It's Complicated Read online

  But I, Gemma Doukas, am ready to find Mr. Right. That’s my Christmas wish. And I promise not to be too picky or judgmental. I just want one good man. Is that too much to ask for?

  Chapter 2

  “So Gemma, you’ve actually done it?” Sarah grinned at me as we ate our lunch of Caesar salads and rolls. I’d really wanted a pizza, but if I was going to be headed out on dates I needed to look my best and pizza wasn’t going to get me there. “You joined that exclusive dating agency?”

  “Yeah, I did it. I know I said I wasn’t going to join because I said I wanted to save money, but hey what do savings matter when it comes to love?”

  “Yeah, love is much more important than money.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m willing to be a bad girl for love.” I laughed, while ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of my credit card bill.

  “Hey, you’re not really bad. I can think of far worse things.” Sarah laughed. “And this is an awesome step. I’m so proud that you finally joined a dating app that you think can really work. Reach for the stars, girl.”

  “I mean, I just hope it works. It better work for two thousand dollars. That is just so much money!” I shook my head. “I’m so broke now.”

  “Don’t worry, girl, I’ve got lunch today.” Sarah took a sip of her water. “So feel free to order whatever else you want.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that.” I shook my head. “I’m not that broke. I can afford lunch.”

  “No, I want to. And I owe you anyway. You promised you’d help me, right?”

  “What did I promise to help you with again?”

  “You promised you would help me with my makeover.”

  “Oh yeah, of course, I’m definitely on top of that. I will find the best makeup artist for you and a hairdresser.” I looked at her dull, long brown hair. “I think some highlights would really make you pop.”

  “What do you mean, make me pop?”

  “I think they’ll warm up your complexion. They’ll make you look gorgeous.” I stared at my friend, who was very naturally pretty but didn’t know how to make the best of what she had. “And after I get my man, we’ll get you a man too.”

  “Oh Gemma, you’re the best!” Sarah grabbed another roll and chewed happily. I knew she wanted a boyfriend as badly as I did. “So have you had any responses from any guys yet?”

  “Actually, I’ve had twenty-five responses in one day,” I said ecstatically. “Can you believe it? These are all top-notch guys, not like some Joe Schmo that works at Starbucks.”

  “What’s wrong with working at Starbucks?”

  “Come on now, Sarah, would you date a guy that works at Starbucks?”

  “Maybe. Then he could hook me up with mocha Frappuccinos every day.”

  “You’re the last person that needs to be hooked up with mocha Frappuccinos. You’re loaded.” I smiled at Sarah and tried not to be envious of the fact that she was the only child of millionaires and as such had more money than she knew what to do with. She never tried to make me feel bad about the fact that she had so much money though. She was practically American royalty along with her other best friend, Harry Parker Huntington, who, if I was honest, I didn’t really like. I wanted to tell her to ditch him because he was an arrogant, cocky asshole, but I knew that would never happen.

  “So let me hear about some of these guys’ profiles. Any winners?”

  “Well, I don’t know if we have time, right now. I haven’t even looked at them myself, and I have to get back to the office in about twenty minutes. We’ve got a video meeting this afternoon with a Danish guy that’s in the Amazon right now. He has discovered some new artifacts from one of the Amerindian tribes in Brazil. I think the Arawaks.”

  “Oh cool.” She looked interested. “I’d love to hear more about that as well. Maybe we could grab dinner sometime?”

  “That sounds like a plan to me. I would absolutely love that.”

  “Okay, perfect. And you said I could also come to your Christmas office party, right?” She looked at me, hopefully. “You know, I would absolutely love to get a job with you.”

  “Really, Sarah?” I raised an eyebrow. “I work at the American Museum of Natural History. You love British history and I’m not sure you’ll enjoy what we do.” I paused. I didn’t want to burst her bubble. Sarah was one of my best friends from grad school. We’d both studied history and been in a couple of different classes together, though I was more focused on anthropology and she was more focused on Tudor England. I’d gotten a job right away, but she had struggled to find any work and I knew that she was upset and worried about her prospects. Granted, she didn’t have to worry about a paycheck like most of us, so she wasn’t that worried. But I knew she wanted to be able to stand on her own two feet and not keep accepting money from her parents.

