**Just because I love you guys so fucking much and you've all shown me so much support. I MIGHT GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHAPTER AFTER THIS ONE TOO...who knows. Please comment and let me know what you think! Reading your comments is the highlight of my day!**

Roxie's POV

"I need you to help me find my future wife," he repeated. I blinked a few times and just simply stared at him.

Has he gone crazy?

"But you love being single?!" I exclaimed.

"I loved being single. Past tense. Now, I want something real. I'm getting old and it's time for me to stop fucking around."

"Okay, first of all, you only just turned thirty. That's not old by any means - especially for a CEO," I stated, "however, I do agree that you need to stop fucking around. How is it that one conversation with some guy you only know from a business perspective was able to make you change your mind, but I couldn't?" I asked, disgruntled.

"You don't know what was said in that conversation," he murmured, giving me a thoughtful look. I huffed loudly.

"By that tone and that look I can tell that no matter how much I pry, you're not going to tell me jack shit. So, instead, how about you start by telling me what you're attracted to?"

"Short girls. I like to feel big and strong-" he paused because I started laughing. "It's an ego thing - and yes I'm man enough to admit that," he stated pointedly before continuing. "I love women with dark hair and light eyes. Blue or green are my weakness, but a pair of big pouty browns do me in sometimes, too."

"What about body type? Model body? A little cushion? Curvy? Hourglass?"

"Real men don't care about that shit," he commented to which I scoffed.

"Coming from a man who's never dated anything but a size two," I remarked.

"That doesn't mean I don't appreciate all body types. Every figure has its own merits. If I had to choose, though, I'm kind of an ass man. However, I'd take a woman with a good sense of humor and quick-witted sarcasm over a big ass any day. I want someone that I'll look forward to coming home to every day - even after the superficial beauty fades," he explained.

"Okay, Nicholas Sparks. Where has this guy been all this time?" I joked but also feeling my heart tug at his sweet words.

"The poor sap's been hiding away while I fucked every gold-digging woman in the area. Now, do you have anyone in mind?" he asked impatiently. I let out a deep breath before sitting back in my chair and thinking over everything he'd said. Dark hair, light eyes, nice ass, good sense of humor, witty. Oh my god...

OH MY GOD! LIGHT BULB!

"What's your favorite kind of pizza?" I asked.

"Supreme," he spoke through a laugh as he saw my instant look of disgust. Check.

"Favorite classic horror movie?"

"Jaws, hands down." Check.

"Opinion on the oxford comma?"

"Absolutely necessary." Check. "Any other arbitrary questions you'd like to ask?"

"Nope," I replied, popping the P as I whipped out my phone and started calling Milo.

"What're you doing?" he asked skeptically.

"Is Elizabeth your personal VIP host again?" I questioned.

"Ever since you left, yes. However, I haven't really been back since I've been so busy."

"Well, she's going to one very pissed off woman by the end of the night," I snickered.

"What's up, Roxie?" Milo asked after answering.

"Hey, I need you to do me a favor. I've just realized that there's someone Ezekiel has never met before - how I have no idea - but he's personally requested to have her in his room tonight and asked that I see to it."

"Okay...and who would this girl be?"

"Ivy," I stated as a shit-eating grin took over my face.

"Roxie, what kind of trouble are you trying to stir up here?" he sighed before releasing a short chuckle.

"I'm so glad you agree that it's a perfect match!" I exclaimed fakely, giving Ezekiel a thumbs up and an encouraging smile.

"You're such a pain in my ass. Fine, but I expect you to come in tonight and sit in the shadows of that room. If anything goes wrong, it's your shit storm to put out," he said.

"Deal. See you tonight," I rushed out before hanging up.

"So, who's Ivy and how have I never met her if she's supposedly my perfect match?"

"She's one of my best friends and she's exactly what you described. If you mess this up, you're doomed to be single forever. And you better be on your best behavior because I have to be in the background of that room tonight, so I'll know if you slip up," I explained with a scolding look.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be a choir boy," he teased. A few seconds later, there was a knock at his office door by someone holding our takeout boxes. The second the smell of food wafted into my nose, my stomach rumbled loudly for the second time today. The sound caused my cheeks to heat with embarrassment.

