by C. J. Anaya
“Aren’t you interested in finding out who the bachelor for this season will be? Now that we’re working with one another again, I can give you the inside scoop before his identity is revealed tonight on live TV.”
“I couldn’t care less, and I have The Mindy Project to catch up on tonight. I guess I’ll just have to wait for my roommate to spill the beans.”
It was a total lie. She was going to be glued to the television, waiting to find out just who she’d have to cozy up to and pretend to play nice with for an entire evening, but she wasn’t about to acknowledge her interest—or her trepidation—in front of her father.
He chuckled and shook his head. “See you in two months, young lady. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
Her father cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. The shock of Corbin Knightly appearing less than completely confident almost prevented her from catching her father’s invitation.
“Well, I was thinking, maybe we could skip TV altogether tonight and grab a bite to eat at one of our old dive’s.”
Midge’s mouth went dry.
“You’d have time for that?”
He was about to respond when his cell phone rang. The sweet stab of hope Midge had harbored dissipated as her father became engrossed in a heated argument with one of his colleagues. She waited for a few minutes, but when it became clear this latest issue was going to need his immediate attention she turned around and walked out of his office without even bothering to say good bye.
Old wounds resurfaced as she drove to Huntington Beach and paid for parking, leaving her tiny parking permit on the console of her car and walking toward the soft sand and calming sounds of the ocean in the distance. The wind whipped her hair in her face. She brushed it back and let out a rueful laugh at the brilliant red hue, the color she’d finally embraced when she’d left home. The blond, straight hair of her teen years had been an attempt at relating to her mother in some way. When Midge had matched her hair to Celeste’s as a teenager, it was the first time in a long time that her mother actually got excited about anything. It was stupid for something like that to be so important, but it had been to Celeste. Seemed like a moot point once her mother lost her mind and failed to recognize her anymore.
The shrill ring of her cell phone brought her out of self-pity mode. She reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone.
“What’s up, Lisa?”
“Midge,” she squealed. “Where the heck are you? The big reveal for Marry Your Billionaire is airing in like thirty minutes. Get your bangin’ bootie home.”
Midge checked the time on her phone for confirmation and was soon sprinting back to her little truck. She sped all the way home with a severe knot in her stomach. As she pulled up in front of her apartment, she couldn’t help but wonder at the strange niggling sense that the Universe was about to throw her another curve ball. Lisa met her at the door with an offering of popcorn and a bag of Hershey’s kisses.
“Time management, Midge. Your priorities are seriously screwed when it comes to television.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Midge followed Lisa into the living room where a small flatscreen sat atop a bare desk.
Lisa pulled her down onto the couch as the opening for the Evening Show with Mark O’Brien began playing. The girls suffered through the first fifteen minutes of the program before Mark finally began discussing the up and coming reality TV show.
“As you all know, the identity of this first season’s bachelor will be revealed tonight. Right here. Right now.”
“Mark, honey, I love ya, but you need to get on with it,” Lisa groused. As if in answer to Lisa’s impatient demands, Mark finally got to the point.
“I’m excited to introduce to you the star of the new reality TV series Marry Your Billionaire…Mr. Brody Prescott.”
Midge choked on her popcorn and Lisa began screaming like a banshee as Brody Prescott walked on screen flashing that million gigawatt smile.
Her father was an unmitigated liar!
She fought to clear the popcorn from her throat and then tried to blink Brody out of existence, but no matter how many times she opened and closed her eyes, his beautiful face stared back at her from her own television set.
Lisa took a few quick victory laps around the couch as she continued to voice her enthusiastic approval with shouts of, “Brody Prescott is smokin’ hot,” and “Marry him, Midge. You’ll have beautiful babies.”
As for Midge, she felt like a complete and total idiot. Why hadn’t she seen this coming? She was a smart girl, right? Hadn’t Brody been discussing starring in a reality TV show with his assistant? She should have pressed her father when he denied Brody’s involvement.
She couldn’t do the show. There was no way she would be capable of total indifference with Brody after the way he’d kissed her, and how in the world was she going to be able to stand seeing him with all of those gorgeous women, even if it was just for one evening?
She’d have to convince her father to rip up her contract. There had to be a way for him to let her off the hook.
Midge quickly disregarded this. She needed that money. Had to have it. Her graduation and future depended on her trust fund, and she couldn’t give that up. Was Brody irresistible? Of course. Was her heart invested in him a little more than was prudent? Possibly. Was avoiding his presence far safer than confronting him on the show? Indubitably!
Fine. He was a dream, wrapped in a fairy tale, dipped in chocolate, and laden with dollops of whip cream. But she had far too much invested in her future to let that delicious concoction distract her.
She’d do the show and schmooze with Brody on live television, dang it.
But she wouldn’t like it. Nope. Not one bit.
Lisa took a detour from her over-the-top celebrating to plant herself on the couch again.
“OMGoodness! I cannot believe how lucky you are. Your life is charmed, I tell you. Every time I see his yummy face on commercials and billboards for his company I just wanna stop whatever it is I'm doing and have a crazy make-out session with any male present."
