Good Game (The System, #1)

“What’s that?”

“Mastelo! It’s a hallmark dish in Sifnos. Braised lamb in a tomato sauce with dill, cooked in a clay pot. I have a feeling it’ll be your favorite. The other dish is astakomakaronada. You can’t go wrong with a fresh Greek lobster pasta. Plus, I’m a seafood girl.”

I cut into a piece of lamb, watching as it tears away like butter. Fuck, this is going to be good. The flavors burst in my mouth, the lush sauce coating my tongue as the meat melts. The fresh dill springs through the richness, tying everything together. Damn, this restaurant is amazing.

Stevie twirls her pasta, humming with pleasure as she bites into it.

“This has been the best dinner ever, and we haven’t even gotten to the melopita. I know you prefer chocolate desserts, but everyone loves the honey cake.” Her eyes crinkle. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Her excitement is utterly infectious. When she smiles, her entire being glows, and she hasn’t stopped smiling this entire time. I wouldn’t be surprised if she complained that her cheeks hurt tomorrow.

“I love your smile.”

The compliment blurts out of me, and I reach for my wine, downing the rest of the glass then reaching to fill ours both up again, finishing the bottle.

I look up, and Stevie is trying her hardest not to smile, but she breaks into a full-blown grin.

“Thank you. That’s so sweet.”

I groan.

“What?” she asks.

“I’m acting like an all-out sap,” I complain.

“No! It’s cute.”

“I’m supposed to be hot, mysterious, sexy. Not cute. NightBlade32 is not cute.”

“No,” she tips her wine glass toward me, “but Aleksander Knight just might be.”

I give her a dead stare. “That doesn’t make it any better.”

She just winks at me before taking a sip of wine. I huff but let it drop.

Guess I’ll just have to come to terms with the fact that when it comes to Stephanie Andwell, the playbook doesn’t exist; there are no rules.

She’s the king on this chessboard, and I’m just a pawn charged with protecting her.

***

We are waiting for dessert, Stevie filling me in on an art piece she is working on, when she halts her sentence midway, eyes widening like a deer in headlights.

She immediately whips her head away from me, ducking, her long ponytail almost smacking me in the face.

“Stevie?”

“Shhhh,” she hisses, one hand coming up to shield the side of her face.

I go to turn my head, but she grips my thigh. “Don’t you even think about looking, Aleksander. Just lean forward and block me, okay?”

I pitch forward, folding my arms across the table, effectively sheltering Stevie with my chest.

“You want to give me a clue here, babe?”

“Decker and my ex just walked in.”

Well, now I really want to turn around. Neither of them should recognize me. I’ve never met Decker as Aleksander, but I also don’t want to risk it. The dude has a vendetta against me, and if Stevie was able to clock Parker after a few meetings, there is a chance Decker could do the same. I might hate the guy, but I don’t underestimate him—Decker is smart, sly, a Grade-A manipulator. I might be able to beat him most of the time, but that’s only because I know not to undervalue his abilities.

Chase, on the other hand, I would love to see. I want him to witness what he gave up, what he lost. How stupid he was for it, but how grateful I am because now she is mine.

I see our waitress exit the kitchen with our melopita and curse.

“Shit, the dessert’s coming. Want me to get it to go? Grab the check?”

“Ugh. Why couldn’t the assholes have waited until after dessert.”

The waitress gets closer.

“Stevie,” I warn her.

“Yes, yes, to go. Dammit.” Her voice is laced with bitterness.

I shoot off a quick text to Francis letting him know we need to be picked up. Now.

I angle my body even farther away from the main entrance, facing the waitress. I’m quick to put out my hand to stop her. “Sorry, we are going to need this to go. Can we have the check? ASAP.” My attempt at a casual smile doesn’t stop the tension from holding in my eyes.

“Oh, sure, not a problem. I’ll be right back.”

The waitress twists around and almost bumps into none other than Daniel-fucking-Decker, who is deep in conversation with the blond man behind him. She pulls back, offering her sincerest apologies. Decker’s mask is nothing other than perfection as he smiles at her, touching her shoulder to steady her, telling her it’s fine. She apologizes again before stepping around him and back to the kitchen.

“Face me,” I whisper to Stevie. In one swift movement, she dips her body, leaning her opposite elbow on the table to face me. She angles her head away by resting it on the tips of her fingers, making it look lazy even though she is tense as fuck.

Decker rolls his eyes once the waitress disappears. Then his eyes slip to me, giving me a pointed once over before continuing on. Chase passes behind him, only sparing me a quick glance. I see the second his eyes slip to Stevie, gaze a little more assessing as he scans her body like the slime he is. My heart rate is a million beats per minute. His eyebrows raise in appreciation before he takes a step away. I let out a breath but suck it back when Chase suddenly halts. He flips around, bending his body low to the table.

“Steffy?”

Fuck.

I look down at her, and she holds my gaze. I watch as the anxiety switches to steel, her eyes narrowing to catlike, a mask of unaffected seduction slipping on. I match her stroke for stroke, making the switch from Aleksander to Blade. I roll my shoulders back, leaning lazily against the back of my chair, legs spread farther apart.

Stevie slowly swivels her tilted head on her fingertips, looking him up and down before letting a saccharine smile spill onto her face. She pushes off her fingertips and moves her left hand off my thigh and rests her chin in it, crooking her elbow on the table.

“Chasey,” she drips, “fancy seeing you here.” Her voice registers a few octaves higher than usual.

Chase gives me a better look this time. No dismissive glance. He completely judges me, his eyes flicking around my face and body, cataloging every inch. I watch his lip curl as he records my tattoos.

“Yes, well, you know I have a soft spot for Greek food.”

“Then I hope you enjoy your meal—” Stevie points to an empty table in the corner of the room. “—all the way over there.”

She gives him a quick, fake smile before casting him off with her hand. Chase’s jaw ticks at the movement.

“If it isn’t Lady Andwell!” Decker slings his arm around Chase, feline grin on his face.

His eyes flick to me. Decker doesn’t take as long as Chase did to stare me down, but he doesn’t have to. Decker’s a gamer; his mind works more quickly, catalogs details with speed. Not as fast as me, never as fast as me, but better than your average guy.

“Well, this doesn’t look like Lord Covington. Making the rounds are we, Stephanie?”

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