Meeting His Match

Chapter 5-2

Mac stared at the door that closed behind Gem’s curvy a*s. He shouldn’t even notice things like that, but he couldn’t help it. The woman annoyed him and poked at him and yet, there was something about her that made him want to move closer every time she was near. Tonight he wished he could blame it on the siren-red dress that skimmed lovingly over her curves. And of course the f*****g heels to match. Those alone could bring a man to heel.

As much as he wanted to go after her to explain all the ways in which she was wrong about him, he was in the middle of a meet-and-greet for his client. He turned back to the party. Damn. One of the cameramen spun back to the guests. Mac had an unsettled feeling. Had they caught him arguing with Gem? Shouldn’t surprise him, really. She dressed to draw attention.

He quickly scanned his memory for anything that would make him look bad while he pasted on a smile. Nothing he’d done or said had been inappropriate. He neared Melissa’s table and he suddenly caught a glimpse of what Gem had been talking about.

Melissa angled her head and looked at a man from under her lashes as she traced a line down the side of her glass with her index finger. She kept eye contact as she licked her lips before spreading them into a smile. It all looked manufactured.

But the men at the table were eating it up.

Melissa wasn’t being herself and there was no way for a real relationship to happen under false pretenses. Mac watched for another moment. At least Melissa was giving them her full attention. He’d known her lack of confidence would be an issue. It appeared Gem had tackled that problem for him.

And that was why she’d thought he’d cheated. How the f**k was he supposed to control how these women acted? Talk about infuriating. It wasn’t as if she’d found the perfect man for Melissa, and Mac stepped in to introduce them.

He checked his watch. He needed to get things moving. Melissa needed to narrow the field, knock out the men she wasn’t interested in so she could spend time with those who had a chance. He waved her over, painfully aware of the cameras shifting to capture everything.

One day he’d get even with his mother for this.

Melissa scooted closer and said, “This is so much fun. I never thought I’d actually enjoy this. There’s something to be said for having a captive audience.”

“I need you to tell me which three men you’re most interested in. Then you’ll have a sit down with each of them individually, get to know each other a bit and decide if a date is in order.”

“Three, huh?” She glanced over the crowd of men who were looking at Mac and Melissa and trying hard not to appear to be watching. “So I have to tell the rest they’re all losers?”

Mac couldn’t hide his grimace. “No. They’re not losers. I’ll keep them in my database for future get-togethers. And once you make your decision, my assistant and I will tell our remaining guests they can go home.”

Melissa released a deep breath. “Whew. I didn’t want to be in charge of a mass rejection. Kyle, Thomas, and Will are the three men I’d like to spend more time with.”

Mac held his tongue. He’d expected her to choose Kyle and Will, but he hadn’t wanted her to choose Thomas. “Can you tell me why you decided on them?”

“Kyle is funny and Will had a way of talking to me that made me feel like I was the only woman in the room.” She clasped her hands in front of her and twisted her fingers.

“And Thomas?”

“I’m not sure why. I’m attracted to him physically. But it feels like there’s more to it. He has an easy way about him.”

Which was exactly why Mac hadn’t wanted her to choose him. Melissa wanted a man who would take charge, not sit back and wait for things to happen. Yet she continued to be drawn to mild-mannered men. He waved his assistant, Amy, over. “Can you take Melissa back to the small room?”

When the women left, Mac moved through the room to gather Melissa’s choices. Then he clapped his hands to draw the attention of the rest of the men. He thanked them all for their time and had Amy pass out his business card so they could keep in touch. Based on their interactions tonight, Mac knew he probably wouldn’t be calling some of them back. There had been a few who were looking to be on TV and he’d hoped the cameraman was good enough to avoid them.

The three remaining men sat at the table Melissa had vacated.

“Gentlemen.” Mac stood before them and wondered where his mother always found the right words for this moment. “Melissa is interested in getting to know each of you further. I’ll take one of you back to have some time with her in a few minutes. Do you have any questions?”

They all shook their heads. Mac nodded and turned back to the small room off the to side. The production staff had converted a manager’s office into a quaint space for their show. The bar owner agreed to let them do whatever they wanted as long as Mac used the bar for all of his meet-and-greets for the series.

When he walked in, Melissa was pacing. She looked up at him with wide eyes. “What am I supposed to do here? This is nerve wracking.”

“Have a seat.” He pulled out the chair for her. “When I send someone in, just talk. Stay away from superficial stuff. Talk about what you’re looking for, what you enjoy doing. Step it up from the conversation you had before.” He sat across from her. “Most important, be yourself.”

“Of course. Who else would I be?”

“Gem.”

“What?”

“Out there I saw you playing the field. There’s nothing wrong with that when it comes to breaking the ice and looking at options. These men are here because they’re interested. You don’t need games and ploys to pull them in. Let them see you.”

She nodded solemnly. He briefly wondered what it would take to get Gem to let her guard down and be the real her. He had little doubt the Gem she showed the world wasn’t the real woman. He’d seen glimpses of the real woman, and he had a feeling he’d like her a whole lot more than what he was getting.

“Ready?” he asked Melissa.

“I guess I have to be.”

He rose, patted her shoulder, and went back to the men. He sent Thomas in first with the hope that by the time she met with the other two men, Thomas would be gone from her mind.

