I had never been on so many dates in my life. One after another after another. I felt like I was on a conveyer belt of dates—one woman and then another woman and then another woman. It never seemed to end.

By Saturday night, I was exhausted. I hadn’t been alone in hours—I was either being followed by a camera crew, or escorting one of the contestants on a ridiculous date, or both at the same time. In the few moments I’d had to myself, I was able to text Paige, who I hadn’t been able to see since our incredible night together, but those interactions were sparse and unsatisfying.

I wanted to see her again. To kiss her. Touch her.

But I still had to film a goddamn elimination ceremony before I could go back to the hotel and maybe find a way to sneak out to see Paige.

Everything about the show’s process made me uncomfortable—not just mentally, but physically too. I hated wearing a tux, and I really hated wearing the makeup that they made me wear. It felt thick and hot, especially under all the lights that were shining bright on me for hours.

I just wanted to take a long shower. Wash the whole day off of me.

With Paige, naked in the shower beside me.

Instead, I had to stand next to Cal, the host—who was wearing about three times more makeup than I was—and pretend that this was the only place in the world I wanted to be.

I had to pick the final five girls to continue on this charade with me into the final week. The first few were easy. Savannah and Jasmine both seemed genuinely nice, and neither of them tried to rub up against me at every opportunity. They both accepted their heart with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. The other two girls were a little more intense about receiving their hearts and I hated the desperation I felt from them. It made me incredibly uncomfortable. It was one thing to do this show for money or fame, especially if everyone was in on the true motivations of all involved. It was something totally different to actually be hoping that I was a viable romantic candidate. Because I wasn’t.

Kimmie was the last girl I gave the heart to. She was gorgeous—no doubt about it—and she had been nothing but sweet and flirtatious with me, but I got the sense that most of it was just an act. I wasn’t especially keen on keeping her around for much longer, but the production seemed to like her a lot, so I figured letting her continue through one more round of eliminations wouldn’t be any skin off my teeth.

By the time all of it was over, and the crew was striking the set, I finally had a moment to text Paige on my ride back to the hotel. I had been looking forward to seeing her all day—a fact that surprised me a little. Yeah, the sex was great, but this felt like more than just the anticipation of an orgasm or two. I was looking forward to spending time with her—whether we were naked or not. That was unusual for me.

Going to grab a quick shower, I texted her. How do you feel about meeting up at a bar?

Only if there’s a dark corner we can make out in, she replied.

I immediately got hard.

Are there any other kind of bars? I responded, already thinking about the taste of her tongue.

Her return text was a winky face. I grinned at my phone, and barely waited for the shuttle to stop before I was booking it across the lobby, heading towards my suite. But just as I was about to reach my room, my phone buzzed.

It was an incoming call from my PI, Grant.

“Please tell me you have good news,” I said, my fingers crossed.

“I have the potential for good news,” he told me. “I think we have a lead.”

It wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but it was a step in the right direction. We chatted for a while as I dug in my pocket for my room key. They were following their leads and felt that if they acted fast, they might have a good chance at catching my former manager and getting my money back.

Between that and my imminent date with Paige, I was feeling pretty good as I entered my hotel room. That feeling immediately vanished when I found Patrick in my suite, digging through my mini-fridge.

“You’ve barely touched the good stuff,” he commented, not even looking up as I entered. “You know we’re covering your bill, right?”

He stood, holding two tiny bottles of whiskey.

“I’ve been busy,” I told him, though what I really wanted to say was “get the hell out of my suite so I can go sleep with one of your PAs.”

“You’re never too busy to enjoy a glass of whiskey.” Patrick was pouring them into two glasses, each with an ice cube.

But by the way he quickly downed it and then immediately ducked into the fridge for another, I could tell that this wasn’t going to be a brief visit. Dammit. I quickly pulled out my phone and texted Paige.

Just got a visit from Patrick. Looks like he thinks we’re drinking buddies tonight. Raincheck on the dark corner?

Her reply bubbles appeared and I found myself holding my breath, waiting for her response.

You’ll be buying, she said.

I smiled and slipped my phone back into my pocket just in time to take the glass of whiskey Patrick held out.

“So, what brings you here at this hour?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“I just thought we could chat.” Patrick settled himself into one of the cushy chairs by the window, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “You know, man to man.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and instead sat down and took a drink of my whiskey. It wasn’t the good stuff. Not even close.

