Accept This Dandelion (6 page)

After listening to the radio interview, Ben suspected Renee could become the real star of the show. Listeners called in one after another, praising her for her mouse dance, the way she wiped her makeup off to display her true face, and even how she managed to light herself on fire.

That was what the TV audience wanted? They wouldn’t want anything to do with him then. Ben wanted to change his public image, but he was perfectly happy turning the spotlight on Renee and letting her bask in its heat for a while. He already lived under a microscope. It was her turn. She would learn soon enough how hard it was to have people watch your every step.

Ben didn’t wish anything ill to befall Renee. In fact, he enjoyed her as much as the radio listeners seemed to. But he knew sudden fame could take a toll and people might turn on her at any point. Just look at how news media portrayed him…playboy bachelor…a lady pleaser…and so on. Ben’s image was far larger than it should be. In some ways, what they said was true. But there was more to him than the media let people believe. His goal was to show a little bit of depth through the show. If he fell in love at the same time, he would have it all.

Ben hoped the first round of group dates would shed light on the women. He was a harsh judge, and he dismissed the first two women during the initial eliminations without hesitation. What really held his curiosity was the current running between him and Renee. Was it her clumsy endearment? Did she need to be saved, bringing out his knight in shining armor side? She had alluded to as much on the radio. Or could it be something more? No way to be sure…but he intended to find out.

* * *

Renee dressed with reckless abandon as she prepared for the next taping session. Her instructions read “come as you are,” and she planned to do just that. Apparently, the wardrobe would be provided this time. She was curious to find out what they would do and what they would wear. All Renee knew about the next taping was that Ben had dates planned for them. They split the women into two groups of five, and Ben invited Renee’s group out the first night. The second group would have a chance the following evening. All of the contestants had instructions to meet at the studio on the third night for eliminations.

Since Renee figured they’d change before their date so she wore her cut-off shorts and a ratty old t-shirt she used for cleaning and errands. She wanted to be relaxed in case they insisted on doing her hair and makeup again before she had to change into whatever glittery cocktail dress they had waiting. Renee liked to be comfortable above all else, and she wanted to remain that way as long as possible.

Renee was finally excited about the show. The public loved her, and she had stayed true to her personality. If she could stay on track, she would accomplish her goals, and the morning show job might be in reach. Renee had a spring in her step as she entered the TV studio. The first taping was nerve wracking since she didn’t know what to expect. Now that she had written off falling in love, she could kick back and enjoy it. The dates would likely be fun, and she could have a good time and let the chips fall where they may.

When Renee arrived at the studio, the hair and makeup people asked if she wanted any help instead of insisting. The date was going to be casual so Renee opted to do her own preparations.

Since the date was labeled casual, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and freed a few wisps around her face. Renee liked having her hair out of the way, and she wanted Ben to be able to see her face. Though he saw quite a bit of it the other night when she wiped away her makeup with his handkerchief, this time, he would see it in its complete natural state.

Renee had to wear a little makeup to keep the producers happy and so she wouldn’t appear washed out on TV. She put on light foundation to make her skin tone even on camera. Then she added clear, shiny lip gloss…the only form of enhancement she wore on a regular basis.

Renee didn’t see Eva. She must be in the other group. That was disappointing. Eva was the only girl she connected with on the first night. She hoped they would get a chance to speak at the eliminations and catch up on each other’s dates.

“Ladies,” Mike the producer called from the center of the room. “Your wardrobe has arrived. Choose your attire, and the car will be here to pick you up in a few minutes.”

Most of the dates would take place away from the studio with handheld cameras surrounding the action. Renee moved toward the rack near Mike in the center of the room to see what the attire options were. Would they be playing a sport? Enjoying tea in a garden somewhere? As Renee got closer and closer, she squinted. Whatever was on the rack was very very tiny.

Renee elbowed her way through the group of women who gasped in delight at the miniscule pieces of fabric they held up against themselves. Swimsuits.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” The other women stopped their chatter, their swimsuits in mid-air. “I mean…” Renee pointed to a nearby strip of fabric in a leggy blonde woman’s hand. “I think you got the best one.” As the women began to move away from the rack, Renee had the rest of the choices to herself. She grabbed one hanger after another, trying to decide which suit provided the most coverage.

Renee wasn’t ashamed of her body. She was athletic and fit, especially for someone in radio who had the option of sitting unseen in a studio and eating all day long. But Renee was annoyed by the wardrobe requirement. It matched Ben’s playboy persona. Of course he wanted to see the contestants in tiny bikinis. That would help him judge who to keep for the next round. Any woman he dated had to be perfect, right?

Renee shook her head.
What a jerk
. When she went to the pool, she usually wore a two-piece. Granted, a tankini that showed nothing more than a one-piece would, but still. She always wondered how a bikini would look on her, but she didn’t want to find out minutes before a date. Going on a date in a bikini was not cool. Especially so early in the relationship. And in front of the entire city.

Renee gave up on the hangers. None of the suits were larger than the handkerchief she tore from Ben’s pocket the first night. With a shrug, she ripped a suit from the next hanger she touched and headed to the bathroom to change.

