Take the Money and Come

Chapter 3: The ‘Work It’ Factor

Chapter 3: The ‘Work It’ FactorOlivia was on her third top, fourth skirt and fifth pair of tights by the time Byron arrived at her door. She rushed down the stairs when the bell rang, berating herself in a whisper.

“This isn’t you.”

She thumped her way down the stairs, still buttoning a linen top and hoping she didn’t accidentally flash him through the window.

“You are not a little girl...”

She stepped into the front landing.

“Who gets so excited about a boy...”

She yanked her heeled boots on over plum colored tights.

“That you can’t goddamn dress yourself!”

She puffed out a sigh, taking a deep breath and smoothing the scarlet silk of her skirt before opening the door.

Olivia was glad to see that he had dressed up for her in return, donning a pressed steel-gray suit that brought out his eyes.

“Hey, stranger.”

Byron continued to smile for a moment, gaze looking her up and down.

“Oh! Hi there.”

Olivia let him recover while she snatched up her bag.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Actually, I hope you don’t mind, I made some plans.”

“Oh? What kind of plans?”

She felt a little annoyed that he would make plans for the both of them without consulting her but she brushed it off. Over-enthusiasm wasn’t always a bad thing by itself, after all.

“Well, there’s this private event being held in one of the convention halls at the Ebert Hotel. A couple friends of mine are premiering their tech, and I thought you might be interested.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Wonderful. I promise we can bail if it’s lame.”

“I’m sure it won’t be.” She assured him, but she was glad he’d be willing to leave early. A girl should get to escape the smell of dusty metal and solder every once in awhile.

Olivia thought it was odd that they entered through the back of the hotel, but Byron explained that it was closer to the event. The Ebert Hotel was enormous, built out of stone and lined with plush red carpets. On three separate occasions she saw someone she thought she recognized, but couldn’t place. It wasn’t until they got past the security checkpoint at the door that she saw someone she definitely knew.

“Hey!” She caught Byron’s sleeve. “That’s Bill Stopsco!”

The man had grayed considerably since the last time she’d seen him on television. As the founder of Demigod Technology he had pioneered most of the programs she used every day. Heck, he had pioneered a lot of the programs everyone used in one way or another.

She jumped when he waved at them, turning to Byron only to see him waving back.

“You know him?”

“Sorta. Did a little work together awhile back. I’m surprised he recognizes me.”

He was guiding her into the main convention hall by the arm, a silly grin on his face. He opened the doors, and she understood why.

The room had enough lights and sounds to put the Vegas strip to shame. Although Olivia was familiar with tech conventions, she had no way of being prepared for this. The tables and booths were all covered in something new, something she had never seen before. Remote drones buzzed overhead while guests in business dress milled around the room. There were fewer people that one would expect for an event this size, but Byron had told her it was invite-only.

Speaking of Byron, he was laughing bright-eyed alongside her. She turned to look at him, overwhelmed, and his hand reached out to touch her chin. She hadn’t even realized her mouth was hanging open.

“What is this place?”

“It’s the Stars Talk Private Technology Convention and Exhibition.” He teased her. When she rolled her eyes he continued. “It’s a chance for tech developers to show off their stuff to industry insiders. Gives them a chance to gauge interest and get feedback before they hit the market.”

“And how...?”

“I work with a few of the people here. We support the same causes. They got me an invite when I told them I had a beautiful tech goddess to impress.”

Olivia’s eyebrows shot up at him while she tried to hide her smile and pretend the line hadn’t worked. It had. Byron seemed to see through the attempt because he winked when he led her inside.

Entering the din of the convention, they walked over to the nearest booth. It was manned by a clean-cut young man wearing a branded polo shirt and pressed khakis. He smiled like a Ken doll.

“Hey there, folks. Wanna test out the newest in self-defense technology?”

Byron looked at Olivia.

“Well with a pitch like that, I guess we have to.”

The salesman’s face brightened as he pulled a small keychain out of thin air.

“This is Buzzbud.”

