"Okay, I'll do my best. Should I send him in?"
"Yes."
I leave the guest room to find him sitting on the couch having a stare-off with Princess Pixie, who's perched on the arm of the couch, holding her own.
"You can't win," I tell him. "Just give up now."
"I'll break this cat. I'm king of the castle now. That makes me above her."
"Tell yourself what you want, oh great one. Dr. Hollister is ready for you."
Breaking his stare from the cat, he turns to me. "How did it go?"
"Okay, I guess. She didn't say much. She's insisting we sleep together immediately."
He claps his hands together. "Woo-hoo. Go put something sexy on."
"Sleep, Talon. As in, in the same bed. Not sex."
He rises and scowls at me. "What the fuck? Don't tease me like that, baby. My dick can't take this shit."
"It's only been two days. Your dick will be fine. You better go before she disconnects."
I have a moment of inner debate as he disappears down the hall and closes the door, and Good Asia loses. I tiptoe down the hall and press my ear against the door. So very wrong.
"…what the fuck you idiots were thinking. Not sure how you expect us to take this thing seriously when you purposely set us up to fail."
I can't hear Dr. Hollister at all, but his voice is pretty loud and clear.
"…Well, yeah, I get that. But she's just not my type. She's too fucking cute. It's like fucking a puppy."
My heart plummets practically to my feet. Fucking a puppy? That's how he thinks of me? Not only is that a huge insult but pretty damned twisted.
His voice continues. "…Okay, not a puppy, but you get what I'm saying. She doesn't have the bang factor I'm used to."
Bang factor?
"…She's sorta sweet, and I like how creative she is. Did you set us up because I have money? I don't mind getting her out of the ghetto, but I'm feeling a little like that's the reason you stuck us together. I wanted a wife, not a charity case."