The Love Game

by Regina Hart

  Iris wouldn’t put it past the egotistical marketing executive. She got to her feet, then wandered her living room. “This leak has shaken me more than I would’ve thought. Maybe Rose is right. Maybe I’ve taken on more than I can handle.”

  Cathy sighed. “Your sisters love you very much. They’re protective of you, and I understand that. But Rose is wrong. You’ve already proven with the work you’ve done for Anderson that you can handle these types of projects.”

  A part of Iris agreed with her friend. Then why did she feel so far out of her element? “I can handle individual projects but can I handle a campaign?”

  “Yes. And I’m not just saying that because you’ve hired me to design Anderson’s marketing collateral.” Cathy sighed again. “Now put on your big-girl pants and find out who’s trying to sabotage your client.”

  Iris gave a dry chuckle. “My favorite thing about you is your empathetic pep talks.”

  Cathy harrumphed. “Don’t be such a wimp. You said Lily told you to find the saboteur. She’s right. Don’t overlook Kimball.”

  Iris scowled. “He’s at the top of my list.”

  * * *

  Tuesday morning, Iris stormed past Peter Kimball’s secretary and shoved open the marketing executive’s office door.

  The curvy, middle-aged woman dithered in Iris’s wake. “Pete, I’m sorry. I tried to stop her but she just pushed past me.”

  Peter continued typing at his laptop before looking up at his secretary. “That’s all right, Florence. I think the whole industry is aware that Ms. Beharie’s manners leave a lot to be desired.”

  “They certainly do.” Florence’s small powder-blue eyes glared up at Iris. “Should I escort her out?”

  “Good luck with that.” Iris arched an eyebrow. The other woman was more than a head shorter than her. “I’m not leaving until I’m ready to go.”

  Peter waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. Ms. Beharie will be ready to leave soon. Please close the door on your way out.”

  Florence hesitated, obviously torn between staying and going. “Let me know if you want me to call security.” With a final glare, the older woman spun on her heel, then slammed the door shut behind her.

  “What can I do for you, Iris?” Peter’s question drew Iris’s attention back to him.

  “You can tell me who sent you the first results from ‘Osiris’s Journey’’s product testing.”

  “What are you talking about?” His expression of confusion was perfectly nuanced. If Iris didn’t know better she’d believe his act. It was the ninth day of June. “Osiris’s Journey” would launch in a month. She didn’t have time for this.

  Peter sat in an overstuffed big crimson leather chair behind a large, old fashioned mahogany desk. His pale pink shirt highlighted his cold gray eyes and heavily tanned features.

  Iris settled her hands on her hips. “You sent the file to The Gamer’s Seat to hurt Anderson Adventures’ product launch. But your plan didn’t work.”

  Peter’s eyes widened with surprise, then he threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Did someone leak damaging information to the media before your client’s product launch?”

  She fisted her hands at her sides. “You did.”

  “I assure you I did not.” Peter shook his head, still laughing. “But this is rich. Too good to be true.”

  Iris narrowed her eyes at her rival. “Why should I believe you?”

  “I’m not asking you to.” Peter wiped the tears of hilarity from his eyes. “Oh, I bet Foster Anderson is royally pissed that Ty hired you now.”

  Iris swallowed, trying to dislodge the ball of fear stuck in her throat. Peter looked and sounded genuinely amused. Could he be telling the truth? Impossible.

  “You’re not going to get away with this.” She regarded Peter with contempt as he continued his hyena impersonation.

  “How did you find out about the leak?” His gray eyes gleamed with spite and satisfaction. “Was it an internet alert? Or maybe it was a phone call from the press?”

  Iris had checked her internet alerts prior to storming Kimball & Associates’ gates. Luckily, Anderson Adventures and “Osiris’s Journey” were still riding positive press from the Electronic Gaming Convention.

  “When did you get the document?” She pinned him with a steely stare.

  “What makes you think I leaked the file?” Peter’s humor faded only slightly.

  “Because you’re a spiteful little man.” Iris allowed her disdain for her competitor to show. “Ty Anderson awarded the campaign to me—”

  “And they got what they paid for.”

  “You were so jealous you lied about the events that led to my leaving RGB.”

  “Everything’s fair in marketing and war.” Peter took a deep drink of coffee from his ceramic mug. His movements were easy and relaxed.

  Iris wanted to slap the mug from his hand. “You’re capable of schmoozing one of your inside contacts into sending you the old test results, then passing those documents to the media as though they were the most recent product tests.”

  Peter almost choked on a mouthful of coffee. Almost, but not quite. More’s the pity. “You just keep telling yourself that, Iris. Maybe you’ll eventually be able to convince yourself that’s what happened.”

  Either Peter was telling the truth or he had Sir Anthony Hopkins–sized acting chops. Iris shook her head. He had to be lying. “What did you hope to achieve? Were you trying to hurt me or Anderson Adventures?”

  Peter shook his head as though in pity. “Until you told me, I had no idea that Anderson Adventures had a security breach.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “This is the first time anything like that has ever happened at that company. And it happened on your watch.” Peter grinned with glee. “How does that feel?”

