by Bell, Olivia
“Devon's not here. I don't think he's going to be until later.” He gave her a confused look since she hadn't answered him.
“I'm not here to see Devon.” Jasmine shook her head quickly, she was more at ease knowing that he wasn't going to be there during the time she was.
“Okay.” Ken nodded his head, keeping his eyes on hers. He knew that he had a lot of work to do and he didn't want to be guessing all day wondering what she had wanted.
“I want to know if the tenth spot has already been taking for dating Devon....” Jasmine's voice trailed off and she felt her face starting to get warm she knew that her face was getting red as she broke eye contact with him and looked down at the floor.
“It's still open. He was hoping that you would fill out a form so I left it open for you until the last episode. Come with me I will give you a form.” Ken nodded his head at her.
Jasmine followed him into one of the rooms that must have been his office because it had a desk and two chairs. There was a rocking chair that had been hand carved and she was impressed with the sketching of the dolphins on each arm the chair.
“My grandmother had been really good at carving things out. She made that chair by hand and when she passed away she had put that in her will for me. The only thing she left me because I had told her numerous times that I liked it a lot and that some day I was going to take it off her hands. I just didn't know that it would be the day she passed away. I miss her very much.” Ken explained, seeing that she was smiling at the rocking chair.
“I'm sorry about your grandmother.” Jasmine looked at him with sadness in her eyes. She knew what it was like to be in pain and she knew that it was still fresh for her she could just imagine what he was going through himself.
“Thank you, she's been gone five years and it still feels as if she had left us yesterday but I know that she's looking down on us and as long as I'm happy she's happy.” Ken nodded his head as he took the chair behind his desk.
Jasmine took the chair in front of the desk seeing that Ken was waiting for her to sit down and talk.
“I would like to fill out a form but there's one thing that you need to do for me.” Jasmine told him, holding her breath and letting it out slowly.
“What's that?” Ken grinned at her, seeing that she was having a rough time coming out and saying what was on her mind.
“I need you to keep it a secret. Don't let him know that I filled out the form and entered. I want it to be a surprise.” Jasmine smiled at him.
“If he doesn't see your picture than how is he going to know that you are in the dating show? He will pick another woman if he doesn't know.” Ken pointed out the problem quickly. He could see that she was disappointed in his answer.
“I don't know how we are going to do that. I guess I didn't think about all of this before I came in. The details and such.” Jasmine's eyes were just about filling with tears when Ken burst her bubble about her eyes.
“There is something that I can do for you though.” Ken brought a finger up and letting her know that he had a great idea.
Jasmine's eyes grew with hope again when she heard that he had an idea. When she looked into her eyes she knew that it was a good idea before they even started.
“I think that we should still keep you a secret. You fill out the form and I will tell him that I picked the tenth one for him because we had to fill the spot and he wasn't able to be here until later on. I couldn't wait on it because we are almost close to the end. Every night is someone new and this is going to go by really fast.” Ken assured her.
He knew that Devon liked her just as much as she liked him and there was no doubt in his mind that she was perfect for him. They had already hung out and he could see it when the two of them were together that they were happy with one another. He had seen them practice over and over again and he could tell that there was an attraction a strong attraction between the two of them and if Jasmine hadn't been so stubborn in the beginning and even now he could see that she was unsure about being on the show.
“I can tell you right now just between you and I. The only reason he's picking these women is to find the love of his life and I think that it's going to be you. He doesn't show any interest after his dates and he doesn't come in to me in the mornings to tell me that he had a great time and I don't see that sparkle in his eyes when he comes in to talk about the date. What I do see is when the two of you are together that he has that shine of happiness and he has that look of desire to be with you in his eyes. Not just to be with you because of the sex but as a person and I think that it would be a good surprise for him when he does see you.” Ken hoped that he was helping Devon out, he knew what he saw in his eyes every morning that Devon didn't want to talk about the date that he had been on the night before and Ken left it alone.
Ken knew his best friend and knew that if he was interested in one of the women that he had already dated he would have said something by now. He would be excited to tell him but there hadn't been a single one that had held his interest. There wasn't a single one that caught his eye enough to talk about.
“I'm going to leave you here with the form and the pen. I have a few things that I need to do. When you're done just put it on the desk and we will get things moving.” Ken stood up from his chair sliding the pen across the desk and pushing the form closer to her as if she was going to change her mind in those few moments.
Jasmine looked down at the paper and brought her pen to it. She didn't know if she should do it but she knew that it would be the only way that she could show Devon that she was ready to start dating again. That she was interested in him. She knew that he was going to be her boss one of these days when he called her up and asked her to start working for him.
