Chapter 11
The next few days drag on. There is literally nothing to do when we’re stuck in the mansion but sit around and talk to each other. There’s no TV, no Internet, no phones, no music, and since the only book I brought was downloaded to my phone, I have nothing to read either. Basically, I can lounge around the pool and sit around talking. I’m going stir-crazy.
Yesterday, there was another group date. Bridget was pissed when she was one of the women chosen because that meant she wasn’t getting today’s solo date. When the announcement came that I would be the one spending some one-on-one time with Sebastian, she flipped. It was a temper tantrum worthy of a preschooler. So far today, she’s not said a word to me, just shot me dirty looks. I’m not complaining.
Jalisa, Willow, and Emma have become my friends and are hanging out with me while I get ready for the ball. They come with me to the guesthouse to see Tina and Sadie. “Vivian!” Tina pats her seat while Sadie hugs the other women and hands out flutes of champagne to all of us. I sit down for Tina while the other ladies sit on the couches. Normally, the cameras aren’t in the room while women are getting ready, but José and his crew followed us tonight.
Tina grins, patting her chair. “Are you excited for tonight?”
I smile and take a seat. “Yeah.”
This answer surprises both Tina and Sadie. “You and Sebastian are getting along now? When did that happen?” Sadie asks.
I laugh. “It didn’t. I haven’t seen Sebastian since we had that fight the night I joined the show. I’m sure it’s going to be awkward. But I’ve been working hard to put together this ball all year. Even with Sebastian next to me, I’m determined to enjoy myself.”
“You and Sebastian don’t get along?” Willow asks. She, Emma, and Jalisa share matching surprised frowns.
“Not exactly.”
Tina starts attacking my hair with a brush. “They’re like oil and water,” she teases.
Sadie says, “More like gasoline and a flame. They’ve had some explosive moments.”
My new friends look even more confused. Jalisa sips her drink, then points at me. “But didn’t you say it was his idea to bring you on the show?”
I shrug. “Makes no sense to me. I mean I know the show wanted me to take the twins’ place because of my connection to Brian and Ella, but I don’t know why Sebastian wanted me. He seems to hate everything about this show, so I’m not sure why he cares about the ratings.”
Willow laughs. “Yeah, he really doesn’t like this whole process, and I’m pretty sure he hates all of us contestants.”
“Definitely,” Jalisa adds. “Yesterday, on the group date, he was so unpleasant. He only spoke when he was forced to, and glared or snapped at anyone who got too handsy. I’m not sure he’s going to have a fiancée at the end of this. Every woman in the running might just drop out. He said something to Calista that they’re going to have to bleep out when the show airs. She almost cried. It was awesome.”
Honestly, as much as I hate being a contestant, I’m still really excited to see the show when it airs. It’s going to be so interesting to see how the show edits everything and to see what drama I’m missing. I’m sure there is a lot of backstabbing and gossiping that I’m not a part of. It’s clear that Bridget is the new villain to take Ana’s place, and she’s got her sights set on me. It’ll be amusing to see all the nasty things she says about me.
“So what are we wanting to do for the evening?” Tina asks me. “Up? Down? Half and half? Braids? Curls?”
“Half up in a bun, half down with long curls. I also have these.”
I hand her some gold hair ribbons and flowers that my fathers brought me when they dropped off all my clothes and gowns for the rest of filming. “The ball tonight is a prince/princess theme. My gown is Belle inspired.”
When Ella and I came up with the idea for a themed ball, we couldn’t resist a fairy-tale theme. And with Ella and Brian notoriously known as Cinder and Ella, they couldn’t choose anyone else. “Ella might be Cinderella tonight, but I’m going to be the Belle of the ball.”
Sadie snorts a laugh. “Fitting, considering your date will definitely be the Beast.”
We all burst into laughter. “That’s not nice,” Willow scolds, but she’s giggling with the rest of us.
“But a fair description,” Jalisa says. “I’ve never met a broodier man.”
I laugh again. “It is a bit perfect.”
