The Blind Date Series (Three Romance Stories: Blind Date, Role Play, Pure Fate)

by Violette Paradis

  “Oh.” He pulled his arm from my touch. “You’re a fan?”

  I nodded. “Of course I am. Some of your work is transcendent. I mean, your Mike Shadow movies are a part of American culture.”

  Johnny furrowed his brow. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Madison, but I don’t date fans.” Before I had a chance to respond, he was gone, already talking to the two beautiful women across the room.

  What…what just happened?

  It took me a moment to understand what he said. He didn’t date fans? But who wasn’t a fan of his?

  My jaw tensed.

  How could he brush me off so easily? Maybe Johnny Logan wasn’t as charming as his movies, or his reputation, led him on to be.

  My heart still beat ferociously in my chest as Johnny stood at the other table, talking to the other women. Music began playing in the background. Johnny escorted one woman out onto the clearing where they began dancing. I had no choice but to stay on camera and watch them.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if he was putting on a character. But why would he be so rude if he was acting under his own name?

  Watching them was like watching a Johnny Logan movie. He was a president dancing with the first lady, or a spy dancing with a femme fatale, pressing her for information. Except he wasn’t a hero or an icon, he was just a rude man who happened to be Johnny Logan.

  I shook my head. Just like that, my perfect vision of Johnny Logan disappeared.

  “Ooh, Johnny, you’re such a good dancer!” The buxom, blond woman said.

  My hands were on her waist as I moved her around the dance floor. The woman was speaking but I didn’t hear anything she said. As soon as she asked me if I had my own island, I checked out. My thoughts were still on the fan.

  She was the only one who didn’t seem to care about islands, yachts, mansions, or access to one Hollywood exec or another. And she had a certain confidence to her that I couldn’t quick shake.

  When Britt called my name and I stepped out, her luminescent green eyes were the first thing I saw. She was attractive, hot even. My eyes were drawn to the white dress pulled tight over her curves, her soft hair brushing along the bare skin of her shoulders. Her perfect red lips, which were eager to speak to me. But she was a fan.

  I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe it. My agent, Rob, and Britt both knew they weren’t supposed to pair me up with actresses or models, but this was ridiculous. A fan?

  The whole thing was a mess. The whole reason I came on the show was because both Rob and the director of the new Mike Shadow movie forbade me from dating the cast. My intimate relationships with female co-workers were causing problems on set. But what else was I supposed to do? Those long shoots involved travel. I saw my co-workers every day. It wasn’t my fault they fell for me.

  I knew they told Britt to find someone for me, but a fan? This must have been a joke. Did Britt, the supposed expert matchmaker, think a fan was better than a co-worker? An actress? Sure actresses were often looking for opportunities to advance their own careers but at least they were predictable. You could always rely on an actress to fake it.

  Fans were wild, unpredictable. They followed me around enough as it was. I didn’t need another one to drool over me all day. The acting world was already weird enough. I didn’t need the added weirdness of dating a fan.

  Britt was being overly optimistic with the green-eyed girl. What was her name again? Madison?

  Her eyes were imprinted in my mind. I had to look at them again.

  Dancing with the blond, I turned her around so I could look at Madison again. Her green eyes flashed to me like lights in the dark. Our eyes locked.

  Intrigued, I smirked. She looked away. A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes flashed back up to mine.

  Fuck, she was gorgeous. There was no denying it.

  The song ended and Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ began playing.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the blond, who was mid-sentence of a story I hadn’t been listening to. I let go, leaving her upset and alone in the clearing, and I walked towards Madison.

  “What do you want?” Madison asked, furrowing her brow. She held her arms tight across her chest.

  “Would you like to dance with me?”

  She looked surprised at my question. She quickly composed herself. A muscle in her jaw tensed. Her eyes flashed to the cameras.

  She was nervous, but there was something else… the way she held her jaw and furrowed her brow. She was angry with me.

  I was used to women being mad at me. There was just something about me and my view on relationships that they didn’t agree with, and for some reason they often thought anger was the appropriate avenue to take.

