Love Elimination Read online

  As soon as they finished their introductions, Anna forgot practically everything about them. She was usually good with names but that skill deserted her in the face of these eleven stunning women, all of whom could have doubled for models.

  Looking at 19-year-old Tamsen and 22-year-old Tallulah, Anna’s curiosity was sparked. Weren’t women settling down later in life these days? Shouldn’t these women be busy kicking arse in their careers or following their passions, if all the articles about body clocks and IVF were to be believed? Anna herself hadn’t even begun to think about children or even finding love, really, until she was conscripted to Love Elimination.

  Yet here they were, wanting to fall in love so desperately that they’d subject themselves to potential national humiliation, even signing a contract to that effect. The thought shocked Anna back into her right mind. She wasn’t a contestant. She didn’t want a boyfriend, much less a husband. All she wanted was her dessert café in Sydney. She would have to keep her guard up against the crew, who were keeping watch of the women with cameras in every corner, even outside. She fought the urge to hide behind the large pot plants in the living room. If there were women here for fun or an adventure, she feared they’d made a gravely misinformed decision.

  At another set of instructions, the group poured the champagne in the kitchen and the party spilled out onto a patio surrounded by hundreds of lights.

  A voice drifted from within the villa: ‘Good evening, ladies.’

  Love Elimination host, Mason Lockier, emerged. Kate had truly gone above and beyond, scoring the highest grossing television personality in Australia. Not only was he popular, he was also known for being funny and quick witted. Mason had a fake tan, chemically whitened teeth, ten distinct on-camera laughs—and a wife. Anna grinned. None of the women would be getting distracted by his appearance on the show.

  ‘Welcome to Love Elimination!’ he called. ‘How are we all doing this fine summer night?’

  The typical responses were drowned out by Yvette’s contribution of ‘Bored! Bring out the man!’

  Anna was content to offer a smile and a nod. Sometimes she had nightmares about getting called on to speak publicly, like having to give a talk in her high school assembly and forgetting her speech. It felt like the beginning of one of those nightmares now. Anna felt every nerve in her body tense as she spotted one of the cameras pointed straight at her. Did the operator know something she didn’t?

  ‘Now, I know you just want to meet the man you’ll all be competing for … and you’ve all been very patient.’ Mason winked at a woman who seemed to be salivating at his words. Her name might have been Christina? Anna’s forehead scrunched as she tried to remember. ‘But that’s not how reality television works.’

  A collective groan rose from the group. Anna joined in a minute late, and then failed to resist shooting a look at the camera. It was still trained on her. She took a deep breath and willed her face to remain blank.

  ‘So tell me, Hadie, what does your fantasy man look like?’

  ‘He needs to be handsome, funny, kind and have a high pain threshold for stepping on Lego.’

  ‘That’s great! And how about you Yvette?’

  ‘Drop-dead gorgeous and rich as an emperor—just kidding! He just needs to have a great personality.’

  Mason’s face broke into a wider grin at Yvette’s teasing. It was editing gold and even Anna knew it. She was willing to bet that just the first part of Yvette’s answer would make it into the episode, maybe even the ads. Did Mason get a bonus for prompting such a goldmine of content? Did Yvette realise she would be cast as the money-grubbing, shallow villain of the show? It was even in their contracts: a clause stating that they may be portrayed as a ‘character’ distinct from who they actually were. And if Yvette didn’t scream ‘resident bitch’ to the producers, Anna didn’t know who did.

  ‘Anna!’ Mason zeroed in on her. ‘What’s the one thing that will turn you off any man?’

  Anna stared, but she wasn’t seeing anything. Her brain had left all her other senses behind to focus on the nausea pushing at her throat. Her clammy hands felt through empty air for something to grab onto, but there was nothing.

  ‘What’s the absolute worst trait a lover can have?’ Mason tried again.

  ‘Cheating,’ Anna blurted out, thinking of her ex. Yvette barked out a laugh and a few of the others smirked, even the crew behind the cameras had trouble containing their amusement.

