by Black, Tasha
“Nice,” Ruby said, then sniffed. “Shoot, someone’s burning their cake.”
“No,” Margot moaned, dashing back to her own workstation.
But it was too late. Smoke was already pouring out of her oven.
She managed to snatch the cake out before she burned the whole studio down, but it was way too flat, and the top was blistered.
Focus, Margot, don’t draw attention.
She moved as slowly and calmly as she dared, placing her cake on a cooling rack, washing her hands, stirring her frosting.
She stole a glance over at Ruby.
Her friend was expertly covering the heart-shaped cake in exquisite frosting roses.
Margot smiled, glad the other woman had regained her stride. She suspected Ruby would have thought of reshaping the cake herself if she hadn’t been panicking.
By the time her own cake had cooled Margot was feeling better. She made sure to do a nice job frosting and prayed that her cake wouldn’t be so horrible that it would get her noticed.
If they sent her home, that would be bad. Not only would she be featured prominently, but she also had no home to go to at the moment.
“Thirty seconds,” Olivia called out cheerily.
Margot stepped back from her cake and willed her heart to steady.
10
Kent
Kent sat in his box, flanked by his brothers.
They were slightly above the stage, at a vantage point where they could see exactly what the women were doing.
The lights were warm on his face and he knew the cameras were watching him, but Kent couldn’t contain his interest in what was happening onstage.
“She helped her,” he murmured, sure he was correct. “She allowed her own entry to be ruined so that she could help her friend.”
“She was pretty relaxed about it too,” Parker observed. “She’s not even worried.”
“Why should she be worried?” Kent asked.
“Look at the others,” Parker suggested.
Sure enough, the other contestants appeared to be extremely nervous.
By comparison, Margot appeared almost preternaturally calm.
“Why are they frightened?” Kent asked.
“They do not wish to be humiliated,” Wayne said, anger creeping into his deep voice.
“Surely they won’t be humiliated, brother,” Parker said placatingly.
“There is no honor in what we are doing,” Wayne said firmly. “These women know it. The shame is written on their faces.”
Kent looked around the group of bakers again, less certain than before that his brother was wrong.
He had liked the idea of the women proudly showing off their skills and talents when the concept was introduced. Why not take pride in such things?
But perhaps Wayne was correct.
These women did not look proud.
“All right, Johnny Lazarus,” Olivia said, a smile in her voice. “Are you ready to eat some cake?”
“I can’t wait,” Johnny said.
Several of the contestants giggled and sighed.
Kent found his eyes locking onto Margot’s face.
She was neither sighing nor giggling.
He felt an unexpected surge of relief.
It was odd, but he felt he would have been very unhappy if she were fawning over John Lazarus, though he couldn’t have said why.
Kent and his brothers watched as the musician tasted each contestant’s dessert.
While the other contestants leaned forward on their counters to watch, Margot held back, her dark hair covering half her face.
He wondered if she was ashamed of her dessert.
But she did not look ashamed. She looked like a woman with a secret.
The woman to her right was weeping a little as Johnny Lazarus noted that her frosting was too sweet for his taste.
When Johnny and Olivia reached Margot’s station, he and his brothers leaned forward as one.
“I like the frosting,” Johnny said kindly.
“Thanks,” Margot said quietly.
“The cake is a little… overcooked,” he continued.
She nodded, making no excuses and not looking particularly chagrined.
“Are you freaking out, Margot?” Olivia suggested.
“He’s right, I, um, let it cook too long,” Margot said, looking down at her hands, the curtain of her hair covering most of her face.
Kent drew in a breath.
Maybe she was ashamed. It was only that she was better than the others at hiding it.
He waited for Olivia to point out that Margot had helped another contestant, but she didn’t.
“Did she not notice that Margot helped her friend?” he whispered to his brothers.
“Maybe Olivia didn’t see it?” Parker suggested.
“Your Margot makes no excuse for herself,” Wayne noted approvingly. “She is a strong woman.”
“She’s not mine,” Kent noted. Not yet, he didn’t add. “She’s protecting her friend again.”
By now Olivia had moved on to Margot’s friend.
“Ruby,” Olivia cried. “This is gorgeous!”
“I hate to slice it,” Johnny said. “Not that I want to judge it by its looks, but the roses are amazing, and the heart-shape is so cool. My wife would love this.”
Many of the ladies sighed again.
Kent was glad to hear that the rock star had a wife.
Lazarus took a bite and closed his eyes, then thumped table in appreciation.
The woman called Ruby beamed.
“She’s lovely,” Parker breathed.
Kent looked over at his brother and wondered if he might be falling under the spell of the woman. Just a little.
It was hard not to think it might be ideal if they could find mates who were friends. It would be easier to share their unusual life if their mates were already close.
Olivia and Johnny had just finished with the final contestant’s cake.
