“I can turn them on and check my email. That’s about it.”
Her mouth twitched. “Then no, you can’t really help me with it. Thanks for offering, though.”
“Want to get together later tonight after you work, then?” He was up for some entertainment, and if it came bundled with Taylor’s sexual energy? All the better.
She pulled a few dollars out of a colorful pink wallet and put them on the table. “I’m probably going to be busy. I have to work late to make up for some of the time I’ve spent away. Plus, guild stuff.” The look she gave him was wry. “I need to catch up with them, too.”
“Your team and all. I remember.”
Her smile broadened. “That’s right.”
Loch was feeling bizarrely irritated at her brush-off. She wasn’t his type, so why was it that she was the one desperate to call it a day and get rid of him? Most women couldn’t wait to get his attention. “Tomorrow, then?”
“Busy tomorrow, too.” She bit her lip.
He sat back, a little frustrated. “Not much of a tour guide, are you?”
Her cheeks pinked and he immediately felt like an ass. Well, an aroused ass, because that flush reminded him of her under him last night. And now she was giving him the brush-off? He’d thought last night was pretty damn spectacular, himself.
“I guess I suck as far as being your guide to the city.” Her shoulders slumped.
Damn. Now he was really feeling like an ass. Loch reached across the table and caressed her hand. “It’s not you. I’m just bored. If you have time this week, let me know, all right?”
Her smile brightened, and she squeezed his hand. “Is that code for booty call? I kind of like the idea of me being the one to booty call you.”
“I was thinking more like just hanging out, but my booty is open to calling.” He grinned.
***
Taylor hurried back to her apartment, hating how out of sorts she felt. There was a pleasant soreness between her thighs and the faint full-body muscle ache that came from really great sex. She hadn’t felt like that in forever, and she was enjoying the feeling. Less enjoyable was the guilt, though. It was clear Loch—gorgeous, sexy European playboy Loch—was bored and wanted company, and all she could think about was herself.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with him. If she’d have had two weeks of vacation time and zero responsibilities? She’d have been tapping that twenty-four-seven. As it was, she was already filled with guilt at spending nearly two days away from her computer. Even worse, she was supposed to be on-call for work for the next two days. Ugh. That meant letting all “emergency” tech calls forward to her phone day and night. Everyone had to do their turn and hers just happened to fall at the most inconvenient of times.
Work sucked, but work always sucked. Her boss was always onto her lately, but they needed her. She’d be fine. She’d be written up for not being available, maybe, and get lectured, but she’d skate through. She always did.
The part that was causing the real pit in her stomach was Excelsior, and Sigmund.
Most of her guild wouldn’t care that she hadn’t been on. It wasn’t like she was forced to be online all the time. If she was, great. She could help them run dungeons. If she wasn’t, no big deal.
But Sigmund would have noticed.
She hadn’t checked email since meeting up with Loch. She’d ignored the texts that Sigmund sent her. And she sure hadn’t logged on to Excelsior, not when she was being (oh so delightfully) sexed six ways to Sunday. Time to pay the piper, though. Mentally steeling herself, Taylor checked her phone. Text message after text message appeared, and she winced, flipping through them. Each one was Sigmund frantically worrying about her. How it wasn’t like her to not show up online. Asking her to send him a line if she was all right. A lot of the messages were repeated, as if he wanted to make sure he was getting through to her, or in case she hadn’t received it the last six times he’d sent it.
Oy.
She clicked through all the messages by the time she’d walked back to her apartment, and immediately sat down and pulled up her email. All of last night’s enjoyment and pleasure was gone, replaced by nagging guilt. What if this was what sent Sigmund’s fragile mind over the edge? She’d never be able to live with it if he hurt himself over her. The unhappy feeling twisted in her gut as she pulled up her email program and read the messages he’d sent her. Each one was more miserable than the last.
With a sense of dread, she logged on to Excelsior, her character appearing in the realm. Brilliant green trees and a verdant forest surrounded her Dragon Rider, and another character zoomed past the spot she was standing in. Her character was logged on to Kraaka Village, which was weird considering she could have sworn she’d logged off in Cityport. Maybe there’d been a global reset of the realm that she was unaware of. Curious, she scrolled through her Message of the Day.
You have 198 days played and last logged on 6 hours ago.
Er. Six hours ago, she was pretty sure Loch was filling up condom number two while inside her. She squeezed her thighs together at the thought. Bad Taylor. Don’t think about hot guy you just bailed out on. You have other problems. No time for nookie. Playtime is over. Shame, too, because she’d loved playtime.
Sigmund: Hi
Immediately, she tensed. She hated that she felt so anxious the moment Sigmund contacted her, but she didn’t know what to do about him.
Sigmund: Before you ask, I logged on as you a few hours ago just to make sure your account was working. I got Esme to give me the password.
Esme was their guild healer, and had Taylor’s password only for emergencies. Now that Sigmund had it? She made a mental note to change it immediately.
HaveANiceTay: Okay, thanks. Yeah, everything is working.
Sigmund: Are you okay?
Sigmund: Where have you been?
Sigmund: I’ve been worried sick!
HaveANiceTay: Something came up and I had to be away for a day or so. Sorry.
Sigmund: What came up?
Sigmund: Are you all right?
Sigmund: Were you sick?
HaveANiceTay: Not sick, just . . . a friend came into town. Remember I told you about that?
Sigmund: Yeah but you said you’d be online last night and you weren’t.
Sigmund: And some of the guys from Liege of Darkness said they saw you at the pub with a guy.
Sigmund: Were you on a date???
Oh, boy. She made a mental note to slaughter any Liege of Darkness characters she ran across in the next player-vs-player event.
HaveANiceTay: Not a date. He’s new to the States and he needed company. A friend asked me to show him around the city.