by Tia Siren
Chapter Ten
Emily
“Mom!” Tommy hollered from the living room. “Someone’s knocking on the door!”
Nerves danced around in my belly as I walked to the door to let Sarah in.
She took one look at me and smiled. “You look hot.”
“Is it too much? I don’t want to look like I’m desperate.”
“You look great. Leave your hair down,” she instructed.
I smoothed the forest-green dress, feeling a little more exposed than I was comfortable with. It had spaghetti straps with a single lace ruffle cutting diagonal across the chest, where it hugged my body, before dropping to a slightly angled, matching ruffled skirt that fell mid-thigh.
“It’s so short,” I said, tugging the skirt down.
“It’s hot. It shows off your amazing legs. Wear your black strappy heels,” she ordered.
I wrinkled my nose. “You don’t think that’s too much?”
“Girl, you’re going on a date with one of the hottest men in the world. He chose you. You need to make sure the world sees why he chose you. Show your stuff off! If you’ve got it, flaunt it! You’ve been hiding that body for too long,” she said.
I laughed. “Thanks. It has been a long time since I went out on a real date. I can’t believe how nervous I am. It isn’t like he hasn’t seen me naked,” I whispered.
She giggled, her blond hair falling over her shoulders as she did. “There is that. Just relax. Forget about the cameras and focus on him.”
I nodded. “I will. Thank you for watching Tommy.”
“Of course! Spending my Saturday night with the cutest little boy in the world is better than a date with some sexy billionaire!”
I laughed, not sure if I agreed with her. I grabbed the shoes she recommended and quickly put them on. My phone chimed with an incoming text.
“The car’s here,” I said, my voice suddenly hoarse.
“You’ll be fine. Have fun and try not to freak out too much.”
I gave Tommy a quick kiss, reminding myself I was doing this for him. When I got to the black town car, there was a man waiting for me, standing next to the back passenger door.
“Good evening, miss. I’m Alex. I’ll be taking you to the restaurant to meet Mr. Case.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
I was both relieved and disappointed to find I would be going to the restaurant alone. It gave me a few more minutes to pull myself together, though I’d been looking forward to having a few minutes alone with him before the cameras were turned on. That part I was dreading more than anything. There was no way in hell I was telling him about Tommy with the cameras in my face.
When I arrived at the restaurant, it was completely empty. I was taken to a table in the center of the restaurant where Tyler was seated. There were cameramen everywhere and cameras pointing at me as I walked in. There were cameras on him as well. It was extremely nerve-racking, and I silently prayed I wouldn’t trip and fall on my face.
He stood up and smiled. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
He pulled a chair out. I sat and scooted forward. A camera was only a few inches from my face.
“I know this is weird,” he said, and I could see he was a little uncomfortable with the cameras as well.
I heard a snap of fingers, and within seconds, the lens that had been in my face was pulled back. We were given some breathing room. Although there were cameras all around us, it didn’t feel nearly as awkward.
“It’s empty,” I said, pointing out the obvious.
He smiled, and I felt that familiar warm feeling in my belly. “I rented the place for the evening. I figured it would be hard enough to have a conversation with the cameras. I didn’t want other people staring at us as well.”
I nodded my head. “Good thinking.”
I took a drink from the water glass on my right, needing something for my suddenly dry mouth.
“I’ve already ordered for us,” he said.
“Oh,” I muttered, a little irritated he had been so bold as to decide what I would eat. I remembered he had been dominant that night as well. I wasn’t sure if that was a good trait.
“I wanted to skip the interruptions,” he explained.
I nodded my head. “Okay.”
“You do remember me,” he said in a low voice.
I felt myself blush a little, silently hoping he wouldn’t bring up the details of that night on camera. “I do.”
I remembered the orgasms, the way he had made my body feel and the way it had felt to have his naked skin against mine. I wanted to fan myself but stopped. That would make it way too obvious that he had me fired up with the simple reminder of our one night together.
“I’m glad we had the chance to meet again.”
I smiled. “So, now that I know your name, what else should I know about you?”
I felt a little like I was interviewing him for the position of father to my child.
He shrugged. “Obviously you know I’m wealthy. I started my company about twelve years ago, fresh out of college. I have no family to speak of. My mother raised me on her own and passed away about five years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out, knowing exactly what that felt like. “I lost my mom, too.”
The topic was too heavy for a first date, even if we had already slept together.
“What made you enter the competition?” he asked, looking directly into my eyes.
“You.”
He grinned. “I figured that much, but why?”
I sighed. “I’ve always wondered about you. I wasn’t sure who you were. When I saw your face on an advertisement for the show, I decided to enter the competition. I have to be honest: I’m not sure I really want to compete for you.”
He looked shocked by my bluntness. “Why not? Are you saying I’m not worthy of your time?”
