by Lisa Suzanne
She gives me a look that tells me she’s impressed I remember her name.
“I’m a social media sales rep from Santa Monica.” She leans in close to me, her breath warm against my ear. “I’m into yoga, which makes me extremely flexible.”
Jesus.
I clear my throat. “Can you teach me some yoga moves?” It’s admittedly not my best line, but it works.
“Oh definitely,” she purrs. “I’d really love to get to know you more. Tonight’s so short.”
“You’ve got the power, Eden. But, then, don’t women pretty much always have the power?”
“I like you, Dax. You seem smart.” She giggles.
I lean in, knowing it’s wrong to say what I’m about to say while the camera’s on me but suddenly not caring. “If you think I’m smart, you should see what I can do in bed.”
Words like that usually elicit a blush from women, but not from Eden. I may have met my match in her. She raises an eyebrow. “I hope to find out.”
Talia, the curator dubbed The Eccentric One, approaches us. “Mind if I talk with Dax?” she asks.
Eden gives her a dirty look but stands. “Talk later, Dax.”
She winks and I smile at her then shift my attention to Talia. I decided upon first impressions that while she’s very pretty, she isn’t in my top six...but it doesn’t matter. She still deserves my undivided attention in the small window of time we have.
“So, Dax. Why are you here?”
“I’m here to find love. Why are you here?”
“Really, though? Because you seem like the kind of charismatic guy who can sleep with any woman he wants. Why would you want to come on a television show to find someone?”
She sees right through me, and somehow I find that insanely attractive. “It’s unconventional. I wanted to try something different.”
She nods, and I’m not sure why I suddenly really want her to believe me. “Okay. I’ll buy that. But I’ve got my eye on you.” Her voice is a firm warning.
“I’ve got mine on you, too,” I flirt.
She rolls her eyes, and then she flashes me a smile and stands. “I’ll send another girl over.”
“You can sit,” I say, suddenly wondering why someone like her is vying for love on a reality show. “You don’t have to go yet. I want to know more about you. Why are you on a television show looking for love?”
She shrugs. “Guess if you’re still around tomorrow, maybe you’ll find out.”
She walks away, leaving me wanting more time with her.
She doesn’t have to send someone over, because Kristy, the mechanical engineer also known as The Guy’s Girl, sits beside me.
“Hi, I’m Kristy,” she says.
“Nice to see you again. Where are you from?”
“Seattle. Go Hawks.”
“Go Chargers.”
“You’re from Los Angeles?”
I shake my head. “San Diego. And I can’t stand the Seahawks.”
She chuckles. “Well then I guess it’s not meant to be.”
“Deal breaker?” I ask.
She shrugs. “It would take a lot of convincing for me to date someone who hates my Hawks.”
“If you keep me around, you can try to convert me.”
“Convincing argument. I guess we’ll see.”
We chat about football for a bit, and I wonder if she’d be better off with Danny since she loves sports so much. Even so, I do my best to convince her to throw her vote in my direction.
Melanie appears on the patio and stands up on a platform. I’m in the middle of my conversation with Lexy, The Girl Next Door and also the virgin, when everyone stops talking to hear what Mel has to say.
“Ladies, it’s time to vote for the man you’d most like to keep around. Please head inside the house for further instructions. Men, wait out here. Good luck to all of you!”
The producers shuffle the ladies inside. I size the other men up, feeling a little anxious regarding what’s about to happen. Either I’ll be chosen as one of the two men or I’ll be sent home. Either I’ll be giving MFB some crazy exposure to catapult us into a household name or I’ll be letting down my entire band.
No pressure.
10
I order myself another drink while the other three men stand in awkward silence behind me, and then I size up my competition again since I have nowhere else to go.
Anthony Ventura has been in several television shows. He was popular two or three years ago, but the show that made him a household name isn’t on the air any longer. I wonder if the women still consider him as popular as he once was.
Jonathan Crosby is heir to the Crosby fortune, but I’m not sure he has much else going for him apart from that. I could see how the women might find him (and his money) attractive, but he comes off as a pretentious douchebag—to me, at least.
I figure Danny Fisher is probably my biggest competition. It’s the off-season, but I’m sure his schedule is more hectic than mine. I feel like I’m always seeing him in a commercial on television or in a print ad. He must make bank off those endorsements.
So why are these guys competing for love on a reality show?
I’m the most down to earth out of the group, but I also bring in the smallest paycheck. If these women are truly looking for love, I guess it shouldn’t matter what kind of money I make...but something tells me they aren’t all here because they want to settle for a guy like me.
Anthony finally breaks our awkward silence as he directs a question at Danny. “So how’s next season shaping up?”
“You a fan?” Danny asks. Jonathan and I exchange glances as we stand in silence.
“Who isn’t a Cubs fan?”
“A Cardinals fan,” Danny quips.
We all chuckle, including Danny, who’s a natural at breaking the ice in an awkward situation, and then the four of us fall into an easy conversation about baseball. I like Danny. He seems like the kind of real guy I can hang with as we toss back a few beers.
And maybe I’ll get to do just that if we both make it onto the show.
