The Matchmaker's Replacement

by Rachel Van Dyken

  And that was the sucky part about our system. They had no debt besides the mortgage and one car, but they lived on the other side of Lake Washington! It was even more expensive than Seattle. Their house payment was nearly three grand a month. Add in one car payment, food, and everything else, and things were tight, even without me living at home.

  She said they’d missed the mark by a hundred dollars.

  “Um, Gabs?” Lex tossed a pencil at me. “You paying attention?”

  “Yeah, sorry, just tired.” I yawned. I really was exhausted. Between working for Lex, trying to find a new roommate, being late on the last rent payment, and working doubles, I was done.

  My classes were ridiculously hard, and I’d failed my last Human Anatomy test.

  Things weren’t exactly looking up. I’d even thought briefly about quitting school for a semester to work full time, but my parents would kill me.

  “Just finish up with Steve this Sunday and let me know if you plan on taking any more double shifts with the club, okay?” Lex asked, his tone gentler this time.

  I had to respect his business sense.

  Just because I was Ian’s friend and his . . . employee didn’t mean that I got special treatment. He’d tell any of his employees the same thing. Be on time, get the job done on time, and don’t waste his time.

  “Got it.” I nodded just as my phone rang again. I let out another groan. They were going to ask me to work.

  “I gotta get this.” I slid the phone out of my pocket. “Yeah?”

  “You’re late.”

  “What?” I frowned and looked at the house clock. “No, I’m not on shift today.”

  “Bell said you were taking her shift.”

  Damn Bell! That was the second time in a row.

  “You need to be here in fifteen minutes or I’m going to have to let you go.”

  “What?” I yelled into the phone. “But I’m never late, I—”

  “Get here, Gabrielle.” The phone went dead.

  Tears blurred my vision. “Gotta go, Lex.” I grabbed my stuff and hurried out of the house.

  My car was giving me trouble. I prayed it would start.

  It did.

  Luckily I’d been working so much I had my uniform in the backseat. I parked in front of the club ten minutes later, grabbed my uniform, and charged in through the double doors. My apologies fell on deaf ears—they always did, because even though I did everything right . . .

  I was hated.

  Because I was the only waitress in the club’s history who had refused a promotion to the stage.

  The girls called me goody-goody.

  The men thought I was a prude.

  And my boss thought I was ungrateful.

  I really needed to find another job, but nothing paid me as well as this one did.

  The next two hours were hell, and I still had two more to go.

  “Your dress isn’t as tight as it used to be.” Lex’s familiar voice was like a balm to my soul—words I thought I’d never think or say aloud.

  “That’s probably a good thing.” I grabbed a napkin and placed it on his table. “What will it be?”

  “A beer and water.”

  “Preference?”

  “Anything that’s going to get that asshole boss of yours to allow me to stay as a paying customer. Keep them coming.”

  His kindness floored me. Why was he even there?

  “Are you, um, meeting someone?” I asked when I returned with his drink and water.

  Lex burst out laughing. “I’m alone . . . Unless you’re offering to join me?”

  “Ha-ha.” My laugh was awkward, uncomfortable. “I only have one break, and I was going to take it—”

  “Now.” He pulled out a chair and slid the water over to me.

  Lex wasn’t necessarily bossy; commanding was more like it. So when he said things, I either argued to keep myself from falling for him, or I listened because he was usually right.

  And he was.

  Right, that is.

  My feet ached.

  I winced as I sat my butt down and kicked off my heels.

  Without any sort of warning, Lex grabbed both of my ankles, jerking my chair closer to his with a loud squeak, and then placed my feet in his lap.

  “What are you—?”

  Strong hands started massaging my right foot, hitting every single pressure point. With a shudder, I flexed my toes, then leaned back as a moan escaped my lips.

  “Holy shit!” Lex burst out laughing. “Did I find your kryptonite, Supergirl?”

  He hadn’t called me that in years.

  I opened one eye to stare him down, and I probably looked like an exhausted cyclops, scaring the super villain away. “Hmm?”

  No words would come. It felt too good, and my feet hurt so bad.

  His thumbs massaged up and down, pushing in around my heel. “I never knew you had an off button. I feel like I just discovered a new world or something.”

  “Yesss.” I choked out the word as he pressed harder into my arch, making me nearly come off my chair.

  The massaging stopped.

  I opened my eyes.

  And the hunger was back.

  Lex’s chest was heaving.

  He slowly dropped one of my feet onto the floor and moved to the other, gripping my left foot hard and then pressing his thumbs into the middle while delicately caressing down the sides.

  With a wicked grin, he twisted his thumb in the middle of my foot.

  I arched off the chair, my foot landing on his crotch.

  I tried to jerk away, embarrassed that I’d basically just kicked him in the junk, but he kept it there.

  My eyes widened as I realized why.

  Danger! Danger!

