Chapter 18
Oh. My. God. The picture you’ve got of Brooke Shields going up that climbing wall does not do her justice.
Rhian read the text message from Mellissa for a second time while she was sorting her gear and harness in the annex of Jayden’s office. Luiji was on the other side of the room, packing extra provisions in his already-heavy pack. It seemed he was intent on making up for his arrogant behaviour and planned to do it with a show of brute strength. She quickly responded to the text:
???
Mellissa wasted no time replying.
Why didn’t you tell me she could be the real Brooke Shields’s daughter or something! She’s stunning!
Rhian shrugged at her phone’s screen.
I don’t really recall thinking that when I met her.
Are you blind! And you call yourself a lesbian. I’m straight and married, and I’d sleep with her.
Rhian laughed and tried to imagine strait-laced Mellissa chatting up a woman. It wasn’t happening. She replied again:
Don’t do that. We’re in enough trouble as it is. Just bring them back here so we can get ready for our hike tomorrow.
*sigh.* Whatever.
She tossed her phone onto the counter and started clipping quickdraws, cams, and nuts to a sling to make them easier to transport. She doubted she’d be doing any climbing, but Jayden insisted that anyone going out to base camp was going prepared. The last thing Rhian was going to do was break any of Jayden’s rules and undermine her authority. Her mind was drawn back to the sketch she’d done of her while she was supposed to be listening to Rachel during their meeting. What had driven her to draw that—to draw her? The question kept buzzing inside her head, an answer sitting on its wings. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to acknowledge it, no matter how many times she asked herself the same stupid question.
It’s just clearly been too long since I got laid. She ran her fingers through her hair and grabbed another handful of gear before securing it in place, trying to remember exactly how long too long had been. Three years. On a holiday to Spain. She’d been with another climber on the tour from America. It had been a little holiday romance, short and sweet. Bloody hell. No wonder I’m doodling every pretty face I see.
Satisfied, she finished packing her gear and called out to Luiji. “Dinner?”
“Absolutely.” He poked his head up from the pack he was hunched over. “I just need to wrap that rope over there, and I am ready.”
“Need a hand?”
He shook his head. “I can do it.” He was already half-done wrapping the long length by the time she crossed the room. He really was engaged in a supreme effort to make amends. She just hoped Jayden would appreciate it when they met up tomorrow. She wasn’t looking forward to telling her everything that had happened with Killian since she’d left, but there was no getting around it. Jayden needed to know. And besides, she’d know something was wrong the instant she saw that Killian wasn’t with Rhian’s little entourage.
They walked back to the conclave in comfortable silence, and dinner was dotted only with conversation about the next day’s hike. It was…companionable. And, indeed, Rhian found herself enjoying his company, something she hadn’t expected when they’d first met. Like Killian, she’d accepted him on the show not just for his climbing skills—which were formidable—but because his personality was polarising. You either loved him—which she suspected many of the young female viewers would with his long dreadlocks, chiselled jawline, muscled abs, and his perfect puppy-dog look. Or you hated him—many of the slightly older male viewers probably would, for the exact same reasons. He would become a talking point, and that would start to generate some buzz. She couldn’t help but wonder if he suspected as much.
The door to the common room opened, and Mellissa walked in, a scowl on her face and the two smiling newcomers on her heels.
“Wonder what that look’s about,” Rhian whispered to herself too quietly for Luiji to have heard.
“Our new team members,” Luiji cried, jumping to his feet and hurrying across the room to greet them. He wrapped his arms around Brooke—who did look remarkably like her famous namesake—and kissed her on both cheeks. “A pleasure to meet such a beautiful lady.”
Rhian sniggered to herself. “And that’s exactly why you’ll either love him or hate him,” she said, again under her breath.
Brooke, for her part, swiftly yet diplomatically backed out of his grasp, took hold of his hand, and shook it. Rhian was impressed with the way she handled the young Lothario and established her level of comfortable contact. Luiji just laughed and pumped her hand vigorously.