  Had I been too dismissive before? Perhaps. But I was only telling the truth. I didn’t date fans. Hopefully post-production would make me look good during the edit.

  Madison rolled her eyes. It was time to turn up my charm.

  I extended out my hand. “Please?”

  She bit her lip and looked at my hand as if it was a temptation. After much too long a hesitation, she agreed.

  “Okay.”

  We stepped into the clearing and I slipped my hand around her waist. She flinched at first, but quickly relaxed. I swore I saw a hidden smile on her lips.

  She liked me. She really liked me. But she also really hated me. If I got her talking, I could turn this thing around.

  “You haven’t taken your eyes off me since I entered the room,” I said.

  “Neither have you,” she shot back.

  Was she right? She must have been. I couldn’t stop looking at her. Those eyes.

  “You’re shaking,” I said, holding her trembling hand tighter.

  “You—” Her eyes flashed up to mine. “You intimidate me.” She said it almost under her breath.

  I smirked. “You have nothing to be nervous about. It’s just you and me.”

  She nodded. Straightening her posture, she stood tall. “I want to say something.”

  “Go ahead.”

  She stopped dancing and pulled away from me. “You say you don’t like fans, but fans are the reason you have a job. Fans are the reason you get paid. Having others experience your art is the reason people make art. You can’t fall in love with someone who doesn’t appreciate what you do.”

  Out of breath from speaking, Madison paused to breathe.

  “And until now, I thought you were a true artist, but now I see you’re just an asshole. You lost a fan today.” She moved to leave, but she stopped herself and looked at me one last time. “I hope I still enjoy studying film tomorrow.” She ran off camera, disappearing into the darkness, leaving me alone in the spotlight.

  ***

  “Johnny! It’s time to select who you want to go on a date with. Are you ready?” Britt’s shrill voice sounded in my ear.

  God that woman was insufferable.

  I was still staring off into the darkness where Madison disappeared. I nodded.

  “I’m ready.”

  Wiping away my mascara-stained tears, I stood at the far side of the restaurant, watching from the shadows. Johnny slipped his hands into his pockets as he spoke with Britt.

  My cheeks were hot and I was fueled with adrenaline.

  I couldn’t believe I just told Johnny Logan off!

  Where all this confidence came from, I didn’t know, but I was passionate about film and I didn’t want him to diminish that passion with his narrow, peanut-headed outlook.

  The emptiness of losing an idol was strange, like a having a close friend replaced by an impostor who disgraced their memory. I was finally realizing, for the first time in my life, that Johnny was not an icon, he was just a man.

  Production signaled for me to get back into the shot. A woman quickly touched up my makeup before I walked into the light and took my place next to Darla.

  “Well.” Darla sighed. “That was a bust.”

  “That’s the truth.”

  “He liked you though
.”

  “You think?” I asked absently as I watched Johnny and Britt across the room. I could still feel the red hot flowing through my veins. I was sure Johnny Logan wasn’t too pleased with me right now. All the drama I just stirred up on screen… I shook my head, hoping I’d get my check despite the things I said. Why couldn’t I be a better actress and hide all my feelings?

  Johnny whispered something into Britt’s ear. He looked up, his dark eyes locked with mine. He certainly knew how to look at a woman but, knowing his past, he probably looked at every other woman here the exact same way. Johnny Logan was a notorious serial dater. He was Johnny fucking Logan. Why wouldn’t he be?

  He pulled his eyes from me but I kept staring.

  What was wrong with me? I couldn’t keep my eyes off him!

  Frustrated, I tapped my fingers on the table. We nervously waited for Britt to come back into the spotlight. The three other women were waiting to know if they got picked to go on a date. I was waiting so I could get out of this place and go home. The sooner I forgot about this whole scenario, the better.

  Britt took her place on the platform in the front of the room. The excited chatter fell to silence. Britt was alone. Johnny was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he was watching off-camera.

  “Did you ladies have fun?”

