by Kiki Abbott
“This is “Harley the Wonder Dog!” the ten year old boy announced.
“He’s kinda hyper,” the smaller girl said.
“So gentlemen,” Kat announced. “One of you gets to be in a scene with me and we are going to decide who in a little contest. Harley here will be the judge.” Several of the men looked nervously over at the small dog, who sat obediently on his leash. “All you need to do is call him over. Whoever he goes to first, gets to do the scene with me.”
Tony looked confident, like he knew dogs well, Keith the landscaper nodded with enthusiasm and Colton the Cowboy Dad spoke first. “Is it a love scene?”
The men laughed.
“You’ll see. Just make Harley your friend,” she teased, throwing her hair back and smiling coyly. Lance, the actor who waited tables between acting jobs, looked smug, nodding and looking around like he finally figured out why he was on this reality show. “Do dogs like you, Lance?” she asked.
Someone said “Takes one to know one” and the group chuckled.
After each man got a chance to play with Harley and ingratiate themselves to the twelve pound wonder, they lined up thirty feet away and spaced themselves. The animal trainer walked the little dog by each of the men one last time, and took him back to the starting line.
“Gentlemen,” Crane said. “When I say ‘go” you will begin. You can try any way you like to get Harley to run to you first. Just stay on your mark. The man who wins, gets to be in the movie with Kat.”
Crane counted off and quietly said “Go.” At that point Lance lay tummy down on the ground with his head in his hands, making high squeaky noises and patting the ground before most men knew what to do. Keith whistled and crouched, Sam, the restaurant owner from Monterrey yelled ‘treat, cookie, here boy” and anything else he could think of, and Tony pretended he had a cat in his arms, saying ‘nice kitty kat”, petting the air and flashing suggestive grins at Kat. But Harley must’ve been on a command to stay put and when the trainer blew a whistle, the little dog took off for Lance who was still down at the dog’s level making squeaky noises. The other guys groaned when Harley went straight for Lance and the game was over. The handsome actor scooped up the terrier in his arms and let him kiss his face. “I had bacon for breakfast, didn’t I? Didn’t I?”
Kat chuckled that this man who looked like he could be playing a handsome vampire on TV would be soft and sweet with the little dog.
“Lance,” Crane put his hand on the actor’s shoulder. “The scene you are doing involves Harley running down the stairs and into your arms. Kat will be standing with you.”
As the men laughed and teased Lance that he didn’t get a love scene with Kat, the director set up the shot and explained their part in the scene. At the end of the shot, what no one knew was that Kat had been instructed to kiss Lance for saving her dog. Four takes later, they had what they wanted and Lance was four great kisses into his doomed relationship with Kat. The guys yelled, “That last one was good enough,” and various comments about the kiss and Kat whispered to Lance, “thanks for being a good sport.” This opportunity was golden for an out of work actor and Kat knew that unless Lance told her he had a way to support himself better than acting, he was a goner at the next rose ceremony. Earlier he’d confessed that his last acting job was months before.
When it came time to choose the four men to have dinner with, Kat revealed that manners were important to her as well as considerate behavior and she’d already conducted four sneaky manner tests that day. “The winners are, Tony for being concerned for me on the Jurassic ride, Colton for carrying my lunch tray and pulling out my chair, Sam for letting everyone go in front of him all day and Keith for thanking the limo driver when we arrived.” She looked at Lance, Brad, Grant and Blake, apologetically. “Sorry guys.”
During dinner at the karaoke restaurant on Ventura Boulevard, Kat watched Sam, the stalky, thirtyish restaurant owner and took particular delight in his commentary on the food. He was rugged and rough mannered but she sensed he had a gentle side. He didn’t unnecessarily tease the other guys like most of them. He observed. She liked that about him.
When they announced karaoke time, Colton sang a country song with a passable voice, Tony and Keith did a funny version of ACDC’s “Highway to Hell” and Sam took the stage last to sing an old Elvis love song directly to Kat. She put her hand on her heart and smiled at him, knowing that he’d be a good candidate for a private date at some point.
