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“Thank you, but it didn’t make the second round this year.” He tucked his hands in his pant pockets. “We’ll try again next year.”

Curiosity thrummed in me, and the words came out before I had time to craft a more diplomatic question.“So, how do you know Vivian?”

Calvin looked at me for a moment. “We have a history that goes way back.” A smirk slid onto his face. “How do you know Vivian?”

I didn’t like the way he said her name. It was too intimate.

What the hell was wrong with me? Since when had I been jealous of a woman like this? We hadn’t been on a date. She wasn’t mine. Hell, I didn’t even know if she was attracted to me.

She declined your date.

That didn’t matter. Maybe she’d been busy. Something was seriously wrong with me for all the excuses I’d been making.

Calvin’s smirk told me he suspected there was something between Vivian and me. Why not let him believe it?

“We have common friends, and we have a history.” It wasn’t a lie. There was a history of me dreaming about her and asking her on dates. A history of me seeing her at my friends’ houses.

History could be defined in many ways, and he hadn’t been specific.

Calvin nodded and changed the subject.“Why bamboo wine? You have success with your other brands. Sacred Sins is an exceptional Merlot, and Sensual Enigma is a delicious Chardonnay.”

“Success comes with exploration.”

“You’re right. Success comes when you venture out to discover new things.”

A man with a dragon tattoo on his neck approached. “Calvin, you need to resolve something.”

Calvin wasn’t just a wine representative. Who was he?

He excused himself as Remi came over to me. “Have you heard about the Reimann family?”

“One of the wealthiest families in Europe. They own most of the banks. But I don’t know what they look like.” I glanced around the crowd to see if I could spot one of them.

“They’re quadrillionaires,” Remi said. “Rex Reimann is CEO of Reimann Corporation. He just left with some wine.”

“What are they doing at a small wine competition?”

“Probably making business deals.” Remi jerked his chin toward a table with city officials. “You missed out on Governor Fenner.”

“His reelection is coming up, and he’s trying to rally his supporters.”

There were too many powerful people at tonight’s event. It was hard to tell who was there for wine and who had a separate agenda.

But then again, Remi and I were there for wine and a separate agenda.

With my wine moving into the next round, I could relax a bit.

“Your demo for Level Five looks good. When do we get to see the rest of it?” Remi asked.

“Soon. Now that round one is over, I’ll have more time to work on it.”

My game took the players to various countries, destroying their leaders to gain control of that territory. Though it had all the components of a compelling game full of intrigue and excitement, there was one missing piece I couldn’t place. My brain needed a rest before I could jump back in.

“Take your time. Rushing it won’t help. It didn’t for me.” Remi grabbed a glass of wine from the host and sipped. “Right now, we’re all focusing on uncovering members of The Trogyn. The game is still a second priority.”

He was right. If that crime organization ended us, there wouldn’t be any game. My thoughts wandered back to Vivian and Calvin.

My evening wasn’t going to end when I got home. I had some investigating to do.