Jay snorted as the song title came on the screen. Chaya's Necessary Evil, their first big hit. He didn't need the words for this one, belting out the words with what Penny thought looked like bitterness. Didn't he like the song? It was one of his, after all.
As the last words died away, Paige shouted, "The next one's a duet. Who's going to sing with our rock star?"
Penny shook her head, tightening her grip on her pint. Calais refused, too. Lorelei was nowhere to be seen – probably repainting her face in the toilets, Penny decided. She wondered what would happen when the girl ran out of makeup at the beach camp. Or maybe her suitcase was full of the stuff, so she'd be able to hide behind her mask for months, if need be.
The magic carpet song from Aladdin came on, and Penny fought not to laugh. A Disney duet? Hardly suitable for a rock star. Not even Jay would be able to pull off a proper performance, if he didn't know the words.
Yet he did, his voice soaring through the male part as effortlessly as if the part had been written for him. When the female part appeared on the screen, he offered the microphone to Calais, then Penny, but both refused, again. He shrugged, grinned, and launched into the funniest falsetto Penny had ever heard.
"Princess Jay-smine!" Paige hooted, clapping.
Penny found herself sniggering, then outright laughing, as Jay fluttered his eyelashes like an experienced drag queen. Wait, was he?
No, he couldn't be. He'd risen to fame when he was only eighteen or nineteen – barely legal age to go into any of the clubs in Kings Cross, let alone become a seasoned performer in one. And everyone knew how much he loved women.
Someone slammed a glass on the table behind Penny, dragging her attention from Jay.
"I knew I'd seen you before!" Cam exclaimed. "You're the accounts girl from Hookers Real Estate!"
Lorelei turned white. "Nah, that's not me," she said, her eyes darting every which way like the lying bitch she was.
"Yeah. I'd know that butterfly anywhere." Cam pointed at the tattoo spread across Lorelei's clearly visible cleavage. "Even if those are bigger than I remember. Did you get a boob job? They look awesome." He stared avidly at Lorelei's breasts.
"No, you must have mixed me up with someone else. I – "
Cam grabbed Seb's arm. "Hey, mate. Doesn't she look like the girl from Hookers?"
Seb turned and squinted at Lorelei. "Nah, the girl from Hookers disappeared, remember? I had to hack her accounts for the police, when they were trying to find her. The investigation ended when they found out she'd left the country."
Cam grinned. "Yeah, to get a boob job, looks like. Don't you think she has incredible tits now?"
Seb seemed less enthusiastic about them. "Very nice." He turned his attention back to Jay's performance.
"So is that why you got the implants? For the show?" Cam asked eagerly.
Lorelei squirmed in her seat, to Penny's delight. Her discomfort only lasted a moment before she jumped up and exclaimed, "Oh, that's my song!' She trotted up to take the microphone from Jay.
Penny ignored Lorelei's simpering rendition of some mass-produced pop song to focus on the IT guys' discussion behind her.
"You shouldn't have scared her off like that. I was this close, man!" Cam held his fingers millimetres apart.
Seb glanced around, as if making sure they weren't overheard. "The accounts girl from Hookers ripped them off for a fortune. She was stealing from all the client accounts, transferring the money into an offshore account. It wasn't until she left that someone noticed, and they needed me to unlock her profile. If she isn't the same girl, you're the one who scared her off, and if she is...she wouldn't want us knowing, would she?"
Cam looked stricken. "But if she is...you think she's after Mr Felix's money? Shouldn't we tell him?"
"Tell me what, guys?" Jay asked easily, flopping into the chair beside Penny without spilling a drop of his beer. "I should sing for Disney? 'Cause I'm not taking her as a backup singer." He jerked his head at Lorelei, who was now bumping and grinding to a song from The Little Mermaid. Ugh.
"No, you shouldn't. We think...we think she did the same thing as Meier. Ripped off her employer and disappeared. Or she looks like a chick who did." Seb gave a tight smile. "What should we do?"
