Drake would be more than happy to be out of the dating scene for good. Well, that was assuming he ever actually picked his final date out of the women in the house. He took a deep breath and walked out to the patio so he could pull Allison aside and talk with her.
He really had no idea if she was going to be the one he picked or not. Their date had been a hilarious comedy of events with paparazzi, gay lovers, and a charity event. It wasn’t possible that Drake would soon forget that evening with Allison.
The day was certainly starting to wear on Drake, though; he caught himself yawning as he thought about the rest of the afternoon. Certainly, things would get better when he was able to finally make his decision, but Drake couldn’t see that far ahead. For the moment, he needed to just sit down with Allison and see if things were still clicking.
Chapter 6
“What are you girls up to out here?” Drake said when he finally made his way out to the pool where the women were sitting.
It was late afternoon, and the sun had moved behind some of the taller buildings in the area. Drake normally loved that time of day, but it was just a reminder that he needed to make some decisions before dinner time came around. It was going to be a very awkward dinner if Drake hadn’t made the decision about who he wanted to date by then.
“Just girl talk,” Victoria said with a smile.
“You know, you girls don’t have to stay out here. It’s alright if you want to go inside or go into the pool house. Whatever you would like. Samantha and Scarlett are out for a walk if you want to join them as well.”
“Thanks, Drake,” Lauren said.
“Well, I think I should pull Allison away from you two, if that’s alright?”
“Of course,” Victoria said.
“Should we call the paparazzi?” Allison joked. “I think they are probably just dying to know where we have been all week.”
“I think you are right. How about you and I get some dinner started. I let the chef go home for the night. Just too much going on for one evening.”
“Sure, I’m game.”
Drake led Allison into the kitchen where he started to pull out ingredients for the dinner he had in mind. Drake certainly wasn’t the greatest of cooks, but he was able to whip together a dinner when he had to.
“Pasta sound good?” Drake asked.
“Sounds delicious to me.”
“Have you kept up on the paparazzi story about us? Anything interesting?”
“Well, last I heard, you were involved in a gay orgy, and I was forced to come watch.”
They both laughed at the preposterous nature of the paparazzi and the stories they came up with. It was very funny how the media liked to make stories up when they couldn’t find a story that was interesting enough. Drake had been the subject of a few stories over the years but not nearly as many as Allison had. It was nice to see that she took things in her stride and didn’t stress out too much about them.
“Well, that’s an interesting one, at least. I’m sure they sold lots of newspapers.”
“Yes, I’m sure they did.”
Allison grabbed her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail as they got ready to start cooking. She was such a down-to-earth girl; it was hard to remember that she was actually a celebrity.
Drake watched her as she expertly started to work with the meat they needed to cut up and brown for the pasta. Her hands managed the knife like she knew exactly what she was doing. It was obvious that she didn’t let others cook for her all the time; Allison was very familiar with working in the kitchen.
“Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to help,” she teased Drake.
“Sorry, I was distracted.”
“With my ass.”
“Yes,” Drake said as he came up behind Allison and slapped her ass playfully.
Allison had one of those bodies that only celebrity women could have. She was thin but also had muscle tone that defined her curves perfectly. Drake couldn’t help leaving his hand on her ass as he looked over her shoulder and watched her cutting the meet.
“You’re an expert with that knife.”
“Oh, I’m very good at playing with meat,” Allison said seductively.
There was a comfort level between Allison and Drake, but Drake realized that he didn’t want to know much more about Allison. He didn’t have a deep-seated need to ask her about her childhood, or what her favorite kind of coffee was. There was something missing in the energy between them. That small missing piece was enough for Drake to know that he was going to let Allison leave.
As they continued to prepare the meal, Drake went through the decisions he had made so far. He knew that both Victoria and Allison were going to leave, so that only left Lauren and Scarlett. He drew in a deep breath at that realization because he had no idea which woman he wanted more. They were so different, yet he enjoyed his time with both of them very much.
When dinner was ready, Drake rounded up Victoria and Lauren from the pool area. They would just have to start without Scarlett and Samantha since they weren’t back from their walk yet.
The table already seemed so empty with just three women and Drake sitting around it. The level of energy in the house had already calmed substantially throughout the day, and it was now a much more somber feel. The girls ate their dinner without much discussion, and Drake couldn’t find anything reasonable to say.
All Drake could think about was how he was going to tell Victoria and Allison that it was time for them to go. He didn’t want to be rude, but it needed to happen. Once Drake made up his mind, he didn’t change it.
“I really want you all to know that this week has been so much fun for me. And I don’t mean the intimate stuff; I have enjoyed getting to know you all. Just think about it, if we hadn’t had this experience, none of us would have ever met each other. I think that’s pretty amazing.”
“For God’s sake, just tell us to go home already,” Allison blurted out.
The anger in her voice seemed so far from her normal self, and what Drake had known of her, it shocked him at first. She looked at Victoria and Lauren before looking back to Drake with an angry expression.
“I thought we could enjoy a nice dinner before I made any more decisions.”
