendous and not just with coding either. Your designs are creative and you have a wayof bringing your worlds to life with just a few sentences. I value your input as well.”

He was making me feel like a shit for even considering leaving. “Well, thank you. That means a lot.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Very glad because I’d like to offer you a promotion.”

I almost choked. While it wasn’t unheard of by any means for a current firm to offer more money to keep an employee from leaving, I was still shocked.

“I don’t know what to say.”

He laughed. “Don’t say anything until I tell you what I’m thinking. I’d like to make you vice president of creations. You’d be able to set your schedule and of course, your office would be on this floor. However, you’d have complete access to everyone on the team at your discretion. You know how much I like to remain in the loop and I expect you’ll be the same way. You’re good with people and very conscientious and I think you’ll be perfect for the job.”

I couldn’t tell if he had a clue that I was kind of interviewing with Blackwell, although at this point, I wasn’t certain if that was on the table. “I truly don’t know what to say.”

“And I don’t expect you to give me your decision until after the weekend either. I have additional information on what your salary and additional perks would be.”

“You act as if there’s a downside.”

“Well, the hours will be much longer from time to time. I also might task you to handle some traveling.”

“Not a problem.” I sensed there was more.

He stared me directly in the eyes and that also wasn’t like Sam at all. Not to this degree. “I’m going to trust you with something, and I would appreciate if you’d keep it under wraps.”

“Of course. I won’t tell a soul.”

Sam shook his head. “I assume you heard about Joel Merrick’s murder.”

“I did. Horrible thing.”

“Well, no one knows Joel and I were old buddies from a long time ago. We were in the process of merging the two companies prior to his untimely death. Given where we were at in the legalities, both companies now fall on my shoulders and that means I need additional team players who can help me create a force to be reckoned with. As you might imagine, with the release of Blackwell’s latest game, they are soaring into the stratosphere in sales already and we’ll need a tremendous boost to beat them at their own game.”

Wow. That was the only thing I could think. My confusion must be showing on my face. He smiled as if we were old friends. “Like I said, think about it over the weekend. If I want the combined companies to be able to compete with the likes of Blackwell, I need the best people standing by my side. I’d like one of those people to be you.”

“I feel honored, Mr. Carter. I mean Sam. I really do.” He was still searching my eyes just like Xander had done. God, I felt like a shit. I stood at the same time he did.

“As you might imagine, if this gets out in the industry, which so far it hasn’t, the early release of information could bedetrimental. I want to hit the ground running, especially with the incredible game Joel had been working on. It could just send a stake through Blackwell Group’s heart. I can trust you with the confidential information. Yes?”

“Of course.” I had to admit that I was curious what Merrick had designed. It had always seemed Blackwell was lightyears ahead of anyone considered competition, Sindom included.

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