by C. J. Anaya
He turned to his left and opened the door to what he assumed was his private bathroom. Nothing could have surprised nor delighted him more than to find Madelyn Knightly pacing back and forth along the pristine floors.
She’d come to him, to his room, without the slightest bit of convincing or even coercion. His planning had included slowly seducing the woman, gaining eventual ground until she willingly fell into his outstretched arms. And yet here she was, waiting for him as if she couldn’t bear to waste another moment without the warmth of his lips on hers.
His abrupt arrival caused her to gasp in surprise, her mouth taking on the most alluring O-shape imaginable. He didn’t think, he didn’t plan, his response to this young lady was anything but calm and controlled. In two large strides he crossed the distance between them, pulled her into his arms, and crushed his hungry lips to hers.
She let out a slight moan of surprise which was quickly muffled as he deepened their kiss. She fisted her hands against his chest, applying slight pressure, but not enough for him to believe for one moment that she intended to actually push him away. If she did, he would stop. If she pulled back, he would let her go no matter how much it pained him to do so. In the back of his mind he had to acknowledge that he was once again behaving like an incorrigible beast, but he hoped to hell she wouldn’t make him stop. He’d waited two months for this.
Neanderthal button, indeed.
His heart warmed as the pressure against his chest lessened, her body relaxing against his. Just when he thought she was ready to surrender herself to the inevitability of the chemistry between them he felt a sharp pain in his left shin and immediately released her.
He stared at her wild, disheveled hair—courtesy of his roving hands—and her deliciously red, swollen lips—courtesy of his administrations—and realized the look in her eyes wasn’t that of a woman in the thralls of passion. It was a woman ready to kick some serious fanny, and she’d done so by lashing out at his shins!
He was so taken aback by her fierce stance and fiery spirit he couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her irresistible pout. She was simply incredible. He adored her more for pushing him away, and rightly so. His impulse control around this woman was non-existent. His mother would be mortified.
Before he could apologize for his caveman-style behavior, she pointed a finger in his face.
“Am I the first contestant you’ve made-out with, or is there a pecking order I need to be made aware of?”
Absolutely adorable.
What a firecracker!
Midge moved to the edge of the bath tub to catch her breath, keeping an eye on the irresistible billionaire just in case he pulled another fast one on her and caught her completely by surprise again.
Cheese and crackers, this meeting had not gone according to plan. When she realized how much time the contestants had before the evening’s cocktail party, she wanted to meet with Brody as soon as possible and impart as much reality TV knowledge as she could before she left the show that night. She didn’t like the thought of him completely unprepared for Felicia’s end game, whatever that might be. She was still researching that crazed woman’s background at the moment…and coming up with nothing.
Stacey had agreed to sneak Midge into Brody’s room so she could have a private word with him without any cameras lurking in the shadows. One look at the king sized bed— hinting at all sorts of things she didn’t plan on doing until her wedding night—encouraged her to move the location of their conversation to the bathroom, assuming it would make their meeting feel less like some clandestine, romantic rendezvous.
The billionaire had managed to blow that assumption right out of the water.
Did the man have to be such an accomplished kisser?
“Pecking order?” he asked, referring to her previous question. “Madelyn, you’re under the distasteful belief that I’m some kind of lip whore.”
“A playboy generally falls under the lip whore category. And to think I came here to help you.”
She lifted a hand to her heart, trying to prevent it from beating right out of her chest. He’d gotten to her. No doubt about it. What an unfortunate turn of events. How was she supposed to keep it together after that emotionally charged kiss?
“Help me? I want to hear about that later, but first I’m going to defend myself against your offensive accusation. I’m not a playboy.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the bathroom door. Unfortunately, it made him look even more appealing.
Midge quirked a disbelieving brow at this. “Aren’t you? Shall we review your dating history?”
“I’ve never dated a woman for longer than one night,” he exclaimed.
“Not helping your case, here. Playboys can’t stick to one woman. Do you see how this looks from a woman’s perspective?”
He appeared amused yet slightly frustrated. “You’re only a player if you get some actual play time in with various women. I never slept with any of those girls. Scouts honor. All of those dates were set up by Gregg to help me appear as if I knew my way around the dating scene.”
Midge, truly baffled by this revelation, stood up and took a step forward. “Do you mean to tell me that for the last ten years you’ve never slept with any of those set-ups?”
He hesitated before speaking, seeming to wince at some memory or thought her question had elicited. “If Gregg hadn’t set those dates up for me, they never would have happened to begin with. I’m not chasing after meaningless one night stands. I don’t do casual.”
“Then why did you casually kiss me? Twice?” she shot back.
“Who says kissing you is casual?”
Midge swallowed hard. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t waste time with people who hold no interest for me.” He approached her with slow, measured steps. She wondered if he was afraid she might bolt for the door. More likely she’d dive out the window since his impressive frame blocked the most logical exit. “But you’ve held my attention from day one, and there is nothing casual about the pull I feel when I’m around you.”
