The Blind Date Series (Three Romance Stories: Blind Date, Role Play, Pure Fate)

by Violette Paradis

  “I have to go, Madi.” I backed out of my room, blowing her a kiss before rushing to the production meeting.

  I would have raced after him to say a proper goodbye if I hadn’t been wearing just a towel. But based on his abrupt exit, I wasn’t sure where our relationship stood and if rushing after him was a good idea.

  Frustrated, I got dressed and waited outside for the driver. When I was home, I tried studying for my next exam but I could barely retain anything. I couldn’t stop thinking about Johnny in his casual blue jeans and black t-shirt that fit him like a glove. I experienced flashbacks to last night. The area between my legs ached.

  It took the ringing of my phone to grab my attention and anchor me back to reality.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Hi Madison!” A chipper voice sounded.

  “Oh, hey Britt. How are you?”

  “I’m great! How did your date with Johnny go?”

  “Oh.” My date with Johnny. Britt wanted to know about the date with the cameras and the chocolates. So much had happened since then — my place, his place, the jacuzzi tub, his naked body… “The date with Johnny was wonderful,” I said.

  “What did you do?”

  Her question triggered a flood of memories from the previous night. What didn’t we do?

  “We created gourmet chocolates together.”

  “How fun! How were they?”

  I thought back to those luscious chocolates.

  “Spicy, and delicious,” I said. Just like Johnny.

  “And the date with Johnny?”

  “We had an amazing time together. He’s so funny and charming.”

  “Did he kiss you?”

  My cheeks burned hot. “Not on that date.”

  “Ooh, so you’ve already seen each other since then! You know, your tone suggests more than just a kiss.”

  I giggled nervously. How did this woman know these things? She was like some sort of sex witch.

  “So you’ve made more plans to see each other?”

  I was going to say yes, but I wasn’t so sure. Johnny had left so abruptly that we barely had time to say goodbye.

  “We didn’t make any concrete plans, but I’m open to seeing him again.”

  “Great! Well I’m glad you like him. Thanks for the chat, Madison.”

  “Thanks, Britt. Bye.” I hung up the phone.

  Now I was definitely too distracted to study.

  That phone call with Britt was my final contractual obligation to Blind Date. The money was being deposited into my bank as we spoke. Everything was over.

  I looked at the clock. Britt probably already interviewed Johnny, too. I wondered what he said about me.

  A weird feeling swirled in my stomach.

  Would I ever see him again?

  Britt’s question echoed in my mind. It was a good question, one I wanted to know the answer to. This whole whirlwind affair happened so quick I barely had time to recognize what was going on.

  As I studied, my eyes drifted up to my phone. Would he call?

  A wicked thought popped into my head: I still had Johnny’s number.

  My lips curled into a smile.

  ###

  Role Play

  (Blind Date Book #2)

  “This is going to be the biggest movie of the summer,” Dan, the director, said after I finished reading the climactic scene where Mike Shadow jumps over the edge of the cliff. They entire cast was at the table reading in downtown Hollywood.

  “Why’d you think I got you to direct?” I asked.

  Dan Lee was a top-notch Hollywood director who directed action adventure movies that made bank at the box office. There was no one better to take the helm for the new Mike Shadow movie.

  “You make some smart decisions every once in a while, Johnny.” Dan chuckled. “Oh, and before we forget, we’ll all need to get promotional shots done before flying out this weekend. Legal also needs some documents signed. I’ll let you guys know when and where.”

  In total, there were about two hundred of us making up the cast and crew. The cast alone made up about thirty people, including the main actors (myself, Penelope Snow, Marsha Pinkle, Harry Drummond, and Dominic Bass) as well as the bit players. Extras would be called for wherever we ended up.

  “So, where are we going on Friday?” I asked as I leafed through the script.

  “Don’t you know, Johnny?” Marsha asked. She played Sheila, the plucky fellow adventurer. “You’d think after being so involved in getting this project off the ground, you’d know where we’re going.”

