Walk of Shame (23 page)

I made my way to the main house
Wednesday morning, wearing sunglasses, hoping the movement and light wouldn't
trigger a recurrence.

There was French toast waiting
for me when I walked in, with powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon sprinkled over
it. "I am in love with eating at this house."

Phillip smiled and winked at me,
telling me he was today's chef.

"Will there be torturing
today?" Mike asked.

"Yes. A one-on-one
torturing, as a matter of fact."

"Oh?" he said with a raised
eyebrow.

I smiled at him, and then
directed it to the rest of the group. "This gets real simple, real fast,
guys. There are two of you who have not had a one-on-one yet. Surprisingly
enough, those are the two who will get this week's dates. The remaining five
are getting a group date."

Liam and Trevor stood, both with expectant
looks on their faces.

"Trevor today. Liam, you
were supposed to be yesterday and it's been rescheduled for tomorrow."

Trevor smiled and headed for the
stairs.

"You need swim trunks,"
I called after him.

"Yeah," he called back
and waved his arm in acknowledgement.

I finished eating as the rest of
the guys began glancing at each other around the room. I could only imagine
that they might be wondering who would be the first ones to get a second
one-on-one next week.

We left shortly after Trevor came
down. We climbed into the car and the driver pulled away from the curb.

I was just pulling off my
sunglasses, since we were behind the tinted windows now, when Trevor started
talking.

"Nothing like trying to keep
me waiting until the last minute," he quipped.

I shook my head at him. "You
don't get to call me out on that. We had all kinds of one-on-one time, you big
cheater. We went shopping before the show even started, you stole conversations
at my pool, you stole an entire one-on-one date, and then you stole about
two-thirds of a day yesterday. Quite frankly, you shouldn't really be getting a
formal one-on-one at all."

His smile was smug. "So why
am I?"

"Because, I'm trying to keep
up appearances. I don't want the public, or the guys, thinking that I might be
avoiding the date for some reason. And I certainly don't want them guessing at
what that reason might be."

The smile turned self-indulgent,
like he thought I was doing him some special favor by trying to cover for him.
I had to wonder if they all thought I was trying to cover for them. Mike and
his runs, Liam and his late night visit, the guys and that dinner, Phillip's
stolen kisses, the date I stole with Jared. None of us were playing fair,
except maybe for Drake and Stephen.

That line of thought made me
wonder what it said about me and my character that Drake was the one on his way
out the door this week and Stephen, well... The man hadn't done a single thing
wrong, which was probably why he had fallen down off the red and pink charts
altogether.

"Where are we off to?"
he asked.

I had to shake my head to push
aside the thoughts that had been questioning why I was attracted to the ones
who'd seen the loopholes in the system and had taken advantage of them.
"You're an LA boy, born and raised."

"So?"

"So, since we've already
done the job thing, and the whole get-to-know-you thing, I figured I'd aim for
the California-kid thing."

He drew his head back. "You
haven't gone surfing yet."

I smiled with a twinkle in my
eye. "I haven't gone surfing yet."

"Have you ever been
surfing?"

"Nope."

"Which beach are we going
to?"

"Malibu Lagoon State
Beach."

He nodded. "Surfrider Beach,
excellent choice."

We spent three hours in the
water. My sunglasses were plastered to my face by sheer will. And every time
Trevor saw me rub my head, he paddled over and placed a massaging hand on the
back of my neck under the pretense of teaching me how to study the waves, to
look for the next opportunity to try to catch a wave.

It was during those three hours
that I discovered something about myself... I am not a surfer girl.

And then I
spent the next two hours eating dinner on the pier, from a picnic basket,
trying to come to terms with the fact that I'd found something I absolutely
could not do. But to Trevor's credit, he didn't say a single word to rub it in.
He merely suggested that after dinner we might want to take a walk along the
beach, instead of heading back out onto the water.

"Scottish eggs for
breakfast?" I asked after giving the two things on my plate a couple pokes
and hoping I'd identified it.

"So we've been told,"
Stephen muttered as he gave one of his another poke with his fork.

I cut into it and took a bite.
I'd had these before, at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. But, I gotta tell
you, Liam's were better. "Where is our resident Scottish Highlander this
morning?"

"He's primping
upstairs," Drake answered.

I smiled to myself and kept
eating the delightful concoction of sausage wrapped around a hard-boiled egg
and then fried. I looked up and smiled when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
"You're going to need swim trunks," I warned.

He sighed and turned around to go
back up.

"Are you part fish? Because
I'm telling you, I'm fine if your legs disappear and you turn into a mermaid
after midnight," Stephen said.

