by SUE FINEMAN
“I’m Andrea,” she said, handing him the stein.
He took a long drink of the cold beer and wiped his face with his sleeve, and the guy standing beside the cameraman stuck his thumb in the air. Tony set the stein on her tray and kissed her hand. She was attractive, but not beautiful by any means.
There were six women in the room. Like the opening scene on the balcony, one woman was missing. Catherine. He glanced at the door, wondering what kind of costume she was wearing.
Seconds later, Catherine appeared at the door in a little girl’s dress and big sunbonnet. She carried a shepherd’s crook with three little pink bows on it. The full skirt came almost to her ankles, but it was short enough to see the ruffles and lace beneath it and the little girl shoes with the buckles and white stockings. It looked like she had long white ruffled panties on under the dress. Her legs were completely hidden. Her pale pink dress had little puffed sleeves and a scooped neck which showed enough cleavage to know that this was not a little girl. A white pinafore was pulled tight around her tiny waist and tied in a big bow in back. The others wore sexy costumes, but this was the one he’d remember. Catherine looked adorable.
One of the other women made a quiet comment about Catherine’s stupid costume. Catherine glanced at them before walking toward Tony.
He took her hand. “Who are you?”
“I’m Catherine, but most people call me Little Bo Peep,” she said in a little girl’s voice. “Have you seen any sheep?”
Her big green eyes looked enormous with the false eyelashes, and the look of innocence made him laugh. “No, I haven’t seen any sheep.”
“Daddy’s gonna be sooo mad, ‘cause I lost the sheep.”
She leaned in close and spoke in a loud whisper, her eyes wide and serious. “Did you hear what happened to Humpty Dumpty?”
Tony burst out laughing.
She smacked his arm. “It’s not funny. He climbed up on the wall and…” She motioned with her hand, showing Tony how Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall.
The women were all laughing, all except the one in the fancy blue dress. Her face had darkened with anger. What was with her anyway?
Catherine peered in the corners and under the furniture and behind the platform with the musicians as if looking for her missing sheep. The others had gone for sexy, and Catherine had done just the opposite. Her innocent little girl costume was anything but innocent, and her humor had thrown him off balance again. He never knew quite what to expect from her.
Angelo began singing and Tony bowed to Fawn. “May I have this dance?” It was a waltz, and he doubted she could do anything else in that getup. Once they were dancing, her smile returned. He had a feeling there was something going on between her and Catherine, but he wasn’t about to ask. He had other things to think about, like which one of these ladies he’d have to send home after the party.
When that dance ended, DeeNae approached him, and he danced with her. He was wired with a microphone, which should pick up their chatter. And she did chatter.
Jenny was the picture of a virgin, with a delicate beauty which was heightened by the white dress, but he knew she had a child, a little girl. As they danced, he asked, “Who’s taking care of your daughter while you’re here?”
“My sitter cancelled at the last minute, so I had to bring her along. A member of the production staff is watching her most of the time.”
“Does she like dogs?”
“She loves them. If we didn’t live in an apartment, I’d get her one, but the landlord doesn’t allow animals.” She sighed. “He barely tolerates kids.”
He made a mental note to meet Jenny’s little girl and see how she got along with Riley.
The dance ended and he moved on to another woman, Rachel this time. She wore moccasins, and even in flat shoes, she was nearly six feet tall. “I want to kiss you,” she whispered.
“Okay with me,” he whispered back before he tasted her lips. “Mmm, nice.”
Ma would like this one, and Angelo was giving him another thumbs up. Angelo had always preferred brunettes, which explained why he’d married Teresa, a dark-haired beauty.
He danced with Andrea several times, but he felt nothing for her. She complimented him on his costume. He told her she was an attractive woman, and she was, but if he’d met her in the drug store or in a bar, he wouldn’t have given her a second look. The others had personality, a sense of humor, or something to keep him interested. He couldn’t picture himself dating this woman, let alone marrying her.
