The Dating Game (Alphalicious Billionaires 5)

It might definitely have been easier to become a shriveled up old prune. A single prune, but after date two, she was already in too deep.

It was absolutely terrifyingly thrilling.

CHAPTER 14

Alex

“She what? Saved an old lady from getting mugged? What kind of woman are we talking about here, because I’m sure that you’re making all this shit up. She can’t be nice, pretty, smart, and be willing to date your broke ass and actually exist.”

“I have video evidence of her saving the lady.”

“Yeah, well, I want to see the footage when she was in your apartment.” Jay crossed his arms over his chest. He’d come barging into Alex’s office again, like he owned the place. Well, he kind of did. Half own it.

Alex dug a finger under the collar of his too-tight dress shirt. Why did it suddenly feel like someone had been fiddling with the stupid office thermostat again? There were a few people there who complained it was frigid at all times and a few who complained that they were being roasted alive in the furnaces of hell, so there was a constant battle of wills going on about the temperature.

Alex didn’t even know where the thermostat was. It was supposed to be a corporate HR secret, the kind of thing only the ultimate authority knew about, but clearly, the secret was out.

“That’s- uh- I’d prefer that you just meet her in person.”

“Why couldn’t you do a video inside the apartment as evidence? That would have been better proof.”

Alex knew that he was probably six shades of scarlet. “Er- that’s not possible.”

Jay’s mouth nearly hit the floor before he slammed it shut and let out a bark of laughter. “Jeez. Are you telling me you scored with her already? She not only paid for your meals and saved a damsel in distress, but she actually put out for you too?”

“Stop,” Alex ground out. He shot Jay one of those looks that he gave employees who liked to stir up trouble here and there or say unkind things about their co-workers. “We are not discussing that and certainly not here.”

Jay glanced towards the glassed-in office. “Why not? The door’s shut. The glass is sound deadening. Come on. I want details.”

“Nope. Not giving you anything. You’ll have to meet her.”

“Meet her? What good would that do? You could just be paying her to act. Make me think that everything is going your way, just so that I lose.”

“Why would I go to all the trouble of getting a different apartment and a truck and shitty clothes if I wanted to win by dishonesty? You know me. I’m much too competitive to let it go down that way.”

“I just can’t believe it.” Jay shook his head. “What kind of woman would want to go out with you? Why would she stick around if she knows you have no money, let alone put out?”

“Okay, she didn’t put out,” Alex hissed. “That’s a shitty term anyway. Second, uh- I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I have no idea what she sees in me.”

Jay slammed his expensive leather shoes up on the desk, just because he knew that shit drove Alex nuts. Was it payback time?

“Maybe she’s actually named Brunhilda and she’s eighty and full of warts. Maybe that’s why she’s with you.”

“Thanks,” Alex remarked dryly. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Spoken like only a true friend can. And she’s not eighty. She’s sure as hell not ugly. She’s not full of warts and she’s not desperate.”

“Maybe she’s a good actress then.”

“She’s not an actress.”

“Maybe she’s trying to win a bet too.”

“She’s not trying to win a bet.”

“Maybe she’s had a run of bad luck and you’re just the least rotten of the rotten apples in the rotten ass barrel.”

“You sure know how to kick a guy when he’s down. Why don’t you vacate my office so I can get some work done?”

Jay laughed. “You weren’t doing any work when I sauntered by your office. You were staring into space like you were thinking about something really nice and now I know what it was. Last night. You scored.”

“Stop. We are not talking about that.”

“Since when? You used to love talking about your conquests.”

“No, I’m pretty sure that was you. I’ve never called a woman a conquest before. I might have been less than savory about how I talked about past girlfriends, but that was years ago when I was young and stupid and incredibly rude. I’ve grown up since then. You’re the one who likes to come in here and brag to me about the latest blonde haired, fake breasted woman you’ve garnered into breaking your stone-cold heart.”

Jay feigned hurt. At least, it looked like it. Maybe a little bit of that face scrunch was genuine. “Now who’s kicking who?”