Not that Patrick seemed to care, as he was taking shots of his instead of sipping it. I was surprised he didn’t hit himself in the face with the ice cube at the rate he was knocking them back.

“Sounds great,” I told him, forcing myself to smile. “Anything in particular you want to discuss?”

Patrick laughed. “That’s what I like about you,” he said. “You aren’t a guy that needs foreplay. Just get right to it, am I right?”

Jesus.

I took another sip of whiskey so I wouldn’t have to respond.

“The feedback on the first few episodes is great,” Patrick told me. “Viewers love you with the girls. It seems like you’re getting along with all of them.”

“They’re nice girls,” I said cautiously.

“Sure, sure.” Patrick waved his hand dismissively. “But we need to up the stakes a little. We need you to up the stakes. Is there anyone you’re favoring?”

“Uh—”

Patrick shook his head. “I know, I know, hard to choose when you have so many beautiful women as options.”

“Yeah, right,” I quickly agreed. “Hard to choose.”

“I completely understand.” Patrick leaned back. “I’m practically a walking boner on set.” He laughed. “Best job in the world, right?”

This guy was gross. I was starting to feel like I was going to need more alcohol to get through this conversation. Getting up, I went to the bar and pulled out a few more bottles.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Patrick held out his glass, which was empty again. “You, my man, are someone who understands how the world works.”

“I would hope so,” I said neutrally.

“Then you’ll understand when I tell you that you should be very particular about who you plan to eliminate next. We have big plans for the final two.”

“Oh?” I played it cool, wishing he would just come out and tell me who they wanted me to choose. Because I didn’t really care either way. I wasn’t going to end up with either girl—no matter who they were.

“Have you been getting a chance to know Kimmie better?” Patrick was looking at his glass, doing a terrible job at playing it casual.

“Kimmie’s nice,” I told him.

“She’s very nice.” He gave me a disgusting leer. “If you know what I mean.”

This guy had no subtlety.

“I’d be happy to have the chance to get to know her better,” I finally said.

Patrick grinned at me. “Great, that’s just great.”

I looked at my watch and made a big show out of yawning. “Look, it’s been a long day, and I’m pretty tired,” I told him, hoping he’d get the hint.

Thankfully he did.

Standing, he finished his third drink. “No worries, my man,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “It’s hard work getting fawned over by beautiful women, I get it.”

Yeah, I’m sure he did.

I got up myself and walked him to the door, certain he wouldn’t leave unless I actually showed him out. But just as he was about to open the door, he turned to face me, his expression suddenly serious.

“Don’t forget you have a contract,” he told me. “And if you break it, you’ll have to repay us the money we gave you. Something I know you don’t want to do.”

I froze, wondering what he knew.

“I’m aware of my contract,” I said slowly. “Have I done anything that indicates I don’t?”

Patrick gave me a look. “All I’m saying is that we all know the perks of this job. But if you want to get your dick wet, make sure you do it on camera.”

I wanted to punch him in the face.

“This show could be a great opportunity for you,” Patrick continued. “There could be a whole other series in it. More publicity, more money. But only if you play along.”

The last thing I wanted was to do this show for longer than I had to. More often than not, I found myself envying the girls I eliminated. At least they didn’t have to continue with this bullshit.

But I knew the stakes. It wasn’t just about me anymore—I didn’t want Paige getting into any trouble either. And if Patrick knew anything about what we had going on, she could kiss her career in TV goodbye.

I wouldn’t let that happen to her.

“I understand,” I told him.

His expression brightened again and he gave my arm a squeeze. “Good man,” he said. “I knew you were the right choice for the show.”

The moment Patrick was out of the room, I locked the door and called Paige.

“How was your date with Patrick?” she asked when I called.

“Very romantic,” I told her. “He gave me some good advice on the importance of foreplay.”

“Like you need advice on foreplay,” Paige teased.

My masculine ego swelled. As well as other parts of me.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked. “Because I have Sunday off.”

“So do I.”

I did a mental fist pump.

“How about we get away from the mansion and the cameras and the show? Go somewhere away from the drama?”

“Do you have some place in mind?” Paige wanted to know.

I grinned, already imagining how much fun we would have together.

“Oh baby, you know it,” I told her. “Just let me take care of everything.”