Love Reality

by Nana Malone

Mia blinked. Holy cow, he was one of those Matthews? No wonder he used a pen name. His family was akin to New York royalty.

  “Maybe,” she answered noncommittally. “So tell me, Ryan, why are you here?”

  “I guess, like you, I’m looking for a connection.”

  Mia cocked her head and ignored the reference he made to their first date. “You realize that’s the answer everybody gives, right?”

  He chuckled. “You don’t think that’s the truth?”

  Mia gave him a beatific smile. “I wouldn’t want to delude myself.”

  His lips twitched as he processed her jibe about the other day, then a laugh tumbled out. “Okay then. How about this, I wanted to try something new. Making a genuine connection can be really difficult, so I wanted to give something new a shot.”

  She studied him. He looked sincere. But then, she’d already learned he was a master at false sincerity. He wore a suit with an uncollared shirt. It fit him. The effect was simple, sophisticated elegance. If she weren’t careful, she’d actually start believing his brand of bullshit. “Fair enough. How did you know I’d be in here?”

  He grinned, and her belly flipped. He knew of course. On their date, she’d told him that if given the chance she’d rather be at home with a good book. So he’d used what little he knew about her to his advantage. Cheater.

  “Lucky guess. Tell me why you’re in here hiding away from all your admirers?”

  Next thing she knew, he’d be accusing her of deliberately coming up here in the hopes he’d find her. “I’m not used to being the center of attention. It’s a little intimidating. Besides, I wanted to make some of you work.” And she’d needed a minute to think about what to do with him. She turned her attention back to the bookshelf and climbed the three steps to re-shelf the novel in her hand. At this rate, she’d never get to peruse the complete works of Byron.

  “You should probably find a way to get comfortable with it. There are a lot of men here who want to make you the center of their world.”

  Once she tucked the book back, she turned to him and asked, “And what about you, Ryan? Do you want to make me the center of your world?”

  The problem with trying to play all cool and coy was, she was anything but cool and coy. Real life Mia shouldn’t be allowed near ladders. She tried to climb back down and lost her footing.

  His strides were quick and efficient, and he caught her easily, his strong hands bracketing her hips and holding her steady. It was a position they were familiar with. He’d held her in a similar way when they’d been dancing in Spanish Harlem.

  “Easy now. I would very much like to keep this beautiful package intact.”

  He smoothed both his thumbs over her hipbone, and she struggled for breath. Slowly, he reached up to stroke her cheek, and a shiver rolled down her spine. Seduction was something he did well. And it would be easy to fall for it, if she didn’t know that he was playing a game. He’d lured her in by showing her the fun packaging. Showing her what it would be like to fall in love with someone who made her laugh and think and be spontaneous. Then he’d dropped the anti-love bomb on her.

  Mia licked her lips nervously when he leaned in to speak against the shell of her ear.

  “I would make you the center of my everything, if you’d let me.” His voice was loud enough for the mic. But then he lowered it more and whispered, “You look about ready to beg me for that kiss now.”

  It took her brain several moments to process what he’d said. Her insides were too busy melting. Of all the men in the world, why did this one affect her like this? The pull to lean into him was strong. He smelled too good.

  But his words clicked into the processing centers of her brain, and she tried to jerk away. But before she could get enough leverage, Josh walked in. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

  Mia jumped like Ryan had burned her. The smug asshole, gave her a knowing smile before settling her back on the floor again.

  Turning to Josh, she beamed at him. “Not at all. I was just thinking I needed some fresh air.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I have to get rid of him.” Mia bit her nails as she paced the length of her living room.

  Larissa studied her, then took a sip of wine. “Uh, and by get rid of, you mean bone, right? Because I’ve seen the footage, Mi. And it doesn’t lie. The chemistry crackles around you guys. I swear, when he caught you off that ladder…” Her friend fanned herself dramatically. “That shit was hot—like panty-dropping hot. I almost swooned. If that’s even a thing anymore.”