JoJo was cute and bubbly, and he laughed through his dances with her, but not as much as he laughed with Catherine. The little minx looked as much like a little girl as Riley, but he had to hand it to her. The outfit and her Little Bo Peep banter really caught his attention.
The bonnet kept getting in his way, so he pushed it off her hair, which immediately sprang into short curls. “You look more like Little Orphan Annie.”
“I thought about that, but Little Orphan Annie had a dog, and I don’t.”
“You can borrow mine. Riley wouldn’t mind.”
“I’ll keep that in mind the next time I get talked into doing a show like this.”
He laughed softly and kissed her. “Mmm, nice. I hope we can do that again.”
“So do I, Tony.” The way she said it, he knew she meant it.
He kissed all the girls at least once that night, including Andrea, who he intended to eliminate at the end of the party.
Angelo sang several times, and he danced with all the girls at least once, including Catherine. But Tony was the one the camera stayed on, the one who was responsible for choosing which of these women he’d end up with at the end of the show.
He looked at the women sitting at the end of the room, munching on the snacks that someone had prepared for their party or sipping drinks. Scanning their faces, Jenny’s shy smile caught his eye. Catherine swung her legs under her chair like a little girl, and Fawn sat straight and proper. She probably couldn’t bend in that tight dress. Rachel, with her dark beauty, reminded him a little of Gina, except Gina was several inches shorter and had a full figure. Rachel was thin. Too thin.
DeeNae was pretty and had a charming accent, and JoJo had enough energy to light up the room. But Catherine was the one who made him laugh, the one he dreamed of every night.
The music stopped and Morgan came into the room. The women stopped talking and stood to face him. “Ladies, please proceed to the fountain steps.”
As soon as the women left the room, Morgan asked, “Tony, have you made your decision?”
“Yes, I have.”
The cameramen left and Tony took a deep breath. Angelo walked over. “Which one goes tonight?”
“Andrea. I think.”
“I figured you’d want to keep them all.”
“I do.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I think?”
“Hell, no. You’re married. You’re no longer allowed to have an opinion about women.”
“There’s only two worth keeping, but since you don’t value my opinion, I won’t tell you which ones they are.”
Tony didn’t ask. He didn’t want his little brother choosing women for him. He walked out the door and downstairs to wait for his cue.
Angelo wasn’t the one who had to tell one of these women she had to go. That was Tony’s responsibility. That was the worst part of this, telling a woman he’d rejected her.
The breeze kicked up a little, blowing his shirt open even more. He ignored it and strode out to the terrace. The boots made him taller, but they were butter soft and comfortable.
He smiled at the girls. “You all look awesome in your costumes, and I enjoyed your company tonight. Whoever selected you to be on the show has my heartfelt gratitude.”
He paused and looked from face to face. Jenny shared a smile with him, and Catherine winked. She had her bonnet on again. Rachel seemed confident, and so did Fawn. The other three looked scared to death, and he could see why. On other
shows, all the women were stunning. Andrea, JoJo and DeeNae were pretty, but they weren’t as beautiful as the others. That was why Catherine wanted him to get to know them before he saw them.
How many women had he passed up because they didn’t look as good as the ones he ended up dating? He’d always chosen women for their outward appearance, and many of them were so self-centered he sent them on their way after one date. If he’d found Catherine in a bar, would he have given her a second look?
“I wish I could tell you that you could all stay, so I could get to know you better, but I have to send someone home tonight.” He called Andrea, and she stood there, stunned. Catherine, who stood one step below her, gave her a hug and said a few words to her, and JoJo hugged her on the way down. The other women looked relieved.
Tony took her hands. “I hate to send you away, Andrea, but now that the world has seen how pretty you are and how much you have to offer, I know you’ll find the right man.” He kissed her and hugged her, and she walked away with her head held high, like a lady.
The selections would be harder from now on. He wouldn’t be choosing on personality alone or on looks alone, but on the whole package.