Jay shrugged. "Mention it to Xan. She's friends with one of the police constables in town. They don't like me much. She'll sort it and see if Lorelei is a criminal or just looks a lot like one." He drank deeply, then slammed his half-empty glass on the table. "Right. This song's mine, and you're doing it with me." He grabbed Penny's hand and hauled her up to the front.
She protested, but she was too shocked at what she'd heard to put much energy into resisting. Lorelei, wanted by the law? Oh, this was too good. To be rid of her biggest adversary by getting the bitch arrested...tonight was looking up.
"Summer loving!" Jay shouted as he handed Penny a microphone.
What? The music started, and Penny recognised the Grease medley. At least it was something she vaguely knew. Jay's arm slid around her waist. "The words are on the screen if you forget them, and there aren't any cameras tonight. Copyright of the songs or whatever. Even if they did film this, they couldn't show it on TV. Just relax and have fun." He winked and launched into the song like he'd sung it a hundred times before.
He even had the John Travolta dance moves. Penny stood there, mesmerised, until he pointed at the screen. Her turn to sing. Oh, right.
Penny managed to mangle her lines before the medley mercifully moved on to Greased Lightning. Good thing it was completely Jay's part for a bit, because that hip thrust, arse wiggle combo he had going on meant she wasn't staring at any boring screen.
Wait...what? Oh, her turn to sing again. That Summer Nights duet thing. Flustered, she fixed her gaze on the screen and tried to remember how the song went. Jay's arm around her didn't make it any easier, but he didn't move away, so she figured she must have done okay.
At the end, he let go of her to applaud her performance, and Penny clumsily clapped right back. God, she'd be dreaming of him tonight. What would it feel like if he did that hip thrust on top of her...or behind her...or...anywhere, anytime.
She sank into a seat before her weak knees gave out.
What felt like only a few minutes later, Paige announced the evening's entertainment was over, and Penny rose. Calais was already on her feet, smothering a yawn. Lorelei was nowhere in sight. Maybe she'd done a runner, Penny gloated. If she hadn't, someone had to tell the police about her.
FIFTY-ONE
When the sun rose, Penny had already made her decision. She wouldn't call the police, because that's not how things were done at Romance Island Resort, something that had been drummed into her long ago when she'd worked here as a lowly maid. No, she'd dump this mess in the lap of that new manager and let her handle it. That way, Penny wouldn't be implicated if Lorelei got arrested, so Penny wouldn't look bad in front of all the viewers when the show went to air. She wasn't a tattle-tale like that righteous bitch Audra.
Her thongs slapped against the soles of her feet as she marched across the foyer to the manager's office. Mr Meier had always kept the door closed, forcing you to knock and wait for permission to enter. This new manager kept the door wide open, so Penny didn't need to knock to get the woman's attention. Her eyes were already firmly fixed on her visitor.
"Yes?" the manager asked.
"I'm...Penelope. One of the girls here for...the show," Penny began. "Look, I couldn't help overhearing last night, but two of the staff here were talking about one of the other girls on the show. They said she looked like – "
"A criminal?" the manager interrupted. "You're the fourth person this morning to tell me. Turns out Lorelei is none other than Brooke Barnett, wanted for stealing as a servant, taking thousands of dollars from the company she worked for. What made her think she could hide on a reality TV show is beyond me, but some people are just plain stupid, I guess. And you might want to pack your things, just in case the show gets cancelled ov
er this. Jay just left to find the production manager, to give her a piece of his mind."
No. They couldn't cancel the show. This was her only chance to get her reputation back.
"Where is she?" Penny asked.
The manager shrugged. "She set up shop in one of the conference rooms. The Sunset Room, I think."
Penny nodded her thanks and hurried out. She had to distract Jay – stop him before he could ruin this for her.
FIFTY-TWO
"Is this one big joke to you?" Jason demanded, striding into the conference room.
Paige jumped, spilling her coffee. She looked tired, Jason was glad to see.
"Laying the drama on thick for the show. Playing me like a fucking idiot. I promised you a finale to remember, but you lied. No criminals. No one wanted by the police. And you tried to set me up with a thief. An unprincipled bitch who steals from the people who trust her." Jason hadn't been this angry since he found out what Gaia had done to Flavia. No, since he'd jumped out of a fucking helicopter. "Answer me, or get the fuck off my island. The deal is over. You can stick your show up your boss's arse."
