Chapter Seventeen
Cliff
While the contestants inside the store had been searching for outfits that met the criteria of the challenge, I had been relegated to drinking coffee on the bus with Emilio and the camera and sound crews.
Emilio had spent most of his time on the phone with his agent, and the rest of the men talked to each other about sports and families.
I might as well have been sitting alone.
“Okay, the boys are ready,” Marv announced once he stepped onto the bus.
“Cliff, you’ll be taken to the dressing rooms. As each curtain is pulled back, one of the contestants will be dressed in something that they hope you find sexy, and they’ll explain how their choice reflects their personality or desires.
Even for those guys that don’t hit the mark, be encouraging.
We don’t want viewers guessing who’s already out of the running. ”
“And considering they’re making themselves vulnerable, I wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings,” I added.
Marv shook his head. “Actually, that would make for good television. But whatever negative observations you have, save them for the finale. Then hit them hard. I think you could make Dani or Mikey cry if you insult them, which would be a social media moment later.”
Jackass. They chose the wrong bachelor if they were supposed to treat everyone like trash. I rose from my seat and followed Marv off the bus, the rest of the team behind me.
Once we were inside the store, where the lights and mics had already been set up outside the dressing rooms, Emilio took his place in front of the first curtain.
“Ready and action!” Marv called out.
“As Cliff continues…on his journey to love, we reach the exciting portion of the program where each contestant reveals more of themselves—both desires and skin,” Emilio said to the camera. “Or, at least we hope there’ll be more skin, don’t we, Cliff?”
I was supposed to play along, but I thought agreeing would make me look like a pervert. “I’m sure the viewers do.”
“The mission is for each contestant to dress the way they envision a sexy Sunday with Cliff,” Emilio informed the viewers.
“Let’s see how they did. Our first reveal is Dani.
” With that, Emilio tugged the curtain open.
Dani stood in a pink thong, black sneakers and was sucking on a lollipop in a way that made my cheeks heat.
“I wish I had something bigger and tastier to suck on,” Dani said with a pout after removing the candy from his mouth. He licked his plump, red lips provocatively. “If you choose me, I’ll show you what I mean…every Sunday and every other day of the week.”
Yeah, everyone knows what you mean, Dani.
And they might be wondering if they accidentally flipped on an adult movie channel.
To ratchet up the saltiness, Dani turned to face the wall, tilting his head back with a ‘come hither’ look.
For a rather skinny boy, he had a voluptuous butt, which I forced my eyes from.
“Uh, this will be censored, right?” I asked to nobody.
“It’s cable, Cliff. The viewers get to enjoy Dani as much as you,” Emilio reminded me. “And the boy’s got it going on, huh?”
I had the feeling that each contestant was free to exit the dressing room once the reveal was over, but I stepped forward and closed the curtain on Dani. “You can get dressed now, Dani. Thank you. Er, nice job.”
Nice job? I could imagine the screams of laughter coming from Mitch, Adam and Keller when they were finally allowed to watch the show.
Emilio was befuddled by my actions but moved to the second curtain at Marv’s urging.
“All right, then, let’s see who’s hiding behind curtain number two,” he said with feigned excitement.
“Ready, contestant?” Without waiting for a response, Emilio pulled away the fabric.
Ted stood in a non-descript sleeveless athletic shirt and pair of equally boring sweat shorts.
Perhaps to make up for his lack of creativity, he flexed his biceps.
Even Emilio couldn’t hide his disappointment. “So, Ted, what exactly are you trying to communicate with this…outfit?”
Ted shrugged. “Well… I figured if it was a Sunday at Cliff’s, we’d probably just have worked out and might be sitting down to watch a game on television.”
“And that would lead to something spicy between the two of you?” Emilio prodded, trying to get the man to confess something titillating.
Ted almost grimaced. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Damned producers. It was even clearer to me now that Aaron wasn’t the only straight guy they’d thrown into the mix. I wondered how many more were putting on an act.
Emilio frowned for a second, then replastered his phony smile. “Thank you, Ted. Let’s move to curtain three, shall we?”
When the drape was pulled, it was Aaron.
Straight guy number two. He was decked out in a short-sleeve, unbuttoned baseball shirt—showing off his nicely muscled chest and abs.
The baseball pants were as tight as spandex, hugging his narrow hips and perfect legs.
The tease hadn’t zipped up, exposing the waistband of a white jock strap.
He’d accessorized with white socks and sneakers, and a backwards baseball cap on his head.