“Considering Scarlett is out with Samantha, I assume that means you chose her. Why even keep us here and drag it out like this? Obviously, it’s Scarlett.”
“No. I had no control over Scarlett and Samantha going for their walk. That has nothing to do with what’s going on here. But now that you bring it up, you could go grab your things, and I’ll walk you out.”
Drake was not happy at all with how Allison had just blown up. That wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted in his life, he was sure of that. He understood that tempers were high and a little agitation was normal, but Allison had just switched from a nice sweet girl to a total diva. Drake didn’t need any divas in his life.
Allison stormed off upstairs, and Drake looked at both Victoria and Lauren—there was no use dragging things out for them, either.
“Victoria, I’ll walk with you to get your things as well,” Drake said without making eye contact with her.
“Sure thing,” Victoria said sweetly.
Victoria wasn’t throwing a tantrum about things, Drake could be happy about that at the very least.
Allison could be heard loudly talking to herself as Drake and Victoria made their way upstairs. Both of them looked at each other with wide eyes as they heard the things Allison was saying.
“He’s an asshole, there’s no reason I should have come here. I seriously can’t even believe I wasted a week of my life.”
“She seems a little angry,” Drake joked with Victoria.
“She’ll get over it. I’m happy for you. Do you know if you’re picking Lauren or Scarlett?”
“I really am not sure. Please know that there’s nothing wrong with you or anything like that. I just felt a little stronger connection with the other two women.”
<
br /> The awkwardness between Victoria and Drake was thick enough to cut with a knife. Drake couldn’t wait to get both Victoria and Allison out of the house. It was going to be a difficult few minutes, but he was excited about the choices he had made so far.
“I’ll be alright. I didn’t want to have to think about leaving my job at Harvard, anyway. Who knows, it might not have worked out at all. I did really enjoy this week with you, though. It helped me a lot to understand what I was looking for and not to settle for anything less than perfection.”
Victoria hugged Drake and then grabbed her things. She had packed very light compared to the other women, so when Drake took her bag for her, she only had one other small bag to carry. Allison was still talking loudly in her room, and they both looked in there as they walked past.
“Do you think I should go in there?” Drake wondered.
“No, just give her a minute. Let’s wait together. I can knock.” Victoria handed her second bag to Drake and knocked on Allison’s door. “Do you need any help with your things?” Victoria asked Allison.
“I need a whole crew of people,” Allison hollered toward the door.
Drake felt the tension of the moment building, and he wanted to say something but decided it wasn’t a good idea. One thing he knew about women was that they didn’t like to be spoken to when they were angry. And Allison was definitely angry. Drake waited patiently in the hallway as Victoria went into Allison’s room.
“No need to help us or anything,” Allison said angrily as she saw Drake standing outside her door.
He stood there with both of Victoria’s bags and then decided to make his way downstairs to drop them off so he could come back up and help with Allison’s.
“How are things going?” Robert asked.
“Don’t ask. Let’s just get these two on their way. Can you get two cars outside and ready, please.”
“Sure.”
Drake already had one car on standby to take each woman as they left, and it wouldn’t take more than a phone call to get a second black sedan there for Allison. Drake felt the tension building as he climbed the stairs again and waited for Victoria to hand him a couple of the bags. He certainly wasn’t lazy and had no problem carrying everything if that made the women happy.
Drake hated the feeling he was having as he walked each woman out of his house. It felt like he was forgetting all about them, moving on with someone else and not appreciating that they had come and spent the week with him. He didn’t want them to feel like that, but he couldn’t figure out a way to spin things so they weren’t so damn tense. All of the women wanted to be there. They had left their life to come and be at his house and give him a chance, and he really did appreciate that they had put in that effort.
“So, he’s kicking you out too?” Allison said to Victoria as the group made their way down the stairs and out to the front drive.
“Allison, you had a good week. Don’t ruin it now. He’s a powerful man, and you don’t want to burn that bridge.”
“Ugh, I’m just not politically correct. I can’t be. I knew this whole thing was going to end in disaster. I just knew it.”
“Well, take a few deep breaths and try to end things nicely. You don’t need another person in the world not liking you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Allison said defensively.
“Just go say goodbye to Drake,” Victoria said calmly.
Reluctantly, Allison walked over to Drake with her eyes fixed on the ground. Allison seemed like a child as she stood in front of Drake and refused to look up at him. He couldn’t help feeling sad for her. Whatever the results of the week were, Drake had really enjoyed his time with Allison.
He grabbed her chin gently and lifted it up to force her to look at him.
“I enjoyed meeting you. Someday, you’ll find your prince; it’s just not me.”
“Thank you; I’m sorry for the tantrum. I just really thought you were going to pick me.”
Drake felt the guilt of the moment build up again. Of course, she thought he was going to pick her, they all thought that. He was crushing their dreams to find his own dreams. It wasn’t a great feeling, and Drake hated that these women were going to leave feeling that their week had been wasted on him. It hadn’t been wasted, Drake knew it and wished they could see it as well.