Jasmine quickly put her name on the piece of paper and started working on the form quickly before she changed her mind. She looked down at the bottom of the form when she was done and saw that it wanted her signature. She paused for just a moment and knew that when she signed the piece of paper then she was going to be sealing the deal with the dating show. There was no way she could back out even if she changed her mind.
“I hope that I'm doing the right thing,” Jasmine murmured, shaking her head and putting her signature down quickly. She flipped the paper over so that the words were down on the desk and the white paper was the only thing showing.
Jasmine slowly put the pen back in the cup holder that Devon had taken it out of and stood up. Feeling her legs shaking, she knew that once she walked out that door and outside that it was over, that she was part of the show even if she had something come up in the meantime.
Jasmine quickly walked out of the office as if a ghost was chasing her. She closed the door so quickly that she accidentally slammed the door. She gave an apologetic look when Calvin looked up from the film that he had taken the night before, the sound was down and she took her eyes away from him. She didn't want to see the show that Devon had given the night before.
“Thank you for coming today, Jasmine. It was nice seeing you again.” Calvin paused the show and gave her a small smile.
“It was nice to see you too. I haven't seen you in a while. I hope all is well with you.” Jasmine nodded her head, giving him a smile as she dared to look up at the screen that was paused.
Jasmine saw the freeze frame picture of Devon sitting in the limo with the woman that he had been on the date with. He was holding her hand, and she felt the anger growing inside of her; she had seen the show last night and she had been furious with him. Keeping calm, she looked away from the television and saw that Calvin was still looking at her.
“Trust me, he doesn't care about the women on the show. Ken and I know that he's interested only in you and I hope that you realize that. In order for him to be with you for the long term he has to pick you and we both know that he's going to. He only wants to be happy and you're the only one who can do that it seems. We haven't seen much of a real smile on his face since the show began. The only time he real
ly smiles is when the two of you are together,” Calvin stated, shutting the television off so that he could talk to her and she would listen to him.
Calvin could see the look in her eyes and saw that her eyes were furious but she had a smile on her face and she had her head held high.
“I really hope that you have a good day, Calvin. I hope to see you more in the future.” Jasmine grinned at him even though she wanted to scream, there was nothing she could do, it had been said and done and it was a new day. A new day without calling Devon, without being around him but thinking about what he was doing and wondering if he had called her phone at all that morning while she was gone.
Chapter 5
Jasmine walked around town because she didn't want to go back to her apartment. She had thought about going to Devon's house but she wasn't sure how he would feel about it because of the confrontation that they had. She wasn't sure how things were between them from that moment. She didn't want to cause waves or catch him with anyone at the house—bad timing would make it even worse.
Jasmine did wish that she had a cell phone so that she could see if he would call her. She didn't have the money for one because she was trying to save her money for another place and knew that she wouldn't be able to save much if she didn't get a real job soon. The money being a cleaner just wasn't working for her. There wasn't enough money in it and she had been working her hardest at it. She was always on time, she had never had a sick day because she couldn't afford to.
Jasmine groaned when it started to rain outside. She knew that it was going to when she saw the threatening clouds looming in the sky. Before she knew it, it was pouring out, but she just continued walking in the rain until she heard a car hon honking behind her.
She looked over her shoulder and saw that it was Devon slowing down for her. He had a smile on his face and she felt like everything was okay again. She smiled back at him as he leaned over to open the door for her. She was thankful that he had come to her rescue; she was soaking wet already but it was better than walking in the rain and getting wetter each step she took on the sidewalk.
Jasmine slipped inside the car quickly and shut the door, slamming it on accident, she had gave him an apologetic smile, the second one she had given that day as she was rushing around. She slipped her belt on and Devon pulled away from the curb again.
They didn't talk for a few minutes as Devon looked over at her. Her hair was soaking wet and so were her clothes. He could see that her hair was a mess, but he didn't care about that, she still looked beautiful to him. He couldn't tell her that himself because she wouldn't believe him.
“So I would assume that you don't want to go back to your apartment because you're walking in the wrong direction for that,” Devon started out first, hoping to break the ice with her as she continued looking out the windshield.
“No, I didn't have anything else to do today so I went for a walk. You see how that turned out.” She laughed, looking down at her soaked clothing. She could feel her soaked socks inside her shoes.
“I see that, are you working tonight?” Devon asked her, hoping that she said no and, even if she did say yes, he was the boss and could find a cleaner that was looking for more hours. He knew one right off the top of his head.
“Yes I do,” Jasmine said sadly knowing that she had to go back to her apartment regardless before five that night so that she could get her cleaners uniform that was assigned to her when she first started.
“I think that it would be a good time to start modeling if you want to. I didn't want to bring it up again until I had everything all set. If you want, I'm starting a new line called 'Woman's Fashion.' There's no skin showing and I think that it would be good for the modeling agency,” Devon told her, letting her know that he was ready for her and the reason why he hadn't brought it up.
