For The Holidays (Gaming The System Book 9)

by Brenna Aubrey

  Well maybe her being a little jealous was a good thing. A good red herring to follow for a little while to keep her from discovering the truth.

  April moved into the room and stood beside me. I startled when she put her hand firmly on my ass and squeezed. “Are we all done here? Because I have some needs that need seeing to.” She stared up at me, her deep blue eyes burning with... something. Passion or anger? I couldn’t tell.

  Hopefully those needs would involve me dropping trou and April on her knees in front of me.

  Thankfully, Anna and what’s-his-name showed themselves out shortly thereafter with a quietly worded promise that she’d text me the minute she had any news.

  Chapter 12

  April

  Holy crap, who the hell did this chick think she was? What a… my mind raced. Had I any internalized misogyny going on inside my psyche, I may have already deemed her a THOT. But I didn’t roll like that. I had integrity.

  But no one blatantly flirted with my man and got away with it. This woman did not want to mess with me. My oma had taught me some good curses from the old world, and this Anna woman had no evil eye to shield her. Screw this shit.

  Next time I saw her, I’d definitely be pulling her aside and let her know she was treading on thin ice and I knew what she was up to. It was a certainty that in her job, she met tons of rich guys. And it might be rare to find one this young, cut, and devastatingly handsome. Jordan was a rare find. But he was mine.

  Back in our room, sexy times before bed were in order. Time to get Jordan’s head back in my game—so to speak. The minute we were inside our room and the door shut, I didn’t hesitate. I was all over him like cheap spandex leggings. My hand on his crotch, I went up on tiptoes and started mouthing his neck.

  “I need you,” I whispered. “Now.”

  Under my hand, he hardened immediately. He bent to cover my mouth with his. His breathing quickened and his hands roamed all over my body. That’s a good Beast.

  Jordan’s hands cupped my shoulders, directed me toward the bed, but when we got there, instead of getting on the bed, I went for his belt buckle instead. His eyes darkened with understanding. My hand moved over the zipper, pulling it down with some difficulty. These jeans fit snugly, and even snugger when he was fully erect. But soon I returned from that treasure hunt with my prize in hand. My hot, rigid prize. Mouthwatering.

  I raised my chin to meet his gaze, then slowly sank to my knees, holding his eyes with mine while I licked my lips. He froze, holding his breath. When I plunged him into my mouth, he threw his head back with a groan. “Fuck,” he rasped. A hand reached out to brace himself on the bedpost.

  I loved giving him head and he loved receiving, naturally. He wasn’t obnoxious but sometimes, when he got caught up in it, he’d grab my hair and take control, push me where he wanted me to go, thrust himself deep and talk dirty to me the entire time he did it. Sexy, sexy Beast.

  I was only getting started, tantalizing and tormenting him with my tongue while he surged inside my mouth, breath coming raggedly. Just as he was reaching for my hair, however, his phone rang. His hand froze, but I didn’t stop. He could ignore his fuckin’ phone for God’s sake. He was getting a first-class, top-notch BJ. And my Beast rarely let anything interrupt sex.

  The phone kept ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket to turn it off. Except no, he didn’t turn it off. What the fuck? He put his hand on my head... to pull himself away with a slight gasp. Then he stepped back and answered the phone. Was this really happening right now?

  I froze, still kneeling on the ground, while he retreated to the other side of the room by the windows, the phone to his ear. “Yeah,” he said without even looking in my direction. This had better be something vital and urgent at work or this was some bullshit. Especially at this hour. “Uh huh. Okay. Yes, that sounds good if you can work that all out. Ah—yeah. I think I can. I’ll, yeah. Get back to you.”

  His voice sounded weird... like tight, like he was a little stressed out. Or a lot stressed out. I slumped over to the bed and pulled myself onto it. He tossed the phone onto the bed and proceeded to button up. Even weirder. Not that I was inclined to continue now, but I was shocked that he wasn’t going to come back over here and at least try, so I could decently reject him. What the....what?

  He was really weirding me out.

