Page 68 of Fire and Ice

"See, I hate getting caught in the middle of this," Derek said. "It's almost like a messed-up love triangle."

Jack's face grew darker. Maia was controlling a grin.

"Viktor is worried that he has no way of contacting you," Derek continued. "Oh, stop scowling, Jack! You're with Maia, Viktor comes with the package."

"Like fucking hell!"

Maia started laughing.

"This is not funny!" Derek and Jack said at the same time, Derek in a mocking tone, Jack in a pissed-off one.

"Oh, Jack, you're playing straight into Viktor's twisted sense of humor. He likes messing with my men."

"Yourmen?"

The air turned frosty.

"How many did you have?"

Maia paused, an expression of concentration on her face.

"What, can't keep track of them?" Jack sneered, his voice rising.

"Stop being a damn hypocrite. How many girlfriends did you have?"

"Twenty-one excluding the one-night-stands."

"Jeez, how do you keep up without a deli ticketing machine?"

"You can't fucking answer a simple question?"

"All right, I had two relationships and uh... seven hookups."

"So what am I?"

"You're my seventh hookup."

Jack looked thunderous. His glare could have speared Maia to the wall. He regarded her for a few seconds and then turned around, stalked away and slammed the door to his study behind him.

"I don't trust his retreats," Maia murmured to Derek.

"I don't either," Derek replied. "I think he's a little pissed that he'd been relegated to hookup status."

"Well, he's hardly a relationship. We've been together barely a week."

"So, you are together?"

"I don't know, it's darn confusing. Jack keeps changing the rules."

Derek looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think you've gotten under his skin and he doesn't know what to do about it. Jack hates feeling vulnerable. Never seen him out of sorts like this. Interesting."

"Well, I don't want to get under his skin. I need to be out of here by Friday and if he tranquilizes me again or cuffs me to the bed, there will be hell to pay."

"Cuff you to the bed?"

"He has threatened to."

"Good God, what have you done to him. The man has lost his mind!" Derek actually guffawed.

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