McKayla is the first to notice that I look like I’m about to have a panic attack. She climbs up on the dais and begins fluffing my hair. “Breathe, chickadee, breathe,” she whispers in my ear so the nearby crew doesn’t hear. “Brad and I have your back. And you look fucking hot! You have nothing to worry about. You’re going to knock them off their feet. Just chill, smile, and have fun.”
She pats me on my back, and for the first time tonight, I feel some of my anxiety ebbing and my confidence returning.
I can do this, I chant to myself. Just be myself, but more confident and more chill.
And how many reality shows have I watched anyway? I’m practically a fucking expert. There’s no reason for me to be scared. Lord knows, I’ve seen enough episodes to know how this will roll, even if this is my first time participating in one.
The greeting ceremony should be a piece of cake. Each guy is supposed to walk up and introduce himself. Then after everyone has their moment, we’ll all mingle and chat it up to get to know each other.
Apparently, cameras and mics are hidden all over the place to catch all conversation, even whispered ones.
“All right, everyone, ready?” Meredith yells, reappearing on the edge of the set with a walkie talkie in her hand. She motions for Brad and McKayla to scram. “They’ll arrive any moment.”
“Good luck, chica,” McKayla whispers, jumping off the dais.
“You’ve got this,” Brad echoes as the two head off to the side and the cameraman gets in place.
“Cue the limos!” yells Meredith.
A black SUV limo pulls up the driveway. I have to remember to take a breath as it rolls to a stop a few feet from me and put a smile on my face. There’s a long pause as the suited driver walks around to stand by the door, and I swear they can hear my heart pounding on the mic.
The door opens and my breath catches in my throat.
A tall blond man in a tux steps out of the limo. It feels like I’ve seen him before, and he walks up with a swagger that just won’t quit.
“Hello, Emily,” he says in his deep voice, stopping right in front of me. Up close, I can smell his cologne. Spicy, masculine, but not too strong. His dirty blond hair is slicked to the side, and his chiseled jawline and perfect white smile are making me weak in the knees, his piercing blue eyes cutting straight through me. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
For a moment, I’m at a loss for words.
Respond, you idiot!
“T–Thank you,” I say, smiling. “You don’t look so bad yourself . . .?” I look pointedly at him, raising an eyebrow.
“Hayden,” he says in a voice that makes me want to melt. “Hayden Bishop. I’m excited to get to know you. I have a feeling we’re going to be a match.”
“We’ll see about that,” I say lightheartedly. “There might be more of you where you came from,” I add as I cut my eyes to the SUV before locking eyes with him again.
“Nope. There’s only one me. I’m all you could ever need . . . or handle.”
My face turns scarlet. He’s got confidence. I like it. Before I can say anything, Meredith yells, “Next!”
Hayden looks disappointed, like he wants to say more, but he pulls me in for a friendly embrace. I’m enveloped by the heat radiating from his body, and I’m disappointed when he lets go of me and heads inside.
I let out a sigh, trying to release some tension and wishing I had a fan. That wasn’t so bad. If they’re all like him, shit, I’m in for a treat.
Next out is another handsome gentleman, a clean-shaven, dark brunette with hazel eyes. Like Hayden, he’s dressed in a dapper tux and has looks that could kill. But I don’t feel quite the same connection.
“If they’d have told me you were this beautiful, I would’ve dressed up,” the guy says in a voice that has a slight silky rasp to it.
I have to giggle at his compliment. “Thank you.”
“I’m Lee,” he says, taking my hand and brushing his lips across it. He knows just how to do it, and I feel goosebumps rising on my flesh. “Lee Dixon. I’m excited to get to know you and see if we’re a match,” he says, saying almost the same thing as Hayden. I have a feeling they’ve been coached to say those words somewhere in their introduction.
“Nice to meet you, Lee,” I say politely, flashing him a dazzling smile as he lets go of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
Meredith calls next, and in moments, Lee is gone and guy after guy climbs out of the limos to greet me. Some take my hand and some give light hugs. Some are casual and some are intense.
But they do have one thing in common. Each one seems just as handsome as the last, and it gets hard not to mix up names with faces. Something tells me I’m going to need cue cards to keep up with them all, but one good thing is that I find myself relaxing with each encounter.
By the time the entire cast has their turn greeting me and have headed inside, I feel dizzy but grateful that the ceremony is over. Meredith walks over with a smile on her face as I step down from the dais.
“How’d I do?” I ask, feeling a bit of uncertainty return.
“Wonderful,” she replies, filling me with relief. “Plenty of good footage, and you came off well.”
Off to the side, Brad and McKayla give me thumbs up. “You rocked it, girl!”
Meredith glances at them, then looks back at me. “All right, Emily, time to head inside for the cocktail scene. I need you to mingle around with the guys, feel them out a little. And remember, always act like you’re having a good time. If you have to chew a guy out on the first night, make it good. I wanna see his balls hanging from your bed stand, got it?”
She walks off, leaving me alone in my thoughts. It takes only moments for my anxiety to return. How the hell am I supposed to choose? Better yet, how do I know who’s genuine and who’s fake? Because to me, all of them were pretty fucking convincing so far.
As I make my way into the mansion and try to still my beating heart, I realize this is going to be a long night. I need to take my blinders off and get ready to spot the snakes. Because despite all the charming smiles and the honey-tongued compliments, I know they’re there, just waiting to strike.
The funny thing is, out of thirty guys, I can’t remember a single name and attach it with a face. Except one.
Hayden.
Hayden
I sit back and watch Emily making her way from group to group in the lounge room, my eyes glued to her like a hawk. She looks like Venus embodied in an updated wardrobe in that blue dress. The damn thing is hugging her body in all the right places, and I’m having a hard time keeping my desire in check.
I still can’t get over how she looked on that dais when I pulled up. Standing there in that dress, a perfect blend of wide-eyed innocent and girl-next-door siren, she was amazing. And from the first words out of her mouth, I knew that I’m in it to win it. My blood heats just thinking about her and all the ways I can corrupt her, make her sweet little body beg for mine. I’m forced to adjust my collar as I swallow, letting the fantasy visions go for now to focus as she moves around the room.
She’s doing a great job of chatting with the guys, trying to be sociable and pretending to have a good time, but I can see her nervousness. Every once in awhile, she twirls a lock of hair around a finger and giggles. But her laughter doesn’t ring true to me. It seems forced.