“Do you have siblings?” I ask.
“A younger brother and sister. I already know how to make dad jokes, so I’m all set for parenthood.” He winks.
“An excellent qualification,” I say with a laugh. “What if we weren’t on the show, and had met somewhere else?” I almost say in real life before I catch myself. There may be cameras rolling, but what I’m feeling is very real. “What would be your idea of a perfect date?”
“So many possibilities.” He pours us each a glass of wine and takes a sip of his. “But I think I’d have to go for movie night on the sofa, with flavored popcorn and the kind of horror films that are so bad they’re funny.”
“Oh, I love those too! When Terror Stalks the Night.”
He grins. “That one’s in my top ten. Along with The Thing from Wild Hollow.”
“Oh yeah, that one for sure.”
We trade more of our favorite movie titles for a few minutes, until one of the producers says, “Time for the ride back.”
James slides closer and puts his arm around me. “A kiss before we go?”
“Definitely.” I turn toward him and put my hand on his cheek as we tilt our heads together. His kiss is tender yet confident, and it confirms that James belongs on the spark list; he’s right up there with Xavier and Samuel.
As we slowly draw apart, I can’t help but wonder how I’m ever going to choose just one man when there are so many good candidates.
17
Dying of curiosity
The next day, the wardrobe department puts me in a slinky red dress for the cocktail party. When my hair and makeup are done, we go to the mansion, where the men are all dressed to impress and looking downright delicious in dress shirts, jackets, and various semi-formal attire.
As soon as I can, I pull Brad M. aside and get right to the point. “Have you heard or seen anything bad about Caleb or Gerard?” I’ll need to send more men home soon, and Johnny’s warning is weighing on my mind.
“Caleb seems like a great guy,” Brad says readily. “Gerard keeps to himself more, so I don’t know much about him.”
“Someone told me they’re only on the show to grow their social media followings.”
“Hmm. I haven’t heard anything about that, but I’ll try to find out more about them.”
“Thanks. I’ll see what I can learn from them tonight, too.”
Brad glances around, then lowers his voice. “I heard about Johnny getting drunk. He was still smashed when he got back here that night.”
I sigh. “The producers keep putting pressure on me to keep him, because the audience likes him. I guess he creates a lot of drama.”
“There’s drama and then there’s drama,” Brad says drily. “But I’m not surprised they want to keep him around. Is there anyone else you want to know about?”
“Xavier.”
Brad’s smile is gently teasing. “I see the look in your eye whenever you talk about him. He’s a hottie.”
“Scorching,” I agree, with a little laugh. “But that’s kind of the problem. I’m worried that lust is clouding my brain. I came on this show for a very specific purpose, to find something real, and I’m just not sure Xavier has the same motivation.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Brad promises.
“How are things with Brad and Brad?”
He lights up. “Good. Really good. While the crew and half the contestants were busy with that group date, we had some nice alone time.”
“That’s great.” I look around to see that lots of eyes are on us, including the crew’s. “I’d better start mingling. Talk to you later.”
“Later.”
Spotting Caleb, I make my way in his direction, but men keep stopping me to talk, and it’s several minutes later before I finally reach him. He looks amazing in his well-fitting slacks and a dress shirt open at the neck. “Hi,” I greet him.
“Hi yourself.” He reaches a hand out to touch my arm. “Are you okay?”
I frown. His blue eyes are filled with concern and a hint of anger. “What do you mean?”
“I heard about the group date. Johnny was still pretty drunk when he got back here. Did he try anything with you?”
Somehow, I manage to bury my memories of what happened after the group date. “No, he didn’t. He just embarrassed himself.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He smiles a little and takes my hand, and I’m moved on multiple levels: emotionally, by his genuine interest in my welfare, and physically, by the feel of his rough skin against mine.
I smile back as my pussy clenches and zero in on my conversational objective. “I guess the show is getting–”
“Excuse me,” Marcus interrupts smoothly. “Could I have a few moments of your time?”
I suppress a flash of irritation that I didn’t get to ask Caleb about social media, and follow Marcus to a corner of the yard, the cameras trailing behind. “It’s so good to see you again,” he says. “I was furious with Johnny for making us lose and costing me more time with you.”