Kat felt badly, the next day, that Pierce had specifically asked for a one on one date with her to an art gallery and here she was joking in the back seat of a chauffeured Escalade, on her way to go to a gallery and then do some various art projects with Ben, the sports lawyer. Kat had never dated a black man before and she couldn’t deny to herself that she was a bit fascinated. Ben’s skin was dark enough that she considered him her first. He’d said earlier that his mother was Irish Caucasian and his father was Black, Ben looked like a gorgeous, light-skinned black man. His hair was very short, he was clean shaven, had an infectious smile, beautiful eyes, and Kat hoped that her interest in kissing his gorgeous mouth wasn’t obvious when she was trying so hard to appear normal around him. Ben was a confident man when he was with her, but reserved amongst the group and she wondered if he knew he stood out without having to try. Physically he was beautiful. Was she pretty enough to be with Ben? She wasn’t sure. Their first serious conversation during the sketching portion of their art studio visit, was about his past relationships and Kat was surprised to learn that he’d had three long term girlfriends in his seven years since college. The last relationship lasted “only three months before we broke up.”
“What happened?” from the look on his face, she was curious.
“She took a job in Europe and I just couldn’t go with her.” His big brown eyes took on a softness. “We hadn’t known each other long enough to justify following her to Paris.”
Kat agreed it was probably best. “Are you still in touch?”
He shook his head. “Clean break. It wasn’t painful on either side. She was excited about this new job and I was happy for her.” He shrugged and Kat believed it hadn’t been a serious one to get over.” That was a few months ago.
“Can I ask you a weird question?” She looked over at the camera, hoping they’d edit this part out.
He nodded.
“Do you usually find yourself with white women or black women?” Coming out of her mouth it sounded petty and stupid but now she couldn’t take it back.
He smiled, and again she wanted to kiss him. “Doesn’t make any difference to me. I don’t go for color, necessarily.” He looked deep into her eyes “What about you?”
“I guess it doesn’t matter to me either. But I’m thinking right now that I like to date ½ Irish, ½ Black men.” Kat shot him a look that said ‘kiss me’ and he did. Ben leaned forward and gently pressed his warm lips to hers. Unsure, she moved into the kiss tentatively. There were cameras filming and Kat wanted to be careful.
He pulled away first and smiled at her. “This is turning out to be a very nice day.”
After she tried to teach Ben the basics of form drawing, then moved on to finger painting, they ended up throwing paint at each other and sliding around on the slippery floor laughing as they splashed each other in yellow, green, red, blue tempera, eventually trashing the art studio, much to the delight of the director and producers. At the end of their paint fight, Ben kissed her again but they got paint in their mouths and ended up pulling away to wipe the gooey liquid off each other’s faces. “I hope this isn’t what your kids’ art classes are like.” He kissed her nose.
They met later at a rooftop restaurant overlooking Hollywood Boulevard and talked about what they wanted from life. Ben wanted what his parents had – a strong relationship that weathered all storms, regardless of how tragic life could be. “I want kids early so I can enjoy them and be young enough to keep up with them but also want two years with my wife before we try for kids
.”
Kat nodded. She told Ben she’d always wanted a large family, and wanted to include adoption in her life plan.
“My sister is adopted.” He set down his wine glass. “But we don’t really remember that anymore, except when people remind me that she looks Chinese.”
Kat had read a lot about the orphanages there and how they were filled with female babies due to the one child law in China and boys being favored. “She’s from China, then?”
He nodded. “She’s two years older than me. Now she’s a graphic artist in Atlanta. We’re really close.”
Kat raised her wine glass and they toasted to families, however they are formed, after which Ben reminded her that she owed him a kiss from the art studio when they’d stopped to wipe the paint off their faces.
Kat was over- the- moon excited about going to a Cirque de Soleil performance. The date that day included instruction in aerialist moves and participating in the evening show. The three men coming on the date had no idea what was in store for them.
