Reality Girl: Episode One Read Free Page B

eyes narrowed slightly. His mint gum infused breath was thick on my lips. “I said you were gorgeous.”
    I struggled to swallow a mouthful of salivation. 
    “Fucking gorgeous,” he said.
    And he turned and walked away.

 
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
    It was day one of filming with Rhett. We’d spent the entire day together, and were sitting on the back patio relaxing. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way that I could make it to the final episode of the show without choking someone or simply walking off the set.
    Having remote cameras positioned throughout the home was one thing, being all but assaulted by a film crew while attempting to have a private conversation was another. As much as I believed I had prepared myself to relinquish my privacy, I was wrong. Sitting by the pool with a view of the ocean should have been a breathtaking experience – especially with Rhett – but it wasn’t.
    I felt as if I was being descended upon by the paparazzi. I turned my head to the side and glared at the camera boy. “Can you give us a little room, please? I mean, really. This is ridiculous.”
    With his camera still trained on us, he acted as though he heard nothing I had said. I cleared my throat, shot him my best fuck off glare, and let just a little of my rural upbringing shine through. “Back up, asshole.”
    He didn’t budge.
    Although he’d remained relatively mild-mannered about everything thus far, Rhett stood from his seat, turned toward the camera, and folded his arms in front of his massive chest. The look that followed was anything but welcoming.
    “What’s your name?” he asked. The tone of his voice was one hundred percent Navy SEAL combat veteran. It seemed as though he was interrogating a prisoner of war.
    The cameraman stumbled backward, then caught his footing. “Bobby,” he stammered.
    “I’m going to need you to back up a little bit, Bobby. You’re making Lou uncomfortable.”
    I twisted in my seat and waited to see how the twenty-something year old cinematographer-at-heart as going to react to Rhett’s demand. The camera lowered slightly, revealing his widened eyes and a look of genuine concern, but he didn’t budge.
    Rhett cocked his head to the side slightly and took a step forward. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
    Bobby took a half-dozen fearful steps back and then raised the camera to his shoulder.
    Rhett fixed his eyes on me. “Better?”
    I returned a smile. “Much.”
    He sat, then brushed his hair from his face. “Where were we?”
    My frustration about the cameraman quickly turned to giddy excitement. A tingling ran through me as I found myself admiring Rhett’s good looks and willingness to stand up for me. Like a high school girl infatuated by the handsome quarterback after a winning football game, I ogled every detail of his face and gave my response in the form of a flat whisper. “I don’t remember.”
    “You were comparing the Midwest to the coast.”
    I shook my head. “Oh. Right.” My thoughts quickly returned to my temporary home in southern California, and of the time I was going to spend with Rhett. “It’s a lot different than I thought it would be. I really don’t know what I expected, but being here --” I waved toward the coast line. “It’s just…I love it.”
    He grinned. “It’s tough to be in a place like this and be angry, isn’t it?”
    It was easy to get lost in his smile, and I was doing just that. I hoped I could make it through at least the first day without making a complete fool of myself, but was beginning to wonder if it was even a possibility.
    “Yes,” I responded.
    I was facing the ocean, but found Rhett’s handsome looks and athletic body to be far more interesting. After glancing toward the horizon for a moment, he turned and met my stare. I felt like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, and shifted my eyes to the table that separated us.
    “What made you choose to do this? This show?”
    “I really