Two hours later, I gently touched his arm. Surprise was written all over his face when he saw me.
“Leese?” His hand reached out and gently touched my long brown hair, “Wow, it feels so real?”
“It is real—real human hair anyway. Amazing isn’t it?”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing you like this until now—yeah, pretty amazing.”
It looked like my natural hair and even the color was perfect, but it was definitely fuller.
Mr. Bollson asked us to come out to the studio and have a seat in the audience chairs as more contestants were still arriving. They filed in, several brought companions or friends with them which I know helped Ryan feel a little more at ease.
I recognized some of them; Kitkat was from a reality television modeling show; she made a name for herself by being a total witch to everyone; Shana Weaver was a women’s tennis pro; and then Carrie Wakefield showed. She’d had a short career as a television wrestler; she was loud and crass and known for starting trouble. She immediately began staring at Ryan, and I could tell it was making him uncomfortable.
Nicole Fletcher was a soap opera star and by all accounts a very nice person. The oldest contestant was Dobrey Stewart. I recognized her from all the charity work she received recognition for doing. There were a few other women; some looked familiar to me and some didn’t look familiar at all.
It did surprise me though when a pair of bouncy, blonde twins entered the room and Ryan told me they were play bunnies, Melissa and Melanie Nielsson.
“How do you know who they are? And please don’t tell me you read Playboy.”
A grin lifted the corner of his mouth, “No, but Nate does. He brought one to school and had it in his gym locker. He’s got their centerfold taped inside.”
“Ah! Poor Natasha, I bet she—”
“She bought it for him,” he said with a light laugh.
“You’re lying, Ryan Faultz. There is no way—”
“Honest,” he raised his right hand. “He told me she gave it to him and said that better be the only way he ever sees what a white girl has under her clothes. I don’t think she had a clue he put it in his locker, but he did.”
I just shook my head and leaned back against the chair as more people entered.
I only recognized a handful of the male contestants. Rashad Smith was a professional baseball player, and Sergio Mendez was a motivational speaker, Lexington Overhill was an actor, and one other guy was really familiar, but I couldn’t quite figure out who he was until they called his first name, Sadarius.
“Do you know who he is?” I whispered to Ryan.
“Isn’t he the one who beat up those guys that were robbing a family?”
“Yeah, Sadarius Collins. I think it’s pretty cool that they’ve got him on the show. I hope he can sing.”
“You’re supposed to be here to win this thing, not rooting for the other contestants,” he whispered with a light chuckle.
“I don’t want to win. Matter of fact, I don’t even want to be here, but between you and Don, here I sit.”
“All right,” Don began, quieting everyone, “it’s time to lay out the ground rules and get started.”
For the next hour he covered confidentiality, how the eliminations would work, introduced the judges, and discussed some dos and don’ts on the stage. “We won’t be live for the first four shows, but we will have an audience. The live shows will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting the first week in November. The taped shows will be women on Wednesday and men on Friday, and you are expected to be present for the tapings even if your group isn’t performing. We’ll cut three contestants by the end of each taping. You’ll get a two week break and then, after two more tapings, another six will leave until we have twelve contestants. There is another two week break before the live shows begin.”
“You are on camera all the time you are with us, with the exception of the changing area, so be aware that anything you do may make it on television. Keep that in mind, and yes, you will sign a waiver that you can’t sue us if you don’t like how we portray you from your extra clips.
“Some of you will be here this week to work with your singer or group, some of you will be flying out of here to meet elsewhere to do your remake, but we’ll all be back on Wednesday and then again on Friday for our first taping. Fill out your paperwork and turn it in for today and you are free to go until eight a.m. tomorrow morning.”
Ryan read over my shoulder as I went through the contract. There were several people who brought lawyers, but I didn’t think this was horribly complicated. I finished reading and reluctantly signed my name. If it wasn’t an excellent opportunity to sing my apology to Micah, I wouldn’t be here.
“Okay, let’s turn this in and go do a little sightseeing,” I said smiling up at Ryan as he offered me his hand.
Kitkat was standing impatiently as she waited to hand in her paperwork when she turned and looked at me and began to laugh. That was a little unsettling.
“You must be Annalisa Winslett,” she said quite loudly, “the Runaway Princess.”
“That would be me,” I replied as I held my head erect and stared back at her, “but don’t believe everything you hear.”
“Shit girl, I don’t but I’m guessing this is the piece of candy you ran off with the last time—I’d run off with a guy that looks that good, too.”
Ryan was trying hard not to blush, I could tell, but he was losing the battle.
Carrie came up behind us and began openly handling him as she grabbed his jean belt loops and gave his pants a light hoist to improve her view of his backside, “Yeah, I agree, he’s got a nice ass on him.” And then she goosed him.
His face was getting dark as he tried to step away.
“Please, don’t do that,” I asked calmly.
She was not a small woman. She was at least two inches taller than me and very muscular, but she didn’t frighten me. She may have liked wrestling, but I had sparred with some tough people in my martial arts training, and I was sure I could take her. And, with a title that included the word ‘princess’ in it, I knew she wouldn’t expect me to pack a punch.
