Wife for Hire
“Wonderful. Tonight we’ve planned an amazing and therapeutic couple’s game we call Compromise. Here at The Healing Place, we feel that one of the best things a husband and wife can do to make their relationship stronger is work on their ability to communicate and compromise. Dr. Lucking will tell you how it works.”
    Sarabeth took the floor, giving Lindy a friendly wink, and Nico melted into the background. “Hi everyone. I got to work with some of you today, but eventually, over the course of the next three weeks, I will have the pleasure of torturing every one of you.” A smile lit her pretty face, and Lindy couldn’t help but smile back.
    “She’s not kidding,” Owen grumbled. The other couples laughed, and a few of the guys gave him commiserating nods.
    “But for now, I’ll take it easy on you all, and this one will be mostly painless. I know it’s been a long day, so I’m going to give you a short list of questions. You will answer them together. The key is to work it out until you come to a consensus and give one answer between the two of you. Easy, right?” The ladies nodded in agreement, but the men were wholly non-committal.
    “Sounds like a trap,” Owen said.
    Sarabeth gave him a patient smile, but didn’t respond. She made her way around the room handing out notes cards, pencils, and a sheet of questions to each couple. Once she finished, she set a timer on each table.
    “You have five minutes to negotiate your best answer to four questions and write them down. I’ll read the first one aloud. Ready? Question one. If you could be any superhero you wanted, who would you be?”
    Lindy turned over their timer and chatter filled the room. “Spider-Man,” she said without hesitation.
    Owen’s brows rose high on his forehead. “Ridiculous. Batman is much cooler than Spider-Man.”
    “Batman?” she scoffed. “I hate to break it to you, Irish, but Batman isn’t a real superhero. He’s just a rich guy with a lot of stuff. Even his muscles are made out of fiberglass.”
    “Spider-Man is some prat who got bit by a radioactive spider. How does that make him any better?”
    She rolled her eyes in disgust. “That’s how all the best superheroes are born. Toxic waste, hazardous chemicals, spider bites. I mean, I guess you could make an argument for Superman, but he’s actually more of an alien than a superhero.” She contemplated that for a moment and then shrugged. “Nope, I’m sticking with Spider-Man. Next question.”
    “I’ll let you have that one, but only because I’m too dignified to argue over something so ludicrous. And because I get to answer number three.” He peered down at the card and read aloud. “If the world was about to end, and you had one day left, how would you spend it?” Owen gave her a silky smile then put pencil to paper.
    She craned her neck to see the single word answer.
    Shagging.
    “All day? Seriously?” She eyed him incredulously.
    “There would be food breaks, of course,” he said. “Would it make you feel better if I added that in?” he asked, pencil poised over his notebook.
    She blew out a sigh. “No. Can’t we change that to half the day? Surely after twelve hours, we’d be bored…” She trailed off as his gaze dropped to her mouth and his nostrils flared.
    “I’m certain that would not be the case.”
    Heat bloomed between her thighs and she squirmed in her chair. “How could you possibly know that? We’ve never…”
    “As I’ve said, I’m happy to remedy that sad state of affairs. Say the word, love.” His expression was teasing, but there was a note of longing that intensified the ache building in her stomach.
    Had anyone ever expired from unrequited need? Maybe when she got back home she’d indulge in a one-night stand with a guy she didn’t like half as much as Owen. No chance of getting attached, but maybe she’d get what she so clearly needed.
    Owen’s gaze burned into hers, and she returned it with a glare. “I already

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