Bedroom Games
Page 8
“Kandis,” the voice piped in. “This is the confessional booth. It’s completely sound proof, so feel free to share your private thoughts and let us know what you’re thinking. Your castmates will not see any confessional information.”
I drummed my fingers, feeling twitchy. “Got it.”
“So tell us what your initial thoughts are.”
I smiled tightly at the cameras. “My initial thoughts? If I have to depend on Brodie for a partner? I am completely and utterly screwed.”
~~ * ~~
An hour later, my confessional had been taped, I’d gotten my turn in the shower, and I’d changed into a pair of dark blue yoga pants and a white sweatshirt with a loose collar that left one shoulder bare. My wet hair was pulled into a loose knot atop my head, and I’d scrubbed off all the heavy makeup that casting had put on me.
I was in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water, when hands touched my shoulders and began to rub.
I yelped, jerking around in shock.
It was Mickey with a sexy—or at least, I figured it was his version of sexy—smile on his face. Mickey had curly reddish hair, big ears, and a wide, square jaw. He looked unusual and friendly, but I was wary of any guy that grabbed chicks when their back was turned.
“Did I scare you?” he asked, his voice implying that he was amused more than apologetic.
“You startled me,” I admitted, rubbing my shoulder to get rid of the creeped-out goosebumps covering my skin.
“Sorry,” he said in a voice that seemed anything but. “The others told me to come get you. We’re having a house meeting in the living room.”
“Already? Is something wrong?”
“Liam wants everyone to get to know each other.” Mickey grinned at me and nudged me with his hip. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know a few of my castmates better.”
Ugh. Creepster. I kept the smile on my face, though it was difficult. “Shall we go to the living room, then?”
He offered me the crook of his arm, like he wanted to escort me. Well, crap. If I turned it down, he might get offended, and it was still day one. I couldn’t afford to piss anyone off. Not if I was partnered with the living libido, Brodie.
So I clamped down my distaste and slipped my hand into his arm, wishing I was anywhere but at his side.
We headed to the living room, and most of the castmates were already there. Three large sofas were set up in the living room, and one had Brodie sitting on the far end, by himself. Marla, Jendan, Casper, and Jayme were squeezed onto another sofa, while Lenore and Fido sat on the nomination loveseat. Across from the loveseat, Liam and Katy sat on the fireplace hearth. Liam sat with his back against the stone, his legs spread, and Katy sat between them, leaning back against Liam and hugged tight in his arms.
I moved to sit next to Brodie, since the spot had clearly been left for me. To my dismay, Mickey immediately squeezed in next to me, ignoring the fact that there was an entire half of the couch left for someone else to sit on. He sat so close that his thigh touched mine.
Sandwiched on a couch on TV between Brodie and Mickey. I was surely paying for some sort of hellish karma. Maybe because I’d thrown the challenge, the House Guests gods were paying me back in kind. I took a deep breath and kept the poker-face smile on my cheeks, determined to make the best of things.
“Are we all here?” Liam asked.
“Sunnie’s coming,” Fido said.
Sure enough, Sunnie swanned into the room (there was really no other way to describe it), her hair and makeup perfect. She was wearing a cute pink slip-dress, and as soon as she saw Brodie, she squealed and bounded over to him, tossing herself onto his lap.
Welp, I’d definitely racked up some shit karma somewhere along the way. This just kept getting worse.
Mickey put a hand on the back of my neck and began to massage it.
I stifled my whimper and shivered away, leaning in toward Brodie and Sunnie. Brodie immediately put an arm around my shoulders. “Hands off my hot team-mate, Mickey. Get your own girl.”
“You’re hogging all of them,” Mickey said.
Sunnie giggled from her perch on Brodie’s lap.
I shot Jendan a ‘dear god help me’ look.
“Keep it in your pants, Brodie,” Katy said, her voice a soft drawl. “Nobody wants to see you hook up all summer.”
“You sure?” Brodie joked, but his arm slid off my shoulder, as if making a small concession to his sister.
“Katy and I called everyone in here,” Liam began, propping his chin on his girlfriend’s shoulder, “because we wanted to get a chance to meet everyone. We figured a big group setting to get all the introductions out of the way might be the best.”
“Sounds good,” someone said.
