16
I stand by the water and chuckle.
My exceptional hearing had picked up the Australian’s exclamation when the ladies had arrived, and the cursing of others as they walked, barely dressed, along the shoreline towards where I stand.
No doubt when they arrive they’ll be on their best behaviour.
It’s nice, though, to know there are some real personalities among them.
After all, if I’m going to have to marry someone, it might as well be someone with wit and a sense of humour.
Apart from the Italian I hadn’t heard any evidence of this from the others, until tonight.
As they arrive I can’t help but raise an eyebrow at their clothing.
The evening is not freezing, but certainly not warm, and I would have thought given the nature of the challenge they are about to face, that sturdier clothing and some basic footwear might have been in order.
Only two of them are wearing dresses; the rest are in very revealing swimwear.
‘But then, what does it matter? They’ll die no matter what they wear.’
The thought sobers me, and I nod to each of them as they array themselves around me and await my instruction. I want to detail this challenge like I want a hole in the head. I’m literally about to tell them how to murder one another.
‘At least I don’t need to kill them, though, there’s that.’
I flick my eyes to Cherry and she gives me a knowing smirk, turning her neck to the side and revealing my bite marks. I may have agreed to nip these women, but seeing the marks on her neck, no matter how much I dislike her, makes me sick.
‘Fucking director with his fucking rules. Fucking Falcon. Fucking Game!’
I turn and nod to the director to get started. The less time I have to be here, the better.
‘And…Action!’
“Good evening, ladies.”
They murmur their replies, and I wait until they’re quiet before continuing.
The only one not focused on me as I start talking is the Italian.
She seems busy studying the water, looking for something.
I don’t know why she’s bothering; surely they’d been told that the challenge involves the forest on the mountainside above us?
“Let me begin by saying that I hadn’t expected you to come straight from the pool to your first challenge, but that I’m not at all averse to how you’re dressed.”
Giggles and flirty comments abound, but the Italian turns from the water to frown at me.
I go on, ignoring for the moment her intense glare. There’s something about her eyes that has disturbed me from the moment I met her.
“I feel I should tell you that the director was mostly joking about the snakes.”
“Thank Christ,” the Australian whispers.
“The snakes in the water are garter snakes and bullsnakes. They’re not venomous. They might give a nasty nip, but that’s about all.”
“I’m all for the nip,” the Mexican giggles, winking at me.
A few nod their agreement as I go on.
“But you don’t need to worry about them because you’re unlikely to be in the water tonight.”
There’s a collective gasp as the women all look at each other. The Georgian and the Mongolian, the only two not wearing swimwear, shoot each other satisfied looks.
“You do, however, need to be aware of the rattlesnakes. This area is known for them, and they are venomous.”
“Crap,” the Australian mutters.
“Your task tonight is to reach the top of the mountain and solve a puzzle. The clues to the puzzle and tips on how best to get to the top quickly are provided in these packs, along with some water,” I point to a pile of tiny khaki green backpacks stacked nearby.
“Each of you has a different clue. Whether you proceed as teams or individuals is up to you, but the more clues are shared, the easier it will be to solve the puzzle.”
“Cut!”
I frown and turn to the director.
“Yes?”
“Ah, Viscount, if you could just stick to the script we would very much appreciate it.”
“If you wanted the script to be read out you should have brought in that facetious little bastard, Starlen,” I scowl.
The director licks his lips nervously.
“Yes, ah, but the first competition is usually announced by the bachelor.”
“Then shut the fuck up and let me get on with it.”
He sighs and nods.
‘And… Action!’
“As you know,” I look back at the women.
“There can only be one winner. The person who solves the puzzle and gets back down here with the answer first, wins. You can’t return to me until you have the answer.
The last to come in will be eliminated. You have until ten minutes before dawn. That’s all you need to know.”
“Wait,” the Mexican interjects. “Is it a puzzle or a question? You said solve the puzzle, but then you said we had to give you an answer.”
“Cut!”
“For Christ’s sake, what now?”
The director rounds on the Mexican.
“Contestant, there’s no room for questions. Did I say you could ask questions? Did I?”
She blushes and looks down at her feet.
“No.”
He glares at her for a long minute before turning back to me.
“Ah, Viscount, as distasteful as you might find it, given your ah, sensibilities, you need to outline the task in full.”
“My sensibilities do not preclude me from ripping your throat out if you disrespect any of these women again, Mr Dott.”
“I’m very much aware of that, Viscount,” he stammers, “very much aware. I apologise. But the rules are the rules.”
Gritting my teeth I spin back to the women, noting most of them already have their eyes on the packs. All except the Italian, still staring, frowning, at the lake.
Following her gaze I see she’s most likely watching a boat far, far out in the distance. I don’t know why she’s bothering. I’ve just told her the task is in the mountains.
Perhaps sensing my attention she glances towards me, and I look away to concentrate on the task at hand. The sooner I get this over and done with, the sooner we can all go home.
“Like I said, if you team up, you’ll likely make it faster. Or you can go the other route and take the clue from another competitor by force. As usual, the only rule is that there are no rules. On my mark, head out.”
I know what the director wants me to say.
He wants me to encourage them to hunt one another, to shed some blood and get down and dirty.
But I won’t encourage that. I don’t need to.
Already some of the women are eyeing each other off like lions surrounding newborn wildebeests.
Only in this case even the wildebeests can be deadly.
Taking a deep breath, I complete the task of starting the first competition.
“Let the games begin. Good luck!”
The competitors lurch away immediately, all but two.
Cherry collects her pack before sauntering back to me, while the Italian walks calmly over to pick up the final remaining pack.
I can’t help but admire her body as she walks.
While all the competitors are nicely shaped, this one has the kind of curves a man craves.
Her swimsuit leaves nothing to the imagination. She’s a literal Venus.
‘But why is the woman always last?’
I don’t have time to ponder this, however, as Cherry approaches and looks up at me through her lashes.
“A kiss for good luck?” She asks coquettishly.
I flick my eyes across to the Italian where she’s knelt down to open her pack and peruse the contents. She’s the only one to think to do this, and I’m a little impressed. It would have been my first thought too.
As I draw the English contestant into my arms and kiss her soundly, the Italian sniggers and saunters off into the darkness.
Spinning the English contestant towards the forest, I give her ass a pat for good measure to push her in the right direction. Kissing her had felt like sucking on a kitchen sponge, but the director is grinning like a maniac behind the cameras.
‘That should keep him off my back for a while.’