Falling Fast (12 page)

Everyone showered and changed and then met back up at Brandon’s mansion at 9pm.

Joe greeted all of the women with a hug and a kiss, which Brandon thought was rather forward of the producer, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

While the women helped themselves to glasses of champagne from the bartender, Joe pulled Brandon into a private room with no cameras. “I take it you enjoyed your private date with Alexa in Napa?”

Brandon made certain his poker face was firmly on. “It was great.”

“And I’m sure that we won’t have any more problems in the future with door locks?” Joe said menacingly.

Brandon forced an innocent grin onto his lips. “I doubt it.”

“Your wild-card for tonight is Shelby.”

“Couldn’t you pick somebody else? Anybody else?”

“I’m afraid not. Thousands of viewers have been placing bets on the Internet regarding when and where Shelby and Alexa are going to pull each other’s hair out.”

Brandon rolled his eyes. “Look, I know you think their problems with each other are good for ratings, but isn’t there some other way you could keep people interested?”

Joe stood up, effectively putting an end to their private discussion. “Make sure she’s in your final three.”

Brandon fumed. He hated how Shelby behaved with Alexa and he dreaded Alexa’s reaction when he allowed Shelby to stay tonight. Sighing loudly, Brandon got up and prepared to break seven women’s hearts, absolutely certain of one thing: Hell had nothing on this show.

* * *

Once everyone was seated on the plush couches, Joe said, “Ladies, I hope you all had a perfect day in San Francisco with Mr. Right,” looking smug as the women murmured their agreement. “Tonight Brandon must choose three lucky ladies who will be receiving an 18 carat gold heart charm bracelet and going on to the next round of dates.”

Brandon cleared his throat. “I know I sound like a broken record, but I want to thank each and every one of you for coming here to meet me. You are all amazing, intelligent, and the perfect catch for some lucky guy”

Alexa was stunned by the honest affection in Brandon’s expression. Judging by the unabashed adoration she saw in her fellow contestant’s eyes, she knew that his speech had met its mark.

She hated how nervous she was. Even though Brandon said he had strong feelings for her, what if he had given the same speech to everyone? Sure, the other women had been complaining that he hadn’t kissed any of them, but what if they were lying, just as she had?

Worst of all, Alexa could no longer deny the awful truth: She desperately wanted the bracelet. She hardly even cared about her story any more, she was so consumed with wanting to be with Brandon.

During their tour of San Francisco, she had stayed as far away from him as possible, afraid that if she got too close, she would have thrown herself onto him, pleading, “Take me, big boy!”

She snorted at the ridiculous image and everyone turned to look at her. She put her hand over her mouth and grimaced.

“Sorry. Please continue.”

Brandon picked up the first delicate gold bracelet. “Brigit,” he said with a smile.

Alexa’s friend jumped up and bounced over to Brandon. In spite of her initial attempts to keep an emotional distance from the other contestants, her friendship with Brigit had continued to deepen over the past week. In fact, Alexa was amazed by how much fun she had with the other women while touring through San Francisco. She hadn’t suspected that one of the upsides to being on the TV show would be making new friends with women who accepted her as cool and fun at face value. Since college, she’d only spent time with other women who wanted to further the feminist cause. And on the rare occasions when she didn’t agree with their politics, she’d been cut cold from their lives.

While Alexa was contemplating her unexpected new friendships, Brandon reached for the next bracelet. “Shelby,” he said, looking slightly disgusted.

Shelby gasped in mock surprise. She wiggled her hips way too much while making her way towards Brandon in impossibly high, bright pink heels.

How could he have possibly chosen Shelby?

The question was on everyone’s lips as the women exchanged confused glances with one another. It was the icing on the cake when Shelby threw her arms around Brandon and pressed a kiss onto his lips.

Never before had Alexa felt such unadulterated hatred for someone. It seethed through her veins and made the tips of her fingers burn with the urge to strangle the redhead.

Wondering how anyone in his right mind could possibly pick someone like Shelby over seven accomplished, friendly, beautiful women, she barely heard Brandon say, “Alexa.”

Unwanted joy shot through her veins. Yet again, her brain had made a logical decision and her heart was betraying her by ignoring it.