They’d made good time from the airport, and Rhian smiled as she welcomed them all. She held her hand out to shake with Brooke as she had done with Luiji and was taken off balance when the young woman tugged her into a tight embrace. Luiji’s eyebrows rose and a knowing grin spread across his face. He offered Rhian a subtle thumbs up. Great. Just fucking great. Now I remember why I didn’t put her in the main team.
During the trials, Brooke had been friendly—overfriendly—towards her. At first, Rhian had been more than a little flattered. She was gorgeous, after all. And Brooke Shields—the real one—had been her first crush. She’d watched The Blue Lagoon until the damn tape wore out. But it had quickly become evident that Brooke wasn’t acting upon a natural attraction. Her actions and words didn’t really match up. The look in her eyes was just a little…off. When she was supposedly unable to tear her gaze from Rhian, she’d seemed distracted. Rhian had quickly come to the conclusion it was a ploy, an attempt to curry her favour in order to ensure Brooke’s place in selection. Instead it’d had the opposite effect: Rhian had hated the way Brooke had tried to manipulate her so blatantly. And Brooke seemed to think the tactic would have some benefit now she was here.
Rhian quickly pulled away and departed to the kitchen to ask the staff for meals for the three of them. Within ten minutes, they were sitting down to plates of spaghetti bolognese, a fresh loaf of garlic bread, and a pot of coffee.
“What? No wine?” Brooke ripped a piece of bread from the loaf and took a hearty bite.
Rhian frowned and shook her head. Mellissa was supposed to explain tomorrow’s schedule to them. “Not with such an early start. We need to have had breakfast and be ready to leave by seven.”
Brooke waved her hand. “Yah, yah.” She clicked her fingers and looked towards the kitchen door. “The service here isn’t what I was expecting.”
“This isn’t a five-star hotel.” Mellissa’s clipped tone took Rhian by surprise.
“You’re not joking,” Brooke replied.
“Staff and crew aren’t here to wait on you. If you want something, you’ve got legs. Go and get it yourself.” Mellissa’s hands were clasped tight, her lips were pulled into a thin line, and her eyes looked as hard and angry as Rhian had ever seen them.
What the hell happened between these two?
Brooke scraped her chair back and stormed into the kitchen. After only moments, they heard loud voices, then cajoling laughter. Eventually, the doors swung open again, and Brooke reappeared with a bottle of wine tucked under her arm and four glasses in her hands. Four?
Brooke put the glasses down in front of everyone except Mellissa, and started to pour. Rhian held her hand over her own glass and just managed to stop herself from calling her out when she caught Mellissa shaking her head at her, and mouthing, “Don’t.” Brooke shrugged and poured into the remaining three. She told stories about the flight and about her own experience learning to fly, how she could’ve made a much better job of the landing than the pilot had done. Oskar, the other alternate, was as quiet as Brooke was brash and annoying. This was the other reason Rhian hadn’t chosen her to begin with. While she was making reason number two perfectly clear to everyone, she was busy reinforcing reason number one under the table by squeezing Rhian’s knee.
Rhian sighed and moved away, crossing her legs so they were as far away from Brooke as possible without making a scene or getting up. When the conversation stalled, Rhian pushed her chair back and faked a yawn.
“Well, ladies and gents, I’m afraid it’s time for me to head up. Like I said, we’ve got an early start in the morning and a long hike ahead of us.”
Mellissa, Luiji, and Oskar all followed her lead. Luiji gathered Rhian and Mellissa’s plates. “I’ll take these in for you both and see to the cleaning up,” he said. “See you in the morning.”
Rhian smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Luiji.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Oskar said and grabbed the extra glasses alongside his plate.
“Good plan.” Luiji pushed open the door with his foot and held it ajar for Oskar to go through first.
“Goodnight, everyone.” Rhian crossed the room and began climbing the stairs to the top floor with Mellissa next to her.
“I’ll come with you, ladies,” Brooke called after them, then knocked back a half glass of wine and practically raced to the foot of the stairs and climbed up alongside them.
Mellissa frowned. “You need to take care of your plates.”
Brooke scowled. “The boys offered to do the cleaning.”
“I don’t recall them making that offer to you,” Mellissa said, a growl in her voice.
