The Ex Factor

Luke was starting to get nervous as he sat alone in the restaurant and waited for his date to arrive. He couldn't help but feel a niggling concern he was going to be stood up despite that being impossible for a connection, even one who was only on a single heart, to do to him. But the fear of being made to look a fool and feel inadequate by Gina yet again persisted nonetheless.

The hurt from their split was very real and still lingered. What stung the most was how little control he'd felt over any of what happened and the fact Gina had moved from him to some random guy in their office in such an obvious way that everyone else he worked with had seen it coming just as slowly but inevitabky as he had.

Part of Luke couldn't help but find it darkly amusing when Gina appeared on his love list but felt he should otherwise ignore her presence there. Part of him was filled with a petty determination to raise her up through the heart system, rip her away from Phil and then ditch her in an act of perfect poetic justice. And yet another part of him remembered how happy they used to be together, for a time at least, and wondered if their relationship might be worth rekindling - but on his terms and with no chance of her walking away this time.

When Gina arrived she looked stunning. It was the kind of entrance that instantly turned heads.

Irrationally, that annoyed Luke a little. Was she trying to flaunt what Phil still had and he didn't yet? On one lousy heart he couldn't even kiss Gina let alone take that expensive dress off her and fuck her, which was about all he wanted to do right now. Still, he had to play the part of the perfect gentleman for that very reason.

"We haven't done this in a long time have we?" he smiled as he held out her chair for her.

"We haven't" she agreed "In fact I can't remember the last time I had the opportunity to dress up like this."

"That doesn't surprise me. Phil strikes me as more of a Pizza Hut kind of a guy."

Whoops. That barb had just kind of slipped out after his ex teed it up so nicely for him.

"Leave him alone, that's not what I meant."

Luke realised he would get nowhere with Gina, even with the assistance of the Romance Mechanic, if he kept saying stuff that annoyed her. But her immediate defense of his nemesis rankled and he was struggling to stop himself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound judgmental. I'm sure he'd like to take you to places like this. It's just he's permanently stuck on the bottom rung of the ladder at work isn't he? And these kinds of establishments aren't cheap."

"Jesus, two digs at Phil already and I haven't even looked at the menu yet. Can your ego not handle that I've moved on from you?"

"In case you haven't noticed things are going pretty well for me in the romance department, Gina. Perhaps your ego cant handle the fact I'm dating my sexy coworker friend, a hot actress, a beautiful psychiatrist, a famous comedian that most of the guys in the country lust after, my milf boss and her gorgeous daughter and all you've managed to get yourself is Mr Potato Head."

"Is that what you invited me here for? To insult me and brag about all of your recent conquests?"

"No, you're right. Sorry." Luke conceded, realising this was getting out of hand already and that he'd gain very few points for trying to settle scores - at least not the kind of points he needed right now "Perhaps we should just wipe the slate clean and start again like this is a normal date. I have to say you look beautiful tonight, Gina. I feel like I'm having dinner with a movie star."

"Why thank you, Luke" she smiled, but there was bitterness in her eyes "Do you know how long it's been since you paid me a compliment like that?"

"Well we've not been together for the last couple of years have we? It would hardly be appropriate."

"No, I meant even before that. Way before that, in fact. You used to say nice things about me all the time when we were first dating and then you just stopped."

"So how many times did you want me to keep repeating the same things about your appearance? Besides you've always known you're a looker. It's obvious"

"Such a romantic" she rolled her eyes "And actually no I haven't. When the person who's supposed to adore you more than anyone else on the planet can't be bothered to tell you that you look nice when you've dressed up for them how is that supposed to make me feel like I'm a looker? And now you're trying to taunt me by telling me how desirable all the other women you're currently dating are. And you wonder why..."

Gina stopped herself from finishing that sentence despite, or perhaps because of, her obvious emotion. But she didn't need to. Luke knew exactly where she had been going with it. That was how Phil had got to her, by sweeping her off her feet and making her feel like she was the most important and precious thing in the world to him. That still didn't justify what happened next, but Luke at least had to acknowledge he wasn't entirely blameless for the collapse of his relationship. He also realised that it was best for everyone, not least himself, to move on from the bitterness it had caused in him.

So far the talking part of the date wouldn't have done much to help tip Gina over the line for her second full heart. Luckily Luke had come prepared with a surefire method to secure it anyway and to therefore allow this somewhat tense reunion date to end, if not with a bang, at least with a nice and steamy make out session.

"Here, I dug out some more classic vinyl albums I've got no more use for. I may as well gift them to an appreciative home."

"Nick Drake?" Gina noted with a hint of surprise as Luke handed her three records one by one.

"The next best thing to Elliott, right?"

"Yeah, don't get me wrong I love this whole trilogy but these look strangely new. Pink Moon still has the price tag on it."

Shit. Luke hadn't noticed that when they had arrived from the Amazon seller he'd ordered them from in preparation for his next Gina date.

"Yeah, I never even got round to playing them because, you know, Spotify is right there on my phone. All the more reason to give them to someone who can actually get some use out of them.

"Thanks" she smiled, seeming satisfied with that as an answer "If you don't mind me saying, your behaviour has been pretty strange lately. You alternate between being rude to me and giving me thoughtful gifts, asking me on dates then ignoring me and dating. half the other girls in the office. If nothing else you used to be predictable. Though I suppose there's something quite exciting about you keeping me on my toes like this."

As she said that Luke could feel her foot brushing lightly against his ankle and a mischievous smile he knew only too well but hadn't seen for a very long time was playing on Gina's lips. He didn't need the buzz of his phone to let him know the second heart had just been activated, It seemed the fifty quid he had splurged on those albums had been money well spent.

Almost the second Luke and Gina had left the restaurant he had her pinned up against a wall in a nearby alleyway and the pair were making out like horny teenagers. It felt good to kiss her while eagerly groping her boobs, which he hadn't touched in more than two years but which remained just as firm yet supple as he remembered them being. This was like when the two of them had first started dating and couldn't keep their hands off each other. Luke was starting to remember just how enjoyable that period of his life had been and how central to that enjoyment Gina was.

"So" she smiled seductively at him as she stroked his chest "Do you fancy finishing the evening off at my place? Or maybe yours?"

---

As Luke sat on his bed with one hand clutching his phone and the other his dick he felt sure he was having a more satisfying end to his evening than if he'd taken his ex up on her offer. Whether they'd gone to her place or his it wouldn't have made much difference. Due to the very particular rules of the Romance Mechanic fucking Gina would have been strictly off the table for tonight despite their long sexual history. In fact, he wouldn't even have been able to get her clothes off unless he managed to plunder the vinyl back catalogue of another folk rock legend or two on the way back from the restaurant. Plus he didn't want Gina to think he was just that easy to get back. She'd always been the one calling the shots in their relationship before, now it was his turn.

In contrast, Molly being on four hearts had opened up the option to procure candid footage of her of a more overtly sexual nature that went beyond mere nudity. As he watched the stunning eighteen year old redhead lying on her own bed with her legs parted as she fingered her pussy, bit her lip and let out only occasional cute and restrained moaning noises, presumably so as not to alert her mother to what she was doing, Luke wondered if it was him she'd been thinking about.

The fact it realistically could have been made the experience hotter than hell.