"Did you not have breakfast or something?" Ezekiel chuckled as he popped his own container open and started to dig in.

"I had two, actually," I mumbled under my breath. He looked at me curiously before shaking his head and dropping the subject.

"So, have you heard back from any of the culinary schools you've applied to yet?" he inquired before taking a big bite.

"The admissions process isn't that fast," I retorted while trying to decide if I was going to tell him or not. He is one of my closest friends now... "And besides, I think I'm actually going to postpone things for a little while longer or look into online courses..." I trailed off.

"Why? And exactly how long is 'a little while'?"

"About eight months, give or take a few weeks...some unforeseen things came up," I murmured, setting down my sandwich. My news must've really caught him off guard because it threw him into a long coughing fit.

"Couldn't you have waited to say that shit until I was done chewing my food?!" he demanded, taking a long swing of water to clear his throat.

"Sorry," I winced.

"Is that why you quit Rouge?" he questioned.

"No, I quit because I wanted to pursue an actual education in cooking, but-"

"But what? You can still go to school while pregnant, Roxie. You wouldn't be the only woman in the world to do so."

"I know, it's just...some things in my past have me scared and I'd prefer to find something to bring in a little income that's low-stress to supplement the savings I've collected for the time being. I'm hoping I can find something with normal hours and good benefits, but that's obviously wishful thinking in a city like this with my lack of degree or experience in just about every department."

"Maybe it's not. I actually need another executive assistant with the new workload I just signed up for."

"How is that not stressful? I'm pretty sure being a hot-shot CEO's EA is one of the most stressful jobs in the world," I laughed.

"Well, yes, but also no. I already have one absolutely incredible assistant, but she's only going to handle the business side of things from now on. I need a second one to just handle my personal life. It's much more low-key than you would think. The pay is fantastic and the benefits are even better. And you'd be doing me a favor - something I owe you considering you're doing one for me as of tonight, apparently."

"You're making up this job on the fly to help me out, aren't you?" I asked, detecting the bullshit lie right away.

"Maybe. Also to keep up with a deal I made to an undisclosed business partner that requested I watch over you - and now his unborn child he has no idea about. But seriously, my EA does need someone to help her and I could use your input every now and then on some building layouts and ideas that are coming from my side of the partnership," he insisted. I sighed before nodding, thankful that he'd decided to pretty much skim over the fact that my child came from a man who was now legally married to someone else. Obviously he knew something I didn't. 

"Alright. Thank you, Ezekiel, for everything you've done for me. I mean it," I murmured honestly before taking a big bite of food.

The rest of our lunch passed quickly. It wasn't long before he had me filling out basic employment paperwork he'd sent the woman at the front desk to get from HR. I'd dodged the thousands of questions he seemed to have about "the future soulmate I'm meeting tonight' as he liked to put it. When he finally became so frustrated with my unwillingness to give him any information about Ivy, he kicked me out of his office with the instructions to be into work by eight a.m. sharp the next morning. Once home, and realizing that Ivy had - thankfully - yet to leave, I pulled her to the couch and debriefed her.

"Remember that conversation we had earlier today about you wanting someone special for yourself?"

"And wanting a baby?" she added on, her voice growing more hopeful with each word that came from her mouth.

"Yes, but also no. Pump the breaks a little, Miss Baby Fever. First, we have to find you a man and get you two to fall in love."

"I was just thinking of visiting the local sperm bank and buying a turkey baster on the way home, but what do you have in mind?" she asked nonchalantly as if it was the most casual thing in the world. I was unable to keep the laugh from bubbling through my lips, Khloe joining in with me from her bedroom as she'd clearly overheard Ivy's previous plan.

"No, we're not doing that. What would you say if I told you I found the perfect guy who's already a Rouge member and has agreed to meet you tonight at the club in a VIP room?" I asked. I instantly had to clamp my hands over my ears as her squeals of excitement were too loud.

"Wait, but I work tonight!" she said, most of her prior excitement draining away as quickly as it came.

"I know that which is why I already spoke to Milo and got him to agree to let you and mystery boy have the VIP lounge all to yourselves tonight. With my supervision just in case something was to go south, of course."

"I have to get ready!" Ivy suddenly yelled, grabbing the bag by her feet and making a beeline for my bedroom.