Tony whistled for his dog, and Riley came running. “Goodnight, ladies.”
“Goodnight, Tony,” they said as one, and he and Riley walked down the garden path together.
Now he’d met the six women who were left. He not only knew them from their interviews, he knew what they looked like. They each had something special about them, something to keep him interested, but Catherine was the one he thought about the most. If he hadn’t met her before this show, if they hadn’t made love, she’d still be in the running.
And she wasn’t even blonde.
<>
By the time Catherine went up to her suite with the others, Andrea was already packed and gone. There were only two girls left in the other suite, and she knew they’d be moved tonight, but the others didn’t know they’d all have to share one room. Fawn had a bed to herself and so did Rachel, but that was about to change. DeeNae and JoJo would join Jenny, Fawn, Rachel, and Catherine in the suite tonight.
They were down to six girls. Three blondes, two brunettes, and Catherine.
Each one took a turn talking for the camera, a process Catherine was beginning to hate. “The competition is getting tougher,” she said when it was her turn. “There are only six of us left, and I can’t read Tony’s thoughts. For all I know, I’ll be the next one gone. He and Jenny seemed to have hit it off. I don’t want to wish her out of here, but I don’t want her to win Tony’s heart. I want him to be mine.”
Catherine wasn’t just talking for the camera. She meant every word. For the first time in her life, she was in love, and she didn’t want it to end.
<>
Fawn hated the costume they’d given her. It was not only so tight she could barely breathe, it was an old-fashioned, formal gown with a hoop skirt. She couldn’t even get close to Tony with that damn hoop in the way. She would have been a harem girl, wearing a gauzy outfit that showed off her figure, something that would have caught Tony’s eye and held his interest during the costume ball. Mitzi should have gotten her on early enough to have her own costume made.
Damn little bitch in her stupid Little Bo Peep costume. Catherine had stolen most of Tony’s attention tonight. Her father was rich, so why did she need Tony? He wouldn’t pick her in the end anyway, so why didn’t he get rid of her tonight?
DeeNae’s constant stream of jabber was irritating, but not as much as Rachel acting like she was better than anyone else because she’d won so many beauty contests. Had she taken a good look in the mirror lately? She was so skinny, she had to stuff her bra.
After she talked to the camera in the sitting room, Fawn walked into the other room and yelled, “Someone get me the fuck out of this dress before I rip it off.”
Everyone grew quiet and stared at her, then a maid helped her out of her dress and unfastened her corset. Only then could she take a deep breath. The corset stays had left deep red ridges along her midsection. She was supposed to be Marie Antoinette, but if Marie Antoinette had to wear a corset like that, she was probably relieved when they cut off her head.
Because of her costume, she hadn’t made the best impression on Tony tonight, but from now on, she’d have an advantage over the others. The rest of the clothes looked great on her, and she knew how to get a man’s attention.
She had no doubts about winning the prize at the end of the show.
<>
Tony joined the girls for breakfast the next morning. He wore the red sleeveless shirt and denim shorts that Catherine loved, and the other girls eyed him like cats waiting to pounce on a fat robin.
Rachel had her usual orange juice and two bites of scrambled eggs. No wonder she stayed so slender. Catherine ate one of Cassie’s croissants with her bacon and eggs. Fawn gave her a look that said she disapproved, but then Fawn didn’t approve of anything the other girls did, especially Catherine. She was so smug and sure of herself, Catherine wanted to kill Mitzi for screwing up and putting Fawn on the show.
Tony charmed them all at breakfast, encouraging them to eat more, because they’d run it off on the beach. He piled his plate high and ate every bite. Catherine sat at the other end of the table, and since everyone was looking at Tony, no one noticed her wrap the piece of bacon and slip it in her pocket.
Rachel ate more, as Tony encouraged her to do, but as soon as she got upstairs, she threw up. She was obsessed with her weight. So were Jenny and DeeNae, but not to that extent. This girl had serious problems.
