Chapter Eight
“He’s playing well today.” A thick British accent pulls me out of the trance I’ve been in. It’s different from Parker’s, deeper but just as posh. The man who takes a seat in the empty chair next to me keeps his eyes on the stage ahead.
“Of course he is.”
I give the man a once over before dismissing him. I let my gaze travel back to the stage.
Parker is playing a FrozeLine team battle right now, and he is in line for MVP. When I’d entered him into the tournaments initially, I’d focused on only getting him into the speedrun matches so he would be able to qualify for the championship, but Parker didn’t want to just do that.
He wanted to do it all.
The most popular games on the market for competitions are the ones that are big in esports, like Gods League, Kill Strike, VERTEX, and FrozeLine. Out of those, Parker’s strong suit is FrozeLine, which is a first-person shooter MMO. The only issue is that he isn’t on an esports team, so I could only get him in individual matches and the occasional team battle—where he would be teamed up at random with other tournament gamers for the match, like now.
“And that’s another kill for EnglishCoffee,”the male announcer calls over the speaker.
“He could be going for a penta-kill,” the female announcer returns.
“Only a few minutes left. Looks like he’ll get MVP,” the guy next to me muses.
My back straightens as I try to figure out who he might be. I keep my expression neutral, face ahead, as I scan him from the corner of my eye.
He is dressed in a suit, which is out of place in the stadium today. The stubble he sports is purposeful, cut clean around his jaw. If I needed anything else to confirm that this man came from money, when he goes to unbutton his suit jacket, I catch a flash of silver on his wrist. A Chopard watch.
He’s not someone I recognize from the gaming world. He’s not an owner of any of the esports teams here, nor is he part of the C-suite of any of the game dev companies. I have them all memorized like the letters in the alphabet. There’s not a key player I don’t know.
The section I’m sitting in is reserved. Not just anyone can get a seat this close to the stage.
My suspicions rise, and I begin to mentally run through Parker’s known acquaintances. If this isn’t someone connected to The System or EnglishCoffee, they must be here for Parker Covington.
Oh.
“I didn’t think you were a video game enthusiast, Mr. Kelton.”
Jace Kelton turns to look at me with a smile. I’m once again reminded that Parker Covington is somehow always surrounded by freakishly attractive people. The top one percent of Parker’s world are not only filthy rich; they are gifted with the looks to go with it.
“I’m not,” he admits. “But I make it my job to know my rivals inside and out, Ms. Lake.” His lips curl around my name with a flirty tone. Unfortunately for him, it has no effect on me. Like I said, being around The System has made me immune to the whims of hot guys.
Well, most of them.
A fire burns through my blood and my palms begin to sweat as I remember this morning. I’ve come into contact with Parker’s dick one too many times this last week. I literally just stared at him while my hand cupped his dick.
Mortification rips through my body again. I’m having second-hand embarrassment at myself.
The story of my life: Attracted and Embarrassed.
It sounds like the name of a trashy reality show.
“And that’s game. Victory goes to the blue team,” the male announcer states.
Parker’s team lets out a series of whoops as they clap each other on the back. The last time I saw him this happy was when he bought his blue Ferrari from a custom dealer in Italy last year. Not that Parker isn’t always smiling and joking, but there is pure, uninhibited joy in his eyes right now. It’s contagious. It makes me smile back.
Parker starts to put his blue LED mask on, but he gives the crowd a quick scan, his gaze landing on mine. The smile on his face falters briefly when he notices Jace by my side. But ever the showman, Parker just lets his smile shine brighter before winking at the crowd and slipping his mask on.
Now, he could be scowling at Jace and no one would know.
He holds hands and bows with his team. But instead of walking offstage with them, he jumps down and comes up to us, walking through the small mosh pit around the stage. The publicist in me freaks out for a second until I see one of the security guards jump into action to help him through the crowd.
I swear, that boy doesn’t think sometimes.
With the help of the security guard, Parker gets through the wave of fans and up to the raised deck where I’m seated.
“You’re supposed to be in the greenroom,” I scold him. “Your speedrun is in an hour.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
It’s not, really. Not when he has two interviews lined up after the speedrun and an invitation to a network party tonight. He needs every second of rest he can get.
“Jace, didn’t know you were in town, mate.”
Jace eyes Parker, and I don’t miss the way his gaze bounces across the mask.
It unsettles him.
I tamp down the laugh that threatens to spill. Even though everyone knows who The System is now, it hasn’t done anything to mitigate the intense aura these men exude when in their gaming personas. They’ve always held the attention of every room they’re in, and people are afraid of their undeniable power. The masks definitely add to that.