  “It will give me the greatest satisfaction to tell them you’re the one behind this leak.”

  “You’d be lying.” Peter sobered. “I told you from the beginning that you’re out of your league with this client.”

  “The campaign was progressing well before you played your games.”

  “This would never have happened if I’d been on the account.” Peter sat forward, reaching for his phone. “Should I call Ty to give him my condolences?”

  Iris’s heart raced as her anger grew. “Just remember, Pete, payback’s a bitch.”

  “You’re out of your league, little girl.” Peter crossed his legs and leaned back in chair. “Way out of your league.”

  Iris racked her brain to come up with some way to trick Peter into confessing but nothing came to mind. It was obvious she wasn’t going to get him to admit to his involvement in the security breach.

  She clenched her teeth and turned toward the door. “I still have the account, old man.”

  She’d find another way to fix this. Not only was her reputation on the line but this leak threatened Tyler’s chances of succeeding his father at the family company’s helm. With any luck, Tyler would receive the results of the email investigation today and they could start to put the matter behind them. She kept her fingers crossed.

  * * *

  Iris arrived at Anderson Adventures shortly after 10:00 a.m. Tuesday. She exchanged a brief but cheery good-morning with Sherry. She was still distracted by her earlier exchange with Peter Kimball. What would Tyler think about her theory?

  She stopped in his doorway before continuing to her conference room. Tyler sat at his desk. Iris took a moment to enjoy looking at him. He was so handsome. His broad shoulders were covered in a copper pullover. He stared contemplatively at his computer screen. Lost in thought, he seemed miles away.

  She knocked tentatively on the door. “Ty? Do you have a moment?”

  “Where have you been?” He seemed to be looking
through her. His question wasn’t accusatory. Instead he sounded almost resigned.

  This morning, she’d wanted to bring him a resolution to this crisis. She’d hoped to take away his troubles. Instead, she could only offer him more questions.

  “I went to speak with Pete Kimball.” Iris frowned. “Didn’t you get my message?”

  “Close the door, Iris.”

  She nudged the block of wood out from under the door, frowning at Tyler’s stiff tone. “This must be serious.”

  “I got your message.” Tyler took his time saving his computer file, then turned to face her. “But I don’t understand why you went to speak with him.”

  Iris walked farther into the room. There was a chill in the air. And she was getting a weird vibe from him.

  “I think Kimball is behind our security breach.” Iris lowered herself onto one of Tyler’s guest chairs.

  Tyler gave her a skeptical look. “Why do you think that?”

  What was going on with him? He didn’t seem or sound like the friend and colleague to whom she’d bid good-night yesterday, much less the lover with whom she’d spent the night during the convention in San Diego.

  Iris hesitated. “He was unhappy when he didn’t get your product launch. I think convincing someone on your team to email the old test results to him, then leaking that information to the media, is his way of getting back at us.”

  “Who did he convince to help him?”

  “We’ll know once you get the results of the email investigation.”

  Tyler was silent for several seconds. The look in his ebony eyes was distant, considering. Cool. “I have the results. They came earlier than expected.”

  Her heart leaped. This was good news. It meant the mystery was over. But it was also bad news. Now they’d know who’d broken their trust. Over the past three months, she’d gotten to know several of the Anderson Adventures associates well. She hoped with all her heart it hadn’t been any of them.

  Iris sat straighter on the chair, bracing herself for the news. “Who was it?”

  Tyler held her gaze as though trying to read her mind. “It was you, Iris. You were the leak.”

  Chapter 13

  He was serious.

  Iris’s head spun as though she were in a tire, racing down a hill. Too fast. Her ears were buzzing. She couldn’t catch her breath. Her heart thundered as though it would burst from her chest.

  “What are you talking about?” She gasped the question. Her voice sounded so far away.

  “The search of our email system found this transmission.” Tyler slid a sheet of paper across the glass surface of his desk.

  Iris leaned forward. Her hand shook as she accepted the document. The transmission was from her email account at Anderson Adventures to Ryan Tipper at The Gamer’s Seat. Iris looked up at Tyler in shock. His face remained expressionless.

  Does he really believe me capable of this?

  She returned her attention to the email printout. It was sent at 11:53 a.m. on May 21, about two weeks before the industry convention in San Diego. She struggled to read it as the paper shook in her grasp, causing the words to bounce before her eyes. The message claimed that she’d attached a pdf of the “Osiris’s Journey” test results because she wanted Tipper to expose “the fraud Anderson Adventures was about to perpetrate on consumers.”

  I’m in the middle of a nightmare.

  “This doesn’t even sound like me.” She hadn’t realized she’d said the words out loud until Tyler spoke.

  “What do you mean?”

  She looked into his cold eyes. He was so still, so watchful. I’m on trial. “I didn’t send this.”

  “It was sent from your computer through your email account.”

  “Then someone else used my computer and my account to send this message.”

  “Who?”

  Iris spread her hands. She struggled to control her voice despite her increasing agitation. “I don’t know, Ty. All I do know is that I didn’t send this.”

