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Chapter 3

Ivy had avoided themain office of My Single Alien for weeks. Ever since she’d made the mistake of drunkenly submitting her own dating profile to be considered as a match with an alien, she hadn’t wanted to face the others.

She’d imagined the conversations Vegas and her minions had had about her application. She bet they’d laughed, imagining poor, lonely Ivy desperate for a mate.

Well, they were wrong, and she wasn’t. She’d put it off long enough, ignoring Vegas’s messages to meet with her. It wasn’t until Diadora had asked if there was a problem that Ivy realized she needed to face up to this. Whenever Diadora intervened, you knew you were in trouble. Ivy liked her work. She wouldn’t lose this job over one dumb error.

After doing a final check on her makeup in the bathroom mirror, she strode out of her quarters and along the curved corridor of the station until she reached the work area.

Different aliens worked on Prodigy. Some came for short-term contracts, others were here for years, and a few even set up permanent bases, much like My Single Alien. The office had their logo outside. Ivy hated it. It showed a grinning, mildly smug Draxdan, his human mate, and their baby. They’d approved the logo before she’d joined as their PR whiz. If she’d been here, that dumb image would never have gotten by her keen eye.

Her wrist comm signaled a message. It was from Karn. Drinks tonight? See you in the Enchanted Captain at 8pm. xx

Ivy didn’t reply. She might go. Ivy had an annoying soft spot for Karn. When he wasn’t putting on his super alien act, he could be funny and charming. He also listened to her. Whenever they went out, he asked questions as if he wanted to discover what made Ivy tick. Maybe that was his nature. As a spy, he needed to understand people, winkle useful bits of information he could use against them if he needed it.

Ivy’s mouth twisted to the side. She had to remember, never trust a Forka and never trust any guy. Trouble in sexy packages never ended well for her.

Ivy pulled back her shoulders and strode into the office.

Vegas, Nell, and Avril were already in there. Great, triple bitches to deal with this morning.

Vegas’s eyes widened as she saw Ivy. “I was wondering if you’d given up on this place.”

“I’ve been busy,” Ivy said.

“As have all of us,” Vegas said. “Diadora needs your first proofs for the latest PR profiles. She’s looking for something special in the next campaign.”

Ivy settled in a seat. “She’s always looking for something special. That’s why she hired me.”

Vegas’s eyebrows rose a fraction. “I’ve put together a list of a dozen new matches you might be interested in. Three of them have already gotten pregnant. They’d make great stories.”

Ivy flicked through the first file. “You’re a PR expert now?” Actually, Vegas had done a damn good job of picking this couple. The public would drool over them. The kid they’d produced was out of this world cute, with large dark alien eyes and glowing skin. She looked like an adorable shiny angel.

“No, I leave that to you. I bring individuals together, so you can tart them up and show them off to the world. Actually, that does mean the work I do makes you look good.”

“I’ll remember to thank you some time,” Ivy said.

She didn’t miss the grin that passed between the three women. Any second now, they would ask about her application. She still hadn’t figured out what she would say. Could she pretend it was a lie and someone submitted it pretending to be her? There was no way that would work. She’d been so dizzy on champagne that she’d used her own computer station in her quarters to submit the profile. If Ivy claimed somebody else had done it, they’d be able to track it back to her room. That would lead to another lie as she explained how somebody broke into her quarters, knew everything about her, and submitted a profile to the agency.

“We’ve got lots of new potential matches coming in,” Nell said quietly. “They’ll keep you busy.”

Ivy nodded. She was in that pile of matches.

“I’m having a movie night tonight.” Heather hurried through the door, her arms full of boxes. “Oh, Ivy! I didn’t know you were here.” She placed the boxes on the table.

“Movie night?” Vegas asked. “What’s showing?”

Heather glanced at Ivy. “I thought we’d do rom coms. I’ve got some classics lined up.”

Ivy shook her head. Heather lived her life in a daydream. She was either gazing at the stars or watching make-believe worlds in the movies. Somehow, she’d bagged herself a mate who loved the same things. Not that he was much of a catch, a science geek missing a horn, but they worked. Ever since they’d gotten together, Heather hadn’t stopped smiling. Ivy found it as irritating as space dust trapped in her panties.

“I love a rom com,” Avril said. “You can count me in. I’ll bring the cookies.”

“I’ve got some chocolate,” Vegas said.

“When don’t you have chocolate?” Heather grinned as she flipped open a box. “This is some of our new publicity material.”

Ivy leaned forward in her seat. She’d led on the final sign off for the latest campaign promoting the success of My Single Alien. She couldn’t deny she’d done an incredible job. Ever since the teaser campaign had gone out, inquiries had risen by twenty-five percent.