I couldn’t help but smile. Aaron was the epitome of how to make cute sexy.
“Very nice,” I commented. “Would we be playing baseball?”
Aaron shrugged before grinning. “If it was just the two of us, maybe a game of catch. Followed by a game of…catch me.”
Right. A game where I could chase forever unsuccessfully. That didn’t sound like much fun for me.
“Well, you look…” I appraised him some more, thinking he really was beautiful.
“Hot?” Emilio finished.
“Yes. Very,” I agreed. Aaron smiled.
“Speaking of catch,” Emilio added, “I’ll bet Aaron is ready to play catcher to your pitcher.”
It was obvious Aaron didn’t know what Emilio meant, and I was thankful for that. The poor guy would be mortified. I figured it was best to move us along. “Who’s next?”
Emilio walked us to the next booth, where Alex stood wearing surgical scrubs and gloves, minus the shirt. His skin was perfection.
“You would role play doctor?” Emilio asked with a wink.
Alex appeared puzzled. “Role play? No, I would give Cliff an actual exam.” He turned to me. “Because I can tell good health is important to you.”
“Oh. Yeah, sure,” I muttered, still wondering if the guy’s continued seriousness was a gag he was playing. “But then, why no shirt?”
He glanced down at his chest as if forgetting it was exposed. “They said to look sexy.”
I nodded. “Yes, well, you do.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
Emilio jumped in. “And you could check out Cliff’s most private places.”
I blushed, but Alex seemed unfazed.
“To be thorough, of course,” he replied. “Testicle cancer is a leading cause of death among men Cliff’s age.”
“Alrighty then,” Emilio cut in. “Let’s move on to our next contestant.”
When the drape was pulled, Mikey stood, pretending to read a magazine.
I was surprised he was bold enough to wear a pair of pajama bottoms low enough that he exposed where his thighs met his hips.
He had donned a pair of reading glasses, and the print on the sleepwear was whimsical in the right way.
The guy looked more adorable every time I laid eyes on him.
He looked up, swallowing hard, clearly wondering if he looked hot or foolish. I smiled and nodded, earning a shy grin in return.
“Now that is a sexy man,” I said to eliminate any doubt he might have.
“Is this how you envision a Sunday with Cliff?” Emilio asked.
Mikey closed the magazine and held it in front of his crotch, even though there was nothing revealing about the pajamas. “Yes. I noticed you have a library with lots of books, so I figured you must like to read. I do, too.”
“Well, I would certainly enjoy time in the library with you dressed like that,” I offered. “Maybe reading together while you sit on my lap.” I had forgotten that people I knew would be watching, and flushed as I realized how suggestive that sounded.
His eyes went wide, then the corner of his mouth lifted. “Maybe.”
I coughed. “Um, great choice, Mikey. You look…amazing.”
Mikey appeared grateful. I smirked as he hiked up his pajama bottoms as soon as I began to walk away. Clearly, he had pushed himself out of his comfort zone to look sensual. Either his confidence had grown, or there had been an Aaron influence.
We walked a few steps to the next dressing room.
“Come out, come out, whoever you are,” Emilio teased before pushing the drape aside.
Brighton stood, a bashful smile on his face.
The man had found a cheap suit in the store, but it looked like the cliché million bucks on him.
In the spirit of sexiness, Brighton had the jacket and shirt totally unbuttoned, and the tie was undone and hanging loose from each collar tip.
He had his hands in the pockets of the slacks, which spread the shirt fabric enough that his chiseled torso was on view.
“Stunning,” I said.
Brighton smiled. “Well, it’s a suit made of the finest rayon and nylon, I’m told.”
I laughed. “Well, I’ve heard the man wearing it earns a living by making everything on him look amazing.”
Brighton bowed his head. “Very kind. So, I chose this because I figured that as two successful men of business, we’d likely be in formal wear a good deal.” His face brightened. “But once our work was done, I wouldn’t forget that my priority is you…and trying to look nice for you.”
He was the first to communicate that his actions would be to please me, and I found that touching. As great as Aaron and Mikey had done in the challenge, I knew Brighton would be the winner.
“I’d try hard to be attractive for you all the time, too,” I promised Brighton.
He looked me up and down. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have to try hard.”
I was feeling a bit giddy and sorry that we needed to move on to the last dressing room. Daryl was the only one we hadn’t heard from yet, and I imagined he would annoy me as he had been doing since I met him.