“Allison and Victoria ...” Drake looked at Victoria, beckoning her to come over and talk with them. “You two women are amazing. I hope we can remain friends, and I’d love to hear updates about your lives when you feel like it.”
“Thank you, Drake, it was great getting to know you. We wish you all the best,” Victoria said as she grabbed Allison and walked her to the car containing her things.
As Allison’s car pulled away, Victoria gave Drake one last hug and then went to her car. Drake finally breathed a sigh of relief as both cars drove away, and he was left with just Lauren and Scarlett, who was still out for a walk with Samantha.
“I’m going to head out for the night,” Robert said from behind Drake. “I think you and Sam can handle the final touches. Right?”
“Yes, thanks for everything, Robert. I’ll see you Monday.”
“I’ll get started on planning my all expenses paid vacation,” Robert said as he shook hands with Drake.
Chapter 7
“So, it’s almost over,” Lauren said with a bright smile as Drake made his way back into the house.
It was nice to be alone with her, for a few minutes at least. before Samantha and Scarlett came back from their walk. Lauren was fun and light-hearted to be with. It felt natural when they were together, and Drake wanted to see if there were any clues that would give him an idea if he should pick Lauren or Scarlett.
The truth was that Drake hadn’t even slept with Scarlett yet, but he felt chemistry with her that was stronger than with Lauren. But Drake had slept with Lauren, and the sexual chemistry had been pretty damn good between them. He drew in a deep breath as the decision weighed heavy on him.
“Yes, it’s been a long day for sure. I’m glad you and I get a moment to talk before the ladies get back.”
“You know, this whole exercise was pretty amazing. Like something out of a television show. I’m glad I got to be a part of it. Even if you don’t pick me, this was a great week and a really fun opportunity.”
It was as if Lauren was giving Drake the out he needed if he wasn’t going to choose her, but the thing about it was … Drake might choose Lauren. He could see what his life would be like with Lauren, and Drake really liked it.
Lauren was relaxed and spent a lot of her time outdoors. She was certainly one of the happiest women he had ever met. She was successful in her industry and got to have fun surfing as part of her job. Drake admired Lauren’s life, and he really thought that he could make his life and hers blend well together.
“I know some of the ladies don’t get it, but I really did need to meet you all. I needed to grow these intimate relationships as I searched for a little more meaning in my life. I’m so glad you came here and glad the other women came as well.”
Drake plopped himself onto the couch and closed his eyes out of utter exhaustion. He wanted to just sleep for hours and hours as soon as the final decision was made. But he knew that wasn’t going to happen either. After the final girl was left there with him, Drake was going to want her in his bed for fun all night long.
His thoughts drifted to Scarlett. He hadn’t actually made love to her on their date, but Drake had tasted her, he had touched her, he wanted to feel Scarlett’s naked body under him as he thrust inside of her. Even as Lauren sat down next to him on the couch, Drake felt himself being drawn to thinking about Scarlett.
He wasn’t sure if it was enough of a draw to choose Scarlett over Lauren, though. As soon as Scarlett got back from her walk, Drake was going to pull her aside and talk to her. He needed to talk to her before he made his decision. Maybe during their conversation, he would feel something that told him which woman he should pi
ck.
“I’m exhausted too,” Lauren said as she cuddled up next to Drake. “I guess we need to wait for Scarlett to get back for you to make your final decision.”
“Yeah, let’s just close our eyes and rest,” Drake joked, although he was totally serious.
“I’m game if you are.”
Lauren and Drake both closed their eyes as they waited for Scarlett and Samantha to get back. The level of exhaustion that Drake felt from his week was beyond overwhelming. He couldn’t imagine even being able to stay awake past ten o’clock, but he imagined there would be a surge of energy after he made his final decision.
What had started as a quick closing of their eyes, turned into Lauren and Drake being totally asleep when Scarlett and Samantha arrived back at the house about twenty minutes later. The two women came in loudly, unaware that it was apparently naptime.
“I’m starving, we should make some smoothies,” Samantha said when she flung the door open.
Drake and Lauren quickly woke up and tried to pretend like they hadn’t been sleeping, but it was no use. They had sleepy eyes and messy hair from their short nap.
“Well, at least you got a nap.” Scarlett laughed as she followed Samantha into the kitchen.
“How was your walk?” Drake asked.
“It was good. It’s a beautiful day out.”
“Could I steal you away for a little bit?” Drake asked Scarlett.
The look on her face surprised him, and he felt like she didn’t really want to talk with him at all. His gut spun with sickness as he looked from Scarlett to Samantha. He didn’t want to be that jealous jerk who always thought something was going on, but there definitely seemed to be something going on between Samantha and Scarlett.
“Of course,” Scarlett said as her sweet facial expression reappeared.
The two of them went out to the pool and grabbed a couple of lounge chairs near the water. Drake felt nervous as he sat there with Scarlett. She was beautiful and sexy and made him want to be the best man he could be. Hell, being around Scarlett made him want to be a better man than he was.
Bedroom Rodeo: A Billionaire Romance Page 127