As Renee changed in her own stall, she formed a plan in her head. It would make her stand out, that was for sure. She wasn’t going to hang out in a bikini next to an Amazonian goddess, and she didn’t want to show that much of herself to any man on a first date. Her plan would allow her to do both at the same time.

Renee smiled and hoped her idea furthered her goals. If the listening audience appreciated her on the last show, they might really get a kick out of this particular episode.

* * *

When Ben received the information on his first date, he wasn’t sure he liked the idea. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see the beautiful women in swimsuits, but their appearance might distract him from what he really wanted. Many of the women probably already judged him based on what they had heard in the media. He wanted a chance to see them for who they really were, and the TV station decided to put them in bathing suits and parade them around before him. That would cloud any man’s judgment.

Upon signing on for the show, Ben insisted he have control over the bachelorettes they cast, but he hadn’t thought to add a clause to include approval of the dates. He wasn’t sure hanging out by a pool would help him decide on a woman to marry, but the male side of him wouldn’t complain.

Ben arrived on location several minutes before the women. He had on his swim trunks and tank top, and someone offered him a fruity beverage with an umbrella stuck in the side. He took his sunglasses from his pocket and placed them on his face. He was ready.

When the women arrived, Ben knew immediately because the quiet lapping pool water was interrupted by shrills of excitement outside the entrance. Ben stood to await his candidates and watched as they strolled into the deck area. The taping had officially begun.

Ben pasted a smile on his face as one pair of long legs after another walked before him. Luckily for him, they were all wearing cover-ups for the time being. At least he would be able to get in his initial statements before he got tongue-tied.

“Welcome, ladies.” Ben raised his drink as they stood in a line before him. “I appreciate you joining me for a relaxing day by the water. Today, I really want to kick back and get to know all of you. And hey, if we can fit a little water volleyball into the day, even better.” Ben lowered his glasses on his nose. “What do you say we get this party started?”

The women clapped and cheered as Ben looked slowly from one to another. When he got to the end of the line, he noticed Renee, clapping in a lackluster manner. Ben frowned. What was she hiding under her cover-up?

One by one the women began to do just as Ben imagined…take off their cover-ups to reveal tiny bikinis that shimmered and glowed in all the right places. Ben knew if he wasn’t used to beautiful women already, he would have a hard time keeping his jaw in place and his wits about him.

Instead of jumping straight into the water, beautiful bikini-clad women surrounded him. He wasn’t sure what to do. He glanced over their heads when he realized one was missing. Renee stood in place, playing with the bottom of her cover-up.

“Excuse me, ladies.” Ben patted one woman on the shoulder while gently pushing another aside. “I’ll be right back with you.” He swiftly walked over to Renee, a camera close at his back.

“Renee.” He lifted a fruity drink in her direction. “Won’t you join us? You look rather hot and alone over here.”

“Thanks,” Renee replied sarcastically. She had to know Ben wasn’t trying to compliment her appearance. As Ben got closer, he examined her a little more. All of the women wore their hair long and flowing, showing off every angle of what they had to offer. Renee, on the other hand, had her hair bunched up on the back of her head in a ponytail. And Ben had to admit, she had a fresh and pretty face.

“Don’t you want to swim?” Ben asked, letting his eyes rake down Renee’s body. Was she ever going to come out of the cover-up?

Renee shrugged. “I will if you will,” she said. And with a swift motion and a lot of power, Ben found himself falling backward into the water. He sputtered and kicked and made his way back to the top, his fruity drink littering the clean water with red. He grabbed the small umbrella floating nearby and swam to the edge of the pool.

Renee had taken her cover-up off, but what she had underneath was nothing like what the studio provided. Instead of a bikini or even a one piece, she wore old cut-off shorts and a ratty t-shirt. Before he could scold her for pushing him in, she took a flying leap over his head and did a cannonball right behind him in the center of the pool.

Ben swam over to where Renee landed as if he was being pulled to her like a current. The other women watched them from the edge of the water. Before Renee surfaced, Ben caught her around the waist and pulled her against him.

“You know you’re going to have to pay for that,” Ben said quietly.

“Just trying to cool you off.” She wiped her hands over her hair, slicking it back into her ponytail.

“After the fire the other night?” he teased.

“After the fire today.” Renee looked at the nearby waiting women.

Ben followed her gaze and laughed. They certainly were a hot bunch, he had to agree.

“What are you wearing anyway?” Ben knew their time was running out.

“A bikini just like them.”

Ben frowned and grasped the corner of her ratty shirt in his hand.

“No one said we couldn’t wear anything else.” Renee pushed her feet against his legs and freed herself from his grasp.

Ben shivered despite the warm water surrounding him. So she was wearing a bathing suit underneath her clothing. She was teasing him…for sure. She must be the type of woman who wanted to draw a man in only to push him away. He would have to be careful with her. The other women were slowly lowering themselves into the pool, taking precautions to keep their hair dry. They weren’t leaving anything to the imagination. Ben would be much better off with one of them.