I can’t really see myself befriending Anthony or Jonathan. Anthony is a little older than the rest of us, a little too mature and serious. And Jonathan has that douchey thing going on. I wonder how they’ll be portrayed on television—the real way I see them? Or some other way to fit a stereotype?
Hell, I wonder how I will be portrayed on television. Will I be the down to earth musician I see myself as? Or will I be shown as a man whore who can’t stop checking out all the ladies’ legs—also an accurate portrayal?
I suppose I’ll find out when this first episode airs. I have to hope it’s the former and not the latter. If I’m shown as an asshole, it could be bad for the band.
Although, as Kylie likes to remind me, all press is good press. It’s just in the way it’s handled.
I wander over to a couch during a break in our conversation so I can send Kylie a text.
Me: Waiting to see if I’m one of the chosen ones.
Her reply is almost immediate.
Kylie: You will be ;)
A wink? She never winks at me. She’s obviously trying to make me feel good and build my confidence, but she isn’t here to size up the competition.
Me: How do you know?
Maybe she has some insider info. Maybe Shayna texted her to let her know that I’m in. Or maybe I’m nervous and reading too much into things since the votes haven’t even been cast yet.
Kylie: I can feel it. Who are the other guys?
I text their names back even though I’m probably not supposed to.
Kylie: Stiff competition but you’ve got this. Give them that sexy smile of yours and don’t be nervous. I’m rooting for you.
I smile at my phone but don’t reply. It’s reassuring to have her on my side, but it would be more reassuring to have her by my side instead.
I head up to the bar for my third drink of the night.
“You think you made it?” Danny asks, slidi
ng onto a barstool beside me. I’m not sure where the other two men went off to.
I shrug. “I guess we’ll see soon.”
“This is taking forever.”
“Well, they do have to count ten votes,” I say, chuckling.
Danny laughs. I’m pretty sure an eternity passes when Melanie finally steps out of the slider doors. She grabs herself a glass of wine then turns around. She takes a sip of her wine before she speaks, and she looks at each one of us in turn. Her face gives nothing away as she pauses dramatically. “The votes have all been cast. We’re just wrapping up one-on-ones with the ladies so they can explain who they chose, and then we’ll pull you in for the live reading.”
“Do you know who they picked?” Jonathan asks.
She smiles. “No, I don’t. None of us do. Each producer knows who two or three of the women voted for, but they won’t share that info. They’re waiting for the live reading.”
“How will it work?” Danny asks. I glance over at him, and for the first time his confidence slips a bit. Before he was so sure of himself, almost cocky. But now that this is really happening, now that we’re so close to finding out, a sliver of nervousness slips through his carefully crafted façade.
I hope I don’t look as nervous as him.
“Once the ladies are done with their interviews, I’ll read their votes one at a time,” Mel says. “Whichever two of you garner the most votes will stay. When I read the names, do not react. Don’t look at each other. Keep your eyes glued on me the entire time.”
I wander back over to the couch and check my phone. No new messages—not that I expect any, but Kylie’s last message is still on my mind.
She called my smile “sexy.”
Why the hell is she flirting with me over text message when she’s the one who worked so hard to get me on this show?
Shayna finally appears on the patio. “We’re ready to read the votes.”
“Follow me,” Melanie says to us. The ladies are arranged in a row on one side of the living room. Shayna places the men in a line directly across from the women. Melanie takes her spot diagonally across from all of us beside a table with a box on it.
“Quiet on the set,” one of the producers says. Mel’s cameraman sets up in front of her while other camera-people take their places to capture every single reaction as the votes are read.
“Welcome back!” Mel says with a grin. I glance down at her legs again, unable to help it. “It’s time to read the votes and find out which two men the ladies decided to keep around. Will it be the incomparable actor Mr. Anthony Ventura? Will it be handsome hotel mogul Mr. Jonathan Crosby? What about the agile baseball player Mr. Danny Fisher? Or maybe it’ll be sexy rock star Dax Hunter. Let’s find out.”
She reaches into the box and pulls out the first piece of paper, and my heart starts racing as nerves fire through my blood.
“The first vote goes to Danny Fisher!” She holds up the paper for the camera to read.
I remember her advice to keep my eyes focused on her. I’m used to putting on a bit of a performance when I’m up on stage, but it’s still hard to keep my expression neutral.
Mel reaches in for another paper from the box. “Danny Fisher!” She holds up that paper as well, and we can all see the handwriting.
She repeats the process. “Danny Fisher again!”
Shit. What if Fisher gets all ten votes?
If Danny gets five votes, he’s assured a spot on the show. And I still have zero.
“The fourth vote goes to Anthony Ventura!”
Fuck.
I’m sitting in last place, tied with douchey Jonathan the male socialite.
She pulls out another paper. “Another vote for Danny Fisher!”
Five votes are left. We’re halfway through, and I need at least two as long as Anthony doesn’t get more.
“The sixth vote is for Anthony Ventura!”
Shit. My heart races as I work out the math in my head. I need three of the next four votes to assure my place on the show.
“The seventh vote goes to Dax Hunter!” She holds up the paper, and I do everything in my power not to react when she says my name.