We continue our lighthearted conversation until I’m all ready to go. It’s nice to just relax and have fun with new friends. I almost don’t even notice the cameras. Maybe the champagne is helping.
Once I’m ready, I’m directed to wait in the living room of the main house until Sebastian arrives. They get all the women in the house in the room before me, so that I can make an entrance. They want the reactions of the rest of the women. I must look somewhat decent, because when I walk in the room, the reactions are dramatic. The nicer ladies fawn over my dress. It’s a more contemporary version of the golden dress Belle wore for her dinner with Beast. I designed and made it myself, so it has a little extra flare to make it unique.
After all the praise, Bridget folds her arms over her chest and scoffs loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. “Going to a costume party?”
I genuinely don’t care about her nasty attitude. “A themed ball.”
This stirs excitement among the group. “That’s so romantic,” Laurel says with a dreamy sigh.
I’m thinking not. Sebastian doesn’t strike me as the romantic type.
José gets a call in his walkie-talkie, then grins at me. “All right, Sebastian is here. Wait to come out the door until I call you, and then walk out slowly. We’ll get his reaction to you, and then we’ll do it again to get shots of you coming outside.”
Another reason tonight won’t be romantic. The cameras sort of ruin the mood.
It takes another minute before I get the okay to walk out the door. When I come outside, Sebastian is standing beside a limo in the driveway. He looks amazing in some fitted black slacks and his long navy-blue coat with gold trim. The blue brings out the hue in his eyes, turning them from a gray to a glacial blue, and his muscles bulge beneath the jacket. He makes a very sexy Beast.
I expect a look of indifference, or maybe a stilted smile. I’m not prepared for the startled expression. His eyes widen, and his lips part as he sucks in a breath. And then he stares. He stares, and he stares, and he stares. His surprise shifts to a reverent awe that he can’t mask.
Unexpected pleasure sweeps through me, and my cheeks heat. My gaze drops to my feet, and I fidget with my dress. I’m not usually timid, but even the most confident woman would be struck shy by the intensity of his admiration. I thought Sebastian wasn’t attracted to me, but I like it. It’s a heady feeling to know that I’ve caught the eye of a man as rich and powerful and standoffish as Sebastian Monroe.
Sebastian and I are both startled from our moment when James calls out, “That’s great. We got the shot. Vivian, go back inside and we’ll reposition the camera to do it again. Once more should do it.”
I go back inside and use the break to get ahold of myself. Sebastian has me flustered, and that’s dangerous. I’m not here to find love. Especially not with a jerk. I’ve dated way too many of them to fall for another one.
I repeat my walk out of the house, and this time they let me get all the way to the limo where Sebastian is waiting for me. He seems to have collected himself and greets me with a blank expression. “You ready?” he asks.
I am definitely not disappointed by the almost cold greeting.
I nod, and he opens the limo door for me. Before I can climb in, James stops me. “Hold on, guys.” He gives Sebastian an exasperated look. “That’s how you greet her?”
Sebastian responds with a frown that seems to say, What’s wrong with that? I almost laugh at his cluelessness. I don’t, though, because I can’t tell if he’s really that oblivious or if he just doesn’t care.
James groans and points to the front door of the mansion. “Do it again. This time with a kiss or an embrace, or something. At least tell her she looks beautiful.”
Sebastian glares at James, and I roll my eyes as I make my way back to the front door. This time, when I head toward Sebastian, he’s scowling. At least he’s not annoyed with me at the moment. I don’t want to be here all night—I’d hate to be late to the ball because James was making us greet each other over and over again—so I force a smile on my face and lean in when Sebastian ducks to kiss my cheek. When he pulls back, he makes a sarcastic face at James, silently yet rudely asking if he’s happy. James motions for him to keep going. Sebastian glares at him, then looks down at me again. “You look beautiful,” he grumbles.
I can’t help the snort that escapes me. My laughter earns me a glower from Mr. Grumpy Pants. “What’s so funny?”
I cock a brow at him. “That sounded like it literally caused you pain to say.”
He clenches his jaw and looks away from me. “I don’t like being forced to compliment someone.”