It wasn't because he was mad at her, it was because he had to prepare for the modeling sessions that were going to be coming up in the future and he had a big line to work with. One that made sure that she had enough work lined up. He hoped that she had kept the money he had given to her.
“That would be great.” Jasmine was thrilled that he had brought it up to her. They were talking easily now without any pauses, as if nothing had ever happened and that was the way that Jasmine had liked it. There was no tension between the two of them, and she could finally breathe around him again.
“Great, glad that we agree on something. How long do you think it will take for you to find a new place?” Devon asked her, just trying to build conversation.
“I have some money; I have the three hundred you gave me too. I don't buy anything unless I have to. I don't have quite enough money yet to look for a decent place.” She shook her head, feeling bad that she hadn't picked up the extra hours knowing that she needed the money. She also knew that three nights a week was good for a college student because she also needed to study in order to keep her grades up.
“Will you let me help you find a place?” He looked at her, raising one eyebrow, showing her that he was interested in what she would choose for herself.
“Sure, I just don't know when I will be looking. I still have money to save up if I don't want to be in a crummy neighborhood like the one I live in now.” Jasmine wasn't sure when she was going to start looking because she didn't know how long it would take for her to come up with the rest of the money.
“I think that it would be alright that we started looking for you Friday. I'm sure that you will have enough money then.” Devon grinned at her as they pulled into the building where she used to clean—his office building.
“Are you sure that you're going to be able to help me? I mean with the dating show and all, I don't want to take up all your time.” Jasmine wasn't being snotty about it; she was just stating facts to him as if he had forgotten about it.
“I will have plenty of time. We can go in the morning and stay out all afternoon if we have to. I don't have to be at the studio until five.” Devon told her his schedule.
“Great then it works out for me too. I don't have any classes Friday, but I like to study on my days off for the exams that are coming up.” Jasmine pointed a finger at him, reminding him that she had to be serious about her studies.
“You will have plenty of time for that, I promise. You should really think about getting a house instead of an apartment, it would be so much better for you,” he stated, coming up with suggestions that were good for her.
“I would love a house, but I can't afford one of those, are you crazy?” Jasmine laughed at him, shaking her head.
“It was just a suggestion is all.” Devon shrugged his shoulders as they got out of the car and it was still pouring out.
The both of them ran as quickly as they could to the building. They were laughing and having a good time with the rain coming down on them harder and harder. They were laughing even more when he realized that he had to take the keys out so that he could unlock the building for them to get inside.
“Now I'm soaked!” He looked at her, his blonde hair flat and wet from the rain.
When Jasmine looked into his eyes, she knew that she had made the right choice that morning. She knew that talking to Ken and Calvin helped her out a lot and now just seeing the love in his eyes she felt her heart racing for him, wanting him more than she thought she ever would.
Jasmine knew that she could confide in him, and he wouldn't tell a soul about what she had talked about. She could really go to him and see that he could comfort her and make her feel better, even on one of her bad days. That was when she had really realized that he was the one that she wanted to be with. She just had to get through the dating show until it was her turn, and she knew if she really liked him that she would wait patiently without putting him down like she had done the night before.
The Dating Games
Book Five
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
By
Olivia Bell
Chapter 1
Devon opened the
door for her, standing out in the rain for a little longer, and he had a smile on his face when he did. He couldn't wait to get started on the modeling session, knowing that she was going to be great at it. He was glad that they were having a good time, it was different than the night before and he couldn't be more pleased. He was afraid when he had pulled up this time that she would decline him and keep walking in the rain but he could see that she was surprised to see him and he knew that everything was going to be good between them, the second she smiled at him and got into the car. He knew it wasn't just because of the rain because he had seen her stubborn side which he had never seen before.
Devon brought her to the elevator and Jasmine knew that she had never been up to the second floor before and she was excited to see what was up there. When the doors opened, they walked right into his studio, there was a dressing room in there and tables even chairs for different positions that the models had to sit in to get the right lighting or the right pose.
“I would like you to try this on,” Devon told her in a professional voice that she wasn't used to.
Devon took out a black one-piece suit. The slacks and the top were connected with a gray neck loop where she had to stick her head through.
“I also want you to try on the diamond necklace that I have to go with it.” Devon handed her the black one-piece and went over to the jewelry department, taking out a glowing diamond necklace; she gasped when she saw how beautiful it was.
“You will see more jewelry like this.” Devon grinned at her, seeing her admiring the necklace as he handed it over to her.
“It's beautiful,” Jasmine whispered to him as she opened the clasp and put it around her neck, turning it so that her back was facing him, so that he could put the clasp back in place.