Bachelor Behavior - Pt. 02

Kat laughed and clapped, signifying her approval; my newest lady looked playful, and I began realizing how much trouble a group of intelligent, personable women with shared interests was going to cause me. I couldn't wait.

When I didn't say anything else, she sighed like a petulant teenager, but kept grinning. "Mandy Riggs, from Nashville. Twenty-three." She looked like a cross between a rocker and a goth girl, minus the heavy makeup. She was dressed in heavy black boots with a single silver buckle across the top of each, black tights, a denim skirt, and what looked like a custom printed black tee with shiny silver letters. Blue eyes looked at me from between long strands of red hair that hung loosely on each side of her face. She looked naughty, and cool, and I really wanted to see more of her. After I stared a little too long, she raised eyebrow, as if daring me to say something, so I just winked.

Mandy's body was much like Mary's: slim and toned, but it was her smile that kept drawing me back. Where Kat's was broad and beautiful, Mandy wore her grin like the Cheshire Cat. "I've never had somebody smirk at me while smiling," I said thoughtfully, "and I'm looking forward to seeing it a lot more."

Her expression broadened out and her whole face lit up, the blue in her irises obvious from my seat more than half a dozen feet away.

"Gorgeous, Red." I closed my eyes before she could respond, as if deep in thought. "If I have the right girl, you're going to nursing school during the day and gigging most nights and on weekends. You prefer Southern Rock, but sometimes sing Country songs; never Western. There was a serious boyfriend for a while, but it didn't work out..." I opened my eyes, "And here you are."

"That is so cool -- I got goosebumps," she said while rubbing her arm as if trying to warm it up. We shared a smile and then I looked around at our little group.

I turned to the buxom blonde directly on my left. "Your name?" I asked gently.

"Mercedes Doyle, from Suffolk. Please call me Merci." She had a light British accent, enough to be delightful without being off-putting for an uncultured American like myself.

"Wait," I said, confused, "isn't Doyle an Irish name?"

She laughed happily and responded with an over-the-top Irish brogue. "Fair play tcha, ser. Me Da was an Irishmin, und me Mum cum fum Englin."

"Did you get that?" I asked Kat rhetorically, who was laughing again, then looked to Mary, who was no help. "Okay, that was wicked sexy, but I'm only half sure I understood what you said." She was nice enough to translate for poor, slow Kai.

"And what do you do in England, Merci?"

"I'm a Secondary school teacher, mostly Maths, and I also teach a Gaelic class for students that want to learn." She chuckled. "Not very common in jolly old England, mind you." Like Kat, Merci's curves were obvious.

In a word: voluptuous.

Allowed a few more words: wonderfully full bust and hips to match, with a solid frame to support them while still looking athletic. And a truly lovely, pretty face. If she had been my teacher, it would have been her that wandered through my adolescent dreams. She was dressed in jeans and a loose white blouse, which kept teasing at what was hidden underneath.

"Two sisters or a brother and a sister?" I asked.

"One of each," she replied. "Why?"

I smiled. "Because there were two British teachers in the original group." I didn't tell her that the other taught what they call Reception, because I thought it would give her a nice feeling.

"Do tell," she said happily. "I don't suppose it's one of you?" she inquired of the remaining two ladies to be introduced, but both shook their heads. "More's the pity, but I can't wait to hear your stories," she said, patting the nearest on the leg.

I already had a good idea who the next woman was from our several conversations, but I didn't want to step on her moment. "And you, Sassy. What's your name?" I was delighted when her eyes went wide with surprise.

"Sassy?"

"I didn't know your names so I had to come up with some way to keep you apart in my head." I looked to each of the women in turn, moving quickly around the table, then trailed off before finishing, realizing my error.

To her credit, Merci didn't let me off the hook, instead folding her arms and giving me a quite effective eyebrow raise when I didn't vocalize my pet name for her. "Delicious," I said apologetically. She held out for a couple seconds, then giggled and pulled her crossed arms tighter, effectively pushing her enormous bust further outward, which forced my brain to reboot. Genuine laughter sounded around the table and I relaxed, glad she wasn't too offended.

I turned back to the mystery woman. "So, Sassy, would you like to tell us about yourself, or would you prefer I guess?"

"Guess," she answered with a curious quirk of her eyebrow.

"I don't know your name, of course, but your biography said you're a stage actress and part-time model."