  Tyler finally moved, leaning into his desk to hold Iris’s gaze. “Only five people have key cards that can access all of the offices in this building: my father, my aunt, Xavier, Donovan and me. Are you accusing one of us of framing you?”

  “I’m not accusing anyone.” Iris shook the sheet of paper as she was forced to repeat herself for the third time. “I’m telling you this isn’t me.”

  “Even if someone else did manage to gain key-card access to your office, how would they get into your password-protected email system?”

  Her heart dropped. “I don’t always remember to lock my computer.”

  “Convenient.” Tyler sat back on his chair.

  That hurt.

  “I’m not lying.” And if he had any trust in her, he’d know that. Her emotions shifted from fear to anger. Iris stood. “When we made love, you told me you trusted me. What’s changed now that we have our clothes on?”

  Tyler rose, as well. A wide range of emotions moved across his features: disappointment, confusion, sorrow and anger. He was experiencing the same feelings she was.

  He gestured toward the sheet she’d unknowingly crushed in her fist. “I can’t deny the evidence staring me in the face.”

  “I signed a contract with you to produce two successful product launches. Why would I jeopardize my own project?”

  “I was hoping you’d tell me.”

  “I wouldn’t. I didn’t.” Iris held his gaze. She pushed the words past the lump burning her throat. “I’m asking you to believe me. Trust me, Ty.”

  Tyler searched her eyes. Iris held her breath as he looked deep inside her. She didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. Seconds ticked by building toward a minute, perhaps two. She held her ground, firm in the knowledge of the truth; she hadn’t betrayed him. She wasn’t the leak. Would he have faith in her?

  Vulnerability flashed in his eyes before they hardened. “You’re not giving me anything to support your innocence.”

  He’d torn another piece of her heart. “All I have is my word.”

  “I don’t have the luxury of ignoring the evidence. I have to protect Anderson Adventures and our seventy associates.”

  “Ty, you know me. You must know I’m not capable of this.”

  “We traced the leak back to you.” Tyler spoke as though he hadn’t heard her. “Under the circumstances, I have to ask you to leave. Immediately.”

  His voice was so cold, emotionless. It was as though he was talking to a stranger. He was treating her like one. Her mind flashed back to the night they’d made love more than once. She clung desperately to her anger to keep from being sick.

  “You can’t possibly believe I’d jeopardize my own contract.”

  “If you leave now, we can avoid criminal charges.”

  Iris froze. “Criminal—”

  “We’ll pack your belongings and have them delivered to you.”

  Iris could only stare at him. She’d run out of arguments with which to defend herself. She tried but couldn’t collect her thoughts. The pain of this moment was a thousand times worse than the betrayal she’d experienced at RGB Inc. She’d seen that moment coming. But Tyler had blindsided her completely.

  I trust you. He’d given her that gift in a dark hotel room. In the light of day, he’d taken it back.

  Iris swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ll return the partial payment you gave me when we signed our contract.”

  “Keep it. It’s for the services you provided.”

  Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry.

  “That’s not necessary.” All she’d asked for was his trust. He couldn’t give her that; she wouldn’t take his money. Iris turned to leave.

  Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

  She strode through the e
xecutive suite, back straight, shoulders squared and eyes dry, if itchy. Her stride faltered as she approached Sherry’s desk. She’d miss the warm, cheerful woman. With an effort, she pasted on a smile.

  “Hey, Iris. Where are you off to?” Sherry’s voice was as welcoming as ever. News of Iris’s alleged betrayal must not have made it through the company’s grapevine yet. Thank goodness.

  “Home.” Her voice wobbled.

  “Are you okay?” Sherry looked closely at Iris as she passed the front desk.

  “No.”

  “I’m sorry, dear. Feel better.” Sherry’s kind words almost tugged loose her self-control.

  Mercifully, Iris made it to the door. She sent Sherry one last smile before leaving.

  Whoever framed her had taken so much more from her than a project and some money. They’d taken her reputation, budding friendships and the man with whom she was beginning to fall in love, and for what? No matter how long it took, she’d get the answer to that question.

  Iris exited Anderson Adventures and crossed the parking lot to her car. Somehow she’d prove to Tyler that she hadn’t been the leak. She’d make him realize he could trust her. Doing that would at least salvage their professional relationship. But what about their personal one? Iris climbed into her car and finally let her tears fall. They were hot rivers of sorrow racing down her cheeks.

  Face it, Iris. You and Ty never had a personal relationship. You imagined it.

  She slapped her tears away, took a deep breath, then started her car. How could Ty love me and truly believe I could commit such a despicable act?

  * * *

  An hour later, Tyler knocked on Xavier’s office door. In his opposite hand, he gripped the printout of the report Ted had just given him.

  “Ty, come in.” Xavier saved his computer file, locked his system, then turned to Tyler. “How did it go with Iris? Did she tell you why she sent the email?”

  “She said she didn’t.” Ty took one of the chairs in front of Xavier’s desk.

  His cousin shrugged his shoulders. “I guess that’s to be expected. Lauren suspected her right away. I’m sorry.”