Trevor gave me a wink and went
upstairs.

I flashed Stephan a smile.
"No. I've just never been here before and there's a crapload of things to
do around the area. I'm taking it all in."

"See?" Drake asked.
"Cities aren't so bad after all."

I had the decency to smile until
his back was turned before shaking my head at the thought of ever becoming a
city girl.

Liam came back downstairs and we
left to go get in the car and get the day underway.

"Another boat ride?" he
asked.

"Eh. In a manner of
speaking."

"Where are we off to?"

"Channel Islands National
Park."

"And what's there?"

"Kayaking."

"To see what?"

"Sea caves and cliffs."

That got his interest. "Sea
caves?"

"Yes, sir."

"I've never been in any of
those."

"Well, this'll be a first
for both of us."

He perked up after that. I guess
he figured he was getting a good date, instead of another version of either a
boat ride or park. I'd wanted to be annoyed at first, when I thought he might
express disinterest in a date destination. But then I'd had to remind myself
that they were only seeing a portion of the destinations that I was. I could
afford to hike a lot of trails and ride multiple boats, because I was doing
three sightseeing ventures a week. The guys were each only getting one. So of course,
they'd be more picky. And looking at it from that perspective, I was glad this
choice had pleased Liam.

We'd opted for an unguided tour
of the area. They gave us waterproof maps, kayaks, and paddles. We paddled out
and away from shore to settle in and wait for the camera crews to get set up in
their boats.

The moment the sun blinded me off
the surface of the water was the moment the sunglasses came out of my bag and were
slapped back onto my face. Liam caught the action, maneuvered over to cup the
back of my head, and squeezed.

I closed my eyes and smiled.
"Who tipped you off?"

"Trevor. He said while he
didn't really want to give me any tips, he also didn't want us to get out on the
water and have you shut down."

"I don't think I'm in danger
of a migraine anymore, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Neither do I. I was already
brushed off once," he said with a grin.

"Just think of it as my
saving the best for last."

Something warmed and softened in
his eyes as the camera crew called to us that they were ready to head out.

We studied the maps, and their
marked points of interest, picked a route, and got underway.

I couldn't
tell if it was the setting, the adventure of the sea caves, the quiet day on
the water, or the man I was with. But, by the end, I was convinced that this
was my favorite one-on-one date so far. The more I spent time with Liam, the
more I really, really liked him. He was funny, considerate, and loved the
adventure of the activity as much as I did.

Mike was outside, near the pool,
tossing a tennis ball for Goldie, when I looked outside the next morning. It
made me smile as I put on my workout clothes and sneakers. There was something
about working out with him that just made the whole thing seem less like a pain
in the butt to do. And the fact that Goldie seemed to follow him around quite a
bit... yeah, you could say I was into him.

Having him to myself on an almost
daily basis was something that I'd begun to take for granted.

"Are you having fun,
yet?" Mike asked as we turned at the end of the track.

"The further into this I
get, the more fun I have," I answered.

"I think I'd be going nuts
with all the bouncing back and forth."

I laughed. "The ping-pong
ball affect can get to be a bit much, I admit. But, I think as I eliminate guys
and narrow it down to the ones I like the best, it gets easier to relax and
enjoy myself."

"Because you genuinely like
the company."

"And because we're all
getting to know each other more, so I feel more and more like I can just be
myself."

He gave me a sideways glance,
"Well, who would you say you're the most comfortable with at this
point?"

I flashed him a smile. "No
fair asking."

"Oh, come on. Throw a dog a
bone."

"Okay, you."

He rolled his eyes. "For the
love of- Don't blow smoke up my ass."

"I rarely blow smoke up
anyone's ass."

"Just because I'm asking the
question doesn't mean I'll be mad if it isn't me."

"Just because I'm answering
the question the way I think you want me to doesn't mean I'm lying."

"You're honestly the most
comfortable with me?"

"We see each other almost
every day and talk in private just as often, and I keep coming back for more.
Why wouldn't I feel the most comfortable with you?"

"Yeah, but who are you the
most attracted to?"

"Truth?"

"Please."

"That changes almost
daily."

He reached out, grabbed me, and
stopped us mid-stride. Pulling me into his arms and against his tall frame, he
bypassed my forehead and kissed the side of my neck so gently that I got chills
and tingles all at the same time. My shoulders relaxed so they could drop and
give him better access. His lips began exploring.

A noise, too high-pitched to be a
moan, escaped from me and he grunted in response. His lips slowly migrated to
my earlobe and I literally climbed up the man. My arms wound around his neck,
and my legs around his waist. He walked us off the track with only a slight
limp and leaned me up against a tree trunk.

