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“Then get your stuff and bring it back here. I’m still worried about Declan, and I can’t protect you when I’m sick.”
“I can have Alicia bring the suitcase back. I never unpacked at her place.”
“I’m surprised she took you in. Paige told me.”
“She’s different. I think it’s her new boyfriend. I’m amazed she would date someone who she used to refer to as beneath her.”
“Who is this guy?”
“Nathaniel Heaton. He’s a DJ. I think she likes him because he’s been all over the world. He’s familiar with Europe, Asia, and the UK.”
“Does he have money?”
“If he does, you would never know it. His mode of dress is usually ripped jeans and a ratty t-shirt. But he’s very handsome and charming. Hot even.”
I raise an eyebrow, “Hot?”
“Zane, you don’t need to worry. You’re gorgeous. I only have eyes for you.”
Three days I stayed in bed with Lana waiting on me like a servant. I protested, but she insisted. I didn’t have the strength to argue. She fed me, and when I couldn’t stand the sweaty, uncomfortable feeling, she showered with me to make sure I wouldn’t fall. It was hard to resist her sexy body, but she kept it strictly professional. She washed and dried me, then helped me into a pair of pajamas.
By Tuesday, I was itching to get out of bed and check emails on my laptop. Lana was keeping everyone up to date on my condition. Later in the afternoon, after spending the day flipping through channels and napping, I got a call from Lucian.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better. I might be back in the office in a day or two.”
“I got some bad news.”
My stomach dropped, “Do I want to hear this?”
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway. Declan is making a play for the Cannon Day account. Joanna got a message from them saying they're dissatisfied with the software.”
“Fuck, I gave them a six-month guarantee of satisfaction. I haven’t heard anything from them since we did the training. If, for any reason their dissatisfied, they get a full refund.”
“Why would you make such a deal?”
“Because I believe in our software and customer service. At the time, I didn’t know that Declan would try to steal our customers. What about Graham, have you heard from him?”
“That’s another headache. His mother is on board, but his three siblings are all out of the country, and they need at least one to override Declan. That would give them forty-eight percent to Declan’s forty-five.”
“When will one of them be back?”
“Graham said his brother Ian is back in a week and a half. The other two are on some safari in Africa. He can’t even get in touch with them.”
“Dammit! The way he’s throwing his weight around, he’s going to bankrupt us in no time.”
“He’ll get his. We just need to hold on. Olivia has been rallying the troops in programming. She’s been pushing the Eltech family as much as she can. People seem to understand that the atmosphere at D.G. Software won’t be the same as it is here. I don’t think we’ll have many more defections even with the money Declan is tossing around.”
“I hope not. Losing The Rapids and Jared was bad enough.”
“We can survive on the two titles we have. It will generate a good amount of money for the holidays because they’re sequels. Joanna and I have an idea concerning the virtual gaming system. We’ve made some improvements this year as you know, suppose we offer two versions? A lower-tier and an upper-tier with the improvements?”
“That sounds like something that could work. Did you check the figures? Can we afford to put out two different units into the marketplace?”
“I think so. I say we do an advertising blitz in September and set up preorders for the upper-tier unit. If it’s brisk, we should be fine.”
“Let Joanna know we’re moving forward with this plan.”