  “Yeah!” The women cheered.

  “Well, from what I could tell, Johnny had a lot of fun, too. Now remember, even though Johnny enjoyed speaking to all you ladies, he can only pick one woman for a date.” Britt paused for dramatic effect.

  I knew it was silly, but I felt invested in what was about to happen. Johnny Logan could date any woman in the world. There was no reason to think I was special. And why would I want to date him anyway? He was an asshole. I tried to convince myself that I had a crush on Mike Shadow, the adventurer, not Johnny Logan, the actor.

  “Hurry up,” Darla urged under her breath.

  Yeah, I thought. Hurry up.

  “The woman Johnny chose for his date is…” Britt looked at me. “Madison!”

  I was ready to exhale when I realized Britt said my name.

  ***

  Sitting at a candlelit table strewn with roses, I was in a private room in the restaurant, waiting for my date to arrive. The aroma of coffee and chocolate lingered in the air. The cameras surrounded me, ready to record everything.

  I was still in shock.

  Why would Johnny pick me? Wasn’t he upset that I told him off?

  Paul approached me. “The whole fan pining for the superstar thing is great, just great! The average viewers will eat that shit up. Keep going with that, okay?”

  “Wait… what?” Did he think I was acting? Did Johnny think I was acting? Was Johnny acting?

  “Get the cameras ready,” Paul said into the microphone.

  “Wait! How long is this date going to last?”

  Paul looked up at me. “You owe us at least an hour.”

  “And if I can’t?” My exam was coming up. I didn’t have time for this.

  Paul stopped writing and looked at me. “You don’t want to go on a date with Johnny Logan?”

  Well, when he put it that way, it sounded downright silly. But his picking me made no sense. Plus, I didn’t have time for this date. There was less than forty-eight hours until my exam.

  “Listen,” Paul said. “We’ll call the other girls back and reshoot Johnny’s pick.” Paul brought his microphone to his mouth. A wave of panic flooded through me.

  “Wait!”

  Paul stopped and looked at me.

  “I want to go on the date.” Did I really just say that?

  “Get the cameras ready,” he said into the microphone. He looked at me. “Remember, it’s a family show, kissing is okay, but nothing further.”

  Kissing is okay?

  The thought that I might kiss Johnny Logan was paralyzing. I reminded myself to breathe. I reminded myself that I hated him.

  “Get into position,” he said as he got behind the cameras. “Cameras rolling!”

  Johnny Logan, I thought. I was going on a date with Johnny Logan. Not just a date, my first date. If my teenage self could see me now.

  I had always dreamed of this, but certainly not under these bizarre circumstances. I mean, I was getting paid to go on a date with Johnny Logan! Was this real?

  If Johnny wasn’t mad at me, and he really picked me to go on a date, then that meant he was in on this “fan” storyline. I wondered how I could continue acting the same way when I hadn’t been acting at all earlier.

  “Madison.” That masculine voice jolted me again. I turned to see Johnny Logan, the superstar, standing in front of me. He smiled, looking at me with those searing eyes. Wow. He really was handsome in real life.

  “Johnny! Hi.”

  “Are you ready for our date?”

  Our date. Johnny Logan asking me to go on our date was recorded on cameras forever. I looked around at the cameras and the slack-faced people operating the equipment. Thousands of people would be watching us.

  Johnny smirked as he sat on the seat across from me. My heart-rate instantly quickened.

  Holy shit! This was really happening! I dreamed about being the leading lady in a Johnny Logan movie since I was young, and here I was.

  Sitting back, Johnny watched me with his dark eyes. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything or not.

  “Johnny,” I started. “I know there’s tension between us.”

  Johnny put his hand up. “Stop right there.” His face was serious. “I’m sorry for the shit I said earlier. I’m an idiot for saying it.”

  “That’s for sure,” I said under my breath. Whether he heard me or not, I wasn’t sure.