  “Maybe you’re not listening. He’s Single Guy. We have to get him booted off.”

  “Relax, I hear you. But, maybe like you, he’s there to blog about his experience.”

  She paused mid-step. She hadn’t considered that, probably because she was too busy plotting to get his ass tossed. “Or maybe he targeted me all along, as an in to get on the show to do something.”

  Larissa set her glass of wine down on Mia’s coffee table and went right for the liquor cabinet where she pulled out the good rum. “We need reinforcements to unravel that bit of convoluted Inception-style logic. First, he met you by accident. It was unplanned. You were supposed to go on a date with someone else. Second, he flubbed the pass so to speak by pouring his column mojo on you. If he really was targeting you, he would have done more research and known what not to say. And the last piece of evidence I offer is that he couldn’t know he’d be chosen for the show.”

  She hated it when Larissa was rational. “Ah hah! That’s where you’re wrong, he’s a freaking Matthews. Jamie was probably over the moon to get him on the show.”

  “Honey, I’m more than happy to travel to Crazy Town with you. Matter of fact, I’m in charge of packing the shoes, but this time, I think you have it wrong. Is his being here annoying? Yes. Does it unsettle you?” Her friend gave her the once over with narrowed dark eyes.” Clearly. But I don’t think it’s time to sound the alarm just yet. If there is an alarm to be sounded, rest assured, I will be there with samurai swords in hand.”

  “Why the swords and not guns?”

  Larissa shrugged. “More elegant. Plus, I’ve always dreamed of being in a Tarantino film.”

  “You know what they say about people who carry knives, right?”

  Larissa grinned, and they both shouted, “They get shot.” It was one of their favorite movie lines.

  Mia groaned even as Larissa pressed a coffee mug full of wine into her hand, because God forbid she actually own wine glasses. “What am I going to do?”

  “You could bone him like I suggested.”

  Mia lobbed a pillow at her friend. “I need ideas that will actually work.”

  “Oh, workable ideas? Sorry, I’m fresh out. But maybe you could try talking to him. Find out what he’s doing on the show.”

  “You know I can’t talk to him off camera.”

  Larissa clamped a hand to her heart. “Mia Donovan, following the rules? Be still my heart.”

  “Shut it.”

  “It’s true, Mi. If you want to get this guy out of your hair, you’re gonna have to break a few rules. Either that, or you might as well enjoy him as long as he lasts.”

  Mia took a long sip. “If I talk to him, he’ll lie. Anything to make himself look good. If I go to Jamie without proof, she might be pissed enough to fire me.”

  “She’s not gonna fire you.”

  “Maybe, but she won’t give me a show either.”

  Her friend grimaced. “That, is more likely.”

  Fuck. She couldn’t do the show with Ryan. Especially not if the audience at home had the same reaction to him as Larissa had. As I have. But she had to tread carefully with Jamie. She wanted that show.

  “Riss, I can’t do this show with him. He’s deceptive, and a pain in the ass, and he’s cocky. Don’t forget insufferable. And worst of all, he doesn’t believe in love. He thinks love is a construct to entrap men.”

  “Okay, I hear you, but I thought the show was just a mean
s to an end. If so, then what’s the big deal? So what if this guy stays on? You won’t pick him in the end anyway. Hell, you won’t pick anyone.”

  “The big deal is he’s just the kind of guy Jamie will try to pair me with. As if there’s some grand love plan there or something. He’s that type. Rich, successful. She’ll want to play that up.”

  Larissa finished her drink in one gulp. “Or maybe you have the hots for the guy and don’t want anyone to see.”

  She spoke truth. “I do not have the hots for him.” Lies. “In the moment, I forget sometimes that he’s so good at manipulation. Then I come to my senses.”

  “I dunno. You didn’t see the footage. It’s like you two were made for each other chemistry-wise.”

  “Of all the guys in the world, that one? I mean, what are the odds? Why does the cosmos hate me?”

  Larissa nodded. “Devil’s advocate going away now. Best friend to the rescue. You could make things so unpleasant for him that he wants to quit.”