  ‘It’s a bit unfortunate you’re on Love Elimination then, isn’t it?’ Only as Mason said it did Anna realise how dumb she’d been. ‘How will you cope with falling in love with a man who is dating eleven other women?’

  If ever she was to be exposed as a fraud, this had to be the moment. Anna hadn’t thought about the show like a contestant might, worrying about how she’d cope competing against these beautiful women. Her mind was more concerned with getting out of the show at the first elimination without embarrassing herself on national television.

  ‘I—I don’t know.’

  Mason’s eyes softened. The expression was entirely different from the exaggerated gestures he usually favoured. Seeing it sent a pang through Anna’s chest. She clasped her hands together and fixed her gaze on the ground. It would be more fun to count every single grain of sand on the beach than to look up and continue answering Mason’s probing.

  ‘Jessica.’ Mason, thankfully, turned his attentions to someone else. While Jessica responded to whatever Mason asked, Anna took deep breaths the way you were supposed to when doing yoga. When she looked up she had composed her face into an expression of polite interest, anticipating—correctly—that the camera would still be there, waiting for a reaction they could edit into sequence.

  ‘Well, I think it’s time I introduce the man of every woman’s dreams. Don’t you agree?’ Mason flung both arms into the air. ‘May I present … Luke Westwood!’

  CHAPTER

  3

  The man before them was all brown shaggy hair and deep brown eyes. His eyebrows weighed heavily above his lids, giving him a pensive expression even when he smiled, as he was doing now. His beard was cropped short and under control. His cobalt-blue shirt pulled taut around the muscles in his arms. With the beating heat, even after the sun had set, Luke (or the wardrobe department) had opted for chino shorts that showed off his toned legs. This was a man that worked out daily. If his picture had appeared in a magazine, Anna’s fourteen-year-old self would have cut it out and stuck it on her wall.

  Anna’s opinion was clearly unanimous. She saw the same rapt expression in the eyes of every woman, although some seemed hungrier and more predatory than others. Rachel catcalled and a few others joined in whistling until Mason flapped his hands at them.

  ‘Australian-born Luke Westwood is all you’ve ever wanted in a man. He’s fun loving, charismatic and driven. At twenty-seven, Luke has been a world number one snowboarder and even competed in the Olympics. He now coaches nationally and internationally.’

  So he was an athlete. At least they had nothing in common. Anna could ignore the electric jolt she felt at the sight of him. He would be perfect for her sister, or any of the put-together women on this show. The women who wanted to fall in love. Because she, most certainly, didn’t.

  ‘Now, I’ll leave you alone.’ Mason wiggled his eyebrows at the women. ‘Give you a chance to mingle … and I’ll be back in a few hours to evict the first contestant. But before that, a quick thank you to our sponsors!’

  They waited, but nothing happened. No projection appeared on the side of the villa. No voiceover broadcast across the courtyard.

  ‘That last bit was just for the cameras. Have fun ladies,’ Mason said with a wave, and disappeared into the villa.

  Luke entered the outdoor area. Anna had to tear her gaze away from him, especially when he looked up and locked his eyes on her. Her legs forgot how to move, even as the logical part of her mind yelled for her to run. To be fair, it wasn’t like she came across men this gorge
ous every day. International athletes with a face and body not unlike that of Chris Hemsworth didn’t tend to venture into her workplaces—former workplaces. She just hadn’t expected to come on a reality television show and immediately turn into a sycophant.

  When a group of women pulled Luke aside, Anna sucked in a deep breath.

  ‘Phew. That is one handsome man,’ Tallulah said.

  ‘No shit,’ Rachel replied, peering around the other contestants for a glimpse of his arse.

  ‘Any first impressions?’

  ‘He seems nice,’ Hadie offered at the same time that Rachel said, ‘How long before we can get that shirt off? Thank God we have a beach on hand.’

  ‘I wonder what he thinks of all this,’ Anna muttered, before noticing the camera trained on their little group. The microphone strapped to her dress was so light, it was easy to forget.

  ‘It would be any guy’s dream, wouldn’t it? Except for the serious relationship bit at the end, I guess,’ Hadie said. ‘Can we not talk about it any more? My stomach is in knots.’

