More Than a Fling? Read Free Page B

fingers.
‘Entertainment, but not films or music.’ Luc’s face broke out into a smile as he
snapped his fingers. ‘That’s it... That’s who I want.’
    Oh, good grief , Ally thought, this is going to come out from left of field—far, far
left. ‘Who?’
    ‘Ross Bennett.’ Patric leaned back in his chair and Luc raised
his hand to high-five his brother. ‘Well, him and his game.’
    ‘Win!?’ Patric asked.
    ‘Win!’ Luc confirmed.
    Patric whistled. ‘That’s pure genius.’
    Win what? Ally wondered, seeing Luc’s satisfied smile. She
exchanged a confused look with Gina, Patric’s wife. ‘Who?’
    ‘Ross Bennett,’ Luc said, as if she hadn’t heard the first
time. ‘Win!’
    ‘Win what?’ Ally demanded, frustrated. ‘Stop talking in
code!’
    ‘Ross is an ex-London-based entrepreneur who relocated to Cape
Town. He is responsible for bringing some of the brightest computer geeks in the
world together to create the best-selling computer game... ever . It’s a sports and leisure game called Win! He’s recently been
named one of the most influential people in the world under thirty-five. He is
also the founder of... Jeez, I can’t remember its name. but it’s some kind of
technology think-tank that takes the brightest of the bunch—inventors,
visionaries—and lets them work on developing new tech and systems to benefit
developing countries.’
    Blah, blah , Ally thought,
scrabbling in her bag for her smartphone. ‘Yeah, but is he hot?’ She caught the
dual rolling of eyes and prayed for patience. ‘He’s selling one of the most
iconic brands in the world, hot is the minimum I require!’
    ‘He’s tall.’ Luc offered.
    God save her from cretins, Ally thought, pulling up her search
engine and typing his name in. Twenty seconds later her small screen was filled
with a masculine, angular face dominated by a long nose and a rather gorgeous
pair of hazel eyes. The goatee would have to go, and the highlights in his brown
hair would need to be redone or taken out altogether. He wasn’t, looks-wise, in
the league of their other ambassadors—although she was, admittedly, making that
call on the basis of a couple of grainy photos on a very small screen.
    But still...on a scale of one to ten he clocked in at seven,
eight... She needed at the very least a twelve.
    ‘Jeez, Luc, I really don’t think so.’ Ally thought that they
needed to play it safe, stick to what was trusted and true. ‘He just isn’t
popping for me.’
    Yeah, he was cute—but cute didn’t sell high-end merchandise.
‘Look, if you want someone different, who’s related to sports, then I’ll have
another list of suitable candidates by morning. Suave, debonair, sophisticated
candidates who match the brand.’
    ‘I don’t want someone who matches the brand. I want someone who
brings a little extra. My gut instinct tells me that this is the guy,’ Luc
stated, his voice taking on that tone that suggested that he was digging his
feet in. ‘He’s a new breed of CEO—part bad-ass—’
    Patric leaned across the table to interrupt him. ‘Did you hear
about how he walked into a meeting with the boss of the biggest movie studio in
Hollywood and then refused to give them the rights to adapt Win! into a movie
because they were too—as he later explained— “up their own ass corporate”?’
    ‘I read that he’s sold the rights to an independent, small
company because they understand the vision of Win!. He’s very determined, very
focused, and he marches to the beat of his own drum.’
    Direct translation , Ally thought, prima donna . Just what she needed.
    ‘Luc, trust me on this. He’s not the right guy,’ Ally said in
her most rational voice. She didn’t work well with people who coloured outside
the lines. They confused her.
    ‘No, Alyssa, trust me,’ Luc responded. ‘I’ve met him a couple
of times and I thinks he’s exactly who we are looking for. He’s rich and
successful in his own right, even though he