The Matchmaker's Replacement [Kindle in Motion] (Wingmen Inc. Book 2) (24 page)

BOOK: The Matchmaker's Replacement [Kindle in Motion] (Wingmen Inc. Book 2)
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Chapter
Forty-Three

Gabi

I
an told us both to hurry, which left me with no choice but to bust out the Uggs and hope that Lex and I didn’t have a repeat of the fight of 2014 where he nearly set them on fire.

The minute I stepped out of my room, Lex stepped out of his.

A slow smirk spread across his face as he took in my attire. “Yoga pants, Uggs, and a sweatshirt. You pledging today or what?”

“Very funny.” I shoved past him; he shoved me back. “Lex, I say this in the nicest way possible, but push me again and I’m literally putting my foot down so you trip and break your two front teeth.”

“I’ve got teeth of steel.”

“I wonder if that’s why my mouth hurts. Learn to kiss.” I winked and then took off running as he chased me down the hall.

“You can run! But you’re wearing Uggs . . . They slow you down!”

Ian was waiting at the door as Lex and I stuttered to a stop, nearly stumbling over each other. Clearly, Lex was in a mood because he took that opportunity to pinch my butt.

“Stop it!” I smacked him in the chest. “I will hurt you!” I turned back to Ian.

He looked confused. “So the fighting . . .” He shook his head. “It’s . . . still a thing?”

“Always.” Lex shook his head. “Also, man, can you please address her shoe situation? She looks homeless.”

“I am homeless!” I shouted.

“No, you live here.” Ian smiled. “Across the hall from your boyfriend.”

I beamed. I couldn’t help it.

Ian rolled his eyes. “Okay, stop looking so happy.”

We stepped outside together.

“A limo?” Lex frowned. “Wait, has that been here the whole time?”

Ian burst out laughing. “I honestly thought it would take hours to get you to admit you loved her.
Hours!
And then you go and handle it all like a man, ruining everything. You’re supposed to be fighting your feelings, not planning your wedding! I thought you’d either bail or finally admit that you loved her, not threaten me.” Ian rolled his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still mad as hell, but . . . if it’s a match, it’s a match, right?”

“Right.” Lex breathed out a heavy sigh as his hand found mine. “Now, why is there a limo? You getting hitched?”

Ian shrugged. “Not now. Besides, I have news about Gabs’s dad.”

The driver opened the door. Blake was already sitting in the limo. I appreciated the fact that as a total tomboy she was wearing basically the same thing I was, minus the Uggs. Though she had on the ugliest rubber flip-flops I’d ever seen. Apparently Ian always hid them, but she found them every time. He’d finally given up.

“Hey!” Blake handed me a glass of champagne. It felt good to see her. During volleyball season it seemed like we were just passing ships. “That didn’t take long.”

“Yeah, well . . .” I scooted in next to her and drank from my glass. “Apparently Ian thought he was going to have to convince Lex of his feelings.”

“But”—Lex barreled into the car and took a seat next to me—“I’m a fast learner, genius and all that, so I already knew I loved her.”

Ian jumped in and slammed the door. “You guys ready?”

“Ready for what? And what does this have to do with my dad?” I asked.

“Lex and I will be in charge of hiring.”

“Hiring?” Lex’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, what exactly are we hiring for?”

Ian grinned. “You’ll see.”

We drove a few miles until we hit downtown Seattle. We stopped near the Amazon campus and walked a block until we came face-to-face with a giant black
skyscraper.

A sign in front said, “Office space available.” And across the sign it said, “Sold.”

“Ian?” Lex said. “Help me out.”

“Facebook offered ten.” Ian sighed. “Match.com offered twelve.”

“For the building?” I guessed.

Ian turned. “Nope. For Wingmen Inc.”

“Really?” Lex’s eyes narrowed. “And as partner you didn’t tell me?”

“Didn’t have to.” Ian sobered. “Hacking’s your drug. Working for the man is the last thing you want for your life, especially since you have a good thing going. Microsoft can suck my ass.”

They high-fived.

Men.

