As the evening wore on, the iciness from his dinner partner continued, and it destroyed even Magnus’s budding appreciation for her. Because when he was stuck between a married couple and a woman who ignored him?
It made for a long fucking night. He was glad when the party finally ended and he was able to collect Levi and get the fuck out of dodge. He’d spent half the night sucking down beers and mentally trying out a few new concepts for The World, because his thoughts always turned to it.
Both he and Levi made a living creating IPs—Intellectual Property—for video games. They’d become famous five years ago when an online computer game of theirs became so big that it was soon showing up in every toy store as merchandise and phrases like “Loot is for suckers” became part of the Internet consciousness. A big gaming company had noticed and had bought the rights to the game for two billion dollars, unheard of at the time. Then, Magnus and Levi had created a second IP and sold the rights to the concept for several hundred million.
Now, he and Levi were working on the newest—The World. It was an alternate-reality type of game where you could choose the path in history for your countries, and the game would alter itself and the levels and classes for your characters based on the “historical” timeline. It was tricky to figure out, mechanics-wise, but Magnus loved a challenge.
He handed his keys to Levi as they left Buchanan Manor. “You didn’t drink, right?”
“My night to be sober,” his younger brother said. Normally he’d bitch and moan about the fact that he didn’t get to drink at a party, but tonight, he was strangely quiet. In fact, he was smiling.
Magnus frowned at Levi. “You feeling okay?”
To his surprise, Levi turned to him and threw an arm around Magnus’s shoulders. “What did you think of her?”
“Who?”
“The sister. The one who works with the cats.”
The ice queen who had sat next to Magnus all night? “She’s cute enough, I guess. Might want to remove that Popsicle out of her ass first, though.”
Levi looked confused. “You didn’t think she was warm and gracious?”
“Fuck no. I mean, I get that she was cute, but damn, man, she was being stone cold the entire night. Didn’t talk to anyone.”
“Are we . . . talking about the same girl? Bianca?”
Who the hell was Bianca? Magnus had to think back, and he vaguely remembered a girl with big brown eyes, pale blonde hair, and a coquettish, tiny smile that he’d instantly found cloying, the same way he found most perfumes cloying. “Oh. That one. She’s a cat lady, too?”
Levi laughed, the sound giddy. “She works with the cat lady. Something about her leg being bad, so Bianca helps take care of her. She’s so selfless.”
“Great,” Magnus said flatly. “Good for her.”
“No, bro, you don’t understand,” Levi said, moving in front of Magnus and putting his hands out in front of him. Okay, apparently Levi wanted to stop and have a conversation in the goddamn driveway.
Magnus glared at his dramatic younger brother. “What don’t I understand?”
Levi just grinned and clasped Magnus on the shoulders. “I’m in love.”
Oh, here we fucking go again.
Though only a year and a half separated Levi and Magnus, they were completely different, personality-wise. Magnus was the workhorse. If the best way to figure out something was to throw himself at it for sixteen hours a day, then that was what he’d do. Levi, however, was a dreamer. He was the one with his head in the clouds, who slept until noon, and didn’t hit a single fucking deadline that Magnus set for him.
But when Levi came up with an idea, it was a fucking game changer. It was why Magnus put up with him despite carrying the majority of their “partnership” on his back.
The most annoying thing about Levi’s dreaminess, though, was his ability to fall in love at the drop of a hat. Levi fell in love like some girls changed hair colors. Today, it was Bianca. In two weeks, it’d be Clarice, or the barista at the coffee shop with the cute nose ring. Or it’d be a fan who ran into him at a party and decided to show her gaming appreciation by kissing him in a dark corner all night.
Levi was easy to impress, and he loved ladies.
Magnus, well, Magnus worked.
Levi also fell out of love as quickly as he fell in love, so most of the time it worked out for the best. Levi would be impossible for a few days, and then he’d inevitably get his heart broken—Levi also had a pattern of falling for unattainable girls. He’d mope over his lost love for a few days, and then he’d get back to work with a new passion for creation, and things would move along once more.
Which was why Magnus just rolled his eyes as he got into the passenger side of the Maserati. Let Levi fall in love. He’d be done with what’s-her-name in a few days and ready to get back to work.
And Magnus? Well, Magnus would just continue doing what he did. He’d wake up at six A.M., put in his sixteen hours, and keep on going. Because that was the only way to get anything done in their business. And hey, their business arrangement was a bit unorthodox, but it worked for them. And that was all that mattered, right?
***
Three days later, Magnus went and knocked on the door to Levi’s suite. “It’s fucking two in the afternoon, bro. Are you ever coming out of there?”
Impatient, he waited a few minutes, tapping his foot. When there was no answer from within the room, he lifted his hand to give another impatient knock—
And Levi opened the door, a sullen light in his normally happy eyes, his sandy blond hair a mess. “What do you want?” he said in a subdued voice.
“I want you to work on The World with me? You know, mapping out the AI of the Huns? Remember that part?”
Levi’s mouth pulled down in a sad frown. “I can’t work when my heart is broken.”