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “But let’s talk about my job woes another time. So what are you looking for in a man?”

  “You know what I’m looking for? I’m looking for a man that is tall, dark and handsome. Someone who’s really good in bed, who can make me come all night long.” I giggled as her eyes widened. I loved to say things that got a reaction from people. Maybe it was because in my family, nothing ever shocked anyone.

  “Oh my God.”

  “Sorry, Sarah, I know you’re a virgin.” I grinned at her shocked face. “I’m just being honest though. I’m too young to be with a man that goes for ten minutes and then starts snoring.”

  “Shush,” she whispered at me, looking around the restaurant, her face going red. “I want a guy that’s good in the bedroom as well. You’re not the only one.”

  “I know, but I need it so badly right now. I’m in a drought. It has been over a year since I’ve had sex. Can you believe that?” I shook my head. “It’s absolutely ridiculous. I need to meet a man and I need to meet a man like right now.” I laughed. “The hope is that one of these twenty-five men will be the lucky guy to take my born again virginity.”

  “Oh, Gemma.”

  “I know, I know I’m crass, aren’t I?” I grinned. “I blame it on my Greek heritage.”

  “You can’t blame everything on your Greek heritage, Gemma.” Sarah giggled.

  “Oh yeah? You wanna bet?” I had a sip of water. “Okay. So do you want to meet for dinner tonight then? You can come over and then we can look through some of these profiles.”

  “Yeah, that sounds great.” She paused. “Though Harry said he might wanna—”

  “Nope,” I interrupted her. “Unless he’s already made plans with you, you’re coming over. You don’t have to sit around and wait for him to come over.”

  “I know, I know. But you know, he’s—”

  “No, Sarah, you’re not his doormat, okay? He really takes you for granted.”

  “I know.” She let out a long sigh.

  “I’m going to help you find a good guy.” I smiled at her. “Or you know what? Maybe you’ll meet a hot guy in England. You know the curators in the British museum have an interest in you. Remember our old professor McGuiness said that?”

  “Yeah, that’s true.” She looked thoughtful. “I guess I’ll see what happens. So your place tonight?”

  “Yeah, come over to my place, maybe seven, then we can look through the profiles and you can help me set up some dates.”

  “Oh wow, so once you say yes, the next step is automatically going on dates?”

  “Well, basically all of these guys indicated an interest in me and sent me messages. So the guys that I like, once I say I like them back, will automatically set up dates. Which the guys automatically pay for. So I don’t have to worry about any of those age-old dating questions of what should we do and should I go Dutch? This dating agency is very old-fashioned and they believe that the man should pay for the first date.”

  “Oh, that’s really cool.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty excited, like supposedly some of these guys set up some really cool first dates. Like
one girl went on a hot air balloon ride, another girl got flown to Paris.”

  “No way!”

  “Yeah, I mean, I don’t expect to get flown to Paris or anything because it’s not like I’m going to be giving it up, but hey, I wouldn’t mind someone flying me to LA. Maybe go to like a movie premiere or something.”

  “That would be really cool. Do you think there’s like a lot of A-list actors and directors on there then?”

  “Oh, I’m sure. It costs two thousand dollars for the women, but it was about ten grand for the men to join, so you know the sort of guys that are going to be paying ten grand. Directors, movie stars, musicians, hotshots, you name it, Wall Street bankers. Shit, I wouldn’t even be surprised if the President was on there or something.”

  “The President’s married, Gemma.”

  “I know, I know. Maybe not the President then, maybe the Vice President or you know, any other politicians, whatever, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re on there as well.”

  “I thought you said you weren’t into politics?”

