Meeting His Match

Chapter 6-1

Chapter 6

Mac decided he didn’t need to barge in on Gem’s individual session with Jennifer. It would’ve been too distracting for all of them. This little competition became infinitely more interesting as the attraction between him and Gem grew.

She was obviously trying to avoid it, and while he hadn’t immediately considered pursuing it, she intrigued him. She was hiding plenty, regardless of what she’d claimed outside the conference room this morning. He wanted to peel back the layers and see who she was underneath. If that meant he had to agitate her every time they met, so be it.

He straightened his tie and ran a hand over his hair before leaving the car. That was a huge downside to this TV show. Having to constantly worry about how he looked wasn’t his style. They were only a couple of weeks in and he was already annoyed.

Inside the bar, he easily spotted Gem. She definitely commanded attention. He didn’t, however, immediately see a camera crew. They had a tendency to take up half a room. He looked around and then spotted two guys, one in each corner of the room. Damn, how had she managed to get minimal coverage? Mac had to find out her secret.

He stayed on the perimeter, trying avoid drawing attention to himself. He watched Gem talk to Jennifer. Then she nodded and gave Jennifer little push. Interesting tactic. He sat at a table and ordered a whisky from the waitress. He stared at Gem, waiting for her to take notice of him. She would. She noticed what was going on around her and this would be no different. Plus, she was aware he was coming.

Over her shoulder she eyed him and then returned her attention to the bartender. She raised a hand and waited for her drink. Once it was in her possession, she turned and looked at Mac again. He could almost hear her sigh. She strode his way and sat across from him.

“I expected you earlier today.”

“I didn’t think you needed the intrusion in your lesson. For me, this is the interesting part.”

She sipped her drink. “Why? It’s just a bar.”

“That’s what makes it interesting. Most women have spent countless hours in bars hoping to find the love of their lives. Mostly they end up disappointed.” He sipped his own drink. “A bar is definitely the wrong place for Jennifer to meet someone.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. A bar is the perfect place for anyone. This is practice. She gets to experiment here with no expectations about what will happen. She’s not going to meet the love of her life here tonight.” Her eyes moved to where Jennifer sat alone at the bar. “But she’ll get the chance to figure out how to act and what to do when she’s in a situation where Mr. Right might be.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes and watched Jennifer. The woman was clearly uncomfortable. She tapped a man on the shoulder and introduced herself and shook his hand. Gem groaned. When Mac turned his attention back to Gem, he couldn’t help the smile. She might be an expert on picking up men, but she was out of her depths here.

“Shut up. She’ll be fine.”

Jennifer shifted from one foot to another and after a minute of conversation the man backed away. Jennifer turned and stared at Gem with wide eyes. Gem waved her over to the table. When she arrived, Jennifer shot a look to Mac.

“Would you like me to step away?”

“Why is he here?” Jennifer asked.

“The producers want more time with the two of us on screen. It has nothing to do with you,” Gem said.

Mac stood. He didn’t want to make a client uncomfortable. Brad would have to accept that.

Jennifer straightened. “You can stay.” She turned to Gem. “This isn’t working.”

Gem stood and grabbed Jennifer’s shoulders. “You need to loosen up. You approached that guy like you were on a job interview. You’re here to flirt. Don’t worry about what happens next. There is no next. It’s just about tonight.”

Jennifer inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. “I’m not good at this. Obviously. That’s why I volunteered to humiliate myself on TV to be able to work with a matchmaker.”

“I’m going to help you, Jennifer, but you have to be a little more open-minded. What good will it do for me—or Mr. Sterling—to find a great guy if you can’t open yourself to possibilities?”

Mac grudgingly had to admit Gem made some valid points to Jennifer. He still believed a bar was the worst place to take her, but Gem must’ve had a plan. He said nothing and tried to keep his expression neutral as he listened in.

“Just for tonight, pretend every guy you meet is a MacArthur Genius Grant fellow. He’s not only smart, but he’s also successful and rich. He doesn’t need your money and he’s not intimidated by your success. What’s more, he’ll be intrigued by it.”

Jennifer’s stance loosened, but she didn’t look convinced. “But they’re not.”

“How do you know?”

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

“For all you know, I convinced the producers to contact every Genius Grant recipient they could find and filled the bar with them.”

