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  I wouldn’t correct the nickname, one because I liked it, and two because I hated telling people you’re wrong.

  “Yes, but no,” Dustin said. “We met last night.”

  Please God, don’t let him say where or why.

  The other man extended his hand. “I’m Phillip. It’s great to have you here.”

  “Thanks. I’m excited to be here.” They weren’t making a big deal out of things. Yet. I could pretend this was all perfectly normal. I’d do that until I was required to do otherwise anyway.

  “Adrienne, you know where to find me if you need anything,” Daphne said. “Please keep in mind, our rules aren’t lip service. Not that I expect these two to give you any issues.”

  “Thank you.”

  Phillip pointed me toward my desk, which had the most amazing setup of three giant screens and a high end computer plus drawing tablet that I’d ever seen. He told me my password was on a post-it on the screen and to change it immediately.

  When I logged in, he pointed me toward some internal graphic assets and told me to get familiar with the setup, and ask him if I needed anything.

  “I’ll do that, thank you.” So far, so good.

  “And to address the elephant in the room...” Phillip said.

  No. We didn’t have to do this, did we? We could just pretend last night was other people? “Okay?”

  “I’m glad you’re continuing to hone your skills, like with last night’s class. I’m a big supporter of that.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, since I’m not the real Adrienne. The view last night was so breathtaking, I kidnapped your real new employee and took her place.” I mentally facepalmed even as the words tumbled past my lips. What was wrong with me? “I’m kidding, of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...” What? I meant exactly what I’d said, but in a joking way. Not in an I’m here to stare at you because you’re sexy naked kind of way.

  “Good. Because we can’t condone kidnapping.” Phillip’s tone was serious and his expression blank.

  Dustin looked like he was fighting a smirk. “It’s understandable, though. We are gorgeously irresistible.”

  One corner of Phillip’s mouth twitched up, cracking his mask. “That’s a fact. And you won’t work with two better artists in the industry.”

  False bravado was a turn-off, but genuine confidence was fucking sexy, and I’d seen art samples coming out of this group, so I knew they were incredible at what they did. Still, I’d swooned enough. I should at least try to play it cool. “Is that so?”

  “We’re highly recruited.” Dustin straddled his chair and rested his arms on the back. The pose elongated his toned arms and back, and stretched his T-shirt over lines of definition. Drool. It also tugged up his sleeve, revealing the bottom of a tattoo I recognized immediately. Luna had a similar one of the AcesPlayed logo. That was what they’d been hiding with the oversized bandages last night.

  Phillip nodded “But we’ll make you one of us. You’ve got the skill.”

  “You just need the right connections,” Dustin said.

  Watching the back and forth, the way they played off each other, was fun. No wonder they looked so good in that embrace last night. “Wait. Are you together? You have to be.” Damn it, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut? Because I was nervous. Lousy excuse, but the only one I had.

  Phillip shrugged. “Co-workers. Just like you.”

  “Also friends and fuck-buddies,” Dustin added.

  He said it so nonchalantly and Phillip didn’t even flinch. Fuck-buddies. As in casual sex? I knew people did that, but I had a hard enough time finding relationship-sex. I couldn’t fathom liking someone well enough to just sleep with them then hang out the next day, though the idea was appealing. I certainly didn’t care for relationships right now. Maybe I could learn? Maybe one of them could teach me?

  Definitely inappropriate, and I needed to change the subject before the thought forced its way past my lips. “So you’re saying who I know is more important than talent?” I could take us back to our previous topic. “In other words, your being highly recruited doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Talent and making sure it’s recognized mean everything.” Phillip pulled up a seat and rolled closer. “Knowing people makes the rest easier.”

  “And after last night, you know more about us than a lot of people.” Dustin winked.

  Phillip smirked. “Don’t let him fool you, a lot of people know that side of him.”

  If they were going to treat the art class like this, teasing but not embarrassing me, I could deal with that. Especially since they let me move on so easily from my question about their relationship. “But how many of them noticed that birthmark?”