"That's...really disturbing, Lisa. Your hormone levels rival that of the most virile of males. You should get your thyroid checked."
“You need to figure out a way to stay on the show, girlfriend. If I were you, I’d charm the pants off of him the very first evening.”
Midge decided to keep her own personal experiences with Brody to herself. Any sharing at this point would only fuel Lisa’s zealot-like fire, and there would be no end to her maniacal matchmaking after that.
She stared at the TV screen again, taking in Brody’s chiseled perfection and the way his smile lines drew attention to his yummy lips. The guy she’d been trying to forget about, the man who’d turned her whole world upside down with one crazy kiss was going to be on the show with her. Her and nineteen other eligible females.
Cheese and crackers!
Chapter Five
“I think you’ve made the right decision,” Gregg said as he brought a few more papers for Brody to sign.
“Of course you do, Gregg. You’re the idiot who got me into this in the first place.”
Brody studied Gregg’s features, bothered to find a hint of self-satisfaction lurking behind his stoic façade.
“Your mother, for once, is on my side. Are you going to label her an idiot as well?”
“My mother knows I’m going after Madelyn. That’s the only reason she isn’t in this office giving you your weekly dose of a reality check.”
“Thank Heaven for small miracles.”
Brody leaned back in his chair, anxious to be done with the last of his work before heading home to pack for the this new and reckless adventure he’d landed himself in. Two months had passed since his last encounter with Madelyn Knightly, and he found himself more than a little anxious to finally start shooting the series just so he could have the opportunity to see her again and possibly repeat their last encounter…minus the smack to his face.
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He glanced at the cluttered walls of his office, studying the various wedding announcements and family pictures of clients who had found their perfect match and dived into wedded bliss with the kind of fearless determination he’d always admired.
They represented a decade’s worth of hard work and success. Those wedding invitations, pictures, and baby announcements proved to him, day in and day out, that finding someone who wanted to love and work with you to build something special was possible. Happy families really did exist amidst the sea of vicious divorces and heartbreaking family dysfunction.
As he studied them now; however, they also represented something he still hadn’t managed to attain for himself. It was a venture he hadn’t considered himself ready for until he met Madelyn. Though these decorations on his wall still gave him hope, they also brought home the truth of just how isolated he’d allowed himself to become.
Lonely.
Some may have felt pathetic admitting that openly or even to themselves, but he was man enough to recognize that he’d been lonely for quite some time, and after meeting Madelyn, he didn’t feel quite so lonely anymore. The past two months had been a bit difficult for him without Madelyn around. He’d consoled himself with watching some of the movies she’d helped her father produce and reading old interviews she’d done for magazines. He’d even dropped by Café Canapé occasionally to see if he could orchestrate a chance encounter.
Nothing. He supposed he could have hired someone to get him a copy of her schedule and then showed up outside the door of one of her classes, but that move screamed of desperation and made him feel like a stalker.
“I wonder if you should set your sights on Madelyn Knightly, Brody. I know she caught your attention, but it might be easier to simply chase after someone willing to be caught.”
Brody glowered at his assistant.
“Gregg, throughout my years as a businessman I have found that anything worth achieving or attaining in this life is always going to be hard won.”
“Madelyn isn’t a business acquisition. You’re dealing with a very strong personality when it comes to that girl. For Heaven’s sake, Brody, you grabbed her and kissed her like some wild hillbilly. She slapped you in the face. Generally, a kiss involves two consenting parties.”
“She did consent.” Gregg’s skeptic grimace prompted him to explain further. “Okay, so I caught her off guard, but she could have pushed me away at any time—which she did, now that I think about it—but the fact that she momentarily returned my kisses with just as much enthusiasm must be a sign that she felt something. Right?”
Gregg shook his head. “Don’t mistake her momentary shock at your forwardness as acceptance. I don’t think your savvy business skills are going to help you out when handling this female. She seems to activate your Neanderthal button. Not the image we’re working for, here.”
“Everything I’ve ever gone after has been done with the single minded goal of providing for my mother and making others happy. This time, I’m going after what makes me happy, and I have no intention of failing.”
“Well, I hope for your sake you succeed,” Gregg said as he grabbed the papers and placed them in a tan folder. “Something tells me the next time Madelyn sees you, she’ll be prepared for your more aggressive overtures.”
Brody chuckled low and deep. “Let’s hope not. I’m worried the element of surprise is all I’ve got going for me.”
Midge’s flight to Honolulu was blessedly uneventful. She had no idea if any of the other women on the show had been booked on her flight, but she didn’t attempt to make small talk with anyone. No point in trying to make friends with women she never planned on seeing again. The last two months had passed in a whirl of classes, studying, testing, and all of her freelance jobs on the side. She’d kept herself so busy, in fact, she hadn’t even had time to finish the rest of her manuscript. She’d done it on purpose in hopes of pushing Brody Prescott and his passionate kiss out of her mind. It hadn’t worked one iota, but she gave herself props for trying. Now she was one sleepless night away from seeing him face-to-face after slapping him and making an idiot of herself at Club 23. She was not looking forward to it.
