Seven Roses (Haremworld)

Adrian Cook was best known for his work as John Charlatan, the rebellious teenager on Good Charlatans. He spent several years on the show and after it ended, he didn’t have any roles I was familiar with. He was the cliché of a typecast, a young actor that got a big role and then got consumed by it forever. The only time I had really seen his face since then was on the cover of tabloid magazines. He had dated pop stars, actresses, and even a couple of socialites. I didn’t feel like I could hold a candle to them and I wasn’t sure he was exactly what I was looking for in a guy.

I was getting a bit nervous after seeing the guys that had been assembled so far. Charles said the computer would pick the guys I would date, but the ensemble looked like a group that would have been chosen for Jessica. She was the actress who could land a celebrity—not me.

Adrian walked across the stage with a definite swagger, tilting his head towards the other candidates before he took my hand. Instead of kissing it, he dropped it without warning and planted a kiss directly on my lips. I was so surprised that I almost fell off the step as he tilted me over and ran his tongue between my lips while his hands moved along my back.

What the hell?

“Okay, Adrian.” Charles took a step forward. “You know that isn’t in the rules.”

&nbs

p; “I don’t follow the rules.” He turned towards the camera and grinned as he walked back towards the group, leaving my lips practically numb.

“I guess we’ll consider that your statement to Lynette.” Charles seemed a bit angry, but he contained it well.

Damn, that was the hottest kiss I’ve ever had—and it was from a complete stranger!

“Our next contestant was a little vague with his job title—according to his application, he’s a security specialist working for the government. Ladies and gentlemen—this is a first. He scored a perfect match with Lynette! Give it up for Anders Wilkins!” Charles turned towards the dim doorway and the light came on.

A perfect match? That has never happened before...

I had seen the figures on the bottom of the screen when I watched Seven Roses. The contestants never knew how closely they matched to the girl on Seven Roses—with one exception. If someone got a perfect match, it had to be revealed at the start of the show. They had teased it several times, and it was practically a myth after five seasons without one. I expected the guy who walked out to be seven feet tall, practically bulletproof, and possibly even a billionaire. Instead, a guy walked out with a nervous smile and shaggy brown hair—he had a button-down shirt that didn’t look like it was hiding much in the muscle department. I blinked a couple of times in surprise, as did the other contestants. He was supposed to be my perfect match? He shuffled across the stage and started up the steps. He didn’t make eye contact or show any sign of confidence. He took my hand like it was just a dead fish and quickly kissed it, turning away from me immediately.

My perfect match didn’t appear to be interested in me at all. There was some irony in there somewhere, but I was too confused to understand it. Even Charles seemed a bit confused as he watched Anders take his spot.

“Anything you would like to say to the lovely Lynette?” Charles walked to him and extended the microphone.

“What? Oh, yeah—I’m Anders Wilkins. Nice to meet you.” He smiled again and looked down at the floor.

Okay—that was anticlimactic. I guess he can be the first to go if the date is horrible.

“Our next contestant is a professional bounty hunter—yes, you heard me right. He’s best known for his short lived series on The Reality Network—ladies and gentlemen—Brando Baldwin!” Charles pointed towards the door and the lights flashed on again.

Brando Baldwin? I think I remember that show...

The second I saw Brando Baldwin step into the light, I remembered the advertisements for his bounty hunter reality show. They showed him hunting people who jumped bond in some of the most dangerous areas on the planet. In one of the most famous spots from the commercials, he threw a three-hundred-pound man over his head and had the cuffs on him before the guy even figured out what day it was. He was delicious and hot as sin, but I wasn’t sure how in the world he got matched up with me. I couldn’t think of a single thing I would have in common with a bounty hunter. Some of the others were a stretch as well—especially Anders—but he seemed like the furthest from a match.

I watched as he walked out on the stage and glared at the other contestants like he was sizing them up. A brief grunt followed before he started towards me. He looked like a caveman that had recently shaved his beard. He was actually kind of scary. My knees started to buckle more from fear than actual attraction, but he took my hand in a hard grip before he kissed it. I was a bit relieved when he walked over to join the others.

“Brando, is there anything you’d like to say to the lovely Lynette?” Charles approached him with the microphone, uttering his catch-phrase as he had with all the rest.

“Yeah.” Brando took the microphone out of his hand. “I’m a hunter. When I’m on a hunt, anybody that gets in my way, just turns into a victim. Remember that.” He turned towards the other contestants.

That seemed more for them than me.

“Okay then.” Charles took the microphone and walked back to his spot.

One more contestant. I think I’ve already got some winners though—and some early eliminations.

“Our last contestant.” Charles chuckled. “Well, America—I hope you’re ready for a twist.”

A twist—a twist before the game even starts—that never happens!

“The final contestant is a man who recently retired from a job he has held for the last five years and you all know him—the last contestant...” Charles turned to look my way, “...is me.”

Chaos—the room erupted in literal chaos as all of the other contestants started to chatter and look around in shock. A man I didn’t recognize walked out and took the microphone from Charles Montgomery, who began to remove his jacket. He walked towards me with the same smile I had seen every week when I watched Seven Roses. I felt a lump rising up in my throat as I tried to make sense of it.

I couldn’t even come up with words to say, but the other contestants were talking about fairness and saying the whole thing was fucked—that part would edited out for sure. Even Anders, who had been silent for the most part, seemed to take offense to the twist. Charles took my hand and placed his lips on it, a sensual kiss that made shivers run down my spine. Charles Montgomery was attractive as hell—I just never considered him someone that I could be matched up with. It definitely changed the game. What if I decided to eliminate him? America would hate me! The world loved Charles Montgomery. My eyes shifted around the room as Charles finished kissing my hand and took a step back.