The crew had cameras set up to be unobtrusive during the one-on-one sessions. Mac sat at a monitor and watched Melissa interact with Thomas. At first, he saw the struggle she had with the idea of being herself. How the hell had Gem managed to flip a switch on this woman after a couple of sessions? He’d have to undo everything in order to make this work.

At least Thomas seemed put off by it as well, so Mac didn’t worry about a love match there. The scene was almost painful to watch, but he was pretty sure it would make for good TV.

By the time his night ended and the cameras were off, Mac was exhausted. Melissa had managed to settle on asking Kyle on a date, so she was ready for the next phase of the show. He stood to leave the room and almost dropped at the thought of having to do this two more times. This was so much more intense than what they usually did to match people. The meet-and-greet was typical protocol, but having cameras watch his every move added to the stress.

Instead of walking through the crowd in the front of the trendy bar they’d chosen as a location, Mac slipped out he back door. The quiet of the alley was the best sound he’d heard all day. Laughter at the corner grabbed his attention and when he looked up, he saw Gem again. Her giggle was high pitched and an affectation. Too bad the guy she was with didn’t see it. His hand kept sliding off her hip and onto her a*s.

Mac watched for a moment to see if this was something Gem wanted. She was a pick-up artist after all. Maybe this was all part of the game to her. Unfortunately, if they didn’t move on soon, he’d have to walk past them to get to his car. Another round of ridiculous giggles and he’d had enough. He’d walk around them and hoped to avoid notice.

He edged around the man’s back, carefully keeping his gaze to the ground or the street in front of him. He got as far as the curb when she spoke.

“Malcolm? Is that you?”

Shit. More phony stuff. He turned his head. She stepped forward, away from the grasp of her handsy companion. She walked until she was inside his personal space, close enough he could smell her perfume.

“It’s so good to see you again.”

He answered with a lifted brow. Her eyes pleaded with him to play along. Part of him wanted to watch her squirm, but he could never leave a woman like this. “Yeah, it’s been a while,” he answered quietly.

The other man shifted behind her.

Mac flicked his gaze up to meet him and then settled back on Gem. “Can I give you a ride? Maybe we can catch up.”

“That would be great!” she said with such enthusiasm that Mac almost stepped back.

She spun quickly and spoke to the man. “Thanks for a fun night, but I haven’t seen my friend here in a long time.”

Mac coughed and Gem’s shoulders stiffened before saying, “I’ll talk to you soon.”

The man lifted a hand. “Whatever.” Then he turned away, weaving as he did.

Gem returned her attention to Mac. Gone was the flirtatious woman who needed him to play along. She actually looked pissed. “Thanks. The guy couldn’t take a hint.”

“And what would you have done if I hadn’t happened along?”

“I would’ve pulled that scene with a total stranger. You’d be amazed at how well it works. When a guy gets to be a hero and believes he has a shot at getting laid for playing the part? Works every time.”

Mac shook his head. Nothing but games with her.

“Anyway, thanks for playing along. Have a good night.” She stepped away from him.

“Uh-uh. I’m not leaving you here to have to do that again. My car is right across the street. I’ll drive you home.”

“I don’t need a ride. I’m capable of grabbing a cab.”

“I’m sure you’re capable, but why bother? I’m right here. It won’t cost you a thing.”

“I doubt that.” Unlike some women, she didn’t mumble it but said it to his face. Her gaze darted up and down the street as if to gauge how long it would take to get a cab.

“Come on.” He placed a hand on her lower back and pressed to get her to move. She didn’t fight it.

At his car, he unlocked the door and held it open for her. She slid in with barely a glance at him. He settled behind the wheel and asked for her address. He typed it into his GPS. North side, not too far, but not nearly as upscale as she tended to dress. Another piece of the Gem puzzle. Mac started to wonder if any of her was real.

They drove in silence. Blocks from her home, she cleared her throat. “I appreciate the ride. I came to the bar with my roommate and she drove. She left a while ago.”

“She left you at a bar?”

A sneaky smile slipped onto her face. “Well, she met someone and asked if I would mind. She drove so she would have her own escape if it didn’t work out.” She flipped a careless hand in the air. “It’s not like it’s hard to get around the city. There’s always a cab or the el.”

She pointed at a brick building, a simple three flat. “That’s me. I’m on the third floor. Not a great view, but it’s a nice neighborhood.”

He parked in front of her building. The neighborhood was nice. Just not what he’d expected from her.

“Thanks again for the ride.” She moved to leave the car.

Mac jumped out and met her on the passenger side as she opened the door. She seemed startled at his presence. Then her back stiffened. With a tilt of her head, she said, “I wasn’t trading one man for another tonight.”

Her comment was like a punch to the gut. “I wasn’t suggesting I follow you into your bed. I was merely opening the door for you and offering a hand.” He eyed the short dress she wore. “I wouldn’t want you to get indecent.”

“So you don’t just play the hero? This is who you are?”

“I’m no hero. Just considerate.”

A light shade a pink filled her cheeks.

Huh.

She touched his arm and said quietly, “Thank you.” The she moved to the door of her building with her head down.

Mac stood at his car and watched her walk inside. A simple act of kindness put Miss Gem off her game. Something to think about.