Love Elimination Read online

  Luke felt no less affected the second time. His body reacted to her tone, angling to face her. He cocked his head and said, ‘You’re risking an awful lot for a few check-ins.’

  The lawyers ran him through the contracts months before, explaining the legal action that would be taken if he were to sneak a banned device onto the show. Not that they would actually sue him. His father was founder and CEO of the network, and he had more than enough money to cope with a fine. He was the only man; it wasn’t like they could evict him, like they would the women.

  ‘You should understand. You were an elite athlete. Imagine that dedication, but to a small business. A brand new business.’ She eyed him like she wanted to grab a handful of sand and throw it in his eyes. ‘And I’m not checking in. I’m coordinating the tradies.’

  ‘Hey … I’m sorry.’ He held up his hands again. Her scowl was adorable and Luke was quickly discovering that he liked it when she was feisty. This was the type of girl he’d joined the show to meet. Not the cookie cutters and the women obsessed with the decline of their fertility. ‘You’re the one who’s starting a dessert café, aren’t—’

  ‘I’d better be getting back.’ She struggled to her feet.

  ‘You don’t want to be here, do you?’

  At that she stopped and narrowed her eyes. Luke hid a grin.

  ‘What?’ she said.

  ‘What I can’t figure out is, why?’

  She hesitated.

  ‘You can tell me the truth. Why are you here?’

  Anna slumped back against the trunk of the palm tree. ‘I … My sister, Kate, is a producer and someone dropped out.’

  ‘You’re a fill in?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Do you have a boyfriend at home?’

  A weight lifted from Luke’s chest as Anna laughed. ‘No.’

  ‘Do you want one?’ he teased. He couldn’t get enough of her open smile, the one that showed off her straight rows of teeth. She rewarded him with another and shook her head.

  ‘So, are you going to kick me off the show?’

  He nudged her knee with his. ‘Why would I do that?’

  ‘Maybe because I don’t want to be here?’

  ‘You’re already here. Why not have some fun?’ he said, putting a hand on her bouncing knee before she jumped up and away from him again.

  ‘I have a business to get back to.’

  ‘That’s what the phone is for, right? But if you stick around, you can go on great dates and get some relaxation for free.’

  ‘I didn’t come here for fun.’

  ‘But you’re here now. And if you were going to leave, you would’ve done it already.’

  ‘I can’t leave. I signed a contract.’

  ‘Ah, so they threatened to sue you. They tried that with me too.’

  ‘Why would you need to leave?’

  ‘Have you met the women on this show?’ he said, thinking of the headshots from earlier.

  ‘Some of them are really nice.’

  ‘And all of them want my babies.’

  ‘Isn’t that the point?’

  ‘Not for me. I was told it was a dating show, with no wedding in sight. Just a serious relationship. Love.’

  ‘Well, good luck with that.’

  ‘You’re going?’

  ‘Yes, because I can’t get caught talking to the Love Elimination suitor off-camera. I’ll get kicked off the show and have to pay back the money.’

  ‘Well if this is about the money, we can come to an arrangement,’ he said. ‘You could stay with the show and I’ll give you the designer ring in the finale.’

  The offer came out before he had a chance to think it through. Had he really given up on the show already? The cameras, the pushy producers and the vacuous women were more than he’d been expecting. But he really was ready for a serious relationship. Ready to fall in love. He wouldn’t have agreed to it otherwise, even with his father asking.

  ‘Or you could just send me home,’ she said, brushing the sand from her long, smooth legs. The sight was better than the beach around them. Then she left and Luke couldn’t tear his eyes from her as she walked away or remove the grin from his face.

  * * *

  The mansion was buzzing when Anna returned. She adjusted her phone in her jacket pocket, crossed her arms over her stomach to hold it in place and ran upstairs to her room. Thankfully it was empty. She unzipped her jacket and dumped the phone on her unmade bed, but before she could stash it away in her suitcase, the door swung open.

  ‘Anna! Where have you been this morning?’ Hadie called, walking into the room. Anna tried to turn and throw the sheets over the phone simultaneously. She achieved neither. Instead she managed to topple over and fall to the floor, giving Hadie an even clearer view of the bed. It was impossible to miss, stark black against white sheets. Hadie froze.

