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.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking about the hardest part of her plan.“Without, needless to say, letting him know he’s in one.”Milo nodded his head, stroking one hand up and down his wide, navy lapel.“Sneaky.”“Strategic,” Ivy shot back.Then nibbled a corner off her now lukewarm stack of pancakes.If they were going to continue to shoot her down, she might as well have a full stomach.Daphne cleared her throat.“Let’s get down to brass tacks.What do you need from us? You didn’t call us together just to tell us about your dreamy rooftop smooches.How do we figure into your Machiavellian scheme?”“As little as possible.”“Good.Because, frankly, I’m not entirely on board.I love you like a sister.This plan of yours feels a lot like watching you drive off a cliff with nothing more than a friendly wave.”Better than nothing.At least they weren’t flat out refusing to help her anymore.Putting them into a food coma must’ve helped diminish their resistance.“I’m going into this with my eyes wide open.First of all, I realize there’s a chance Ben might end up feeling like he’s been played.I don’t want any of you implicated.You each have your own existing relationships with Ben, and by extension, RealTV.All I need from you is one thing.And, I might add, the entire plan hinges on it.”“Let me guess, keep our big mouths shut?” asked Milo, miming a zipper pulling across his lips.“Got it in one.Ben already knows about your running bet about my dates.The last thing I need is for you to tease him.” To prevent any possible misunderstanding, she spelled it out for them, ticking off each point on her right hand.“That means no asking him once a week if he’s fallen in love yet, or if he’s caught me scribbling our names together.No nudges, winks or double entendres.No mention of how I picked out my wedding colors before I picked a college major.Love, lust and Ben are all off limits as conversational topics.”“Which leaves us what, exactly? Politics, weather and religion? Oh, that’ll lead to lively discussions over coffee breaks.”Left unchecked, Milo could babble on about his own complicated love life for hours on end.And he once spent fifteen minutes debating the merits of straight leg versus skinny cut jeans.Ivy doubted he’d ever resort to chatting about Democrats or deacons.“I’m sure you’ll manage.”“So while we’re muzzled, you’ll be insinuating yourself into his stone-cold heart how?” Daphne’s cocked head, still-crossed arms and overall rigid posture broadcast on all frequencies her ongoing disapproval.Ivy had a strong feeling her roommate would corner her several more times over the next few days to try and change her mind.“I’m going to coax him into amazing yet subtle dates that will let him experience all the benefits of a real relationship.”“Like what? Sex three times a day?” Milo wiggled his eyebrows and pursed his lips.Julianna bumped his ribs with her elbow.“She said a real relationship, not a Penthouse Forum letter.”“No sex,” Ivy announced.It killed her, but sometime around four in the morning she’d realized celibacy had to be the linchpin of the entire plan.Milo’s jaw dropped.“What? You might as well try to carve a turkey with an origami knife.”“He’s sampled the water, shall we say, and has made it quite clear he wants to make another trip to the well.” The raciness—for her—of the euphemism tinged Julianna’s cheeks peony pink as she spoke.Ivy thought it might be the most blatantly sexual thing her very uptight assistant had ever said.Daphne nodded, hard and fast.“You’re shooting yourself in the foot.The one thing in the plus column is that Ben’s got the raging hot and lustys for you.Why not use your…assets?”The feeling was mutual.Distracted by his mind-bendingly succulent kisses, Ivy hadn’t even noticed when the fireworks display ended.A waitress had finally given Ben a discreet tap on the shoulder to break them up.“Sex messes up the equation.We already know we push all the right buttons in that area.I want to find out what else makes Ben tick.Getting horizontal shifts all the blood south of the belt.In order for this to work, the only organ I need him focused on is his heart.”“In order for this to work, you need a bolt of lightning to strike Ben in the head.A near-death experience is the only way that man will suddenly embrace commitment.But,” Daphne unfurled a slow, reluctant smile, “if you get me a hot chocolate to go with extra whipped cream, I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut.”“Fair enough
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Tematy
IndexWarren Adler Wojna państwa Rose 01 Wojna państwa Rose
§ Menzel Iwona W poszukiwaniu zapachu snów 01 W poszukiwaniu zapachu snów
Lachlan M D Synowie boga 01 Synowie boga (2)
Robbins Harold Handlarze snów 01 Handlarze snow
§ Rudnicka Olga (01) Zacisze 13 Zacisze 13
Reynard Sylvain Piekło Gabriela 01 Piekło Gabriela
Kalifornijska noc 01 Kalifornijska noc Adler Elizabeth
Alexandra Bracken Mroczne umysły 01 Mroczne umysły
Sri Swami Sivananda KUNDALINI YOGA
Grange Jean Christophe Las cieni