Chapter 3: Fire Meet Gasoline

"How do I look?" Kit asked as she waltzed into her living room, where Gemma was patiently waiting.

"You look stunning!" she trilled excitedly while running her eyes over Kit's body appreciatively. "Do a turn for me!"

Kit laughed and waved Gemma off as she walked across her open-plan living area, straight into her kitchen. She was secretly pleased that Gemma felt she looked good in her casual outfit - a nude bodysuit, cargo pants, and a cute pair of heeled sandals.

Gemma trailed after her and planted herself on a chair in front of the kitchen counter. "Are you looking cute to impress a certain someone?"

Kit snorted as she turned from the cupboard with two wine glasses. "The last thing I care about is being attractive to Luca Brooks. I have a heartbeat and that's all he really cares about."

Gemma chuckled and happily accepted a glass as Kit started filling it with Rosé. "Do you even remember why you hate the guy?"

Kit rolled her eyes in response. "I'm considering hypnotherapy to have a shot at forgetting!"

Gemma rolled her eyes in amusement and sipped her wine appreciatively. "You're such a drama queen!"

Kit shrugged unrepentantly. "Guys like him are the reason why I don't waste my time with dating and romance."

"Okay, so he's kind of a f*ckboy," Gemma conceded with a slight wince. "That aside, even you can't deny that the man is drop-dead gorgeous!"

Kit shot her an amused look and handed her a paper towel. "Don't get any drool on my marble countertops."

"Ha-ha," Gemma responded sarcastically as she pushed Kit's hand away, "You're really not even going to try to enjoy this? He's in the top five of the most eligible bachelors in this city."

Kit sighed, "Gem, I've agreed to this crazy idea because I've invested a lot of time and money in this brand. I don't care how hot or eligible this guy is."

Gemma shrugged and sipped her wine again. "That doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it a little. With his reputation…he's probably amazing in bed!"

Kit laughed, "I don't mix business with pleasure, and this is very much a business deal."

Gemma smiled wickedly. "Most of the contracts you sign with your employees have a great benefits package. Why should this be any different?"

"You are absolutely nasty!" Kit cackled as she pushed Gemma playfully. "You sure sound like you want him."

Gemma giggled but shook her head. "I'm still as in love with Max as ever. That said, my eyes still work and that man is absolutely yummy!"

Kit snorted, "Whatever you say Gem, just make sure you keep it in your pants when they get here."

Gemma's response was cut off by the buzzing of Kit's phone vibrating on the counter.

"This is Nikita," she answered as she placed the phone to her ear. "Please send them up, thanks." She hung up and placed the phone back on the counter before taking a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Gemma patted Kit's hand comfortingly. "You said it yourself, this is just another business deal."

The doorbell chimed throughout the apartment, interrupting whatever Kit wanted to say in response. She grimaced at Gemma who gave her an amused smile and walked off to open the door.

Kit focused on taking deep breaths as she heard Gemma open the door and deep voices rumbling in the entryway. She had a nervous feeling in her gut that was absolutely foreign to her. Then again, this was an area she had absolutely no expertise in.

Gemma entered the room first and shot Kit an exaggerated 'oh my god' look which she ignored. James was next to enter the room, he sported a beaming smile the second he spotted Kit standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Nikita! It's lovely to see you again," he said as he walked right to her and pulled her into a hug.

Kit stiffened for a moment before accepting the hug. She smiled at him cautiously when he pulled away and stepped back; studiously ignoring the spot where she knew Luca must be standing. She could almost swear she could feel his gaze boring into the side of her face.

"Hello James, it's nice to see you again too," Kit responded politely.

"I didn't know that you two were already acquainted," Luca spoke up, capturing Kit's attention immediately.

She turned and finally met his curious gaze. He was dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, showing off tattoos on various parts of his body. Everything fit him as if it had been tailormade.

Kit had to force herself not to scowl as she drank him in. It pained her to admit it, but Gemma was right. Luca Brooks was kind of a snack.

Kit turned to Luca and arched her brow delicately. "I assume you don't remember our last encounter."

Luca tensed as he watched her full lips tighten in disapproval. She was more beautiful in person. He'd already started flirting with the idea of making some aspects of their future relationship real.

He internally cursed James for not warning him that they'd apparently both met her before as he racked his brain. No memories came to mind, and he couldn't imagine ever forgetting her piercing gaze.

He shifted uncomfortably and glared at James briefly before answering. "Well, this is embarrassing. I'm not the best with names and faces at the worst of times."

Kit smirked at him coldly, her full lips twitching slightly. "I wonder if that's because you're always drunk or if it's because you approach too many women a day to keep track."

James barked out a laugh that he immediately tried to disguise as a cough, causing Luca to glare at him.

Luca turned his attention back to Nikita and shrugged. "I reserve my energy for remembering remarkable women. You clearly didn't meet the requirements."