“I do whatever I please, little girl, and you better be happy I’m touching him and not you. Now baby,” she said, addressing Ryan. “When you want a girlfriend that knows what a man like you is for then—”
“He has a girlfriend,” I stated, stepping between her and Ryan as we made our way closer to the table. The camera crew was focusing on the two of us, and I was beginning to grit my teeth. She liked having her ‘I’m so bad’ reputation and I’m certain she wanted to keep it up for this show, but she was picking the wrong person to mess with.
Kitkat laughed lightly as she stepped away from the table. I know she thought I was getting ready to get my butt kicked, but I was going to show Carrie that no matter what title they stuck on me, I wasn’t running away from her challenge.
Carrie appeared to be reassessing me. I stepped up and handed them my contract. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her getting ready to grab another pinch of Ryan when I startled her by turning swiftly and blocking her attempt with a sweep of my arm. As soon as we made contact, she was ready to start throwing punches. Ryan barely had time to turn around as I blocked two of her swings and the stage crew jumped in to pull us apart. She never even ruffled my hair, but I know she was dying to get at me.
“Try something like that again and I’m gonna rearrange that pretty face for you!” she spewed after me.
The stage crew still had a hold of her as I gave a light laugh and took Ryan’s arm and walked away.
“Yeah, you’d better run away,” she sneered.
I ignored the remark. I knew who I really was underneath the title, and I was sure she’d keep pushing my buttons and then she’d find out, too.
When we stepped outside, Ryan began the apology, big time. “I had no idea what this was going to be like, Leese. I’m so sorry I talked you into this.”
I waved down a taxi as he continued to tell me that he would fly me out of here right now. We slid into the back seat of the cab as I turned to him, “Rodeo Drive or Venice Beach?”
“You don’t want to stay and actually do this—you want to go home, right?”
“Venice Beach,” I decided for him, tapping on the cabbie’s glass panel. The car pulled out into traffic.
I laughed. “No, I’m fine. I overheard some of the guys saying that the bookies in Vegas have already started a pool over whether I’ll run away before the show airs. Somebody’s going to lose a lot of money, because I’m staying.”
He smiled and looked out the window as the buildings blurred past. “Thanks for the help in there,” he said sheepishly. “I have no clue what I’m supposed to do when a woman pulls something like that—I couldn’t hit her and I didn’t have any idea what to say.”
“I could tell. Unfortunately, so could she. I’m thinking she’s going to be a thorn in our side for the next several days.”
He groaned, but she was forgotten quickly on the streets of Venice Beach.
We were at the studio right on time the next morning as Don approached and said we had a plane to catch. “You’re going to Tennessee with a film crew to shoot your practice with Rascal Flatts at 2 p.m. today. You’ll be back by about 9 p.m. and then it’s back here tomorrow at noon for the dress rehearsal. Doors open for our first taping with an audience at 6 p.m.”
“I can fly her to—”
“Sorry, Romeo, the flight is already scheduled,” he said dismissively.
“His name is Ryan,” I sternly reminded Don, letting him know I didn’t like his remark.
He gave a half smile, “Sorry, Ryan—I’ll remember that next time. We have a plane and a crew ready. By the way, Annalisa, I need your song choice for next week. Have you given any thought about what you’d like to sing?”
I had actually been thinking about it ever since I agreed to do the show. If these people were going to give me an opportunity to send a message to Micah, I would make sure the message was clear, “’Everything I Do’ by Bryan Adams.”
“Oooh,” Don remarked in a very drawn out manner.
“Why? Is there something wrong with that song?”
“No, I think it’s a little old for someone your age, but Bryan Adams lives in London.”
Now I understood the ‘Oooh’ remark.
“Don’t worry about it, Annalisa. If that is your song choice, we’ll make it happen. He may not even be in London this time of the year. Go to Tennessee and have a good time and we’ll figure this out when you get back.”
It was a little different to not have Ryan at the helm, and it would have been nice to just sit together in the back of the plane and relax and talk except for the camera crew, Pete Claxton on camera and Jason Kelley on sound. I tried talking them into turning it off, but that was a lost cause.
The jet was roomy and comfortable and our seats were side by side so we just reclined, turning our backsides toward the camera. Ryan’s arm draped over the seats to rest across my waist. It had been a while since I’d felt the comfort of sleeping under his touch and it didn’t take long before I dozed. Just before I drifted off, I was thinking about Candace. If a clip of this made it on the show, even though we technically weren’t sleeping together, it would probably still qualify in her book as the same thing. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get mad.
We woke just as the wheels touched down on the Tennessee airstrip. Our meeting would be at a studio in Nashville.
“You nervous?” Ryan asked as we were about to enter the building.
I know he could tell, but I put on my braver-than-I-felt front and smiled, “Of course, not.”
He laughed—he knew I was terrified.
I’m not really sure what I expected, but it ended up being a blast. The guys from the group, Gary, Jay and Joe were down-to-earth, very personable and fun to be around. They made me immediately comfortable as they ran through the song once before I sang it with them.
