Make Me Over_ Getting Real - Leslie Kelly [54]
“So what’s this change in plans?” Drew asked, returning his attention to the director.
“We’re so close to the end, and we feel it’s imperative to really put the ladies to the test. To see how they function in a social setting, one-on-one.”
Drew wasn’t listening too closely, he was still too focused on his thoughts of Tori. Of them. So he mumbled, “Good idea.”
Like he cared. His heart had never been in this game, and now his mind wasn’t, either. He just couldn’t wait to get it over with.
Funny, he’d come here for two reasons—to raise money for his charity and to see his theories put to practical use. Not to lose his mind over a woman he’d only known a few weeks. Not to give in to the most powerful sexual urge he’d ever experienced on the floor of a greenhouse.
Certainly not to fall in love.
But that, he very much suspected, was what had happened. He was in love and in lust and out-of-his-mind crazy about sassy race-car driver Tori Lyons. Everyone else in this house could do whatever they wanted with this TV nonsense. All he wanted was to get it over with and get on with his life with Tori. Because one way or another, she would be in his life.
“I’m glad you agree,” Niles said. “Because we’ve decided an appropriate test would be for the ladies to each go on a mock ‘date.’”
Date. Date? His jaw stiffened. This little pissant wanted to send Tori out on a date with some other man?
Over his dead body.
“Forget it,” he snapped. Then he realized, instantly recognizing the problems with Monahan’s idea. “It’s not like there’s anybody around here for her…for them…to go out with. Unless you’re going to hire someone, and I don’t think the network people are going to want their lady fair escorted by some gigolo male escort.”
Miles smiled thinly. “Of course you’re right. Which is why, you see, we’ve come up with the perfect solution.”
Drew waited, sensing he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear.
“You’re a well-spoken, well-dressed bachelor. And you’d be in the perfect position to judge their performance. It’s truly in everyone’s best interest.”
Drew was already shaking his head before the man even finished his sentence. “No. No way.”
“You wouldn’t be going on a real date, you’d simply be continuing the ‘outings’ one-on-one. Think of it as a private tutoring lesson—I hear you don’t mind giving those.”
Drew’s eyes narrowed. “You insinuating something?”
Monahan sniffed again and drew a hand to his chest as he protested his innocence. “Of course not. Your efforts with these women are both admirable and remarkable. This show is going to do exactly what you hoped it would. The extreme social-makeover hit of the season.”
For the sake of the charity—and book sales, he had to admit—Drew hoped so. But there was still no frigging way he was going on a date with one of the women on this show. No way.
“Your first outing will be this evening,” Monahan said, still ignoring Drew’s refusal. “You can go to the country-club dance, as scheduled.”
Drew shook his head again, but Monahan pressed on. “With Miss Lyons.”
And suddenly, Drew realized, the idea wasn’t such a bad one.
Not bad at all.
9
A S SHE’D EXPECTED , Tori was given absolutely no choice about what she’d wear, how she’d do her hair, her makeup, her shoes, criminy, even her underwear. But as she stood in front of the floor-length mirror in her room early Sunday evening, she couldn’t bring herself to care. “Is that really me?” she murmured, unable to believe her own eyes.
In her regular life, Tori was used to wearing jeans, flannel shirts and engineer boots. She had one plain black dress for funerals, and a blue one that did okay for weddings. The highest shoes she ever wore were one-inch pumps. But now…“I don’t even recognize myself.”
The dress was gold. Simple and perfect, a long straight, tight sheath that was held up by tiny sparkly spaghetti straps at the top. It glistened all the way down to the floor, where her painted toenails peeked out from strappy matching sandals. She resembled one of the long, shiny gold Christmas