Page 4 of Date The Billionaire

A few weeks after Gran had hoodwinked me into agreeing to this farce, I was stood under blazing lights in a tuxedo that was way too tight around my pectoral muscles, trying to hold a bland expression on my face. The papers had all been signed, I’d flown out to the island on a helicopter with the other men, and the three of us were now standing at the bottom of some schoolgirl’s fantasy of a staircase, awaiting the entry of the female contestants.

The room went silent as Skip Norton, the congenial host of the show, came in through a doorway and started to speak. Wearing a white tux of his own with his black hair slicked back and blue eyes shining, the host walked around the room with cameras following, his 100-watt smile turned up to a million, almost blinding us.

“Tonight, we’re coming to you live from Fountainhead Island, a tiny island off the coast of South Carolina and let me tell you, folks, it is truly paradise. Here at Fountainhead House we’re about to meet our contestants, three handsome devils and twelve of the most beautiful ladies this great nation has to offer. Three of those ladies will find their Prince Charming here at Fountainhead Island and one lucky lady is going to win it all, a chance to marry a billionaire. Let’s meet our eligible bachelors. Can you pick out which one it is?”

Skip walked to our side of the room and turned his smile up even more as he approached the third man in our small group.

“Tell us a little about yourself, sir, but not too much.” Skip pointed a wink at the camera before he turned back to the man I knew to be Trent.

We’d all spent time together over the last few days, working on our strategy for keeping our true pasts behind us. We weren’t supposed to reveal anything about our jobs, that was all down to the show to reveal at the end, but we could talk about our pasts, family history, and things like that. I felt my palms go sweaty as Skip talked with Trent, and I kept glancing at the staircase waiting for the ladies to come down. Was my fair lady in the group of women I could hear giggling upstairs earlier in the day?

“I’m Trent, I’m twenty-six years old, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be here tonight, Skip.” Trent gave the camera a gleam of his own, and I knew the ladies would be falling all over him. He looked a bit like one of the British princes that were always being splashed across tabloid magazines.

It was hard not to roll my eyes as the man carried off his tux expertly and looked every bit the part of a billionaire, right down to the incredible smile he gave the cameras. Ladies were going to eat him in TV land.

“And what about you, sir?” Skip moved along, another wink at the ready.

“I’m David, twenty-five, and ready to get this party started, Skip! Bring on the ladies!” David gave a whoop and a fist pump, a move that could work both ways. The ladies and viewers would either be instantly turned off by such common behavior, or they’d accept it as the typical shenanigans of the very rich.

Skip gave David an odd look, one that said, ‘take it down a notch’, and moved along to me.

“You’re awfully quiet down here, young man. Speak up or we’ll forget you’re down here.” Another gleam at the cameras and Skip turned back to me.

I knew all of these men were performing for the camera and decided my best strategy was to just be myself. Skip would go back to the sour drunkard he was, David would put his nose right back into a book as soon the cameras went off, and Trent, well, I wasn’t exactly sure why Trent was here. I was fairly certain he batted for the other team.

“Hi, Skip, I’m Jake and I can’t wait to see what the night has in store for all of us as we meet our lovely ladies.” I gave what I knew to be a genuine smile and kept my eyes off the cameras. We’d been warned not to look at them a thousand times since we’d arrived.

I still wasn’t used to it all, but I’d give it a shot. Gran was counting on me to not only play along and help to build the mystery, but the show had me in chains about the whole thing too. Play by their rules or I’d be screwed over a barrel.

“There you have it, folks, three gorgeous men, one a plumber, one a teacher, and the other is, well, one of the richest men on the planet. Can you decide which that is yet? For now, let’s meet our ladies, shall we?” Skip gave the cameras another gleaming smile, something I knew to be quite fake because the man seemed to hate life in general.

The music that had been tinkling through the room now increased in tempo, a sweeping orchestral sound, and the first lady appeared.

“Wow!” I heard David whisper beside me. I knew he’d be pushing his glasses up his nose right now if the producers hadn’t forced him to wear contacts. His hand still came up, a sign of just how strong the habit was.

A lithe blonde came to the top of the grand staircase, a wide landing at the top. She paused there, her sapphire blue ball gown shimmering around her.

I glanced over at Trent and wasn’t surprised to see just how bored he looked. Not his type then.

“Hi there, I’m Samantha, I’m twenty-two years old, a bartender, and I love to travel the world.” Her smile could have rivaled Skip’s for wattage but there just wasn’t anything in it, another similarity to Skip.

Another woman, a redhead in an emerald ball gown took her place as the first lady descended the step.

“I’m Kelly, twenty-one, a physical therapy student, and I love to write poetry.” Ah, an Irish lass then. A girl after my own heart. Her blue eyes gleamed as she started her own descent and I smiled up at her, liking her self-assured stare as she glanced over Trent, David, and me.

“Hey y’all, I’m Abby, twenty-six, and I love sky-diving.” A brunette with a copper gown took Kelly’s place and waved as she came down. A true southern belle.

I forgot the first three and the remaining eight as the woman of my dreams stepped onto the landing. Another redhead with light blue eyes, decked out in a golden ballgown. She took my breath away.

“Hi, uh, I’m Laney, I’m twenty-four, and I love, well, life in general. It’s great, isn’t it?” She gave a nervous smile, her eyes darting around until they met mine.

I saw her lips part in a silent “oh” and felt much the same way. She’s the one, has to be. No doubt about it.

The ladies were all settling down on couches spread around the room, their nervous shifting creating a swishing sound as their gowns brushed against the couches.

I didn’t know who any of the other girls were, or what they loved in life, because Laney had my full attention.

Chapter Three