Her surprised look was back, this time complete with open mouth, very striking beneath her highlighted brunette bangs. "Amy-Lynn Colgate. How'd you know?"

"The way you carry yourself, always in control, with this perfect posture and poise." She blushed, so I paused a moment before continuing. "I thought you were a dancer at first, then we talked and I decided that wasn't quite right, so when you were telling me yesterday about some of the restaurants you've enjoyed here in Chicago and New York and Montreal, I finally pulled it together. There were two other models, but neither went on about cooking like you did in your biography, and then there's that little bit of French influence in the way you speak. Are you from Quebec?"

Smiling delightfully, she shook her head. "Windsor, actually, but I spent a lot of time in Montreal when I was just getting started."

"Lovely. Thank you for being here." She smiled and the soft brown of her eyes just about made my heart melt. Another mental reboot and a few more chuckles, then I leaned back and looked to the final woman.

"Hello, Tiger."

"Hello, Kai," she answered with the warm smile that had won me over -- it was the first time I'd heard her use my name. "Saving the best for last again?" I'm sure it must have been tough to see that she was the last one I'd chosen the day before, an unfortunate consequence of the full access approach, but there was nothing for it but to confront it head on.

"I guess time will tell," I replied with a smile and a wink. Her eyes popped open in surprise, so before she could reply I stood and walked to her. Taking a hand and pulling her gently to her feet, I wrapped her in a gentle hug, then leaned down so I could whisper in her ear. "Thank you for being here. I'm sorry if it was hard to watch me narrow down names, but don't doubt for a moment that I think you might be the one."

She looked up at me with deep, dark brown eyes, and after a long moment, smiled.

"What's your name?" I asked gently, releasing her back to her chair while I returned to mine.

"Savannah. I live here in Chicago."

"And?"

She laughed. "I thought you had us figured out?"

"Not this time," I retorted with a grin. "I think that's why I had a hard time with you -- you're difficult to read."

Savannah put on a serious expression and sat upright in her chair. "Your Honor, I object..."

The change was stark and I saw a couple surprised expressions while my brain buzzed, very pleased, because her biography was one of the best written. "You're a patent attorney, right?" Relaxing, she confirmed my suspicion with a nod. "Grew up in Northern Alabama and played volleyball at the University of Florida. No siblings, but you're very close with your Mom. You like word games, romance novels, and embarrassing people in basketball. Would you say you're a little competitive?"

Rather than reply, she grinned smugly and sat back in her seat, looking tremendously stylish in a fitted blazer and jeans, capped with shiny black pumps. She was the tallest of the women by several inches, with smooth curves and a natural confidence to rival either Kat or Amy-Lynn.

"Unbelievable," I said, looking around at the room, shaking my head in wonder. Then I remembered the next step in the process.

"Is something wrong?" The question came from Merci, who appeared to be the most empathetic of the bunch. She had seen my change in expression.

I took a deep breath and sat forward again. "No, but I do need to cover a few things before we go any further.

"This whole... process... that ramped up last night, is really just getting started. Right now, you're probably curious and excited, just like I am, but there aren't real feelings involved yet. If this is too much... if you're not sure you want to be here... I'll give you a million dollars to take with you back to your life."

Astonishment stared back at me from six lovely faces. Behind me somewhere I heard a shocked gasp and knew Gloria was about to have a heart attack.

"This will be my money, not the show's. A million dollars to follow your dreams, rather than chase after some big oaf." I looked to Amy-Lynn. "That's enough to get a start on your own restaurant." To Mandy: "You could buy the best sound equipment, build a studio, maybe put out an album on your own."

I sat back and gave them time to think. After about ninety seconds, I started again. "Consider it -- no privacy at all for the next two or three months while this thing plays out. A camera in your face constantly -- cameras in my apartment -- and in yours." I looked at Savannah. "Think about your career and how hard you've worked."

Nobody said anything, maybe too shocked to respond. I looked to Mary. "Two million, then, to get out of social work, maybe create a charity. Or start your own business," I continued, turning my gaze to Kat. "Think of the possibilities." I looked down at Merci. "You could buy a house and have a family."

I felt a small hand on my shoulder. "Kai, this isn't a good idea."

I turned to look up at Stephanie. "Maybe not, but I don't want anybody to stay because they're worried about money." I made eye contact with each of the women again. "Three million if you walk away now. No hard feelings, no judgment."