Katy stood up, sliding out of Liam’s embrace. “Well, I’ll start, then. Might as well get it over with.” She gave us all an awkward smile, and I wondered if she was shy. She was wearing a yellow tank top and a pair of ragged denim shorts, and her wet blonde hair was pulled into two knots at the base of her neck. She looked cute as a button, and incredibly wholesome. “I’m Katy Short, and I own a business in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It’s called Katy’s Short Cakes, and I specialize in custom desserts and cupcakes.” She glanced back at tattooed, pierced Liam. “This here’s Liam, and you might recognize the two of us from The World Races. We met there and fell in love.”
Liam’s pierced lips curved into a smile, and the look he gave Katy melted my heart. A few ‘awws’ echoed in the room.
Katy bounced back into her seat and wiggled until Liam’s heavily tatted arm went over her shoulder again, hugging her close.
Liam didn’t get up. He just made a hand gesture in greeting. “Name’s Liam. I play guitar for Finding Threnody. Or did, until we broke up. Currently flying solo, relocating to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,” he nudged Katy and she grinned, “and I’m here to spend time with my girl.”
“Did you spend your prize winnings already?” Marla asked from Jendan’s side. The smile on her face was friendly, but her eyes were sharp. Marla couldn’t forget that they’d already won.
“I guess y’all saw that, huh?” Katy smiled and patted Liam’s arm. “Mine was invested in my business, and Liam’s using his for relocation, but after taxes, it wasn’t all that much. We’re mostly just here to play and spend time together.”
“Of course,” Marla said with a grin, but I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She might like them, but she wasn’t about to cut them an inch of slack. I could see the looks on the faces of the other house guests. A few looked dazzled by the sight of Katy and Liam on our show, but more seemed…less enthused.
Katy and Liam were going to be the first ones out the door if they weren’t careful.
And I was stuck with Brodie, who had all the connections they did and who was far less likable. I bit my lip to keep from screaming about how unfair it was. Instead, I thought of my mother. What was she doing right now? I’d left a neighbor with a weekly allotment of money to give her for groceries—$150 a week. Was she buying up shelves full of ramen and off-brand soda so she could take the rest to the casino? My nails dug into my palms, and I vowed to win this show.
I drummed my fingers, feeling twitchy. “Got it.”
“So tell us what your initial thoughts are.”
I smiled tightly at the cameras. “My initial thoughts? If I have to depend on Brodie for a partner? I am completely and utterly screwed.”
~~ * ~~
An hour later, my confessional had been taped, I’d gotten my turn in the shower, and I’d changed into a pair of dark blue yoga pants and a white sweatshirt with a loose collar that left one shoulder bare. My wet hair was pulled into a loose knot atop my head, and I’d scrubbed off all the heavy makeup that casting had put on me.
I was in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water, when hands touched my shoulders and began to rub.
I yelped, jerking around in shock.
It was Mickey with a sexy—or at least, I figured it was his version of sexy—smile on his face. Mickey had curly reddish hair, big ears, and a wide, square jaw. He looked unusual and friendly, but I was wary of any guy that grabbed chicks when their back was turned.
“Did I scare you?” he asked, his voice implying that he was amused more than apologetic.
“You startled me,” I admitted, rubbing my shoulder to get rid of the creeped-out goosebumps covering my skin.
“Sorry,” he said in a voice that seemed anything but. “The others told me to come get you. We’re having a house meeting in the living room.”
“Already? Is something wrong?”
“Liam wants everyone to get to know each other.” Mickey grinned at me and nudged me with his hip. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know a few of my castmates better.”
Ugh. Creepster. I kept the smile on my face, though it was difficult. “Shall we go to the living room, then?”
He offered me the crook of his arm, like he wanted to escort me. Well, crap. If I turned it down, he might get offended, and it was still day one. I couldn’t afford to piss anyone off. Not if I was partnered with the living libido, Brodie.
So I clamped down my distaste and slipped my hand into his arm, wishing I was anywhere but at his side.
We headed to the living room, and most of the castmates were already there. Three large sofas were set up in the living room, and one had Brodie sitting on the far end, by himself. Marla, Jendan, Casper, and Jayme were squeezed onto another sofa, while Lenore and Fido sat on the nomination loveseat. Across from the loveseat, Liam and Katy sat on the fireplace hearth. Liam sat with his back against the stone, his legs spread, and Katy sat between them, leaning back against Liam and hugged tight in his arms.