When Parker is EnglishCoffee, there is no stopping the self-assured cockiness he bleeds.
“I was just in Vegas. Flew in on the jet this morning when I heard you’d made an appearance at the hotel. It’s always a glorious day when a Covington admits defeat and stays at the Kelton.”
“Defeat?” Parker laughs. “I just wanted to see what the standard was in Colorado. Considering your hotel botched our reservation, I’d have to say it wouldn’t take much for us to raise the bar.”
“A minor oversight.” The muscle in Jace’s jaw ticks. “Early snowstorm threw everyone for a tizzy.”
Jace is in a similar position to Parker. His family has numerous hotels across Europe, but unlike the Covingtons, the Keltons have a large market share in the USA. If I remember correctly, he is a year or so older, which isn’t saying much considering Parker is only twenty-four.
“Whatever you say.”
“You always give me a headache, Covington,” Jace sighs.
“It’s one of my many charms.”
I know Parker is grinning like a madman beneath that mask.
“I look forward to your event later.” Jace places his hand on my shoulder. “I even have this beautiful lady to keep me company.”
Parker immediately bats Jace’s hand away and replaces it with his own as he tugs me toward him. “Thanks, it should be a good speedrun.”
Jace studies the movement until Parker tucks his hands back into the pockets of his black pants.
“I’ll catch you for a drink later tonight? You owe me a round.”
“I have a pretty packed schedule. Everyone wants a piece of the Parker pie.”
I beg myself not to roll my eyes at that cringe statement.
“English needs to get ready for his run and head back to the greenroom,” I remind him. “Make sure you down an energy drink beforehand, okay?”
“You’re staying here?”
“Unless you plan on getting in some sort of PR nightmare in the next thirty minutes, yes, I plan on staying here. I’ll meet up with you after the run like planned.”
Parker looks down at me, and I stare up into the blue LED Xs of his mask.
Is he nervous about the run? Does he need a pep talk or something? It didn’t seem like he was worried earlier.
I give his shoulder a light squeeze.
“You’ve got this. You’re going to crush it, trust me. I believe in you.”
His hand comes up to rest on my own, and it sends a jolt of electricity through my body.
“Just keep your eyes on me, Syd.” The way he says it is strangely intimate. “And Kelton?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t touch what isn’t yours,” Parker calls out as he jumps backward off the raised platform.
My heart lurches at the move. He spins around and follows the waiting security guard back through the throng of fans.
“What about you, Ms. Lake?”
“What about me?”
“Care for a drink while we wait?”
“I don’t drink.”
“Never said it had to be alcoholic.” He grins.
I would not be getting rid of this man.
Then again, what is the harm? They are still setting up the stage for the speedrun match. Four players will be going head-to-head.
“Sure,” I relent. “I guess there’s some time to kill.”
“Brilliant.”
Jace holds his hand out to me. I sigh and take it, allowing him to lead us through the fans crowding the stands as we walk up to the main deck.
I’ll admit, the event is busier than I expected. It’s one of the smaller tournaments this season, so I didn’t think a lot of people would turn out. We have one in two weeks in Seattle that is a major event, and then the rest should be on the same level as that until we hit the championship.
Because speedrunning isn’t as big as the esports-focused games, it’s harder to find events for Parker to compete in this close to the end of the season. If we were just focused on FrozeLine or even VERTEX—another popular esports game that is battle royale which Parker excels at—it would be a different story. The opportunities there are endless.
But the guys aren’t focused on becoming pro-esports gamers, and Mathias has never had an issue with the boys doing as they please. The money they make from streaming and uploading videos is more than enough. Mathias has been pushing for more sponsorships lately because he wants to take advantage of the face reveal, but he still doesn’t care much about the guys dipping into the esports arena.
“What can I get you?” Jace asks once we reach the first bar.
“I’ll take an iced tea,” I tell him, pointing at the bottles in the fridge nestled between the waters and hard seltzers.
Jace orders our drinks while I watch one of the TV screens above the bar. It shows the current match playing on the main stage. Two esports teams are competing in VERTEX, and I recognize one of the players as a guy the boys play with occasionally.
“Here.” Jace hands me the bottle.
“Thank you.” I twist open the lid and take a deep gulp.
I actually haven’t had anything to drink in a few hours, now that I think about it. I’ve been so distracted by watching Parker and monitoring the guys back home that it didn’t even occur to me.
“Let’s go back to our seats before someone nicks them.” Jace puts his hand out again for me to hold onto. I don’t bother pointing out that our seats are in the reserved area, so no one can nick them, per say.
It takes us longer to get back to our section because some girl got the wings of her cosplay stuck to the tail of another girl’s cosplay, and they were making a fuss in the middle of the staircase.