Wow. Okay. So, maybe that look when he first saw me wasn’t as awestruck as I’d imagined. “Gee. You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
His eyes snap back to me, and his frown turns to disdain. “Is that what you want? A man who placates you and regales you with false flattery?”
I scoff again. “What I want is to spend the evening with a man who actually wants to go out with me. But, alas, here we are.”
“I didn’t say?—”
“Can we just go? I don’t want to be late.”
Sebastian huffs and opens the limo door. I climb in, and we wait for the camera crew to follow us into the car. It’s a bit of a drive from Malibu to the hotel where the ball is being held. Most of it is spent in tense silence. We’re sitting beside each other in the back of a limo, each looking out our own windows.
I lean my forehead against the cool glass and let out a small sigh. I’m disappointed. I’ve worked hard on this ball. I was really looking forward to it, but the magic of the night is kind of gone thanks to my reluctant date and eager camera crew.
“Are you all right?” Sebastian asks suddenly.
I sit up and roll my stiff shoulders. “I’m fine.”
Sebastian turns slightly toward me. He studies my face with a frown. “Something’s bothering you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I know it’s not nothing.”
I glare at him. “Okay, it’s not nothing. I’ve spent almost a year planning this event. It means a lot to me. I really wanted to enjoy it.” I gesture toward him and then toward James’s crew. “Instead, I’m going to spend it with a date who doesn’t like me and cameras shoved in my face.”
I turn away from him again and go back to staring out the window. I’m acting like a baby. I know this. But I can’t help it. I wanted tonight to be magical.
The silence stretches out again.
“I like you.”
I turn back to him, blinking in disbelief, barely resisting the urge to scoff. He rakes his hand through his hair and shrugs. “I don’t want to be here, but it has nothing to do with you.”
I let out a bitter laugh, close my eyes, and shake my head. “That makes me feel so much better.”
“I’m not good at this,” he insists, frustration seeping into his tone.
I catch his gaze. “At what? Dating?”
He rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands and lets out a rough breath. “Dating,” he agrees. “Being social. Dealing with cameras. All of it.” He shoots a dark look filled with bitterness at the camera. “I’m a very private person. I don’t know how to deal with any of this. I hate it.”
“That makes two of us,” I mutter.
My mood perks up when we get to the hotel. I’m here. All of my hard work is about to pay off. I’m not going to let this less-than-ideal circumstance ruin it for me. I try my best to ignore the camera and pretend the slight curve to Sebastian’s lips is an actual smile when he helps me from the car. He’s enough of a gentleman to offer me his arm as we walk inside and make our way through the lobby of the luxurious hotel to the grand ballroom.
Excitement fills me, and I gasp as we walk through the doors. The room is everything I’d hoped for. I wasn’t around to oversee any of the last preparations or the setup, but it came together perfectly. The hall has high ceilings with grand, sparkling chandeliers casting soft lighting around the room. Tables have been set up around a dance floor. Near the front of the room is a raised dais with a small symphony orchestra playing elegant music. Above them is a large screen showing a slideshow of all the children the foundation has placed over the years, and off to the side is a podium. All around the room, large, white pillars and lush, green fauna have been staged and covered with white twinkle lights, giving everything a dreamlike feel.
There’s already a good portion of the guests present, and they’ve all taken the fairy-tale theme to heart. Princesses in beautiful ball gowns and sparkling tiaras are accompanied by dashing men in princely tuxedoes. It’s perfect.
Sebastian is quiet beside me. He stoically takes in the scene, and I hold my breath as I wait for his reaction. I’m not sure why I care. He’s a billionaire. His family has their own charity. He’s probably been to a million work functions and fundraisers like this. Does this one meet his standards? I find myself wanting his approval, but I’m too chicken to ask what he thinks. I clear my throat. “I guess we should find our seats, and then I should probably find the people in charge and let them know I’m here.”
He slides his glance my way. “Whatever you need. This is your night.”
The response surprises me. He said it without an ounce of annoyance or condescension. It was sincere and thoughtful. Maybe this won’t be the disaster I’m expecting.