Chapter One
Noah
Hot coffee on a hundred-degree day wouldn’t cool me down, but I needed to get out of the office before fists flew. My brothers, Evan and Cade, were now yelling through my AirPods about forecasts and takeovers.
Another gaming company had snapped up shares in The James Group in an attempt to become the majority shareholders. We’d fought them off and were now in the middle of a stock buyback. We were being careful and tendering offers to our small shareholders only. If we attempted an open market buyback, the share prices would shoot up.
Going public had netted us billions, but it also meant enemies and circling sharks.
Thankfully, we now held the majority, but we wanted more than a fifty-five percent stake in the company we’d started in our bedrooms.
I picked up my steaming coffee from Willow’s Snack Attack truck and turned around without looking. A split second later, someone barreled into me, and the scalding liquid sloshed over the back of my hand before the cup dropped to the grass.
“Motherfucker.”
“If anyone’s a motherfucker, it’s you, dickwad.” Evan bellowed so loud my eardrums were in danger of perforating.
“Not you.” I ended the call and yanked out my AirPods.
I looked down at a real-life, red-headed Tinkerbelle. Her flecked green eyes had widened, and her expression was one of sheer panic.
“Oh, my God.” Her fingertips flew to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. Are you burned? Did I burn you? Don’t move.”
I tried to tell her I was okay, but before I got any words out, she was already rushing over to the food truck.
She hurried back with a wet napkin and pressed it against the back of my hand. “I wonder if you should go to the hospital.”
I reached down and placed my hand on hers, and an electric current shot up my arm.
Momentarily stunned, it took me a few seconds to find my voice. “I’m fine. I should have been watching where I was going.”
“I’m the one who should have been watching. I’m sorry for not paying attention.” She drew in a deep breath and dropped her hand from mine, taking the wet napkin with her. “I’m a little jumpy. I have an interview at The James Group in about ten minutes. My mind was elsewhere.”
“The James Group? I know a few people who work there.”
She narrowed her eyes and peered at me, recognition dawning on her face. “You’re…aren’t you Noah James?”
I grinned. “That’s me.”
She grimaced then groaned. “Leave it to me to spill coffee over the owner of the company I want to work for. I sure know how to make a good first impression. God, I’m such an idiot.”
I gestured towards one of the tables shaded by an umbrella. “Come sit and take a few minutes to breathe.”
Looking unsure, she glanced across the park at the glass-fronted building that housed The James Group. “I should go in. I don’t want to make another bad first impression.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know someone who knows someone. I’ll smooth it over with HR if you’re late.”
The way her lips moved as she weighed up the pros and cons was as sexy as hell.
“Actually, I could do with a few seconds to gather my thoughts. My car wouldn’t start, and it took forever to get an Uber. I didn’t think I’d make it on time. It’s been one of those days.”
“Tell me about it,” I said, picking up the empty cup from the grass. “Coffee?”
She shook her head and made a face like I’d asked her if she’d like a cup of poison. “I don’t touch the stuff.”
“Be right back.”
After grabbing another coffee, I sat down opposite her and watched as she nervously smoothed her hands along the front of her pants.
The charcoal suit she wore accentuated her curves in all the right places. And I especially loved how her white shirt stretched across her tits. There was just something about the way she chewed on her bottom lip that sent my blood racing and my cock throbbing. My interest, along with my dick, was more than piqued.
She wore her hair in a topknot—having a younger sister meant I knew these things. I pictured yanking the knot out and watching her copper waves stream over my pillows before I screwed her into oblivion.
“What should I call you?” I asked, taking a sip of coffee.
“Aubrey Andrews.”
“Nice to meet you, Aubrey Andrews. What position are you interviewing for?”
“An assistant to Josie Brown. She’s the call center and customer service director.” She smiled awkwardly and gave herself an eye-roll. “But since you own the company, you know who Josie is.”
Yeah, I knew Josie. She was as toxic as rancid rat piss. Way before our company had grown into a worldwide gaming empire, we’d dated for a month. When she showed me who she really was, I ended our relationship. That was seven years ago, but she still hinted at us getting back together.
“Where do you work now?”
“I used to waitress, but I quit to focus on my career.” The brightness in her eyes dimmed. “I’m a computer science graduate. I want to code games. But I need some real-life experience before anyone will hire me. Getting a job is easier said than done.”
“You didn’t apply for an internship with us?”
“I was late to the party. Family drama with my brother. Not that you need to know that.” She paused to take a breath. “By the time I’d dealt with it, all your paid internships for the year were filled. Every day I scan job websites, and when I saw you were hiring, I emailed my résumé. I’d take just about any position to get a foot in the door of The James Group.” She paused to take another breath. “Your games helped me through a shitty time in my life. What you and your brothers achieved from your bedrooms blows my mind. Parasite State is my all-time favorite role-playing game.” She stopped talking, and her lips turned down. “Sorry. I’m babbling. I babble when I’m nervous.”
“Multi-player or single?” I asked.
“More of a single-player.” Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. “Even online, I’m an introvert.”
I leaned back in my chair and studied her. The more she revealed about herself, the more expressive her green eyes became. I’d never offered anyone a job on the spot before, but I’d cut my right hand off before I let her work as Josie’s assistant.
“Work on my team.”
Aubrey’s jaw dropped, and she blinked several times. “But I have an interview. You just can’t offer me a job without knowing anything about me.”
I shrugged one shoulder and smiled. “If you want to scan and photocopy all day, go right ahead, but if you want to work with some of the world’s best coders and game designers, say yes.”
The pink in her cheeks now flamed red, and her glossy lips parted. Even flustered, she was sexy.
“But you haven’t asked what I can bring to the company, or what my strengths and weaknesses are. I’ve practiced all of my answers.”
I slid my phone from the back pocket of my jeans and said, “Find Aubrey Andrews.”
A second later, her résumé appeared on my screen.
“In June, you graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology.” I raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “Impressive, you got a full scholarship to attend there. That tells me more than enough.” I turned my attention back to her résumé. “You’ve helped develop game apps. Designed websites.” I lowered my phone. “Looks like you’d fit in with The James Group. Why coding?”