Vowing to keep tighter reins on her emotions, she smiled and walked up to Brandon. She reached out her arm and he brushed his fingers lightly over her wrists as he closed the small clasp, sending a shiver through her. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she stood perfectly still, willing herself to be unaffected by his touch.

She felt his warm breath on her face and her body swayed towards him. He pressed his lips to her skin and Alexa felt more alive, more attuned to every touch, sound, and smell than ever before.

Joe cleared his throat, reminding her where she was, and just barely managed to turn away from Brandon’s scalding hot gaze. She walked back to the couch on shaky legs.

How was she going to protect herself from Brandon? How was she ever going to be able to go back to the life she had been perfectly happy with before?

All she had ever wanted was to make a difference in the world with her writing. But now, everything had changed.

Alexa Atkison, dedicated feminist, had never wanted anything as bad as she wanted Brandon Philips.

* * *

Alexa, Brigit and Shelby had been told to wait in the living room of their mansion at 4

pm the next day to await information on their next dates with Brandon. By the time Joe entered the room, the tension was so thick she could have cut through it with one of Shelby’s claws.

“Ladies,” Joe said in his smarmy I’m-on-TV-voice, “I’m sure you are very excited about what we have in store for your next date with Mr. Right.”

Alexa forced herself to nod vapidly. On the contrary, she was increasingly anxious about being alone with Brandon again, not sure if she could handle another intimate, romantic dinner without giving in to her growing sexual urges.

“Each of you will be taking Brandon home to meet your family this week.”

Alexa snapped to attention. “Excuse me?” she said, hoping she had heard wrong. “He’s going to meet our families?”

“He certainly is. In fact, we’ve already set up the details for each date.”

Alexa shot up out of her seat and clenched her hands into fists at her side. “I can’t take him home,” she blurted out.

Joe approached her, stroking her back in a nauseatingly familiar way. “Sophie and Melanie are waiting on pins and needles to meet Brandon tonight.”

“Tonight?” she exclaimed, her eyes wild with anxiety.

“I’m sure you’ll have a great time,” he said and walked over to Brigit and Shelby. “Now if you two will come with me, I’ll fill you in on the travel details for your dates.” He turned to Alexa. “The limo will pick you up at 5pm. Have fun tonight.”

Alexa dropped back onto the couch on wobbly legs. She couldn’t believe her run of bad luck. First she got assigned to infiltrate the most asinine show on TV, then she actually started falling for the incredibly hot leading man, and now she had to deal with her mother and sister fawning and drooling all over him.

Vowing to stop feeling sorry for herself, she dragged herself up off of the couch. She had less than one hour to get ready. Plus, she desperately needed to figure out a way to convince them not say a word about her job with
ROAR
, without spilling the beans about her undercover assignment.

Maybe, she thought, she’d tell them that she didn’t want to scare him off by telling him that she was a feminist. Oh yes, she thought, that was a line of reasoning they would definitely understand.

Alexa reached for the most outrageous dress in the closet without hesitation. She’d be damned if she’d let Sophie or Mel outshine her tonight.

* * *

Brandon had been trying, rather unsuccessfully, to calm down during the ten minute limo ride to meet Alexa’s family. He wasn’t worried about making a good impression – he had never had any trouble charming the families of his girlfriend – but he was anxious to see Alexa again.

He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that even though he’d had to choose three women in the last heart ceremony, she was the only woman he wanted.

Thinking about how much he wanted her didn't do a damn thing to calm him down, though, so he turned his thoughts away from Alexa’s luscious body and concentrated on his plan for dealing with Brigit and Shelby. He figured Brigit’s family would be sweet and unassuming like her, but if Shelby was anything to go by, her family was going to tear him to shreds and cook him up in a casserole.

Alexa appeared at the door of her mother’s house looking even more beautiful than ever.

Brandon forgot all about Brigit and Shelby. He had assumed there was no way she could outshine their Napa Valley date, but he was wrong. Really wrong.

She stepped out onto the porch and spun around for him in a slow pirouette. A pale rose silk sheath, her dress hardly covered more skin than a slip from Victoria Secret. Small straps from the deeply plunging neckline crisscrossed her taut shoulders, slid across her completely bare back, finally meeting more silk at the very top of her rear end.

