The Matchup

by Alice Ward

  “Oh. Well, at least we’ll be warm during whatever it is we’ll be doing.” Which I hoped wasn’t skiing. I’d never skied and preferred to keep my inabilities to myself for at least one day.

  Lucas ripped open the envelope and handed the card to me. It read:

  CHALLENGE #2

  Good Morning, Ava and Lucas

  Your first official challenge together:

  Let It Snow

  Shovel snow from the driveway

  Breakfast immediately following

  “Shoveling snow is our challenge?” I looked up to see that Lucas was frowning. “Don’t they have machinery or something for that? I mean, I know they just want to see how we work together but—”

  “But shoveling snow is no picnic, and that’s a long driveway. It wraps around the whole place.” He still wore the frown as he looked me up and down.

  He wouldn’t find me lacking, even if it was just shoveling snow. “I shoveled the drive at home in Arkansas all the time. My sister was too little to really help, so Dad and I took care of it. It was always as much fun as it was work.” I smiled at the memory of Dad “accidentally” shoveling in my direction and covering me in snow. It was one of a handful of happy memories I had with my father.

  “So, you ready to do it again?” His gray-blue eyes sparked as he looked down at me, the double meaning in his tone shimmering in the air around us.

  I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and answered, “Of course.”

  “Good girl. Now, let’s bundle up.”

  We piled on winter gear, and both came out looking like really classy Abominable snowmen. Lucas looked as cute as he could be in insulated navy pants, wool peacoat with a scarf decked out in masculine snowflakes thrown around his neck.

  We went down, and it seemed like Mason and Isabella had also embraced the adventure. They’d been tasked with shoveling the sidewalks.

  “I guess you’re used to this living in New York,” I addressed Isabella, wanting to get to know her even if she was my adversary.

  She grinned and slapped her gloved hands together. “I don’t usually shovel, but could use the exercise to burn off some tension.”

  There was an underlying strain between all of us, the night of no touching taking a toll for all of us, I guessed. But the tension between the cousins was palpable, and I wondered about that.

  At the door, the butler handed each of us snow shovels, and our task began.

  Sunlight glinted off my bedazzled jeans as Lucas and I picked a spot in the drive and got started. After a few minutes, my muscles were screaming, and I remembered that I hadn’t done this in a few years. It seemed a lot easier back then. But I wasn’t going to let on to Lucas that he was right, this was such hard work.

  I was trying not to pant, and we hadn’t even made a dent in the drive. I felt very out of shape even though I really was an active person.

  “The altitude,” Lucas spoke between heavy breaths beside me.

  “What?” I stopped shoveling, shoving my hat farther up my forehead when a snowball hit me on the side, and I shrieked.

  “We’re so high up, it’s the altitude that’s making it hard to breathe. I think some snow just fell off that tree on to you.”

  I half turned to give him the evil eye, then dove for a handful of snow, but Lucas was faster, and another chunk of snow bounced off my head. With snow flying and me blinking it away, I missed my first shot. I was about to get pummeled in the face with his next shot when a snowball from the side about took Lucas’s head off.

  He looked stunned for only a second before lobbing the one meant for me at Mason, hitting him on the shoulder. Mason returned fire, and the boys were at war. When Isabella hit Mason on the side of the face with a small snowball to remind him she was there, the mood changed to a lighter one, and we launched snowballs as we ducked and dove for more ammunition.

  Some animosity continued to hang between Lucas and Mason, so I took it upon myself to change the mood by shoving a handful of snow down the back of Lucas’s coat. He shouted and before I could run, tackled me and took us down into the snow.

  I screamed at the soft, cold landing, but it was the heat and weight of the man suddenly on top of me that took my breath. I opened my eyes and looked up into his, which took on the brilliant blue from the sky behind him, making them different, more friendly and warm. His heated breath came in clouds of vapor that caressed my face as I breathed it in, and it seemed as if the tiny wisps of fog slipped into my bloodstream and set off tiny fireworks as it traveled all over my body.

