Players (Lessons by Loki) (3 page)

“What does this have to do with me?”

“When either Chase or Josiah is depressed they frequently play a game. They choose a person to seduce and wager on the outcome.”

He’d said person not woman. Were they both bisexual? She’d seen Josiah with men and women, but she’d thought Chase was straight.
She shook away the pointless detail and focused on the implications of Loki’s claim. “They’re going to try to seduce me?” She laughed. “They’ve barely given me the time of day for the past five years. Won’t it seem suspicious if they both turn on the charm at exactly the same time?”

“They’ll find a way. Trust me. They
’re good at this.”

She sighed. There had been many times over the past five years she’d imagined her handsome neighbors suddenly realizing she was alive, but having a bet at the center of the attention was not what she’d had in mind.
“Even if all this is true, why warn me? Why do you care?”

“These two don’t have boundaries
and they don’t care about anyone but themselves.” Bitterness crept into his tone as he went on. “I thought we were friends, but last year they played this game with my sister. She was devastated when she found out. She’s so gun-shy now she barely leaves the house.”

Pain flashed through his eyes and his mobile lips thinned. He was either the best damn actor she’d ever seen or he meant every word. “How did you find out they
’d turned their sights on me?”

“I was there when they defined the parameters and locked in the bet. They were both so drunk it was
as if I just faded from view.”

Trepidation prickled the hairs on the back of her neck.
She had no reason to doubt him. Everything he said made a twisted sort of sense. Still, something wasn’t right. “You’re still friends with them after what they did to your sister?”

“That’s the only reason I’m still friends with them. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to turn the t
ables on them. These two are in serious need of a painful lesson.”

The waitress brought their food, giving Katie a moment to react to Loki’s revelation. She thanked the waitress, but didn’t bother picking up her sandwich. “
You want to use me just like they do.”

“Not even close.” He leaned
in and lowered his voice. “I’m
asking
for your assistance in teaching a couple of heartless bastards what it feels like to be emotionally fucked.”

She used her food as a distraction while she m
ulled over her options. If Chase and/or Josiah approached her now, all she’d have to do was shut them down. But if Loki’s story was true, Chase and Josiah deserved a taste of their own medicine. Loki gained nothing by warning her, so what other reason could there be for his involvement. She heaved a frustrated sigh and set down her half-eaten sandwich. He’d devoured most of his hamburger while she was lost in thought.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I know these guys. I know what they like and how they think. I can help you twist them in knots, keep them off-balanced and fascinated until we’re ready to reveal why they’ve been played.”

“I won’t sleep with either of them.”

“Absolutely. This is about teasing them, drawing them deeper into the game and making them feel emotions they’re unused to feeling.”

She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin as insecurities cascaded through her body. “
I know I’m socially awkward. I’m not sure I’m the right person for this job.”

“I’ll help you every step of the way.
You won’t be alone. We’re doing this together.” After a short pause he added, “But you can’t mention me. They can’t know I’m involved until the very end. We’ll have to be extremely careful.”

“I understand.”

“And you agree to help me?”

She took a deep breath, fortifying her composure with righteous indignation. She’d been a victim once, a long time ago
, so she knew what it felt like to be manipulated and used. When her heart finally mended after that devastating loss, she’d promised herself it would never happen again. She was honest enough to admit that she was attracted to both Chase and Josiah. If they’d ever turned the full power of their personalities on her, it was likely one or the other would have succeeded. Thanks to Loki, she’d just dodged a bullet.

“I agree.
” She finally allowed herself to smile. “What’s our first move?”

* * * * *

The doorbell chimed and Josiah looked up from his computer screen. He’d been coding for the past five hours without a break and his vision was starting to blur. He glanced at the time on the lower corner of his screen. It was 3:43. Odd time for a visitor and no one bothered with door-to-door soliciting in this neighborhood. Few people were home during the day. He just happened to be one of the few.

He pushed back from his desk and rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way to
ward the front door. His office and bedroom were on the main floor, while Chase slept in the owner’s suite upstairs. Josiah was amused by the irony. He actually owned the house and Chase paid him rent. Sunlight spilled in through the large bank of windows dominating the living room’s far wall. Everything was immaculate and orderly thanks to weekly visits by an industrious maid.

The visitor ran
g the bell again and Josiah hurried. Chase hadn’t mentioned a delivery, but forethought wasn’t Chase’s strong suit.

Pausing in the foyer, he looked through the beveled sidelight before he opened the door. Katie stood on the landing looking adorably mussed in
her habitual scrubs. The top had a multicolored geometric pattern and the bottoms were dark blue. Sunlight picked up the gold tones in her brown hair, which she’d pulled back into a messy ponytail. What the hell was she doing here? Chase had worked so many hours in the past few days that he hadn’t been able to start the game, which meant this had nothing to do with the impending contest.

Josiah’s pulse leapt and his fingertips tingled. Was this just a happy coincidence or had Chase found a way to set things in motion without… He shook away his rambling thoughts with a self-mocking chuckle. He was acting like a nervous school boy about to speak with a girl for the first time.

She reached for the bell again, so he stepped over and pulled open the door. “Hey.” He tried not to sound as rattled as he felt. Thoughts of this intriguing female had lingered in the back of his mind all morning. Hell, thoughts of Katie had been distracting him ever since Chase agreed to the bet. Josiah couldn’t wait to touch her, taste her, watch her reserve unravel as he discovered all her sensual triggers.