Paige mumbled something unintelligible.
Through clenched teeth, Jason insisted she repeat it. Louder.
"I didn't know," she whispered.
"Bullshit."
"I didn't!" Paige protested. "Someone in the studio handles background checks for guests on the show. I don't know how they missed this. Maybe they didn't have time to check, or maybe she gave a fake name, or..."
"Yeah, she gave a fake name, all right. Lorelei, instead of bloody Brooke. An accounts payable clerk, not a model, like she said she was. What other bullshit have you tried to sell me that I don't know about yet?"
The panic in Paige's eyes confirmed Jason's suspicions. She hadn't known about Lorelei/Brooke/bitch-who-was-leaving-his-island-right-now, but she was hiding something. "The...the ring," she squeaked.
"What ring?"
"I mentioned to the jewellers in town that it might be good advertising for them if one of their pieces was used in the show's finale, if there was a proposal. One of them came through. The hotel manager has it in her safe – I didn't trust the room safes for something that expensive. It's more than I earn in a year." Paige swallowed. "That's the only thing I haven't told you. I've been straight with you from the beginning, I swear. You've had access to all the show footage, just like I promised. We have to finish the show." Now she looked terrified.
Jason's anger ebbed. Sure, he was pissed off, but he hadn't meant to scare her. What did she think he'd do, hit her? Not fucking likely. "You want to line up those three girls tonight so I can send one home? I don't think so. I don't want that girl on my island for another minute. Get rid of her. Take her to the police lockup where scum like her belongs."
"But...you have to be there. To look shocked at –"
Jason shook his head. "You don't want me swearing on your show, and I have nothing to say to the girl. Get rid of her, and maybe I'll still agree to do the final proposal, like we discussed. Maybe."
Were those tears in Paige's eyes? Jason softened a little more.
"But our date! What about our date?" a new voice cried.
Penelope stumbled into the room, wild-eyed. "I'm still supposed to have a date with you. I want to make a meal for you in front of the film crew."
Great. Now Jason had two crying women. "All right, one date. That's all."
"And the finale. When you choose the girl you like best," Paige piped up hopefully.
"Yeah, whatever," Jason grumbled, throwing his hands into the air. "Just get rid of her." He stalked out.
FIFTY-THREE
Penny stared at Paige, before the production manager held out a box of tissues. They both said nothing while they wiped their tears away and blew their noses, but the tension in the room hadn't left with Jay. If anything, it had intensified.
"What's going to happen with the show?" Penny ventured.
Paige took a deep breath, summoning back some of the hardness she normally exhibited. "The show must go on. You heard him. You two have a date, and then he'll...make his choice." A crafty smile appeared on Paige's lips. "He won't do what he's supposed to, and send her away like a normal elimination. The viewers won't understand why, though. We have to handle this right. How much do you know?" Calculating eyes evaluated Penny over Paige's cup of coffee.
"That Lorelei isn't who she says she is, and she's wanted by the police," Penny said slowly, hoping it was the right response.
"Does the other girl – Calais. Does she know?"
Penny shook her head. "I don't think so."
"What would it take for you to forget what you know for a few hours, so you look properly shocked when the police come to arrest her?"
Money. Fame. Jay. "I want you not to make me into the show's bitch when it goes to air," Penny blurted out.
Paige choked out a laugh. "The show's bitch?"
Penny reddened. "Every reality TV show has a bitch. Someone the audience loves to hate. Make it Lorelei, not me. Even if I don't...don't win."
"You don't think he'll pick you, either," Paige said. "What are you in this for, then?"
It was now or never. Penny took a deep breath. "I'm a chef. Or at least, an apprentice one. I want to finish my apprenticeship with one of the best, but they'll never take me on. What I need is an edge. To be famous for my cooking. I want a spot on a cooking show, or one of the contests. Like the one you usually host when you're not matchmaking rock stars." She let out a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding, but she didn't dare uncross her fingers. She needed all the luck she could get. Paige would never go for it. Penny was asking too much.