  I squirmed. God, I wanted him to kiss me, wanted to reach up, wrap my arms around his neck, pull him down… But I didn’t need to, because he was leaning in. Closer. His gaze focused on my lips, which tingled in anticipation. My tongue shot out, wetting them automatically, and I thought I felt a pulsating sensation against my thigh.

  Was I turning him on?

  God, I hoped so.

  Now, his face hovered just over mine, and we had no other air except each other’s. Parts of my body were melting, and others just went numb altogether. Time stopped, and he leaned in, his lips millimeters from mine.

  “Well done,” came a deep, cheery male voice ringing out over the expanse of snow. Harvey.

  The sound had us jerking apart, wide-eyed.

  “Damn,” said Lucas, his breath coming heavy again. “I’m not sure if the no touching rule is still in effect. We may have nearly blown it.” He paused, stared down at me with an unreadable expression and whispered, “And something tells me it would have been worth it.”

  My heart leaped out of my chest as he pulled me up from the ground and we brushed snow from each other. We all clamored in the front door, tramping snow on the large rug that probably cost more than my college tuition. The butler appeared, his arms outstretched, and we handed him our wet coats and lined up our boots for him.

  My jeans were wet and cold, and I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself as I wondered what our first official challenge would be. I wished I could go put myself back together again first.

  “You are all expected in the dining room,” the butler instructed.

  “Can we change out of our wet clothes first?” Lucas sounded irritated.

  “Mr. Huffman would prefer you meet him in the dining room,” the butler said with perfect efficiency.

  “Fine.” Lucas clamped his teeth together and motioned the ladies to go ahead.

  My wet jeans were uncomfortable, and I was starving, but fatigue and discomfort were probably part of the game, to show the others just who you turned into when under stress and feeling miserable. I just went with it and put on a happy face as we followed the butler to the den. It wasn’t hard, being that Lucas had come so close to kissing me in the snow.

  Harvey was standing in the dining room next to a roaring fire, and it made my heart skip a beat. I worried about what might be next, as I was already tired, wet, and vulnerable. My mind wanted to index through all the taboo things I had momentarily witnessed on Hedon.com, but I made it stop. Whatever the challenge was, I would win. It would be worth it.

  “Good morning. How are both couples doing?” Harv asked as Lucas and I took a seat at the table across from Isabella and Mason.

  Lucas grunted. And my stomach growled.

  “Mr. Huffman, you have one incredibly long driveway.” I was trying to keep it light and friendly.

  He laughed. “Call me Harv. And yes, I’m known for length, and I might add, impressive girth.” Harv laughed rowdily, and I cringed, not wanting to think about what the man carried around in his pants.

  “Uncle!” Lucas objected.

  “It’s a quarter of a mile long,” Harv continued as if he had been talking about the driveway all along. “We wanted to save the natural space, so we set the drive as naturally as we could for aesthetics. But it does get buried in the winter.”

  “So do the sidewalks,” Isabella said with a sarcastic lightness.

  Isabella and Mason looked just as exhausted as
we were. Isabella offered a weak smile, which I returned.

  “Well, before we give you some time to rest after this morning’s challenge, I wanted to let you know who won last night’s very first challenge. It’s impossible to know what goes on in the bedroom without invading each couple’s privacy, so we do everything we can to gauge mood, expressions, and the general vibe of each couple after a challenge like this. Considering all these things, the win goes to…” He let several agonizing seconds tick by before announcing, “Mason and Isabella.”

  Lucas stiffened next to me, and while I was disappointed and wondered what Mason and Isabella had that we didn’t, he appeared unaccepting of the announcement.

  “Now, I’ll give you a heads up on what your third challenge as a couple will be, so you have some time to prepare.” Harv was obviously enjoying himself, playing a badly behaved game show host.

  The room was silent as we waited, and I hoped it had nothing to do with physical labor. I thought I heard Lucas grumble under his breath, something like, tricky bastard. And I was deeply afraid he was right.