"It's only three in the afternoon!" I called over my shoulder.

"I need to look perfect!" she hollered back.

"So...who's the dude?" Khloe asked when she finally strolled out from her bedroom with a single eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Guess," I said, a playful smirk on my face.

"Jonathan?"

"I wouldn't wish that on my worst fucking enemy," I snickered. "Seriously, though, take your best guess." She plopped down on the couch next to me while pondering over my challenge for a few minutes.

"I honestly have no idea," she finally conceded.

"Ezekiel," I revealed, watching as her eyes basically popped out of her head.

"You're kidding me. Is he even her type?" she asked, making me realize that only a very small portion of the Rouge girls had actually seen Ezekiel. The last names of the Rouge members aren't given out to any of us for their privacy, but I know Ezekiel's so I pulled him up on google and showed the picture to Khloe.

"She's going to name their firstborn after you," she deadpanned. I snickered before taking my phone back.

"You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. She's going to shit bricks when she sees him."

"Oh, I know. And they're perfect for each other. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. At our lunch today he told me that a single conversation changed his outlook on life and he wanted me to set him up with someone. Fate works in mysterious ways," I commented.

"Yeah, it does. Holy shit. Come to think of it, all the things you've told me about him in the past month makes me wonder why I didn't think of this and sooner," she commented. "Wait...didn't you suck him off one time when you were drunk?" she whispered.

"Key phrase: I was drunk. He and I both agreed a while ago that we're going to pretend it never happened. Besides, I never ended up telling Ivy because I kept forgetting, so it's going to stay that way," I stated.

"She wouldn't care either way because it was before you considered setting them up, but that is probably for the best," Khloe agreed.

"Anyway, I'm going to take a nap until we all leave later tonight. Will you guys wake me up about ten minutes before it's time to go?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sweet dreams, momma to be," she teased, patting my thigh and hoisting herself off the couch. Rolling over, I pulled the couch blanket over my body and snuggled in, saying a quick prayer that my matchmaking skills were as good as I thought they were.

**

I entered the VIP lounge, a sense of deja vu washing over me as I'd done this countless times before. This time, however, I was fully dressed in a pair of thin leggings and a plain, baggy T-shirt. I wanted to blend into the background and go unnoticed tonight - pretend to be a fly on the wall if you will.

It proved to be much harder than I originally thought considering Ezekiel had invited five of his closest employees (all of whom I knew on a first-name basis now) to the room tonight.

What the fuck was he thinking?

"You are a world-class moron," I sneered as I entered to find him surrounded by said men.

"What the hell did I do?" he immediately replied, his tone defensive.

"You asked me to set you up on a date. I do so and you invite your buddies to come along?" I deadpanned, "no offense guys," I winced with a sympathetic smile. They all laughed, seemingly at Ezekiel's expense.

"None taken. Here, it looks like you'll be needing this tonight. It's Johnny Walker blue - your favorite," Porter replied, extending his hand for me to take the glass. I had a moment of internal panic before quickly thinking up an excuse.

"Thanks, but I'm going to have to pass tonight," and every night for the next eight months, "I need to have a clear head and my wits about me to deal with this dumbass for the rest of the night if your guys' presence is anything to go by. How long has it been since you've been on anything that resembled a date?" I asked, directing my question at Ezekiel.

"Does dinner and sex count?"

"Was the dinner only a preliminary to ensure the sex?" I asked, already damn well knowing the answer. His expression turned sheepish while all the men laughed.

"Hey, you lot have no room to laugh. Especially you, Julian. What number wife are you on right now?" I sarcastically asked.

"Number five, but she just called it quits while you were away. Something about me being immature," he chuckled. "Depending on how tonight's date goes for Z, maybe you can help set me up and make six my lucky number," he joked.

"When pigs fly, Julian. When pigs fly," I giggled while refocusing my attention on Ezekiel. "I really don't know what your thought process was with this idea, but they all need to go. There's no way Ivy is going to open up and be able to be herself if she feels like she's being stared at like a circus act," I explained.

"Fair enough. We'll leave you to it, Z. Try not to fuck it up. Bye, Roxie. Have a good night, sweets," Porter murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek and rounding all the rest of the men up before escorting them out, shutting the door behind him as he left.