“I’d like to change the lyrics just a little bit to fit my situation, if that’s okay?”
The guys looked at each other and shrugged, wanting to know what I wanted to change.
“When it comes to the chorus and says, ‘watching you walk away,’ I want to change it to say, ‘having to run away.’”
The guys laughed. Running away was supposed to be my modus operandi anyway, and Micah wasn’t the one who left me. I wanted the song tailored to reflect my feelings for him.
They agreed to try it with me singing my revised lyrics. Ryan sat smiling and watching as the music began.
The song went very well, even if I did shed a few tears before the end, but the adjusted lyrics worked perfectly. The guys were impressed with my singing, but I wasn’t happy with the ending chorus.
“You hit that last part, ‘…was being so close’ with so much feeling and I don’t think my version has the same intensity as yours, but I want that intensity.”
Gary and I practiced the final chorus a few times until I felt like I knew how to hit it correctly and then it was my turn to try singing the song alone.
I was even more emotional when I sang it by myself, but the emotions worked so well to evoke all the feelings the lyrics deserved. I was wiping away the tears, as I hugged and thanked them all for their help.
Two hours in Nashville vanished quickly, and, before it seemed we had a chance to breathe, it was back on the plane and back to Los Angeles. The camera guys warmed up to us in studio, so the cameras were turned off for the return trip. We actually had a good time talking and getting to know one another.
Wednesday’s taping went well with the exception of Carrie still trying to cause problems and rattle me. Ryan was a little more vocal in his efforts to keep her at bay, but she wouldn’t be dissuaded. She wanted to pick a fight with me so badly and Ryan was her ticket to the match. After the first three contestants were cut and the audience left the studio, everyone met back stage to say goodbye to the girls. Carrie was being loud and laughing about my tears while I performed on stage. It didn’t bother me about crying while I sang, and even the judges said I had given the best performance of the night, but she wouldn’t let it go.
“I’d be worried if I were you, sweet-cheeks,” she crooned to Ryan as she continually tried to touch him, “I think your little runaway might be regretting her decision.”
He had become more at ease with all the contestants, including her. She simply caught him off guard the first day. He smiled as he dodged her attempts to reach the more personal areas, “I love her no matter what happens, so I’m good with whatever she decides.”
“Oh, I’m sure you are ‘good,’” she remarked as she licked her lips and made a grab for his crotch.
He stepped back just in time as I moved between them for what seemed like the hundredth time, “Would you just back off?”
“And just what, little girl, are you gonna do if I don’t?” she said, puffing up and putting herself in my face.
Ryan had my shoulder and was attempting to move me behind him, when she put her hand on my chest and pushed me into him.
“If you want to fight me, then come out and say it,” I growled as I pulled out from under his grip. “You’re bold enough about everything else—like trying to intimidate people who are too nice to tell you to keep your damn hands to yourself!” At this point I was advancing into her and actually caused her to take a step back, but I wasn’t finished with what I had to say. “I’d really like to know what the problem is,” I continued as my fury over her constant needling built, “don’t you have a man that will put up with you?”
“That does it!” And she started swinging.
I blocked the punch, and swept her leg out from under her with mine, knocking her to the floor. She grabbed my ankle and I went down on top of her. Ryan and the crew were on us in a flash as she tried to head butt me, but I managed to slam her cheek with an elbow strike. The blow rendered her senseless long enough for them to sepa
rate us.
Now she was taking swings at the crew as she threatened me. She and a stage hand went tumbling over a chair as others jumped into give him a hand.
“You okay?” Ryan asked as I straighten my clothes.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go before they turn her loose and I end up actually having to hurt her. Geez, I’m starting to think this show is going to be more like Jerry Springer meets American Idol.”
He laughed lightly, “You’ve got her as long as she doesn’t close the gap between you two. If she does, it’ll come down to wrestling and I think she’ll have the advantage.”
Thursday and the majority of Friday we had free time to do what we wanted. I managed to talk him into Rodeo Drive, but he wore out on the shopping trip pretty quick.
“Let me at least buy you a nice silk suit. They have Gucci and Prada and—”
“First of all, why in the world would I need a suit? And secondly, Leese, why do you insist on blowing money on me? I have money—nothing like you, but I’ve got a couple million in a trust fund.”
“I don’t know, I guess I feel like I owe you so much for everything you’ve done for me and I just want—”
“I got paid,” he stated matter-of-factly, “three of the best kisses of my life, remember?”
“That wasn’t much of a payment for offering your life,” I frowned.
“You’re right. I think my life might be worth another three kisses.”
I slugged his arm, making him yowl, “Candace would rip your head off if she heard you say that.”
“True, but we are over a thousand miles away and—”
“Ryan Faultz, I am shocked! I thought once you kissed Candace those lips of yours would be sealed for her alone. Don’t tell me you’re going to be a run-around.”
“I’m not a run-around; I just happen to be crazy about two women—and you had a piece of my heart first. And, I only mentioned a kiss, that’s not like asking if we can sleep together? Although, by the way, I really miss sleeping together.”
02 Unforgivable - Untouchable Page 22