  “Challenge number three will be conducted here, by the fire in the great room. I think it’ll be even harder than shoveling the walkways and the drive,” there were groans around the table, “but I’ll let you be the judge. The challenge is simple. Tell a secret. Tell one secret — a big one. It can’t be anything small and has to be something no one else knows. The more unforgivable the secret, the closer you’ll come to winning.” He smirked. “I’ll meet you back here. Lucy and I’ll be present for the challenge. I’m looking forward to hearing your steamy secrets. Rest up everyone, and we’ll meet you in two hours’ time.”

  We were all struck silent by the thought of sharing a secret that we didn’t want others to know.

  Waiters brought out huge trays of food, placing them on a buffet table to be served family style. There were plates of bacon and sausage, eggs, pancakes, biscuits, pastries, and a huge platter of fruit. I was in heaven as we politely went to the buffet.

  I was suddenly struck with inspiration. “Lucas, I’ll make your plate, and you make mine. Let’s try to guess what each other would want.” It was another way to try to get to know each other as fast as possible. Filling each other’s plates was also a way of rewarding one another for a job well done.

  Mason and Isabella joined in on my game strategy and started doing the same. Each of us threw hints at the other partner as they neared our favorite foods, Mason growling, “Bacon,” under his breath, and Lucas elbowing me when I got close to the breakfast ham.

  Back at the table, we were so tired and hungry that we just focused on eating and said very little. Lucas downed a couple of dark roasted espressos as I cradled my cappuccino in my hands like it was a lover. It was warm and comforting, the only thing that seemed remotely familiar, down to my underwear.

  After we’d eaten and warmed up, we all felt a little better, but the nerves stirred up by the challenge returned, and an awkward conversation started.

  “Shoving snow sucks. My uncle definitely has a mean streak. Sorry, ladies,” Mason said, nodding to Isabella and me. Mason was a hottie too, and seemed to have a fun-loving gleam in his gorgeous blue eyes at all times.

  “It could have been worse.” Even though I didn’t say it, I felt the same way — that first task was a little mean. But at least we hadn’t had to do it nude.

  “Some people have to shovel snow every day. We’re lucky we don’t have to,” Isabella added.

  After discussing her comment, we realized we all lived in New York City, which was interesting as we knew some of the same turf. Isabella was more familiar with the places the guys knew well and had obviously been doing well in her field, which turned out to be a food blogger. She’d been born and raised in New York, so was in pace with the fast moving city.

  She was right, we were very privileged not to have to shovel snow every morning as a lot of other people did in the winter. Many people didn’t have snow blowers or city workers to do this for them and had to dig their cars out. When you could afford to pay someone or didn’t own a car, life was easier.

  “The snowball fight was fun,” I commented and took another sip of my cappuccino.

  “Yes, it was.” Lucas flashed me a smile that told me he was thinking of lying on top of me in the snow, and a thrill shot to the place between my legs.

  Mason and Isabella seemed to be as oddly matched as Lucas and me, and like us, they appeared to be working hard to make their team work.

  Sooner than any of us wanted, the butler showed up again and escorted us to Harvey in the great room. On the side table was a tea and coffee service with light snacks, which gave the idea that we might be here awhile.

  I was still undecided about what to share. What if I went too far? I was also deeply curious and excited to know even one of Lucas’s secrets.

  “Before we get to the third challenge, I want to announce the winners of the second shoveling snow challenge.” Harvey did his pregnant pause bit again, smiling big at each one of us. “And the winners are… Lucas and Ava!”

  I gasped, but Lucas remained calm as if he had been expecting a win.

  “This was judged by Lucy, myself and three other judges not present who view video footage and who also don’t have any emotional attachment to players. The general consensus was that the near kiss took shoveling snow to a level that most of the judges had only experienced in titillating novels.”

  Mason shrugged and gave an appreciative glance to his cousin, as if losing to him hadn’t bothered him at all, but Isabella wore a frown on her face.