We sit down just as the MC announces the players taking the stage.
None of them have the same energy as Parker.
He stands there in his blue glory, waving at the crowd before taking his seat at his desk. The camera zooms in on him as he tears off his mask and runs his hand through his hair. A chorus of high-pitched cheers breaks out across the crowd, hundreds of women fawning over him.
“Popular one, isn’t he?” Jace comments.
I tilt my head in a shrug. “Without a doubt.”
“And now for the speedrun of Styx. Players will begin their game in five, four, three, two, one!”
Each gamer starts up their game, the load screen shifting into the opening cut scene.
“I have to say, I was surprised when I learned about his little side career. Thought my cousin was joking when she told me. None of the boys knew about it.” Jace takes a large sip of his drink.
Apart from their families, no one knew about The System’s real identities. Most of the people who worked for The System didn’t even know their identities. Everything was a need-to-know basis. It wasn’t until Stevie, Aleks’ girlfriend, entered the picture that things began to change.
“And what do you think now?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the screens above the stage.
There are five, four of which mirror the screen of each gamer, while the one in the middle moves between face shots of the gamers and the announcers. Parker’s screen is the last one, and I watch as his character runs across a barren field.
“Honestly, it makes sense. He was always busy once he moved to the States, but none of us could figure out why. He wasn’t helping out at the hotels enough for that to be the case, and growing up, Parker was never as into the business as the rest of us. I’m not shocked he found a career that’s more his speed.”
I hum in agreement. I’ve only known Parker since I began working for The System, but even I know he is the type of person who can’t stay still. He needs to be constantly stimulated, and his career is the perfect outlet.
“I’ll admit; I’m surprised his family has been so supportive. Despite Parker’s reluctance, I still thought he would inherit Covington Hotels. With how focused he is about this whole gaming thing, I’m not so sure anymore.”
I say nothing. I really have no clue where Parker’s head is on the subject.
Honestly, it’s something that I have wondered myself. In the past few years, I haven’t worried too much about Parker’s role as the Covington heir because it didn’t really impact his gaming career. But it was still something that always lingered in the back of my mind. Out of all the guys, he really did lead two separate lives, and now they are being forced to face one another. I’m not sure if they can coexist.
Considering that Parker hasn’t brought it up, though, makes me think it’s not something I need to be worried about. Mathias also hasn’t mentioned anything on the matter either.
But still, there were those rumors.
My stomach sours at the thought of Parker leaving his gaming career behind, of leaving me—I mean us—behind. At the end of the day, he was raised a Covington.
I shake off the thoughts and take a deep gulp of my iced tea.
Three hours pass by in a blur.
Jace attempts to make more small talk, but I think he eventually realizes that I’m more invested in Parker than chatting with him. Instead, he busies himself with a spreadsheet on his phone while glancing at the game in between.
I’ve kept my eyes on the screen as much as possible as Parker plays, but I’ve also been scrolling through my emails and the guys’ social media. I’ve seen Parker run through this game enough times that I don’t need to keep avid watch. I keep flipping to my notes app, though, to look at the standard times of the others players. I know them by heart, but it’s a force of habit at this point.
So far, everyone is on track with their last public speedrun of the game.
If everything goes right, Parker should be done in the next fifteen minutes. The closest competitor is a solid ten minutes behind his gameplay time. Honestly, I had planned this tournament as an easier win for Parker. The gamers who signed up are well-known, but they aren’t that well-known. Not like the matches in the upcoming weeks where he will be up against his biggest rivals in the space.
As chill as Parker has been about everything, I still wanted him to have a higher likelihood of success for his first public speedrun.
I really shouldn’t have worried. He’s taken everything in stride. The press from the event has been nothing but positive so far. Everyone’s been raving about his performance in the team FrozeLine matches, and now they are fawning over his solo speedrun.
I watch as the clock keeps ticking up.
Just a few more minutes.
Parker defeats the final boss and quickly implements a skip through the penultimate cut scene before rushing his character through a cemetery so he can finish the game. There’s a cheer from the crowd. That skip is one that I know is hard to time correctly, and Parker’s success has effectively guaranteed him first place.
I let out a loud whoop when his character finishes digging up a coffin and opens it to reveal the empty interior. The end credits grace the screen, and Parker grins wildly. He pushes away from the desktop and stands up, raising his arms as he walks across the front of the stage.
The crowd cheers his name.
English. English. English. English.
He stops when he makes eye contact with me. I give him two thumbs up, and he returns the gesture with a dramatic bow. One of the workers comes up to escort him offstage, which is my cue. He’s going to be pulled into a few interviews now that all his events are over.