  “I doubt very many.” Dustin glanced at the computer screen behind him. “Shit, I need to run to a meeting. If you do any more in-person figure drawing, wait until I’m back.” A hint of seduction slid into his voice.

  “Dude. Inappropriate.”

  Phillip’s retort surprised me. The entire conversation was probably inappropriate. But the fact that we drew sex meant a lot of lines weren’t clear to me. “Isn’t that exactly what we do here?” I was supposed to watch out for language that made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t feel threatened by the conversation. Maybe it was because it didn’t take me much to summon fantasies of them fucking.

  “The lady is correct,” Dustin said. “That’s exactly what we do here.”

  “Uh-huh.” Phillip managed to convey you know what I meant, but still keep it light, in a simple grunt.

  “Before I go”—Dustin focused on me—“I’m glad you’re here, Addie. Can I call you that?”

  “Yes.” It was okay that my gorgeous new co-worker had already given me a nickname. It didn’t mean anything. Why would I even think it did? Ridiculous.

  “Perfect.” Dustin turned to Phillip. “I’m also leaving behind the TV remote, my wireless stereo setup, my credit cards, and my bottle cap collection.”

  Phillip laughed. “You’ll never be able to pay for things if you leave the bottle caps behind.”

  “I’ll sell my body. It’s my best commodity anyway. Catch you in a few, Addie.” And with that, Dustin was gone.

  Phillip wheeled his chair to sit next to me. “When he gets back, he can fill us in if he needs any help with what he’s working on, but until then, are you ready to get started?”

  “Sure.” As long as diving into work distracted me from daydreaming about Phillip and Dustin.

  “Most of what we use was designed in house—well, Rinslet’s house—but it’s structured like what you’re already familiar with. There’s a document on your desktop with network paths.” When Phillip gestured at the screen, he leaned in, and I caught the faint scent of a musky cologne.

  Gorgeous, skilled, and he smelled incredible. God help me I was going to spend half my work days distracted if I didn’t learn how to relegate these two to plain, boring co-workers.

  “We have a company meeting in an hour,” Phillip said. “Spend the time before then exploring assets and getting familiar with the software. Let me know if you have any questions. After the kick-off, we can go more in depth.”

  Yes, sir. Bad Adrienne. “Sounds good. Will do.”

  “You’ll be great.” Phillip squeezed my shoulder and desire whispered through me.

  As he rolled back to his own desk, I forced myself to focus on my work. It was easier than I expected to lose myself in exploring this new, amazing environment. Part of me kept chanting I can’t believe it. I’m really here.

  I lost myself in the work deeply enough that when my calendar chimed with a reminder, it took me a moment to register.

  “May I escort you to the large conference room?” Phillip asked.

  I smiled at the exaggerated formality, stood, and gave him a short curtsy. “I’d be honored.” Where did that come from? I wasn’t that laid back person. Would he think I was a dork?

  His chuckle rolled over me like skilled fingers dancing along the shell o
f my ear. “You’re going to fit in great here. Let’s go.”

  As we headed toward a part of the floor I hadn’t been to yet, Luna fell into step with us. “Are you being nice to my sister-friend-wife-in-law?”

  Phillip glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. “I think that sounds very different than what you mean.”

  “Does it?” Luna stared back with feigned innocence. She turned to me. “He didn’t answer the question. They’re not hazing you, are they?”

  “No. Is that a thing here? Will I have to run naked through the halls to prove my loyalty?” Damn it, that was inappropriate.

  “Of course not.” Phillip sounded scandalized. “We limit it to public flogging, and only if you beg.”

  Images flashed through my head of me naked and on display, Phillip drawing a leather flogger lightly across my ass, and then with more impact. I swallowed a whimper.

  “Dude.” Luna elbowed him, her tone light. “Inappropriate.”

