Throb(12)

“Pull in on three,” Joel yells into a headset. I watch as the camera pans in on the couple.

“Wow. I didn’t think you could look more beautiful than you did today in the pool.” Flynn takes Kate’s hand. She looks down at their joined hand as he twines his fingers with hers.

Kate smiles, her response timid, like she’s not used to receiving compliments regularly. Only, I can’t imagine that to be true. “Thank you. You clean up pretty good yourself.”

“What were you just thinking about? You looked a million miles away.” Flynn takes a strand of her hair and tucks it gently behind her ear. His eyes never leave her face. It’s difficult for me to watch, disappointment mixed with a hint of jealousy builds inside of me at seeing another man touch her. Yet I know I have no right to feel this way.

She hesitates, looking away for a second, and then back. “Sorry. I was just thinking about last night.”

I knew it. You’re thinking about me too, aren’t you?

“You should be thinking about tomorrow, not yesterday.” Flynn leans his head down, dragging her eyes back up to his.

Tilting her head to the side, she asks, “What’s tomorrow?”

“Our date.” The asshole smiles so big, I want to smack the smugness from his face.

“You want me as your first stranded date?”

“Cut! Camera three, fade to black,” Joel yells, and the picture I’m staring at fades away, along with my hope.



An hour later when Miles finally comes back from the set, I feel deflated. “Have you been watching?” he asks excitedly.

“I watched for a little while.” My tone is curt. I’ve never been one to easily hide my emotions too well. But Miles is riding high and doesn’t even notice.

“There’s so much chemistry going on in there, the set might explode.”

“That’s great, Miles.”

“We’re on a fifteen-minute break and then Flynn is going to announce his pick for the first stranded date. I’ll be able to wrap up in an hour, then we can head back to the studio.”

“Great.” My brother completely misses the sarcasm in my tone.

Joel comes back out of the house, just as Miles goes back in. Taking the seat next to him, I decide to watch the final scene, against my better judgment. Roaming cameras tape random exchanges between the contestants, finally settling in on a couple as they pan in outside near the pool area. Flynn appears on camera again, only this time he’s with Jessica.

My interest piques back up as she lays both her hands flat on his chest. She looks up at him from beneath big, round, hooded eyes laced with long, thick black lashes that offset her sparkling blues. She really is attractive. A bombshell, one whose curves radiate sex appeal. Apparently Flynn thinks so too. “I’d love to get to know you better in private,” she coos at him, her voice sultry and seductive, full of hidden meaning. Normally, she’d be exactly what I would be into.

Flynn seems to get caught in the web she weaves, as easily as she spins it. “I’d love to get to know you, too.” He rubs her bare shoulders before he continues, but the exchange is different than it was with Kate, less intimate. “There are a lot of stranded dates coming up.” Fuck! He’s hedging.

Not thinking it through before I open my mouth, I turn to Joel and do something uncharacteristic of me. In fact, it seems more like a Miles thing to do. “Tell Flynn to ask Jessica on the stranded date,” I demand.

Joel’s brows furrow. “Pardon?”

“This is scripted reality, right?”

“Yes … but—”

I’m in no mood to argue. “Script him to invite Jessica for the first date,” I demand.

“Can I ask why?”

“No.” My response is clipped.

Joel’s eyebrows shoot up.

“You have my word: This show doesn’t make it, you direct the next project over at Montgomery Productions.”

Seeing I’m dead serious, knowing I’m a man of my word, it doesn’t take long for Joel to see things my way.

“Cut camera five!” he yells into the microphone. “I need a moment with Flynn.”

Joel looks to me for approval. I stop him as he heads toward the set. “Don’t mention any of this to Miles.”

He nods and walks off.





chapter four




Kate


Not sure if I feel disappointment or relief that Flynn picked Jessica for the first stranded date, I plop my unused overnight bag inside my front door.

“Guess Flynn picked someone else, Miley?” Sadie says, pulling a bottle of wine from the fridge and pouring two glasses. “What a loser.”

Tossing my keys on the counter, I join her in the kitchen. “Actually, he asked me to go, but I said no. Told him I’d rather come home and share a cheap bottle of White Zinfandel with my best friend.” I take the glass she just poured from her hand before she can sip.