“So we’re moving the business into this office?” I asked. “Isn’t that really expensive?”

Both Lex and Ian grinned.

“What? What am I missing?”

“Sunshine . . .” Lex grabbed my hand. “Our app alone is worth more than eight million dollars, not including Wingmen Inc. and our software, if we expand.”

“Eight,” I repeated, “million?”

“We’ll need to hire a team. Gabi’s dad doesn’t take shit from anyone.” Ian looked between us. “And since Lex is still living, they clearly get along. I already texted him his starting salary and signing bonus.” Ian swallowed. “Your mom called five minutes later, yelling in Spanish, and then she cried.”

Tears filled my eyes. “Sounds like Mom.”

“So . . .” Ian gripped Blake’s hand, then brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “What do you girls say? Work for us when you graduate?”

We both laughed.

“What?” Ian frowned.

“Can my signing bonus be Pirate’s Booty?” I asked.

“Oooo, that’s a good idea!” Blake agreed with an evil chuckle.

Ian rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to take that up with HR.”

“Damn HR, damn yellow tape!” I argued with a laugh while Lex pulled me in for a hug. “What do you think?”

“Me?” Lex’s mouth found mine. “I think I want to buy you a car that can go more than one mile without dying. I think I want to be by your side until you kick me to the curb for being clingy. I’ve loved you for a long time . . . I’ll continue to love you even longer.”

My eyes filled with tears as Blake sighed heavily next to me.

But then fighting broke out as Blake smacked Ian. “You need to learn to say lines like that!”

“I’m romantic!” Ian argued. “Last week I bought you flowers!”

“I got stung by a bee in said flowers!”

“You scared it!”

Lex smiled against my mouth. “Make love and war?”

“Always more interesting that way.”

“Let’s go in.” Ian smiled, leading us through the glass double doors. He snatched a few guest passes from the security booth in the lobby, and then we were riding the elevator.

To their offices.

“I can’t believe you did it,” Lex muttered. “I mean I can, but I can’t.”

“Yeah, well.” Ian shared a look with all of us. “You guys can thank the sister . . . She’s the one who said I needed to get my head out of my ass and stop feeling sorry for myself and be excited about the fact that my best friends had feelings for each other. It really does make the holidays so much easier.”

I rolled my eyes. Typical Ian.

Blake looped her arm through his and laughed as he kissed her on the nose. She was super tall so it looked cute, whereas if Lex tried to kiss my nose I’d have to either be on the countertop or in his arms.

Blake and Ian weren’t the perfect match either, but together, they made sense. Maybe not on paper, but in real life, there was no girl better suited for him.

And Lex? Well, Lex was the same way.

The elevators opened on the twelfth floor. A short hallway led into a large glass-encased lobby surrounded by lines of offices and then a set of cubicles in the middle.

“Wow.” Lex squeezed my hand, then let go and started walking around. “It’s perfect.”

“Both corner offices are ours for the taking,” Ian called out as Lex and I hurried down the hall toward the first corner office.

A leather couch was already inside, along with a random chair and a piece of paper on the floor.

“What do you think?” Lex asked without looking back at me.

“I think”—I nodded toward the couch—“that the brown couch has seen better days, but you may want to keep it.”

“What?” Lex turned around. “Why?”

“Memories.” I smirked, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the couch, only stopping so that I could push him onto his back and straddle him. “It’s the very first couch in your very first office . . . the very first couch you’ll have sex on during the workday!”

“Gasp.” Lex laughed. “I must be a complete and total man slut.”

“Oh, you are. All the ladies think so, even that really old personal secretary you hired.”

“I’m lost.”

“Repeat after me: all of my secretaries will be old grandmas with charming smiles and ten grandchildren.”

Lex burst out laughing, then tugged my mouth against his in a searing kiss before letting me go. “Sunshine, I could have Victoria’s Secret supermodels working for me; hell, I’m pretty sure I was with one when—”

I glared.

“The point”—he kissed me again, smiling—“is they wouldn’t be you. And it’s always been you.”

