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judith

Most days I wanted to be a bad ass bitch, who the world bowed to.

Days like today, I wanted to be submissive and meek and have some imposing man or woman lavish me with cuddles and chocolate covered strawberries and orgasms.

Not necessarily in that order.

Somebody like the man calling me on my personal cell, as I sat in my office taking a precious few minutes of quiet-brain time before my next meeting.

“Hey, you,” I answered Xander’s call, a smile creeping onto my face. He was my oldest friend. Sure, I’d known a lot of guys in the office for decades, but it wasn’t the same. They worked for me. Xander… he was both my best girlfriend and my favorite fuck buddy.

Okay, not the last one anymore. Not since Dominic. But we all stayed close.

“How are you, Judy?” Xander’s voice was bright. Warm. Hiding something.

And no one got to call me Judy except him and my ex-husband. Even Cole got a withering look for it. “Yanno. You do know, don’t you? You don’t really have to ask?”

Seven years ago, a group of us had an insane plan, to build a video game like the world had never seen. Six years ago, we started work. Next week, we’d make it available to the entire world, when we headlined one of the biggest video game shows in the world.

And I had so much work to do before then.

“Conquering the world and devouring their stress as if it fueled you?” Xander teased.

“Not the actual world,” I corrected him. “That’s on the schedule for three and a half years from now. Only the world of gaming.”

“You’re going to kill it next week.”

“Of course I am.” We’d been in early access for a few weeks already, and beta for more than a year before that. I had some nagging doubts, but I’d never let those show. Not even to Xander. Not unless we were behind closed doors and both of us werereallydrunk. “Did you call to tell me what I already know?” I kept my tone light. I did want to talk to him. Friendly chats were something I missed.

“That’s exactly why I called.” There was that catch in his voice again.

It was subtle. Likely no one but me would hear it. “But?”

“I need to call in a favor. I know the timing isn’t great, but I wouldn’t ask unless I had to.”

Favors were my preferred currency, and I’d handed out IOUs on several occasions since starting this company. I leaned back in my chair and propped my feet up on my desk. It was odd to hear him speak with so much up-front explanation rather than dive right into the core topic. “What’s up?” I asked.

“It’s for Dom.” The way Xander said it, he assumed that would be enough.

Nope.

Xander and I met Dominic seven years ago, almost to the day, when I was trying to decide if this venture was a good idea. Dominic was a lawyer referred to me by a friend, and he, Xander, and I hit it off brilliantly. But Dom and Xander had to ruin it by going and falling in love. They weren’t legally married, for their own professional reasons, but they called each otherhusbandin our circle of friends.

And Xander would do anything for Dominic. I questioned that on occasion, but it was a good relationship. It was just… immersive. They weresointo each other.

“You know I adore you,” I said. “But I have a call in two, so I will need the details.” I could apologize for pushing for an answer. For not being able to chat longer. But I never apologized.

Xander sighed. “He’s got a potential client. Abigclient. The kind that could expand his firm.”

“X…” I pushed some warning into the nickname, for him to get to the point.

“This guy is big on family. He’s one of those sergeant authorities in that church or something.”

General authorities. There was no reason for me to correct him, even though the lingering whispers of indoctrination from the religion I was raised in insisted I do so. Xander knew exactly what he was saying. “And…?” I hated to check my watch when I was talking to him, but I did it anyway. “One minute thirty.”

“And this guy was visiting the legal offices, heard someone talking about Dominic’s spouse—the employee was good, they played the gender-neutral game—and then Mr. Potential Client saw the photo on Dom’s desk.

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