Magnus groaned. “Fuck. Not this again. Still stuck on this girl? She’s just a pretty face. Let it go.”
“She’s not just a pretty face,” Levi protested. “She’s Bianca.”
As if that explained it all.
“Is she coming to map out the AI for the Huns for me, then?” Magnus asked, and Levi gave him a dirty look.
“You don’t understand.”
“I sure don’t—”
“Bianca loves me, too, but there’s a problem.”
“Of course there is.” Because there was always a problem when Levi fell in love. “This one married, too?”
He gave Magnus an insulted glare. “Of course not. Bianca would be completely devoted to any man she was married to.”
“Sure she would,” Magnus said, letting the sarcasm drip through his voice. Levi was such a dreamer when it came to women, unlike Magnus, who was a die-hard cynic. He knew how relationships with women went. They’d date a little, things would get a little more exclusive, and the next thing Magnus knew, he was having to check in if he wanted to scratch his ass and finding her toothbrush tucked next to his. Women didn’t believe in “casual.” They believed in first dates and then showed up with a bag of their things so they could lay claim on you. And that was not for him. He liked being able to do his own thing, and he sure didn’t like answering to anyone. The moment a woman started to get clingy, Magnus shut things down. He had Levi in his life, and trying to get his brother’s head out of his ass was a full-time relationship as it was.
“You just don’t understand,” Levi said in a mournful voice. He raked a hand through his messy hair and then retreated back into his room. “I need her.”
“Need her? For what?” He followed his brother into his room, amazed at how Levi managed to trash a two-thousand-square-foot room in the space of a few days. “You need to pull your shit together, man. And look at this pigsty. That’s unfair to the staff for you to be such a pig.” Just because they were rich now, Magnus hadn’t forgotten what it was like to pick up
after himself. Levi, on the other hand . . .
Levi turned and flopped onto his back on his big bed. “Like I said, I need her.”
“For fucking what? Is she going to pitch in with the new project? Because I fucking need you to help me with this new IP.”
“She’s my muse. I can’t work without her.”
His muse? Fucking seriously? Magnus began picking up some of the laundry strewn all over the floor of his brother’s room and tossing it onto the bed—and onto Levi. “Fine. I give up. You’re clearly not going to work until you get this newest girl out of your head. So go fuck off and see her or something. Forget all about deadlines or anything. Jesus.”
“That’s just it,” Levi said in a mournful voice. He didn’t even move a muscle when Magnus tossed an old towel on him. “I can’t see her. She won’t leave her sister’s side.”
“Then she doesn’t want to date you,” Magnus said bluntly.
“She does,” Levi said. “She just can’t leave her sister’s side. Her sister’s a workaholic, just like you.” Levi sat up slowly on the bed, his eyes wide. “She’s a workaholic like you. Magnus, this is perfect!” He rolled off the bed and sprang to his feet, crossing the filthy room to grasp his older brother by the arms. “Can you date Edie for me?”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Can you date Edie for me?” Levi repeated, as if it were the most sensible suggestion in the world. “We get Edie occupied, and I can have Bianca. If Edie’s out with you, Bianca can be out with me. It’s the perfect solution.”
Magnus shrugged his brother’s hands away. “The perfect solution . . . if you’re high on something. Why would I want to date Edie? She was a pit-viper at the damn dinner party the other night.”
“I’m sure she has a softer side if you flirt with her,” Levi continued, undeterred. He grabbed a shirt off the floor and shrugged it on, then began to button it up. “That’s just what I need. I need a distraction for Edie. If you can keep her preoccupied, I can spend time with Bianca. Then we both get what we want.”
His brother was flat-out crazy. Magnus crossed his arms. “You have a flaw in your plan.”
Levi tilted his head, curious. “I do? Where?”
“The fact that I don’t want to fucking date Edie!” Magnus roared. “Jesus Christ, man, pull your head out of your ass. Why would I want to date her? I don’t care how fucking cute she is if she’s a nightmare to be around.”
But Levi gave Magnus a knowing look. “So you thought she was cute?”
He groaned inwardly. “Yeah, I’d fuck her . . . if she kept her mouth shut. That doesn’t mean I want to date her. So what?”
“So . . . you can date her. Just get a few drinks into her. Compliment her hair. Build a common ground. You’ll have her eating out of the palm of your hand.” Levi slung an arm around Magnus’s shoulders again, as if the problem was solved. “It’s perfect. You can date her and I’ll keep Bianca distracted and we’ll both have a little bit of quiet time.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Magnus shoved his brother’s arm off of his shoulders. “You know we have a deadline. Game Channel wants the new IP and game design in two months. That means we need to work our asses off, and that means you need to work on the goddamn Huns. They’re paying us a lot of money—”
“Who cares about money? We’re already rich! I want love—”
“You want a fucking punch in the mouth is what you want,” Magnus said. Jesus, why did his brother always go off his rocker over a woman at the worst possible times? Why couldn’t he just work like Magnus wanted him to? Was that so freaking hard? “This is a lot of money and it’s our reputation on the line.”
Levi gave him a knowing look. “You want the money?”