“Promise?” My voice was husky as I trailed tiny kisses down his neck.

“Yup, now move a little to the left. You know what the manual says. I have an equal opportunity neck; I need love on both sides, you know?”

I smacked him.

He shook his head. “Page five specifically states that if you slap me during foreplay, at least one of five dirty words must follow.”

“I’m not calling your penis ‘womb raider.’”

“Killjoy.”

“I can’t believe you actually gave a manual to girls before bed.”

Lex tickled my sides and flipped me onto my back so that he was hovering over me. His gorgeous smile was illuminated by the light coming in from the windows behind him. “If you’re not gonna do it right, why waste my time?”

“Hopeless,” I fired back. “Good thing I never needed the manual.”

“Nope.” Lex shrugged. “Because you were always right. The perfect match.”

“Aw,” Ian said from the door. “You guys gonna break into songs from Disney? Because if you are, we can wait. Blake totally digs musicals.”

“Let them have their moment!” Blake slugged Ian in the stomach.

He coughed out a curse and glared. “Must you be an athlete?”

“I’ve been lifting,” she said proudly.

“No shit.” He coughed again. “Lay off the roids.”

She raised her arm again.

“Kidding! Geez!” He was still twice her size, but she was a strong girl, which Ian needed. “Alright, you lovebirds ready to go?”

“Nope.” Lex tugged my body tighter against his. “Why talk when we can make out? Don’t you have an office to go to?”

Ian frowned. “Yeah, but it’s daylight.”

We all fell silent.

“Right.” Ian chuckled. “Right, Blake.” He led her away from the office. “Have I ever told you that very vivid fantasy I had about a really sexy volleyball player naked on my desk?”

“You guys have serious problems.” I laughed against Lex’s mouth as he kissed me deeper, harder, his hands already tugging away my leggings, my Ugg boots trapping them in place.

“See!” Lex pointed. “The devil makes those boots!”

I rolled my eyes. “Lex, I’ll take them off . . . but first . . . tell me something.”

“Anything.”

“In the playbook, the last page, it says ‘And they lived . . .’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Sunshine, it means that the couple has to finish the story. They decide the ending.”

“And ours?”

“Happily.” He kissed the side of my mouth. “Ever.” He kissed both eyelids. “After.” He kissed my nose. “Now take off those damn boots.”

Epilogue

Lex

10 months later

H
ot damn, I’d love to tap that,” I said aloud as Gabi weaved her way through the large crowd. She was wearing a tight red dress and heels that went on for miles, and I was already envisioning her naked—wearing the heels, of course—in my bed. I gave her a nod of approval as she smiled at a board member and then finally stopped in front of me.

“Stop flirting with Stan,” I said, huskiness lacing my
voice.

“Stan golfs with my dad. He’s seventy. He’s on the board of directors because his wife says he gets depressed sitting in his big house.”

“How hard for Stan, living in a mansion.”

“Look who’s talking,” Gabi teased, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth, her white teeth biting down on the red lipstick.

“Damn it, don’t look at me like that if you want me to behave.”

“When have you ever behaved?”

She knew me so well.

“It’s Christmas, you know,” Gabi pointed out. “I may have a little . . . surprise for you back at the house.”

“Aw, Sunshine, did you bake?”

She slugged me in the shoulder. “No, Mr. Vice President.”

“I love it when you talk dirty. Last night when you called me ‘sir’ in bed, I nearly orga—”

“Ian!” Gabi choked out, interrupting me. “How’s . . . life?”

He frowned. “You been drinking?”

“Loads,” I answered for her, then wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “I better get the fiancée home. You know . . . how she . . . tires.”

Gabi glared daggers at me. I ignored her. As per usual.

Ian shook his head. “I don’t even want to know whatever the hell little sex play you guys have got going on right now. Have you seen Blake?”

“Eating.” Gabi laughed. “She’s been doing nothing but eating since she got here.”

“She’s eating for two!” Ian said defensively as Blake made her way over to us. At six months pregnant, she looked more rock star than usual. Almost like pregnancy was her superpower. Her skin was gorgeous, and her smile was electric. Ian did good with Blake.