She arrived at the airport in the evening and went straight to baggage claim, aware that one of her father’s employees would be picking her up and driving her to a nearby hotel where she could rest for the night and prep herself for the next day of filming.
She was both surprised and delighted to see her father’s receptionist shaking with excitement as she held up a card that read “Midge” in her trembling hands.
“How nice to see you again. I didn’t realize you would be here,” Midge said in greeting.
“Oh yes, I know. I mean, I am the receptionist, but I’m also interning with your father’s company so I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of this season’s filming.”
Midge gave the girl a smile, taking note of how nice she looked with her light blond hair in a loose ponytail. The severe bun she’d arranged before at her father’s office hadn’t suited her. She was definitely pretty. Not necessarily someone you would label as exotic or gorgeous, but kind of adorably cute.
“Am I the only one you’ll be picking up?”
The young receptionist grimaced. “You’re the last one. Several other contestants came in on different flights, and a few weren’t very friendly.”
She clamped a hand over her mouth as if she might have said something unconscionable.
Midge laughed, deciding this girl would be someone worth liking. “I can’t imagine any of these ladies were all that considerate. Several of them are most likely here for their own devious purposes and will perceive every pretty female as a threat, even females like you who aren’t competing.”
The receptionist laughed and stuck her hand out in greeting. “I’m Stacey Bedford,” she offered.
“My friends call me Midge.” She took Stacey’s hand in her own and gave it a firm shake. “So Stacey, what does our day look like for tomorrow?”
Stacey gave her a sympathetic look. “Honestly, it looks like hell. I’m not sure whose crazy idea this was, but apparently all of the contestants are going to be landing on the island via skydiving.”
Midge’s eyes popped wide at that. “We’re skydiving onto the island in order to make our grand entrance?”
“Yep.” Stacey shook her head. “Apparently, bringing girls in by limousine one at a time is overdone and too cliché. Your father was looking for a more exciting approach and when he asked for suggestions I guess someone on his committee thought it best to have the show located in a place where a limousine would never be capable of driving. Thus a private island and skydiving were born.”
“But surely each girl could arrive on the beach with their very own motorboat. Why the extreme sports?”
Stacey shook her head. “I guess the whole thing is more dramatic. He’s hoping some of the girls will be afraid of heights and cause a scene before they jump. He also thinks it will be hilarious for these girls to have their hair messed up and their dresses crumpled.”
Midge couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you saying my father expects us to wear cocktail dresses under our skydiving equipment?”
“Yes. You’ll parachute onto the island and meet Mr. Prescott within twenty yards from where you’ve landed. Mr. Prescott will be helping you get out of your gear. Stripping off the equipment and revealing what’s on underneath is supposed to add some excitement to the show as well. Like unwrapping a beautiful present.”
Midge shook her head, wondering why on earth she was even surprised by this insane development. Her father never filmed anything like anybody else. Then she considered the possible hilarity that would arise if any of these girls were averse to the idea of skydiving.
Dear old Dad was a bloody genius.
“Well, I suppose that’ll start the season off with a bang.”
“It gets better. Any girl who decides she can’t skydive onto the island will immedi
ately give up her place in the season and be disqualified.”
“He’s raised the stakes before the show even gets started.” She gave a rueful laugh at the sheer ingenuity of his plan. “Well, I suppose that ought to level the playing field for most of the other girls intent on vying for the attentions of some billionaire who is eager to date twenty women at the same time.”
Stacey quirked an eyebrow. “Does it surprise you that a man might want to date twenty different women at the same time?”
“No, what surprises me is that we as a society have condoned it…on national television, no less. How many girls have already backed out?”
“None. No one has been told about the way they’ll be arriving. They won’t find out until they get to the small airstrip that’s supplying the staff and airplanes.”
“Then why did you confide in me?”
“Oh, because you’re only going to be here a day. Your dad let me know why you’re really here. I figured it wouldn’t matter whether you knew or not.”
“Well, I’m excited to go skydiving. I haven’t been for quite some time. At least there’s that to look forward to.”
“I’m looking forward to the total horror on all of the contestants faces when they see what they’re up against. It’s going to be so much fun.”
Midge chuckled as she pictured wilting make-up, disheveled hair, and crumpled cocktail dresses shoved under skydiving gear.
“You know, Stacey, I think we’re both looking forward to that.”
The resort housing all of the contestants for the night was grand, glorious, and ostentatious. Midge might have considered a quick swim in the pool, but her muscles were sore from traveling. All she truly desired was a nice soak in a large tub filled with bubbles and perfumed soaps. Just because she’d turned down her father’s opulent lifestyle didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate it.
As she dragged her heavy suitcases into the elevator, the visage of a dark-haired Adonis popped into her mind and all thoughts of the show, skydiving, or the misery she had agreed to fled. All she pictured at that very moment was the way Brody Prescott had taken her in his arms and embraced her lips with his.