  Oh, right. If he weren’t doing wicked things to my thoughts, would the comment be acceptable? “It’s okay,” I muttered, meaning more by the simple phrase than my generic brush-off implied.

  We reached a large room with a stage up front, that was probably a lecture hall at one point. Rows of chairs set up near the front of the room. Groups of two to five people clustered together, rings of empty chairs around them.

  “They’re not as cliquey as they look,” Luna said. “Everyone’s on deadline, so they’re probably going to whisper during parts of the presentation.”

  Phillip coughed.

  Luna shrugged. “You do the same to them.”

  “I don’t,” Phillip said.

  I didn’t quite understand the dynamic here. In any of the company. Expected, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to figure it out sooner rather than later. More perplexing though, I couldn’t figure out Phillip. I wasn’t used to being unable to read people at all.

  We sat in the front row. Not that there were enough rows for there to be a big difference.

  Dustin stepped to the front of the room with the confidence of a man who was comfortable taking his clothes off for a class of artists. “I won’t subject you to the same crowd-working that we’ve all seen too many times, but I do want to see a little excitement. We’re here. We’re finally going live with this thing we’ve built. Who’s excited?” His tone was coaxing and energetic.

  It was almost enough to make me whoop and I didn’t have the same kind of investment in this as everyone else here. Luna, Phillip, and one other person let out loud enough cheers to almost make up for the lack of response from anyone else.

  Dustin didn’t look fazed. “I’ll take it. Before we dive in, since most of you apparently aren’t excited”—his tone was light and teasing—“new face in the house is Adrienne. She’s ours, so hands off.”

  Did I just turn a hundred shades of red?

  “We specifically have a don’t stand up and tell everyone about yourself policy, so if you want to know about her, be a normal person and introduce yourself later,” Dustin said.

  I breathed a sigh of relief and light laughter rippled through everyone.

  “In case no one has noticed, it’s hard to keep a secret in an office like ours. Because of that, I won’t delve into all the hot new merchandising that’s coming, or the clan details, or anything you already all know.” Dustin rolled with this as naturally as taking a breath, and he was amazing to watch. Though, my teasing memories of what lay under the clothing may be adding to my fascination.

  His pause lasted longer than I expected, though. The room had gone still, and all eyes were on him.

  The room went dark. A chorus of gasps and murmurs erupted around me. It wasn’t a power outage, light still seeped in from the hallway.

  Phillip leaned closer. “Wait for it,” his voice was barely a whisper.

  “I will get you to show excitement about this.” Dustin’s voice carried through the darkness. A dim glow grew behind him slowly enough that my eyes adjusted along with it, and the company logo appeared on a screen on the wall, back-lighting Dustin.

  “We’re not a bunch of fanboys at E3,” a friendly call came from the audience. “Is the drama necessary?”

  Dustin pointed in his general direction. “I’m glad you asked. It’s called hype, and yes, we absolutely cannot announce this without it.”

  “That’s Elliot,” Phillip said. “He’s one of the developers, and while he’s grumbling now, he’ll be an early and long-term adopter when he sees this.”

  “There’s a typo in your Introduces,” someone else said.

  Dustin didn’t so much as flinch toward the screen. “No, there’s not.”

  “That’s Nigel. Quality Assurance,” Phillip said quietly.

  “AKA, the jerk squad.”

  I’d never heard that kind of disdain from Luna. How bad were they?

  Phillip tsked. “Everyone’s here because we like each other and we’re the best at our jobs. Sometimes personalities clash, but they don’t mean anything by it.”

  Luna scowled. “Whatever.”

  “When beta kicks off tomorrow, and over the next few weeks and months, most of us will be in game at least a little bit. And don’t pretend you won’t all be lurking in the forums.” Dustin’s confidence and stance never wavered, despite the ribbing. “And we’re going in there to present a united front, despite our different clans, as the AcesPlayed team.”

  The screen changed, the new slides showing rows of illustrations, each with a name underneath and one of four symbols—a diamond, a heart, a club, or a spade. I recognized Dustin, Phillip, and Luna in the images, and the others matched the faces of the other people in the room.