He couldn’t be serious. Weren’t playboys notorious for their smooth talk?
“Right. You’re so captivated by my presence you decided to join a dating show filled with loose women rather than pursue something serious with me. Not buying it, Casanova.”
Brody had the nerve to give her an engaging smile.
“I can explain my presence here.”
“I’m sure you can. With flowery words and empty compliments.” She waved her hand in the air as if she couldn’t be bothered and then motioned for him to take a seat on the closed porcelain throne. She hoped seeing him seated upon a toilet might diminish the magnetic pull he had on her. He sat down and gave her a smoldering, come hither stare. How in the world did someone sitting on a toilet manage a look like that?
She sighed heavily and continued.
“I don’t want to hear your reasons for being here, but I will share with you why you found me in your bathroom.”
“Yes, I believe that explanation ought to be extremely entertaining.”
Midge gave him a glare, but refrained from throwing out any counter attacks.
“Look, I’m sure by now my father has informed you that I’m to be eliminated after tonight.”
“Yes, he did mention the reasons for your short stay on the show.”
“All right. Obviously, the plan for salvaging your image hit a snag the minute Felicia Davenport parachuted from the sky. My father isn’t interested in what is best for you, and he is going to make this series entertaining no matter whose persona gets dragged through the mud. So I’m here to coach you on what exactly you’re going to say during your initial speech to the group.”
“Really?”
“Yes. This first impression you give to the viewers is crucial. It doesn’t matter if any of the contestants are actually paying attention to what you are saying so long as the American viewers are hearing every single word.”
“Wh
at do you think I should say?”
“You’re going to be honest, realistic, and in the process lay out some definitive ground rules that will set the tone for this season’s madness.”
“Set the tone?”
“Absolutely,” Midge said as she sat back down on the edge of the bathtub. “Your character needs to be beyond reproach. Now, most viewers aren’t going to be surprised if you kiss every girl on the show. You’re getting to know them, right? American’s ideals and values have been corrupted enough that everyone seems to assume the only way to vet a potential spouse is to rate them on their kissing ability and sexual prowess. That’s how a relationship stands the test of time. Great sex, amazing chemistry. I can get to know you after I’ve slept with you.”
“You believe that kind of thinking is wrong?” It sounded as if he really wanted her honest opinion.
“Of course it is. How many marriages have ended in divorce simply because one of the spouses decided the sex wasn’t that great anymore? Instead of building on a foundation of mutual respect, love, and trust, the marriage is solely carnal in nature. There’s nothing but sex holding the couple together, and you can get good sex anywhere so there’s nothing in that relationship noteworthy enough to stick around and fight for.”
“Nothing,” he replied.
Midge failed to note the understanding gleam in his eye as she continued on with her coaching.
“Billionaire Brody is different, though. Brody Prescott is not the playboy the media has pegged him as. He’s interested in personality, true friendship, mutual respect. Chemistry is important. There has to be an attraction there to begin with, but it is merely what draws him in rather than what convinces him to stay. When you open up your speech you need to make it clear that you have no intention of kissing anyone on the show until you are serious about someone and know them well enough for that to matter.”
“I can say that.”
“Yes, but can you do it? Can you keep your paws off of the girls until you’ve developed a real relationship with one of them?”
Midge balked at the twinge of pain she felt when discussing his entering into other relationships. She had to ignore this useless attraction she felt for him. She knew next to nothing about his personal life. Her feelings for him were based on pure physical attraction. Nothing more. Did she have a desire to explore something more than this physical attraction?
She found that she did and was terrified with the very idea. It took two to tango and she didn’t want to step onto the dance floor if Brody held no interest in joining her, and she didn’t believe his claims of interest where she was concerned.
“It’s like I told you before, Madelyn, I never had an intimate moment with any of those women. Why start now with women I don’t even know? I can keep my hands off of them.”
“You don’t show any restraint where I’m concerned, so forgive me if I’m slightly skeptical, and quit calling me Madelyn. I told you my friends call me Midge.”
“You’re saying we’re friends, then?”
“Acquaintances would be a better term.”
“I think I’ll stick with Madelyn?”
“Why?”
He fixed her with another one of those smoldering stares.
“Because I’d like to be much more than your friend.”
Midge nearly choked on her response. “Then why are you on the show?”
“Are you saying you would leave this island with me if I asked you to?”
“Leave with you? Of course not.”
“Then you’ve given me very little choice in the matter, Madelyn. I’m determined to get what I want.”
Confusion washed over her in discombobulating waves. What on earth is he talking about? Getting what he wants? What exactly is that?
She waited for him to explain further, waited for those deep blue eyes to hold a hint of mirth, to tell her it was all simply a game to him and apologize for leading her on. When his expression began to reflect that determination he’d just mentioned, she swiftly came to her feet and rushed to the door. Once she opened it, she turned around half expecting him to be mere inches behind her. He remained sitting on the toilet seat, hungry eyes following her every gesture.