Thank fuck. At least I won’t go home without any votes.
She reaches in for another paper. If it has Anthony’s name on it, my only possibility is a tie—another scenario I should’ve asked about but never thought about. “Another one for Dax Hunter!”
I feel the camera on my face, the spotlights above our heads heating my entire being as a bead of sweat races down my spine. It takes literally everything in my power not to grin when I hear my name. It’s Fisher with four, Anthony with two, and I have two.
She holds up the ninth vote. “A vote for Jonathan Crosby!”
Everything hinges on the last piece of paper in the box. Either it’ll be a tie or it’ll go to Anthony or me.
A strange sensation takes over my knees, and then I realize it’s because they’re shaking.
Fucking shaking.
I didn’t realize how tense I was until I felt the nerves racing through my body. This is all so unfamiliar to me. I try to think of the last time I was nervous to get up on stage in front of a crowd, and I come up blank. I love performing. I love being the center of attention.
But what I don’t love is having cameras in my face so America can judge my reaction to the next words out of Melanie Werther’s mouth—especially if those words don’t hold my name.
“Let’s recap the votes before I read that last one. We have Danny Fisher with four votes. He’s assured the first spot on the show.” A collective cheer rises up from the women. Clearly they are thrilled with the chance to date a baseball superstar, and why wouldn’t they be? He’s a great guy from what I learned of him so far.
Mel continues. “Jonathan Crosby has earned one vote, and Anthony Ventura and Dax Hunter each have two votes apiece. If there’s a three-way tie, the ladies will revote without Danny’s name in the mix since he’s already one of the two chosen men. Are we ready?”
She pauses, and it may be for just a second or it may be an hour.
It certainly feels like an hour.
She reaches her hand into the box and pulls out the final slip of paper. I draw in a deep breath and hold it.
Her lips lift up in a smile.
“Congratulations to our second selected man...” She pauses dramatically, and my heart stops. It’s either my name or Anthony’s name on that slip of paper. She looks up and makes eye contact with me, and then she says my name. “Mr. Dax Hunter.”
The women squeal a little, and I grin as I feel Danny slap me on the back. I turn to him and shake his hand.
“Anthony and Jonathan, we thank you so much for being with us tonight,” Mel says. She says some other words, but they’re lost to the buzz in my head.
Holy. Fuck.
I made it on.
11
The two losers are escorted out, and Mel speaks into the camera some more. “That’s it for tonight. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next time with our first round of dates!”
The cameras keep running as one of the producers instructs the women and us to meet in the middle of the room. Eden makes a beeline for me, pulling me into a hug. “I voted for you.” She squeezes my biceps and pulls out of the hug.
My chest races with excitement at the immediate connection I feel to Eden. I’m barely holding onto my cool, but I manage a grin. “Thanks.”
Kristy hugs me next. “I guess we’ll get to see if I can convert you into a Hawks fan now.”
I laugh. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
I hug each of the ladies, and then the producers pull Danny and me into separate rooms for the private interviews also known as confessionals.
Jarrod is waiting with a list of questions inside his portfolio. “Hey, Dax,” he says with a huge smile when I walk in. He stands and shakes my hand. “Congratulations!”
I grin. “Thank you.”
He points to th
e chair where he wants me to sit. “I just have a few questions and then you’re free to head home for the night.”
I walk over to the same chair I sat in earlier. “I don’t get more time with the ladies?”
He shakes his head as he sits on a stool across from me, just under the camera that’ll be filming my responses. “We’ve got to be really careful to ensure you and Danny get the same amount of time with the women, and that time will be limited to your dates.”
“When’s the first date?”
“I ask the questions around here,” he says. “But it’s tomorrow.”
“Who’s it with?” I ask, ignoring his gentle scolding.
He shrugs. “Ready for your first question?”
I nod.
“Remember to reflect the question. Talk to me about your thoughts when you first saw the other three men.”
I take a deep breath before I start my response. I’m still riding the high of being chosen as one of the final two. It’s hard to get back in the mindset of what I felt when I first saw the other men. So I go for humility. It’s time to start building the persona of the guy America will fall in love with so I can reach my goal and make our band a household name. “The other three men I was up against were stiff competition, and once I saw them, I didn’t think I’d get any votes at all. I mean, an actor, a gazillionaire, and a future hall of famer? Against me, an inexperienced musician? I was sure I had no shot at this.”
“You’re hardly inexperienced, Dax, but the viewers will love your modesty.” He glances at his sheet of questions. “Explain to me how you felt as you heard Danny’s name on the first few votes.”
“My first thought when I kept hearing Fisher’s name was what if he gets all the votes? I wondered what would happen if all the ladies only voted for one guy.”
“What about when you heard Anthony’s name and you still didn’t have any votes?” Jarrod asks.
“When I heard Anthony’s name and I didn’t have any votes, I was fearful that it was over for me.” I tap my hands nervously on my thighs. “Each vote that Melanie read without my name on it pushed me a little closer to the door, and I was too excited about this prospect to be sent home on the first night. That would have been devastating.”