I moved to sit next to Brodie, since the spot had clearly been left for me. To my dismay, Mickey immediately squeezed in next to me, ignoring the fact that there was an entire half of the couch left for someone else to sit on. He sat so close that his thigh touched mine.
Sandwiched on a couch on TV between Brodie and Mickey. I was surely paying for some sort of hellish karma. Maybe because I’d thrown the challenge, the House Guests gods were paying me back in kind. I took a deep breath and kept the poker-face smile on my cheeks, determined to make the best of things.
“Are we all here?” Liam asked.
“Sunnie’s coming,” Fido said.
Sure enough, Sunnie swanned into the room (there was really no other way to describe it), her hair and makeup perfect. She was wearing a cute pink slip-dress, and as soon as she saw Brodie, she squealed and bounded over to him, tossing herself onto his lap.
Welp, I’d definitely racked up some shit karma somewhere along the way. This just kept getting worse.
Mickey put a hand on the back of my neck and began to massage it.
I stifled my whimper and shivered away, leaning in toward Brodie and Sunnie. Brodie immediately put an arm around my shoulders. “Hands off my hot team-mate, Mickey. Get your own girl.”
“You’re hogging all of them,” Mickey said.
Sunnie giggled from her perch on Brodie’s lap.
I shot Jendan a ‘dear god help me’ look.
“Keep it in your pants, Brodie,” Katy said, her voice a soft drawl. “Nobody wants to see you hook up all summer.”
“You sure?” Brodie joked, but his arm slid off my shoulder, as if making a small concession to his sister.
“Katy and I called everyone in here,” Liam began, propping his chin on his girlfriend’s shoulder, “because we wanted to get a chance to meet everyone. We figured a big group setting to get all the introductions out of the way might be the best.”
“Sounds good,” someone said.
Katy stood up, sliding out of Liam’s embrace. “Well, I’ll start, then. Might as well get it over with.” She gave us all an awkward smile, and I wondered if she was shy. She was wearing a yellow tank top and a pair of ragged denim shorts, and her wet blonde hair was pulled into two knots at the base of her neck. She looked cute as a button, and incredibly wholesome. “I’m Katy Short, and I own a business in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It’s called Katy’s Short Cakes, and I specialize in custom desserts and cupcakes.” She glanced back at tattooed, pierced Liam. “This here’s Liam, and you might recognize the two of us from The World Races. We met there and fell in love.”
Liam’s pierced lips curved into a smile, and the look he gave Katy melted my heart. A few ‘awws’ echoed in the room.
Katy bounced back into her seat and wiggled until Liam’s heavily tatted arm went over her shoulder again, hugging her close.
Liam didn’t get up. He just made a hand gesture in greeting. “Name’s Liam. I play guitar for Finding Threnody. Or did, until we broke up. Currently flying solo, relocating to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,” he nudged Katy and she grinned, “and I’m here to spend time with my girl.”
“Did you spend your prize winnings already?” Marla asked from Jendan’s side. The smile on her face was friendly, but her eyes were sharp. Marla couldn’t forget that they’d already won.
“I guess y’all saw that, huh?” Katy smiled and patted Liam’s arm. “Mine was invested in my business, and Liam’s using his for relocation, but after taxes, it wasn’t all that much. We’re mostly just here to play and spend time together.”
“Of course,” Marla said with a grin, but I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She might like them, but she wasn’t about to cut them an inch of slack. I could see the looks on the faces of the other house guests. A few looked dazzled by the sight of Katy and Liam on our show, but more seemed…less enthused.
Katy and Liam were going to be the first ones out the door if they weren’t careful.
And I was stuck with Brodie, who had all the connections they did and who was far less likable. I bit my lip to keep from screaming about how unfair it was. Instead, I thought of my mother. What was she doing right now? I’d left a neighbor with a weekly allotment of money to give her for groceries—$150 a week. Was she buying up shelves full of ramen and off-brand soda so she could take the rest to the casino? My nails dug into my palms, and I vowed to win this show.
