Read The Billionaire & The Barfly (Coming Home) Online
Authors: Adrianne James
“
Okay, tell me your findings.”
“
But, you just read them all.”
“
I know that, but I want to hear your pitch. I want to hear how you would explain it to the client, and how you would sell it.”
“
Oh.” She hadn’t prepared for that. She began to fidget and look anywhere but at Mike.
“
Aubrey, this is really good. All of it. But you have to be able to sell it. You have to be confident in your work, in yourself, and in this company. You have all these numbers and graphs and definitions in here that are all very good research. But what makes us the best company to sell it? Why should this genius girl trust our company to take her computer program and turn it into a game for all platforms? Why are we the best fit for her? Did you look at her personal bio at all or just the game?”
“
The game. I can do better. I can do a cram session on the girl and get you everything before the meeting tomorrow. I promise I can do this. I’m sorry, please, give me another chance.” Every self-doubt that had ever crossed her mind rushed to the surface. She screwed up. She wasn’t good enough. She wasn’t smart enough. She wasn’t enough.
“
Slow down, what you have done is really good. You have real potential, Aubrey. I want you to come to the pitch tomorrow. You are going to tell them your ideas on how to get this game in front of the right people. Just finish the file. And I will see you first thing in the morning at Baker and Baker to pitch.”
“
Baker and Baker? The lawyer’s building? Why isn’t she coming here?”
“
Because apparently we are in a serious competition for the business, and the girl’s mother thought it best to be at their lawyer’s office for his help andneutral ground. Is it a pain? Yes. Is it normal for people who don’t know how to read a contract? Yes to that too.”
Mike handed the file back to Aubrey before turning to his computer screen. She had been dismissed. Standing, she quickly thanked him again for the opportunity
, and slipped out the door. If she were going to pull off this presentation, she needed to focus.
Sitting at her temporary desk in a little office just outside of Jenna
’s office, she read about the designer of the game over and over. There had to be some clue in there to connect with the girl, besides her game. She was a teenager. She was an artist and had won a few local awards for it, and she was really into computers and coding. None of that had any real meaning to Aubrey. She needed more. She wanted to know her favorite band, shows, foods, places to visit. Something that she could use to establish a friendly atmosphere before they started talking business.
Then she saw it.
A photo of the girl wearing a headband. The same headband that was sitting on her own dresser at home. They both liked music. She could work with that.
~*~
A rapid tap
tap tap echoed through the well decorated hallway. Aubrey looked around at Jenna, Mike, and a few other higher ups she didn’t really know all that well who stared back at her.
It wasn
’t until then that she realized the tapping came from her. Her leg was bouncing a mile a minute and her high heel were hitting the ground. She slowed her leg to a stop and gave them all a week smile. She wanted to throw up.
Just behind the doors that stood a mere thirty feet away were the clients. And the competition.
When they arrived, they had been told the earlier meeting was running late and to have a seat. Aubrey couldn’t help but wonder who was in there. It could be any number of companies in there pitching. Did any of them have the same ideas she had? Was the meeting running late because they loved the idea so much that no matter what Viola presented, it was a waste of time? Mike and Jenna sat in their chairs, reading notes or something, but completely calm. Aubrey had no idea how they managed to keep calm.
A creaking noise sounded through the hall
, and all eyes landed on the doors to see who came out and what their expressions were. A dozen men walked out, none of which showed anything other than boredom, giving Aubrey a bit of hope.
“
Great. They’ve been with Maximus. And not just his minions. Look,” Jenna said and gave a little head nod in the direction of a man facing the other way, shaking hands with who Aubrey thought was a Barker. The thought that Maximus had been in before them was like a lead balloon. All the hope she had just acquired sank to the ground in a rush.
Then he turned around
, and all air escaped her. Henry stood there in a fancy suit, his hair combed and gelled down, and not a single superhero reference on his clothing. Who was this man?
Henry finally saw her standing there. His whole being sort of deflated and he took a step
toward her. Aubrey shook her head. No, she couldn’t handle him at that moment. She had to give a presentation that would shoot whatever the hell he did in there out of the water.
But he didn
’t stop. He kept coming, and there was nowhere for her to go. She couldn’t leave, yet she really didn’t want to stay. She didn’t want to hear him apologize for lying to her. She didn’t want to hear him tell her it was fun and so long (even if that’s all she had been trying to convince herself of for weeks), and she really didn’t want her bosses to know she slept with the enemy.
“
Aubrey, listen—” Henry started. His voice was just as deep and smooth as ever, and her body instantly reacted to it, craving him. But her heart, the traitorous stupid thing it was, was aching at the thought that it was all a game to him.
“
No, Henry. I need to go in there and give a presentation. But you already knew that, didn’t you.” Aubrey did walk away that time, but only because Mike and Jenna were already at the door with Mr. Baker heading in. She pushed passed Henry and toward the board room.
“
Wait,” she heard him say as she crossed over the threshold. Mr. Baker closed the door behind him and put up a much needed wall between her and Henry. All eyes from her company were on here, Jenna in a much more accusatory way then the rest. Jenna looked at her with squinted eyes and a pucker to her lips. Aubrey knew she didn’t tell Henry anything that would hurt their own campaign, but did he know about it before she opened her big fat post coital mouth?