"Oh, my Goood," I moaned.

"You want more?" he
whispered against my ear.

I made a noise
of approval and he pulled his head back, smiled wickedly at me, and freaking
kissed my freaking forehead a-freaking-gain.

I spent some quality time with
the massaging showerhead in my bathroom before heading over to collect the
guys.

Slices of ham and fried eggs were
waiting for me, alongside a tall glass of pink grapefruit juice.

"What're we doing
today?" Stephen asked.

I gave them all a sly smile.
"We'll be performing onstage later this afternoon."

"So what are we going to do
until then?" Jared asked.

"Practice our parts."

"There's a sparkle in your
eyes that's freaking me out," Drake said.

The smile on my face broadened
until it almost morphed into a giggle all on its own. "You have every
right to be scared."

The six of us piled into a van
ten minutes later. They kept asking what we were going to be doing, and I kept
my mouth shut. I wanted my portion to be a surprise for them.

It had occurred to me that I had
all these guys vying for my attention, but I'd done very little to strut my
stuff, even as I very much enjoyed watching them strut theirs. I'd participated
in every activity that I'd asked them to do, but still, I felt like it was
always imbalanced. Aside from prancing around in a bikini and kissing in dark
corners, I'd focused hard on showing them who I am. But, I hadn't yet shown
them all that I am.

We pulled up to the building and
piled out. This time, production was already set up inside, waiting for us.

"Is this what I think it
is?" Jared asked.

I smiled and headed for the door.
"Let's find out."

We walked inside the club and a
man behind the bar directed the guys to take seats near the stage. I was
greeted and led to a dressing room, where I was given a selection of costumes
in my size to choose from. I chose a black bustier with red, feathery trim. My
guide helped me figure out how to get into the contraption of a costume and we
quickly discussed what skills I knew and worked out a short little routine,
which I practiced on a pole in the back.

While I was behind-the-scenes,
working on my surprise, the guys were out front, getting lessons of their own.
Later, when their instructors had gotten to a good stopping point and I'd
finished going over things with my instructor, my short musical selection was
queued up and I stepped out on stage.

The guys were stunned into
silence when I strutted over to the pole and started my dance, climbing and
holding poses as I swung around and around. Seconds passed by and the guys
started cheering and whistling, and looking at me in an ever-slightly different
light. My little routine certainly managed to hold their attention, that was
for sure. I finished, the music stopped, and the interior lights brightened.
The guys applauded as I moved to center-stage.

"So, I got into a traffic
accident outside of Vegas a few years ago," I told them. "The truck
was fine, but repairs had to be done to the fifth wheel before I could continue
on. I had to find lodging since my house was broken. I went online and found an
amazing deal on a suite of rooms. It was like a small apartment for the same
price as a regular room. I was ecstatic, actually. I'd never been to Vegas. I
figured I'd write during the day, in my temporary home, then go see a show in
the evenings."

"But," I continued on,
"there was this whole city of activity going on outside the windows and I
couldn't seem to sit still. Soon I got a phone call from the front desk
explaining that the reason I got such a good deal on the room was because the
building was actually time-shared apartments, and they were trying to drum up
business. If I went down and listened to their spiel, I could have a package of
gift cards, vouchers, and coupons. So I went. In my package was a voucher for
my choice among three different types of free lessons. And, stripper pole dancing
lessons sounded the most intriguing. So intriguing, I made it a part of my day
for a week, until my rig was fixed. Now every time I pass by Vegas, I stop
overnight to attend a lesson and catch a show.

"And now, I've shown you my
dance. I'll give you guys another couple hours and you can all show me your
stripper routines that you all are about to put together."

Laughter and groans circled
around the room and I laughed back at them. I went back behind the curtains to
change. Afterwards, I curled up in a back dressing room and worked on a draft
of my novel on my phone for a while, giving them time to figure what in the
world they were going to come up with to impress me.

By the time they were ready, Troy
was onsite to witness the hilarity that was about to be filmed for national
television.

We took our seats and their
instructor played the MC for their presentations.  "First up, we have Jared
the Snake Hunter for your viewing plea-sure," he said, drawing the last
word out for effect.

I must admit, I'd expected Jared
to be good. He was always well coordinated and confident in everything he did. But
he came out all dressed in leather and put on a strip tease that my mind's eye
wouldn't soon forget.

"And now let's welcome
Smooth Moves Stephen out onto the stage."

Obviously, my little nickname for
him was now public knowledge. His moves were smooth, but less impressive to my
senses than Jared's had been.

