“And that’s when I knew that the frat boy life was for me.” Trent produced a toothy, confident smile that I could all but hear the cameras zooming in on as he finished his tale of hazing freshmen as the women around him tittered into their pretty hands.

I tried to hide the rolling of my eyes by looking away to take a sip of my apple juice as he droned on, his voice laced with a hint of an English accent that made me think he was one big fake.

I’d quickly grown tired of the constant supply of alcohol. I’m not much of a drinker after all and asked for water. The producers had balked, wanting to show the audience a glamorous life filled with good wine, so they’d watered down apple juice to give to me. I sipped at it as voices filled the dining room, noise that only served to put me on edge.

Three days of backbiting behind closed doors, the constant presence of the cameras, two fistfights between some of the women, and frustration at being treated like a child had me ready to give them all the finger and head back home. But the reason I was fighting so hard to stay in the game soon walked into the candlelit dining room. I forgot about the snide comments about me being stuck up, coming from women who didn’t realize I hated the constant chatter and noise, the constant stress of never being alone as soon as Jake walked into the room.

I watched him, noting the tenseness of his jaw, the way his shoulders stretched the material of his black button up shirt in just the right way.

I thought so, I decided as I watched him. There was going to be an elimination tonight. It had been three days, it was time to shake us all up again.

The guys weren’t supposed to show favoritism, but Jake had made it clear from day one that I was the only woman he was really interested in. Even if Arabella did seem to think she had the whole contest bagged. I glanced at the dark-eyed beauty, her perfect features schooled into the perfect expression of preoccupation. It made her look mysterious.

I looked away from her and back to Jake. Whenever we were in the same room we were drawn to each other, always aware of the other. I found it disquieting, but also very thrilling. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. Carol, the mad producer, came into the room and steered Jake towards Arabella by blocking his path. I didn’t understand why that woman was so keen on Arabella and Jake getting together, but I knew that’s what she was doing.

Arabella snagged her chance to sink her claws into the sleeve of Jake’s shirt to hold him still as she turned on a sexy smile and eased up to him. “Hey, baby, you look good enough to eat tonight.”

I could tell from her tone she was trying to be sexy, and in any other situation she would have been, but all I heard was desperation. I knew I was being a bit petty, but I couldn’t help it. The woman set me on edge. I didn’t feel threatened by her, Jake’s interest in me was fairly obvious to everyone but Arabella and Carol, but her using her sexuality to get what she wanted made my skin crawl.

“I think I’d be a bit tough,” he said in a tone that suggested anything but enthusiasm, but her fingers still clung to his sleeve.

“I bet I could relax those muscles of yours.”

I nearly barfed when I heard her say that. I reached for the bottle of white wine on the table. I needed at least one drink to get me through this farce.

“I dare say you could, Arabella. You could probably clear my pipes without having to call a plumber as well, but I don’t have time for this right now.” His eyes were searching for me and soon found me.

“Is that a clue?” She looked put off, her artificially plumped top lip curled so much a line of red lipstick appeared just below her nose.

She thought he was giving her inside information. He wasn’t paying attention, though, because he came to me, his fingers taking my hand as he quickly whispered to me.

“You’re safe, don’t panic.” He gave me a wink before he stepped back.

“But the other guys could vote me out.” I looked at him, my only concern written on my face clearly.

“It’s okay.” He mouthed with a slight shake of his head, his smile in place as always when I saw him. Damn, why was that so sexy? “I have to go mingle, Carol will kill me if I don’t. I’m dying to kiss you. I’ll see you later.”

I grinned at that part somewhere in the middle. I wanted to kiss him too. Not in some schoolgirl way, but in the hot way he kissed me in my dreams, with our bodies straining to get closer and barely able to breathe. I’d wake up flustered and still hot. I’d find myself watching him, remembering the way he moved in the dreams, the skillful way he touched me. With a quiet groan of frustration, I turned away and forced myself to think about something else.

I considered the likelihood that Jake was the billionaire, more for the mysterious puzzling quality of it than real curiosity. I knew he liked computer games, but he kept himself fit. A computer nerd wouldn’t have the kind of muscle tone Jake had, surely? A teacher then? He was patient, kind, and listened to others when they spoke to him. He also had incredible eyes that were sometimes filled with sadness and I wanted the chance to understand why. I also wanted to know what it felt like to run my fingers through his hair.

Maybe Trent was the rich guy. I couldn’t see the loud, obnoxious man as a teacher, not with his attitude about bullying others. I’d spoken with him a few times, but I kept the brash blond at a distance every time. He just didn’t do anything for me.

David, then? Kelly’s pick was quiet, sweet, and very poetic. I couldn’t see him as a plumber, not at all. Not with those polished nails. That thought left me even more confused though. That meant Jake would have to be the plumber, but he didn’t seem the kind of guy that would find that job fulfilling and if there was anything I’d figured out about Jake so far, it was that he was happy where he was in life. It was hands-on and computer games were hands-on, maybe that was it.

It didn’t really matter to me. A plumber, teacher, or a rich man: they all had jobs that meant they could take care of themselves. I still didn’t know how this was all going to end, or what the producers had in store for us. So far, we’d had “dates” that had left me cringing but I participated as I was supposed to.

One date had us all writing our pet peeves down on a piece of paper and the men had to figure out which they belonged to. Jake found mine, of course. We had picnics on the beach, walks through the forest, bike rides around the estate which was basically half of the island, and a day of sports where we tossed around a Frisbee, played softball and volleyball, all in the obligatory outfits provided by the show.

