Charley couldn’t get her laughter under control. “But… the helmet? And the whole ‘the first rule of the secret room is don’t talk about the secret room’ thing?”
Dorian handed her a Sapphire and tonic. Pouring himself a scotch, he said, “Nothing I’m about to show you—including the gear you’re wearing—is on the market. The game I have in mind for us is called Midnight Marauder, and it’s still in beta. If the FierceConnect board knew I’d let you see it without signing the non-disclosure, they’d probably fire me from my own company. Cheers, love.”
Charley clinked her glass to his, her laughter finally subsiding. After a long pull of her drink, she set down the glass and met Dorian’s eyes. “I have a confession, but you’re not allowed to laugh.”
“Hmm.” He leaned across the bar, trailing a finger along her collarbone. “I hope it’s about yournaughtiestfantasies.”
A shiver overtook her, her body responding immediately to his touch, igniting a firestorm across her skin. God, she’d missed him. What had she been thinking, blowing him off all week?
Feeling the blush in her cheeks, she said, “I thought you had some kind of… room.”
“Room?”
“A secret, kinky, sex-dungeon room.”
Dorian’s eyes glittered, his mouth wet from the scotch. “My, my, Ms. D’Amico. You havequitethe imagination.”
“It’s your fault, Mr. Redthorne.”
“I’d hate to disappoint you. Perhaps we can make a compromise.”
Charley narrowed her eyes.
“You have to wear protective gear,” he said, his voice dark and low. “But youdon’thave to wear clothing.”
“You are a scoundrel and a reprobate,” she teased, hopping off the barstool. “Now that you got me here under false pretenses, the least you could do is give me the tour.”
“My pleasure. Follow me.”
Unlike Dorian’s sprawling manor, the game room boasted no fine art, no priceless ancient statues, no hand-woven tapestries from dynasties long past. Instead, it was sleek and modern, with black padded walls and surround-sound speakers. The bar took up one side of the room, complete with cocktail tables and chairs. A massive curved screen dominated the front of the room, and at the back, Charley spotted a half-dozen old stand-up arcade games—Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, and a few she didn’t recognize.
“This is incredible,” Charley said. “Is this where you do your product testing?”
“One of the places, yes. I’ve got an entire floor of virtual gaming rooms in our office. We do beta testing for developers looking to launch new games and gaming technology on the FierceConnect platform.”
“So you don’t make the actual games?”
“No, we make the distribution and social platform for them. Gamers in every country can sign up, friend each other, buy games through our network, set up tournaments, design and test new games and modules, and play together in real time. Partnering with developers allows us to offer our users a huge selection of games, and it gives the developers access to our millions of users, which makes everyone happy all around.”
Charley was beyond impressed. “I had no idea you were such a nerd, Mr. Redthorne.”
“Believe it or not, video games are one of the few things I actually love about this era. Besides…” Dorian grinned, eyes sparkling with new mischief. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you gamers make the best lovers? Excellent manual dexterity and control, not to mention our dogged persistence in the face of a worthy opponent.”
He ran a hand over the curve of her ass, but Charley sidestepped him. She’d been wet since she’d stepped out of the limo; at this rate, she’d never get to see the actual games.
“Less flirting, more gaming,” she scolded.
Dorian hit a button on the wall, and two round platforms rose up from the floor in front of the screen, each about eight feet in diameter, with waist-high control panels that looked like something out of Star Trek.
Before she could make another nerd joke, the screen lit up with a logo written in bloody, obnoxious lettering, brightening the entire room.
MIDNIGHT MARAUDER…TIME TO GET HOUSED!
“It’s a virtual reality, supernatural street fight,” Dorian explained. “Each creature has different powers—for example, vampires can blur, demons can conjure fire, shifters can alternate between human and animal form—so choose your avatar wisely. Anything you do with your body here will translate onto the screen, activating your avatar’s different abilities. The more brutal you fight, the more entertaining it will be.”
Charley laughed. “I see we’re playing in full testosterone mode.”
“It’s the only way to play, love.” Dorian helped her up onto one of the platforms, then stepped onto the other one. “Care to place a wager?”