  ‘Sure, let’s talk about something else.’ Anna wanted nothing more than to get through the evening without giving the cameras anything worth filming. And how many hours of this kind of conversation went into a reality television episode? From what Anna had seen, it seemed to be the only type of discussion that made it to air: speculation and conflict.

  ‘So, how old is your son?’ Anna asked, turning to Hadie. The young blonde had shocked Anna earlier by confessing to being a single mother. Why she’d voluntarily leave her son for a one-in-twelve chance at reality-TV romance, Anna couldn’t work out.

  Hadie smiled. ‘Two years old.’

  ‘How gorgeous. My nephew is about that age, but he’s a devil child. Every time I babysit, my poor sister comes home to more food on the walls than in his belly,’ Tallulah said.

  The three women giggled, ignoring Rachel, who was busy craning her neck to watch a contestant pawing at Luke. Anna couldn’t help noticing either. Her sudden inability to concentrate on the discussion had to be unrelated to the sight. Didn’t it? Hadn’t she seen the PhD-wielding Brooke—who was currently mauling Luke—whispering intently with Kate just minutes ago? When Anna looked around, she noticed the producers milling around the party.

  Was Luke part of that? Was he following the same script the producers were obviously engineering with the contestants? He glanced up at Anna and she quickly ducked her head, tuning back into the conversation at hand.

  ‘Mine’s an angel.’ Hadie was speaking. ‘Except when it comes to pets or lawn mowers. He insists on pulling the tails of every cat or dog he comes across—which has resulted in more than one bite or scratch.’ Hadie’s powder-blue eyes sparkled as she talked. The expression prompted soft smiles in Anna and Tallulah. It wasn’t hard to imagine a miniature, male version of Hadie. She was short with a childlike face, framed by pale blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. Any child of hers would have to be cute enough to be on a Huggies ad. Unless the father was incredibly ugly.

  Now that she was here, Anna didn’t think she could be a bitch to Luke or the other contestants and earn herself a quick eviction. Already she was charmed by Hadie and amused by Rachel. But if she flew under the radar, who knew how long she’d be here?

  ‘And he just can’t stand the sound of lawn mowers, for some reason,’ Hadie continued. ‘I have to get him out of the house every Sunday morning when the man opposite us trims his lawn.’

  ‘I can sympathise. I have a neighbour who uses his blender and another who blasts her hairdryer at the first ray of sunshine,’ Anna replied. Maybe if she acted normally, but expressed signs of disinterest in Luke, he would assume she wasn’t attracted to him and send her home? It was a long shot. Did someone that good looking know what it was like to have someone not fall over themselves to be near him?

  ‘Are you up early for your café? Is it like a bakery in that way?’ Tallulah asked.

  ‘Well, I only leased the property last week, so I’m not quite there yet. I’m still organising the refurbishments so I can start bringing in customers.’

  Tallulah shifted from one foot to the other. ‘Wow. So what will it look like when it’s done?’

  ‘What will what look like?’ a deep male voice asked. Luke appeared in front of Anna just as quickly as Rachel moved aside to give him access to their small circle. He offered a hand to Anna. ‘Hi, I’m Luke.’

  ‘A—Anna,’ she stuttered. His skin was rough as his hand enveloped hers completely. Up close, his shoulders were broader than she’d first thought. And he was tall. If only she could open her mouth to talk to him like a normal person. Or maybe it was better she said nothing, as though she was totally uninterested in getting to know him better? Because she definitely wasn’t interested in this smoking-hot man who smiled at her like he was genuinely curious about what made her tick.

  ‘Anna’s dream dessert café,’ Rachel said. Luke’s attention shifted to Rachel, causing a pale pink blush to tint her cheeks. She grinned at him and turned back to Anna. ‘Go ahead, Anna.’

  There was nothing to do except play along.

  ‘I signed the lease on a premises just last week. It’s perfect. Great location in the city and a beautiful brick building. The tradespeople are outfitting it with new wiring, heating, flooring … a kitchen. Mostly the kitchen.’ The tension seeped from her body, like it did whenever she focused on her café.