  My mind screamed for me to pull back while my body remained perfectly still.

  The logical part of my brain refused to listen to all the red flags popping up all over the place, instead focusing on his arousal.

  And the fact that I’d been the one to cause it.

  Again.

  Was it me?

  Or were all guys like that?

  I didn’t have enough experience to know.

  All I knew was that I wanted Lex to look at me like that forever. His lips parted as he wet his lower lip and then huffed out a short breath.

  I moved my foot.

  His eyes closed.

  I moved my foot again as his hands went limp.

  “Gabi!” my boss yelled above the music. “Break time’s over! You can flirt with your boyfriend on your own time!”

  “He’s not—”

  “Now!” he yelled.

  “Sorry.” I fumbled for my shoes while Lex stared at me. I could have sworn his eyes were burning holes through my body.

  “Thanks for the, um . . .” I couldn’t look at him. “For that.”

  “Gabi.” Lex said my name, my real name. “I’ll be here.”

  That was it.

  No snide remark.

  No rude comment.

  My shoulders relaxed, and with a nod in his direction, I grabbed my tray and walked off.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lex

  I went to work with Gabs for the next three consecutive days. And when I say I went to work with her . . .

  I literally followed her like the pathetic loser I was, and even brought some of my work along. I probably looked like a freak, all set up with a laptop at a strip club.

  The boss man came by twice to make sure I wasn’t taking pictures. Like I’d record any of the dancing that went down on his stage? It was too depress
ing to even acknowledge.

  Gabi’s attitude changed drastically, almost as if when she saw me she was able to hand over whatever weight she was carrying and just . . . work, without being afraid.

  I was planning on meeting Ian for a business dinner, so I couldn’t stay for her entire shift.

  And I hated admitting that I was a bit . . . reluctant to go. Ever since the foot-rubbing scenario, I hadn’t been able to get her face out of my mind. Closing my eyes just made the erotic daydream all the more real.

  She hadn’t shied away. If anything, she needed little encouragement. Damn it, we couldn’t keep playing the same game; it was destroying my sanity.

  I waved Gabs over.

  She bounced in my direction. “More beer?”

  “Nah.” I started packing up, knowing that it was probably for the best that I was giving us some space. “I’ve gotta meet up with Ian.”

  “Oh.” Her face fell, but she quickly recovered. “Can you talk to him about me taking on more clients?” She made a face. “I sort of hate it here.”

  “It’s already on our agenda.” I grabbed one of my books and gave her a swift nod. “Try not to fall onto any poles in my absence.”

  A few girls started dancing on stage.

  Gabs’s shoulders slumped.

  “Hey.” I nudged her arm. “You know you can quit, right? It’s not like Ian and I are going to fire you or anything. I mean, how much do you really make here?”

  She gulped. “Seven hundred dollars a week.”

  “What?” I roared. “But your bank account—”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I knew it! Stop hacking into my personal life, you ass!”

  Offended, I blasted back, “Who else is going to look after you?”

  “NORMAL people!” She threw her hands into the air, nearly hitting me in the face. “Ones who don’t hack my bank account to check up on me!”

  I took a protective step toward her. “I was worried!”

  “Worried, my ass. You were just curious!” she spat. “Ugh, just go, I don’t want to fight. I knew these three days of peace wouldn’t last.”

  Okay, that pissed me off. “And it’s my fault?” I smirked, anger dripping off every word. “Right? Like everything else between us? All my fault.” Damn it, Ian!

  “Yes!” She shoved my chest, and I tried reaching for her hands, but she was too quick pulling away. “Just stop . . .” Tears pooled in her eyes, giving them a bright sheen. “Stop being nice, stop hanging out here. I can’t take it! It’s like being told you’re safe, only to have the net ripped out from underneath you. The net is always going to rip when it comes to you!”

  “Is that really how you see us?”

  “There is no us.”

  Four words. One sentence. Amazing how something so small could hold such power. I felt each and every one of those words slam through me, stealing the breath right out of me and inflaming my anger all the more.

  “I’m so glad we’ve had this conversation,” I said with a bitter edge to my voice. “You know, the last thing you need to worry about is someone like me falling for someone like you.” I shrugged. “See? No harm done, safety net gone.”

  “Lex—”

  “Whatever.” Why the hell did it hurt to breathe? “I’m going to be late.”

  I stomped off to Gabs calling my name.

  The logical side of my brain told me that she had a point, that I was just as hot as I was cold, but there was a reason! It’s not like I wanted to be an ass! I had no choice, absolutely none! And now that I’d finally decided to jump in with both feet, I’d been met with nothing but air.

  Safety net, my ass!

  She had no idea that she was the one who actually removed it.

  Not me.

  I slammed my car door, started the engine, and attempted to keep myself from ripping the steering wheel off the dash. My phone started ringing. I hit my hands-free.

  “What?”