Pierce, the sculptor, Nils, the Nordic ski instructor, Joe the policeman and Grant the programmer were an eclectic group--so different in looks and in personality. Grant was quiet, almost shy, Joe was young and outgoing, Nils was confident but very hard to figure out and Pierce was the handsome sculptor she had a secret crush on. One of them would not make it back to the mansion that night after the date. Three would be allowed to continue on the show.
It would’ve been a lie if Kat said she had no idea who to eliminate but when the camera did their pre-date interview by the pool that morning, she simply said that she was really looking forward to the day and would find it hard to let anyone go home later. Both Grant and Nils had good points but she wondered if they’d make a good match for her.
At the theatre, they found out the plan was to spend the day learning moves on a trapeze, Nils looked angry and Kat made a mental note. “It’ll be fun.” She tried to coax him to enter into the lesson but he appeared to be sulking off to one side. One of the producers asked her to take him privately and talk to him. All four men needed to participate in the show that night.
Kat took his hand and they found a quiet spot in the theatre’s lobby to talk. “Are you worried about not being able to do this?”
He took a deep breath and looked at her, a grimace creeping to the side of his mouth. “I don’t like heights,” he said unapologetically. “I don’t know if I can get myself to go up there.” He spit into a potted palm which almost made her gag. “I have a real fear.”
She hadn’t thought of that from this big, powerhouse of a man. Nils stood about 6’4”, was full of poise and confidence and now was telling her he was frightened to go up high. “Do you think you could try? For me?” She told him how she’d gone bungee jumping for Liam in the last show and was scared of that, but it turned out to be fun. “Then we really had something to celebrate that night.” They smiled at each other.
“I’ll try.” His thin lips looked strained against the words.
Turned out Nils was pretty good at it and was chosen to do the hardest trick in the show that night. Considering she’d considered letting him go after the show, Kat was now looking at Grant and wondering if he would eventually open up enough to let her get to know him. Joe, the policeman, was sweet--a protector--manly and polite, but young. His Italian parents still insisted he have Sunday dinner at their house and Kat thought that was a lovely tradition. Joe’s dark hair and eyes reminded her of a handsome cop on a TV show but she couldn’t place who. Pierce was a keeper for many reasons. He was not only beautiful to look at, but Kat wanted desperately to talk to him about his art. In many ways, he was mysterious and she was drawn to him like something forbidden. Whether he made a good father or not, she didn’t know yet, but still wanted Pierce around. The man going home would either be Nils or Grant.
After the Cirque show, they moved to the boutique hotel next door for a five-person party on the rooftop patio. Gathered around a table of food, they talked excitedly about doing the show. Finally Kat knew she had to get some work done and stood. “Grant, can I steal you away for a bit?” she asked. They left Nils, Joe and Pierce talking around the fire, and found a couch tucked away in a corner. Bright lights were set up and camera angles checked. Bundled in blankets, they settled into the large cushions and talked about the day. Grant had shown some skills on the trapeze and confessed he’d always wanted to try it. “Really? You don’t seem the type?”
He looked insulted. “What type? Computer programmer nerd? There’s more than meets the eye.” Something about the way he said that struck Kat, and she felt sure that she couldn’t let him go too soon. His smile was provocative now and he leaned in to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “Programming is lucrative but when I’m not working I like to play.” This was the man whose palm she’d read. So far Grant was a person of interest. As they stared at each other, she wondered if he’d kiss her to prove his playfulness. His lips were nice looking and she imagined they’d be strong, maybe even forceful. But, the moment was lost when the camera man tripped over something while backing up. Instead they jumped up to help and by the time they set up the shot again, the moment had passed. Kat suggested they return to the group.
Three roses had been left on a silver tray by the fire and seeing them, she gulped, knowing what she had to do. More compatibility was felt with three of the men and less with Nils. The spitting was something she couldn’t get out of her head.