  “We should turn in, babe. I’m exhausted and I need to be up early tomorrow. Guys thing. I’ll probably be gone when you wake up.”

  I blinked. My mouth opened and closed a few times. I didn’t remember seeing anything like that on the itinerary. Was it an impromptu thing? Maybe they were going to work out or something?

  He wasn’t even meeting my gaze to take in my shocked expression. “I’m gonna go take a shower now so I don’t wake you up. Do you need anything? Oh right, you came into the kitchen to get more water, didn’t you? Let me go get you that. Be right back.” He left the room and I sat, running fingers through my hair, mind racing for what to do and wishing Mia was awake so I could ask her advice.

  He returned in minutes, setting not one, but two chilled water bottles on my nightstand. Then he kissed the top of my head.

  “Go to bed, babe. You look tired.” I glared at his receding back as he headed for the bathroom. Thanks a lot, asshole.

  I flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering what to do as I listened to the water turn on in the bathroom.

  Suddenly, his phone lit up right beside me, buzzing with a text. I scooped it up before the message faded from the update screen.

  Anna: Give me a call in the morning when you’re up and about and we’ll make plans to meet. I’ve already got a list of ideas for us.

  My eyelashes fluttered so quickly they probably resembled hummingbird wings. How? What? My gut tightened and a sick miasma began churning in my stomach. How was this possible? Was my Beast cheating? Or trying to get away in order to think about doing it? Or?

  What the hell even was this?

  Because of his past, I never in a zillion years would suspect him of straying. Ever.

  I knew down to my bones that if he ever wanted out of the relationship, he’d come to me and tell me so before moving on to some other woman’s bed.

  But here was proof that not only did he have her number, he was actively planning to meet with her for…for what?

  Then another realization pounded down on my head so hard it threatened to sicken me. Had that been her on the phone? Had he actually interrupted oral sex with me to talk to her?

  How weirdly ironic that our own secret affair, back when ours was a forbidden boss-assistant fling, had started nearby in the city of Vancouver, just an hour south of where we were right now. What happens in Canada stays in Canada, he’d joked then. Ugh. Was that still the case for him? Did he still see Canada as some tomcat free-for-all land of milk and honey-bunnies?

  I set his phone on the nightstand and rubbed my temples. I couldn’t handle this right now. I needed ice cream—and someone to talk to. Tightening my kimono belt, I put my slippers back on and headed out of the room. I was too wound up to sleep, and it was way too late and crowded in this house for me to confront him now.

  I needed to cool down. I needed a level head. I needed my girls.

  I could barely suck in a shaky breath. What the hell was this? How could we have gone from doing so amazingly well to his eye very obviously roving in just a few days in the country? Had I pushed it too much with all my teasing and playacting about wanting to get married? It had all been in fun. He’d known that. He had to know that.

  I wasn’t ready to get married. But playing on his obvious aversion to it had always been worth a few laughs, particularly with the girls. It had been my fun way of just connecting and flirting with him and letting him know that I knew he was mine even if we weren’t official.

  He knew that.

  I mean... right? He did know that, right? How could he not know that?

  My mind played through some of the things I done f
or a laugh—openly ogling Mia’s wedding gown; looking at Bride magazines when Sid dumped them on me with her not-so-subtle hints; ooohing and aaahing over Kat’s antique art deco engagement ring.

  It had all been to get his goat.

  Oh damn, April, you really blew it now didn’t you? You idiot.

  Everyone had gone to bed, besides Heath, who was on the PlayStation playing some game that looked like soccer but with cars. We didn’t talk, since he had the headset on to keep the game quiet, and I was fine with that.

  I had a half quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a large soup spoon in my hand and I was not afraid to use them. Hours later, when I finally made it back to our room, Jordan was dead to the world.

  And by the time I finally drifted off, and woke up late in the morning, he was long gone.

  When I checked my phone, I was reminded that this morning, just a half hour from now, was girls’ brunch and in-house spa day.

  My girls. I needed them. The timing couldn’t be better.