"How much longer are you going to make me wait to finally meet her?" he asked, his irritation showing.

"Her shift isn't even scheduled to start for another ten minutes, you're the one that was here half an hour early. I'm sure she'll walk in any minute now. In the meantime, drink your scotch and chill out. I'll be over there on that couch, so just forget that I'm even here," I insisted while pointing towards the far right corner of the room. He grumbled a few sentences under his breath before slumping back down on the couch and nursing his drink. Right as I predicted, Ivy came prancing into the room not even five minutes later. I sat straight up when I heard her knock seconds before pushing the door open, watching the two of them like a hawk to make sure their first exchange went smoothly.

Son of a bitch, was I damn good at playing Cupid.

"Ezekiel?" Ivy called out softly, waiting for him to rise and greet her from his position on the couch where his back was currently facing her. He stood and I saw her stagger backward - more than likely caught off guard by his impressive height. When he turned to face her, I saw Ivy's face quickly switch from curiosity to total lust before finally settling on her signature playful, flirtatious look.

She's totally naming her firstborn after me.

"You must be the Ivy I keep hearing so much about," came Ezekiel's seductive voice - however, this man sounded much different than the one who spoke to me when we first met. This man sounded like less of a douche and more authentic.

"Please, have a seat. What would you like to drink?" he asked her.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't our roles be reversed? Me catering to you?" Ivy teased before playfully biting her lip.

"Probably, however, I won't tell if you don't," he spoke before shooting a quick wink her way. She giggled like a school girl - something that had me internally cheering myself on for putting them together tonight.

"Well, in that case, do you want me to be coy or honest about what I want?" There she is. I was wondering when Ivy's true personality was going to shine through her initial nervousness.

"There's nothing more important than honesty and loyalty. So, Ivy, tell me what it is you want?" That last sentence coming from Ezekiel's mouth made me wish I was anywhere but here practically babysitting these two. I could feel the sexual tension between them, so thick it could've been cut with a knife. I wasn't even sure why Milo assigned me to watch over them - it wasn't something we normally did. Maybe because Ezekiel was a huge client and Ivy could be kind of crazy, but still.

"Well, what I want at this very minute is a glass of whatever scotch they've got stocked in here. We can discuss the other things I have in mind after I've had that," she flirted. Son of a bitch, I need to ask her for lessons in being smooth.

"A woman after my heart. What would your answer have been if you were being coy?" he inquired.

"Probably some bullshit vodka water type of drink. They get you drunk quick - sure - but the journey there isn't quite as enjoyable."

"So fast and efficient isn't your kind of style?" Ezekiel teased, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"Oh come on, that wasn't even sly," Ivy yelled, softly slapping at his shoulder as she snickered. "I'm tired of beating around the bush. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm over it. I'm also over guys who claim they want forever, but just want to screw around for a few months until they get bored. I'm a straight-forward kind of gal and I'll tell you how it is, whether that's what you want to hear or not. So, no, I don't like fast, frenzied sex unless I'm horny and there's no time for anything else. I prefer long nights that make waking up and getting out of bed the next morning a difficult task.

"And on another note, I want kids. Probably lots of them. Like three or four. And I want the whole 'white picket fence thing' too, but less suburban and with more cursing. I know I'll never be the 'soccer mom' kind of parent, so if a docile woman who does exactly what's she told - outside of the bedroom that is - is what you're looking for, then we might as well just cut our losses before this begins, no matter how sad that'll make me because you have the most beautiful face that I really want to sit on," she stated with finality.

Jesus Christ, Ivy I thought to myself as I waited with bated breath to hear what Ezekiel's response was going to be. Had she ever heard of coming on a too strong?

All that came from Ezekiel was a deep laugh before he suddenly stood up and scooped Ivy into his arms and over his shoulder in seconds. He turned to me with a huge smile on his face and said, "I owe you big time, but your services are no longer needed tonight," before practically running into the ensuite bedroom.

The only thing the entire conversation left me thinking was what the fuck?

I made my way back to Milo's office before slumping down into one of the chairs across from him.

"Why the hell aren't you with Ivy? Did something happen?" Milo asked worriedly, immediately stopping whatever he was working on to give me his full attention.

"Oh, something happened alright. I'm sure something is still happening and it's something you could probably find all over PornHub."