by Amy Vansant
“That’s a good point... Could that work?”
Nicole shrugged. “In theory. If we’re right about this being more about ratings than Greta. What did you say when Greta told you she was pregnant?”
“I pointed out she’d just finished drinking half a dozen shots, so I knew she was lying.”
“Good. Good. She really doesn’t have much to work with then. She can’t air that. People would freak out and claim the show was feeding drinks to a pregnant girl for ratings.”
Hope that they could squelch the clip began to glimmer at the end of the tunnel.
And then Emily remembered. “That bit, about her drinking, they cut it out of the clip.”
“Cut it out?” said Sebastian and Nicole in unison.
Emily nodded.
Kady bounced up to the group. “Hey, what are you guys doing here? I was looking for you.”
Emily put her phone back in her pocket. “Hey. I was about to go looking for you. How do you feel about us sharing your room tonight?”
Kady shrugged. “Sure. It’s not like anything’s going on in there. But why?”
“Our room is full of ants.”
“What?”
“Long story.”
“Okay, so what’s this? A secret meeting about the ant infestation? Are ants part of the game?”
“No. A different sort of insect. One that kills its mate.”
Sebastian snarled with disgust. “Ew. Accurate, but, ew.”
They told her about Greta, the commercial clip and their plan to flood Aunt Karen with better, scandalous ideas.
Kady nodded, taking it all in. “That’s a good idea. Fun, too.”
“Thank you. Except now we need juicy scenes for bait. I can’t think of anything particularly juicy that’s happened so far. Can you?”
Kady considered. “Joe told me Marc was sucking face with Ashlyn.”
“Are you suggesting you play ‘woman scorned’ in this little film?” asked Emily.
Kady grimaced. “Aw man...” Her gaze bounced to each of them as they stared at her, eyes wide, willing her to join their dastardly plan. She sighed. “That could work. That could work. But I have a double-bonus idea.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
Kady grinned.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
After Sebastian explained to the front desk that something had gone horribly wrong with his room and Kady made a lengthy phone call from the lobby, they headed to their rooms. Sebastian and Emily found their belongings waiting for them in the hallway. The door to their room was open. A man inside, armed with a can of bug spray and an annoyed expression, peered out at them. His scowl deepened at the sight of them.
Embarrassed to be identified as the couple who filled their room with the hotel landscaping and ants, they grabbed their things and hustled to Kady’s.
Inside, Marc sat watching television in his boxers. He sat up as they entered, his stomach muscles rippling. “Hey.”
Kady ignored him and turned her attention to the television set. A week ago Marc’s rippling stomach muscles would have spiraled Kady into hot-flash giggles, but Emily could see they meant nothing to her now. As tantalizing as they were, they were attached to the rest of Marc.
“What are you watching?” asked Kady.
Marc shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s got this cool cartoon monster though, that has magic powers that come from cookies or something.”
“Riiight. So a kid’s show.”
He shrugged and glanced at Emily and Sebastian. “What are you guys doing here?”
Kady answered before Emily could open her mouth. “They have to sleep here tonight. Their room is full of ants and Sebastian is allergic.”
“Allergic to ants? I didn’t even know they smelled. Wait, how’d you get ants in your room? Potato chip crumbs? That’s how I usually get them.”
Sebastian set down his suitcase. “Long story.”
“Guess you’re back to sleeping with me,” said Marc, tapping Kady on the arm.
Kady shook her head. “I was thinking more you could sleep on that little couch there. I don’t know if I trust myself in bed with you. I might grope you in my sleep.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “What makes you think you have to trust yourself?”
“Um, every ounce of self-respect in my body.”
Marc grinned at Emily and Sebastian, clearly not understanding Kady’s comment, but smart enough to stop asking questions and declare a victory only he understood.
There was a knock at the door and Kady lunged to open it. The twins stood outside wearing impossibly short shorts.
“Hi girls, how can I help you?”
“Is Marc here?” asked Ashlyn.
“Sure. Hey Marc, the bread of your dream sandwich is here.”
Marc peered around the corner and Emily watched an enormous smile overtake his face.
“Hey ladies, you want me?”
Emily groaned.
Kady walked away from the door. Once out of sight, she motioned to Sebastian and Kady to step farther inside so Marc felt he was having a private conversation.
“Is this part of your plan?” whispered Sebastian.
Kady nodded. Emily crept to the edge of the wall, getting as close to the conversation as she could without being seen by the group at the entrance.
“We were wondering if you wanted to join us for a slumber party tonight,” said one of the blondes. Emily couldn’t tell which one by voice alone.
“Me? But, I mean, I asked you if you guys would be interested in something like, uh, this, and you said I was disgusting.” Marc’s voice dropped to a whisper as he said the word disgusting.
“We thought about it and we changed our minds. We should do it once before we die, right?”
Marc clapped his hands and let out a little whoop. Emily spun away from the wall and tried to look nonchalant as Marc came barreling around the corner.
“Gotta go,” he said, slipping past them into the bathroom. He pushed some products into his shaving kit and bounced back into the room.
“Where are you going?” asked Kady without looking up. She was texting someone.