“Just remember, we’re reshaping your image. If you’re not a playboy then prove it tonight. Set an appropriate and respectful tone for your fairy tale, Brody. Choose one woman to slowly develop a relationship with and pursue her until the very end of the show.”
“I plan on pursuing her for much longer than that,” he said in a deep, rumbling voice.
Confused with the double meaning behind his words and her own tempestuous emotions, she spun around and sailed out of his bedroom, taking care to not be noticed by the crew and contestants within the mansion.
Chapter Seven
Brody stood just outside the main room where all twenty contestants were gathered. He wasn’t nervous for the things he planned to say. Nothing about this night truly set him on edge, unless he considered the fifteen minutes he’d been alloted to spend with every single female present. Essentially five hours spent in aimless chit chat with women who were most definitely not as intriguing as his mousy librarian.
He didn’t relish the idea, but since Madelyn had refused to acknowledge his open invitation to leave the island with him, he was going to see this through.
“Ready when you are, Brody,” came a voice from behind him.
He entered the room and immediately sought out the gorgeous red head who happened to be in the back behind all of the other excited contestants. Their eyes met and she gave him a pointed look and then an encouraging smile. It was enough for now.
Directly on his heels followed TV icon and host for the season’s show, Les Lassiter. His regal bearing and camera ready smile reminded Brody of a tacky game show host.
“Ladies,” Les began, “I want to congratulate you on being part of this season of Marry Your Billionaire.” He paused with a patient smile as the girls applauded his words and appearance. “As you know, this season’s bachelor is a man well versed in the art of bringing couples together and now has the opportunity to find that special someone of his own. The question we must all ask ourselves is this: which one of you lovely ladies will it be?”
There were titters and murmurs from the girls as Brody forced himself to make eye contact with every woman present rather than fix his gaze on Madelyn and leave it there for the remainder of the evening. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Felicia Davenport mincing her way towards the middle of the room. He assumed she was simply trying to maintain the focus of everyone’s attention, but the way her angry glare landed on Madelyn made him warily clock her movements. She sidled up right next to her and looked to be reaching toward Madelyn. His focus was interrupted by a rough slap on the back from Les Lassiter.
“This evening you’ll have the honor and opportunity to get to know one of America’s most eligible bachelor’s. Are you ladies ready to get started?”
A hearty yes resonated within the room, signaling Brody’s cue to deliver that first speech with as much charisma as possible.
“I wanted to let you know how truly honored I am to be here with all of you. It has come to my attention that many of you came here for me specifically, and I am thrilled to spend time with every single one of you.”
Various ahhs and ohhhs floated across the large room as most of the women did their best to slowly inch toward him.
“I would like to say something that I feel is incredibly important before we get started.” The room quieted with an expectant air. “This situation we’re in, one man dating several women at one time, is unusual to say the least. Feelings will develop and attachments will be made. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but in the end I’m looking for one woman to spend the rest of my life with, and damaged feelings are inevitable. I would like to minimize this as much as I can. I really feel that intimacy is something shared between two people who are serious about one another. I’m hoping that you’ll understand me
when I say that I would rather not kiss any of you as we get to know one another.”
He thought he heard a few surprised noises from the crowd, but the commotion quieted as he continued. “I can’t think of anything more confusing than having someone you care about kiss you one moment and then turn around and kiss someone else the next. Did those kisses mean anything? Was he just using you? That kind of cavalier use of your time and affection will only cause unnecessary pain and confusion. I’d like to think I’m a better man than that.”
This time his gaze zeroed in on Madelyn. He hoped she sensed the sincerity of his words. This wasn’t just a speech being made due to her encouragement alone. He’d had something like this in mind all along, but it had warmed his heart to think that she cared enough about him to help him salvage his image, enough to continue on with this crazy plan of his.
“So please, if there is any show of affection to be made, let me be the one to initiate it. That way, if and when I do, you’ll know I’m seriously pursuing a relationship with you. You’ll feel no confusion on that score if that moment presents itself. Does that work for you ladies?”
A collective sigh of agreement washed throughout the room. All of the women, even the ones he suspected were present to further their own career, seemed to take note of him as not just a lucrative bank account, but as a truly worthwhile individual. Everyone, that is, except the she-cat making her way over to his side.
“I believe I called first dibs on alone time with this handsome guy.”
Felicia was all smiles and laughter, but her tight grip on his bicep let him know her level of displeasure. This woman had cornered the market on holding a grudge.
He followed her into an adjoining room where they were able to sit down and supposedly, “get to know” one another, cameras at the ready, of course. He figured the best way to deal with this situation was just as Madelyn had suggested: with honesty.
“I must admit, Felicia, I was terribly surprised to see you here. Especially after the hurtful things you said about my ethics where my business was concerned.” He helped her sit down and then seated himself across from her.