WICKED GAMES | COMPLETE

TWO

Miles

Miles Mason fiddled with the mic clipped to his collar. He smoothed back his coiffed hair, dark brown in the dim light, and took a deep breath.

Focus, he thought calmly. It's just a casual chat. Just say what you've been saying the past thousand times.

You are in control.

He peeked past the velvet curtain and caught a glimpse of the crowd. The room was filled to the brim. People were chattering and laughing, their hands wielding phones, cameras, signs, props.

Just a casual chat.

In front of two hundred people.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE, GET READY FOR MILES MASON!"

He exhaled. Three. Two.

One.

Miles strode confidently into the light, waving at the cheering crowd and clicking cameras that blinked and flashed everywhere before him. He grinned at the countless red faces in the audience before greeting the perky blonde host, a streamer named Carly. He settled into the armchair opposite her.

The spotlight beamed down on him. The hot seat.

"So, Miles, how's your time at GreatGames Con been so far?"

Miles grinned, his low, velvet voice flowing into the microphone. "Hey, everyone. It's been fun, Carly. What a great crowd we have this year. In fact, I managed to catch a few fans as I arrived this morning and I was very impressed by the level of detail in these costumes. I can't wait to see more."

As soon as Miles addressed his fans, the audience erupted into a wild cheer. The way he could hold the crowd electrified his ego. Carly shrugged at him and smiled sweetly as she waited for the ruckus to die down.

"Oh, I'm dressed as a character from your games too. What do you think of the details in my costume?" Carly stood up from her chair and twirled, her black leather skirt catching the air, allowing a sliver of her black boy shorts to peek out from underneath.

The guys in the audience hooted as she giggled and settled back down, looking to Miles for his response.

"Well, honestly your skirt's shorter than what Jessa wears." Miles studied her camo-print shirt, which was unbuttoned to an ungodly depth and filled out amply. "And, not to be pedantic, but she wouldn't have worn such a tight shirt. It's... restrictive for combat."

"You heard it here first - Miles Mason wants his ladies to cover up!" Carly joked to a combination of laughs and groans from the audience. She turned back to him. "Mad Labs clearly cares a lot about both female and male players. What can we expect from your next game?"

Miles ran his hand over his stubble, recalling the same answer he'd given to interviewers many times before. "We definitely want everyone to enjoy our games. We don't want it to be a debate over who or how it should be played – so we'll probably look into that direction of inclusivity. But with death and destruction."

"Hmm, a cryptic reply from the man of mystery!" Carly's eyes suddenly glinted with mischief. "Well, I'm sure everyone here knows everything there is to know about Miles' award-winning games, Red Sky and Wasteland. But what about his personal life? I bet we can dig some deets out of this prince charming here, right ladies?"

As the crowd burst into cheer, Miles' head was reeling out of control. I thought we'd agreed: no personal questions? I'm not prepared for this. What the fuck, Carly?

Although his successes had showered him with attention, the truth was that Miles was, by nature, a loner. Not a lone wolf – he had friends – just a total loner who'd rather spend his time in front of the console, looking away from his own work and playing other people's games.

He never understood why, if a man was popular and successful, it had to mean that he was good with girls. He'd only been in one relationship that failed spectacularly, and after that he threw himself into his work, burying his emotions under a rock.

"So, Miles," Carly turned to him with a flirty grin. "You're 27 this year and already in the list of 30 Sexy and Successful Males of the Decade. Anyone special in your life, or do all the ladies in this room stand a chance?"

Miles chuckled and waved at his screaming fans in the front row, hiding the fact that his mind was racing overtime for the best answer to give. Like clockwork, his mouth pulled into a smirk and he winked at Carly.

"Everyone's expecting the next masterpiece from Mad Labs, so my apologies, ladies, no distractions allowed."

╳◯

The crowd was still cheering long after Miles walked off the stage and into the darkened pantry. Probably Carly doing another damn twirl, he thought as he angrily chugged down a bottle of water. He was always paranoid of live interviews, especially those with huge audiences, and now he was vindicated in all the wrong ways.

"Hey Miles, great job out there!"

Great.

He turned to face a bright-eyed, glitter-faced Carly, playing with her curled locks. Up close, her skirt looked even shorter and her shirt even tighter.

"I thought we agreed to no personal questions, Carly."

"Oh, don't be so upset about that," she pouted and reached one hand to graze his forearm. "All the other questions were so tedious and boring. Can't we have a tiny bit of fun?"

Miles grunted and turned to leave, but before he could react, Carly shot her hand up to grasp his bicep, pulling him down closer to her. He could feel her full chest brush against his. She cupped his neck and raised her lips to his ear.

"I saw the way you looked at me, Miles. I know you want it. Come on - I won't tell anyone."

Slowly, he leaned down. She shuddered as he inched closer and lowered his voice to a soft, deep murmur.

"Don't ever touch me again. You have a knife hidden in your sleeve, and I won't be letting you stab it in my back."

He pushed her hand aside and stalked away, leaving Carly gaping in disbelief.

A/N: Well, now you've met our stars. Who said gamers couldn't be sexy? What do you think of them?