  Luna clapped and whistled. “If you don’t think that’s cool, there’s something wrong with you,” she said loud enough for the room to hear. “Did you guys draw those?”

  Dustin grinned. “Every single one. Happy game birthday, all.”

  Everyone applauded and my eyes swept the screen, trying to associate at least a few names with faces. It wouldn’t stick, but it might help me remember more easily when I was introduced to each of them. My breath caught in my throat when I landed on my avatar next to Phillip’s.

  It was a pencil sketch instead of a full-color painting like the others. “How...” Or rather when did he have time?

  “They have you too.” Luna hummed with excitement.

  “We’ll shift it to a full color one later, but we wanted to make sure you were up there with the team.” The smooth, lightheartedness had vanished from Phillip’s voice, and was replaced with something heavier.

  What had I missed?

  Five

  Phillip

  I recognized the sketch of Adrienne in the employee line-up because it was mine. From last night. I thought I’d tucked that away, buried it in my sketchbook to take home and pretend the stranger in the back of the classroom didn’t summon intense memories of my past.

  Seeing Adrienne’s surprise and glee at being included already pushed away any hints of frustration, but didn’t erase the tug of guilt and grief.

  I kept half an ear on Dustin’s presentation as he rolled through the rest of the news. It wasn’t that I was bored, but he’d done a dry run with me for timing—he always did—and I knew what he was going to say.

  My focus was on Adrienne, though. As the meeting progressed, her shoulders relaxed, the smile tugging up the corner of her lips lingered longer each time, and she rarely took her attention off Dustin.

  There was something there. Maybe not a long term attraction, it was too early to tell, but definitely a fascination that ran both ways and would probably become a deeper friendship. The longer I watched her, the easier it was to separate her from the memories she’d triggered. She had a lot of mannerisms in common with Jodie, but Adrienne was starkly and beautifully her own person.

  And she had already proven she clicked with Dustin. Good. That would make it easier when I left. Judith was rarely wrong about team dynam
ics, and I was glad I’d let her make this decision. Regardless of what the disagreement in the back of my mind was whispering.

  The meeting wrapped up and Adrienne, Luna, and I headed back to our offices, Luna breaking off when we reached the Art room.

  “But seriously,” Adrienne said, resting a hand on the back of her chair instead of sitting. “How did Dustin pull off that sketch of me? You probably don’t know. I thought he was in a meeting.”

  “I was.” Dustin joined us. “Besides, I’m more of a charcoal and oil pastels kind of guy. Phillip did it.”

  I was grateful his answer glossed over other details. “I’ll finish it up for you today.” I told her. “So if you see me staring at you, don’t think anything of it.”

  “You make it sound easy.” Pink dotted her cheeks and crept down her neck.

  I bet her breasts flushed as well. I wouldn’t mind the chance for a little role reversal from last night, where I got to use her and Dustin as models. That thought would wait for more exploration later.

  “My part is easy. Great view, appreciative subject…” I needed to dial it back. I was rarely in the mood for a serious Dude, inappropriate.

  “Judith probably explained this to you, since it’s part of her on-boarding pitch, but a lot of the people here, including Phillip, came from Cord before it was Rinslet. The company culture was, as I understand it, different,” Dustin said.

  Different. I was amused at his vagueness. Dustin had never had a problem with the casual sex between co-workers, but he also continuously seemed skeptical that in our early days, as young, dumb, full of cum gamers, we’d turned our job into one big after party of orgies.

  Adrienne laughed through the blush. “Different? That’s one way to put it. God, the stories I’ve refused to listen to about just how many tabs can fill slots during a launch celebration.”

  She knew Cole. Most of our new hires were referrals—who someone knew did matter here, mostly because it made it easier to gauge if they’d be a good fit in this environment. “Adrienne is Luna’s other boyfriend’s sister,” I explained.