Four Keeps

When there are only a few minutes left, I take a seat at a small cocktail table that’s centered in front of the work tables. Blake begins a countdown and soon the competition is over.

“Now it’s time for the all-important judging. Gentlemen, I’ll ask you one-by-one to bring your drinks up to Olivia.” He gestures to Zack, who I recall from the first night is a high school teacher from Chicago.

“This looks delicious. What did you make for me?” I ask when Zack approaches.

“It’s a lava flow. A piña colada with strawberry sauce on top.”

“I love piña coladas.” I take a big sip through the pink straw he included. “Mmm. It’s really good. Thank you.” I could easily drink more, but I remind myself that I have nine more drinks to sample.

Next up is Xavier, who brings an orange-colored frozen drink garnished with fanned slices of mango. “For you,” he says. “It’s a frozen mango rum punch, but I added passionfruit and Tajín to heat things up.” He takes my hand when he mentions heat, and a rush of fire shoots straight down between my legs.

His eyes are so intensely focused on mine that I can’t bring myself to look away long enough to taste the drink. “It looks good,” I manage to say.

“Not as good as you.” His eyes drop down to my lips and my pussy pulses in response. My body remembers what it was like to be pressed up against him when we danced, and it’s damn near killing me that we haven’t kissed yet.

“Have a taste,” he says, and my dirty mind is thinking of all of the parts of him that I’d like to be tasting right now.

Hoping to provoke the bad boy biker – even though I know I probably shouldn’t – I use the tip of my tongue to collect some of the Tajín sprinkles from the mango, all the while looking into Xavier’s eyes, letting him know what I’m really thinking about.

I’m ridiculously satisfied when I see him swallow a lump in his throat.

“It’s spicy,” I say in a low voice before I lick the fruit again.

Xavier groans out loud and when he looks away for a moment, I’m reminded that we’re on camera. The show will probably have to edit out my naughty flirting, so I take the straw between my lips and take a sip. The drink is cool and fresh, and helps me get my hormones in line.

“It’s very good,” I tell him. “Refreshing. Thank you.”

I smile at Xavier, and he grins a small grin, but overall he just looks … bothered. I know the feeling.

Next up is Berk, whose cocktail is in a hollowed-out pineapple and topped with a little paper umbrella. I give it an A+ for appearance, but the drink itself tastes too sour.

When Samuel approaches, I temporarily forget what we’re doing, because the close-up view of Samuel’s bare torso demands all of my attention. It turns out that the self-proclaimed nerdy inventor has been hiding a killer body beneath his bowtie.

His smooth brown chest is broad with sculpted pecs, and I have to sit on my hands so that I don’t reach out to trace the ridges of his abs. Adding to my surprise: several tattoos cover his gorgeous angles. The inventor has the body of a bad boy.

13

Fate brought us together

Samuel catches me staring and it makes him grin. It’s a shy grin, though, and super sexy. I can tell instantly that he’s not a man to flaunt what he’s got, and that makes him even more attractive.

The drink he presents is in a tall, curvy glass, and it’s a vivid blue. “I made a Blue Hawaiian for you, Olivia.”

“Thank you.” My hands touch his as he transfers the glass, and sparks fire inside my tummy. The cocktail is garnished with cubes of pineapple and cherries, so I take a bite of each before taking a sip. It’s a tall drink of refreshment, just like the man who made it. “It’s very good. Have you made this before?”

Samuel dips his head and the grin reappears. “I have to admit, I have. I used to be a bartender.” The surprises about this man keep coming, reminding me not to be so quick to judge. I make a mental note to work Samuel into the one-on-one date lineup, or at the very least, spend more time with him whenever I can.

After Samuel, there’s a brief break for some production-related reason. I stay in my seat and have a chance to observe the men. Johnny has his elbow on Zack’s shoulder and seems to be leaning into him quite heavily. He’s also talking loudly and has to be shushed by production when they’re about to resume filming.

Blake Barrows calls for Marcus to go next, and the small-town dentist jogs to my table, nearly spilling the drink he’s carrying. “You look beautiful today, Olivia.”