Seven Roses (Haremworld)

“I guess we should head to bed.” Charles broke the silence and stood.

“Yeah...” I nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”

I could tell that everyone seemed to be locked in the same contemplation I was in. Adrian and Brando were definitely tossing the idea in their head, just from the way they responded. Charles was clearly on board since it was his idea to begin with. The two that I wasn’t sure about was John and Anders. John was quiet, but he paid attention. Anders didn’t seem to give a shit about anything that was going on. There was something about him that gave me a strange vibe and I wasn’t sure I trusted him. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy that could be a perfect match with anyone, must less a beautiful girl like Lyn.

We headed to bed and I let my eyes rest. I had spent part of the day planning my date with Lyn and I did want it to be perfect. It wasn’t going to be the same kind of date she had with Markus for sure, but I hoped it would be fun. Plus, I had a surprise for our date that nobody knew about—even the Seven Roses producers.

Chapter 9: Lyn

Markus was still in bed with me when I woke up. I was happy to find him there with his arms wrapped around me. I let the moment linger for a few minutes and enjoyed the warmth of his embrace. I finally rolled to the side of the bed and tried to stand without waking him. I saw my daily itinerary pushed under the door and when I picked it up, I realized I needed to get a move on. If I didn’t shower immediately, I was going to be late for my one-on-one time with the camera.

It also seemed that my date with Dawson wasn’t going to be at night like it was Markus—he wanted to take me out for a lunch date. It seemed like an odd choice for a date, but it was his decision, so I ran to the shower and started the water. I showered as fast as I could and when I stepped out into the steam filled bathroom, I noticed that my bed was empty. I didn’t know why Markus had decided to spend the night and not even say good morning, but I couldn’t focus on that. I needed to get dressed and get downstairs for the camera. I chose a dress that was warm but appropriate for a lunch date. It definitely wasn’t as elegant as the one I wore when I went out with Markus, but a lunch date seemed to be a lot less formal. I ran downstairs to find Henry Bennett staring at his watch and looking towards the door.

“You’re late!” He motioned for me to follow him.

“Sorry, I slept longer than I thought I would.” I followed behind him, trying to keep pace with his rapid steps.

“I wonder why that is?” He looked over his shoulder and winked.

“How does this work? I just go into the room and spill my guts in front of the camera?” I had a basic idea since I had watched Seven Roses before, but I wanted to make sure I was doing it right.

“You need to address the arrangement, the date with Markus, and the fact you had sex with him. Just try to focus your discussion around those topics and we’ll edit it to fit the narrative.” We got the room where the camera was set up and he motioned me inside.

I stepped into the room and heard the door close behind me. It was set up like a studio with cameras, microphones and lights surrounding a couch. There was nobody in the room but me. I knew it was important for me to choose my words carefully. Based on what I had seen, the time in front of the camera usually became self-interrogation and if I had to address each of the topics, I needed to be convincing with what I said.

Even if I told the truth, if it didn’t sound convincing, people would question it. They wanted emotion and authenticity. That was what turned the contestants into household names. Everyone remembered the girl that had sex on her first date a few seasons prior an

d cried about it. I didn’t want to be that person, but I did want to create an emotional bond with the audience. I stepped in front of the camera and sat down, staring at the blinking light. I felt like I was on trial and that was a good reflection of the situation in general. The viewers would be my jury, whether I liked it or not.

“I was fairly shocked when Charles Montgomery announced he was stepping down as the host of Seven Roses and joining us as the seventh contestant—of course I was more surprised by what I found out after that.” I paused and let out a sigh. “A game where the only way to win is if we all win—and by winning, we have to agree to an arrangement unlike anything I ever considered before I walked into the Seven Roses mansion.”

That part is true, but it’s time to put my acting skills to use.

“At this point, I’m not sure which direction I will take. I’m not completely put off by the idea. It could be interesting.” I paused again, to give them time to edit around it if they wanted. “All seven of the guys I am here with are incredible. They’re intriguing and interesting—I honestly can’t wait to spend time with all of them and see if this arrangement can work.”

Hopefully they buy that and don’t see right through me. I don’t see any way I could say yes to this agreement, but suspense is everything.

“I had my first date last night with Markus and I guess you could say it went very well.” My lips turned to a grin as I paused. “Markus took my virginity. I didn’t plan on it happening when the date began, but I can’t deny that I’ve been attracted to Markus since I first saw on him Seven Roses. After spending time with him, that attraction grew into something more. Where will it go? I’m not sure. There is no relationship waiting for me when Seven Roses ends. Either I end up with all seven of the guys or I go home alone.”

I hoped my narrative would give the producers enough material to splice into something that would work as my backstage interview. I was used to seeing the scenes strung together to create dramatic effect when I watched the show, so I knew they would do the same with what I said. When I stood up and left the camera room, Henry Bennett was nowhere to be seen. I went to the kitchen and found breakfast prepared, so I grabbed a plate and scarfed down some food before heading back to my room.

I didn’t see any of the guys anywhere, so I decided to relax for a little bit before my afternoon date with Dawson. I was interested in seeing where he would take me. My thoughts were on Markus, but I realized I had to let that go and give Dawson a fair chance. Some of the songs his band sang defined my youth. It was strange to think that there really wasn’t that much of an age difference between us. I just always saw him as older because he was successful, but he was doing things at sixteen I never dreamed of—touring the world, selling out arenas—and likely bedding more women than he had ever been able to count.

Okay, it looks like it’s time.

I grabbed my jacket and headed downstairs. I wasn’t sure if it would be warm where we were going, or cold. We were hitting the point where it was cold in Chicago, but warm when the sun was actually peeking through the clouds. I walked down the stairs and found Dawson waiting for me in the lobby. He wasn’t dressed up in anything fancy. His jeans weren’t torn, which was a pretty big upgrade for him, and he had a collared shirt on instead of a t-shirt with something related to his band.

He smiled when I approached and hugged me before helping me into my jacket and grabbing his from the hook behind the door. He held open the front door and we started walking towards the waiting car. It wasn’t as cold as I expected and the sun was out, so I peeled off my jacket when I got to the car. The driver held open the door and I climbed inside, followed by Dawson. Instead of champagne, I found a few bottles of water, some beer, and a picnic basket. I looked over at Dawson and then back to the picnic basket.

“Yep.” He nodded. “I’m taking you on a picnic.”

“That is definitely not what I expected.” I smiled and tilted my head. “It’s kind of sweet.”

“I’ll admit that romance isn’t really my thing. I normally just start singing and panties start flying.” He chuckled and looked at me with a grin. “Want a beer?”

“It isn’t even noon...” I watched as he twisted the top off of one and took a quick drink.

“Who cares.” He shrugged. “I’m not offering you liquor.”