Page 5 of The Game

They? Who arethey? Andget me ready? What are they planning to do to me? Jesus. I still haven’t got my head around that two hours. No way can I afford that kind of time.

“Is two hours really necessary?” I say. Am I sounding like a diva here?

The phone goes muffled on the other end—voices in the background—and I chew my lip. This is probably a pain in the ass for Anna, and they don’t need some guy who runs a small tech startup throwing his weight around.

Barb comes back on the line. “I’m afraid there’s too much media interest in Anna, Adam. The whole thing will be scrutinized, and we don’t want to put you in a position where you’re unprepared for it.”

What can I say? I’m in this now, for Janus, and I’m not the kind of personwho’d let someone down. “No problem, I’ll be there at five-thirty.” Boy, am I going to get something good out of him for this!

“We’ll make sure it goes smoothly, Adam. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Thanks, Barb. And I appreciate you inviting me. I’m excited to meet Anna.” I smile at the wall to try and make myself sound genuine.

“She’s excited to meet you, too.”Suurrre. “See you later.” And she hangs up.

I turn my phone over in my hand. I spent most of my college years bailing Janus and Fabian out of one problem or another. This doesn’t feel too different. I pull up the texting app.

Is this going to be a load of hassle?

Janus responds instantly:

Get over yourself. It’ll be an amazing experience, and I’m quite liking my new role as your social secretary.

I chuckle.

Smallest job role in history.

But he’s right. Ishouldbe flattered. Janus told me a tale or two when he first started dating famous women, but it didn’t seem like something that would happen in real life. But here we are.

Jenny’s sending you a briefing on Anna.

I laugh. Of course she is. Damn, I’d love to have a PA who helped me out like that. I can hardly afford the admin person we’ve got these days.

Good. I need to know more about this woman who’s getting her agent to phone around eligible bachelors in New York.

Eligible.Ha! I grin at my phone. Well, at least this has stopped me thinking for a night about how my business might be going under in two months if I don’t pull a rabbit out of the hat.

3

ADAM

Istep out of the car that Anna’s … agent? manager? someone anyway … sent for me and shiver with the cold. I stare up at the steel-and-glass building rising like a transformer from the sidewalk in front of me.Probably makes a ton of money.Riiiight. More than a ton, I’d say.

My gut is bubbling away. What am I doing here? I avoid women most of the time, apart from the ones who work with me. Why did I let Janus persuade me into this? He ribs me sometimes that I’m going to be a lonely old man, but I like my own company. I don’t need a woman who I’ve got to look out for; it’s bad enough looking out for myself. Me and a couple of cats—that would be perfect. Why should old cat ladies have all the fun? Let’s make a pitch for little old cat men.

When I enter the building, a man with floppy brown hair, a perfectly tailored pair of pants that finish at his ankles, shiny pointed shoes, and a tight white shirt is waiting for me. He’s holding a sheaf of papers in his right hand. His brilliant smile is blinding.

Is he wearing makeup?

He scans me up and down. “Perfect suit,” he says, as he starts to walk around me, lifting my jacket at the back. “At least that’s one problem solved,” he adds under his breath.

What?

His eyes drift up to the top of my head, and he sucks on his lower lip. “We’re going to have to cut it,” he mutters, “and change the shirt. Come,” he says, beckoning to me with his hand.

I’m almost too scared to ask what’s wrong with my hair, never mind my shirt, but not totally.

I run my hand over my short, tawny-colored waves. “Is something up with my hair?”

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