  The cast and crew laughed.

  I shrugged. “I’m busy.”

  It was true. I was busy with the Mike Shadow project, a pet project of mine. I helped write the script as well as acquire Dan Lee as the director. Along with my recent stint on the reality show, Blind Date, I was somewhat lost as to what came next. Madison had dominated my thoughts. Her cute smile, the way she looked at me — it was impossible not to think about her every waking minute of every day. That’s why I hired other people to organize my schedule for me.

  God, I wanted to see her again. This was the first time I had ever dated someone “normal” (that is, not an actress or a model), and I was really liking her.

  “We’re going to Bora Bora so make sure to pack your bathing suit.” Dan leaned back in his chair. “Can we get back to the read-through? We’re running out of time.”

  Dominic Bass, the tall, dark character actor read the villain’s monologue. I grabbed a pencil and scratched the words “Bora Bora” and “Friday” into the margins of the script. There were only a couple of days left and a lot of work to do until then. I wondered how I’d find time to see Madison.

  The studying never seemed to end. I was three textbooks deep, studying the fundamentals of film studies. Luckily, after the next exam, this semester would be over. And what a crazy semester it was.

  The time seemed to speed up during exam time and, before I knew it, I was handing in my last completed exam.

  “I’m so jealous!” Whitney said. We were standing outside the exam room, walking towards her van. “I lost my virginity to Dwayne, the president of the AV club, but he was so lame. I can’t imagine what losing it to Johnny Logan would’ve been like!”

  I didn’t feel too different physically, just a bit of friction when I walked, but emotionally, spiritually, I felt like a whole new person. I vowed that when it happened, I wouldn’t let it change me, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. But now, as I dreamed about Johnny, I refused to let myself cling to him. I didn’t want to obsess over him. I wanted to be casual, and cool, like Johnny.

  I sighed, wishing I could see him again. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t google him just to get my fix.

  “What was it like?” Whitney asked, pulling be back to reality.

  “It was… nice.”

  “Nice? Nice? Did you just tell me sex with Johnny Logan was nice?”

  “Well, okay no. It was the best fucking sex I could have ever imagined. It was way better than anything I ever dreamed about.” Considering Johnny Logan was a famous movie star who I dreamed about having sex with pretty much every night in every position for the past several years that was saying something. “But I don’t want to get into it.” Talking about it made me more upset that he hadn’t called me yet. “Should I call him?”

  “No!” She startled me.

  “No?”

  “He’ll call you.”

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  Whitney smiled. “He will.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “He picked you on Blind Date. Why wouldn’t he?”

  Blind Date was the matchmaking reality show where I met him. There were plenty of other gorgeous and successful women there, but for some reason he chose me.

  “You’re right.” I sighed. The fact that I had his number in my phone was all too tempting. “And what am I going to do if he does call? I’m starting summer school next week!” I thought about
my schedule. “Speaking of summer classes, did you register yet?”

  Whitney shook her head. “Not yet. We have until Friday to register. You probably registered though, you goody two-shoes.”

  “Not yet.” I shook my head. “I’m still torn over which class to take. There are some tough ones this summer. I’m going to be busy. There’s no real point to Johnny and I starting anything with the workload I have to look forward to.”

  “No point?” Whitney looked at me as if I were an alien who had just touched down from Mars.

  “That’s what I said.”

  Whitney let out a sigh of exasperation. “What about, you know… actually spending time with Johnny Logan?”

  “Only to see him once every two or three weeks? Listen, Whitney, I understand what you’re getting at, but if I spend one wonderful week with Johnny only to get thrown straight into summer school, I’m going to be a wreck. The next man who comes into my life won’t have a chance to live up to my memory of Johnny.”

  Johnny was the epitome of sexy. There was a reason the phrase “he’s no Johnny Logan” existed. He was the metric that every other man compared themselves to.

