Her Alpha CEO

Chapter 3

Brian left Nina the next day, waving cheerfully at Mrs. Beechley who was peering over the fence at him. He whistled as he drove back home, a smile on his face as he remembered the night before. Nina was incredible and he hasn’t been able to get enough of her.

They’d made love three times the previous night, each time more tender than the last, until they’d fallen asleep wrapped in each other’s arms in the early hours of the morning.

Brian had needed to leave early to head to the office, and Nina had still been half asleep when she’d kissed him goodbye and let him out of the house.

He’d tried to sneak out of bed without waking her, but they’d been too closely entwined and she’d woken with a sleepy, satiated smile on her kiss-swollen lips.

Her sleepy protest at his leaving the bed had him reluctant to leave, but unfortunately duty called and he was unable to oblige her mumbled request to return to her arms.

Instead, he’d showered and helped himself to coffee in her kitchen, the smell of which roused her. They’d drank a cup together, and then he’d thoroughly kissed her before leaving.

She’d groaned when she’d spotted her neighbor, but Brian had simply chuckled. He didn’t really care what the woman thought about seeing him leave Nina’s home so early in the morning.

Arriving at home, he quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes and grabbed some fruit salad from the fridge. His housekeeper made sure to keep the kitchen well stocked with healthy food, a comfort Brian enjoyed. He chose not to mention the cupboard stashed full of sweets and chocolate at his office. Mrs. Morgan was a harridan who’d spent most of her life trying to instill healthy eating habits in the Guidice children. For the most part, she’d succeeded, but when testing a new game, Brian had discovered there was nothing quite like a sugar rush to keep him awake.

He arrived at the office to discover several urgent messages from his sister. Plugging his cell phone in to charge, the battery had died the previous night, he switched it on. It came to life with a flurry of beeps which told him his sister had been trying to get hold of him for a while.

He picked up the phone and dialed her number.

“Hello? Brian?” She answered almost immediately.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for hours!”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. My battery died.”

“Look, it’s about Tristan.”

“What about him?”

“He called me yesterday.”

“Okay, and? You guys are allowed to talk you know. Just cos our brother hates my guts, doesn’t mean you guys can’t still be friends.” Realizing what he sounded like, Brian winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”

He heard Jenny sigh.

“It’s okay, I get it. But you know we’ve never been as close as you and I are.”

There was silence for a moment as they recalled the enmity between Tristan and themselves.

Their brother had always struggled with the feeling of being left out, the rejected black sheep of the family. Jenny blamed their father for encouraging the brothers to compete with each other, but Brian had always argued that Dad had treated them the same way. Tristan was just a sore loser. He’d wanted control of Guidice Games, and when he didn’t get it, he’d lost his temper and sworn to get revenge on his brother. Jen had been trying to bridge the gap between the two men ever since.

“Okay, so what about our beloved brother?” Brian pulled himself back to the present moment.

“His company has just announced the release of their new game… it’s got everything you planned for New Moon Rising, and more.”

Brian sat up straight, a cold chill running down his spine.

“What?”

“I don’t know how he got the intel on your game, Brian, but their game is almost identical, with a few added features. And the release date is two days before yours.”

“Jen, please tell me this is a bad joke?” silence answered him and Brian sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Okay, it’s okay. Dad always warned me about corporate espionage. I thought it was a joke. Or at least, that my own brother wouldn’t do something like that to me.”

“I’m sorry.” Jen’s voice was soft, hesitant.

“It’s okay, Jen. It’s not your fault. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll get to work on it straight away.”

He hung up the phone and sat for a moment wondering what he should do. He knew Tristan had called Jen to brag about the game, it’s exactly what he’d done when he first developed the storyline and concept. For a moment, he wondered whether it was a coincidence, just a strange twist of fate that had resulted in two brothers from rival companies developing the same concept for the game. Brian laughed at his folly. It may be coincidence, but it was unlikely that it was. Tristan had a spy in Guidice Games and it was only a matter of time before he outstripped his brother in the competitive industry by using his insider knowledge.

“That’s a low blow, Tristan. A very low blow.” Brian muttered to himself, turning to his computer and switching it on to begin implementing his plan to outsmart the competition. He’d developed it years ago, and hadn’t shared it with anyone, not even his sister, but he’d never thought he’d have to use it against his brother.

Within moments, he was immersed in his work, all thoughts of life outside Guidice Games forgotten.

*****

Nina said goodbye to Brian, wincing at the expression on Mrs. Beechley’s face, and then wandered back into the house. It was the third Saturday of the month, and that meant she was off work for the whole weekend. She sighed blissfully and stretched, feeling her body aching in places she’d forgotten she had.

Brian had thoroughly worn her out, and she contemplated crawling back into bed with a book, but now that she was awake, she was buzzing with energy. She made her way into the kitchen and started the dishwasher before loading the rest of the pots and pans into the sink.

Nina hummed while she washed the dishes, the sight of the empty wine bottle still on the table where they’d left it made her smile. She rinsed it out and put it into the cupboard where she hoarded her crafting supplies. She would turn that bottle into a candle-holder. Call her sentimental, but her night with Brian, which she sincerely hoped would turn into more than just one night, was one she wanted to remember.

She wasn’t sure how long it would take for him to contact her, but she wasn’t going to be one of those females who lay around waiting for men to contact them after a night together. Still, Nina couldn’t help checking her phone on her way to the bathroom. Seeing no messages from Brian, she snorted, threw her phone on the bed and went to shower.