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That thought reined in her wild fantasies.
Right. She was supposed to be matchmaking for this dickhead. Inexplicable annoyance filled her and she went back to being angry at him.
“Yes, that’s fine.” She muttered at him, careful not to look at his shiny grin. You didn’t stare into the sun. It burned your eyes. “Anyone else want to practice their smiles on me?”
“No, they’re not going to do that.” Kahn decided before the rest of them could answer.
The other Light Phases’ gazes all went to Kahn. Then to Randa. Then back to Kahn. None of them smiled.
Kahn crossed his arms over his chest, looking pleased with himself. “You can go on to tip number two, Randa. I’ll practice that one next.”
Why did that sound like a threat?
Ignoring the weird sensations he’d caused in her body, she pointed at the screen. “Second tip: Pay for everyone’s drinks. You guys have a lot of money. Use it to buy plenty of alcohol for the women. They will think you’re wealthy and generous. They will hopefully be too tipsy to notice any non-human mishaps you have. They will all gather around you to get free booze, and you can meet more potential Matches. It’s a win/win/win situation for you.”
“I can buy you a drink.” Kahn seemed pleased by the idea. “Do you want one now?”
“What?” She blinked. “No, of course not.”
Kahn’s glowy smile vanished.
Mannus and Daven exchanged a sideways look.
“Acts like sharing food and exchanging drinks are important in Light Phase culture.” Julius interjected, as if he was trying to help Kahn. Gaia only knew why Jules would be invested in a dating practice session.
Randa snorted, because she hadn’t forgotten how they’d refused to eat dinner with her. “They’re important to all cultures. But I can buy my own drinks.”
Kahn sullenly sat back, unhappy with her refusal.
Randa would not be sidetracked by the way his spectacular arms stretched the sleeves of his hated “alligator shirt.” (She still couldn’t believe he’d wanted a larger size. Had he even looked in a mirror?) “Next tip: Ask the women questions. Be interested in their lives. Engaging in conversation will be vital tonight.”
“What’s a good question to ask?” Julius already had his pen poised to write it down.
“Well, that depends on what you want to know about her.”
“How many men has she killed?” Rye volunteered, because sure… that was the perfect icebreaker. “I’ll ask that. Hopefully, it will be a lot. My parents would expect me to find a truly merciless queen.”
“Um, I probably wouldn’t start with that question. Maybe just ask where she works and how she likes it.” Randa looked back to Kahn. “We should practice this one. Pretend I’m a woman at the bar and you’ve come up to me. How would you say hello?”
“Hello.”
“Perfect!” She glanced at the others. “See how well he did that?”
All four of them nodded in deep concentration.
Kahn smirked, like he’d conquered Everest.
“Now what should you say next?” She offered a hint, before he could get it wrong. “You should ask me about my job, right?”
“You work at the police station.” Kahn watched her closely, his dark eyes curious. “Do you like it?”
Randa brushed her hair behind her ear, and actually considered that question. “I do like it. I enjoy helping humans.”
His brows drew together, going off script. “Just don’t be alone with any of them. They could be dangerous.”
“Okay, you don’t need to warn the woman about hidden perils in her life. I know you guys love security and fighting, but…”
“Humans can be dangerous.” He interjected seriously. “Stick close to me, once we get to the bar.”