Flaming Hearts (Beyond Reality Book 2) Read Free Page A

you had a good time tonight getting to know each other. Becky, Marissa, you will each get the chance to have seven men stay to compete for your affections. Unfortunately, four of you men will be leaving tonight. Marissa, we’ll start with you. Who do you want to stay tonight and get to know you better?”
    Marissa, in her glory, beamed and dramatically stepped forward to give her speech. “I had such a good time tonight,” she gushed, “I’m so happy to meet all of you. This is such a hard decision! If it was up to me I’d have all of you stay so I could get to know you better, but unfortunately that’s impossible.” Marissa pouted prettily. She named seven of the men she wanted to stay, pausing dramatically between each name.
    When it was Becky’s turn she felt her stomach turn. There were eleven men looking intensely at her. She really didn’t want to have to disappoint any of them. She tried hard to remember who the men were that Becky wanted to keep and didn’t mention. It was easier to remember the names of the men who weren’t staying.
    “Uh, Like Marissa said, this choice was really hard. I enjoyed meeting all of you and I wasn’t sure how to decide who I wanted to stay and who I wanted to go as I don’t really know any of you.” Seeing the impatient looks on the remaining men’s faces she decided to hurry and get this over with. This part of the show definitely sucked. She didn’t like it when people were mad at her, and she was definitely going to make four of these men unhappy. Becky turned toward the men and rushed through the seven names, hoping she had them right, but knowing even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t make much difference to her. Marissa might care, but she didn’t. “John, Conner, Dexter, Joel, James, Patrick and Samuel.”
    Becky and Marissa both jumped as Robert boomed as soon as Becky finished saying Samuel’s name. “The choice has been made!”
    “What the hell?” Becky heard Carter say unbelievably. “This show sucks.” He snarled the words and stepped off the platform toward the front door of the huge house. He wrenched the door open and actually slammed it behind him like he was three years old.
    Robert continued, even though Carter had stormed out of the house and ruined his planned dramatic delivery of his speech. “I’m so sorry Ned, Tommy, Carter, and Oliver, but you’ve not been invited to stay by our lovely ladies. It’s time to say goodbye.”
    The three men who were still there came over and kissed Marissa on the cheek, shook Becky’s hand and walked out. Becky felt awkward as hell as the men displayed the favoritism so blatantly. This left the other fourteen men standing in their two lines, all with goofy smiles on their faces. Becky sighed. This was going to be a long eight weeks.
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
     
    Jonathan watched in disbelief at the spectacle in front of him. He’d been working for about three weeks on the reality show and was beyond disgusted. It wasn’t the basic premise of the show, single guys trying to get the attention of a single lady, but more the way Eddie and the other producers were making one of the women look.
    Jonathan knew when the producers chose the single women the men would be competing for, they picked two women who were complete opposites on purpose. Of course, it would make for good television, but it certainly didn’t mean the women were treated the same way. It wasn’t as if Becky wasn’t attractive, because she was, but when put side by side with Marissa, Jonathan knew most people would think Marissa was the pretty one, and Becky was the “lesser” one.
    It wasn’t just their looks either. It was obvious Becky was uncomfortable in most of the settings they’d put her in thus far. One week the group went to a local disco club. The music was loud, and it was hard to hear anything, even with the microphones the contestants were wearing. Jonathan’s job was to follow Becky around and all he heard all