I woke at first feeling completely serene, but quickly realized I was alone in the bed. A sense of dread crept through me, and I sat up with a sigh. A glance at the clock on the nightstand revealed it was after nine a.m., so Spencer was probably long gone.

I was miffed and a little hurt that he hadn’t bothered to wake me up to say goodbye, but maybe it was easier this way. I wouldn’t see him again, and a long, drawn-out goodbye scene might’ve made it that much harder. I wouldn’t have wanted to cry on camera, especially after bidding goodbye to a man I’d only known for forty-eight hours or so, so I was thankful he slipped away quietly. Mostly.

I got out of bed and walked across the room. My clothes were a lost cause when I managed to gather them together, and I let out an impatient sigh. “What am I supposed to wear?” I asked that aloud, hoping maybe they were still observing me. With that thought in mind, I realized I was parading around naked and moved to the bed to strip off the top sheet. I fashioned it as a messy sarong and wasn’t terribly surprised when there was a knock on the door about ten minutes later. They were definitely still watching.

I moved over to open it, peeking out cautiously. I was still feeling kind of paranoid in this place, but it was just Hannah standing on the doorstep with my luggage. She held it out with a cheery smile. “Go ahead and get ready, and then we have some things for you before you board the boat home.”

I nodded and took the bag, giving her a quick thanks before closing the door and moving to the bathroom. I wondered if they were still observing me as I cleaned up and wished I was back in the room that had been assigned to me as a contestant. If I’d thought about it, I would’ve clutched the sheet-sarong and gone there to prepare instead, though there was no guarantee they weren’t filming us in our quarters either. I suspected their setup was a lot slimier and underhanded than they made it seem.

I washed off and dressed as quickly as possible, no longer interested in giving them a peep show. I hadn’t been anyway, but when I was with Spencer, I’d sort of forgotten about the cameras and just lost myself in him.

When I stepped out of the cottage a little while later, I saw the other women gathered at the top of the hill standing with Hannah. I made my way to them, exchanging a friendly smile with Kelly and a nod with Dai. Her face was impassive, making it impossible to guess whether or not that Nash guy had claimed with her. I’d probably never know, since I had no intention of watching the show, especially knowing I was going to be part of it.

Hannah handed us all folders. When I opened it, there was a copy of our contracts that had been signed by Sid Moreau now, and it included our checks. Mine was made out for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, as promised, and they hadn’t tried any nonsense, like deducting taxes. I wasn’t sure, but I figured we were on an island with no government or tax obligation anyway.

I still wasn’t sure how I would cash the check, other than taking it to the bank. I doubted they would release it immediately without putting some kind a hold on the funds, but if I was lucky, maybe it would only be three business days. That was about all I could stand to spare before I hit the deadline Ivanov had given me.

I tucked the check securely in my bra, deciding it wasn’t safe even in my purse, and certainly not in my bag. After couple of minutes of chitchat, Hannah waved us all forward, and I fell into line.

I looked up when a hand rested on my shoulder, frowning to see Sid Moreau. I didn’t like his touch, and it took everything I had not to shrug him off. “What?”

“May I have a word with you for a moment?”

I took a step to the side, allowing the two women behind me, whose names I’d never learned, to pass by.

Dai went by me as well, but I was reassured when she paused a few feet away, making it obvious she was waiting for me. Maybe she found Sid Moreau as creepy as I did.

“The rains took out a lot of our power grid yesterday, including some of our cameras. We got some spotty reception, but not nearly as much footage of your claiming as we’d like. I was hoping you might agree to stay behind for a few more hours to re-create the footage.”

I frowned at him even as my heart leapt in my chest. “Spencer agreed to this?”

He hesitated and then shook his head. “Unfortunately, he had a pressing business matter to which he must attend. We have a staff member who can do a passable double for Spencer, and technology will allow us to craft his face onto Raymond’s body. We just need you to re-create a couple of scenes and flesh out what we do have. Subscribers will be expecting the full package.”

My mouth dropped open, and it was all I could do not to slap him. “You expect me to sleep with some stranger and pretend to lose my virginity again? You’re out of your mind.”

He gave me a sly smile. “I’m prepared to offer you a twenty-five-thousand-dollar bonus. In cash.”

That would definitely take off the stress of what I’d do if I couldn’t cash the check right away, but I didn’t consider it for more than a millisecond. I couldn’t imagine trying to re-create what I’d done with Spencer with some guy I’d never even met. The irony of the fact that I’d never met Spencer before the weekend wasn’t beyond me, but he didn’t feel like a stranger. Having him had been far better than I’d expected. Moreau’s offer left me feeling violated. “No, thanks.”

“Fifty thousand?”

I shook my head and started walking away. He fell into step behind me, one hand reaching for my arm. I shrugged him off, and then Dai was there between us. “She said no.”

I didn’t need her to stand up for me, because I wouldn’t be pressured to agree, but I appreciated her support.

“Please, Anya. Your kind of storyline is just what the subscribers want.”

“Find another virgin. I no longer qualify.” I didn’t look back at him as I marched forward, boarding the boat a moment later.

I half-expected Sid to follow me up the gangplank, but when I glanced back, he just looked resigned, and a little ill. Apparently, he must risk losing a lot of money with his little technology glitch. I was frankly ecstatic knowing that only parts of what I did with Spencer would be available for voyeuristic viewing.

A few other staff members joined us on the boat, and Hannah was among them. Sid was nowhere in sight, and the yacht took off a few minutes later. I was surprised that as soon as we were in open waters, away from the island, Hannah approached me. I stiffened, preparing myself to hear some kind of hard-sell, or perhaps Sid’s next offer.

Instead, she just grinned at me. “Did you see the bruise under his eye?”

I nodded, but hadn’t paid much attention at the time.

Her grin widened. “Your Spencer gave him that when he offered to trade your location information in exchange for him sticking around to shoot another scene.”

I shuddered. “God, he was going to give out my information?” I wasn’t afraid of Spencer having that, which was probably a stupid thing. He might be completely different than he seemed over the weekend together, but on the other hand, I imagined he would’ve unleashed any violent tendencies he had when I was at his disposal, if they existed. I was more concerned about Sid selling it to one of the other hunters.

She nodded, looking disgusted. “He’s a creep. He also sells tracking devices to the hunters that allows them to track a specific woman. And often, he sells more than one for the same woman.”

I grimaced. “Is it true that no one’s ever died during the show?”

Hannah nodded. “When it comes down to it, he looks out for people’s safety and all, but he’s not above selling things on the side to supplement the income he gets from the investors.”

I frowned. “You mean the island isn’t Moreau’s show?”

She lifted her shoulder. “It was his concept, but he didn’t have the funds to get his brainchild off the ground. He found some equally shady investors, and they propped him up. He turns a profit now, but a lot of it has to go back to his investors. He complains about that a lot. In particular, one mobster guy keeps changing the terms of the percentage, but it’s hard to have any sympathy for him. He’s a total sleaze.”

I had no doubt about that.