I collapsed back against the ground. “What the hell is this?”
Mark crawled over to me. “Actual Hell and Max is Satan.”
“But once you get hired, the pay is so good,” I whined.
“So good.” He swore. “But do all interns have to go through this? And why are there always cameras?”
“No idea.” I turned to him. “But at least he took the gecko.”
“Words I never thought I’d hear a person utter,” he grumbled and stood. “Come on, let’s go shower.”
“But not together,” I added.
“No,” he said quickly, and then his arm was wrapped around me, his palm, pressed against my lower back in a possessiveness I realized I didn’t just want…but suddenly needed.
Confessional 1
Max
“Do I feel guilty?” I laughed. “Hell no, this is business, not personal. I’m the only one in the world who can match an employee up with their perfect job in less than three months. Are the series of tests difficult? Yes. Are they terrifying? At times. But it shows us how they work as a team, how they work as individuals, the tests from the Emory Games are the world’s number one not talked about source for businesses to find senior-level candidates without having to ever interview at all.” I grinned. “So no, at the end of the day, they’ll be getting their dream jobs, so I don’t feel guilty. Science has proven over and over again, for example, that taking care of a pet as if it was an infant shows your dedication and love toward what you do. On top of that, we saw today that they chose teamwork over points and stopped the box game at the same time. Everything…” I paused for the dramatics. “…is a test. But in the end. Worth it for our two shining candidates.”
“And what,” Rick, my producer, asked, “about the rumors that back at the apartment there was some…bonding going on?”
“Little G exaggerates. He came home with a very big smile, and that means he had a good time with his sitters. As you know we shut off the cameras in the main rooms at night. Tonight they’ll be in one of the unlocked bedrooms; time will tell if they share the bed together or separate. The point is, we aren’t just in the business of providing job opportunities; we also matchmake perfect personalities, so maybe they don’t take the job at the end of the day, but can you turn down your one true love?”
Rick laughed. “You’re an evil genius.”
“Thank you.” I held up Little G. “That’s why I’m rich.”
“Some call you crazy.”
“Rick.” I sighed. “Only the crazy ones make it. I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss the next game. Hopefully, our contestants continue to entertain us, and I so look forward to the first streaming episode on Emory Entertainment this week.”
“Another exciting surprise, your own streaming channel. How do you do it?”
“I’m an evil genius.” I grinned. “Oh, and before I forget.” I cleared my throat. “Max for president.”
Rick actually clapped. Idiot.
We wrapped up filming, and I made my way into my camera room entertained as hell.
Olivia was in the kitchen staring at the box I’d just delivered.
And Mark still looked petrified of what could be inside.
“Let the games…continue,” I whispered as I sat in my chair and watched.
Chapter Nine
Mark
“I don’t trust boxes anymore.” I shoved the box toward Olivia. “You open it.”
She shuddered. “You’re the guy!”
“Women and men are equal; not only do they deserve equal pay, but sometimes I think women deserve to be paid more for putting up with an entire male population that thinks it’s acceptable to send a pic of their dick to random strangers.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
I crossed my arms. “As much as you ‘hate’ me—” I made air quotes because, let’s be honest, she was rubbing herself all up and down my body last night, so maybe the hate isn’t as strong anymore. My dick twitched in agreement. “—I’m not a chauvinist.”
She kept staring.
I waved a hand in front of her face. “Why aren’t you blinking?”
“What?” She shook her head. “Sorry was thinking…things.” She gulped, and I could have sworn checked out the front of my jeans before blushing and grabbing a knife. “Fine, I’ll open it but only because of the words…that came out of your mouth, that you said.”
“Are you okay?” I laughed.
“Sure. Of course!” Why was she nodding so aggressively?
“Um, should you be holding a sharp object?” I asked, a bit concerned as she jabbed it into the box, cutting open the tape.
She pointed it at me. “Did you want to open the box then?”
“All yours.” I held up my hands in surrender.
She snorted and then slowly pulled open one brown flap of the package and peered inside.
“What do you see?” I whispered.
“Snakes,” she said with absolutely no emotion. “Lots of snakes.”
“Shit! For real?” I yelled, stumbling over my feet as I reeled backward.
She set down the knife and burst out laughing. “No, dumbass, it’s some sort of furniture piece from Ikea, it looks like…” She pulled out instructions and grimaced. “It looks like we get to put together a bed frame.”
I nearly pounded my chest and said I man, I use tools, but I figured she’d just punch me in the face, so I simply nodded and snatched the instructions away from her. “Looks easy enough.”
The doorbell rang again.
I paused. Sweat beaded at the back of my neck. “Think they’re classically conditioning us to flinch every time someone knocks or rings?” I wondered aloud.
She laughed. “Right, like it’s a social experiment we don’t even know we’re in.”
I shook my head. “Don’t give Max ideas.”
I could have sworn I heard evil laughter, but it was just my own paranoia about the insane man who wore flamingo ties and who I’d one day bring coffee to.
Olivia jerked the door open, a manila envelope that had been propped against it fell inward. With a sigh, she picked it up and reached inside, pulling out a small gold key. A single sheet of yellow paper fluttered to the ground.
I picked it up and read out loud. “Master bedroom.”
“Yay, a bed!” Olivia did a fist pump then seemed to remember she wasn’t the only one in the room. With a battle cry, she sprinted down the hall toward the last room on the right and tried to shove the key in. When it didn’t work, she panicked, dropped the key twice then moved to the next doorway.
This time the key went in, and she twisted the knob. She shoved the door open and gasped. “It’s so pretty!”
I followed after her. “Oh good, a mattress. Thought we were going to have to build one of those too.”
“Hilarious.” She shoved me.
I shoved her back for absolutely no reason other than I liked annoying her, and I still tasted her on my tongue.