"Okay!" Gemma interjected loudly. "We're really getting off track. Why don't we move to the dining room and discuss the contract."

Kit shot Gemma a dark look before gesturing toward the direction of the dining room with her arm. She turned and wordlessly led the way.

Luca's eyes were entranced by the way her hips moved as she sauntered away from him. Gemma's amused laughter broke him out of his trance. She winked at him before following Kit.

He exhaled noisily and closed his eyes to collect himself.

"You're doing great bud!" James laughed as he grabbed Luca's shoulder and started steering him toward the door.

"Go f*ck yourself," Luca answered in a fake cheery tone. "You're such a jack*ss. Why didn't you warn me?"

James shrugged. "A little fun keeps me young. Truthfully, it didn't even occur to me until I saw her and it was too late by then."

Luca sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "When did we meet her? I'm drawing a total blank."

James winced and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Luca groaned in response and cursed quietly.

"Yeah," he drawled, "You were definitely the jack*ss on that occasion." James started snickering. "I've never seen you strike out so bad, but I guess you were drunker than I realized."

"Judging from her reaction, there's no way she'll go through with this," Luca sighed.

"Look, she agreed to this even though she remembers that night. It's still salvageable," James told him consolingly. "Go in there and apologize and we'll go from there. Whatever her reasons are, she needs this arrangement too."

Luca sighed before nodding his head hesitantly and allowing himself to be led to his fate. He kept reminding himself that this was necessary - and short-lived.

They could hear hushed voices as they approached the dining room. When Luca finally entered the room, Kit and Gemma immediately fell silent. Kit was sitting in a seat adjacent to the door and her expression was blank as she watched him enter the room and sit across from her.

James nudged Luca subtly in the side, jolting him into action. "Nikita, I can't remember our last encounter but I understand it was unpleasant for you. Please accept my apologies."

Kit snorted, "How much can the apology really mean when you don't even know what you're apologizing for?"

Luca scowled and met her steely gaze. "With an attitude like this, it's no wonder that you have to resort to a matchmaker!"

Kit laughed derisively, "That's rich coming from someone who can only maintain a relationship if it's fake and contractually obligated!"

The two glared at each other over the table, tension thick in the air. Luca clenched his jaw and turned to face James.

"I can't do this. I'm not going to deal with this for six weeks!"

"I agree with him, this was a bad idea," Kit spoke up, shooting Gemma a glare the entire time.

"Let's not be hasty now!" James responded in a calming tone. "Personal feelings aside, this relationship will benefit everyone in this room on several levels."

Gemma nodded along. "Neither of you will find a better match anywhere else. Besides, this chemistry is hot and real. The public is going to eat it up completely!"

Kit groaned, "You're mistaking disdain for chemistry."

"Kit," Gemma chided, causing her to glare at Gemma defiantly.

Kit had, somehow, allowed Gemma to convince her that moving forward with this deal was a good idea. Though, she still had major reservations about committing to spending that much time with Luca.

Gemma's expression changed from angry to pleading, causing Kit to sigh internally. She had promised Gemma she would put those feelings aside for the sake of moving on to the next chapter.

She exhaled and turned to meet Luca's unreadable gaze. Despite their rocky start, she was impressed that he could meet her jab for jab. Maybe they could actually forge a friendship, or maybe she'd end up in jail for murder.

Sometimes, you just had to roll the dice and hope for the best.

"Okay," Kit started in a calm tone, "Gemma's right, I may not like you but I agreed to this because you're well-known and well-loved. I'll keep my mouth shut and do what we have to do. I simply ask that you do the same."

Luca nodded stiffly in agreement but chose not to say anything, his gaze boring into Kit.

"All right then!" Gemma clapped delightedly. "So the contract will be standard, boilerplate-type stuff. Other than confidentiality, you two will have to be seen together in public at least three times a week and engage in some light PDA."

"Define light PDA," Luca spoke without moving his eyes from Nikita who was boldly meeting his gaze.

Gemma looked between the two of them with a smirk. "Enough to make it believable. Some hand-holding and kissing when the cameras are on you…what you do off camera is up to you."

"We won't be doing anything off camera," Kit stated firmly, almost daringly.

Luca smiled and chuckled quietly, his gaze turning amused. He openly ran his gaze over the visible portion of her body, finally coming to a stop on her lips.

Kit stiffened in response, feeling annoyance and an emotion she didn't want to name coursing through her.

Gemma cleared her throat, "Carrying on, this is strictly professional and there shall be no involvement of any family members or friends. This also means that no one outside of this room can know about this arrangement."

Everyone around the table nodded their head in agreement with Gemma's words.

"Okay," she continued, "Kit's assistant will forward you the final contract and details for your first date. Does anyone have anything to add?"

Luca smirked slightly, his gaze flickering from Kit's eyes to her lips. "I look forward to working with you Kit."

"Nikita," she corrected instantly in a hard tone before pushing back from the table and leaving the room.