"Why can't I meet them now?" Rebecca Howard, Tyler's childhood friend and ex-fiancée, stood on the other side of his desk. She pouted at him from beneath the razor-sharp cut of her black bangs. Her long earrings jangled as she tossed her head. The vivid pink of her blouse screamed, "Look at me!" She'd dressed to meet their guests, and she was put out that Tyler was denying her access to them. She, too, was a fan of Heaven Sent.
Tyler remained calm. Once he'd left the physical presence of the members of Heaven Sent, his mental faculties and accustomed calm had returned. "Because they just got here an hour ago. They had a long flight. It's common courtesy to let them rest awhile."
Becky -- as she now hated to be called, despite having grown up with the nickname -- scowled. "You met them."
Edward sat on the couch against the opposite wall, arms spread over the back and legs negligently crossed. He chuckled. "I already tried that one. Didn't work for me, either."
Tyler glanced at the invoice before him and signed the check that went with it. " I took them up to their rooms."
Becky all but stomped her foot. "Damn it, Tyler! The nightclub is my game, too. I deserve some of the perks!"
Would one of those perks be getting into the bed of one of the members of Heaven Sent? Tyler wondered which one of them was her favorite. Then again, it probably didn't matter. He was tempted to ask, but decided to be prudent. As she'd said, she was a partner in the White Room, even if her share was less than his, Edward's, or the Weiss's. Against his first instinct, Tyler had allowed Edward to talk him into including her. She made good money as an event planner and had far more valuable contacts than either Tyler or Edward. That fact alone had kept many of the preparations for this venture running smoothly. She was a wise investment partner even if she had decided they weren't destined to be life partners.
"Patience, Becky." He continued to review the stack of papers before him. "You'll meet them tomorrow at the rehearsal."
Still pouting, Becky fingered the smooth glass horse perched on the edge of his desk.
"So, what are they like?"
Tyler lifted his head to smile at her. Although he did love to tweak her, he and Becky actually got along better now that she'd broken their engagement.
"Larger than life. But a friendly bunch of guys. In fact," he said, calmly deciding to reveal his trump card, "Johnnie Heaven invited me to his room tonight to play PlayStation 2."
"What?!" Twin cries from two gaping mouths had Tyler leaning back in his chair, laughing. Edward and Becky stared at him in open astonishment. Edward recovered first, falling forward to lean on his knees.
"You're shitting me!"
"You have PlayStation 2 in the rooms now?" Becky asked, surprised.
"No. But his room now does."
"How the hell did you manage an invitation like that?" Edward demanded.
"He asked for the PlayStation 2 and Final Fantasy 10. I asked what scenario he was on. When he figured out
I played, he asked me to come up and keep him company."
"No shit?"
"You bastard!" Becky cried. "You're going to play video games with Johnnie Heaven?"
Tyler couldn't help himself. He pointed a nasty grin at Becky. "I can't sleep with him like you want to, Beck."
She cocked her head to the side, glaring coolly at him. "Oh, ha ha. You're hilarious."
"Deny that's what you want. "He laughed. "Cheer up, Beck. You'll get your chance tomorrow."
"What? Am I stupid? It's Heaven Sent!" She grimaced. "You suck." In private moments, the girl he used to know peeked out of the sleek professional. "I can't believe those moronic games are working to your advantage."
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