by Mignon Mykel
I scrunched my face as I brought my coffee to my nose. I brewed the coffee at that time too.
It smelled ok. Maybe a little burnt.
I took a timid sip and made my customary face when it came to coffee.
Yep, still nasty.
After clearing my pallet by washing down the bitterness with the Sprite I had sitting next to my laptop, I shook my head involuntarily. “Actually,” I said, finally feeling ok. One sip of coffee and the caffeine was jolting through me already. “I’m working on a casting project.”
“That reality show you were talking about?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Lot of hot girls?”
I chuckled. “Yes, Sawyer. A lot of pretty girls.”
“I could help.”
“You would offer.”
His laugh on the other side of the phone was full and deep. “Hey, now. I think I could help out.”
“Maybe next time.” I didn’t need to hear him talk about how pretty these girls were as I was slowly beginning to lose my confidence.
When I sat with Caleb the other day, I couldn’t help but feel like he was goading me—just a little. The man was gorgeous and it only made sense that he liked beautiful women. And unfortunately, in this society, beautiful women were associated with fake faces and even faker chests.
If he wanted a large handful of fake silicon, he could have it.
I could feel myself getting oddly angry at both him and myself, so I sighed heavily and forced a smile on my face. “Besides, Soy, these girls are so out of your league.”
“Even more of a reason I’d like to help out. Whoop, know what? I made it to my destination. I’ll talk to you soon, sis.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Whatever, Soy. Love you, bub.”
“Love you, too, Syd.”
He hung up and just as I was about to open up my file with the dwindled fifty hopefuls, there was a knock at my door. And because I wasn’t expecting anyone…
I laughed and shook my head, getting up from my chair. I walked the short distance to the front door and pulled it open to see my brother.
“Sawyer.”
He grinned cheekily at me. Sawyer and Sean both had the same red hair I did, but it was Sawyer and I that resembled one another the most.
If you put my head on a six foot, muscular body, that is.
I was often teased in middle school about being a feminine version of Sawyer and eventually by high school, I just gave up on fighting the comparisons. So I looked like my big brother. Big whoop. At least it meant the guys didn’t try to get too frisky with me. They all knew who my brothers were.
He lifted up a bag of takeout from my favorite Italian restaurant. “I brought food. I knew you were working and knew you wouldn’t want to step away from it.”
My brother knew me incredibly well. Sean and Smith would just say, ‘Ok, next time,’ but Sawyer refused to let me be. He would make a good husband someday.
“Come on in, you intruder,” I told him, stepping aside to give him room.
He did, dropping his keys on the table next to mine, nearly tripping over my messenger bag after he took off his running shoes.
“Damn, Syd. For being so organized, you sure leave that fucking bag everywhere.”
“You knew it was there. Quit your whining.”
I went back to my desk, already knowing that Sawyer would grab a chair and bring it up beside me. He also would grab silverware, because he had an issue with plasticware.
Hey, everyone had their quirks.
Sawyer did everything I knew he would do, as well as replace my coffee and flat Sprite with a glass of ice water. He opened up the containers, showing off the chicken parm and fettuccini he and I would share. After handing me a fork and taking a bite of the fettuccini for himself, he spoke around a mouthful of food. “So show me these girls.”
I cut off a piece of chicken for myself with the side of my fork and popped it in my mouth before showing him my board of hopefuls.
He looked through them as he chewed, his eyes narrowed.
“Did you only choose hot girls? Surely there were mediocre ones in the mix,” he finally said.
“No, every woman the company sent me was model worthy, I kid you not. She was the least model-like,” I said, pointing to Contestant Sixty-two. She was a blonde with a cute angelic face. Her video showed her to be incredibly sweet and soft spoken. She was probably the least brash of the women and while she wasn’t one-hundred percent what Caleb had asked for, I knew I couldn’t give him carbon-copies of one type of girl.
“I would say she’s the prettiest of all of them,” Sawyer said, leaning in to stare at her picture.
“She’s very quiet. Timid, almost,” I said, turning in my chair to find her video profile. When I did, I pressed play and Sawyer leaned further over. He listened intently to what the woman had to say, a small smile on his face. When the clip ended, he sat back and looked at the food as he grabbed another forkful. “Use her.”
I looked over at my brother, a brow raised. “I put her on the list to be spiteful of Caleb Prescott’s wishes. She’s pretty, yes, and she’s the blonde that he said he’d like, but I think she’s too quiet. I don’t think she’d handle his lifestyle very well.”
“Put her on the list of twenty,” Sawyer said with a nod, taking yet another bite.
I shrugged and moved her picture to my board of twenty.
For the next two hours, I went through videos, pictures, and written submissions with Sawyer, and he helped me find the final twenty. Most of the girls were loud and over-confident, but Soy said that would work for the show. These types of shows brought out the worst in women, anyway. Might as well start with terrible ones.
I couldn’t help but laugh at his thoughts.
It also helped me feel not so bad about myself. If I just considered them terrible, well, then who cared if they were a thousand times prettier than I was?
I may have accidentally voiced that as I was closing down my computer.