“
Let’s get started, shall we? This is Ms. Becca Stine, and this is her mother, Gloria Stine. Ms. Stine has invited you here to hear why she should go with Viola instead of any other gaming company.” Mr. Baker sat down after the introductions were made, at least for his clients. It was time to wow them.
Mike stood and gave his presentation on Viola as a company. He told Becca about the community work Viola did, about the long history in the gaming world,
and about some break out gaming hits which they were responsible for marketing.
“
Hey, what the hell was that out there?”“ Jenna leaned over and whispered to her. Aubrey didn’t want to think about Henry. She wanted to pay attention to the meeting. This was her first time where she got to sit at the table instead of taking notes on a notepad leaning against the wall in the back of the room.
“
Not now,” she whispered back. Aubrey watched Becca and her mother. She wanted to see their reactions to everything Mike was saying. From the looks of it, neither was very impressed.
“
Yes now—I need some kind of ammunition against Maximus, and apparently, you know the man himself.”
“
No. Would you stop talking so I can listen, please?” Aubrey’s patience was waning. Jenna huffed and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. Aubrey couldn’t help but think how unprofessional she was being. Becca seemed to take note of Jenna’s attitude, and even made sure her mother noticed, as well. She would have to work fast if she wanted a chance to give her presentation. She really hoped she hit the nail on the head with the marketing plan.
“
I’m going to turn the floor over to our market researcher now to give you an idea of where we would like to go with your product.” Mike smiled at her and gave her an encouraging nod before sitting down.
Aubrey took a deep breath and stood, walking over to the computer that controlled the room
’s projector screen. She pressed a button and the title of the game came up.
“
Hi, there. I’m Aubrey, and I have to be honest with you, I’m not much of a game person. I have been working at Viola as an assistant for three years and just have a real knack for numbers. I can look at charts and lists and pick out the best algorithms in them. For most people, that is the perfect combination for market research.
“
But I didn’t want to just do that with you. When I heard your story, and then turned on Artimas Moon, I knew that just numbers weren’t enough.”
Aubrey clicked through some screen shots she took while playing. It showed her female character hunting, fighting, and finally saving a human.
“With a character like Artimas, she had to have a special kind of marketing. You need a special kind of marketing.”
“
What do you mean me?” Becca asked, being engaged for the first time.
“
I mean, we need to market you as much as the game. We need you to be central in everything. This was your project. I don’t want you to give it to a company who will just use the basic plot line and change everything. You created strong female characters. You even made them wear clothes, which is becoming rare in video games aimed at a more mature market. You are sure to design more games in the future, and with this one? This is a game that needs to be marketed to girls.
“
I want to put together a list of your favorite bands, songs of female empowerment, and instrumentals all performed by female artists to do the soundtrack for the game. I want to start a grass roots movement in your town of the girls who know you and have played the game to help get the word out. I want to send actors and actresses around to malls and game stores in costume to act out scenes from your game, and I want them to be cute enough to get all the girls attention.”
Becca was smiling from ear to ear as she listened to Jenna talk. She knew she was on a role when her mother spoke up, bursting her figurative bubble.
“How much?”
“
Excuse me?”
“
How much are you going to pay my daughter for her game? She has a very expensive college waiting for her.”
“
Well, ma’am, that isn’t my department.” Aubrey looked back to Jenna quickly who rolled her eyes and stood up.
“
Ladies, the money can be negotiated. Everything that Aubrey mentioned is a good idea. It is proven that when customers connect with a product or brand on another level, they buy more. We want to make Becca the brand. She is the reason we are all here. Girl power, and all that.”
“
I understand that. But we still need to know she will be taken care of. We have received some very generous offers today.”
Aubrey knew she shouldn
’t speak up without first talking to Mike, but she didn’t want to lose the contract. “What if we can offer her a job after high school? A part time entry level position while she is in college.”
Mike snapped his eyes to her
, and she saw the look he was sending her. They didn’t have the ability to do that without the human resource department getting involved. But Aubrey couldn’t think of a single reason they would turn her down.
“
In addition to the lump sum for the rights to her game?” Mrs. Stine asked. Becca was practically bouncing in her seat, and Aubrey caught sight of her hitting her mom’s leg over and over. Becca wanted the deal. Hell, she knew Becca wanted it before her mother started talking numbers.
“
Yes, in addition to,” Jenna said. She finally took note of the situation. She wasn’t going to reprimand Aubrey just yet. She knew it would be coming, but if they signed Becca Stine, it would be worth it.
“
What if she can only work five hours a week because of school, or what if she needs twenty?”
“
That will have to be worked out with the department she starts in. But at Viola, we are very flexible with college students. We understand the importance of going to class. We even have a program that gives bonuses to employees who make the dean’s list at their respective colleges.”
“
YES! I want to go with you!” Becca called out, standing from the table. Aubrey smiled brightly at her and thought the deal was done. She was wrong.
“
No, we need to know what they are offering first.” Her mother grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to a sitting position.
“
Jenna, would you please put Mrs. Stine’s mind at ease and show her the contract that we will amend to include the employment should you sign,” Mike said. When Aubrey looked at him, he looked defeated, as if he knew something she didn’t. Was she reading the situation wrong? The girl wanted Viola.
“
I’m sorry, but we can not agree to anything right now. We need to compare all the offers, and we will get back to you next week.” Mrs. Stine stood and walked to the door to open it. “You all have a great day.”