  “Yeah, I considered that, but then Jamie would be pissed. If she’s as into him being on the show as you say, then she’ll flay me alive, and honestly, as little as she is, she scares me.”

  “As long as the audience is in charge, you might not have a choice either. But soon enough, you’ll have your chance to vote, and you can get rid of him then. Just hope he doesn’t win immunity or anything like that because then you’ll be stuck with him longer.”

  Mia flopped back onto her couch. “I was afraid you’d say something like that. I could just ignore him and focus on the other guys.”

  “Anyone pique your interest? I saw you talking to that one guy, Tyrell, for a while.”

  Mia piped up. “Yeah, we had a bunch of stuff in common, and he donates to a lot of charities, which I found pretty cool. And he’s one of the repeaters. Remember him from season 4? The Cinderella dropped him after episode two.”

  Larissa nodded. “Yeah, I knew he looked familiar. So you like him?”

  “Sure on the surface, but he’s cocky as hell, and that will get irritating.”

  “There had to be one in the bunch that you at least thought was cute.”

  Mia mentally ran through the list again. “Yeah, of course. They were all really good-looking. But the best ones were Adam and Jameson.”

  “Then I think I have your solution, Mama Mia. Just show a lot of interest in those other two. Ryan will get bored. Guys like him are used to having women throw themselves at him. What you need to do is act completely aloof. He’ll eventually get bored and move on. Remember all his dating tips.”

  Mia sat up. “If that works, you’re a genius.”

  “Duh, tell me something I don’t know.”

  She laughed. “Yes, well, you are a genius, but in this case you’re a super genius. He’ll never know what hit him.”

  Chapter Ten

  “You’re a hell of an actor. I just watched the early footage you sent me.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good thing, Chris,” Ryan murmured under his breath.

  “What are you talking about? I mean, that sizzle between you and Mia. Hell, I felt like I needed a cigarette after watching the two of you together.”

  “Well, you told me to stay for as long as I can. That’s what I’m doing.”

  “Okay, let’s have your rundown. Who’s your biggest competition?”

  He had to think about that for a moment. “It’s weird. It’s not really like that right now. I anticipate that will change once Mia starts picking guys. Half the guys I met last night have already been through this.”

  “Did you have Research pulling backgrounds and stories?”

  As if this was his first rodeo. “Of course. First thing I did when I came in this morning. Of all the guys, the first-timers are far more competitive. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  “And the girl. I mean, I saw that chemistry, but what’s she like?”

  He hesitated. He didn’t think telling Chris how soft Mia’s skin was was the kind of answer she was looking for. Besides, she’d shit bricks if she found out that they knew each other. “She seems levelheaded. Smart. She doesn’t seem to have stars in her eyes. She’ll be hard to rattle.”

  “Every woman has a tipping point when she thinks she’s falling in love. What do you think her response was to you? It will probably work better for your story if she’s starry-eyed.”

  Mia wasn’t exactly starry-eyed. She might believe in love, but she wasn’t the usual throw caution to the wind kind of person, despite what had happened on their first night. “I don’t think she’s the type.”

  Christine studied him. “Just make sure you keep your focus. Undercover can be a mind fuck.”

  Mind fuck indeed. He’d spent several very sleepless nights trying not to think about Mia Donovan. At first he’d driven himself crazy thinking about how she felt in his arms. Then he’d made it worse by wondering which of the guys she’d connected with last night.

  “Lonely Girl is TVN’s pick. Her blog is right up their alley. Her readers are just the kind of viewers they want. The last thing they’ll want is you and your Single Guy snark fucking with their influx of new viewers. They find out, and you’re done.”

  “I hear you.” All he had to do was keep Mia from spilling what she knew. “So how do my chances look?”

  Christine leaned toward her laptop. “Come on around. I’ve had the analysts running some numbers and analyzing the online hits and votes so far. So far, you’re doing really well with the women. You need to pull in some votes from guys too.”

