Love. Sex. Magic.

“Fuck,” Viktor muttered as he closed the door behind Patrick. Aria and Patrick looked expectantly at Viktor. “Let me get the vodka.”

“This requires vodka?” Aria asked.

“Maybe? What do you think you know?”

“I think Whitney was trying to find Patrick a girlfriend that day in the coffee shop a month ago. And I think you knew about the scheme and that’s why you came in. And I think Whitney didn’t find anyone that day but you decided I might be an option and invited us to go to that charity game. Well, that and you liked Leia.”

Viktor sighed. “Yeah, we need vodka.” He retrieved a bottle of grey goose from the freezer and pulled out four shot glasses, filling each. “Bottoms up everyone,” he said as they each grabbed one. He poured a second round which they all drank.

“Talk,” Patrick demanded.

“Whitney took out a personal ad to find you a girlfriend.”

“She did what?!”

“After you called her to run off that girl at seven in the morning, she decided she had had enough with you and the dirty girls. That day at the beach sealed it for her. So she took out a personal ad. She didn’t name names, she didn't give anything away to make anyone think it was you but she took it out and then met several women who answered. No one panned out. Then we met Aria and I liked her. She’s pretty and blonde, and those are like the top two things on your list. Plus she’s really smart and she seemed perfectly level headed and not at all dirty so I thought Whitney might approve. So I pulled Aria into a conversation with us and invited them to that game. Then you fucked it up.”

“Who else knows?”

“Taser.”

“He let Whitney go through with this?”

“Do you think she actually gave him much of a choice?”

Patrick turned to Aria. “You knew too?”

She frowned. “I had a suspicion, just based on the things I overheard Whitney and Viktor say but I never saw the ad and I didn't even know it existed. But when Viktor questioned me, yeah, I felt pretty sure that I had just been interviewed for the chance to date you so I went. Carlee would’ve killed me if I hadn't accepted and Leia thought Viktor was hot.”

“I can't believe you knew and didn't tell me.”

“I didn’t know exactly what I knew and to be honest, after I met you, I could’ve given two shits about your feelings. You were an asshole.”

“Yeah but I apologized.”

“You did and I went out with you, didn’t I?”

“You could’ve said something after we started seeing each other.”

“Like what? Oh by the way Pat, I think your best friend has made it her mission to find you a girlfriend? Not likely, sir.”

“So now what?”

“Confront Whitney.”

“That’s too easy.”

“Get even,” Leia spoke up.

“What do you mean get even?” Patrick asked.

“You and Whitney are close, and you’re close with Jonathan too, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So you know what they’re doing, when and where, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Aria is going to date your teammates.”

“No.”

“Yes. You are going to send Aria into places you know Whitney will be with half your roster, make Whitney think the worst of her. And then you’ll bring her to something important, maybe some team function? I don’t know but Whitney will freak out and she’ll spill her guts.”

Patrick contemplated the idea. “That actually might work....Aria, how do you feel about Shawzy?”

“Who?”

Patrick grinned. “This is going to be so much fun.”

Viktor looked to the sky. “Heaven fucking help us.”



“Hey, you must be Aria,” Andrew Shaw said as he walked up to Aria, who waited for him in front of the coffee shop two nights later. “I’m Andrew.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“So Kaner says I can’t kiss you but to make it believable.”

“Of course he did.” Andrew grinned.

“You ready?”

“Yeah, sure.” He nodded and offered his arm to her before they set off for a bar down the street.

“I don’t really know why I’m doing this other than Kaner said I owed him a favor, even though I don’t recall every promising him anything....”

“The less you know, the better.”

“I can live with that. So are you and Pat like together?”

“Together?”

“Yeah, are you dating? Are you his girlfriend?”

“I am not his girlfriend.”

“Oh....but you’re dating?”

“We’ve gone out a few times.”

“So then why can’t I kiss you?”

“Maybe I don’t want you to kiss me.”

“But why not? I'm adorable.”

Aria giggled. “ You’re very adorable, Andrew.”

“But you don’t want to kiss me?”

“Sorry.”

“You want to kiss Kaner?”

“I have kissed him; its not bad,” she shrugged.

“So you two are together!”

“I didn't say that.”

“But you’ve kissed him.”

“Were you ‘“together” with every girl you've ever kissed?”

“No.”

“Okay then.” He held the door open and Aria walked into the bar. Andrew followed and placed a hand at the small of her back to guide her through the bar. “Let’s get drinks,” Aria said, leaning back towards Andrew so he would hear her. He nodded and they moved forward. Aria spotted a couple seats at the bar and made her way towards them. She sat and turned towards Andrew. “So, tell me all about Andrew Shaw.”

They chatted for the better part of an hour and Aria laughed at a joke Andrew had just told, leaning into him and holding onto his arm as she laughed when Whitney spotted the pair of them. She excused herself from her group and walked over to say hello.

“Aria! Shawzy! I didn’t know you knew each other.”

“We didn’t,” Aria answered with a smile. “But I was at Target and someone nearly ran me down with his shopping cart.”

“Whoops!” Andrew interjected with a boyish grin. “But I couldn’t let her get away without her number.”

“Oh, so this is a date?” Aria nodded. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it then. Andrew, don’t forget about the party on Saturday.”

“I’ll be there,” he promised.

“Later!” Whitney waved and walked back.

“Is that Shaw?” Jonathan asked her.

“Yeah, he’s on a date with Aria."

“That girl Kaner insulted?”

“The one and the same.”

“How did she meet him?”

“Apparently at Target.”

“Huh. Well, at least you don’t have to field questions about her from Kaner anymore.”

“Yeah, apparently.”

“Wonder if he’ll bring her Saturday. They look like they’re enjoying each other.”

“So am I supposed to bring you to this thing on Saturday?” Andrew asked Aria.

She shook her head. “No; I already have a date for that.”

"Kane?"

She shook her head. "Honestly I don't have a clue."

"You're not going with Kaner?"

"No. He's setting me up with someone."

"He's setting you up with another one of his teammates?"

"Mm-hmm."

"But you and him?"

"I told you, the less you know the better. Lets just say Patrick thinks he's giving someone a taste of their own medicine and I'm just along for the ride."

"You know that Kaner's schemes tend to backfire, right?"

"It's a chance worth taking."