Page 81 of Chance of Romance
“Wow, I had no idea.” Hailey lowered her voice. “Just be careful, okay? I don't want you to get hurt.”
Obviously Hailey meant well. She was a good friend. It was just that she'd stepped one too many times into aggressive territory with the matchmaking. “I'll be fine,” Lexi assured her. “You know me.” She could hold her own with any man.
Hailey smiled, gave Lexi's arm a squeeze, waved goodbye to Marcus, and headed back to the dance.
Lexi crossed to Marcus. “I've got a proposition for you.”
He jerked his chin. “What's that?”
She leaned close, speaking in a conspiratorial tone. “I'm in Hailey's crosshairs—the last single woman in our group. So what do you think about keeping up the pretend couple thing? You know, a relationship of convenience. Just to put Hailey off the scent. You show up with me a few times at parties here or at your bar.” He owned his own bar, The Burrow, in nearby New York City. She'd been there for a party before. “Maybe for eight weeks or so, what do you think?”
~ ~ ~
What did he think? He thought she was nuts.
He'd met Lexi a few times at parties, a petite brunette who gave off a don't-fuck-with-me vibe. At least with men. She was a prickly man-hater from what he'd seen, more likely to bite his head off than flirt back, which was why he'd never bothered flirting with her before. He'd only tangled with her tonight because he'd been in a mood, watching all of his friends stupid-happy with their women. Even Ethan—a tough hardass cop—had found someone who adored him and only him. Meanwhile Marcus stuck out like a lone lion hungry for a satisfying meal.
Up close Lexi's brown almond-shaped eyes gleamed with intelligence. Her sleek dark brown hair was up in a twist, her light tan skin smooth, her smile devious. That was who she reminded him of—the love of his life, Bitty. Sleek and soft with sharp claws. He still missed that cat.
Lexi's skin-tight dark blue dress—low cut, ending mid-thigh—had caught his eye. Any man would appreciate a beautiful woman showing a lot of skin. Didn't mean he wanted a relationship with her. He was looking for a woman who adored him. He figured if Ethan could manage it, then Marcus could too. A prickly man-hater didnotfit the bill. She was the last single woman for a reason. And it didn't count that he was practically the last of the bachelors among his friends. He had relationshipintentions. He'd just been too busy to do anything about it between work and his mom's illness.
Lexi looked up at him expectantly. She was a good foot shorter than his six foot four, and he valiantly tried to keep his gaze on her face and not the tempting display of cleavage. He hadn't been with a woman in months, his choice. He'd gone a little nuts after his divorce sowing his wild oats—at one point he'd been seeing three women at the same time—but it hadn't made him happy. Now he was clear on what he wanted, and Lexi wasn't it.
“I think…” He stopped himself from being too honest because he didn't want to hurt her feelings no matter how nuts she was. He went with a little advice instead. “You should just tell Hailey to back off and go on with your life.”
“Pfft. I've tried that many times. It's no use. I'm the lone antelope and she's on the hunt! Trust me, this is very necessary.”
Didn't lions hunt antelopes? That would mean he—nope. It must be the lioness. He glanced over at Hailey across the room, all puckered up for doggie kisses from homely little Rose.Yup. Right on the mouth. He kept his mouth shut. Nothing wrong with loving your pet.
“You in or not?” Lexi asked.
Bossy woman. Another strike against her. He never followed orders; he gave them. He was the boss at work, owner and manager of The Burrow and with his size—tall and bulky with muscles from his hard-core workouts—most people showed him respect.
He crossed his arms. Her gaze dropped to his bicep, pulling the white fabric of his dress shirt tight. She dug the muscles all right. His chest puffed out. His studliness had served him well once again. “Not seeing the upside here. What do I get out of this?”
She frowned. “It's just a few parties. You can keep seeing whoever on the side.”
He felt compelled to point out the flaws in her plan. “My friends will think I'm a big jerk for seeing someone on the side. So will yours. They're all coupled up now like it's frigging Noah's ark around here.”
She stiffened. “Okay, fine. What do you want?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. What was he doing? He didn't want anything from her. Sure, he was alone on Valentine's Day surrounded by his whipped lovesick friends, but that didn't mean… He swallowed hard. There was a quiet dignity in being alone. He'd read that somewhere.
Seriously. Women always said they had a good time with him, though he wasn't sure if that was because he paid for nice dinners or because he gave them pleasure afterward. He made a good living and had invested in his friend Jake's tech company with a huge payoff. The pleasure part was easy, just took some paying attention to what worked for each woman. It wasn't rocket science. A small voice in his head raised an ugly question—did any woman ever like him just for himself and not what he could give them?
He ground his teeth. Sure, he might look like a hulking mass of muscle, but underneath all that he had feelings, sometimes very sensitive feelings. He'd sooner parade around naked in Times Square than admit any of that shit. This much was clear—Lexi just wanted to use him. Pass.
He met her eyes. “I'm out.” He turned to go when she grabbed his arm, halting him.
“Wait!”
He turned back. “What?”
She smoothed his sleeve down where she'd grabbed him, sort of petting his arm. “I'm a corporate event planner. I could plan an event for your bar.”
Free event just for standing next to her at a party?“I'm listening.”
“How about something for St. Patrick's Day?”
