by Jessica Ryan
“That’s me,” she said, sticking her hips out in a quick pose.
“So I guess we’ll be competing against one another,” I said, trying to find a seat.
“Yes we will, but let’s not think of it like that.” Her lips were so disgustingly injected it looked like two red caterpillars were crawling over her teeth. I couldn’t decide which was faker: the lips or what she was saying. “I want us to be friends and whoever the best woman is will win.”
“Of course,” I said, nodding my head in agreement. I trust you as far as I can throw you bitch.
I knew she would stab me in the back at some point or throw me under the bus, but I suppose I could be nice to her until then.
“We’re going to be sisters by the time this is through!” she said.
“Oh really? I’ve always wanted one!” Screw that, being an only child ruled.
“This is going to be so much fun,” she said, fake excitement bubbling over.
We both turned as Ace appeared in the doorway of the cabin.
“Would either of you like a drink?” he asked. His smile was cool and nonchalant, like we were old gambling buddies.
“I’ll take a Cosmo!” she said.
Of course you will, I thought. Although, my drink selections weren’t much better.
“I’ll have a Cape Cod.”
“What are you on your period or something?” Ace asked, nearly flooring me. I couldn’t believe one of the world’s most famous billionaire’s asked me that question. Judging by his goofy smile he thought he was being funny. Was he an Amy style joker? That was a relief, maybe I was off the hook for the teenager comment.
“Not yet,” I said, giving him a weak smile.
“Good information to have,” he said, looking down at his task.
I felt my face flush with embarrassment as he made our drinks, how humiliating. I looked over at Cookie and she was smiling smugly.
“We are about to roll Mr. Pearson!” a producer, appearing from some control room at the front of the jet, said.
“Got it,” he said. His facial expressions changed, his smile reminded me of the one from last night and his eyes lit up. “Well ladies I hope you’re ready for an intense couple of weeks. By the end of it one of you will be two hundred and fifty thousand dollars richer and you’ll have the affection of none other than Jack “Ace” Pearson.”
He sat down at a leather captain’s chair that was between us and handed our drinks over.
“I can’t wait Mr. Pearson!” Cookie blurted out.
“Please ladies, call me Ace.”
“Anything for you Ace!” Cookie said before busting into laughter that would have made Fran Drescher cringe.
“How about you Amy?” he asked, turning to me. “Anything for Ace?”
“If it pleases my master then yes,” I said, cracking a smile after I finished.
“Master? Now be careful, I could definitely get used to that.” He leaned over, laughing close to my face. “You’re very cute. I love your accent.”
“What accent?” I asked. I had tried very hard to hide my Oklahoma roots since I had moved to LA.
“Oh come now dear. I can hear it. Can’t you Cookie?”
“Very much so!” she said, pouncing on me like an Ed Hardy Tiger. “You sound like one of the people on True Blood!”
“They’re from Louisiana, that’s not even close to Oklahoma!”
“Oh well, it all sounds the same to me!” Cookie said, continuing her laugh. I would’ve been angrier, but I figured it really did all sound the same to her floozy brain. The middle part of the county was just flyover states to these Hollywood types. The world didn’t exist between the West and East coast.
“Whatever it sounds like, I think it’s adorable.” Ace was really laying on the charm. I began to feel myself getting hot down below. My white cotton panties rubbed against my vagina as I shifted in my chair, sending a wonderful sensation through my body. He was turning me on just looking at me. Everything about him: his emerald eyes, the rugged five o’clock shadow and the musky cologne he wore made me horny. I wanted to knock Cookie cold and then jump on Ace, riding him all the way to the island. What am I saying? That would be completely out of character for me and against every principle I had developed in the last three years. But, Ace had been one of the objects of my desire for at least the last seven years.
“Thank you so much Ace,” I said, giving him a shy smile and submissive look. If they wanted me to play the innocent country girl angle then I was going to give them aw-shucks until the cows came home. “That means a lot coming from a big city man like you.”
“Please,” he said, waving his hand. “I’m a Texan at heart. So Cookie, that’s an interesting name.”
“I love it! It’s so unique and fun!” She said, bouncing in her seat. She was starting to remind me of a bobble-head doll.
“Well it is certainly unique,” Ace said. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m an actress!”
“Oh so is our friend Amy. Have you ever seen any of her work? The Chino’s Diner commercial?”
“The one with the orgasm?” Cookie’s eyes perked up. “I loved it. It was just so hot!”
I was blushing again; nobody had ever told me the commercial was hot. “It was a cheesy fake orgasm.”
“It turned me on,” Cookie said, leaning forward and letting her cleavage hang in the open.
Is she coming onto me? I was beginning to get uncomfortable.
“I’m glad you liked it,” I said, trying to look away. I still wasn’t entirely comfortable talking about sex and it had been three years since the prom incident.
“I believe I’ve seen some of your work Cookie,” Ace said, thankfully turning the conversation away from me.
“Have you? I’ve been in a lot.”
“I know I’ve seen you in a lot of commercials. Weren’t you also in an episode of Real Sex Tales on Cinemax?”