  “Who said anything about a next man?” Whitney gave me a rebellious smile. “Think about it, Madi, this might be good for you! Maybe you’ll grow or change, or something!” Whitney sighed in dissatisfaction. “Do you think it’s better to throw away this opportunity and live the rest of your life wondering what if? What if? What if you said yes to Johnny and spent a few wonderful days with him?”

  I didn’t say anything. Whitney continued.

  “Don’t you remember his movie Love Awakening? What did Johnny’s character do when Penny was dying? Did he run from her?”

  “No,” I mumbled.

  “What was that?”

  “No. He didn’t run. He stayed with her through her last days.”

  “That’s right. His character didn’t throw it all away just because it’d be over soon. He cherished every minute he had with her! Aren’t you at least a bit curious about what could happen between you two?”

  I stayed silent for a moment.

  “Well,” I started.

  “Well…?” Whitney sounded distressed.

  “We do have an undeniable connection…”

  “See?”

  Stupid Whitney. Why did she have to bring this up? Of course she was right. I’d rather regret dating Johnny Logan than not dating him.

  “Stop paying attention to school. This is the only week off you’ll have for a long while. Stop analyzing every last thing and enjoy yourself.”

  I bit my lip.

  Whitney rolled her eyes as she threaded her arm in mine. “Let’s go to the mall and forget about school and Johnny. You should relax for one minute of your life. We’re on vacation and we need some well deserved shopping therapy.”

  I looked at her.

  “And don’t worry,” she added. “He’ll call.”

  Hesitating, I nodded.

  “Okay.” Whitney was right. I didn’t want to waste any more time worrying. I let out a deep breath and let Whitney pull me along towards her big, purple van.

  ***

  Whitney and I shopped for what seemed like hours. With the money deposited into my account from working on the set of Blind Date, I was free to buy myself some new things. After spending an obscene amount of cash on food and clothes, and after having Whitney press me for details about what Johnny was like (in bed and out), Whitney dropped me off at my apartment.

  “Call me tomorrow, okay? Maybe we can go out to lunch or a movie.”

  I nodded as I carried my shopping bags back into my apartment. “Talk to you later.”

  After putting away my new clothes and pouring myself a glass of water, I looked at my phone. The shiny chunk of plastic had a strange way of dominating my attention.

  What if he didn’t call me?

  I shook the thought away, refusing to let my paranoia get the best of me. I spent the rest of my day doing chores. The weather was hot and I was dripping sweat as I rushed around. Needless to say, I checked my phone probably a hundred times throughout the course of the day. Besides one text from Whitney, which got my hopes up way too high, nobody tried to contact me.

  I stared at my phone, wondering when he’d call, if he would call at all. I couldn’t stand waiting anymore. His number was right there. All it would take was one press of the button and…the phone was ringing. I knew I shouldn’t be calling him, but it was happening. The phone was ringing. My heart raced.

  Was this a mistake?

  It only took me a few hours after Whitney forbade me from talking to Johnny to call him. I listened to the dial tone, my heart raced faster with every ring.

  Was this taking a long time?

  After the fifth or sixth ring — I lost count — I was ready to hang up, but a voice sounded on the other end.

  “Hello?”

  My heart buzzed in my chest.

  “Johnny! H-hi… It’s Madison.”

  “Hi. I know.” He sounded distant, unenthusiastic.

  “I thought maybe you’d lost your phone again.” I let out a small chuckle in the hopes that he’d lighten up. He did no such thing.

  “No, my phone was off. I’m at work.”

  “Oh. I hope it’s going well.”

  I could hear someone in the background, a woman maybe?

  “Are you done your exams?”

  I was surprised by the fact that he remembered what was going on in my life. “Yes.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “Good.”

  “Good. Listen, I have to work. I’ll call you later.”

  The call ended.

