Author: admin

Brooklyn Diaz sat in the waiting area, clutching her portfolio bag way too tight in her lap. She’d just finished pitching her idea to yet another small handbag company, and now they were inside “discussing it.” Even with her limited experience, she knew exactly what that meant. Being asked to wait outside while they talked…

‘Of course.’ He moved his arm, subtly directing her towards the door. ‘Thank you for coming.’ Afterwards, as she sat on the Tube on the way back to her small office, with the portfolio bag leaning against her legs, Brook realised that they hadn’t handed back her sample. She would have to sew another one….

She sat back and closed her eyes. The video game was less important than the sound of his voice. That voice had lulled her to sleep on many a night, especially in the weeks after her redundancy. She was half asleep by the time the gameplay ended. Then Blaze’s voice came on, slightly louder than…

On the TV, a voice said, ‘Blaze.’ His body automatically responded to hearing his other name. He turned too fast and his arm jostled Brook’s elbow. She gave a yelp as hot coffee slopped over her hand. ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry,’ Ethan said. ‘Are you okay? Did you get burned?’ She gave him…

‘Not great, the last time I looked.’ She pulled out a packet of papers from her bag. ‘I’ve picked up my brochures.’ It was collecting these that had made her late coming in. She pulled one out and opened it. Niro, a freelance photographer, had helped her design it. Brook used the virtual brochure in…

‘No, I mean, why you ? Why this way? Why set it up as a business?’ He stood up again. Now he was towering above her. Brook looked up. ‘I want other people to be able to swap handbags quickly and easily …’ Wasn’t it obvious? He turned a chair round and sat down so…

The first time the contestants were allowed to try out the game was that evening. There was an 8 p.m. start. At 7.30, Brook opened the box and lifted out the Syren3 headset. This special edition set was white with the year written on a teal flash along the side. Niro plugged the player into…

‘It wasn’t so bad …’ Niro began. Something flashed on the screen. Her phone buzzed at the same time. ‘What’s that?’ ‘The game chat, I think.’ Brook flipped her visor down and opened the chat. There was a message from Blaze. Hi. It’s pretty overwhelming being filmed, huh? Don’t worry. You’ll be a natural in…

Real life stress. Flick: I’d offer a listening ear, but I know you value your privacy, so accept a virtual hug instead. Blaze : Gratefully accepted. Listen, it looks like she’s replied. I’d best go respond. Flick: Be nice to the girl. Blaze: She’s a fan, by the looks of it. I’m always nice to…

Ah. That old chestnut. He had seen this before when he’d helped people. They were all about the product or service. It was nearly always easier to convince men to feature themselves on their websites than women. ‘Remember I said that people buy from people they like and trust? How can they get to like…