Vanessa Fewings - The Game

I gave a shrug of surrender and shivered.

“Oh, sweetheart.” He pulled me into a hug.

“You’ll get wet.” I nudged him away.

“Come on.”

Trudging toward the exit behind him, I paused briefly to wring water out of my hem. I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone seeing me like this.

How embarrassing.

As I stepped out into the hallway the stark chill made me tremble.

“Let’s get you out of here.” Tobias rubbed his hand up and down my back.

Gabe walked briskly toward us in a flurry of concern. “What the hell happened to you?”

My teeth chattered. “Bit of an accident.”

“Why did you go in there?” He threw a glare at Tobias.

“I’ve never known it to rain in a gallery.” I mean whose idea was this, anyway, and what purpose did it achieve? Where I came from it rained almost every bloody day.

“It’s out of service.” Tobias gave a look of resignation. “The motion detectors are meant to pick up movement—”

“Stop the water hitting you when they detect you’re beneath,” added Gabe. “I love this one. When it works.”

“Is my makeup smudged?”

“It’s a new look for you.” Gabe gave a shrug. “Party girl.”

Oh, no.

Running my fingertips beneath my eyes I tried to wipe away the mascara.

Gabe reached out and took my purse off me and gave it a shake. “I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

“Do you have leather seats?” Tobias inflected concern. “This water—” he pointed to me “—will ruin them. What do you drive?”

Gabe frowned. “Audi R8.”

Tobias cringed. “Leather seats?”

“I’ll get a taxi,” I piped up.

“No cab will accept you like this,” said Gabe.

“It’s settled, then,” said Tobias. “I’m taking you.” He reached out and grabbed my purse from Gabe. “We’ll go out the back to avoid the press.”

“Press?” It came out as a screech.

“They’re out front ready to get their money shot.” Tobias waggled his eyebrows. “Looks like you’re it.”

Gabe gave me a reassuring smile. “Zara, come to Brentwood and have lunch with me tomorrow. I have the afternoon off.”

“I’d love that,” I said.

He stepped forward and kissed my cheek. “Call me. Let me know you’re okay.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m so sorry. Please stay and enjoy the evening.”

Gabe lit up with an impressed smile. “We so appreciate this, Mr. Wilder.”

My glare chastised him for being so enamored.

That’s Wilder’s superpower, I silently warned Gabe, he sweeps you up and saves the day and then you go and fall for him.

All very inconvenient.

When we stepped out the back of the gallery I was at least reassured by the warm climate. One phone call on the way and Tobias had his posh-looking silver Ferrari waiting for us. He tipped the young valet, who was polite enough not to look my way before he hurried off.

“What about your seat?” I peered into his beautiful car.

“It’ll be fine.”

“But you have leather seats?”

“And?”

“They’ll be ruined.”

His grin widened.

I fisted my hands and rested them on my hips. “You told Gabe—”

A flash went off.

“Get in!” Tobias snapped. “You drive.”

Blinking through the fading glare of a flashbulb, I watched a young man on a skateboard zooming away along the pavement. Tobias leaped over the car door into the passenger seat. Dread spiked my veins as I scurried around to the driver’s side and pulled open the door, threw his jacket down to protect the seat and flung myself in.

“Drive,” said Tobias. “We can catch him.”

Staring at the control panel I panicked when I realized this was an automatic. “I’ve only driven an automatic once.”

“Please hurry. He’s getting away.”

“I don’t know how.”

“For God’s sake, Zara. Grow a pair.”

“You grow a pair.”

He looked back at me, amused. “You’ve already had the pleasure of being acquainted with my—”

“Tobias!”

“Okay, then, Jade, you drive.”

“What!”

“Seat belt. Now.”

The engine roared to life and I tried to remember to breathe, grappling with my seat belt as the car pulled away from the curb and accelerated along the road.

“What the fuck is going on?” I slammed my hand to my mouth.

Tobias jumped up into a crouching position on his seat and then brought his right foot onto the window ledge as though surfing as he leaned out.

“Careful.” I gripped the wheel and then let go when it turned freely.

“Thirty miles an hour, Jade,” Tobias snapped. “Make that forty.”

Our Ferrari aligned with the skateboarder zipping along and the man gawked when he saw us. Tobias reached out and snatched the camera from him and then flung himself back into his seat. As we sped along he turned the camera screen for me to see.

I stared horrified at the shot of me looking completely naked beneath my wet dress as though I wasn’t wearing any underwear. Tobias removed the memory card and tucked it into his pocket.

“Jade,” he ordered. “Park.”

The Ferrari slowed and then parked curbside. Tobias flung open his door and climbed out. He leaned against the car and waited for the skateboarder to catch up. He threw his camera back to him.

The man looked shaken. “I’ll report this,” he snarled. “This is harassment.”

Tobias gave a confident smile. “Without evidence?” He gestured for me to switch seats and then came around to the driver’s side. “Tell your boss ‘Hi’ from me.”

“Fuck you.”

“Have a great evening.” Tobias snapped a salute.

After sliding over to the passenger seat, and pulling his jacket back over me, I felt grateful to see the man skate off without my naked image on his camera.

Tobias watched him scoot off down the sidewalk. “He’s paparazzi.”

“Thank you.” I reached out to squeeze Tobias’s arm.

Once that photo was unleashed on the internet there’d be no turning back. That was the second time he’d saved me tonight. And of course, if anyone had a self-steering car it would be Wilder.

He stared dead ahead with his face scrunched in discomfort.

I’d left a wet seat. “I’m sorry.”

He pulled the car away from the curb. “You have enough time.”

“For what?”

“To come up with an elaborate plan on how you’re going to make it up to me.” He grinned at his cheekiness. “Let’s go home.”

A flutter of excitement swirled around my stomach at the thought he was taking me to his house.

“Warm enough?” He fiddled with the dial to blow heat over me.

Get a grip, Zara, I warned myself, remember the mission. Tonight, I could have access to the kind of evidence that could stop Icon.

I had what it took to save this man.

5

We arrived at Tobias’s Malibu home within the hour.

He led me around the side of the impressive house and into the garden. The scenery exuded peacefulness, from the lavish lawn to those towering palm trees and the sun loungers surrounding the infinity swimming pool, all overlooked by his Mediterranean mansion.

I imagined it was just as beautiful in there.

It was easy to become distracted by the awe-inspiring ocean view and the rhythmic sound of lapping waves rising over the bluff.

A few stars twinkled through the cloudy sky and the cool breeze brushed over me, making me grateful for the warmth emanating from the heat lamps he’d turned on.

Tobias eased my wet gown over my hips, and I stepped out of it so happy to be free of the clingy dampness. He laid it on the back of a lounger and neared me again to remove my shoes, his caresses comforting and making my skin tingle beneath his touch. He eased my panties down my legs and threw them toward the dress. I swooned when he stood behind me and unclipped my bra and removed that too. He wrapped a soft towel around me.