  Oh. That was abrupt. My heart deflated. It didn’t sound like he wanted to talk to me at all. But at least he said he’d call me later. I didn’t want to dwell on wondering if he actually would or not.

  Pacing back and forth in my apartment, I thought about how stupid I was to call him.

  Why couldn’t I just listen to Whitney and leave my phone alone?

  She was the expert at all this dating stuff anyway. I should’ve listened to her.

  As I paced my apartment, I did some cleaning in an effort to keep my mind occupied. Without having anything to study for, I felt unhinged, like there was nothing to do. There was no structure to my day anymore, leaving me all the brain space to think about Johnny.

  When evening approached, I took a shower and dressed casually in a skirt and a tank top. The weather cooled off only by a degree or two once the sun set.

  I wondered if Johnny was actually going to call. Maybe he was just being nice. Maybe he didn’t actually want to see me.

  The pressure of dating already crushed my heart. I knew this was a mistake.

  I paced the apartment and picked up my phone again, looking at its blank screen. Just then, the doorbell rang. I rushed to the door and opened it. My heart seized in my chest. There he was — Johnny Logan, my teenage dream, looking sexy and cool as ever. He leaned against the doorframe as he casually pushed back his dark hair. Seeing his trademark smirk with the scarred upper lip melted away all my worries and paranoia. My mouth instantly turned to sandpaper. Would I ever get used to seeing him in person?

  “Madi,” he said in his deep, cool voice. Hearing him say my name sent a shiver down my spine. He held up his phone. “Listen—”.

  Oh shit, I thought. He was here to tell me he didn’t want to see me again. He was here to tell me he didn’t want me calling him anymore. I fucked things up royally.

  “Wait. Let me say something.” I stepped closer to him. “If now is all we have we should take advantage of that.” I was standing right against him now. I could smell his clean, laundry-fresh scent, which gave me flashbacks to his bed’s black sheets. I thought about my fingers grabbing onto the fabric. I thought about the laundry-fresh scent mixed with Johnny’s sinful masculine aroma. The same aroma I could smell right now.

  Something about him made me lose control of myself.
>
  Johnny’s lips curled into a sinful smirk. “I think that’s a good idea.”

  “Wait…you do?”

  “Yes, I do.” His dark eyes pierced my soul. He smirked as he leaned in and cupped my face gently in his hands as he pressed his lips against mine in a blazing kiss. My heart fluttered in my chest. His tongue darted into my mouth, pushing mine into submission. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the taste of him. A deep hunger formed in my belly, and I wanted him. Finally, he pulled back. His dark eyes looked into mine. “I’ve been waiting to do that all day,” he said.

  “You have?” My words barely came out. After that kiss I’d have to re-learn how to use my mouth. It was as if his lips were lined with novocaine.

  He nodded. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Madison.”

  “You can’t?”

  He let out a soft chuckle. “Is that so hard to believe?” He grabbed my hands and put them around his neck, allowing him to slide his hands down around my waist, stopping just on my ass cheeks. My body was pressing against his now.

  Johnny’s lips hovered in front of mine and I could tell by his piercing eyes that he was going to kiss me again.

  “Before we do anything,” I interrupted. “I just want you to know that I start summer school next week and I’ll be very busy.”

  He chuckled. “Well it looks like we’ll be equally busy since I’m leaving on Friday.”

  I furrowed my brow. “You’re leaving? To go where?”

  His grip on me loosened.

  “Shall we sit down?” He gestured towards the couch.

  Uh-oh, I thought. It felt as if my world had been pulled out from under me. Upset that I caused him to pull away, I stumbled over to the couch.

  “What do you mean you’re leaving Friday?”

  “I’m producing a movie.” Johnny sat down next to me. He touched my arm. “Shooting begins in Bora Bora this weekend.”

  “Oh.” This was not what I was expecting. “For how long?”

  “A month, maybe longer.”

  “Oh.” My heart sunk to my stomach. “I guess we don’t have much of a future.”