Page 14 of The Prince's Game
Heat crawled up my neck at the display of affection and the impact his words had on my heart. His gift meant I could keep working. He had no idea how much that meant to me. “Thank you.”
He winked, and unlike his father’s, this one left me feeling warm inside.The man better send me home soon, or I’m in trouble.
7
Unclear Intentions
Twenty women, one prince, and seventeen keys.Not my kind of fairy tale.
The tension was palpable, and the waterworks were on standby. I stood between Tiffany and Georgiana on the third step of the grand staircase, waiting for the ceremony to start. Evan’s family wasn’t involved tonight, and he knew the truth. He had every excuse needed to send me home this time.And then I’ll never see him again.
The pit in my stomach tightened. I wanted to get back to my life in Chicago and move on from all this, but there was something about him that captivated me. He stood before us in a suit that hugged his muscular form to perfection and exuded a quiet confidence I admired. Despite my best intentions, I was drawn to him.Like a moth to a flame. If I got too close, I would get burned.
Sharp nails dug into my arm as Tiffany lost her balance beside me. She grimaced and let me go after regaining her footing. “Oh, Sarah, I’m sorry. It’s these damn shoes.”
I looked at her four-inch stilettos. “No worries.” She was one of the women Evan chose for his two-on-one date. Amber was the other one. It seemed the prince had a preference for blondes. Unlike the southern belle, Tiffany was all legs and model-tall. She was the kind of girl men looked at twice and women hated on sight. Kind of like Rachel.
“Why did they put me in stilettos?” Tiffany muttered.
“Because the producers want to show off your legs in that dress,” I replied. It was a deep blue that ended just below her ass. Mine was a burnt orange with a plunging neckline. I had to go braless because of it.Good thing the girls are perky.
She snorted. “I look ridiculous. I would never wear this at home.”
I couldn’t say the same about mine. It popped against my tan skin, and my breasts looked great. If I had somewhere to wear it, I would do so in a heartbeat.
“They made me wear a tight minidress last night, too,” she added. Pink tinged her pale cheeks. “I was so uncomfortable.”
“At least you got to go,” Georgiana sneered from my other side. “I wouldn’t complain if I were you.”
“Oh, I wasn’t.” Tiffany’s hand fluttered against her chest as she peeked at the buxom beauty on my other side. “I just, it’s, well, I’m not used to this.”
“None of us are, honey. But you better buck up and get used to it.” Georgiana dismissed her with a look and whispered something to the brunette in front of her. The slender woman with hawkish features glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, making Tiffany’s blue eyes drop to her feet. Her lack of self-confidence and sweet demeanor made her an easy target for the other girls. If it was an act, it was a believable one.
“For the record, I’m not a fan of it either,” I replied loud enough for all the girls to hear. Evan quirked an eyebrow at me.A little too loud, then.“Sorry, discussing wardrobe choices.” Some of the girls gasped, surprised by my audacity. What did I care? He was sending me home in a few minutes.
Those sexy dimples flashed up at me. “Not a fan of evening attire, Miss Summers?”
“Oh no, I love my dress, Mister Mershano. I’m just not a fan of stilettos on stairs.” My feet didn’t care about the heels at all, but I wanted to make Tiffany feel better. I wasn’t a fan of bullying.
His alluring laugh made me shiver. He turned to the spiky-haired director. “She has a point, Paul. Can you hurry up?”
“Yeah, just two more minutes.” The man took a call after filming Joseph’s intro to the elimination ceremony and left us all standing here to wait.Not like we have anything better to do.
“Why does he call you Miss Summers?” Tiffany whispered.
“I have no idea.”But I’m starting to like it. The other night it came off as formal and dismissive. Tonight it was said with an affectionate lilt that made me smile. He was flirting with me. I could get used to that.
“Ladies, sorry about that.” Paul pocketed his phone. “Producers take priority. Anyway, let’s get back to it. Joseph, off to the side. We’ll pan around Evan to get varying shots of his emotions and then shift to the girls’ faces.” He started sounding off commands to his minions to get everyone in place. Getting it done in one take was his goal.Works for me.
Evan stood in the center of the ornate lobby, beside a table with a stack of hotel keys. Not a glamorous gift, but the hotel suites were nice. Mine had a view of the Mississippi, just like Will said it would, and an oversized king bed. As far as luxuries went, it was top-notch.
“All right, Evan, the time has come.” Joseph stood beside the prince, his hand on his shoulder. “Good luck.” He gave him a pat and stepped out of the shot as Paul requested. Cameras rolled around Evan as he waited for the signal to let him know that he could get started.
“Ladies,” Evan greeted after receiving his signal, “you all look amazing tonight.” A few of the women returned the compliment, making him grin. The suit was hot, but I missed the jeans and jacket. It was sexier and gave him the illusion of being attainable. Casual looked good on him. Not that I would ever see it again.
“Thank you all for your help in the hotel this week. I hope you had fun and learned a little bit more about what I do. I enjoyed watching your reactions and answering your questions and getting to know a bit more about each of you.” He met my gaze on that last comment, making my heart drop to my stomach. “That being said, this wasn’t an easy decision. You’re all spirited, gorgeous women, and I’m pretty sure men everywhere envy me right now.” That elicited a few giggles, but he didn’t smile.Because he doesn’t want to be here.“Well . . .” He cleared his throat and picked up the first key. “I only have seventeen of these, so let’s get started.”
The room fell silent as all the girls stopped breathing. It was an odd sensation that sent goosebumps flying over my skin. Nerves played racquetball in my abdomen as we waited for him to speak. I wanted to go home, but the anticipation of hearing my name on his lips floored me.What if he picks me?What if he doesn’t?Logic warred with instinct. Ineededto get out of here. The game was messing with my head.
