Antony sidled closer to her. “Uh, Alyssa…” He cleared his throat. Loudly.
Alyssa didn’t look at him.
She kept her angry—and, dammit, still hurt—stare on Sebastian as she snapped, “So don’t worry. You can rest easy. I won’t be around begging for your attention. To be clear, I don’t beg for anyone.”
No, of course, she didn’t. He could all too easily imagine the men begging for her.
Her hand jerked back. “Now, if you don’t mind, it’s my birthday. I have people waiting for me.”
She had the whole world waiting. She turned on her heel and walked away from him like the freaking queen that she was. His gaze slid over her body.
Sweet hell, that ass of hers—
“Jeez, that didn’t go so well.” Antony slapped a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Should have warned you. My sister has a temper.”
Suspicion churned through him. “Did you know she was close enough to hear us?”
“Uh, I—”
Sebastian’s head turned. His eyes locked on his now squirming business partner.
Antony winced. “I think Alyssa might have been getting a little crush on you. I mean, hell, man, you know women tend to fall for that whole badass thing you have going on.” He snatched his hand back and waved vaguely at Sebastian. “Hmm. Maybe we should use it in our promotions. Bet the press would like it, too,” he mused.
“Focus.” Sebastian waved a hand angrily. “Let me get this straight. You wanted to stop her crush. You wanted me to be the villain of the piece. Figured if she saw me as the asshole, she’d lose interest?”
“No…” Antony pushed up his glasses. They hadn’t been falling. “I was merely hoping for some boundaries.”
“Boundaries, huh?” He unclenched his hands. “You didn’t let me finish my promise.”
Antony frowned at him. “I didn’t?”
“No. You didn’t.” His gaze slid across the room. Alyssa was standing with two men. Tall, handsome, polished jackasses. “I swear, that I will never, ever put my hands on your sister…”
Alyssa’s head turned. Her eyes met his.
“Unless she asks for them,” Sebastian finished softly. “Unless she asks for me. In that case…” I will touch her wherever and whenever she wants.
Antony laughed. “Oh, that shit is never gonna happen.”
Alyssa held Sebastian’s stare.
“You never know,” Sebastian replied.
Chapter One
Cover blown. Protect my sister. Do anything necessary.
Sebastian frowned at the text he’d just received from his business partner, Antony Kyle. For a moment, his heart seemed to stop beating.
“Uh, Mr. Ridgeway?” A throat cleared, not so discreetly.
Sebastian’s hold on the phone tightened.
“Sir, they are waiting.”
Sebastian glanced up and straight at an auditorium full of people. He’d been on his way to the podium, and normally, he would never have checked his phone when he was presenting, but that special little ding—that ding had notified him that the message was of some serious code-red emergency status. It was an alert he’d set up to receive only when the shit ever so seriously hit the fan.
Reporters were staring at him. Head honchos in the video gaming field were waiting with bated breath. Social media influencers had their phones up and were recording.
And he really, really needed to get the hell out of there.
Protect my sister.
Protect Alyssa Kyle. He pushed the phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Even though he was the headlining speaker, Sebastian wore battered jeans and a loose t-shirt. Some folks in the crowd were wearing expensive, designer suits. They were trying to impress with their money and their clout.
He didn’t give a damn about impressing anyone.
Well, maybe one person.
“Mr. Ridgeway?” His assistant sidled closer.
“Find Alyssa,” he ordered in a low voice. “I want to know exactly where she is, and I want that information in the next minute.”
“Minute?” A shocked squeak from Doug Manci. His eyes bulged. “But—”
Sebastian grabbed the podium. He moved his head toward the microphone. “Thanks for coming out today. Our new gaming software is going to blow your mind.”
Cover is blown.
He flashed a smile to the crowd, deliberately using his dimples because they made him seem charming. He was the face of the company. The one who appeared in all the ads. The one people saw when they thought of Shark Gaming and Design.
Protect my sister.
“Protecting our company and our customers has always been my top priority. We want to give them the best experience possible.” They had cut out huge chunks of the market in the billion-dollar gaming industry. We’re here to take a bite out of the industry. He and Antony had kicked ass and taken names, and they weren’t even close to being done.
Antony…
The words of the text played through Sebastian’s mind. Do anything necessary.
The packed crowd waited eagerly. Keeping his voice nice and warm, he said, “But don’t just take my word for it. I want you to experience the latest Shark game for yourself. Everyone in this room will be treated to an early look at our latest project.”
There was a surprised murmur. Yeah, because this hadn’t been on the agenda. Screw that. His agenda had changed.
“I won’t stand up here and bore you by running through all the talk of specs and details. That’s a waste of everyone’s time. Instead, my team will provide you all with exclusive access to our newest game. Trust me on this, you’ll find that it’s the experience of a lifetime.” The VR would blow their minds.
Sebastian turned away from the crowd even as reporters shouted questions at him.
His assistant stood on the sidelines, sweating.
Sebastian headed straight for Doug. “Where is she?”
Sweat dotted Doug’s forehead. “She’s…she’s on a date.”
He growled.
“They are scheduled to take in a play at the Langley Theater. You can find her in the company box—”
“Take care of them.” He jerked his thumb back toward the shouting crowd.
“But—”
“Don’t worry. The rest of the team will help you out.” They were waiting in the wings. Sure, he’d just thrown them all a serious curve ball, but they’d handle it. He trained his team very, very well. “I have more pressing business.”
Doug hopped closer. “What could possibly be more pressing than this?” Once again, his voice was a squeak. His red bow tie had twisted. A habit Doug had. He always wore bow ties, and when he was nervous, he twisted them. “This is a huge deal! A BFD!” Doug yanked at his bow tie. “What is more pressing? Uh, sir?”
Saving Alyssa. Saving her was definitely a big fucking deal. “It seems I have a date to interrupt.” The bastard with her had better not get in Sebastian’s way. He was so not in the mood to play.
Doug gaped at him. “You’re not serious?”
He was. He was also in a hurry. Sebastian waved to his other team members. They surged up from the background as he marched out. His steps were fast as he headed through the building. He knew his car and driver would be waiting at the front of the building.