When she handed the other men their roses and said she was sorry to Nils, he looked angry again and told her not to walk him to the elevator. Pierce gave her a little look that said “sorry he’s being a bad sport,’ and Kat sat down to talk to the remaining men while the film crew packed up.
Filming had gone late and Kat had the luxury of sleeping in the next morning. When she rolled out of bed at noon, she missed her dog Chico. And she wanted to phone someone to say hello, but all phones and laptops had been confiscated at the beginning of filming. It was part of the deal. No contact with the outside world. Luckily Jaxie came by to run after Kat had a crew member phone her. They headed out with two ‘bodyguards’ running up the hill, away from the mansion where the men stayed. Jaxie was a good influence on her, not just for exercise, but to motivate her to keep searching for what she wanted from life.
“Crane and I are like two teenagers these days, just smiling at each other all the time,” Jaxie said. “God, I love that man so much.” They were near the top and stopped talking to make it the last few yards.
“I want what you have,” Kat finally said. “I want my Crane.”
The two women looked at each other and Jaxie nodded. “You’ll get him.”
That night was the rose ceremony. Already, Nils was gone and now two others had to leave. Kat didn’t feel like she knew half the men well enough to make that decision, but hoped that she’d get some important questions answered at the cocktail party that night. She needed to ask Lance about his motives for being on the show. Just because he kissed like a boyfriend and was handsome, didn’t mean she should keep him. She also needed to ask Brad what he saw their lives like as a busy doctor and his wife. And Tony. Tony was cocky, but extremely sexy, and damned hard to ignore. He walked around just assuming she was pining away for him and she kind of was. She hated to say it, but he was so damned confident. She had to believe that if she just went ahead and kissed him, he couldn’t be as wonderful as she fantasized. Maybe she should just throw herself on him.
At the cocktail party, she realized that as much as she wanted to keep Lance around for laughs and to look at, he was not interested in her, or any woman as a wife, anytime soon. He was a player, on the show to further his career. Probably like Tony but the difference was that she was extremely attracted to Tony. His big shoulders, his sexy as sin smile. Or, she could let Sam go, but he’d done that sweet song at the karaoke place and she suspected he had a lot more to him than she could see.
In the end, she stood in front of the men handing out r
oses until the last three were Brad, the doctor, Grant the programmer, and Joe, the policeman. Considering that she didn’t want to be a doctor’s wife (as well as not ever having had a good conversation with him), and that she thought of Joe more like a little brother instead of a sexy suitor for potential husband material, she knew what she had to do.
All roses were handed out, Kat walked Joe and Brad to waiting limos, thanking them for coming on the show. Brad looked mildly disappointed but Joe had tears in his eyes and Kat wondered how much she might have led him on. Back in the house, they toasted to the remainder of the show and Kat was pleased to announce that “tomorrow, we are flying to Maui for a week of fun in the sun.” All nine men looked very pleased at the news.
Kat had never been to Hawaii, and from the moment she stepped from the plane, she was in love. Even though she’d asked to travel with the guys on the same flight, there’d been some hard fast rule about her traveling separately. Along with Jaxie, who couldn’t stand to have Crane on Maui without her, Kat took the five hour flight to Kahului airport.
“I love Maui!” Jaxie took a deep breath and reached to squeeze Kat’s hand when they exited the limo at the Grand Wailea front door. “Girl, if you don’t fall in love here, there’s something wrong with you.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Kat laughed. “My problem is falling in love with too many of them!”
They’d talked the entire flight, and Kat had finally been able to vent her fears and excitement about the men. She’d condensed the once large group to what she felt were the top nine. After this week, two more had to go. She told Jaxie on the flight that already she had an idea, but wouldn’t make a decision until Thursday at the rose ceremony. It was anyone’s game now, and although she knew Lance would never make it to the end, Kat was glad she brought him to Maui. For some reason helping his career was important to her, especially because he never pretended to be smitten with her.
