Love 'Em or Leave 'Em (5 page)

"Because you love me and would do anything for me"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You creep. It is going to take a lot of chocolate for you to pay this one off."

"I'll have it ready and waiting the moment you get off the show. Heck, you may be free by this weekend."

"I'd better be! How am I going to survive in this mansion filled with love-starved beauty queens? They drive me nuts."

"You'll be fine. You always adapt well. Plus there are some very nice women there. I'm sure you'll make a friend or two"

"I suppose. I did meet two who are nice, but you should see some of them. One of them looks like she walked right out of a brothel. Oh, and another. Cricket! What is wrong with her parents? Who would name their kid 'Cricket'?"

"Her real name is Charlotte, and she's from a very nice family on the East Coast. Listen, I've got to run, but try to enjoy yourself. Who knows? You might even have fun."

Ashley flipped the phone shut. Fun. Sure. Then why did her stomach feel like it was sinking?

Ashley sat on her small bed, legs crossed. Rachel returned from the day at the zoo filled with information and ready to dish.

"Shelby, it turns out, is a genuine beauty-pageant girl." Rachel plopped on the edge of her bed.

"No big shocker there," Liz said.

"She came from a suburb of Dallas and grew up doing the beauty-contest circuit."

Ashley wasn't surprised. Shelby wore her blond hair long and highlighted to perfection. Her body was scary-amazing. Kind of like a Barbie look-alike.

"Her daddy's a plastic surgeon and he makes sure Shelby gets whatever she wants."

Liz and Ashley shared raised-eyebrow glances. Rachel continued, "Her perfect tiny nose was a sweetsixteen gift."

It sure put Ashley's birthdays to shame. She celebrated hers with a cheap dinner out with her alcoholic dad and his latest flame. If she lucked out, the flame would be at least a few years older than Ashley. One year, the girlfriend brought Ashley a rose. She'd been one of the better ones. Of course, she was never seen again. When Ashley had turned twenty-one, she'd wised up and put contact with her father on an asneeded basis, which meant funerals and weddings.

"Oh, and then there's Jenny," Rachel added. "She played touchy-feely the whole time. She sat next to Luke every possible minute, and snuggled up to him as though he were her personal security blanket."

"Sounds like that girl has some attachment issues," Liz joked.

"No kidding. When we were at the zoo, she took his hand, pulled his arm over her shoulder, and hugged him as they walked."

"Were you able to get any time with him?" Ashley asked.

"Not much. It was like prying a dog off a bone to get near him. Between the beauty queen and the canine it wasn't easy" Rachel's eyes lit up. "But he did manage to get me alone in the sky-cab flight across the zoo"

"Now you're talking. Spill it, babe. What happened? Don't leave out anything." Liz leaned in to catch every detail.

"It was fun. He is so funny" Rachel grinned and covered her face with her hands, visibly shaking. "He said he felt like a rooster in a hen house with Jenny and Shelby around. And he said he wanted to get me alone to see if I had a voice, since all he'd heard so far were Shelby and Jenny."

A lovesick girl replaced the intelligent, independent young woman who had hiked across Central America. Ashley was surprised at the transformation.

"He is so handsome, and he's always aware of everyone around him. Even with the film crews and women positioning for his attention, he always spoke to all of us and kept us entertained."

More likely he is a womanizer and revels in all the attention. Why else would some good-looking rich guy agree to go on a show where he would be fought over and followed around by camera crews every minute? He was probably some exhibitionist who needed to be the center of attention.

"I'm glad you had such a great time." Ashley gave Rachel a big hug. It was nice to see her happy to be a part of the show.

One good thing Ashley learned: there was no shortage of competitive women wanting to win over Luke. Most likely, he would never get a minute alone without two or three bombshells surrounding him. It would give her every opportunity to keep her distance and fade into the background. With any luck, she wouldn't get a rose at the next ceremony and could collect her paycheck and go home.

"How's it hanging, bro?"