“Okay, Johnny,” Olivia said. “I know it’s a hard decision, but it’s yours to make. First, you’re going to select the two worst entries. Those contestants will unfortunately not be staying on.”
Johnny frowned, as if he did not relish this task.
Not Margot, not Margot, not Margot….
At last Johnny pointed to a woman whose cake had been undercooked, and another who hadn’t had time to make frosting.
“Sorry, ladies,” he said.
Sad theme music began to play as the cameras swung in to one woman and then the other.
An assistant walked them off the set.
Wayne’s hands tightened on the railing. “These women have been needlessly humiliated,” he growled.
Kent saw his point and felt sorry for the two women, even as he celebrated inwardly that Margot wasn’t one of them.
“And now, Johnny is going to select today’s winner,” Olivia announced delightedly. “This contestant will automatically be safe from elimination in the next round.”
Johnny grinned and strode over to Ruby’s table and pointed to her rose covered heart.
Ruby grinned back.
“The heart of roses,” Olivia said. “Great job, Ruby.”
A little confetti swirled in the air and the music swelled.
Next to Kent, Parker smiled at the curly-haired winner.
Kent had a moment of panic as he wondered what would happen if Ruby won the whole competition. Surely they couldn’t make him marry the girl his brother liked.
Suddenly the spotlights were off on set and the cameras began the onerous process of resetting as the contestants headed out.
Ruby ran up to Margot, grabbing her arm before she could leave.
“Margot, I’m so sorry,” she said. “They didn’t let me speak or I would have told them that you helped me.”
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Margot said quickly. “I’m really, really happy for you. I was hoping you would win.”
An obvious lie. No one wished for the success of another i
n direct completion with them. Kent waited for the mist of red untruth that seemed to emanate from her every time she spoke.
But to his surprise, the air around Margot remained clear.
She was telling the truth.
11
Kent
Kent spent the rest of the day in a daze.
He cooperated as best he could with the producers and allowed Olivia to herd him in and out of a few interactions with the contestants.
He went for a walk in the town rose garden with the red-haired girl whose counter had been next to Margot’s in the baking contest. She seemed very nice but all he wanted to do was grill her about Margot. When it was over, he didn’t even remember her name.
Then they had him accompany a woman called Regina on a very boring shopping trip. She tried on one tiny bathing suit after another, asking his opinion.
Kent thought they all looked impractical for swimming and said so, but that wasn’t the answer Regina wanted. He could tell because she pretended to laugh, but a furious red fog encased her. Even a laugh could be a lie.
At last, they fetched him one last time as the sun was sinking in the sky.
“One more vignette,” Olivia said. “Then we can all take a break for the night.”
She looked exasperated.
“Who will I accompany?” Kent asked politely. He knew he probably wasn’t supposed to ask for someone specific, but it was hard not to request Margot.
Olivia checked her clipboard. “Looks like it’s Margot Chase,” she said. “That’ll be great.”
Kent thought he sensed sarcasm, though he wasn’t confident enough to be sure. Humans had strange ways of communicating their displeasure, but sarcasm was the most misleading. It didn’t always trigger his sense of truth because it was sometimes earnest, yet the opposite of accurate.
“I’m very glad to accompany Margot,” he told Olivia carefully.
Olivia looked up from the clipboard and smiled at him. “You’re okay, you know that?”
“Thank you, Olivia,” he told her solemnly.
“Come on, we’re going to the lake,” she said. “I hope you can row a boat.”
“I have operated the navigation system on an intergalactic space craft,” Kent said doubtfully.
“I forget sometimes how advanced you guys are,” Olivia said, shaking her head in wonder.
“That is because we are not yet skilled in the nuances of your language and culture,” Kent said. “In time we will adapt.”
“I’m sure you will,” Olivia said, hopping into her car.
Kent got in with her.
He watched out the window as the little town went past and they headed into the trees.
“Margot is there already,” Olivia told him. “We wanted her in make-up and wardrobe.”
“Will it not be dark?” Kent asked.
“It will, but we’ll have our crew lighting,” Olivia said. “If they can make it before full sunset, that is. They were still breaking down the shopping center location when we left.”
They pulled into a small dirt parking area. Several cars were already there.
A hand-painted sign proclaimed that they had arrived at the Lake of Tranquility.
Olivia got out and Kent followed her down a footpath through the trees.
Suddenly the trees opened up and he was frozen by the beauty of what he saw.
They were on the sandy shore of an enormous lake. The water was pink in the twilight and the sun appeared to sink into its frosty surface.
Margot’s figure was silhouetted against the rosy water. The curve of her hips triggered something deep within him. Her hair lifted slightly in the breeze.
“Thank goodness she’s ready,” Olivia said from the path ahead, apparently oblivious to the beauty before her. “Looks like the lighting guys are still setting up though. Relax but don’t go far. I’ll find you when we’re ready.”
She disappeared into the crowd of crew members setting up lights on the beach.