  He crossed his arms. “More guy cred. Sure. I’ll work on that. Whatever that means.”

  “You have to take this seriously, Ryan. You said you wanted this.”

  “I do want this.”

  Christine moaned. “Please, you can’t be boring. You’ve got to do the whole Prince Charming thing. Sweep her off her feet. It will make for the better story.”

  “Would you relax and have a little faith? I give dating advice to guys, remember? I’ve got this. I know how to go big.”

  She raised a brow. “Prove it.”

  “You’ll see.” He scanned his brain for somewhere inspired he and Mia could talk. All that came to mind was Mia in the library reaching for a Byron book. That was it. They needed to talk in a place with no cameras or onlookers. And now he knew where. All he had to do was convince her to meet him.

  As he left Christine’s office, she called out and waved the style section of the paper at him. “You want out of dating hell, bring the goods.”

  He honed-in on the photo on the front page of the section. Alana smiled up at some blonde guy. A wedding announcement. It was like she was trying to haunt him. At least now he knew what she wanted. When they’d been together, she’d given him her grandfather’s watch for a Christmas present. She’d told him she wanted to give it to the man she wanted to marry. After their breakup, he’d shoved that and everything else she’d given him into storage. She wanted that watch back. She wanted to give it to her husband. The poor schmuck. If only he understood the kind of woman he was about to marry.

  On his way out of Chris’s office, he called Mia. She answered on the first ring and sounded harried. “This is Mia.”

  “Mia, hi. It’s Ryan.”

  Silence for several beats. He started to sweat.

  “Ryan? Why are you calling me? You know that’s against the rules. And how did you get my number?”

  “Lifted if off your tablet. And I’m pretty sure knowing each other before the show is against the rules too.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to talk to you. Can you meet me at Grand Central Library at six?”

  Again there was silence. He almost thought she’d hung up when she spoke. “I’m a New Yorker, Ryan. I know it’s closed at six.”

  He sighed. Why couldn’t she make anything easy? “I know. But please, meet me there. It’s important.”

  “We’re not supposed to have any non-show interaction. If w
e get busted, you’ll be off the show, and I’ll get fired.”

  “We won’t get busted. It’s fine. I’m asking nicely.”

  She sighed, and he prayed she’d stop being so damn stubborn for once. “Fine. I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks,” he muttered, but she was already gone.

  He stared at his phone and resisted the urge to throw it. Why the hell did she possess the power to drive him so insane? And how was he going to convince her not to rat him out?

  * * *

  Apparently, stupid was Mia’s middle name. Not only had Jamie warned her against such behavior, but Ryan was trouble. Who I have fun with. She shut down the errant thought with a mental bitch slap. She’d let her guard down around him before. She knew exactly how charming and fun he could be. She wouldn’t fall for it again. It was his job to give a good first date, to tell her just what she wanted to hear. She had to mentally steel herself against him.

  Ryan waited for her on the front stairs, and her stomach dropped. Hell, the whole wobbly knees butterflies thing of romantic comedies, not bullshit. It happened to her around Ryan. Every. Damn. Time.

  She just needed to get this over with. She had bigger fish to fry. Her father had called just before she’d come to meet Ryan. He’d spoken to Watkins and Miller, and they’d made a compelling enough case for her father to suggest she might want to hear them out. That was the last thing she needed right now. She’d deal with them after the show.

  She squared her shoulders and jogged up the stairs to meet him, half wishing she’d gone home to change. But then she’d thought better. This isn’t a date. She wasn’t squeezing herself back into some Spanxx for this guy. Besides, jeans and ballet flats would help her keep some perspective. Kind of like deliberately not shaving when she didn’t want to hook up with an ex.

  He smiled. “Mia, thanks for coming.”

  She squared her shoulders. “What’s up?”

  Ryan cocked his head. “Why don’t you come on in?” He held open the doors and a pass in hand.

  She hesitated, but then, there was the lure of books. And the chance to explore unhindered and without shushing readers mentally judging her book selections. “I—”