“No. Nothing like that. I wanted to meet you, see you again, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I want to marry you. The whole splashing my life all over reality TV isn’t really my thing either, but I wanted to talk to you again and this was the only way I knew how to do that,” I said, being perfectly honest minus the omission about Tommy being the real reason I had signed up. “Why’d you agree to do the show?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I thought it would be fun.”
“Really? You thought having your every move documented by cameras and then splashed all over TV would be fun?”
He smiled, and I had a feeling it was his way of hiding something. “Maybe not fun, but it led me to you. That has to be worth a little irritation from the cameras.”
I nodded my head. This was the man I had met that one steamy night: confident and arrogant. I sighed, not sure if he was someone I wanted in my life on a regular basis.
Our dinners were served, steak and lobster. “Wow,” I muttered at the huge plate of food in front of me.
His eyes roamed over me, and I could practically feel him undressing me. “Wow is right.”
I ignored the insinuation and took a bite of my steak. It looked too good to pretend I didn’t want it. The flavor burst in my mouth.
“This is amazing,” I told him, wiping my mouth with my napkin.
“I’m glad you like it. The chef is a personal friend of mine. I asked him to impress you, and I see that he has.”
I eagerly nodded my head. “Definitely.”
I had to fight the temptation to dig in and stuff my face. Every bite was so damn good. I had to remind myself the entire world would see this, and I didn’t want the image of me stuffing my face with juicy lobster, butter running down my chin, to be one of those meme things on the internet.
“What do you do for a living?” he asked me, and I suddenly felt embarrassed.
“I work at a restaurant,” I mumbled, hoping the cameras wouldn’t pick it up.
“Really?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested. “Which one?”
I looked
directly at the camera over his shoulder, which was pointed at me, and then back at him. “I’d rather not say.”
He nodded his head. “Got it. Smart thinking.”
“Did you grow up in San Francisco?” I asked, returning to my initial goal of learning more about him to determine whether I wanted to invite him into my life.
I hated that I was keeping something so big from him, but what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him—could it?
He shrugged a shoulder. “No. We lived in San Diego, then LA, and really kind of all over. My mom was always looking for something better. I moved here after I graduated college. You?”
I sighed. “Yep, born and raised. I used to think I wanted to leave and move to New York, but things changed.”
I didn’t tell him he had helped to effect that change.
We talked a bit more, and I felt myself relaxing. Underneath the charm and carefully cultivated image, I got a glimpse into the real man, like when his eyes lit up when he talked about his boat and being on the water. It was only small glimpses. He held on to that suave billionaire image like a lifeline. I wanted to get to know him better before I dropped my bombshell on him.
“I want to see you again,” he said, looking at me in a way that left no room for argument.
I didn’t want to argue. I wanted to see him again as well—all of him. He had taken off his suit jacket, giving me a little reminder of how cut he was underneath all the fancy clothes. I wanted to touch him, just one more time.
“I’d like that,” I told him, meaning every word.
He turned to look at Gabe, who was busy working on a laptop a few tables away. “Gabe!” He said his name, grabbing the man’s attention. “Can I go out with her again?”
Gabe smiled. Tyler turned back to me, then looked at Gabe. “Never mind. It’s my damn show. I can do whatever I damn well please.”
The camera guys burst into laughter.
Gabe wasn’t laughing. “We need to talk about this,” he said.
Tyler dismissed him and turned his attention back to me. “Can I call you?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
He pulled out his cell phone and asked for my number. I looked at him, then the camera. He smiled and winked, handing me his phone. I quickly inputted the number and handed it back to him.
“I should probably get going,” I muttered, not sure how the date was supposed to end. I definitely didn’t want the cameras following me back to my apartment and focusing on us while we fumbled through the awkward end of a first date. To kiss or not to kiss? That wasn’t something I wanted to have played out on television.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, standing up from the table and helping me out of my chair.
We walked to the door of the restaurant, the cameramen close behind us. Clearly, we weren’t going to get even a second of privacy. I stepped outside and was nearly blinded by flashing lights going off in my face.
“Shit,” Tyler muttered behind me. “Alex, get her out of here.”
The next thing I knew, the driver gently grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me through a crowd of women screaming Tyler’s name and photographers snapping pictures of me. This was never going to work, I decided. I could not live like this. No way.
Chapter Eleven
Tyler
I walked into work feeling excited about the future. I had found her! My little gamble had paid off. I knew her name, had her phone number, and could even get her address. I had wanted to call her yesterday, but the golf charity event I had been committed to went way long and then there was the dinner and auction afterward.
I had found her!
It was surreal, and I had to remind myself the dinner date had actually happened—even if it had been awkward and the conversation stilted. I’d been able to get a small glimpse of her life. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything about her.
Connor caught up to me in the hall, his long strides matching my own.
“I take it dinner went well?” he asked.
I nodded. “It did.”