The beginning of the date went better than Renee expected. She didn’t plan on pushing Ben into the pool, but he was asking for it. The way he stood so close to the edge with his little drink, trying to ogle her through her cover-up to see what she had to offer underneath it. He deserved what he got…and more.

Renee enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. A pool volleyball game broke out and Renee found herself on the opposite side of the net as Ben. It was her against Ben because the other women moved slowly to avoid getting their hair and makeup wet. Renee also wondered if they restricted their motions so nothing would pop out of their tiny tops.

Renee was glad on more than one occasion that she covered up the bikini she wore with her regular clothing. She was comfortable in the water, out of the pool and everywhere in between. After the volleyball game, Ben took the women to the side one by one. Instead of lying by the pool and sunning herself like the others, Renee played.

She swam a few laps, but once she got tired, she did handstands to see how long she could hold her feet in the air. When she no longer thought she could outdo her time, she did flips in the water. It reminded her of swimming as a child and though she was alone in the pool, she was having a blast. Renee had goals for the experience, but life was short, and she decided to have as much fun as possible.

As the date neared its end, and the sun began to dip below the horizon, Renee wondered if she would get another chance to speak with Ben. She didn’t really care other than the fact that wherever Ben went, the cameras followed. If she wanted more screen time to make an impression on the audience, she would have to spend time with him.

Renee finally got out of the water, and a chill ran down her spine. She wrapped a big white towel around her shoulders. She was going to have to ride back to the studio and then drive home in the clothes she was wearing, and she wanted to dry off.

“Renee.” A voice called her from the other side of the pool. She glanced up. Ben beckoned her. So that’s how he got his women. He made a little hand gesture and expected them to follow orders. Renee wiped her face dry as she scoffed. She’d go to him because this was a TV show, but if he had any illusions of having her in his life, he would have to work harder.

Renee walked around the pool, holding the towel tightly. Ben stood when she approached and gestured toward the chair across from him. As soon as Renee sat down, she noticed cameras staring at her.

“You seemed to have a fun day.” Ben gestured toward the water. Renee wondered if he caught glimpses of her antics while he spoke with the other women.

“You too.” Renee directed her gaze across the pool at the bikini clad women who finally started to put their cover-ups back on.

“You cold?” Ben scooted his chair closer to hers.

Renee shivered. “No.” She would have bet big money he used that particular line several other times during the date to get his hands on half-naked women. It wouldn’t work on her.

“Of course not. Okay, Renee. I’m going to ask. Why are you wearing that?”

Renee looked down at the towel. Her cut-off shorts peaked out beneath it.

“Have you ever gone on a first date in a Speedo?” Renee asked in a matter-of-fact voice.

“A Speedo? Why in the world…”

“Exactly,” Renee said. “Why would you do that? And yet you expected us to do virtually the same thing while you sat here in your comfy shorts and tank top. The producer said the date was casual. Sitting around in something that looked like underwear didn’t seem casual to me. So I wore what did.”

Ben held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. You win.”

Renee nodded her head and shivered again. The temperature was dropping along with the sun. It took all of her strength to keep her teeth from chattering. Renee enjoyed letting Ben know what she thought about his pool party. She hoped the women in the city agreed. Surely most of them felt objectified at some point in their lives, and the fact that she wasn’t going to stand for it put them on her side.

“You’re really something.” Ben looked across the space separating them.

Renee warmed instantly as she caught his gaze. He looked into her eyes and time stopped. Without any explanation at all, a current ran through her body, much like the one she experienced the other night when his touch sent a real static shock up her arm. This time, they weren’t even touching.

Renee involuntarily shivered a third time for a whole different reason.

“You’re definitely cold.” Ben stood and grabbed Renee by the shoulders to lift her from her chair. “Here.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her face against his chest. “This is probably the last thing you want, but I’m not going to let you freeze to death before my eyes.”

Renee grasped the towel in her hands, squeezing it so tightly she thought her knuckles might burst. She wasn’t sure what to do. She couldn’t hug him back because her arms were trapped in front of her. She also wasn’t able push him again. Her face was turned the opposite direction from the other women so she couldn’t even see their reactions to the embrace.

“Remember what I said,” Ben whispered against her ear. “I’m not putting the fire out this time.”

Renee knew there wasn’t a real fire around all the water. As she shivered a final time, she knew it wasn’t from the cold…but rather the heat between them. She looked up at Ben, finding her nose near his chin. As he gazed down at her, she had the sudden urge to raise herself to her toes and kiss him.

Renee turned to the side slightly. Before she gave in to that crazy notion, she had to get out of there. Sure, Ben smelled great despite the chlorine tinge and looked even better, but he was a womanizer, and he would never change. He was working his magic on her. He probably saw her as a challenge. Men liked the chase.

“All better,” Renee said as she twisted from his grip, anxious to get away from his burning brown eyes and his hot flesh. If Ben wanted a chase, she’d give it to him. But instead of letting him catch her, she planned to keep running…as fast as she could.