  ‘Is that yours?’ she asked. The hurt in the downturn of her lips cut straight through to Anna’s conscience. The woman couldn’t seem to hide a single emotion or thought. Weirdly, it was the thing Anna liked most about her. She automatically trusted Hadie.

  ‘Yes,’ Anna said in a whisper. There was nothing to do now except wait as Hadie spun around, stalked from the room and told the other women. From there, the crew and producers would find out only too quickly what she’d done. Even Kate wouldn’t be able to save her.

  Anna fought the disappointment welling in her heart. She really couldn’t give the money back. The deposit was paid, lease contract signed and renovations begun.

  ‘How did you sneak it in here? All our bags were checked!’

  ‘There’s a hidden pocket in one of my dresses.’

  There was a silence as Hadie absorbed her words.

  ‘I know we’ve only been on the show for five seconds, so, objectively speaking, this is kind of ridiculous, but you should have told me.’

  Anna leaned back against the bed, still slumped on the ground. ‘I couldn’t risk it.’

  Hadie nodded but didn’t say anything. She crossed the room to her own suitcase, pulling out a singlet and shorts. Without looking in Anna’s direction, she changed into the outfit.

  ‘Do you think, maybe, I could borrow it sometimes? To call my son?’

  The tenderness in her voice broke Anna’s heart. Compared to Hadie, she had no compelling reason to break the rules. She cared about her business, but it was not even in the same league as leaving a child behind.

  ‘Of course,’ Anna said. ‘Of course you can.’

  The women made eye contact and Hadie’s relief hung between them in the air. ‘Thank you.’

  Neither said anything more until the moment passed.

  ‘You missed the announcement,’ Hadie said eventually, riffling through her suitcase again and coming out with a pair of socks and some sandshoes. ‘One of the producers popped by earlier. We have an hour to get ready in fitness wear for the first group date this evening.’

  Anna grabbed her phone and packed it away, searching through her own bag for an appropriate change of clothes.

  ‘Hadie?’ The tightness in Anna’s chest hadn’t yet receded. ‘You’re not going to tell anybody, right? About the phone, I mean.’

  ‘No. It’s just between us.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She smiled gently. ‘Do you want to call your son while I take a shower?’

  CHAPTER

  5

  Anna had spent the past three days sneaking around the villa, trying to use her phone without the rest of the cast finding out and avoiding the producers when they dropped by to film interviews. Three days. It was enough confinement to drive a person insane. She was entirely ready for the next elimination. What she didn’t want was to be dragged out of bed at ridiculous o’clock for a group date. But now she was here, she couldn’t quite summon the energy to be annoyed.

  ‘This is great!’ Hadie squealed. ‘I wish Matty was here.’

  Anna’s face stretched into a grin. Any two-year-old boy would love this. They were in a shed that had b
een transformed into the ultimate kids’ playground. Trampolines covered every inch of the ground, some on different angles. There were trampoline basketball courts, trampoline slides, trampoline playgrounds … Maybe it wasn’t the expensive sky-diving or international holiday date Anna expected, but it looked like more fun than she had had in years. Her inner five-year-old fizzed with excitement.

  ‘I know,’ Anna said. ‘What do you want to do first?’

  ‘That’s easy. The slide!’

  Hadie bounced off without waiting to see if Anna was following. How Hadie’s child coped, Anna didn’t know. His toys would get more use from her than him. She imagined him being dragged from playground to playground by his excitable mother.

  When they turned the corner and found the slide, Anna and Hadie stopped. Luke was a few metres up the ladder that was higher than your ordinary roof, with Yvette at the base. It was impossible not to watch him. All three women stood with heads tilted back. The muscles in Luke’s arms and legs tightened as he climbed. His body was enough to make a woman drool.

  ‘Wait here,’ Yvette sneered. ‘Luke and I want a moment alone up there.’

  ‘Well, you better hurry then,’ Hadie said. Yvette shot Hadie a truly impressive glare and spun on her heel, following Luke.