Gem was so sure of what she was saying, Mac almost believed her.

“Did you?” Jennifer asked.

“I’m not telling.” Again she took Jennifer’s shoulders and spun her to face the bar. “Look at all the options. Who looks most interesting?” She waited a beat. “Your mission tonight is to talk to no fewer than five guys and get their numbers.”

“What?” Jennifer squeaked.

Gem sighed. “Okay. It counts if they ask for your number.”

“How do I make that happen?”

“First take a seat at the bar. Choose your five guys. Or more if you’re so inclined. Then talk to them. Let nature take its course.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Now go.”

When Jennifer returned to the bar, Gem took her seat. She looked at Mac. “Comments?”

“Nope.” He took another drink of whisky.

“Liar.”

“What difference does it make?”

“You never hold your tongue. You get off on telling me everything I’m doing wrong.”

He set his glass down and leaned closer to her across the table. “First, I don’t tell you what you do wrong. I might not agree with your methods, but I’ve never corrected you. Questioned, but not corrected. And second,” He looked over his shoulder and made sure the cameras weren’t close enough to catch what he was saying. “That is nowhere near anything that will get me off.”

Gem blushed again, but clamped her jaw. For someone who was a self-professed pick-up artist, talk of s*x seemed to put her off her game. Interesting.

They sat in silence and watched as Jennifer attempted to follow Gem’s directions. The first conversation was almost as horrific to watch as the handshake she’d given the man earlier, but before she moved on, she rallied herself mentally. Mac noted the physical motions as Jennifer took deep breaths, closed her eyes, and then squared her shoulders. When she approached the next man, she was confident but not overbearing.

Gem leaned forward with an elbow on the table as if she was watching a key play in a game. When Jennifer continued to speak to the man for more than two minutes, Gem settled back in her chair.

She raised her glass. “And that’s how you teach a woman to flirt. I think you’re in trouble, Sterling.”

“Not likely … Damn. I have no idea what your last name is, so I can’t toss that back at you.”

She smiled and sipped from her glass. “A little mystery never hurt anyone.”

“Mystery? That’s why you only use one name?”

After a quick glance at Jennifer, Gem returned her attention to him. “No. In all honesty, the pseudonym is to keep my online dating and vlog life separate from my real day job life.”

And the plot thickened. Mac hadn’t considered her viral videos weren’t her main source of income. “What do you do?”

She paused and then said, “I’d rather not say.”

They slipped back into silence and Mac studied her while she studied Jennifer. To his surprise, Gem pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling as Jennifer made her rounds. It took over an hour, but Jennifer returned to their table with a triumphant smile on her face.

She slapped two business cards and a napkin on the table and turned her phone to face Gem. “Five numbers. And I got them all.”

Gem smiled. “I told you it was possible.”

“I can’t believe you were right.”

Gem lifted a shoulder as if to say all in a day’s work.

“That being said, I don’t think I’d actually call any of these guys. Pretending they’re Genius Grant recipients and having them be geniuses are two vastly different things.”

Gem laughed. It was louder than what most women would do, but it was pure enjoyment. When she calmed, she said, “I never said you’d do anything with those numbers, unless of course you want to. The dude with the broad shoulders and tight jeans is still checking you out.”

Jennifer glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the man in question.

“This was about getting you out of your comfort zone and making you at ease with a different M.O. What you used to do no longer worked. Now you have new tools to utilize.”

“Thank you. Anything else for tonight?”

“Nope. You’re free to go.” She stood. “I’m going to let the crew know we’re finished.”

Mac ordered another round for them. Although Gem was done with Jennifer, he wasn’t quite finished with Gem. When she returned, she eyed the drink.

“I didn’t order that.”

“It’s a celebratory drink. You did a good job with Jennifer. And that’s saying something because she’s been resistant to you from the beginning.”

“No, really?” Even her sarcasm was cute. She sat and took a sip.

“Why won’t you tell me what you do?”

“Defeats the whole purpose of keeping my two lives separate.”

Mac looked around the bar. “Cameras are gone. Just the two of us talking, getting to know each another.”

“Since when do you want to get to know me? I thought you had everything figured out.”

“So did I. But you surprise me.”

“How so?”

Mac stood and moved into the chair beside her. Much more conducive for private conversation.