Paige regarded Penny, then nodded once. "All right. You and Calais and Lorelei, dress up for today's elimination as if nothing had happened. And no matter what happens once the cameras start rolling, you act like it's a bigger surprise than the rock star you want, the day you first found out his name."
"Deal," Penny said, hoping the woman would keep her word. Her stomach roiled uneasily. After all, in the TV industry, what was her word worth? Either of them could be lying. Maybe even both.
If she was, then Penny had only one way to win in this show. She had to win not just the viewers' hearts, but Jay's as well. Jay would help her fulfil her dream, she was sure of it. Jay had to choose her instead of Calais.
Calais, who'd been her ally against Lorelei since the beginning.
But all was fair in love and war, Penny reasoned. And when it came to Jay's love, it definitely was war. To the death, if need be.
FIFTY-FOUR
Paige lined all three of them up on the lagoon beach, in a secluded spot you didn't see from the path until you were there. That meant you couldn't see anyone creeping up on you, either, Penny knew, but she didn't have anything to hide. It's not like she was making out with anyone on the beach. Not today, anyway.
Lorelei wore a triumphant smile, glancing sideways at Penny as if she knew a particularly juicy secret.
Penny wanted to punch through those perfectly capped teeth, break that surgically shaped nose and kick the bitch in her silicon enhanced boobs. But with the cameras rolling, she couldn't let her face say that. Instead, she kept her head down, intent on smoothing the sand with her toes. She hoped she looked more apprehensive than angry. If Lorelei wasn't going to be arrested today, Penny might have been eliminated by Jay instead.
Now who had a juicy secret? Penny forced herself not to smile, hugging her delicious knowledge to herself.
"Where's Mr Felix?" one of the cameramen asked.
The others shrugged.
"Bloody humid out here. Too hot to wait in the sun for him."
Faintly, Penny heard the whine of a jet boat. The police, she hoped. That meant Lorelei wouldn't have the luxury of a helicopter ride to jail. No, she'd have a rough jetboat ride during which she'd almost definitely get soaked and seasick, before the police drove her down the red, rough-as-hell gravel road back to town. She smiled at
her toes, deciding that the chipped polish should be redone tonight to celebrate Lorelei...no, Brooke...getting her just desserts. Karma's a bitch, baby, and none deserve it more than you, she thought.
Time stretched interminably, as perspiration trickled between her shoulder blades while she stood in the hot sun, wishing she'd brought a hat or something she could use to fan herself. Would the film crew tell her off for going to stand in the shade?
Penny glanced over and met Paige's hard gaze, firmly fixed on her. No, Paige was watching her every move. No rest for the indebted. Penny sighed. It would be worth it if Paige came through. All she had to do was cook Jay the perfect meal on their date tonight and she'd have everything she could ever want. Him, her reputation back, and happiness.
Maybe she'd even offer Jay a blowjob for dessert. That's how Lorelei had seduced him – with sex. Two could play at that game. Or one, seeing as Brooke's time on the island was ticking away. Victory was Penny's, she knew it. Shy Calais didn't stand a chance.
Steps crunched on the path, and a cameraman backed into view. The hotel manager marched onto the sand next, wearing a particularly grim expression. Behind her strode two equally grim-faced police officers.
Penny's mouth dropped open in genuine shock. The two hulking men weren't locals from the station in town. Last time she was here, the Cape Leveque Road patrol had a woman on it. If she'd ever seen either of these men before, she'd have volunteered to be arrested.
"Brooke Burnett, otherwise known as Lorelei Lovekiss, you're under arrest," one uniformed, muscle-bound hottie said.
Calais gave an audible gasp. "She's what?"
Brooke managed a shaky laugh. "You're joking. You have me mixed up with someone else. I'm not this other girl. Brooke? Whatever her name is. I haven't stolen anything or killed anybody. I've done nothing wrong!" Her voice ended in a hysterical shriek as Hottie Number Two snapped handcuffs on her wrists.
The Rock Star Wants a Wife Page 14