  On the first night, Yvette had struck Anna as the type of person who may be cast as the bitch—someone playing a part the producers wanted her to play. Now she wasn’t so sure it was an act, even with two cameras and a GoPro aimed at them.

  ‘It’s pretty busy here,’ Anna said, glancing up at Love Elimination’s suitor. ‘I think I’ll go try something else.’

  ‘Nonsense.’ Hadie tugged on her arm. ‘It’s fine—and you promised we’d stick together. This is the first date I’ve been on since I got pregnant.’

  ‘I don’t think that platform is going to hold four people, Hadie. Wouldn’t you rather get a moment to chat with Luke?’

  ‘So we’ll just push Yvette down first. Easy peasy,’ Hadie said.

  Anna rolled her eyes at her new friend, who had already hoisted herself onto the ladder.

  ‘Come on!’

  * * *

  Luke waited impatiently at the top of the slide. This wasn’t the type of date he would’ve organised to get to know eleven women. Not that Love Elimination was the way he would have tried to find a girlfriend in the first place.

  ‘Hi handsome,’ Yvette said on reaching the platform. ‘Finally, I get some one-on-one time with you.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ he said, faking enthusiasm for the microphone on his shirt and the camera pointed at them from below. ‘Tell me about yourself.’

  ‘Well, I’m a flight attendant, so I travel a lot. I work in business class and meet a lot of interesting people.’

  By interesting he was sure she meant ‘rich’. The way she’d eyed off his watch on the first night had not escaped him.

  ‘But my favourite part of the job,’ she continued, ‘is walking a runway every day; I’ve always wanted to be a Victoria’s Secret model.’

  Then she started talking about her nails. She didn’t need questions or any indication that Luke was still listening. She just kept speaking. Uninterrupted. Luke tried to pay attention. He really did. She was the type of woman he usually dated: hot, polished, social climber. Unfortunately for her, he was done. He was sick of women who cared more about his wealth and fame than him.

  Only when the short blonde woman reached the platform did Yvette stop talking about herself. A few seconds later, Anna joined them. The platform was too crowded for the four of them. Time he made his escape.

  ‘I guess that’s my cue to move along,’ he said as he pushed off. The landing at the bottom of the slide was an inflated surface that wrapped around his body. He dragged himself to the edge as a thump sounded behind him. Luke stretched out his hand for the body that had landed where he’d been a moment earlier. Yvette grabbed it, groaning as he pulled her free. She stumbled into his arms.

  ‘My ankle,’ she whispered into his ear like it was a seduction.

  He grimaced, but picked her up and carried her to the closest flat surface. ‘Is it hurt?’

  She winced as he smoothed his hands around the ankle she was holding tenderly. ‘You have great hands,’ she crooned.

  ‘Yvette.’ He had to actively restrain himself from grinding his teeth. ‘Does it still hurt?’

  ‘Ouch,’ she cried.

  ‘Okay. Let’s get you to medical.’ He sighed. ‘Can you walk?’

  She smiled up at him. ‘I’d rather be in your arms.’

  And he would rather be on the slopes. Why hadn’t he argued harder with his father? There had to be another way to pay him back, to thank him for swooping in when he was injured. For being the only person who supported him, with no investment in his snowboarding career. One that didn’t involve cameras in his face or women eying off his alleged fortune. Retirement was supposed to mean an end to both. Now he was right back to where he’d been at the height of his fame—with a gold digger in his arms and a herd of women on the sidelines, just desperate to take her place.

  * * *

  Anna’s stomach ached from the fits of laughter caused by Hadie’s and Rachel’s antics. The point came when she had to take a break, joining Liu Kun and Christina at the tricks area, while Hadie and Rachel continued to pelt each other with dodge balls. All the women were relaxing—showing off their fun sides for Luke Westwood. They would be all smiles if not for Luke’s constant disappearing to check on Yvette, who’d successfully stolen the spotlight for the day without even being in the room. Not that Anna cared, but the rest of the cast were sneaking glares towards the entrance to the building.