The fob at the end of the chain looked like a lightning bug. The body was made of polished metal while the wings and tail were made of crystalline glass that was veined with copper. It reminded Olivia of the ladybug alarm she’d bought for her sister Rita after they’d moved into a rough neighborhood. She reached out for the Buzzbud dangling from the salesman's fingers, letting it sit in the palm of her hand. It was shockingly heavy.

“So, it makes a loud noise? Or is this one of the flashing ones?” The model she’d bought for Rita did both.

The salesman looked thrilled at the question.

“Our personal safety device is compact, discreet and powerful. The Buzzbud overcomes many of the limitations associated with current personal safety alarms on the market. Let me show you. All you have to do is turn off the safety and pull the pin.”

Olivia found the safety switch before tugging at the chain that connected the little bug to its fastener. The tiny animatronic creature immediately came to life, shooting up into the air like her palm was its launching pad. The silver chain dangled beneath it with the keyring hanging open. It ascended straight up until it was hovering ten feet over their heads.

Byron looked delighted, eyes following the little bug with a wondrous smile on his face. Olivia smiled too, watching the Buzzbud hover.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking.” The salesman told them. “Sure, that’s cool, but how does it keep me safe? Well, once the Buzzbud ascends it will produce a blinding strobe light and a sonic alarm with twice the power of our leading competitors’. We’re not going to set it off in here for obvious reasons, though.”

“That’s amazing.” Byron wondered. “But why does it have to fly?”

Olivia brushed her hand against his.

“It’s so the attacker can’t find it and turn it off.”

“Oh.” Byron’s eyes went round. “I didn’t think of that...”

“Well,” the salesman chuckled, “you probably spend a lot less time thinking about street violence than her.”

Olivia smiled, somewhat warmed by the young man’s awareness of his market. She and Byron drifted to the next booth.

“Do you carry an alarm like that?” He asked her, his manner abrupt.

“Huh? No, my sister does, though. I live and work in the nicest part of town, I don’t really need one.” She was peering up at the drones overhead when she said it. “I do carry pepper spray, though, a girl’s gotta--”

Olivia turned to Byron, whose face had turned unexpectedly thoughtful. He looked like he was in his own little world.

“Byron?”

“Huh? Sorry, I was just thinking... about how safe I am day to day. That’s not the case for everyone.”

“Um...” Olivia stumbled, unsure of how to respond. “No, I guess not.”

He shook his head.

“Ignore me, I’m prone to distraction. I’m glad to know you and your sister take safety measures, though, after that little epiphany. Want to go find someone who’ll let us fly a drone?”

“Yeah!” Olivia cheered, pleased to see him brighten up. With a teasing flick of her tongue she turned and raced off toward the booths, Byron laughing behind her.

They did get to fly a drone. They also toyed with cutting edge imaging systems, robotic engineers, personal assistants with AI like she had never seen before. There was even a booth from Black Earth showing off their new subterranean mining drones, though Olivia had agreed to skip it when Byron suggested they avoid ‘the work factor’. The convention was like an amusement park for the tech set, and the two of them stayed there until the wee hours of the morning.

When they reached her front door she felt like a kid coming off of a sugar high. The lights seemed dreamy, the night endless. The breeze was cool, but it was one of the only things keeping her awake on her feet. Byron looked to be in a similar state, his hair mussed less artfully than it had been at the beginning of their date.

“So. Good first date?”

“Oh, yeah.” She said mildly, then grinned at him. “It was an amazing first date, and I think you know it.”

“Well,” He shot back, striking a cocky pose. “You did seem like you had a great time hanging out with me.”

Olivia bit her lip, turning earnest.

“I did.”

That seemed to throw him off his cocky act, judging from the way he blushed.

“I had a great time too. That wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable without you there.”

“I’m glad.”

Her quiet declaration had barely finished when his soft lips touched hers. Up close Byron smelled like copper and earth. She stepped closer, her hand moving to cup his cheek while his arms moved to her waist. The kiss stopped, and they moved apart. For a split second Olivia thought he looked regretful, but it was gone so quickly that she thought she must have imagined it.

“Goodnight.” She told him.

He didn’t argue, thank god. Olivia didn’t date men who argued with her about whether or not she wanted s*x.

He responded with a soft smile and a wave as he backed down her front walk.

“Goodnight.”