Catherine and DeeNae slathered sunscreen all over each other and dressed for the beach in shorts and tank tops. Jenny wore a bathing suit with a wrap-around skirt. The different shades of blue in the skirt brought out the blue of her eyes. JoJo and Fawn wore halters with their shorts, and Rachel wore a bikini with a gauze cover-up that didn’t cover much of anything. Catherine didn’t intend to swim in the ocean when they’d be swimming in the pool. She’d save her best green bikini for the pool.
If she made it to another show.
Tony was already on the beach with his dog. There were two round tables with four chairs and a colorful umbrella over each table. As if on cue, three girls went to each table. The fourth chair, no doubt, was for Tony.
Riley ran straight to Catherine, and she slipped him the piece of bacon.
“Are you feeding my dog?” asked Tony.
“I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I mind,” he said, and Fawn smiled broadly.
Catherine felt stung by Tony’s gentle rebuke. When the others went for a run down the beach, she stayed put. Tony turned around and came back. He squatted beside her chair. “I didn’t mind that much, and Riley loves bacon. Come run with me.”
“In a pack, like a bunch of dogs?”
“We’ll go the other way. By the time they figure out what we’re doing, we’ll be way down the beach.” He stood and tugged on her hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
Riley danced around them, so she went out with him, running as fast as her legs would carry her. He loped along easily by her side. “You’re slow,” he said with a wicked grin.
“That’s because my legs aren’t nine feet long like yours.”
He swung her up and over his shoulder and kept on running while she laughed and Riley barked. She beat on his back and he smacked her behind. “Behave yourself, woman.”
He set her on the ground and kissed her, and they walked back holding hands. “I love your sense of humor, Catherine.”
“Am I supposed to give you a compliment now?” she teased. “Like how hot you look in that outfit? Or how I love the muscles in your arms? Or how about how much I like your dog?”
“That one will do,” he said with a little smirk, and the cameraman stuck his thumb in the air. She laughed. The production crew was getting a kick out of this.
Tony played with the other girls, one at a time and all together. JoJo
wouldn’t touch the dog, and Catherine knew she’d be gone next. Tony wasn’t about to get serious about any woman who didn’t like dogs, especially his dog. Riley was a great dog, gentle and playful, like Tony.
She and Jenny sat in the shade of the umbrella. Sunscreen or not, Catherine’s sensitive skin couldn’t take much sun. Jenny motioned at the others, who were playing on the beach with Tony. “Who do you think is next?”
“JoJo. I really like her, and I think Tony is attracted to her, but she doesn’t like his dog.”
“I vote for Fawn. She’s acting all happy and nice when she’s with him, but she’s not that way when he’s not around. I can’t believe he’d be fooled by her act.”
Catherine twisted to look at Fawn playing with Tony. “She complains more than all the rest of us put together. She doesn’t like her costume or her clothes.”
“She told me she came in for someone else and had to use the wardrobe they’d picked out. I got to choose my own costume. She had to wear someone else’s.”
“Tough. Tony seems like a reasonably bright guy. He’ll see through her.”
“I hope so,” Jenny said with a sigh. “I like him too much to have him end up with a phony like Fawn.”
Catherine knew they were getting some good footage out of this private discussion. “If Tony has to pick someone besides me, I hope it’s you, Jenny.”
Jenny beamed. “I hope so, too. Most handsome guys are hung up on themselves, but Tony’s different. He’s actually a nice guy.”
“Yes, he is,” Catherine replied, and the cameraman moved away.
<>
The crew had some technical problems that evening, so the next session by the fountain was postponed. They’d have to wait another day to find out who Tony would cut next. They were two days ahead of schedule anyway, and Catherine had built in time for technical glitches.
They had an informal dinner together that night, and Tony was charming, as always. Riley sat by his side and begged for food. Tony pointed to the floor, and the dog lay down by his feet. “You know you’re not supposed to beg at the table.”