“Sorry.” Blake smiled sheepishly. “It’s just, they have these amazing little bacon-wrapped pickles.”

I made a gagging noise.

“You just wait!” She laughed, pointing her finger at Gabi.

I stiffened while Ian paled and shot me an accusing glare.

“Chill.” Gabi rolled her eyes. “I’m not pregnant. Some of us still have a few credits left!”

Gabi’s dad made his way toward our little group. “Ian, Lex, it’s time.”

I kissed Gabi on the head for good luck and followed Ian as we made our way to the stage.

The applause was deafening as we took front and center. My eyes locked on Gabi as I mouthed, “I love you.”

Tears filled her eyes as she mouthed it back.

“It’s been a great year,” Ian started. “We’ve tripled our clientele and started selling the app overseas.”

More cheering.

“Thanks to Lex, our resident tech guru, The Villain Bracelet 1.0 sold to Apple for fifty million dollars.” I beamed. It was hard not to. After I’d won over Gabi, it hit me: why not have a type of bat signal that girls could send, whenever they were in bad situations, to request help? The bracelet had different settings for blind dates, bad dates, scary situations, walking home by themselves. Whenever a girl was doing any of those things, she could change the settings and press a simple alert if she was in trouble. It notified the police of her location and sent a text to her closest friend or family member. “Lex? A few words.”

I stepped forward, my eyes gazing over the large crowd that had gathered for our celebration.

Years ago I would have lived for this type of attention and recognition.

But in that moment, all I cared about was sharing it with Gabi.

“I’m so proud to share this moment with my best friend and fiancée.” She was both. “She’s my everything. My partner in crime, my lover, the person I turn to for both business . . .” I barely kept myself from saying “pleasure” out loud—especially with her father looking at me from across the room. “I guess what I’m trying to say is: she’s my home, my family, my world, and I’m so happy that she said yes.”

People clapped, but I had eyes for her, only her.

Funny how we’d started out as enemies.

Turned into lovers.

Ended as best friends. And so much more.

“Thank you . . . and Ian?” I continued, “We did good, man. We did good.”

Ian and I shook hands while cameras went off, and I went in search of Gabi. When I couldn’t find her in the crowd I panicked, until something pinched my ass.

I turned and glared.

Gabi waved her fingers at me. “Ready to blow this party, Lex Luthor?”

“I’ll ready the escape vehicle.”

“Oooo . . .” She pulled me in for a kiss. “I love it when you’re bad.”

“I’m so bad I’ll let you eat Pirate’s Booty in bed.” She shivered. “While I watch.” My tongue caressed her outer ear as she burst out laughing.

“So, what’s Lex Luthor’s weakness? You never told me.”

“I think that would be obvious.” I shrugged, leading her out the door. “It’s sassy-mouthed short girls who wear ugly-as-hell Uggs and shout my name.”

“I shout your name a lot.”

“I know.”

“Lex! Do the dishes!” she yelled.

“Lex!” I joined in with my best falsetto. “Right, there! Oh, that feels so good, a little to the left.”

People glanced curiously in our direction.

Gabi smacked me in the stomach. “Does a whore ever change its spots?”

“Let’s hope not!” I picked her up, tossed her over my shoulder, and slapped her ass. “Let’s go, future Mrs. Luthor.”

“Hey!” she squealed. “Does that mean I get my own villain name?”

“We’ll talk about it.”

“Lex!”

“As in, oh look, I brought it to the table for discussion and the board voted no. Sorry, Sunshine.”

“Lex!”

“You can drive the sidecar. And fetch my laundry. And when I’m feeling really generous, I’ll let you touch my freeze gun.”

“Lex Luthor doesn’t have a freeze gun.”

I chuckled suggestively. “But he does have a gun. You’ve felt it.”

“You’re gross.”

“You love me!”

“I do.” She giggled. “Clearly I’ve been corrupted by the Dark Side.”

“It’s better over here. Trust me.”

“I do,” she whispered. “I
do
.”

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