Now it was Cookie’s turn to blush, although it was hard to see through her bronze skin. “I’m embarrassed you’ve seen that. I did it when I was much younger and dumber. But yes, that was me pretending to have sex on your TV.”
“It was pretty hot,” Ace said, leaning closer to her. He reached out and put his thumb and forefinger on her chin before letting her go.
Damn he’s already touching her. Any feelings of arousal I had instantly went out the window.
“We are going to have a lot of fun ladies,” Ace said. “Tonight we’ll be having a moonlit dinner and then, if you’re both good, we may just take a dip in my hot tub.”
“What are we going to do until then?” I asked. Ace turned and gave me a funny look, like I had stepped out of line.
“Well first you’ll get situated in your room and then you’ll talk with your friend you brought. After that you’ll do confessional about the jet ride. After that it should be time for dinner, right?”
“Sounds exciting!’ Cookie said. “I can’t wait to see my friend Angela, it’s been too long.”
“Wasn’t she there when I came to visit you last night?” Ace asked.
“Well yeah, but we do everything together.” She ran her hand up and down Ace’s chest, barely touching him through the fabric of his suit. Her eyes narrowed, locked with his. “Everything.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, laughing.
I’m finished, I thought for the umpteenth time in the last two days. Cookie was so carefree and seductive, already promising a threesome with her best friend. I was as close to a prude as they came these days, the only action I got was my lesbian relationship with Rosy Palm’s five sisters. Maybe Ace didn’t want a whore that was going to throw herself at him and then I remembered the girls he showed up on the red carpet with. Cookie might as well have been a clone of them.
I quickly downed my Cape Cod and looked out the window while the two of them laughed like horny high school kids. Twenty five thousand dollars wasn’t so bad though.
Chapter 5
&
nbsp; They never disclosed the location of the island to me; instead we just landed on a tiny airstrip surrounded by tall grass. I stepped out of the plane to the sounds of the breeze gently waving the palm trees and the howling of monkeys. The air smelled wonderful, it was so clean and fresh compared to LA. I could’ve stripped naked and run into the grass, never to be heard from again, if I had wanted.
“Welcome to paradise ladies, otherwise known as Ace Island,” Ace said, stepping off the jet in front of us. I was the next one onto the steps while Cookie lingered behind to check her hair and makeup.
“Seriously?” I blurted out. “You have your own island?”
“I actually have three,” he said, his eyes dead serious.
“Are you the world’s richest man?” I asked, laying it all out.
He began to laugh as I slapped my hand over my mouth. Was this a violation of the agreement I had signed? Did I just ask him about his personal life?
“No not at all,” he said. “Bill Gates and Amancio Ortega still have the leg up on me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking at the ground. “I shouldn’t have asked. That was inappropriate.”
“Please Amy, don’t let the lawyers scare you,” he said, putting his arm around me and leading me away from the jet. I could feel myself starting to get turned on again, if only every man had this power in his touch. “Just relax and be yourself. If yourself is to say whatever pops into your head then by all means say it.”
“Oh my god!” The shrill scream jolted both of us and we spun around, expecting the monkeys to be carrying Cookie away. No such luck, instead she was standing at the bottom of the steps bouncing up and down in her heels. “This place is amazing! I can’t believe it!”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said. “It’s my favorite of all my islands.”
There was a small dirt road where the runway came to an end. I saw dust kicking up from the road as a Rolls Royce pulled onto the runway and began speeding towards us. It was the finest car I’d ever seen in person. To me it was special, but to Ace it was probably one of hundreds. I kept my mouth shut and my awe over the car hidden. I had to blend in and not seem like a stupid poor girl.
Ace was eyeing me suspiciously as I watched the car rolling up to us. “Do you like my car?”
“It’s beautiful,” I said, looking at the beautiful tan and chocolate two tone paint.
“It’s one of my favorite cars,” he said. “I’m glad you like it.”
A short, squat driver jumped out of the car and immediately opened the door for us. We climbed into the back with Ace between us.
“Check it out Ace; you’re the cream filling in our Oreo!” Cookie said. I was mortified that she was being so sexual already; this appeared to be her strategy. She was going to get Ace to think with his head alright.
“Well I guess I am. How appropriate with a girl named Cookie.”
We didn’t speak much on the car ride; we were too busy looking at the sights out the window. The car was perfect inside, not a speck of dust anywhere to be found. I quickly realized it was a classic model Rolls Royce, but it looked brand new. Outside the car I viewed the lush undergrowth that surrounded the road, dotted with brightly colored birds. It was a twenty minute ride to our living accommodations and the silence began to feel awkward after a bit.
I turned to look at Ace, he was staring straight ahead. His focus was amazing; he never took his eyes off the road ahead, even though the driver was perfectly capable.
Cookie’s mouth never closed the entire ride; it hung open like a horny boy picking up his first Playboy. At least there was no sound coming out of it.
The undergrowth finally gave way to a large compound in front of us. There was an armed guard at the gate, awaiting our arrival. He didn’t appear to be American; it looked like Ace contracted his security detail out.