“
Do you have one of those big plumber wrenches? I’ve got a stubborn pipe that just won’t budge.”

Her request was so
unexpected, he couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Have you taken up plumbing in your spare time?”

“Spare time?” She smiled. “What’s that? I dropped my favorite ring down the kitchen sink. I’m pretty sure it’s still in the trap, but I can’t get the drain apart to find out.”

This opportunity was simply too good to pass up. Besides, it was unacceptable to refuse a damsel in distress. Surely Chase would understand. “I don’t have a plumber’s wrench, but I’d be happy to see if I can budge the pipe for you. Maybe all it needs is a little male persuasion.”

She put her hands on her hips and glared
, but amusement made her eyes sparkle. “You’re presuming you’re stronger than me.”

“We can arm-wrestle and find out.”

She laughed and motioned him onward. “I’m more than happy to swallow my pride if you can rescue my ring.”

“No promises, but I’ll give it my best
shot.” He pulled the door closed without locking it and followed her across the street. Her body floated inside the oversized scrubs, teasing him with occasional glimpses of her curves. Did she honestly not care about her appearance or was she intentionally making herself less attractive? The question had bugged him for the past five years and he was still no closer to an answer.

“
So how’s your app project going? I haven’t talked to you for a while.”

They hadn’t spoken for at least
six months, so he wasn’t sure which project she meant. “What was I working on last time we talked?”

“Some sort of file sharing application. It sounded very cloak and dagger.”
She paused on her front porch and looked at him, a faint smile curving her lips. “Did everything turn out all right?”

Thick lashes framed her leaf
-green eyes, accenting the rich color. There were no shadows in her gaze, no deception or secrets. He was drawn to her candor. So many of the people he interacted with had ulterior motives. Honesty was refreshing.

“Uncle Sam was pleased and even indicated a willingness to use me for future projects.
No need to waste a security clearance.”

“
Security clearance? What exactly did the program do?” Her hand rested on the screen door’s handle, but she didn’t pull it open.

“They needed a secure way of transmitting files to remote locations, so I created a randomly modulating
algorithm that ensured the security of their documents.”

“They didn’t trust cloud storage sites?”

“This is the Department of Defense we’re talking about.”

“Good point.” She
opened the door then paused again. “What are you working on now?”

“
A game, of course.” He chuckled. “I want to create the next Angry Birds.”

“You and every programmer on the planet.”
She softened the comment with a smile then stepped across the threshold. “Had any luck?”

“Some.”
He followed her into the house. He’d launched three games in the past two years and all three had been downloaded several million times. Still, he didn’t like to brag. He’d always found it more productive to let people draw their own conclusions.

Though neat and clean, the living room was rather cluttered and hopelessly small. Built-in bookshelves flanked the fireplace and a modest flat screen TV had been mounted above the mantle. The sofa and matching recliner were showing signs of wear. He’d often wondered how she afforded to live in Washington Park on an x-ray technician’s salary.

“How long have you lived here?” He tried to sound nonchalant, but couldn’t contain his curiosity.

“
My mother was born here.” She laughed at his startled expression. “Not literally. My grandparents were the original owners. Mom lived in Tennessee for most of her life, but I moved back to Colorado when I was fourteen.”

“That explains it
,” he muttered under his breath.

“That explains what?”

Annoyance crept into her tone, so he decided not to admit he’d been contemplating her finances. He didn’t care if her money was earned or inherited or embezzled. He was just detail oriented and incongruities bothered him. “It explains why you seem so protective of the neighborhood.” He glanced at her to make sure she’d bought the excuse and found her arms folded and her brows arched.

“Are you calling me a busybody?”

“Hardly.” He fought back a smile. Maybe discussing her finances would have been a better option. He spent far more time watching her than she spent watching him. “Mrs. Alton, down the street, has earned that distinction. I swear she spends her entire day staring out her front window or pretending to water her plants.”

Without commenting on his observation, she led him down a narrow hallway and into the kitchen
at the back of the house. The counters formed an open U, flowing into the adjoining eating area. A round table and four chairs took up the majority of the space, but the overall effect was warm and inviting.

“Do you approve?”

Her teasing tone drew his attention away from their surroundings and back to the woman in front of him. “Sorry.” He shook away the distraction. “I’ve never been beyond your front door before.”

She smiled and leaned her hip against the edge of the counter. “Now you’ve seen more of me than I’ve seen of you.”

The sensual purr in her voice caught him by surprise. Was she flirting with him? Katie never flirted with anyone. She was always polite, occasionally friendly, but he’d never seen her flirt. “Anytime you’re ready to see more, just let me know.” The reply sprang automatically to his lips, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was…off. “Are you still working at the Franklin Building?”

“I transferred to St. Joseph’s last year, but it’s basically the same complex.”

“Still doing x-rays?”

“I’m a radiologic technologist, not an x-ray technician. That means I can do x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs.”

He held up his hands as if in surrender. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“Sorry.” She sighed.
“I didn’t mean to sound so defensive. I’m just having a bad day.”

“Well, let’s see if we can get your day back on track.”

She pivoted toward the sink and motioned to the open cupboard beneath. She’d moved the cleaning supplies and storage bags to the countertop and spread a towel beneath the pipes. “It’s all yours.”