Another day we had to choose a movie for a movie date. I found it all laughable, because these dates involved six women and three men. How were we supposed to make a decision about the rest of our lives based on less than two weeks of interaction that wasn’t private? I had to laugh at myself as Jake’s eyes found me across the room once more. I already knew I wanted to get to know the man better, spend some real time with him.

“I swear you two are gross!” Kelly said as she sat down and poured herself a glass of wine. “I’m going to have to write a poem about it.”

A squeeze of her hand over mine on the table let me know she was teasing.

“As if you and David are any different!” I found the man talking with a pretty blonde, his expression bored as he glanced longingly at Kelly before looking back at the woman who talked with her hands incessantly.

“We are! We’re less obvious than you two.” She gave a snort through her nose then blushed. “He kissed me earlier. An amazing kiss that literally curled my toes!”

She had on one of those dreamy smiles of pure happiness. At least the producers were leaving them alone. That made me wonder if Jake really was the rich one, the seeming determination to force him and Arabella together, but not the other men with other women, was telling.

“Oh my, that’s serious!” I couldn’t imagine the quiet, respectful man daring to kiss Kelly.

She was vivacious, beautiful, and really very interesting, though she tended to draw more out of you than you did out of her. She was curious about people and she’d have made a great journalist if she hadn’t been so set on poetry. She was good at that too, I’d seen some of what she’d written since she’d been here, and the epic poems were really good.

“He asked me...” She went quiet and looked around for a moment before she turned back to me. “He asked me if I’d see him when this is all over.”

“Isn’t that the point of the choice? You get to decide that?” I looked at her confused.

“Well, there are whisperings that the producers are trying to force matches.” She gave a quiet nod to Arabella and to Jake. “He heard Carol telling the other producers that Jake needed to stop with you because it was going to kill their ratings.”

“What?” I looked at her aghast, and more than a little angry. “What, I’m not some dark-haired, sloe-eyed beauty, so they think viewers will hate me? Have they even paid attention to her personality? Viewers are going to hate her!”

I bent closer to Kelly as she looked around again to make sure we wouldn’t be overheard. “You have to be careful, Laney. They really mean business and you could be sent home tonight.”

“But Jake said—”

“I think Carol might just put your name in to be voted off, no matter what the men have agreed.”

“That evil bitch!”

“I think you should remember.” She patted my head again as Skip came in and she spoke more quickly. “This will end and whatever happens after that, there won’t be a Carol or an Arabella to get in the way.”

I clenched my fingers this time and breathed deeply as I ran my tongue over my back teeth, lost in thought. Kelly was right, anything could happen on this stupid show. Did I even know enough about Jake to trust him? To trust that he wouldn’t take what Arabella so openly, eagerly, offered? I saw how she kept looking at him, her hands constantly smoothing down the line of the costumes we wore tonight.

Simple, figure-hugging silk sleeveless knee-length dresses, this time in soft metallic tones. Hers was in a deep shade of gold, while mine was copper. Where hers showed off an hourglass figure and a tight bottom, mine showed off a more plump but toned figure. At least my boobs are bigger than hers, I thought snidely before I chided myself.

“I really hate this place, you know?” I said to Kelly, wrapping my arms over my chest, anxiety making me queasy.

“It’s a lot harder on you than it is on me, that’s for sure. I’d be frantic if I were you.” For a moment, I had to wonder if Kelly was playing a role, if she was trying to make me nervous, but her eyes were clear of guile, and I was fairly certain I could trust her. What would she gain through sabotage?

In a paranoid moment, I thought maybe Carol had offered her something to make me nervous, but I saw that for what it was. Paranoia, plain and simple. This place, where we were so secluded from the real world, where we couldn’t talk to our family or friends, or escape to a quiet place as I’d like to do, was bound to breed paranoia.

The only real private moments we got was if the men chose us for a private date. Jake had chosen me for breakfast at the beginning, David had chosen Kelly for lunch yesterday, and Trent chose Arabella for dinner last night. The cycle would start over once this elimination was done.

“Laney, video diary time,” said the man I’d become accustomed to asking me personal questions I’d usually punch somebody for. Well, maybe not punch but certainly wouldn’t answer.

“Fine.”

I went into a small room where he directed me to a chair. As usual, he went straight for the jugular.

“Do you think you’ll be eliminated tonight?” He was watching the camera, not me.

I smiled and shook my head. “Not really. I think Jake and I are forming a real bond. Something that a few people around here don’t seem to like.”

“Do you think Jake will pick Arabella for a private date this time?” He seemed to want to rile me.

“Maybe, but he has to pick somebody else this time, doesn’t he? He can’t pick me twice.” I remained calm and stared into the camera.

“Who do you think should be eliminated tonight?” He looked at me with a slight spark of glee and I knew he wanted me to fall into a trap.

“I don’t know, really. There are some who should go, and others that clearly aren’t standing out, but it’s not my decision, is it?” Oh yeah, attorney deflection at its best!

“Fine, that’s all for now then.” He shooed me out of the room and I’d only just settled back into my place beside Kelly when Skip came in.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please. The time has come. Gentlemen, if you’ll follow me, please.” Skip broke into the conversations going on around us and everyone turned silently, staring at the man grinning in glee as we waited for the world to crumble.