He paused. “Do you really want to know?”
She shook her head. “No. Not—”
Marc cut her short, blurting his words as if keeping in the news would cause him to explode. “I’m sleeping in the twins’ room tonight.” He grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt and headed for the door, still in his boxers.
Emily called after him. “Don’t you want to put the clothes on before you leave?”
“No need,” he called over his shoulder.
They heard the door close and latch.
Emily looked at Kady. “Now what?”
“Now we wait for the signal and then head for the twins’ room with a cameraman.”
“Where are we going to get a—”
There was a knock on the door and Kady answered it. A woman Emily recognized as the camera operator they called Two-Take Tracy stood there. Tracy always filmed something and then asked to film it again from a slightly different angle for good measure.
“Nicole said you wanted me?” she asked.
Kady clapped her hands with glee. “Yep. We’re just waiting for the signal.”
She’d barely closed the door before there was another knock. It was the chefs.
“Did we miss it?”
“No, come in.”
They entered and sidled up to where Sebastian and Emily stood to exchange hellos.
“Was it hard to get him to take the bait?” asked Jasmin.
Emily laughed and Jasmin nodded, realizing how silly her question had been.
Kady’s phone dinged and she looked at it.
“That’s it. We’re on. Everyone follow me and be very quiet.”
They filed out of the room and walked two doors down to the blondes’ room. The door remained open, held so by a card key slipped between the wall and the lock. Kady walked in without pause as the others
followed.
Inside, the twins stood in the center of the room. They pointed to the closed bathroom door as they entered and Tara put a finger to her lips to keep the crew quiet.
Emily noticed Ashlyn didn’t look as amused as her sister. She appeared almost despondent, refusing to look at the rest of the group.
She likes Marc.
Emily groaned to herself. Kady clearly hadn’t thought how this trick might affect the twin already growing fond of Marc.
Ashlyn had no doubt been hoping Marc would turn down the opportunity for a threesome with the twins.
She’d like to see what the Vegas odds on that were.
Emily filled her cheeks and then released the air slowly.
Oh well. Too late now. And maybe better that Ashlyn knows what a hound Marc was before things grew any more serious between them.
Tracy lifted her camera. She scanned the crowd and then locked in on the bathroom door.
“This is a little weird,” called Marc from inside the bathroom.
“You won’t regret it,” called Tara. “This is how we dreamt it would happen. You’re the naughty boy who sneaked into our sorority room in the middle of the night.”
Marc’s voice sounded unsure on the opposite side of the door. “I gotta admit, that part is pretty hot, but—”
“I think you should back out,” added Tara. She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. The color drained from Ashlyn’s face.
Emily wondered about the supposed telepathy between twins.
You’d think Tara would realize how much this was bothering her sister.
“Back out?” asked Marc.
“Yes. When you open the door, back out of the room, with your back to us so we can see your sexy butt.”
They heard a chuckle from inside the bathroom. “I see what you’re doing. You are naughty girls.”
Nearly everyone in the room raised a hand to their mouth, stifling laughter.
“Here I come...”
The door opened and Marc stood in the doorway to the bathroom, back to them, hip cocked. He wore a teddy, the thong embedded in his muscular butt, lace crawling up his back like a vine.
Tara again put her finger to her lips as Tracy filmed the thong. They wanted to make it last as long as possible.
“Is that our sorority sister in the bathroom? Coming to join us for bedtime?” asked Tara in a playful tone.
“It’s me, no. Wait.” Marc’s shoulder’s slumped.
“What is it? You don’t want to play?”
“No I do, but... No. I don’t. I can’t do this. Ashlyn, I really like you and I can’t believe I’m going to say this but, I can’t do this. I only want you—”
Marc turned to find the crowd gaping at him. He slapped his hands crisscross over his chest.
“Why did he instinctively cover his boobs?” asked Jasmin, laughing. The sound of her mirth set the others to peals of laughter.
“Did he just turn down twin sex?” asked Kady. “Who are you and what have you done with Marc?”
Ashlyn and Marc’s gazes locked.
“This was all a joke?” asked Marc.
Ashlyn nodded. “I was hoping you’d turn us down.” She ran forward and threw her arms around his neck. “And you did.”
They began to kiss. They continued until the group’s giggles trickled into nothing, replaced by embarrassed glances at each other.
Emily cleared her throat. “We should maybe go.”
Heads nodded and they all filed out of the room, including Tara.
“I was trying to show her Marc wasn’t a good bet. Looks like I was wrong,” she said as she shut the door behind them.
“Did you get all that?” Emily asked Tracy.
She nodded. “I wish I could do another take but…”
Emily looked at Sebastian. “This might be even better than embarrassing him. People adore love stories. The viewers will eat this up.
Sebastian nodded. “I’ll never get the image of Marc in a thong out of my head, but sure, this could help.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I don’t think it’s going to be enough.”
Emily opened one eye. The fact she didn’t recognize her surroundings meant nothing. Waking up confused was the norm now.
That’s how I roll.