  “I’m not into politics, can’t you tell? So I would give those politicians a big no, but hey...” I shrugged. “You just never know if they’re hot and they’re interested in me.”

  “Oh Gemma, you’re too much.”

  “I know, but all I need is one guy that thinks I’m just enough, and then it will be all fine and dandy.” I was eating another roll when I heard my phone ping again. I grabbed it and looked at the screen, I had a message from my boss who was asking me where I was. He wanted me to come in so that I could finish getting a presentation ready for the next day.

  “Oh my God, I am so fed up with work,” I groaned. “I feel like all I’m doing is researching and writing, researching and writing.”

  “But that’s what you love.”

  “Yeah, I love it but I mean, all research and writing makes Gemma a dull girl.” I groaned again. “I have to look for cute clothes for my dates. And I also wanted to get my hair done, and I wanted to get some new makeup. I mean, if I have a date this weekend, I have nothing to wear.”

  “You have loads of outfits, Gemma, you go shopping almost every weekend.”

  “I know, but I don’t have anything special to wear. I mean, I want to look hot.” I twirled my hair in my fingers and smiled at her. “This is when you say you look hot already, Gemma.”

  “I know, but you know that’s true.” She grinned. “You are one of the most gorgeous girls I’ve ever seen in my life, and you’re naturally beautiful. It’s like you don’t even have to try.” She looked wistful. “I mean, you could be a model.”

  “Actually, in my profile, I put that.” I laughed. “If the agency didn’t want to say I worked in a museum, I said they could say that I was a model, but I had to clarify, catalog not runway because there’s no way I could strut my stuff on the runway. I mean, I’d love to but there’s no way that I can.” I laughed. “Though hey, I blame my parents for that. If my mom had married a taller guy, then not only would I be beautiful, I’d be super tall as well,” I stared at Sarah’s laughing face. The girl was practically in hysterics. “Oh my God, I sound like a total and utter bitch, don’t I?”

  “You don’t sound like a bitch, just someone who’s confident.”

  “Yeah, I guess. But if I saw someone talking like me, I’d think they were a bitch. I should rein it in because I don’t want to scare any guys off. You know how guys take everything so seriously. They might not realize I’m joking around.”

  “That’s true. You want them to think you’re all sweet and nice and modest.”

  “I mean, I am sweet and I am nice, but I’m not the most modest person in the world. But then with a family like mine, I can’t afford to be because if I don’t blow my own trumpet, no one else is going to do it.”

  “That’s true. So are you planning on going on a date this weekend?”

  “Well, let’s see. I’d love to. If a guy wants to take me out, I’m down.”

  “What if multiple guys are into you?” She grinned. “What will you do then?”

  “I mean, I’m only in the beginning process. I’m going to go on plenty of dates and if multiple guys are into me, hey, that’s cool because then I have lots of options and I can see who is the best guy for me.”

  “Would you have sex with all of them?” I could tell that she was really curious about my answer the way her blue eyes were gazing into mine.

  “I don’t think I’d have sex with all of them,” I said softly, lowering my voice, I didn’t want anyone at the next table to hear me. “I mean, that would be kind of weird. And you know how I feel about being protected when I have sex.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “You always say that’s a big thing.”

  “Yeah, I’m very careful, especially in this day and age. You really do need to be careful. So I don’t know that I’d have sex with all of them, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t do certain things.” I winked at her.

  “Oh Gemma, what would you do?”

  “I mean, of course, I’d make out. Making out is nothing.”

  “Of course,” she said.

  “And, you know, maybe I’d let them have a little hand action.”

  “Oh yeah?” She laughed. “Up or down?”

  “Maybe both.” I laughed, feeling slightly guilty. “Is that bad? Would I be a slut if I let a guy, multiple guys touch me in intimate ways?” I whispered across the table to her.

  “No, I don’t think so. I mean, how many guys let many different women give them blow jobs, right? Do we judge them?”