Next up was Drake, and damn it, I
was impressed. The man could flex his hips and had a step or hand move of some
sort for every beat of music in the selection.

Phillip danced out onto the stage,
geared up in about ten layers of clothes, and proceeded to make a comedy
routine out of teasing me with every single article of clothing that he peeled
off his body. I didn't see much skin before the music was done, but I'd laughed
pretty freaking hard.

Last was Mike,
and I admittedly worried about how his routine would end up looking. Not that
it would bother me, but rather that his having to do it on a national show might
bother him. But the man strutted out on stage in mock Army fatigues, called out
marching commands as he went, then gave himself over to the music. He danced,
bounced, gyrated, showed off arm strength, and stripped down to a little camo
g-string thing that barely kept him contained. By the time his performance
ended, we were all cheering and his smile was wide.

"It's not funny," I
muttered into the phone later that evening.

"Yes, it is," Chloe
contradicted between her giggles.

I was standing on the balcony
outside my bedroom, with the pool just a short distance away, around the corner
of the house.

"I can't help it. They're
all driving me insane," I told her.

"Not all of them."

"Fine, six out of seven of
them are driving me crazy."

"And this is supposed to be
a bad thing, how?"

My voice started getting louder
as I dive-bombed into my frustration with the whole thing. "You don't get
it."

"You're right. I don't see how
having seven hunky men focusing all their attention on you is anything but
very, very good."

"If you were standing in
front of me, I'd slap you."

She laughed in my ear.
"What's so horrible?"

I hit the speakerphone button and
put the phone on the railing while I stared in the direction of the main house.
"Chloe, they're all kissing on me, hands venture across shoulders and
backs, ass cupping happens from time to time, and one of them actually gave me
chills he had me so revved up. I almost said, 'to hell with it', and was ready
to strip off my bikini in the hot tub with one of them. It's like my body isn't
registering the fact that there are several guys in play. It just knows that it's
getting a lot of attention that isn't leading anywhere, and it wants to get things
kicked into gear."

She freaking giggled at me.

"When I was sitting there,
watching them strip for me today, all I could think about was who'd be more
likely to take me into the next room and put me up against a wall."

"And did you come to any
conclusions?"

"Yeah, Phillip. Because he's
already put me up against a couple walls."

She sighed. "There's a very
simple solution to this, you know."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"Pick one of them and have a
little fun on the side."

"Oh, yeah, right. Because no
one would ever find out about that. And which one would you like me to pick to
be bed buddies with? And exactly how would I explain that to whomever I end up
with, when the truth comes out?"

"So...  Take care of it
yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not
that easy."

"I don't recall it ever
being that hard to do."

"It's not enough, I'm
telling you."

"So buy a vibrator."

"I almost did, while I was
waiting for the guys today. There was a toy shop next door."

"Why didn't you?"

"Cameras, Chloe. The freaking
cameras that follow me all around."

"Order one online."

"And chance one of the many
members of production seeing and recognizing a return address? No, thank
you."

"Like they'd recognize
it," she scoffed.

"I'm not taking the
chance."

"You're being impossible to
try and help."

I sighed. "I know. I feel
like a lost cause. I should be able to handle this. It's like I'm a, a... Holy
crap!"

"What?"

"Is this what it's like to
be a guy?"

She laughed hysterically. "I
don't know. Have you started walking funny?"

I laughed at her. "No, not
yet. But give me another week and I might."

We said our good nights and ended
the call.  I turned around to go back inside and I swore I could hear
chuckling. I tried to stretch and peek around the corner, to see who was out
front, but I couldn't stretch that far. I went back into the bedroom and looked
between the blinds of the front window and spied Liam making his way to my hot
tub.

Well now I had a problem. He'd
obviously been listening to the phone conversation, which I was now kicking
myself for. I should have locked myself in the bathroom before calling Chloe.
And now I could stay inside and marinate in my embarrassment, or I could go out
there and let him rev me up all over again, making me more frustrated that I
already was.

Oh, to hell with it.
I
shook my head at myself and headed downstairs.

Liam looked up when he heard the
front door and smiled as I walked outside. He started barking with laughter
when I stepped down into the hot tub, still fully clothed. But he shut up when
I moved over to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and stuck my tongue down
his throat.

He groaned, wrapped his arms
around my waist, and put all of his focus into kissing me back.

The material of my tank top was
floating up between us, and Liam's hand was getting waylaid in trying to caress
my back. He made quick work of lifting the edge up and over my head, tossing
the shirt onto the concrete patio.

"I can't sleep with
you," I whispered between kisses.

"I know," he whispered
back.