Taking a moment to collect her fuzzy morning thoughts, she realized she’d slept in the spare queen bed in Kady’s room. The voice she’d thought was in her head was actually Sebastian whispering. The wheezy rattle in her other ear was Kady in the bed beside them.
Her open eye scanned right and she spotted Marc sleeping on the sofa beneath the window, one leg hanging off the edge and dragging on the floor. She remembered he’d returned after his evening with Ashlyn looking humbled and happy.
Sunlight crept around the edges of the heavy curtain on the window.
“Did you hear me? I don’t think it’s enough,” repeated Sebastian.
Emily opened her other eye. “What won’t be enough?”
“I don’t think our video with Marc will be enough to keep Karen from using the Greta clip.”
“Why not?”
“Just because we’re giving Greta’s aunt juicy videos, doesn’t mean she won’t use the one we don’t want her to, too.”
Emily rolled over to face Sebastian and mumbled. “Tutu.”
“What?”
“You said tutu.”
The corner of his mouth curled into a tiny smile and he moved forward until their faces were inches from each other’s.
“I’m saying we need another plan.”
Emily slid her head along the pillow and closed the gap by another inch. “More prank videos?”
He shook his head and moved in, their noses nearly touching. “No. A different plan.”
She touched the tip of her nose to his. “Do you have an idea?”
He tilted his forehead forward and rested it against hers. “I do.”
“What are you two doing?”
Emily turned to find Kady standing over them.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
Kady rolled her eyes and glanced back at Marc on the sofa. “Loverboy returned, I see.”
Sebastian slipped out of bed and stood. He’d slept in sweatpants and a tee, due to the close quarters with Kady and Marc and the fact he claimed he couldn’t shake the feeling the bed was full of ants.
“Yep, I always come back,” said Sebastian.
Kady snorted a laugh that didn’t sound unlike her snoring. “I meant Marc.”
“Oh. Really? How strange.” Sebastian clapped his hands together. “I have an idea. Everyone get up. I need your help.”
Emily groaned. “With what?”
“We’re going to make another video.”
After Sebastian explained his plan to everyone in the room, they dressed and headed out. Sebastian knocked on the twins’ door with Emily, Kady and Marc standing behind him.
“Wake up. We need you,” he said to Ashlyn when she opened the door. Her eyes drifted past him to Marc.
“Hi,” she purred.
“Hi baby,” said Marc.
Emily stuck out her tongue and tugged Kady’s arm. “I’m going to barf. Let’s go grab the others.”
Emily and Kady roused the chefs and then met Sebastian and Marc back at the camera woman’s door. Tracy already had her camera ready to roll.
Sebastian positioned Kady against the wall in the hallway. “Let’s film yours right here.”
Tracy trained her lens on Kady.
They traveled in a pack to the lobby, stopping in various spots to film more clips with each of the contestants. When they were done, Sebastian led them to the spot where he filmed his daily weather reports.
“Hi, I’m Sebastian your Minefield weather guy. It’s going to be seventy-seven and sunny and I’m slowly turning into a pterodactyl.” He stretched out his arms, flapped and released a terrifying cawing. Inspired by the moment, Emily elbowed Kady and whispered to her. The two of them pulled
back their arms to make them look too short for their bodies and walked into the frame, roaring, and doing their best to look like Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Tracy filmed the dinosaur party and then lowered her camera, laughing. “That looked awesome. Ridiculous, but awesome.”
“Think George still has the footage?”
“He should.”
“So you know the plan?”
Tracy nodded. “I’ll take all this to him now and have it to you by breakfast.”
Sebastian beamed. “Perfect.”
An hour and a half later, at breakfast, Tracy pinged Sebastian’s phone with the footage and he and Emily took it directly to Nicole.
“You have to run this for my weather spot today.”
Nicole grinned. “You already filmed it? What is it? Is it funny?”
He held out his phone. “Check it out.”
Nicole put down her fork and took Sebastian’s phone. Emily scooted in beside her so she could watch the footage again.
It began with a shot of Kady standing in the hallway outside Tracy’s room. She folded her hands together and pressed them beneath her chin, fluttering her eyelashes at the camera.
“I’m a pretty, pretty princess,” she said, smiling.
Next, Marc peeked around a corner, holding his fingers like a gun. He arched an eyebrow. “I’m a super spy.”
In the hotel kitchen, Andre and Jasmin flipped imaginary eggs in in a pan. “We’re celebrity chefs.”
Ashlyn walked through the lobby, whipping her head to face the camera as she passed. “I’m on the runway.”
The camera panned to her sister, who sat in the waiting area with what looked like a martini in her hand. “I’m tipsy.”
The video cut to a close-up of Greta’s face as she moaned. “I’m pregnant.”
Sebastian appeared on screen, running through his weather report as he turned into a pterodactyl, and ended with Emily and Kady joining as a pair of T-rex.
Text appeared on the screen urging viewers to discover the true identities of the Minefield contestants.
As the clip ended, Nicole looked at Sebastian. “This makes Greta’s clip look like just another lie.”
Sebastian nodded. “Right. Her aunt can’t run her clip if it’s already been run like this.”
Nicole handed him back the phone. “It’s genius.”