  “I, uh . . .” It was Gabs; I could hear the club music in the background.

  “Spit it out, Gabs, I don’t have all night.”

  “You know what? Never mind, I’ll call Ian—”

  “The hell you will!” I slammed my hand onto the steering wheel. “What do you need?”

  “A ride,” she croaked out. “One of the waitresses came in right after you left and said my back left tire was completely flat, and I don’t have a spare, so I can’t change it after work, and—”

  “Take a breath,” I commanded. “I’ll take care of it. When do you get off, again?” I knew exactly when her shift was done. I just didn’t want her to know I had every hour of her day memorized.

  “Ten.” She sighed. “Um, you can just drop off a bike or something.”

  “Really?” I fought and lost as a smile spread itself across my face. “And you’re going to do exactly what with a bike, Gabs?”

  “Ride it, you jackass!”

  “Gabs, the last time you rode a bike, it had streamers and training wheels on it.”

  She let out a loud gasp. “I’m going to murder Ian.”

  “It’s okay, Gabs, lots of twenty-one-year-olds don’t know how to ride bikes. I mean, I can’t think of any off the top of my head, and most of them probably can’t walk in a straight line, either, so look, at least you’ve got that going for you!”

  Another groan and then, “I gotta go before I really do get fired.”

  “Bitch better have my money,” I sang, then turned up Rihanna in my car while Gabs mumbled a curse and hung up.

  And just like that.

  We were back to normal.

  Ian’s eyes narrowed in on me as the waitress cleared all of our food and brought out coffee. “You’re hiding something.”

  I nearly spit my coffee onto the table. “What? Why would you think that?” Holy shit, was he a mind reader too?

  Ian rubbed his chin with his hand, still refusing to look away. “Who is she?”

  “Who?”

  “The girl you’re sleeping with.”

  I burst out laughing. “Don’t you mean girls?”

  “You haven’t been with girls in weeks. I would know, because every damn time you come home smelling like skank, Blake has to Lysol the counters.”

  “One time.” I rolled my eyes and looked away. “One time I had sex on the counters, and that was months ago. She was eager, what can I say?”

  Leaning back, Ian reached for his coffee, then paused. “Not to change the subject, but . . .”

  “What?”

  He fidgeted with the ceramic handle of his mug. “Have you, um . . . looked into Gabi’s . . . finances?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you can’t help yourself, that’s what I think.”

  “Then you’d be correct in your assumption.” I wasn’t sure how much to say. Gabs had been right: it was personal, none of our business. “Don’t worry about Gabs. She’s like a cat, always landing on her feet.”

  “Their rent is expensive, she’s working her ass off, and Blake said Gabs mentioned failing her last anatomy test.”

  “She can’t fail!” I blurted.

  Ian laughed. “Since when do you care?”

  “If she fails . . .” Shit. “If she fails then we’ll be stuck with her forever, like one of those freaking mussels or clams that attaches itself to a wooden pole and never leaves!”

  “Are you the wooden pole in this scenario or am I?”

  “That’s not the point.” Panicking, I reached for my phone so I’d look irritated and distracted. “The point is that she has to graduate. Otherwise, we’re going to be stuck with her forever!”

  “As oppo
sed to what? Her graduating and us finally being empty nesters?” Ian smirked. “Seriously, I’ve never seen you like this. Are you . . .” He leaned forward. “Are you sweating?”

  “It’s hotter than hell in here!” I choked out. “And I had jalapeños on my . . . shit.”

  “Jalapeños.” Ian nodded. “On your shit? Hmm? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak so eloquently.”

  “So . . .” I drummed my fingers against the table and checked my Rolex. It was already a quarter till ten. I needed to grab Gabs. “We need to find a way for her to work less, earn more, and stop failing her classes.” And side note, I needed to discover why there was never any money in her bank account and why she was always starving as if I never fed her.

  “Agreed.” Ian frowned. “Actually, I had an idea. I wasn’t sure you’d be okay with it, but since you guys seem to be, you know, both alive after working together for a few weeks—”

  “Hold that thought.” I checked my watch again. “Actually, I have to go . . . fix a tire.”

  Ian just stared at me like I’d told him I was going to flash my dick at the eighty-year-old sitting at the next table. “You?”

  “What?” I stood. “I can change tires.”

  “Can you?”

  “Stop doubting me.”

  “Okay computer science major, go crazy.”

  “I resent that.”

  “I resent the fact that you just made up some bullshit excuse about changing a tire in order to get out of answering questions about—”

  His eyes did that thing where they got wide and clear. Shit, he was going to see right through me and Gabs if we were together.

  “Look—” I tried for a half-truth. “Gabs knew you were busy, so she grudgingly called me and asked if I could change her tire after work. I told her yes, but only after she gave me a blow job.”

  Ian didn’t seem fazed.

  “She yelled at me.”