by SUE FINEMAN
Angelo and Vinnie arrived, and while they waited for Al to drive in from Stanford, Angelo excused himself to go cut someone’s hair. Tony didn’t ask who. Every time he came here, Angelo cut someone’s hair.
An hour later, after Al arrived, the four brothers practiced together until they sounded okay. At least Tony didn’t have to sing a solo part on television. Angelo would do that part.
His brothers teased him about all his women, and Tony shrugged it off. They had no idea how nervous he was about this show. Bad enough to get shot down in private, but this was national television. He wasn’t an actor, and he wasn’t accustomed to being in front of a camera. If he blew it, his brothers would never let him live it down.
Where in the hell was Catherine? Shooting started soon, and he hadn’t seen her all day. Didn’t she know how worried he was about this?
The four brothers dressed in their custom-tailored tuxes and white pleated shirts with the black studs, then they warmed up a little. After practicing the song a couple times, the director and a camera guy led them through the garden and told them what to do.
They stood below the balcony off the living room and, on cue, began to sing Let Me Call You Sweetheart. The women walked out onto the balcony, and as he sang, Tony counted twelve. There were several blondes in the mix, and two were stunning. One woman with long light brown hair and another with black hair caught his eye. Oh, yeah!
He spotted the thirteenth woman partially hidden behind the others. The director off camera motioned her forward, and Tony was so surprised, he hit a sour note. It was Catherine. She’d had her hair cut in a short, sassy style, and he knew Angelo had cut it. Why didn’t Angelo tell him? Catherine wore a slinky black dress with straps that wouldn’t hold anything up. She winked, and he smiled, nearly missing another note.
What in the hell was that little minx up to? She didn’t say she was going to be on the show. Was that why she’d been avoiding him?
They finished the song and Tony introduced his brothers, as instructed. “This is my oldest brother, Vinnie.” Vinnie waved and walked down the garden path. “Angelo, the only one of us who can sing.” The girls laughed while Angelo waved and followed Vinnie. “Alessandro, the youngest in the family.” Al waved and followed the others. “And I’m Tony.”
The most gorgeous blonde he’d ever seen blew him a kiss, and the others all waved or called, “Hi, Tony.” Some were so-so, some were cute, and others were drop-dead gorgeous.
“I look forward to spending time with each one of you,” he said, and followed his brothers down the garden path.
Tony was told to go to the library and speak with the host of the show, Morgan Summers. Tony walked in, shook Morgan’s hand, and sat in one of the wingback chairs beside Morgan. There were thirteen portraits on the wall across from them. One was Catherine, as he’d seen her tonight, wearing that black slinky dress, with her hair cut short.
“Tony, these are the women who will be competing for your attention.” Morgan waved at the portraits on the wall. “Every one of these women is looking for a man to love, and I have to say that you and your brothers made an excellent first impression on them.”
“I guess they didn’t hear that sour note.”
Morgan smiled. “I don’t think anyone heard it.” His smile disappeared and he described the concept of the show. “You have thirteen beautiful ladies to choose from, but you will notice that we haven’t put any names on their portraits. There’s a reason for that, Tony. The name of the show is Blind Love. Over the next few days, you will interview each one of these women, but you will be wearing a blindfold. You’ll make the first few cuts based on personality and compatibility alone.”
Tony was too stunned to speak. This was Catherine’s concept? Was she out of her ever-loving mind? How could he choose a woman without seeing her?
“You’ll start the interview process tomorrow. I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”
Morgan left the room. The camera guy stayed, and Tony was expected to express his thoughts out loud. He couldn’t say anything about Catherine, so he talked about the concept of the show, which came as a total surprise.
“I never expected this. When I’m checking out a woman, I always look at the package first. If she looks good, I get to know her. This is backwards.” He rubbed his forehead. “How will I know who I’m sending away?”
He walked to the portrait wall to examine each one closer. “Seven blondes, five brunettes, and one redhead, and they’re all good looking. How can I go wrong?” He couldn’t take his eyes off Catherine’s portrait. She was stunning with her curly mop tamed and her long, slender neck exposed.
He could strangle that pretty neck.
<>
Catherine stood on the balcony with the other girls while Morgan told them the concept of the show. “Six of you will be going home before Tony can put your face and name together, and then the real competition will begin.” There were gasps all around her as the pretty girls realized they couldn’t use their looks to snag the handsome bachelor.
Then Morgan threw out what Catherine knew would be a source of conflict. “Two of you have met each other before, and one of you has met Tony before.”
The girls looked around, examining the faces of the others.
“Good luck to all of you,” said Morgan, and he walked away.
The camera was still on when Rachel started laughing. “I’d like to meet the person with the warped mind who thought this up. He must be crazy.”
“Probably married,” said Fawn. “I don’t care. I don’t intend to get eliminated.”
“Neither do I,” said Catherine, and Fawn’s eyes widened in recognition. How long would Fawn keep her mouth closed? Maybe Tony would eliminate her in the interview process.
Or maybe he’d eliminate the only redhead.
Mr. Pettibone appeared in the open doors to the balcony. “If you will follow me, ladies, I will show you to your rooms.”