  A short time later we were in our swimsuits in the bubbling jacuzzi that sat on the covered sundeck—labeled the solarium—beside a small infrared sauna and a few gym machines. This place never ceased to amaze me. We had everything here.

  The girls were all chatting happily, sharing stories, but I heard none of it. I sipped absently at my mimosa and stared out at the mountain view, deep in thought. I was a zillion miles away when I realized all the girls were staring at me.

  “Hmm, what?”

  “What’s going on with you, April? You seem super distracted,” Jenna asked. “Everything okay?”

  I blinked and frowned. Well, I couldn’t exactly bring up what was on my mind, could I? But they might have some good advice for me. I nibbled at my bottom lip. What to do… what to do…

  Hmm. When all else failed… lie.

  “Hmm oh sorry, I was just thinking about my good friend… Sid.”

  “Oh, your former roommate?” Mia asked.

  I blinked. Oh shit. Yeah I’d forgotten that Mia and met Sid once. Since Sid had graduated and taken a job up in LA, we didn’t see each other very often these days, but she didn’t have a boyfriend. It was probably safe to use her for my lie.

  Of course, with my luck, we’d probably end up crossing paths with her up here. Or at LAX on the way home, or something.

  “Yeah…so. Sid’s seeing this guy. They’ve been together for a while now. And she, um, she thinks he might be cheating. Or planning to cheat on her.”

  I swallowed, scanning each of their faces. Could they tell I was lying like a rug? I was literally doing that “asking for a friend” thing. Well, in for a Guess bag, in for a Louis Vuitton….

  “Oh, poor Sid,” Jenna said. “She must be so stressed out.”

  I nodded. “She is. Sick to her stomach, too.”

  Mia leaned forward and patted my shoulder. “So, she just suspects it, right? She’s not sure?”

  I cocked my head, avoiding Mia’s eyes. “She was asking me for advice. Didn’t know what to say.”

  “You should tell her to sit him down and ask him directly what’s going on,” Mia said.

  I nodded. “That sounds like good advice. I’ll pass that along”

  Jenna shook her head, staring out the window. “I could not abide a cheater. Or even one who flirts with women while he’s in a relationship.”

  “Well, I think it’s more that the other chick is flirting a lot with Sid’s boyfriend.” Shit I should probably think up a name for this fictional guy soon or they’d be on to me. Carl? Jimmy? No... um. Harold? Jaden?

  “Some other chick is trying to swoop in and get her man? Uh uh.” said Kat with a final, chopping gesture. “Burn it all down. Tell Sid to take up some martial arts and learn how to throw a right hook. Or just use something heavy and—”

  Jenna held out a hand to interrupt Kat mid-gesture. “Now, now. Sometimes we just need to follow John Lennon’s advice and give peace a chance. Talking. In the end, it’s all about Sid and the trust between her and her boyfriend....What’s his name?”

  “Ro—ca, Um, Roland.” I sputtered. Shit, almost gave myself up there. Last minute save. Roland? WTF? Was he a medieval Knight of the Round Table or something?

  “Well as much as I’d be tempted to Kat’s route, I agree with Jenna.” Mia said with a decisive nod. “This is a him and her situation. The flirty woman can’t cheat unless he allows it to happen.”

  My guts sank and my throat tightened and I nodded miserably before tilting the champagne flute back to get every single last drop. Kat already had the bottle poised to refill it when I came up for air.

  If Jordan was cheating—or planning to cheat—would he tell me, even if I asked him to his face?

  I vowed to get to the bottom of it tonight. We were supposed to have dinner alone together. I had no details on where or when or how. But the sooner I did it, the better.

  Because I don’t think I could invent more friends to ask for still more advice. And I was already feeling buzzed at eleven thirty in the morning. My mind raced for a way to change the subject. Fortunately, Mia did it for me.

  “Oh, by the way, April, remember that mystery man who came to the door and gave me his card? I have news.”

  Now we were talking. I was immediately pulled out of my sulk by the promise of juicy gossip. With a deep breath, I shoved all thoughts of my current dilemma to the background and vowed I wouldn’t obsess about it again until I was alone.

