Dark Prince's Enigma Read online

  “Oh well. Thanks for the sandwich suggestion.”

  “You’re welcome. See you later, Gregg.”

  And that was it. He’d been coming there for months, sometimes twice a day, sometimes three, and the frequency had nothing to do with Starbucks’s mediocre coffee and everything to do with Alicia.

  Why hadn’t he asked her out yet, then?

  Because she wasn't his type.

  Gregg didn’t date tattooed and pierced rocker chicks. Hell, he didn’t date at all if he could avoid it. His mother kept trying to set him up with the daughters of her country club friends, and sometimes he had to humor her and agree to a date.

  But other than that he was perfectly satisfied with casual hookups.

  He wasn’t looking for a relationship, especially not with any of those spoiled rich girls who bore him to death. And if he brought home someone like Alicia, his mother would drop dead on the spot. He loved her too much to risk her fragile heart.

  Besides, it wasn’t as if he wanted a relationship with Alicia either.

  She fascinated him, and he would have loved getting to know her intimately, but, unfortunately, she didn’t seem interested.

  “A double espresso and a toasted sandwich for Gregg!” the guy behind the counter called out.

  Taking his order to a table with a good view of his girl, Gregg sat down and spent the next twenty minutes observing her from the corner of his eye while pretending to read on his phone.

  He had to find a way to hook up with her so he could finally get her out of his system and stop wasting time at Starbucks. His partner was on his case about that, and although Gregg’s money, or rather his parents’ money, had been the seed investment that had funded their business, he still needed to put in the work.

  Except, Alicia wasn’t responding to the subtle hints he was throwing around. Today was as close as he’d ever gotten to asking her out, but her response or lack thereof had been pretty clear. She wasn’t interested.

  Would she change her mind if she found out how rich he was? Or if he lost the baggy shorts and flip-flops and wore something that made him look good?

  Gregg didn’t want to do either. She either liked him for who he was or not at all. The world was full of gold diggers and airheads who were impressed by fashionable clothing, and he wanted nothing to do with those types, not even for hookups. They tended to be as boring in bed as they were to talk to.

  Was he jaded?

  Kind of. Probably.

  His mother was worried that he would never marry because he was too picky, and there was some truth in it. At thirty-two, he’d been with a lot of women, and none had captured his interest beyond a second date.

  Which probably meant that the problem was his and not theirs.

  Except, if wanting a woman that he could have an intelligent conversation with and could laugh with was being too picky, then so be it. He wasn’t willing to compromise on that.

  Besides, he was spoiled by the virtual world of the Perfect Match studios. He hadn’t found his true love there like his partner had, but he’d enjoyed many satisfying virtual sex adventures, and he couldn’t care less what the women behind the gorgeous avatars looked like in real life.

  He enjoyed the fantasy. Hell, he was probably addicted to it.

  “I knew I’d find you here.” Sam clapped him on the back. “You have a serious coffee addiction, buddy.” His partner pulled out a chair and sat across from him. “I just came back from a meeting with the Perfect Match board of directors. They are opening three more locations, and naturally they hired us to handle their cybersecurity.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad Hunter and Gabriel are doing so well. A year ago they were still paying us with gift certificates.”

  Sam chuckled. “We can sell them. They are worth a lot of money today.”

  “I’m sure you are going to keep a few for you and Lisa.”

  Sam had met his wife through the service. But the funny thing was that he’d known Lisa for years because she worked in the same building their offices were in. Except, he hadn’t ever spoken to her before meeting her in the virtual world of Perfect Match.

  Uncomfortable, Sam straightened his tie. “We’ve only done it that one time. Real life is better than fantasy.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  Well, maybe it was for Sam and Lisa, but not for Gregg. He would take fantasy over reality any day.

  But as he glanced at Alicia, Gregg’s conviction wavered. He could imagine having a virtual fantasy with someone like her. Perhaps he would design his next adventure with his tattooed barista in mind?

  He could describe her in detail on his request form, and the program would create a lookalike avatar for him. He could then pretend he was playing with Alicia and not some random woman using that avatar.

  Or he could do better than that.

  What if he could find out what her fantasy was, give her a gift certificate, and then design his fantasy to match hers?

  He knew how the algorithm worked more or less, and if he collected enough pointers from her wish list, he could fill in his questionnaire in a way that would ensure them getting matched.

  That was the perfect solution.

  Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner?

  He could have his cake and eat it too.

  Was it a bit dishonest?

  Probably. But Gregg could live with that.

  Perfect Match 3: Captain’s Conquest

  JULY 13, 2019

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