Page 15 of The Prince's Game
Tiffany Chambers was the first name called. The tall woman would have fallen if I hadn’t caught her elbow. She flashed me an appreciative smile before moving down the stairs to accept her key. He gave her a hug before sending her back to the spot beside me and continued the process. It was a good thing they placed five women on each step. We used the extra space to shift around as each woman went down to accept her key.
My nerves danced as the pile dwindled. Each name he called that wasn’t mine felt like a punch to the gut. The competitive atmosphere was getting to me. It made me want to stay for the wrong reasons. Returning to Chicago and my real life was the goal. He wasn’t meant for me. My lust for him would fade, and all would be fine in a week or two.It’s not like I know him.
“Ladies, there’s one key left,” Joseph murmured. “Who will it be, Evan?”
I swallowed.I’m going home in three, two . . .
“Miss Summers.” Evan’s all-consuming gaze pinned me in place.He just said my name.And it wasn’t in conjunction with me leaving. My pulse jumped. Was this a joke?Did I hear him right?
Tiffany nudged me when I didn’t move. “Go,” she mouthed.
I stepped forward on heels that wobbled, and stopped a foot away from him. His grin was sin personified. He called my name last on purpose.Bastard.
“Your résumé is almost as impressive as your work, Miss Summers. I can’t wait to learn more about you.” He handed me the key and trailed his finger down my knuckles. The flirtatious touch burned. His lips brushed my ear as he pulled me into a hug. “Surprised, Sarah?”
I was speechless. He was supposed to send me home.What the hell is going on here? I returned his embrace on autopilot and melted against him as he held me a moment longer than was appropriate.Hot, hard, virile.I’m in so much trouble.He pressed his lips to my temple and then to the corner of my mouth. The intimacy of the act was not lost on me—or the other girls, if their expressions were anything to go by on my return trip to the stairs. I knew what jealousy looked like, and I saw it in several narrowed gazes.
Joseph and Carrie said something to the group, indicating it was time for the three eliminated contestants to say their farewells. Their exits bordered on dramatic. They bid Evan a tearful good-bye before a hoard of cameras escorted them out the door. Champagne flowed in their wake as we were invited to toast the final seventeen around the prince and fawn over him forselectingus.
It all went by in a blur as I struggled to understand what I did to deserve the prolonged stay in hell.What the fuck just happened?I wasn’t sure what bothered me more: the fact that he didn’t send me home or the realization that a part of me was happy he said my name.I need therapy.
When they dismissed us for the night, I went straight to my room and jumped in the shower to wash all the crap out of my hair and off my face. Playing dress up wasn’t my favorite activity, but I had to do it all over again tomorrow.Shit.
He kept me. What did that mean?What happens if he forces me to stay? That wasn’t something I factored into my plans. I assumed it would be a no-brainer to send me home, yet here I was in the top seventeen.This cannot be happening right now.
“You need to get a grip,” I told myself and shut off the water. I had a few days to figure this out. As long as the next round of eliminations happened Sunday, I would be fine.
I wrapped a towel around myself and combed the tangles from my damp hair. My hand was on the dryer when a soft knock caught me off guard. Expecting it to be one of the girls or a crew member, I walked over and opened it without looking. Evan stood on the other side, his arms braced on either side of the door, caging me in the room. The hallway behind him was silent and empty.
Amusement darkened his eyes as he took in my towel and wet hair. “Evening, Sarah. I have a proposition for you.”
8
The Proposition
“Get in here before someone sees you,” I hissed. The last thing I needed was a scandal.“The Prince of New Orleans Makes Midnight Visit to Contestant’s Room” would be the news headline on those gossip sites.
Evan walked in with a devilish grin, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto my bed. He crossed his jean-clad legs at the ankles and slipped an arm under his head to prop himself up on the pillows. The black leather jacket fell open to reveal his grey shirt and a sliver of his flat stomach.So much sexier than the penguin suit.
“What are you doing in my room?”
Those full lips curled upward. “You just invited me in, sweetheart.”
My hands went to my hips, reminding me I was in a very short towel, something he more than noticed. “You know what I mean.”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“Yes, you said that already.”
He patted the bed with his free hand, and I rose an eyebrow. I was not a pet to be commanded.
“I like to be on the same eye level when I negotiate.”
“Then you should have stayed standing.” Not that I minded him lounging on my bed. He looked good there.Sin incarnate.
“And tower over you?” He tsked. “That could be seen as intimidation, sort of like how you’re staring down at me now.” Yet he was the picture of ease, one arm behind his head and the other lying at his side while his fingers drummed over the quilt. He was like some sort of decadent dessert, sprawled out on my bed and ready to be savored. My thighs clenched. His body was made for licking, and if that glimpse of skin was anything to go by, he would taste delicious.Stop drooling, Sarah.
“Fine, but I’m putting on clothes first.”
