Maybe, she thought, but right now she wished she could slam her office door shut and make the world go away. She was burned out by what her father would have called “premature success.” Her company was barely three years old and it was already being touted as a triumph. If only her personal life was as glorious.
Get a grip, Madison told herself. There’s no reason to feel sorry for yourself. Concentrate on what you’re doing and forget past mistakes.
Madison forced herself to stare at her computer screen as she waited for inspiration. The software program she’d invented culled obscure facts from numerous sources for their online game, but every so often she liked to throw in a zinger. Her favorite was “what if.” What if Ansel Adams had his wish? He would have become a concert pianist. Lucky for the world, he hadn’t.
If she’d had her wish, she would have pursued a doctorate and—
“Madison, there’s a man here to see you. How cool is that?”
She swiveled around in her chair to face Jade, Total Trivia’s receptionist. Short blue-black hair gelled up like a rooster’s comb and deep red lipstick combined with Cleopatra eyes gave the girl an unfashionable Goth look that was rarely seen in South Beach these days. Jade could easily have told Madison she had a visitor with the interoffice telephone, but the girl never lost an opportunity to sashay by the cluster of cubicles the programmers used, just as she never failed to add how “cool” something was, even when delivering bad news.
“Who is it? I’m not expecting anyone.”
Jade consulted a business card she held between bloodred nails that could have doubled as letter openers. “Paul Tanner. He’s with Tanner Security Solutions, Inc.”
Another geek trying to sell them software that was supposed to prevent other online trivia sites from hacking into their database. Online protection. What a joke.
“Tell him we take care of our own security.” She was about to give Jade another lecture on how to screen people, but she spotted Aiden Larsen coming toward her office.
“Hey, Madison,” her ex-husband called in his usual upbeat voice. “Got a minute?”
“Not really,” she fibbed as Jade ducked out of the cube and began to saunter down the aisle toward the reception area.
Aiden ignored Madison’s response and parked himself in the chair opposite her desk. She tried not to notice how handsome he looked. Chloe really knew how to make him dress in a way that emphasized his best features, his height and surfer blond hair.
The irony of the situation irritated her. Aiden would do anything for Chloe, but he’d stubbornly refused to make the smallest change for Madison. Instead, he’d insisted she be the one to alter her looks and life for him. He’d wanted her hair long and ruler-straight, even though it was naturally curly and at the mercy of Miami’s humidity. He’d wanted to go out to SoBe’s clubs almost every night. It was a scene she hated. Madison had resisted, of course, but it didn’t seem to matter now. Aiden was on a new path in life—Chloe’s course.
“Where’ve you been? I tried to get you all weekend.”
“Busy.” She didn’t want to tell Aiden she’d wasted another weekend searching for a place to lease. She couldn’t decide on anything, because each property she was shown made her think of the fabulous house in Coral Gables that she’d permitted Aiden to keep in the divorce. Retaining half the business they’d started together had been more important.
“You didn’t answer your cell.”
“I left it at Erin’s on Friday.”
The mention of her best friend’s name caused one blond eyebrow to quirk. Aiden’s brows were less scraggly than they had been on Friday, she noted. Over the weekend, Chloe must have convinced him to go to one of SoBe’s stylish spas for a professional wax.
Madison could see Aiden was biting back another negative comment about Erin. For an instant, Madison’s brain replayed something she’d heard on the morning news as she’d been getting ready for work. It made her think about Erin and wonder if her friend could have been involved in the incident.
“Why were you looking for me?” She knew it had to be important. Since their divorce they spoke only when necessary. So much for the “togetherness” they’d envisioned when starting the company. She struggled to keep her tone civil. Their last conversation had ended with Aiden accusing Madison of using her tongue like a whip.
“I had such a great idea that I wanted to run it by you immediately. That’s why I kept calling. Total Trivia needs a shot in the arm, right?”
“I guess,” she reluctantly conceded, although she knew he was correct. Advertising banner sales were level but she perceived a lack of momentum. On a per-week basis they weren’t drawing new gamers the way they once had. They were still raking in a bundle, but similar Web sites were invading the territory they’d once dominated.
“How’s this for an idea?” He rocked back in the chair opposite her desk and put his feet up on the rim, the way he used to when they’d been developing ideas for Total Trivia. “Add betting to our site.”
“We’ve been down this road before.” How could he waste her time with this? They’d known when they created Total Trivia that Internet gambling and auctions made boodles of money. They’d defied the odds by making money with a game that didn’t feature gambling.
He chuckled nonchalantly, but she knew better. Aiden handled the business end of their site. He could smell money the way a bloodhound picked up a fresh scent. “True. We have avoided gambling, but now Trivia Mania has added it to their site.”
“Interesting,” Madison hedged. Trivia Mania had been their chief rival before their competitor added gambling. She had no doubt gamers on Total Trivia would flock to a site where they could place bets. “Who’s handling their finances?”
“They’ve contracted with Allied Miami Bank.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Madison knew the bank was owned by a group of YUCAs—Young Urban Cuban Americans—with a reputation for financing shady gambling operations. Not all young and ambitious Cubans skirted the law, of course, but some did. It was a temptation unique to Miami, where many immigrants had settled and were making new lives.
“We’re thinking that adding betting to Total Trivia is the way to go. We know Allied Miami has the most experience.”
Madison didn’t have to ask who “we” was. This must be Chloe’s idea. Well, she could say many things about Chloe, but not being one of God’s brightest creatures wasn’t one of them. Madison had personally hired Chloe, but she hadn’t counted on Chloe stealing her husband.
“We’re making money. Why risk associating with questionable characters?”
“What if I tell you—”
Bzzt-bzzt. Jade was buzzing her from the receptionist’s desk. Madison picked up the phone, relieved at the interruption. “Yes, Jade?”
“Mr. Tanner is still waiting to see you. He says it’s not about business. This is a personal matter.”
“Yeah, right. That’s what they all say.” She never failed to be amazed at how many creeps crawled out of the woodwork once they sensed a computer game had hit the big time. She must get ten of these guys a week.
“I think he means it.” Jade was whispering now.
“Tell him to call me. We’ll discuss it on the phone.” Madison hung up and turned back to Aiden.
He was watching her intently, and she wondered if she was wearing an outfit she’d had on last week. She tended to wear half a dozen outfits that she liked over and over and over. No wonder she’d never been able to turn geek