Brandon finally got control of himself and strode up to her. Not bothering to say hello, he threaded his hands into her unbound hair, and kissed her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer.

“I think we’re going to need to turn on the air conditioning Sophie, because it’s really hot out here!”

Their sensual spell now broken into a million shards, Brandon let Alexa disentangle herself from his embrace. Her cheeks were burning as she whirled around. “I can’t believe how rude you are, Mel!”

Brandon moved to smooth things over. “Hi there. I’m Brandon. You must be Alexa’s sister, Melanie,” he said with an outstretched hand. No doubt about it, Alexa’s sister was definitely a looker. Long blonde hair, even longer, tanned legs, and large breasts. But Brandon didn’t think there were any grounds for comparison.

Her sister caught him off guard by ignoring his outstretched hand, instead throwing herself around him in an exuberant hug. “Call me Mel.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Brandon noted that Alexa was getting more and more upset by the second. But instead of saying anything more to her sister, the woman of his dreams stalked inside the house and slammed the door. Suddenly, he was alone with Mel, who reminded him of a barracuda.

Kind of like all of the women he had ever dated before Alexa.

“I just have to know,” Mel said conspiratorially, linking her arm in his, “what kind of spell have you put on her?”

“Spell?”

Mel shrugged. “We always sort of assumed she was a lesbian.”

Brandon stopped dead in his tracks. “A lesbian?” he said, utterly disbelieving that anyone would think Alexa was gay. If her response to his kisses was anything to go by, she unquestionably preferred men.

Mel laughed. “Oops. I mean, never mind. She’s obviously completely hetero around you. What girl wouldn’t be?”

The door opened and a very well-preserved woman stepped out onto the porch. Alexa’s mother had to be in her mid to late forties, but she didn’t look a day over thirty-five. Practically a carbon copy of Melanie, the only difference was a slightly more elegant polish to her blonde coif. Her outfit – a gold sheath dress that brushed the tops of her kneecaps – was, likewise, just a bit more stylish than the tight black piece of stretchy fabric that Mel was wearing in place of a dress.

“You must be Brandon.” Her gold bangles clinked on her extended hand. “It is such a delight to finally meet one of Alexa’s boyfriends. Please, call me Sophie.”

Brandon shook Sophie’s hand. “It’s great to meet you. I’ve really been looking forward to meeting Alexa’s family.” He grinned and added, “You know, looking through the family photo albums. Seeing how cute she was in first grade.”

Sophie ignored his comments about family photo albums, saying, “We’ve been dying to meet you too.” He felt slightly uncomfortable as Sophie devoured him with a long, slow perusal.

Her inspection started at the tips of his shoes, lingered around his midsection, and finally ended at the top of his head.

Alexa poked her head out of the door. “Stop torturing him,” she said. “Brandon, come inside and let’s eat. I’m starved.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Some things never change. I’ve always told her, boys don’t like a girl who eats so much. But does she listen? No.” With a sigh, she complained, “But I’m just her mother, so what do I know?”

Brandon leapt to Alexa’s defense. “Personally, I’d rather be with a woman who eats, than one who’s always on a diet.”

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “I see,” she said through tight lips.

I can’t believe I just pissed off the mother of the woman I’m going to marry,
he thought to himself.
Nice move, chump.

Brandon looked up at Alexa to see if she was angry with him for arguing with her mother, but instead she beamed at him with gratitude. He slipped in the door behind her, and she reached for his hand. Giving it a quick squeeze, she whispered, “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Tell us,” Sophie said, as she took a small bite of her salad, “what do you do for a living, Brandon?”

Brandon swallowed then said, “I own a company called the Idea Factory.”

“Oooo,” Melanie breathed. “I’ll bet you make lots of money.”

Alexa dropped her head onto her chest, clearly embarrassed by her sister’s comments.

Brandon just laughed and said, “I do all right.”

“Alexa’s father was an entrepreneur,” Sophie said, a new glow in her eyes, as she assessed him even more thoroughly than she had in front of the house. Brandon felt like he should show her his report cards from elementary school. No doubt about it, Alexa’s mother was one tough cookie.
Must be where she gets it from
, he thought fondly as he glanced over at Alexa.