“You have a full day today,” he said, starting to list off the various meetings I had scheduled and as well as some other duties I needed to attend to. “Don’t forget you have that thing tonight,” he said with distaste.
“Thing?” I questioned, having no idea what he was talking about.
“A competition of some sorts. I don’t know, maybe the women will have to joust for the chance to marry you,” he said dryly.
“Competition?”
“Your show? Remember, the one you begged to get? Tonight there is a competition that all the women will participate in. You’re expected to be there to serve as eye candy. You know, so the ladies all know what they’re fighting for.”
I chuckled. “Connor, why do I get the feeling you don’t like this reality television business?”
He looked at me and curled his lip. “It’s beneath you. Hell, it’s beneath me,” he said.
I laughed. “Well, you’ll be happy to know I’ve changed my mind. I’m not doing the show. I’ve already found the woman I want.”
Connor stopped walking. “Excuse me?”
“Call Gabe and Jack. Tell them I’m done. I’m out. I won’t be there tonight or ever again. Thank them for their time and all that. Maybe send them a fruit basket or something as an apology,” I said absently, picking up my walk to my office.
“A fruit basket?” he growled. “You can’t just quit. Do you know how much work it took to get you that damn show?”
I stopped walking, turned to look at him, and reminded him of my position and his. Connor wasn’t the kind of man who would back down from me. It was why I had him. I needed him to keep me and my ego in check, like now.
“Please, tell them I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work.”
Connor was shaking his head and mumbling something I couldn’t quite hear under his breath. I was pretty sure I heard “asshole” but couldn’t say for certain. I didn’t care if they thought I was an asshole. I probably was.
I had barely gotten myself seated behind my desk when April told me I had a call from Jack.
That was fast.
“Hi, Jack,” I said, doing my best to be friendly.
“I just got a call from your PA. You can’t quit the show, Mr. Case,” he stated in a way that told me he was pissed.
“I’ve found the woman I want to pursue. I’m not interested in any of the others. It would be a waste of my time and theirs.”
“That’s not the way this works. I don’t give a shit who you found. You signed a contract. I’ve got a lot of money and my reputation on the line,” he spat.
“I’ll pay you for your time and whatever the clause states for breaking the contract,” I told him, not worried in the slightest.
He laughed. “You think so, huh?”
“How much?” I asked.
“A million dollars.”
“Excuse me? That’s insane.”
“We have advertising dollars that we spent. We have advertisers that paid to have their ads run along with some strategic product placement. We have our staff and the money we would have made. This doesn’t just go away because you don’t want to play anymore,” he said.
I leaned back in my chair. I had the money, but one didn’t get wealthy by throwing money away. “Okay. Can we come up with a way for me to wrap this thing up sooner rather than later?”
“I need to talk to Gabe and see what we can work out. I’ll cancel tonight’s competition. Gabe showed me footage from the dinner. You’re asking this woman out again?”
“Yes.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “Fine. We’ll have cameras follow you to her house. You make a grand gesture, roses, candy, the whole nine yards. We’ll start playing to a love at first sight theme. I’ll get back to you once I’ve talked to the execs to see how they want to handle this. I can tell you there will be a fee for breaking your contract.”
“I’m sure we can negotiate something. In
the meantime, I’ll talk with my lawyers as well,” I said, reminding him I wasn’t so easily bullied. I could fight back just as hard.
We hung up, and I immediately put a call out to my lawyer. He would review the contract and look for any loopholes. For now, I would play along with their little strategy, but I had no interest in dating other women and pretending to be interested. I wanted Emily.
I had Connor get Emily’s address from her application. Armed with a dozen long-stemmed roses and a nice bottle of wine, I had Alex drive me to her apartment on the other side of town. One of the cameramen rode with me, getting what I thought had to be some pretty boring footage of me sitting in the back of a car.
When we arrived in front of the older building, I was a little surprised. It wasn’t the best neighborhood. I was starting to get a clearer picture of who Emily was. It explained why I had never met her before. We had nothing in common. Another cameraman was waiting on the sidewalk when we pulled up. My car and the cameras caught the attention of the people sitting on stoops and chatting on the street.
“Are you sure this is the right address?” I asked Alex.
“Yes, sir. Connor said second floor, apartment twelve.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
I got out of the car, telling Alex not to even think about opening my door. I walked inside, feeling a little self-conscious in my suit and carrying the roses with two men following me, documenting my every move.
I hoped she was home. It was just after six and there was a good chance she could be at work. Jack wanted the date proposal to be completely unscripted and unplanned. It was the shock value he was looking for.
I knocked on the door, hoping she was home.
“Hi.” I smiled when she opened the door.
The look on her face told me I had definitely surprised her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking from me to the cameras.
“I wanted to see about that second date,” I said, holding out the flowers and the bottle of wine. “I brought these to persuade you.”
She stepped into the hallway, pulling the door behind her, leaving it open just a crack. I suddenly got the idea she wasn’t alone.