  Harv interrupted my musing by telling us the rules to the challenge. “Challenge number three, you will each tell a secret. That is, something you’ve held deep inside and never told anyone before. I know you all have one. After you divulge your secrets, we are going to vote on the worst one. That is, the most terrible secret. It will be a private vote, and Lucy and I will also be casting our votes. So, let’s get started!” Harv threw an enthusiastic fist in the air. “Lucas, you’re up first.”

  I took a deep breath. I was nervous for Lucas, and for me. While my secret was the worst thing I’d ever done, I doubted it was so bad it would win a competition for the worst thing. What a weird competition, playing to see who had hidden the worst thing about themselves the best.

  Lucas began his confession with a quick clearing of his throat, which made me wonder if he was feeling more worry than he let on. “I’ve never told anyone this secret because there’s never really been a reason to. I’m not proud of it, but I’m not ashamed either.” He appeared smug and aloof, which made me even more nervous for him. “Before I started my own investment company, I worked as a temporary employee at different firms while in college. I spent one day at a small firm with a huge portfolio and tons of room for growth. I was working as an administrative assistant to one of the partners, and I wanted to be in on the action. I’d overheard them talking about candidates for an investment banker with the partnership — one of the names I recognized as someone who attended my university the year before.”

  Lucas paused and looked at his uncle, who gave him a nod. “Go on.”

  “I hated the guy, He was amazing in business and slid through school effortlessly, which I guess irked me. So, I went to HR and gave them my resume for the job, which I bluffed on some of the work experience. I called a few of my friends I was tight with at school and asked them to pose as managers of the fictional private companies I’d listed. They didn’t know the magnitude of the job, so they agreed.”

  Mason was watching him with an unsurprised expression.

  “HR wanted me to set up an appointment for an interview with the classmate I knew. But I didn’t just not call him. Instead, I put my name in his interview slot and slipped my resume into the pile. I sent the schedule to HR, and they approved it.” Lucas jammed his hand into his hair. “That was the most nerve-racking part, because my boss was one of the partners and he had to approve the candidate l
ist.”

  When he was silent for a moment, Harv urged him on.

  “I knew when I wasn’t questioned that he didn’t look at the list, just signed it. He was a busy man. He seemed a little surprised when I showed up to interview, but I impressed him so much that he didn’t really comment. I got the job two weeks later. It was assumed the guy from my university wasn’t interested because he never called them back.”

  “That’s the end of the story?” Harv asked.

  “I worked for Gary for a year and took most of his business with me when I started my own company. You gotta know how to work people.” Lucas shrugged off his scandalous offense.

  The tingly attraction between us had fizzled as he spoke, and my heart sank. He was the kind of person I usually avoided, privileged and entitled with a slippery moral fiber. I didn’t want to let Lucas know that I was really disappointed in him for the sake of the game, so I put on a fake smile which I was pretty sure he saw right through.

  Mason’s confession was funny, but awkward, about a frat party trick gone bad. Isabella’s was a bit more risqué and involved a motorcycle club.

  Then it was my turn to confess. I stood, my palms slick with sweat, my mouth dry. “Well, when I was in college I was dating this guy, Donovan. I was so into him.”

  Lucas repositioned himself in his seat. I wondered if his movement was the equivalent of a squirm. Was it possible he could be jealous of a guy I dated a long time ago? Was he attracted to me enough to have any real feelings? These were interesting questions. He was such a strange mix, commanding and uncaring on the outside, and yet kind, playful, and thoughtful on the inside.

  “We lived in the same apartment building, and his parking spot happened to be right beneath my window on the fourth floor. Late one night, I heard his voice outside and looked out to see that he was with this incredible-looking blonde woman and they were going up to his apartment. I mean, she was so gorgeous, and the way they were laughing and joking with one another, it immediately got my blood boiling. Not only was he cheating on me, but this woman was amazing. I felt angry and inadequate.”