  “I appreciate my fans. You’re right when you say they’re the reason I’m famous. I think about my fans all the time, and I think about them every time I start a new project, hoping they’ll enjoy it. The reason I don’t date fans is because they’re disappointed when they meet me. I’m not Mike Shadow or Dr. Bane. I’m Johnny Logan.”

  Chills ran down my back. Johnny kept his piercing eyes on me.

  “I think we should start over,” he said.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Can I ask you a question?”

  He nodded. “Go ahead.”

  “Why did you pick me?”

  He looked at me long and hard before speaking. “When you said my girlfriend should be my biggest fan, I thought about that and—”

  “No,” I interrupted him. “Before I said those things. Why did you pick me to dance with you?”

  His demeanor softened and his lips curved into a smile. “That’s easy. It was your eyes.”

  I blinked several times before looking away. Butterflies swarmed in my belly, an unfamiliar feeling for me.

  “M-my eyes?”

  “When you were talking about movies and special effects, there was a light in your eyes. I could see your passion. I’m glad you gave me a second chance.”

  Taking a breath, I felt all my worries about acting and being on camera melt away.

  Every time our eyes locked, I felt exposed, naked almost. But I couldn’t pull my gaze from him. Maybe I had been too quick to judge him. After all, I didn’t know what being insanely famous was like. I never had fans following me everywhere I went. Maybe there was more to Johnny Logan than the media let on. Maybe this was my chance to find out what kind of fascinating life he lead.

  “You’re not from LA then?” He asked.

  I shook my head. “San Francisco. I moved down here a few years ago to go to school.”

  “The city’s better for it.”

  I smiled, trying to look calm.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m just a bit nervous. Not used to the cameras,” I lied. It wasn’t the cameras I was nervous about.

  “Don’t worry about them. It’s their job to make us look good.”

  Something told me Johnny Logan didn’t need help looking good.

  A waitress came by.

  “C
an I get you some drinks?” She asked in a nasal voice

  Johnny looked at me. “Would you like a cocktail? Or some wine?”

  “Can I get a strawberry shake?” I spoke before even thinking. I was so used to ordering shakes from Nacho Grande that my tongue functioned on motor memory. I giggled nervously, noticing that both Johnny and the waitresses were looking at me.

  The waitress sneered. “We only have strawberry daiquiris.”

  I nodded. “That’s fine.”

  The waitress looked at Johnny.

  “I’ll have a rum and soda.”

  She gave him a flirty smile but he paid no attention to her. His eyes were on me. The waitress, who was clearly upset at being ignored, disappeared.

  “Strawberry shake?” He asked.

  “It’s my favorite go-to drink after a long day of studying. I guess I forgot where I was for a second.” I realized how much like a little girl I must have seemed.

  The waitress appeared with our drinks, smiling again at Johnny.

  “Thank you,” he said. The waitress, visibly giddy to have gained some attention from Johnny, left again. Clutching my daiquiri, I was glad I had a grown up drink and not a shake.

  “So.” Johnny took a sip of his rum and soda. “Have you had any relationships before?”

  Holy crap! Was Johnny Logan really asking me about my romantic history?

  “Not any long-lasting ones.” I left out the fact that I hadn’t had any short-lasting ones either.

  “Why not?”

  I thought about it. Why hadn’t I dated yet? It wasn’t because I didn’t attract the attention of men, because I did.

  “I spend too much time studying,” I admitted. “School doesn’t allow much time for romance.”

  “Hmm.” Johnny leaned back as he placed his hand on the table between us. His slender fingers traced the pattern in the wood. “As I get older, I realize we have to make time for romance.” His eyes, and his smile, could melt me if I let them.

  Why did he have to look at me like that?

  Diverting the attention from myself, I asked a question. “Have you had any serious relationships recently?”

  Was I an idiot? Everyone and their grandmother knew that Johnny Logan was a serial dater, a bad boy, a playboy. Johnny was always on the cover of magazines and tabloids. He was linked to a model this day, an actress the next. Once he was even in the news for dating a famous actress twice his age. If I recall correctly, she claimed Johnny was the best lover she ever had.