As happy as I might be with the way today has gone so far, I’m not about to let it cloud my judgment. Parker is still a loose cannon when it comes to interviews. He has a habit of getting a little too comfortable with the reporters. Something about being in his EnglishCoffee persona makes him more relaxed than usual.
“It was great meeting you, Mr. Kelton, but duty calls.”
“Please, call me Jace. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sydney.” He smiles before taking my hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.
Any regular woman would be melting at the panty-dropping grin, but it’s nothing Parker hasn’t done before. If anything, it feels more robotic coming from Jace.
“And do remind Parker that he owes me a drink. He polished off my bottle of Paradis Imperial during our last poker game.”
“I can’t promise you anything, Jace, but I’ll try. Until next time.”
I hop down from our platform and begin weaving my way through the fans crowded around the stage. There’s a small hallway I need to get to that only gamers and their teams can access. It effectively bypasses the regular route to the greenroom and brings you right to it.
I finally manage to break through the sea of people and stumble into the hallway. A quick flash of my badge has me passing through the two beefy security guards.
I finally come to the door and breathe a sigh of relief as I step across the threshold. The greenroom isn’t relaxing by any means; it’s packed with all the top players and their teams, but it’s better than being out in gen pop.
Parker’s white-blond hair isn’t hard to miss. That, and he is one of the tallest people in the room and is wearing his mask.
He’s already in conversation with a black-haired journalist.
My hackles rise.
Press isn’t supposed to be allowed in here.
I pick up my pace, twisting around the other gamers until I pull up next to Parker.
“Genevieve, talking to my client without me, I see.” My smile is thin and tight.
“Sydney, there you are. English and I were just talking about you.” She taps his forearm, and my stomach swirls.
“Oh, really? How lovely. But our interview isn’t scheduled for another twenty minutes.”
“Well, I caught English right after the run, and he invited me in, so I thought, why not get it out of the way.” Her smile is as fake as her veneers. “It was great chatting with you, English. Sydney, we’ll send you the article once it’s live.” She gives a wiggle of her fingers before she flounces off.
“Seriously?” My voice is low and harsh as I pull Parker to the side, leading him to the private back room. Technically, it is reserved for the top esports teams, but I got access for Parker, considering his level of notoriety.
“She bombarded me! I couldn’t just ignore her without her turning it into a story,” he whines. “Plus, it’s Genevieve. She’s interviewed us a bunch of times. I know how to field her questions.”
It’s true. Genevieve is one of Justin’s top reporters for Gamer Weekly. He tends to send her to most of the esports events because her looks get her around the red tape more often than not. If I’m not dealing with Justin, I’m dealing with Genevieve.
Still, it makes me uneasy. With the recent drama of the false disinheritance, Parker’s upcoming participation at the Divizion Championship Series, and this being his first live match…there’s too much at stake.
I let out a sigh.
“I’m sure it was fine.” Or at least, I hope. “Great job, by the way. The run went smoothly.”
Parker peels off his mask and grins at me.
My stomach does a little flip.
When Parker wears his mask—when he is English—it is so much easier to think of him as just my client. When he takes it off and forces me to confront that boyish grin, it makes everything muddied. Lines begin to cross, and my heart gets confused.
“I totally crushed it! Didn’t shave off any extra time, but I could have.”
“I know. But we don’t want you showing your hand this early,” I remind him in a hushed tone.
Mathias instructed him to just play as expected, to not do anything flashy. We want to save that for the championship so no one has a chance to counter his improved times. Parker still has eight weeks, but he’s already five minutes faster in practice than his current publicly recorded run times.
“What about Jace? Did he have anything to say?”
“He was impressed. Definitely a little jealous of all the fangirls you have.”
“He certainly seemed distracted by my girl, that’s for sure.” Parker grabs a water bottle from the mini fridge and twists it open before guzzling half of it down. I watch his Adam’s apple bob with the movement.
I’m so distracted I don’t completely comprehend what he just said.
I brush off the comment, pulling out my phone to text the other reporter to see if we can move up the interview.
Once I get confirmation from him, I give Parker a nudge with my elbow, not realizing he is still drinking his water. The liquid goes sloshing.
“Shoot, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He looks down at me with a bemused expression, using the back of his hand to swipe the water from his lips. It’s a simple movement, but it sucks the air from my lungs.
Come on, Sydney. Focus.
“I got your interview moved up. Let’s knock it out so we can dip early and relax before the party tonight.” I force the words out.
“Sounds good.”
He slips his mask back on, and the storm of emotions within me calms to rolling waves.
I really need to get myself under control, or I don’t know how I’m going to make it through these next few weeks.