Catherine was put in the same suite with Jenny, Fawn, Rachel, Cookie, and Lily. There were seven girls in the other suite. There were three big beds, which meant they had to share. Cookie and Lily were as opposite as they could get, and Catherine didn’t want to sleep with either one of them. And she didn’t want to get that close to Fawn. That left Jenny and Rachel. She made a quick decision and said, “Jenny and I will share the bed on this side. Okay, Jenny?”
“Sure.”
Rachel and Fawn claimed another bed, leaving the odd couple in the last bed.
Each of the girls went to the sitting room to express their private thoughts to the camera. When it was her turn, Catherine said, “If Tony can’t see us in the interviews, it gives all of us an equal chance to capture his interest. If he had to choose on looks alone, I’m sure I’d be gone the first day. Jenny and Rachel are beautiful. Jenny and I went to school together way back when. She is stunning, prettier than I remembered. I can’t expect a man to choose me on the basis of looks when he has them to choose from, so I intend to give it my best in the interview and hope he eliminates the prettiest girls first. If he does, I might have a chance.”
A guy who could make love like Tony, who was sensitive and caring, who turned her inside-out with his kisses, was definitely worth competing for, but she couldn’t say that on camera.
The other girls all took their turns while Catherine changed out of her dress. The big walk-in closet was barely big enough to hold the wardrobes of six women. Catherine’s costume was hidden in the very back. She didn’t want anyone to know what she was wearing until the night of the costume party.
If she made it that long.
Fawn was so sure of herself, it made Catherine sick to have her there.
“Can you believe this place?” said Cookie.
“I intend to live in a house like this someday,” said Rachel.
Then she’d better look for another guy, because Tony couldn’t give her this kind of life. “Does anyone know anything about Tony?” Catherine asked the others.
&n
bsp; Jenny answered, “Morgan said he was thirty-four, single, and looking for love.”
“He’s Italian,” said Cookie. The cute, ditzy, multi-pierced girl was chewing gum again.
“I hope he’s rich,” said Rachel. “Doesn’t he look rich?”
“Because he looks good in a tux?” said Catherine. “Come on, Rachel. We’re all wearing dresses the show provided. Why wouldn’t he wear a tux the show provided?”
“I have a better question,” said Lily. “Which one of you has met Tony before?”
Catherine shrugged, and the friendly banter was replaced by wary glances between the girls. She sighed deeply. This should be an interesting month.
Chapter Twelve
Fawn looked around at the other girls sharing the room. The only real competition was Jenny, but Jenny had brought her little girl with her. How stupid was that? Fawn didn’t like kids and didn’t intend to have any.
Rachel was a dark-haired beauty, but she was so thin her bones poked out. Didn’t she know that men didn’t like skinny women? They liked women with big breasts and an ass big enough to grab onto in bed. Thanks to a good plastic surgeon, Fawn had perfect breasts.
Lily and Cookie wouldn’t last long, and no man with any sense would choose an ugly, freckled bitch like Catherine Timmons unless he wanted the Timmons fortune. With Cara Andrews in the family, Tony would never have to worry about money.
If only she’d gotten a better look at the man with Catherine in Walt’s hospital room. Morgan said one of the girls had met Tony. Who else could it be but Catherine? Rich people hung out with other rich people. They played golf together, partied together, and their kids went to school together.
Whether she had family money or not, Catherine Timmons was the biggest loser of them all. If she was the one who knew Tony before, so what? Tony didn’t want her or he wouldn’t have come on the show to find a woman. Once he got a good look at the other contestants, Catherine wouldn’t have a chance.
Rachel was right. It was a stupid concept for a television show. They must think the pretty girls were too stupid to impress Tony in the interviews, but they were wrong. Pretty girls had more confidence, and they had more practice socializing with men.
Once Tony could see her and recognize her by name, she’d have an advantage over the others. All she had to do was say the right things in the interview.
When she saw Tony singing with his brothers, she was pleasantly surprised. His brothers weren’t bad looking, but Tony was a babe.
Forget Walt Timmons.
She wanted Tony.
<>
Tony changed out of his tux and hung it in the closet. He was still stunned over finding Catherine on that balcony. He remembered asking her if she was going to be on the show, and she denied it. Maybe she’d changed her mind since then. Or maybe it was her way of telling him she wanted him to consider her along with the other women.
She had him so damned confused, he didn’t know what to think.
Why would she have a man interview women when he couldn’t see them? Attraction was mostly physical, wasn’t it? If a woman didn’t look good, why would he want to date her? Unlike the other shows he’d watched, these women weren’t all beautiful. A few of them were stunning, some were cute, and some were average looking. If he couldn’t see them, how could he know which ones he was rejecting? For a guy who liked looking at pretty women, this could be a big problem.
He could end up rejecting all the wrong ones.
Early the next morning, he used the gym, then he had breakfast in his suite with two of the writers from the show. They give him pointers on how to interview the women. As if he’d ever had trouble talking to women. Ask open questions, they told him, and he had a few in mind, like what their expectations were from the man in their lives. What were they looking for and why was it important to them? Were they looking for someone to have fun with or someone to build a future with? Were they close to their families? Did they want marriage and children? Did they like dogs?
