Page 39 of Ink & Ambition

“Never asked for a secret, she asked for something no one knows. I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me my opinion on olives. I hate them.” Alex shrugs then leans back in his seat. I can only sigh.

“Alright, folks. It seems like you need to be a little bit more specific in your questions for Mr. Loophole over here,” I say with an eye roll and a thumb toward my co-host. Alex only laughs as he sits back up to close out the show. “That being said, we hope you’ve enjoyed our first episode and we can’t wait to get into more of your questions next week. Until then–”

“Adiós!” Alex cheers. With a side-eye of confusion, I just wave my hand in farewell until the overhead light turns off, signaling that we are no longer recording.

“Adiós?” I ask, gathering up my notes.

“I panicked,” Alex says.

I chuckle. “Clearly.” We grab our things and head back out toward the sound booth.

“That was a great show, guys, and I mean that genuinely,” Nathan says leaning back in his chair.

“Thanks, Nate. Any chance you can teach me some editing techniques? I’ve never really done any video editing before.”

“Sure, no problem. We can meet tomorrow and I’ll walk you through it.”

“You rock, dude,” Alex says, clapping his hand on Nathan’s shoulder.

“Uh, thanks, Alex,” he says with an uncertain grin.

“That went much better than I expected,” I say as we head toward Alex’s car. The sun is setting, which means we were in that room much longer than I thought and that is confirmed when the clock in Alex’s car reads 5:05. “Wow, that took two hours.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Alex says as he pulls out of the parking lot. “But seriously, that was so epic. You totally crushed it!” Alex drives toward my apartment and I can’t help the blush that forms on my cheeks from his praise. I finally understand why his frat brothers love him so much, he is an incredible hype man. When Alex Prescott tells you you did well, he means it. And I hold onto that feeling all the way to the front door of my apartment.

Chapter Eighteen

Alex

Aftergoingovertheplan with her more than two dozen times, Margot leaves the Kappa house and heads toward Delta Epsilon. I’m a bundle of nerves, but I’m trying not to show it. I don’t need her any more nervous than she already is.

Devon and Keith spent the better part of the day using waterproof caulk on the first floor windows after Kai and I snuck over in the dead of night to work on the upstairs windows. As far as I know, no one saw us. While she’s inside, we’re going to super glue the back doors and lay in wait on the front until she’s out the door and on her way across the street to change.

It’s a foolproof plan. Of course it won’t stop the deltas from showing up at the gala but it will slow them down and, more importantly, piss them off.

Through the dining room window, I watch with bated breath as she knocks on the door and Ryan opens up, beckoning her inside with a hand on her back. The noise that escapes causes me to stir.

“Dude, did you just growl?” Kai asks. I didn’t even hear him approach the window.

“Shut the fuck up.” We watch the door close and then we wait.

According to the plan, she’s got forty-five minutes in there to interview the guys and then take the group picture, ensuring they are all in the house and not leaving for the gala early. I wish we could just go over there now and wait to seal the doors but it would be ridiculous to stand out there for that long and we would almost certainly be noticed.

The other guys mill around, slowly getting ready for the gala while sipping beer or water. With a sigh, I turn away from the window and see Kai looking at me curiously.

“What is it with you and this girl?”

I walk into the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and checking my watch. Three minutes have passed. I sense Kai following me into the room. “Nothing, man. I’m just worried we’ve sent her into the lion’s den without a chair.”

“She’ll be fine. And even if she’s not, it’s not like they’re going to hurt her. It’s a harmless prank.” Kai grabs a beer, twisting the cap off. “No, it’s more than that. You’ve been distracted lately.”

Suddenly, I remember that not that long ago, I was thinking the same thing about Kai. “I’m not the only one. Where have you been these past few weeks? You’re, like, never here.”

Kai takes a sip and looks away. “Guess I’m here when you’re not.” He walks out of the kitchen and I hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs.Weird.

Fighting the urge to look out the window again, I head upstairs to change into my suit. As much as I’m dreading this event, at least I’ll get a visit from my father out of the way. Speaking of which, I should probably figure out if he’s on his way here yet. It would fuck up everything if he showed up at the house instead of just meeting me at the gala. Why didn’t I think of that?Fuck.

I jump into my dress pants with one hand and use the other to call my brother.

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