“Welcome back Mr. Pearson,” the guard said, with a thick Hispanic accent, as we drove by. Ace rolled down the window and gave him a polite salute. Were we in South America? I was sure of it, until the head of security opened our door and let us out. He was a tall black man with a stone face and beady eyes.
“My name is Dikembe,” he said. “I am the head of security. Please listen to my team’s instructions at all times. There are wild animals in these jungles around us and they will attack humans. Please do not exit the compound, especially at night. If you must leave the compound then security will escort you.”
“Thank you for your hard work Dikembe,” Ace said, stepping forward and shaking his hand.
“Are you ladies ready to get a little rest and unpack?”
“I sure would Ace!” Cookie said, sounding like a living cartoon.
I decided we were still in South America even though Dikembe was from the Congo or Nigeria or somewhere over there. I felt bad not knowing for sure.
We were staying on a large compound that had a security building in the distance, but a large resort like building right on the beach. Each of us was given a cabin that opened onto the beach, like something of a fantasy. They were far enough apart too that I didn’t have to speak to Cookie.
As I walked through the door of my cabin I was instantly greeted by Tracy who was waiting for me on the couch.
“You made it Amy!” she said, running over to hug me. “I can’t believe we’re here. This is insane!”
“You made it here fast Tracy,” I said, looking around the cabin. It was all made of wood with a beautiful thatched roof and island paintings adoring the walls. The furniture was light, but comfortable. “Where are you staying?”
“Here with you silly!” Tracy said. Oh boy, she was going to be here with me at all times. We were either going to be best friends or I was going to nail her chipper ass to the wall.
“How many bedrooms does this place have?” It didn’t seem all the big on the outside.
“Three. There’s the master for you, a smaller one for me and then a tiny office that they’re using as the confessional. They told me they built the cabins especially for the show!”
“Well I’m supposed to do a confessional soon I guess, but I need to relax for a minute.”
“Of course girl,” Tracy said, putting her hand on the small of my back and leading me towards my room.
“They were just finishing dropping off your clothes when you got here. I’ll be out here if you need me. They want to film at least thirty minutes of us talking.”
“Ok that sounds good,” I said, shutting the door behind me as I entered the room. It was a flimsy little thatched door, anybody could kick it down. Hopefully this wasn’t a horror movie and a raving psycho wouldn’t try to burst in on me. Then again, Tracy was staying in the room next to me so maybe the psycho would come through the wall.
I immediately made my way to the closet, throwing it open to see what they’d left me. The closet was filled with dresses, skirts, tops and bikinis. I pulled a few out and looked at them, they all seemed to fit.
“Damn these people are good,” I said out loud.
I quickly changed from my aww-shucks sun dress into a flowing white skirt and a black top that showed off my girls well enough. The dress was nearly ankle length but that was ok, Ace had gotten a good enough look at my long legs.
You’re not going to win this competition based off sex appeal anyway, I thought as I studied myself in the mirror. Cookie had it all: she was kinkier than me, more willing to discuss sex than me and would probably go farther than me. Plus she had all the qualities men looked for these days: fake tan, fake tits, no brain. I assumed she had no brain; it was the vibe she gave off.
I took the god awful pig tails out of my hair and grabbed a blue flower to replace them. I thought I looked damned cute, but not exactly “rough fuck me on the edge of the counter” hot or anything. Still, some guys liked cute, but I was pretty sure Ace wasn’t one of them.
I exited my room to see Tracy sitting on the edge of the couch with a bottle of wine. “How about we celebrate making it on the show? We’ll both
get exposure out of this!”
“You’re right, I hadn’t thought of how it’d help you too,” I said. She was getting a lot out of this too. The plucky friend that was always there for me, it might take off.
“So how was the plane ride?” She leaned in her eyes wide with anticipation. She really was interested in what I had to say.
“It was pretty amazing. The jet was huge on the inside with all kind of plush furniture and a full bar. Ace served us drinks and got to know us a bit. Well actually, he didn’t really get to know us. His questions were pretty generic. It was hard for him to talk with Bambi and the Wonder Twins in his face.”
“Is she a skank?” Tracy asked bluntly.
“I don’t want to speak badly about someone that’s not here but yeah, total skank.”
“I knew it!”
“She’s throwing her tits in his face and talking about threesomes with her friend. I can’t beat her if that’s the game.”
“Why not?”
“I’m just not a kinky person.”
“You aren’t? I can help you with that you know. I’m a freak between the sheets.”
“Thanks, but I prefer to win this off my own merits. I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not.”
“You’re an actress, that’s the definition of your job.”
She made a good point, one I hadn’t really thought of. “I mean I could do that, but I’d feel diryt winning this show that way. Besides, Ace told me to be myself.”
“And you want to do whatever will make Ace happy?” She was reading me like a book.
“Well when you put it that way I sound like a dumb, submissive little girl. It is true, I have had a crush on him since I was a teenager. That man can get me wet instantly just by talking to me and looking at me. I’ve never met someone that has a power over me like that.”
“It’s call chemistry girl.”
“I don’t know how much chemistry I could have with a man I just met.”
“It happens.”
“Not in my experience.”
“Have you ever had sex?”
“Once,” I said, looking at the ground. “I prefer not to talk about it.”