  ‘She must be really hurt,’ Liu Kun said, bouncing closer to Anna, who was sitting cross legged in the middle of the trampoline.

  ‘Her foot had better be broken,’ Christina cut in. ‘For all the attention she’s getting.’

  ‘Do you think she’d leave if it was?’ Anna bit her lip. What if Yvette had to quit the show due to injury? They probably wouldn’t have an eviction and her own departure would be delayed.

  ‘Yvette could break every bone in her body and she would still stay.’ Christina continued to eyeball the door.

  ‘How long do you think it’s been? An hour?’ Liu Kun said.

  ‘Maybe. Or longer. They better extend the date or only half of us will get a chance to speak to Luke,’ Christina replied.

  Anna stood. This conversation was toxic. Thanks to Christina, it was the exact kind of bitching that the producers loved. It would be making it onto the episode for sure and Anna didn’t want to be any part of it. She should have gotten out sooner and made her way to one of the other groups. Which she would now, except that all the bouncing meant that Anna needed to pee.

  She spotted Kate and the director at the front of the room and weaved her way around the trampolines towards them. A camera followed her. It made her skin crawl being watched like that all the time. Did they think she’d do something television-worthy on her way to speak to Kate?

  ‘—definitely faking,’ Kate was saying. Anna automatically slowed her approach. ‘Shall I leak it to the other contestants?’

  The director paused. Neither noticed that they’d already leaked information to a contestant, with Anna standing only a few metres away. It wasn’t hard to figure out who or what they were talking about. Yvette was faking? Did the producers put her up to it?

  ‘Yes. Whisper in Rachel’s ear. If she doesn’t tell the others within fifteen minutes, try Brooke or Tamsen. Make sure to get some angry interviews.’

  Kate turned and they finally realised she was standing there.

  ‘Anna! What are you doing here?’

  She stammered out her explanation. She followed her sister’s directions out the front door and into the lobby. Anna froze.

  Yvette and Luke sat against the wall. A single camera pointed at them from the other side of the room—almost giving them privacy by Love Elimination’s standards.
Anna didn’t move as she watched Yvette, who leaned in to Luke and pressed her lips against his. It only lasted a second but Anna felt time drag. Her heart clenched at the sight. What was Luke Westwood doing kissing one of the contestants on the first date? Any one of them could have walked in on him and Yvette—someone who genuinely hoped to fall in love with him. What an arsehole. Or a producers’ puppet. Either way, Anna’s assumptions about the man were confirmed.

  The couple broke apart and Anna took her chance to rush past, following the illuminated toilet signs. ‘Hold on there. The shot was interrupted,’ Anna heard the cameraman say as she retreated down the corridor. ‘Yvette, we’re going to need you to do that again. Pretend it was the first time. Three, two, one, ACTION.’

  * * *

  ‘One final interview: Anna, Christina, Rachel and Yvette.’ Joe called the names from a list and the producers ushered the women in the right direction. Anna’s palms grew sweaty as they were led to a set around the side of the building. For a moment, it looked like she might escape without speaking to the cameras: the rest of the contestants were piling onto the minibus as the four of them were lined up against the brick wall of the building.

  At least it was Kate doing the interview. She shot a quick smile at Anna.

  ‘What did you think of the group date, Anna?’ Kate asked.

  ‘It was fun. It was great to do something athletic with Luke, to show him a different side to us from the cocktail dresses of the first night,’ she replied.

  Kate nodded. ‘And Christina—did you feel like you got enough time with Luke?’

  ‘No.’

  The corners of Kate’s mouth flickered upwards at the answer. It was obviously the one she wanted. ‘And why is that?’

  ‘He spent a lot of time with just one person,’ Christina said. The younger woman frowned and shot a glance at Yvette.

  But Kate kept pushing. Clearly vague slights at another contestant were not good enough for Love Elimination. ‘Who do you feel took up Luke’s attention today?’

  Christina turned to glare at the woman in question. ‘Yvette.’

  ‘Can you say that to the camera, please, Christina?’ Kate pointed at the camera directly opposite them. ‘Say: “Yvette took up all of Luke’s time today. No one else got to talk to him.”’