“Hell yes, I want the money.” It was five hundred million dollars. Of course he wanted it. He’d be stupid to throw it away. It wasn’t the amount of money or the fact that he needed it—they didn’t need it at all. It was the sheer satisfaction of knowing that someone would pay that much for their intellectual property. That was what drove Magnus.
His brother crossed his arms over his chest. “I want Bianca,” Levi said stubbornly. “Do this for me, and I’ll work. I’ll even let you have all of the proceeds for this particular IP.”
Magnus stared. It was several months of work—never mind all the work they’d already put in. And he was willing to do it for free as long as he got this girl? “You’re serious?”
“I’m serious,” Levi agreed. “If you’ll date Edie to get her out of the picture, I’ll work on your game stuff when I’m not with Bianca. It’s a trade-off.”
There had to be a catch. Magnus rubbed his jaw, thinking. “Edie and I didn’t get along at dinner. She’s not going to think I suddenly changed my mind and fell in love with her, Levi. This isn’t going to work.”
But his brother grinned and hopped to his feet, dashing to his closet. He pulled out a pair of jeans and began to hop into them. “You let me figure out the details. As long as I get the setup, you can move in for the kill. Pretend to like her. Date her and keep her busy. Got it?”
“I’m not fucking her just so you can bag her sister—”
“No one said you had to fuck her,” Levi said, voice placating. “Can’t you just be my wingman on this?”
“If I was your wingman, we’d double date.”
“Can you be my absentee wingman?”
“Can we work in the meantime? Please?”
“We can,” Levi said. “I’m suddenly feeling inspired.”
Well, thank God for that.
***
The whole “dating Edie” thing didn’t come up for another few days, and Magnus was pretty sure his flighty brother had forgotten all about the beautiful but distant Bianca. Instead, Levi had devoted himself to working, sketching out the basic gameplay of the Huns, three other barbarian tribes, and a new twist that had Magnus convinced that his brother was a gaming genius. He was pleased at how the project was coming along . . .
Which meant they were bound to have a snag, of course.
The snag came later. Both Sullivan brothers were working in their shared office. The good thing about the four-story building they’d bought on Park Avenue was that they had plenty of room to stretch their legs. Still, they worked best when they bounced ideas off of each other, and so they shared an office, computers facing each other. While Magnus’s side of the room was controlled order, Levi’s desk was always an absolute mess. Even the maids were afraid to touch it.
Magnus was just keying in a new troop unit when someone knocked at the door to their top-floor office. Usually they ignored it, preferring to work through distractions unless it was an emergency.
Usually. This time, though, Levi jumped up and sprinted for the door, which made Magnus put aside his headphones and get up from his computer. He needed to stretch anyhow. “What’s going on?”
“It’s here,” Levi called after him, noisily thumping down the stairs like an overgrown puppy.
“What’s here?” Magnus yelled. When there was no answer, he threw his hands up in the air and followed his brother down the stairs.
“Oh my god,” he heard Levi say, then laugh. “It’s hideous.”
Well that wasn’t a good sign. Magnus hopped down the last two stairs and headed for the foyer. There, held by Levi’s assistant, was a large pet crate, with Levi hunched in front of it and grinning like a loon. Magnus’s steps slowed. “What’s this?”
Levi turned and looked at his brother, delighted. He gestured at the cage. “This is our ticket to getting Edie and Bianca here.”
A paw from deep inside the cage slashed out at the wire grate, and the creature inside gave a low hiss.
Magnus’s eyes widened. He’d thought—well, hoped—that Levi was going to give up on this whole Bianca thing. “Yes, but why is there an animal here?”
“Why . . . would you do that?”
Levi clapped Magnus on the shoulder. “Because we’re going to have Edie come here and fix it, of course.”
A low growl emanated from the crate.
“And what exactly are we supposed to do with it in the meantime?”
Levi shrugged. “Dunno. You handle it. I’m going to call Bianca and set things up.” His brother dashed away, pulling out his phone, and left Magnus with the damn cat.
Why were they going through with this ridiculous plan? He must have been completely insane. Magnus squatted in front of the cage and saw a bundle of fur huddled in the back, all gray tufted hair and stripes. Two eyes gleamed, and then it yowled and attempted to swat at him again through the cage.
“Jesus,” Magnus said, and stood up again. Not only was he going to be stuck with pretending to like the cat lady, he was also stuck with Cujo the bobcat.
The things one did for family. Or for a full share in a five-hundred-million-dollar project.
***
“I have a new client for you,” Bianca said in her sweetest little-girl voice as she held out a piece of paper to Edie.
Edie ignored her sister, screwing a post into a cat tree for her foster room. The cat tree had sixteen legs and three perches, and it was the most confusing thing she’d ever seen, but her new cat wanted someplace high to perch, and Edie was determined to give it to Oscar so he could relax a bit. Once he was settled in, she could work on getting him comfortable with her. As she worked, two other cats, Dopey and Doc, sat on the crinkling instructions, and Sneezy was curled up against the leg of her jeans as she sat on the floor.
The Taming of the Billionaire Page 3