Ivy had avoided the main 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.

“This is amazing.” Heather flipped through the glossy brochure. “The Council will love these.”

“They might even throw a little more money our way,” Vegas said. “With all the new business, we need more matchmakers.”

Ivy jumped up, unable to endure the tension she felt any longer. “I need to get out of here.”

Heather looked at her. “If you want to, you can join us for movie night. There’s always plenty of food.”

“That’s not my style.” Ivy turned toward the door.

“Not cool enough for you?” Vegas asked.

“You got it.”

Avril glared at Ivy. “It’s cooler than secretly applying to My Single Alien to find a boyfriend.”

Ivy’s heart raced as she turned slowly on her heel.

Avril shrank back in her seat.

“What did you say?”

Avril licked her lips. “That you’re not as cool as you make out you are. If you want a date, you only have to ask. We’d be happy to set you up with someone suitable.”

“I’m not looking for a date.”

Avril pointed to her tablet. “Why is your profile on here?”

Ivy moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. She tried to stare down Avril but failed. Avril continued to glare at her. She was normally so happy and smiley, so willing to be everyone’s best friend. Not this time.

Vegas stepped between them. “Ivy, let’s go talk somewhere.”

“We’ve finished talking.”

“I’ve got a few things to run by you. Let’s get out of here and find somewhere quiet.”

Ivy shot one more menace-filled glare at Avril before turning and following Vegas into a small private room next to the main office.

“Take a seat.” Vegas sat down and placed her hands flat on the desk.

Reluctantly, Ivy joined her. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem. I must admit I am curious about your application. Why didn’t you come talk to me first?”

“Because it’s none of your business.”

“Well, as manager here, it is. When a member of staff applies for a match, it changes things.”

“We’re on the same pay grade. I don’t need to run anything by you.”

“You did submit an application?” Vegas asked. “I wondered if it was a mistake. Sometimes glitches happen. It wasn’t so long ago this whole place almost blew up thanks to a glitch in the station’s code.”

Ivy forced herself to take a deep breath. “What if it was a mistake? Can you get rid of it?”

Vegas nodded. “I can. If an error has been made, or even if you’ve changed your mind, there’s no harm been done. Nobody else needs to know.”

“That lot does.” Ivy inclined her head toward the office next door. “I bet you’ve all had fun gossiping about this.”

“Nobody gossiped.”

Ivy arched an eyebrow. “Really? You’re telling me you’ve spent no time discussing this and wondering why you discovered my profile in the database?”

Vegas shrugged, and a small smile crossed her lips. “Okay. We might have talked about it a bit. We were curious. You seem so self-sufficient, like you don’t need anybody.”

“I don’t.”

“I used to think that,” Vegas said. “Then I met Solan.”

“I’m nothing like you,” Ivy said. “I don’t need some musclebound alien to make my life complete.”

Vegas raised a hand. “I never said you did. I meant, I didn’t know what I wanted until I discovered it. I liked being on my own. Things change. Maybe things have changed for you.”

Ivy felt her fingers clench. “Nothing’s changed. I must have pressed the wrong button when I submitted to the agency.”

Vegas looked down at the tablet she’d brought in with her. “You don’t want to see the match we’ve come up with for you?”

Nerves fluttered through Ivy’s chest. She shouldn’t care. She didn’t want to be with anybody. It would only complicate things. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“I can delete the record. I thought you might be interested. The match was almost instant. We’ve never seen such a quick match. Normally, it takes weeks of sorting and refining to come up with a top ten of matches. You got one. It’s an almost one hundred percent match.”

Ivy blinked slowly. Who would be such a good match for her? He’d have to be wealthy and confident. Maybe someone high up on the Council of Representatives. They always gained prestige and status when they joined. Her nose wrinkled. The images she’d seen of council members showed a bunch of pompous aliens who liked to play god with the galaxies. Whoever her match was, he needed to know how to enjoy himself.

“You can have time to think about it,” Vegas said. “I won’t delete anything until you tell me to.”

Ivy held her hand out. “Show me my match.”

Without saying a word, Vegas turned the tablet around.

Ivy swallowed. It was Karn. How was that possible? “Is this a joke?”

Vegas’s eyes widened. “No, it was an instant match. You submitted your profile, and the database did the rest. I double checked everything myself because I was so surprised by how quickly it happened. This Forka is your ideal match.”

“He can’t be. We’ve met. I know him.” Was Karn really her ideal match?

Vegas smiled. “That’s a great start if you’ve already met. Do you like him? Is there any chemistry?”

Ivy thought back to their last date. The chemistry had been so strong, she’d been tempted to break her third date rule and let him into her room, maybe even to spend the night. “I’m not sure.”

“Sometimes the spark can take longer. You need to get to know your match before you grow fond of him. A slow burn can be the best way to true love. Friendship first and then the passion comes.”

Ivy handed Vegas the tablet. Indecision churned inside her. She was never like this. She made a decision, moved on, and never looked back. Well, never looked back on most things. There were some learning experiences you needed to remember.

“If you want me to, I can arrange a meeting. I haven’t told your match yet that he’s been paired with you. He knows nothing about this.”

“Make sure it stays that way,” Ivy said. “I’m not sure about him. Forkas don’t have a good reputation.”

Vegas nodded. “I’ll admit I was surprised when he came up in the database. I did a background check. He’s been here for months. He works freelance by the looks of things.”

Ivy already knew that. “He’s an intelligence gatherer. A spy.”

“As you can imagine, that kind of work doesn’t leave much of a trail. His history is patchy. You might like to investigate that yourself if you decide to pursue him.”

Ivy tapped her fingers on the table. “Maybe I should check him out first. You’re certain your database isn’t messing about again?”

“The match is a positive one. You might have just found your perfect single alien.”

“There’s no such thing. No one is perfect, not even your hunk of burning Galaxar love.” Ivy sat back in her seat. Her perfect alien. She hadn’t even been looking for any alien, let alone a perfect one.

“What do you reckon? Shall I arrange for the two of you to meet?”

Ivy shook her head. “Don’t bother. I can sort that out for myself.” She’d message Karn back and confirm their date for tonight. It was the perfect opportunity to learn more about him and see just how compatible they could be.

She didn’t need My Single Alien’s help. Ivy would figure this out on her own.