"Let me tell you, little brother. This is rougher than playing the Vikings at the dome."

"You jerk. You're swimming in gorgeous women and all you want to talk about is the Vikings?"

"Like I said, it's rough. Every time I turn around there's another one comin' at me. Some hit high, and some hit low. There're a lot of personal fouls going uncalled." Just talking to Mike made him feel better. There was nothing Luke liked more than to yank his brother's chain.

Luke heard Mike's wife in the background asking if he'd found anyone he liked yet. "Susan wants to know if you got lucky." Mike said.

"I did not!" Luke heard her yell back.

"Sounds like you're hating every minute of it too. So, 'less up. Did you?"

"No, but there are a couple who are trying. It keeps the game interesting." He'd bet money he could land any one of them if he wanted to. That was the question. Did he want to? He'd spent the past seven years doing exactly that. His life was too shallow, too predictable. But on the other hand, it was simple, with no strings attached.

"You're so lucky. Why is it you always have all the fun while I'm left here to deal with the crap?"

"If I recall correctly, Mike, you're the one who cornered me into this deal." At first Luke had been angry about Mike's underhandedness. But after some consideration, he'd wondered if it might be a gift in disguise. If he wanted it to be, that is. Problem was, he wasn't sure what he wanted.

"Yes I did, and I'm proud of it. You can thank me later."

"It'll be a cold day"

"So, anyone promising? Any future wife-material?"

"Why is it you're always trying to get me married?"

"What can I say? Misery loves company"

Mike was the happiest man Luke knew. He and Susan had fallen in love as college students and were still going strong. They were quite a pair. They fought hard and loved hard. Always with laughter blended in.

"I've got enough misery thinking about how we lost in the playoffs"

"Come on, you lost the bet fair and square. Now you're obligated to give this the `Luke Townsend try.' If ever you've been in a situation to find the right woman, this could be it."

"Yeah, well, we'll see. I'm here-you should be glad"

"No complaints, man. I just want you to take advantage of the situation. The woman of your dreams could be in the group."

"I highly doubt there is a woman anywhere who could compete with my dreams. But I get the point. You and the family want me to settle down and act like a grown-up"

"Oh, you've got the grown-up part down, but you have definite issues in staying with a relationship."

Luke agreed, but relationships had never been his strong point.

"I've never found anyone worth staying loyal to. I keep telling you guys to give it time."

"Mom just worries about you staying single forever. She says you've been afraid of women ever since Crystal"

"Oh please, don't start that again," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

Early in his career, a beautiful woman had sucker punched him. He'd thought she was perfect. Instead she had turned out to be a conniving opportunist waiting to cash in on his sudden fame and fortune. He'd been ready to do the picket-fence thing, complete with a houseful of kids. Luckily, he'd figured her out in time. He'd lost fifteen thousand dollars on the ring and a whole lot of pride. Since then, trust and commitment needed to be earned.

"Tell Mom I'm fine and the only attachment issues I have are to ESPN and golf. And the last thing I am is lonely. Where there's one, there's seven, and the way they dress is enough to make a man go blind."

"You jerk."

"Sucks to be me-what can I say?"

"Anyone catching your attention?"

"There are a few interesting ones, but it's too early. Tell you what, you'll be the first to know. Hey, I've got to run. The car is here and I'm taking two beauties to the Padres game."

"Yeah, well, the space shuttle is here to fly me to the moon."

"Catch you later."

Howmanybimbosdoesit take to sack a quarterback?

Luke was outnumbered and soon to be outmanned if he didn't watch his step. Jenny, the snuggler, was planted firmly at his hip. Wherever Luke went, Jenny followed, with puppy-dog eyes and clingy anus he couldn't seem to get away from. Several others surrounded the two of them, each of those women also vying for Luke's attention.

Ashley was seated with Rachel and Liz, watching the nuances of the game unfold from their lounge chairs a safe distance away, across the pool.

"Here comes trouble" Rachel pointed to the pool entrance.