He took Riley for a run on the beach before the first two interviews. Six of the women were coming to his suite today and seven tomorrow, and he was expected to ask the same questions of each of them. Okay, he could do that. Maybe. What if he got rid of Catherine? Was she using her own name? If not, could he recognize her voice? What if she gave him the wrong response? Did she want him to eliminate her? What in the hell was she doing? He thought she was running the show, not competing for him.
After he showered, someone took Riley outside to play ball, and Morgan came in with his blindfold and the camera guy. “Tony, are you ready for your first interview?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He’d already been cautioned against revealing his occupation and that he lived with his mother. That would come out later. And he wasn’t about to tell anyone his last name. They’d think he lived in a house like this all the time.
Morgan helped adjust Tony’s blindfold and the first girl came in on a cloud of perfume. Tony stood to greet her. He held out his hand and she took it.
“Tony, I’m Rachel. It’s so nice to meet you.” She had a slight southern accent, and she sounded sexy as hell. She was tall. He could tell that from the direction of her voice. He ran through the questions, and she answered them all. Yes, she wanted marriage and children. She had two brothers, both married, and her parents were retired. They saw each other at least once a month, and she adored her nieces and nephews.
He was definitely keeping this one.
A few minutes later, Tony put his blindfold on again and greeted the second girl, Fawn. Odd name, and it sounded vaguely familiar, but he didn’t think he’d met her before. The interview went much the same as the last one, and he put her on the list of keepers.
The next interview was quite different. The girl was shorter, but it wasn’t Catherine. That much he knew. This one punctuated her speech with “like” and “ya know” and it sounded like she was chewing gum. When he asked her what she wanted from a man, she talked about partying and surfing. He’d found his first reject in the girl who called herself Cookie. He didn’t know how to surf and didn’t want to learn.
After lunch, Jenny came in. He was impressed with her responses. She told him she had a little girl, and she wouldn’t choose any man who didn’t love children.
“Do you want more kids?” he asked.
“Most definitely, but I also want love and a permanent, stable relationship.”
That was what he wanted, too. Wasn’t it? At this point, he wasn’t sure about anything.
He added Jenny to the list of keepers.
Minutes later, the next girl came in. “Tony, I’m Catherine. It’s so nice to meet you.” So she was using her own name. He wanted to kiss her and ask her what in the hell she was doing, but he couldn’t with the camera on them.
She said she wanted a man to love her unconditionally, to give her children and be there for all of them. “Tony, do you mind having a working wife?”
“Not at all, as long as she makes time for me and the kids.”
She laughed softly, and the sound crept into his soul. Was she just playing games with him, or had she come on the show because she wanted to win? He’d have to keep her around long enough to find out. Maybe he’d keep her around forever. Was that what she wanted?
Lily came in next, and before he could ask her any questions, she launched into a summary of her education and expectations. She wanted a man with a profession, one who made at least three-hundred thousand a year. He interrupted her monologue to ask, “Do you want marriage and children?”
“Someday, yes. Right now, I’m looking for a committed relationship with a man who understands my need to complete my education and establish myself in my profession.”
Scratch Lily. No matter what she looked like, they wouldn’t be right together.
After Lily left, Morgan came in and sat across from Tony at the table by the window. “Well, Tony, how did the interviews go?”
“Actually, they went pr
etty well, considering.”
“Tonight you’ll eliminate two of the women you interviewed today. Make your selections wisely.”
After Morgan left, Tony talked to the camera guy. “I have a good sense of who I might not be compatible with. Out of the six interviews, there are two women who seem to be looking for something I can’t give them.”
“Which ones impressed you the most?” some guy asked off camera.
“Rachel wowed me right off the bat, and so did Jenny. Family is important to them, and it is to me. I wouldn’t marry anyone who didn’t like my family.”
“What about the others?”
“Fawn and Catherine sounded promising, but when Lily said she wanted a professional man who made big bucks, I knew I wasn’t the man for her. Cookie might look good, I don’t know, but she’s a party girl. Ten years ago, I might have gone for that, but I’m past that now.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “I wish I knew what they looked like.”
He knew what one of them looked like, with and without clothes. His mind filled with the way she looked the night they slept together, and his body responded the way it always did when he remembered that night.
The show had just begun. It would be weeks before he could spend another night with Catherine or any other woman.
Did he want another woman?
<>
After dinner, dressed in evening gowns, the girls stood on the steps of the patio beside the fountain. Tony stood on the patio below them. “Good evening, ladies,” he said with that killer smile, and Catherine heard the nervous sighs around her. The girls from the other suite had nothing to worry about tonight. Their turn would come tomorrow, when he chose two girls from their room to eliminate. Tonight, it was their turn.
As she expected, Cookie was the first one he called. He told her she was a pretty girl, but he didn’t think she was ready to settle down with one man. He kissed her and sent her on her way. He hadn’t even seen her body piercing, thought Catherine. The girl would never get through a metal detector without setting off alarms.
