The Matchmaker's Replacement - Rachel Van Dyken Page 0,59
situations, ergo, the kiss. So Lex did the same with you as part of your training so you could experience it firsthand. Please, like Lex did that to make you mad. He probably took a bath in bleach afterward.”
Blake and I glared in his direction.
“Not because he needs to!” Ian said quickly. “Because he hates you.” He swallowed. “And now you both hate me?”
Blake rolled her eyes and chomped down on more chips, still not talking.
“No sex tonight, sweet cheeks?”
She tossed a chip at his face, and what followed was a very descriptive conversation about how Ian had instructed Lex to train me—including the playbook. He’d made him promise to do the physical tests like they do with all clients, but I was supposed to get the playbook to help so I’d have notes to fall back on, not be floundering in an effort to prove myself for Lex’s entertainment! He’d basically made what should have been semi-easy extremely difficult! For his own amusement?
With each confession, I winced further until finally Blake reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “I take it that’s not how things went down?”
I let out a low growl. “Let’s just say I don’t have the playbook memorized.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed. “But Lex said you’d been trained.”
“Right.” I nodded, then grabbed my purse and keys and ran out the door, thanking my lucky stars that it was a busy night and the street was crowded with taxis.
Lex had some explaining to do. Too bad I was going to kill him before he had the chance.
I smiled the entire way to the house.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Lex
The front door slammed.
Stomping commenced through the house until it suddenly stopped. The hair on the back of my neck rose slowly to attention as Gabi appeared in the corner of my eye.
The living room seemed a bit too small for both of us.
“Gabi.” I nodded in her direction, then glanced back at the TV.
“Lex.” She spat my name like it was the most evil thing to ever cross those lips of hers.
Oh hell, there would be blood.
She moved in front of the TV, hands on hips, eyes throwing ninja stars in my direction. “You bastard.”
“Gabs . . .” I scratched my head. “Can we not do this now? Dateline’s on.”
“Oh, you don’t want to do this?” Her voice rose an octave. “Here? Now?”
I sighed. “Someone’s granny panties got a bit twisted on the way up, hmm?”
“I don’t wear—” She clenched her fists and marched over, stopping right in front of me. Curling her lip into a snarl, she shoved my chest so hard I collided with the back of the couch. “You made me think I had to prove myself with only the training you gave me! You LIED!”
“Well, you’re in college, and life doesn’t give you a manual for that—”
“I’m going to strangle you!”
A smile spread across my face. “Can I take a rain check? Erotic asphyxiation isn’t really—”
“NO!” she yelled, slamming her palms against my chest. “You made me kiss you! You were basically waiting for me to fail with Steve! I was a ball of stress and nerves because of you! ‘Playbook’ ring a bell?”
I burst out laughing. “That’s what you’re pissed about? Gabs! I would train any employee that way; it was a test to see if you could take direction without the help of notes. You passed. Congrats. Now”—I gripped her by the hips and tossed her to the side—“time to watch serial killers.”
She growled.
I shrugged and kept watching.
And then a couch cushion landed against my face, smothering me to death. I pushed back but she was on top of me, her fists pounding against the cushion.
“That’s it!” I stood, grabbing the cushion, her little hands digging into it as she briefly dangled from it before crashing into the coffee table.
“My butt!” she yelled. “It’s bruised!”
“It’s not bruised!” I yelled right back. “Gabs, you fell half an inch.”
She got up, rubbing her ass while glaring daggers at me. “Sleep with one eye open, Luthor.”
“I’m disappointed.” I tossed the cushion to the side and changed the subject. “Not taking me up on my offer? Too . . . afraid?”
“Afraid!” She cackled out “Ha!” and then limped toward me. Maybe she really had bruised something. “Maybe I’m just not interested.”
“Aw, Gabs.” I reached for her body and tugged it against mine. “Everyone’s interested.”
“I would rather punch your mouth than kiss it,” she spat.