“What, Syd?” The look on Sawyer’s face was incredulous.
“Nothing, Soy,” I said, plastering another grin on my face.
“You’re fucking gorgeous, and any guy who doesn’t think that is a fucking idiot.”
“You’re my brother, you have to say that.” I stood from my chair and began collecting garbage and now-empty glasses. “That, and if I wasn’t gorgeous, that would mean you weren’t hot, and that would hurt your ego.”
“You think this Caleb is hot, don’t you?” Sawyer scowled as he stood, taking the last of the garbage. My brothers could all read me, but Sawyer did it much better.
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” I said around a light laugh. “A, he’s an athlete, and B, I’m casting women for him to date. So again, what I think doesn’t matter.”
“A guy like Caleb fucking Prescott would be lucky to have you, Syd. Those girls are all fake and attention whores. Guys want that for one reason only, and it isn’t for forever. Looks fade.”
I loved my brother, I really did, but he wasn’t doing a whole lot to help at the moment. If looks faded, well then, what little I had would someday fade, too. And maybe I wanted to give what guys like Caleb wanted. Not right away, no, because I wasn’t a hussy, but… Sex was an awesome release and sex with someone like Caleb? The man exuded the word sex. He was a walking billboard for a great night out.
He was tall, scruffy, and that damn dimple.
There was not a doubt in my mind that that man knew his way around the bedroom. I may not have found much on his past relationships, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t having…relations.
“It’s fine, Soy. I don’t want someone in such a public eye anyway.” I leaned into my brother and kissed his cheek. “I’m too busy right now for a relationship, too. Someday I’ll find a man who wants me for me.”
Sawyer pulled me into a full-bodied hug and kissed the top of my head.
“You’re a catch, Sydney-bean. But whoever
finally catches you is going to have to go through your brothers.” I could hear the glee in his voice.
It may not be today, may not be tomorrow, and probably not even a year from now, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that my brothers would enjoy torturing whatever poor man decided he wanted to keep me around for longer than a month.
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
July
Caleb
As I stood in the line keeping me off the big boat under the Hawaiian sun, I tapped my passport and driver’s license against my denim clad thigh. I was informed that because this cruise wasn’t considered a closed-circle cruise, we were making a stop in the French Polynesian and, in case an emergency flight was needed, having my passport would keep things running smoothly.
God, I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
Not in an excited way, either. The closer today had come, the more I dreaded it. I sure hoped there were more people on this boat than crew and twenty ladies. Hell, I hoped Mark had been able to pull the strings I semi-demanded.
What I would do with said demand in the presence of twenty women, I wasn’t too sure, but I could figure it out on the fly.
My cell rang and I pulled it out of my back pocket, seeing ‘Home’ on the screen. I answered it, knowing it could be any one of the Prescotts in my life. “Hey.”
“So you’re doing it…”
I grinned at my dad’s voice. After my last meeting with Sydney a few months back, I had called my dad and talked to him about it. He didn’t have experience on this end of media, but he had done his fair share of commercials and ads as a player. Hell, he still did them now and then as a coach. Lately, they’d been for trucks and razors and things, but I would definitely laugh the day he signed on for male baldness or something along those lines.
After two months of on-going battle hockey, the Enforcers had taken the Cup in game five. Shortly thereafter, Jonny and I closed up the condo for the summer and flew back home.
Wisconsin would always be home. It was where our parents were and where our siblings still lived. After a week of living in the house, though, Jonny took up residence at Jenna’s (unfortunately they never broke up) and I moved into the studio apartment mom had above her photography studio. My older sister, Mykaela, came by my place a time or two, but it was fairly quiet there. One night, dad had come by with some beers and we talked about the season and then about the show.
“I think the idea of finding a girlfriend on the premises of a show is bogus,” I said.
“It’s a little too Hollywood for you, I would agree.”
“Nobody falls in love in a month,” I said, lifting my beer to my lips.
He shrugged and cradled his beer between his knees. “I met your mom and fell for her pretty quickly. Married her right away, too.”
“You guys were pregnant with Myke. That’s different.”
Dad raised a brow. “You questioning how I felt about your mother?” There was a slight chuckle in his voice.
My parents were the definition of ‘in love’. “Well, no, but…”
“I’m only saying this because you’re grown, but feelings don’t have time stamps on them. There is no right time or wrong time for them to happen. Sometimes, they just do.”
I thought of Sydney’s smile. I’d known her all of a day, talked to her for probably three hours tops all together. Why she popped in my head, I had no clue.
“Just keep an open mind.”
“I’m here,” I said into my phone, moving forward slightly when the line jarred.
“If anything, it’s a vacation,” dad replied from his end. “Your siblings, mom, and I will be joining you in a month for the last leg of the cruise. Just gotta stay sane until then, son.”
I laughed lightly. “Will do, dad.” The line finally moved enough for me to hand over my documentation.
“Just wanted to see you off, Cael. Oh, wait, here’s your mom.”
I grinned and mouthed thank you to the attendant as I took my passport back. My mom came on the line as I was exiting to actually get on the boat. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey, mom. How’re you?”
