Make Me Over_ Getting Real - Leslie Kelly [62]
The man was talking fast, as if nervous, and Drew could figure why. No matter what the hell the director called it, these little “outings” looked like dates, smelled like dates and were, for all practical purposes, dates. That and the way the director had said the last days would focus on the girls and him really put his back up.
Then he looked out the window and saw the snow falling, steady and thick, and realized the director did, indeed, have a problem. Drew smiled, not about to complain if snow forced the cancellation of all of these final dates, since he’d thought the idea a ridiculous one to begin with. He’d gone on the one he wanted to—with Tori. Which suited him just fine.
“Gee, sorry to hear about that, buddy,” he said. “That stuff’s falling so thick, I bet the plows won’t be out for hours.”
Niles nodded in agreement, then said, “We have thought of something else.”
Drew grimaced.
“If you would spend just an hour alone with each lady today, tutoring, dining, taking a sleigh ride, however you want to spend the time, we feel that would be sufficient for us to capture moments with each one of them handling herself with a man.”
Didn’t sound too painful. But he didn’t want to let the sweaty little bastard off the hook too quickly. “You’re sure the others will be okay with it, since Tori did come to the party with me the other night? She was the only one who got to go off-site, alone.”
Monahan smiled his thin little smile. “Oh, I think everyone understood how unique that evening was for her, especially since Sukie and Robin did go to the ballet with you. But to make up for it, we thought we’d let the four ladies dress for dinner this evening and make a special night of it right here in the house.”
Him with four dressed-up, aggressive women? “Not a chance.”
Niles seemed to have anticipated the reaction. “It won’t be just you. We’ll have all the instructors right there in the reception room. This will be a major test, with all of you casting your votes for which two contestants will proceed to the final round.” He crossed his arms and nodded. “Should be much more dramatic this way, anyway, rather than having secret voting.”
Okay. A roomful of people. That didn’t sound so bad. “I suppose that could work.”
“But you’ll spend some time alone with each of them today, as well?” Niles prodded.
Drew hesitated, letting the man sweat, then replied, “All right. One hour each.”
T ORI DIDN’T MIND SO MUCH that Robin got to sit in the sunroom having a private, hour-long breakfast with Drew. Particularly since the woman told her afterward they’d talked primarily about the weather, the house and South American cultures.
She also didn’t mind that Sukie spent an hour with him in the library. Sukie, who seemed to have realized Robin and Tori were the most likely to move on to the next round, had used her hour to pick Drew’s brain about what she should do with the money she earned for making it into the final four.
Ginny, however…
“Relax, would you?” Sukie said that afternoon as she lay on her bed, bringing her legs straight up into the air and pointing her toes. Sukie was bored. She exercised when she was bored. She’d been exercising a lot lately, especially since she’d run out of gum and Miss Evelyn had refused to let anyone give her any more.
“They’re having a nice little lunch together,” Tori muttered.
“Lunch. That’s it. Not hot monkey-sex on the dining room table.”
Tori snorted. “I think as ladies we’re supposed to say, ‘Having relations.’”
“I have relations,” Sukie said, rolling her eyes. “And they’re all going to be hitting me up for money as soon as I get home.”
Tori laughed for the first time all day. Sukie was good at brightening her mood.
So was Drew. Drew, the guy currently on a date with a wannabe Playboy bunny out to win a million bucks,