Rhian schooled her face not to react, but the behaviour was most odd. Mellissa had been her admin assistant for four years. She was a good fifteen years older than Rhian, married for more than twenty years, and the embodiment of a competent, capable, and willing assistant. They’d worked together on countless projects, travelled to many places, and become friends in that time. And this was the first time she had ever seen Mellissa react this way. To anyone. She was without fail placid, friendly, demonstrative, and easy-going. Seeing this…fiercely protective…behaviour from her was like seeing her childhood teddy bear grow fangs.
“Besides, Luiji can show you where your room is. You’re on the same floor as him. We’re not.” She slipped her hand through Rhian’s arm and tugged her away and up the stairs.
Rhian caught the scowl on Brooke’s face out of the corner of her eye but didn’t say anything. As soon as they reached the fourth floor, Rhian followed Mellissa into her room and waited as Mellissa flopped down on her bed and smacked a fist into the pillow.
“What happened?” Rhian finally asked.
“Doesn’t matter. Just don’t get sucked in by her.”
Rhian perched on the edge of her bed. “Do you really think I’m so desperate I’d let someone take advantage of me?”
Mellissa turned over and stared up at her. “You knew?”
Rhian nodded. “Question is, how did you know before you even got her back here and saw her behaviour towards me?”
“Simple. She explained her strategy for winning this show to us in the car on the way back here.”
Rhian frowned and bit her lip. The show would be won by a combination of successfully completing challenges, public vote, then being the first pair to cross the line on the final traverse. Getting onto the show was the last time Rhian would have any bearing on the possible results. From here on out, it was up to the climbers to prove themselves, win popularity, then give everything they had to win. “I don’t see how she thinks seducing me would ensure her winning the show.”
“She figures you’ll keep her out of the public vote if she’s sleeping with you, that you’ll want to keep her around as long as possible.”
Rhian shook her head. “It’s not up to me.”
“I know that, and you know that. Seems little Miss Thinks-a-Lot-of-Herself doesn’t.”
“And that’s what’s got you wound up like this?”
“Of course it does.”
Rhian stared at her.
“I hate women like that. She thinks all she’s got to do is flash her tits, or suck on…whatever…and she’ll get everything she wants. Bitch gives the rest of us a bad name. And to think she thinks you’d fall for that sort of crap…God, she makes me so mad.” Mellissa frowned. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
Rhian shook her head. “Nothing. Sorry. I’ve just never seen you this upset before.”
“Well, you didn’t have to listen to her in the Jeep. She was going on and on about how she… Well, never mind. I’m sure you can fill in the blanks.”
“A bit descriptive, was she?” Rhian wiggled her eyebrows, ready to try to lighten the mood.
“Well, let’s just say, if I’d recorded it, I could’ve given it to Todd. It would’ve been a present to myself.”
Rhian burst out laughing. “That good?”
Mellissa nodded through her own fit of giggles.
“Maybe I should get Oskar to tell me.”
“Don’t you dare. I’m amazed that boy could look you in the eye after everything she said she was going to do to you.”
“Aw, come on. You’re seriously not going to tell me?”
“Nope.”
“It’s been three years since I got laid, Mel. You gotta give me something.”
“Three years?”
Rhian nodded solemnly.
“Then I definitely can’t tell you. It’d kill ya.” She fell back on her bed, laughing, wrapping one arm around her waist and pointing at Rhian’s crestfallen face. She was at least in a better mood now.
“Bitch.”
Mellissa kept laughing for a few seconds before she put her hand on Rhian’s arm. “Seriously, what she was saying, the way she was saying it, she made me sick. You’re a good friend, Rhian. I want better than that for you.”
“Don’t worry, Mel. By the sounds of it, I want better than that for myself.” She grasped Mellissa’s arm and pulled her into a gentle hug. “Thanks for sticking up for me and defending my honour.”
“All part of the secretary’s code.” She squeezed her tight before pulling away and heading for the door. “It’s the best way to ensure bonuses.”
“Bitch!” Rhian yelled at the rapidly closing door. Mellissa’s laughter rippled easily through the thick wood.