“I’m good, Cael. How are you? Are you excited?”
I chuckled. “Sure, mom.” I’d be more excited if Mark pulled through and a certain redhead was on the boat.
“I just wanted to say hi and that I love you. Have fun, be safe. Don’t drink and then stand too closely to rails.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said through a grin. “Say hi to Kenna, Ace, and Porter for me, ‘kay?”
“I will. Avery has a club game tonight so we’ll be with Myke and Jonny, too. I’ll give them your love.”
If there was one thing my mom hung on to through the years, it was that if the family was in one place and someone had something going on, everyone was going to be there. Hence, my baby sister having a hockey game and everyone being there but me. It actually saddened me a little, because at fourteen, Avery was damn good and I hated that I couldn’t watch her.
After hanging up with my parents, I boarded the cruise ship and looked around. I couldn’t get into my room yet, and the producer of the show, Tony, had informed me to meet him up on the topmost deck, so I made my way there.
This first leg of the cruise was an actual vacation-cruise, so there were already a few people lingering on the decks. I made my way through seniors, college co-eds, and a couple of young families before finding the stairs to go to the top deck. When I cleared the landing, I saw that it was home to a track and basketball court. Nice.
Leaning against the rail on the opposite side, phone to his ear, was who I assumed was Tony. I further assumed I was correct when he lifted two fingers and motioned me toward him. After he disconnected the call, he stuck his hand out. “Tony. Tony Cruz.”
“Nice to meet you officially.” I took his hand and shook. “Caleb Prescott.” I looked a bit underdressed in my vintage tee and designer jeans next to his suit pants and dress shirt, but hell, it was hot as fuck. You couldn’t get me in dress clothes right now.
Tony nodded and took his hand back before motioning toward a bench along the track. After sitting, he spoke again. “We took good footage of you in San Diego, but we want a few more shots of you here. You’ll get the lay of the boat, check out some of the stops, over the next seven days. When we dock here again is when the real fun starts.” He wiggled his brows in a creepy manner. “You’ll meet the ladies and over the course of twenty-one days, you’ll go on group dates and individual dates. The days at sea are yours, but the ports belong to the show. At the end of each group date, you’ll dismiss all but one. The end of the individual dates, you’ll either dismiss the woman or ask her to stay a little longer. We do need to get down to two by the end of day nineteen, though, so if we need to push you along, we certainly will.”
Nothing like organic relationships. Just push it along.
Like I said, I wasn’t banking on anything happening here.
Then again…
“So I’m just…cruising for the next seven days? I don’t have to really be anywhere or do anything?”
“Correct,” Tony said with a nod. “You’ll have a camera man following you here and there. As hard as it is to see the same person more than once on one of these boats, if you’re actually looking for someone, it’s rather easy. Just consider these next few days as vacation.”
“I can’t say that I’ve ever taken a vacation solo. Aren’t cruises meant to be done with family, friends…more than one person?”
“People solo cruise all the time!”
Yeah, when they’re sixty.
“But we did take your agent’s request into consideration. Now, we don’t typically bring casting staff along, so she’s here as a vacationer. But I understand you developed a friendship with our casting associate, Sydney. She’ll be around, vacationing as well.” Tony’s face then morphed into a stern rock. “She will not interfere with the show. She will be leaving the boat when the contestants b
oard. If you choose to, say…have relations…it will not interfere with the taping of the show. Are we clear?”
It took effort, but I kept the grin off my face, the grin that seemed to come at the thought of that pixie redhead. “Crystal.”
Tony smiled again. “Great.” He stood and straightened his pants before nodding. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll be seeing you around.”
Sydney
When David informed me I’d be able to join the cruise for the initial leg as a reward for my work, I was pretty damn excited. This assignment had turned out to be pretty fun, in a semi-stressful sort of way and I actually looked forward to, dare I say it, casting another reality show in the future maybe. First I had to see that this one went off without a hitch, of course, but I was confident in my casting choices. It helped that the women all had the seal of approval from my brother.
But the current reason for my excitement? I hadn’t cruised before and cruising to Hawaii…
My gosh, it was sure to be beautiful.
I couldn’t bring anyone, but I was excited about the idea of sitting on the beaches, reading on the balcony of my room, finding a group to do an excursion with. I’m sure cruising with a good friend or significant other would be lovely, but I was pretty easily content by myself.
I barely boarded the ship in time for muster drills – which, yes, gave me some heart palpitations, but I had a week to relax so one tight timeframe I could deal with.
Muster drills. Nothing like packing thousands of passengers on a deck like sardines.
Afterward, I made my way to my cabin. I needed to get out of my business class attire and into something slightly more comfortable. I pulled my clutch purse in front of me to triple check my passport (where it would have gone in the last thirty minutes, I don’t know, but one couldn’t be too careful), brushed my fingers over my cruise card, before latching on to a hair band. I flipped it onto my wrist before zipping my purse.
Opting for the stairs, I jogged up while pulling my long hair into my signature knot. I rounded the next landing and was about to jog up the next set of stairs when I ran into a solid wall of muscle.