Sure enough, Tami sauntered right into the thick of the harem.

"That woman has weapons and isn't afraid to use them," Ashley said.

Dressed in her skimpy black bathing suit and sheer cover-up, Tami prowled over to Luke in her spikeheeled sandals. They looked better suited for a fashion show than a pool party. Standing before him, she slowly slid her cover-up off her shoulders and tossed it directly at him.

"Want to take a dip?" she said in a low throaty voice. "I'm hot."

One corner of Luke's mouth tilted up. Without looking, he pushed the cover-up into Jenny's hands, his eyes remaining solely on Tami. He pulled off his T-shirt, stepped forward, and flung it over the girls' heads. It landed on an empty chair. He took Tami by the waist and led her to the deep end of the pool. After giving each other an I-know-what-you're-thinking grin, they dove into the clear, cool water of the pool.

So that's how the pros do it.

"Did you see that?" Liz asked sitting upright in her chair. "She is the reason women get no respect"

"Wow," Rachel exclaimed. "I never thought anyone could get him away from Jenny."

"I've never seen women act the way they do around him," added Ashley. "They're like a herd of lovesick cows."

"Thanks," said Rachel. "You think I'm a cow!"

Rachel's crush on Luke was getting more serious by the minute.

"No, not you. You weren't over there sniffing around him like the others. Just look at them. They look like they just lost their best friend. I think Gwen might actually cry"

Gwen was the fourth roommate in their tiny room, and she truly was mooning over Luke. Her pale blond hair reached down to her waist, and large cornflower blue eyes dominated her face. She looked like one of those paintings where the little girl's big eyes took up half her face, and always wore a pleading look. She desperately wanted Luke's attention, but so far hadn't gotten more than a cursory wave or casual smile in passing. Gwen just wasn't aggressive enough to play the game. Now she stood at the side of the circle of women as they all watched Tami and Luke frolic together in the water. Gwen seemed so disappointed, but obviously didn't have the nerve to jump in with them.

"How am I supposed to compete with that?" Rachel complained as Tami dove below the water, her shapely bottom popping out of the water as she went down. "She is the reason he never notices me!"

"You!" Ashley piped in. "At least you're cute, spunky, and tan. I feel like the ugly stepsister of the group"

"Oh please," Liz said. "You're beautiful in your own way."

"Ouch! That's hitting below the belt"Ashley cringed. "It's like the nice-personality thing" I know I'm not drop-dead gorgeous, but I'm certainly not plain enough to have to rely only on my personality.

"No," Rachel interrupted. "She means you're more like the girl next door. Right, Liz?"

"Exactly. You have natural beauty. Most of these girls are artificially beautiful. Their hair is processed, their skin has been bronzed, and they have implants. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if most of them vomit to stay thin."

"Eww, please tell me you don't mean that," Ashley replied. "That is so wrong."

Horrified, she looked over at Rachel and Liz. "You don't make yourself vomit, do you?"

"Are you insane? I've earned this great bod," Rachel said. "All it takes is staying on the move. Being a poor starving traveler doesn't hurt either."

Liz agreed. "Yup, I can thank my parents for my great bone structure and naturally high metabolism." Ashley took in Liz's long svelte body. She was about five feet ten and as lean as they came. On the bright side, kids in school had probably called her "bean pole"

"Well, I am not going to leave my fate to a bunch of overprocessed airheads," Rachel said, standing up and stepping to the side of the pool. "I make my own rules and I will not be overlooked" She tossed her sunglasses onto her chair and dove into the pool with Luke and Tami.

Not to be outdone, others jumped into the pool too. Even book-smart Liz wasn't going to be left out.

"Come on, Ashley. Join the party," Liz urged as she jumped in.

Ashley sat on the sidelines and smiled at their antics. Everyone was having a great time. She couldn't help but laugh. Luke was having a ball as well. No longer cornered by any one person, he was part of a splashingand-dunking party.