  “Exactly. I’m sure these guys most probably get blow jobs and hand jobs all the time. Maybe a different blow job or hand job from a different girl every night. No one’s judging them. So why should I be judged if I let a guy grope my breasts or even finger me? Oops!” I glanced at her red face. “Am I making you embarrassed, Sarah?”

  “No, I’m not a total child, you know, Gemma. I have done things. Yeah, I haven’t done everything but not because I don’t want to but because I’ve been so focused on my studies. You know how it is?”

  “Yeah. I guess that’s true.” Sarah was one of my best friends, but she was also slightly younger than me. Sarah was twenty-three while I was twenty-eight and she’d never really had a serious boyfriend. Though I was going to help her change that.

  “Yeah, so I wouldn’t go all the way. I mean, would I let multiple guys go down on me? Hell, yeah.” I grinned. I realized that I’d been slightly too loud because I heard a gasp from the table to the right. I looked and an old lady was glaring at me, judging me with her eyes. “Oops! But yeah, let’s continue this conversation later tonight. I don’t think I want to get us kicked out of here just yet.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She looked excited. “I can’t wait to hear all about these dates. I bet you’re going to have the most amazing time. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”

  “You know what, Sarah? I was thinking just the same thing. I was thinking that I’m going to be on Santa’s naughty list for sure, but I really don’t mind.”

  Chapter 3

  Top Five Dating Match Candidates

  Candidate #1

  Name: Lucas A

  Age: 32

  Message: Good Afternoon Gemma, I saw your profile on the app and I have to say you’re stunning. I would very much like to take you on a date. I am a corporate attorney, though I promise you that I’m not as boring as that sounds. How do you feel about a cupcake and hot chocolate date?

  Candidate #2

  Name: Mark F

  Age: 33

  Message: Gorgeous. You are absolutely gorgeous. Please thank Zeus for letting your profile cross my screen today. I’m 33, an ex-football player, now I dabble in stocks. I’m ready to start a family and ready to start practicing to start a family as well. Would love to travel the Greek islands with a goddess such as yourself.

  Candidate #3

  Name: Pierre L

  Age:35

  Message: B
onjour, I am originally from Marseilles, France, but have lived in the USA for 15 years. I enjoy fine wine, rare steaks, dark chocolate and the love of a good woman. Your profile told me you are a woman of substance and if you would like to be swept off of your feet, allow me to take you on the date of your dreams.

  Candidate #4

  Name: Connor A

  Age: 30

  Message: Hey there, I’m still laughing that I’ve been matched with a woman that loves Ed Sheeran. I can’t stand his shit music. There, I said it. I hope you like honest men. I won’t pretend to like things you like just to make you happy, but I promise I can expand your world view and I’d start by taking you to a jazz club to introduce you to a whole new world of real music. If you like to dance and have a good time, hit me up.

  Candidate #5

  Name: Dima R

  Age: 34

  Message: Privyet! Yes, I am a Russian speaker, originally from Ukraine, but now as American as apple pie. I enjoy baseball and comedy shows. I love to cook and to eat. I would love to feed you and feed on you. I am tall, blond, well-hung and have many connections. If you would like to experience a good time with a man that knows what he’s doing, then I am your man. Dasvidaniya.

  “I brought a bottle of wine.” Sarah held up a huge wine bottle as she walked in. And then she showed me her other hand. “And a second bottle, just in case.”

  “You are amazing. Is that a bottle of red and a white?”

  “Yeah. I wasn’t sure which one you wanted, so I bought a Zinfandel, and I also brought ...”

  “Let me guess.”

  “Do you really think you can guess?”

  “Did you get a Merlot?”

  “How can I have a Merlot and a Zinfandel, when I told you I have a red and white?”

  “Oh yeah.” I laughed. “Sorry, I’ve been so out of it, since I’ve joined this dating website. I’ve spent all afternoon narrowing it down to five guys. So, a Zinfandel, a Merlot, or what?”