Page 41 of Reluctantly Married

She angled several different directions, but couldn’t get the scissors in the right position. “I can’t. My hand doesn’t bend that way.”

Adam laughed. “Great. We did all that for nothing.”

“And my arms are starting to go numb.”

“Wait, I have an idea. You hold one handle, and I’ll take the other. We’ll point the scissors up, and see if we can cut through together.”

His plan worked, and soon they had one arm free. Adam took the scissors and cut through the other rope, his fingers warm on her skin.

Megan smiled. “We did it!” She hugged him.

Doctor Lemon opened the door and shuffled into the room. “Well done. You passed your first exercise.”

Adam cleared his throat. “What’s the next one?”

Doctor Lemon smiled. “You get to meet your competition.”

15

Megan smoothed her black dressand nervously shuffled her feet as she walked down the dim hallway. When she entered the foyer, Doctor Lemon rushed over to her. “There you are. We’re about to start. Come along, the men are waiting.”

Her mouth went dry at the mention of ‘the men.’ When she signed up to do the show, she hadn’t known she’d have to date other guys. And she wasn’t sure what the deal was anyway. She’d signed a contract to marry Adam at the end. Why throw other men into the mix? It all seemed rather stupid to her.

But the producer was adamant. She was to flirt with these men and pretend she liked all of them. The audience couldn’t know she was going to pick Adam at the end.

The sun had already set, leaving the backyard dark. The sliding glass door led to a large deck lit up with candles and tons of camera lighting. When she stepped out, all the air left her lungs. Three men who could easily be models stood leaning against the railing. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. They were dressed in expensive suits and ties.

The first one had jet black hair and stunning blue eyes. He smiled at her and raised his glass of champagne. The second wore a cowboy hat, his broad shoulders and muscular physique displaying the hours he must work outdoors. The third held a rose and had longer hair, mussed up in a perfectly sexy kind of way. And then she noticed Adam. He was standing apart from the others, his eyes almost caressing her with his gaze. He smiled, his dimples causing her stomach to erupt in butterflies.

Doctor Lemon stepped forward and addressed the cameras. “This morning, Adam confessed his love for Megan.”

The words sent a jolt of electricity through Megan. He did? She hadn’t been allowed to watch Adam’s interview. What had he said?

“Let’s watch.” Doctor Lemon motioned to a television mounted on the side of the mansion. Megan turned around and stared as Adam’s face filled the screen. It was obvious the poor guy was nervous, and as the doctor pried him for personal information, he struggled to answer.

As the tape played, and Adam admitted he would risk his own life to save her, emotion swelled within her. She wanted to believe him. He looked like he was speaking from his heart. But he was also getting paid a hundred thousand dollars. She couldn’t allow herself to be fooled. She steeled herself against the warmth surging through her.

Adam didn’t love her. It was all an act.

After the clip with Adam, Doctor Lemon spoke. “As you can see, Adam feels deeply for Megan. Let’s see if these feelings are returned.”

A new tape played. This one was of Megan talking about how they were just friends. And then it skipped to her shouting that she’d never marry Adam, even if she were dying and he were the only cure.

Heat crept up her cheeks. That wasn’t meant to be filmed. A couple of the guys chuckled, and Adam looked down at his feet.

She wanted to interrupt…to stop the obvious humiliation to Adam, but she couldn’t. There was nothing she could say that would make it better. So she let it play out.

Doctor Lemon turned the television off and approached Megan. “Over the next few weeks, we will be doing some exercises to see if Megan is compatible with Adam.” She looked around the deck. “Or if she might be better suited with another man.” The cowboy tipped his hat to her, champagne dude lifted his glass, and the man with the mussed hair winked.

Megan gazed up into the night sky, hoping a stray boulder would fall on her. Or maybe the tail off an airplane.

With her hand on her hip, Doctor Lemon motioned for Megan to follow her off the deck. A stone bench sat between two large trees in the beautifully landscaped yard. “Here. Sit. It’s time to meet the bachelors.”

The first to be ushered over was champagne dude. “Heeeey,” he said, stretching it out into two syllables. He ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair. “I’m Anthony.”

She felt like she should shake his hand or something, but he didn’t offer it, so she just smiled and stuck her hands in her lap. “Hey.”

He glanced around to find the camera. “So, I guess I’m, like, supposed to tell you about myself.” He grinned, and his clear blue eyes made her stomach a little fluttery. “I’m a singer. Trying to make it, ya know. Be discovered. I tried out for The Voice, but that didn’t work out, so I thought I’d get my foot in the door with something like this.” He flashed her a smile, then she realized he was looking just over her left shoulder…at the camera.

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