"Hi. My name is Colton," he said with a barely noticeable Southern drawl. "I grew up on a ranch in Dallas. Last year, after receiving my MBA, I bought my own land, which I work in addition to owning an online wholesale farm equipment business."
Oh boy. A cowboy. A cute accent. And smart to boot. If Becca weren't already in love with the man seated beside her, she might have fallen in love that very minute.
Becca only half-listened to the rest of the introductions. There was Madison, the NFL cheerleader; Leah, the chef; The redhead, Natalie, a jewelry designer; Jax, who turned out to be a professional weightlifter (no surprise there!), not a lumberjack; Andrew, the architect; Blake, the realtor; and Brooklyn, who was a swimsuit model and emphasized that she'd been Miss Sun Tropic two years in a row, an unprecedented feat.
When Brian stood, he'd said that he had taken a year off of school to deal with some family stuff but that he was in film school and aspired to be a director. That got Miss ‘I'm A Swimsuit Model' Brooklyn's attention real quick. Not that she hadn't already been hanging on his every word, but Becca watched as the girl's large, brown eyes lit up when Brian said that he planned on a career in the movie industry.
That girl was trouble with a capital ‘T'.
Becca had kept her intro short and sweet. She just said her name and that she was pre-med at Stanford. For some reason, when she'd said that the other girls in the room, especially Brooklyn, looked at her like she was something they'd stepped in and needed to wipe off their shoes.
When she sat back down, she felt Brian's arm rest on the back of her chair. Then she felt his thumb rub in small circles on her shoulder blade. He'd done that for as long as she could remember. Brian was a really affectionate guy. She used to find that it had a calming and reassuring effect on her. Now, it had an arousing and stimulating effect on her. Oh, how times had changed.
After everyone, including the three PAs had spoken, Gavin once again took the floor, his voice booming through the space. "Lovely. It's so nice to have you all. Here's a basic breakdown of what you can expect over the next three weeks. We will be filming ten to twelve hours a day, even when you are all just hanging around the house. You will all be going on mini adventures and dates with your prince or princess. Some will be group and some will be individual. On Sundays, we will be taping a live elimination show, where every week, one couple will be sent home. After filming wraps in three weeks' time, the remaining contestants will go home for ten days before returning to film the live finale.
"This is a short summer schedule, so there will only be five episodes. There will be five shows that include eliminations and one that is a behind-the-scenes, what-you-didn't-see compilation episode.
"Those are the basics. Now we're going to start filming ASAP. We need to get your entrances. Jennifer, who you met when she showed you in, will tell you in what order you'll be coming into the castle. Everyone will be walking in individually, except for Brian and Becca, who have been friends their entire lives. We're using the friends competing as yet another new spin.
"Any questions? No? Good," Gavin said rapidly so no one could possibly have time to interject if they did, actually, have a question, which Becca did. She had lots of questions. But Gavin put his hands up in the air like he'd just won a prize fight and been named the victor. "Okay! Let's do this!"
Chapter Eleven
Brian couldn't help but feel excited. Sure, this wasn't the kind of production he'd dreamed of directing one day, but he just loved the energy of sets. He loved the camera equipment, the lighting, the people all working together to get the job done. He really didn't think that most people knew how much blood, sweat, and tears went into making the television shows and movies that entertained them.
"I just can't get over how flawless your skin is," Rayne, the Goth makeup artist, commented for the second time as she sparingly applied concealer to Becca.
"Thanks," Becca said. Brian heard a slight crack in her voice, and he knew that she was feeling nervous.
Brian and Becca were sitting in the makeup trailer, waiting their turn. They were slated to be last to ‘arrive' at the castle. Gavin had informed them that they would be using the best-friend angle quite a bit in the show, especially capitalizing on it during their confessionals. Asking each other how they thought the other was doing and so on.
"What do you use?" Rayne asked as she pulled and scanned Becca's face, assessing her handiwork.
"Whatever's on sale," Becca answered.
Brian saw the look Rayne got in her green-contact-wearing eyes. He knew that the makeup artist thought that Becca was either trying to pretend like she didn't use any special skin-care regimen or just flat-out lying about her beauty ritual.
Brian knew that Becca wasn't doing either. Not only because Becca didn't play coy or lie, but also because he'd shopped with Becca on numerous occasions. She always bought whatever was on sale when it came to her cosmetics and toiletries.
Outward appearances had never been important to her like he'd noticed they were to every other female in his life, including his mom and little sister. Becca put her time and energy into her studies, helping people, or spending time with her friends and family.
Even when she was forced to really dress up. He hated to admit this, but several times when they'd been getting ready for a dance, a wedding, or even a black-tie event, she'd taken less time than he had. At that memory, those nights flashed through his head like slides being projected onto his brain. He realized that, even though he was sure the other women at those events had spent up to five times longer on their appearances, Becca had easily outshined them all.
"Well"-Rayne raised a suspicious brow as she continued applying makeup-"whatever you're doing, it's working."
"Thanks," Becca said to her.
Then, when Rayne turned so that her back was facing them, Becca looked up at him through the reflection of the mirror, her eyes widening the way they always did when she was uncomfortable or thought something was funny but couldn't laugh. He grinned at her and she smiled back.
He was happy to see that, since they'd had a chance to spend some time together after the production meeting, Becca seemed to be in a much better state of mind. She'd been laughing and joking around while they talked about how crazy it was that they were really doing this. They seemed like them, back in their easy groove. He'd started relaxing and not feeling like he'd dragged her into something that was horrific for her.
Now, if they could just steer clear of spiders, Brian was hoping that things would be smooth sailing from here on out. Well, if they could steer clear of spiders and his feelings, then hopefully they would ride this thing out and come out the other side none worse for wear.
"You're all set," Rayne said after she put on the finishing touches.
A buzzing sound filled the small trailer, and Rayne reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Hey. What are you doing?" the makeup artist asked as she scooted between Becca and Brian, opening the door and stepping out of the trailer.
Becca swiveled in her chair towards him, looking up to where he stood. "I can honestly say I never thought that I would be sitting in a makeup chair about to make my television debut."
"You look beautiful." Brian had said those same three words to Becca countless times over the years. But this time, there was a huskiness there that usually did not accompany his compliments.
He knew that Becca had heard it, too, because a flush rose on her cheeks. She cast her eyes down for a moment, and when she looked up, she spoke softly. "You don't look so bad yourself."
It wasn't so much the words she'd spoken but the way she'd spoken them that stroked over him like a soft caress. He felt his pants once again tightening.
Damn. Brian wanted her. Badly.
"All right, kids." Gavin swept into the room, and for a moment, Brian thought he was going to hit his head on the top of the trailer. The guy had to be pushing six foot six. "You're up. Now remember, you've never met these people. Mingle, look at the house, and for the love of Barbara Walters, please act natural. We just had to do six takes of Brooklyn's arrival because she overacted so hard it looked like an SNL skit. Let's go."
Gavin turned and Becca and Brian both followed him out. As they walked to his Jeep, where they would be pulling back in and parking to make it look like they'd just arrived, Gavin continued giving them direction.