  “Spill the tea, girl. I need to know everything!”

  Chapter 13

  Jenna

  Wait, what was this? I blinked, setting down my own flute of champagne to follow the excited chatter of my friends. Just when I was going to ask for my own advice, too…

  Kat frowned, as lost as I was. “Who are you guys talking about?”

  April gestured excitedly. “Oh, this guy came to the door yesterday. He was… exceptional. I mean, we have a lot of fantastic eye-candy here in the house. And we love our guys, but—”

  “Fresh meat?” Kat said with a hearty giggle. “A girl can still look, right?”

  April quirked a smile. “What’s hilarious is that I punched his name into Google right after he left to find out more about him, and then got distracted before I could even read up on what I’d found. So…” She nodded expectantly at Mia. “Fill us in!”

  “Well Adam knows him from his time when he worked at Sony, pre-Draco. His name is Dom Fischer and he now also runs his own company.”

  April’s forehead wrinkled. “He seemed a bit older than Adam, though. Like in his thirties.”

  Mia laughed. “Adam’s turning thirty in just a few months.”

  General admission all around about how old that seemed. I was still several years away from that milestone myself, thank goddess!

  “Just how many billionaire BFFs does Adam have tucked away in his back pocket, and why didn’t I know this when I was single?” Kat snorted.

  April tilted her head. “So he runs a gaming company too? A competing company to Draco?”

  Mia waved her hand airily. “Oh no, he’s not in games anymore. His business is autonomous cars. Apparently, it just blew up with some new product they put out on the market—vehicles without drivers that deliver goods and food to customers’ homes.”

  April’s eyes bugged out. “Are you talking about Tranxit? We’ve been talking about them in my MBA program. Jeez, now I know why he looks so familiar…”

  Mia reached over and topped off April’s glass. “Apparently the story is, when he left Sony, he tried to hire Adam to work for him. But Adam was already on his way out to start his own company. As we all probably could surmise, my hubby doesn’t like working for other people.”

  Kat snorted. “Understatement of the year.”

  “That’s saying a lot when there’s only a few more days left in the year, too.” Mia took a last sip of champagne before setting it aside on the ledge of the jacuzzi.

  April was frowning as if trying to remember som
ething. “He had some big, publicized split with his girlfriend and a lawsuit. Some semi-famous model. It was all tabloid-worthy, of course.”

  “Aren’t they always models?” I shook my head. I’d say guys like that don’t date any other type, but here I was, sitting with two friends who were the significant others of billionaires, so I kept my mouth shut and finished off my mimosa.

  Mia’s gaze flicked to April. “He had a really intimidating vibe to him. Like a cross between a stern daddy and an enforcer. Even his name implies it—Dom. Was it domestic violence or something?”

  April shook her head. “No. Libel, I’m pretty sure. She tried to get some trashy tell-all memoir about their relationship published, and he filed an injunction to block it.”

  “Who are you guys even talking about? I’m lost.” I looked from one of them to the other.

  Kat had already picked up her phone and was typing into it. “I had the same questions, so I just searched him and… whoa. I think he’d be fine getting models even if he was a penniless desk jockey.”

  She flipped the phone so that I could see the pictures she’d pulled up. I paged through the first three, stopping at the shirtless one, obviously a pap photo snapped at the beach. He wore tight European-style swim trunks and had an ah-mazing body. Thick, dark hair, silvery gray eyes. Holy moly. Think all the hot Chris actors—Evans, Pine, Hemsworth and Pratt—rolled in to one, with the poise and presence of Idris Elba, or Pedro Pascal. Add in a dash of Theo James.

  It’s a wonder the phone wasn’t melting in Kat’s hand. That was a lot of hotness to handle.

  “That’s the self-driving car tech nerd?” I asked with a slight gasp.

  “Yup,” Kat answered. “But, like, I’m a happily married lady, so my panties totally aren’t melting right now. If they’re a bit warm, it’s because of the jacuzzi. We should figure out which of our friends to throw at him.”