Kent headed straight to Margot.
She was still standing on the beach, looking out over the water.
“Hello, Margot,” he said softly, so as not to startle her.
She turned to him, her hair and dress flowing in pleasant ways with the movement.
“Hello,” she said.
He noticed that she looked slightly nervous now. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes wide.
“I am very glad to see you,” he told her, hoping to assuage her fears.
She smiled up at him and suddenly they were just the two regular people they had been at the gas station.
“I’m glad to see you, too,” she said. “What a day.”
He stole a glance around the beach.
Everyone was still huddled around the cameras and lights.
“I need to ask you something,” he told her quietly.
“Okay,” she replied, looking intrigued.
“I saw you help your friend today,” he said.
She bit her lip, but didn’t try to deny it.
“Your skills in baking exceed what you showed the judge,” he told her. “And helping your friend meant you didn’t win. Why would you do this?”
“Because I don’t want to marry you,” she said.
The pain surprised him. It was unreasonable to expect a woman to feel the mating bond instantly as he did.
But then he saw that once again a mist of red clung to her form.
She was lying.
“As a prize,” she added.
The mist was gone in an instant.
“Oh,” he said.
“I hope that doesn’t offend you,” she said.
“Not at all,” he told her. “My brother also feels that this contest is improper.”
“Then why are you doing it?” She raised an eyebrow.
Because I didn’t meet you soon enough.
“I might ask you the same,” he replied, raising his eyebrow as well.
Margot laughed and Kent gloried in the sound.
This was a deep, true laugh, nothing like the shrillness of Regina’s false mirth.
He laughed too at the happy sound. He couldn’t help it.
The breeze picked up, lifting Margot’s hair again and depositing it in front of her eyes.
Without thinking, he reached out and swept it from her forehead.
A jolt of desire went through him the moment his index finger brushed her soft skin.
Instantly he was ready to claim her, to take her here in the sand, under the rising moon.
Margot gasped.
She felt it too, the fire between them.
He opened his mouth to tell her she was his mate.
“Margot, Kent,” Olivia called out. “Come on, we’re ready.”
Margot turned her head and the spell was broken. She headed down the beach toward Olivia.
Kent followed her, his heart still thundering.
12
Margot
Margot’s pulse raced.
She was hardly able to listen to Olivia’s instructions as she directed them into the boat, attached their body mics, and set them afloat.
Kent was studying her, a hungry expression on his handsome face.
She wondered what he would be doing right now, if not for the cameras and crew.
His gentle touch had sent her into a frenzy of need. She had never felt this way, so desperate and joyful all at once.
“You look lovely in the moonlight,” he told her, his voice deep, thoughtful.
“Th-thank you,” she replied.
“What is your dream?” he asked.
She blinked at him in total confusion.
“I want to know what you would like to do in your life,” Kent said. “Have I asked it wrongly?”
“No, no,” she replied. “You asked it… rightly. I just wasn’t expecting the question.”
“I see,” he said, still studying her intently as if he expected her to lay out a three-part thesis on her life’s plans.
&nb
sp; “It’s funny,” she admitted, “I’ve been rethinking all that lately.”
“You no longer wish to pursue mortuary science?” he asked her.
“Oh, er, yeah, of course I still want that,” she said, glancing at the boom mic a foot over her head - held by a crew member in a boat next to theirs.
A pained expression crossed Kent’s handsome features and then vanished.
Yeah, a person dreaming of being a mortician was a painful thought, she had to agree.
“I meant more, philosophically,” she said, hoping to change the subject. “I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about how to make other people happy, worrying about surface things. I want to figure out what I want, what I stand for. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” he agreed. “This is an admirable goal. My brother would probably like to talk with you about it.”
“Which brother?” she asked.
“My brother Wayne,” Kent explained. “He is interested in human interpretations of right and wrong. It is more complicated here than on Aerie.”
Margot figured he was being polite. It was a sad truth on Earth that right and wrong were sometimes nebulous concepts.
“Can we get you guys off this dark topic?” Olivia shouted from the boat next to them. “Talk about the weather, the water, literally anything but that.”
Margot giggled in spite of herself.
Kent smiled back, his eyes twinkling.
“The weather is so nice tonight,” Margot said brightly.
“Yes, and the water too,” Kent added.
“It really is,” Margot said.
The lake had darkened, now that the sun had slipped below the horizon. The stars and moon were reflected in its glassy surface.
“Beautiful,” Kent said, but when she turned back, he wasn’t looking at the water. She felt her cheeks flush and wondered if the lighting was good enough to pick it up.
“Did you have anything like this on Aerie?” Margot asked, feeling a little embarrassed that she didn’t know. Surely every other citizen of Earth had been curious enough to read up on the subject.
Certainly every other contestant would have researched it.
But Kent smiled at her like he was absolutely delighted to share mundane details about his planet.