  ‘What will it look like inside?’ Luke seemed to genuinely want to know. Either Kate had hit the casting jackpot, or he was a really good actor. It was hard to believe a guy like him had to chase love on a reality television show.

  ‘There are huge windows at the front, so I’ll run a wooden bench along there with bar stools and cushions. The rest of the place will be decked out with small round tables and mismatched armchairs. I’ll have flowers on all the tables, planted in teapots. Plus I’ll have oversized lamps and lampshades, and brass-framed mirrors on the wall.’

  ‘It sounds great. When will it be ready?’

  ‘In a few months.’

  ‘Are your family or friends helping out, or have you hired staff?’

  ‘A friend is. Ben. And I’ll hire some casuals before we open.’

  Luke stood so close that his arm pressed against hers. ‘What food will you have on the menu?’ His eyes didn’t leave her face. It was like the other women weren’t there.

  ‘I’m not sure. It’s too much fun coming up with new recipes to decide. I might just have to change the menu once a week … What about you? Tell us about your career.’ The strategy to act uninterested was shot, but Anna needed to include the others—she could feel their eyes practically piercing into her thanks to Luke’s attention. Anna was suddenly afraid she’d be depicted as the villain. Being Kate’s little sister wouldn’t save her if one of the other producers saw an opportunity to paint her as the resident bitch.

  ‘What would you like to know?’ He still hadn’t looked away.

  ‘How long have you been snowboarding?’

  ‘Professionally? Since I was sixteen.’

  ‘And you’re retired now?’ It seemed odd to apply the word to someone so young and fit. He looked like the type of guy who could bench press a person if they lay still enough.

  ‘Yeah, I’ve been coaching for three years.’

  ‘Do you enjoy it?’ Rachel said. Anna had expected her to jump in a lot earlier, but perhaps the others were just as affected by the man as she was. After all, they were actually here for the romance of it.

  ‘Yes. But I still compete every now and then. Not at the same level as before, of course. I won’t be going to another Olympics.’ His easy manner sucked them in and as he spoke, he smiled even as the regret showed in the lines around his eyes. Anna was surprised she hadn’t seen him in the magazines commonly found in waiting rooms; he had the perfect demeanour for a celebrity athlete and apparently the skills to back it up.

  ‘Why did you quit if you still want to compete?’ Tallulah ask
ed.

  Luke paused, watching the other woman for a moment. ‘I got old and injured.’

  At twenty-seven, he hardly classified as old, Anna thought.

  ‘What happened?’ Hadie said.

  ‘I was competing and—’

  Anna murmured her apologies and excuses and slipped away, weaving through the crowd. The less she knew about Luke Westwood, the better. Someone had switched on an air conditioner inside, perhaps the lone cameraman left sitting in the corner beside the potted palm Anna had been eyeing off earlier. While the heat outside wasn’t unbearable, the rush of cool felt like diving into a pool in the middle of a blazing summer. Anna tipped the remains of her champagne into the sink and rinsed the glass, replacing the booze with water from the fridge. The icy liquid slid down her throat and calmed her.

  The kitchen was actually the pinnacle of luxury. She fantasised about what she could cook with the industrial-sized everything and unlimited collection of appliances. Even the Thermomix in the corner would get a look-in; while most of her felt like using the thing would be a betrayal to baking, a stronger part wanted her to try it at least once.

  ‘Anna! What are you doing in here?’ Kate strode into the room. ‘Is that water you’re drinking?’

  ‘Um, yes?’

  ‘This is a party! You need to keep up the illusion, at the very least.’ She swiped the glass from the counter, emptied it into the sink and filled it with sparkling water from a bottle in the fridge. ‘What are you doing hiding in here?’

  ‘Kate—how long will I have to wait? When’s the eviction?’

  ‘Filming usually goes until about 6 am.’

  ‘What! Why?’

  ‘Because getting enough footage takes forever. Speaking of, I need to organise Luke’s next one-on-one. You stay here.’ Kate held a finger to her earpiece and scurried out of the room, leaving Anna alone with the cameraman behind the plant.