~ ~ ~

"That was so stupid," Gloria said with a shake of her head, "and expensive. I can think of a lot of ways to spend six million dollars."

We were sitting in my apartment studio with Stephanie, doing the post-event interview. It really hadn't been the plan to have Gloria in front of the cameras, but she was adamant that I needed a dressing down. I shrugged off the criticism. "They're both wonderful women and I think they'll do more good with the money that I would have. I don't regret it at all."

"But now there's just four women left, and you haven't really spent that much time with any of them. What if none of them are right for you?"

I shrugged helplessly.

"So how confident are you that this will end with you finding a wife?" Stephanie asked, taking back her hosting duties.

I paused to consider her question, as well as my own feelings -- it had been a very tense, emotional morning. "Actually, very confident. Kat sets my nerves on fire, even from across the room, and Amy-Lynn makes my blood boil. Savannah is literally the entire package, and something about Red is just utterly captivating. Between us..." I paused to let the irony hang for a moment, "I couldn't be happier with how things turned out."

"So what do you have in mind next?"

"Why are you asking me?" I retorted with a laugh, then nodded to Gloria. "She's the Executive Producer."

Gloria folded her arms, looking miffed. "Whose main character seems intent on going off-script."

I shrugged unapologetically. "I told you when we first met, the only thing I care about is finding the right woman. In case it helps, other than getting to know the ladies better, I don't have any other plans."

"Speaking of..." she replied, her predatory look surfacing, "we have a great first date lined up for you tomorrow in a suite at Wrigley for a game against the Brewers."

"About that... I thought we were staying away from group dates," I objected, more confused than actually upset.

Not looking regretful at all, she leaned forward and patted my thigh. "As you demonstrated this morning, things change."

~ ~ ~

Not surprisingly, I thought about the day's events as I laid in bed, worn out but too wired to sleep, wondering and wishing, despite what I had said to Gloria.

The reason I had struggled with the choice to include Savannah wasn't about personality, interests, or attraction -- I was concerned about her motivation. Ultimately, it was the reason I'd pulled the stunt with the giveaway. I hadn't known at the time that she was an attorney, but it was clear she was a career woman with bright prospects, so why join the show? I was thrilled that she assuaged my doubts.

On the other hand, I was torn up about Merci leaving. On paper, she was everything I could have hoped for, and in real life she was almost precisely my dream woman, from her looks to the sweetness she exuded. If I had thought she wouldn't continue, I might not have made the offer -- on the other hand, I could have been too smitten to think objectively.

As for Mary, I don't think it was the money that persuaded her, although I do believe it provided an easy target for rationalization. Through our conversations I got a sense that she was worldly in some ways and yet quite sheltered beyond her own limited experiences, so when she really considered what being a minor celebrity could entail, it got to be a bit too much. In different circumstances I think we would have been wonderful together.

Day 3

I tried to stay away from the women in the morning since we'd be spending the entire afternoon together, but when I got to the exercise room, Savannah was working hard on a climber and Kat was stretching. As if our lawyer's black spandex wasn't enough to completely overwhelm me, the Eastern European beauty happened to be stretching away from me, revealing the lower portion of an impossibly intricate tattoo that started around her tailbone.

I might have made a complete fool of myself if Day William hadn't walked into me when I suddenly stopped. He apologized, I apologized, and we both chuckled.

"Good morning, Savannah. Good morning, Kat."

The former smiled and waved, but kept going; the other hopped up immediately and closed the distance quickly, wrapping her arms around my middle. "Good morning, Kai." The way she said it, drawing the simple statement out, made me shiver, so she gave me an extra hug. "Come to watch us exercise?" In the room's mirrored wall I saw Savannah roll her eyes.

"Trying to burn off some energy," I responded with what I hoped was an easy grin. "I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything going on."

I was afraid Kat was going to keep flirting, but instead she squeezed my hand and went back to the mat where she had been. I watched her go, enjoying her wiggle, and turned just in time to see Kat roll her eyes again.

I'm not usually one to back down from a taunt -- even an unspoken one -- so I made eye contact with her reflection, then slowly followed the contours of her body while she climbed, down her back, over her gorgeous rear, finally stopping at her bright pink Nikes; then I started up again, just as slowly, until our eyes met once more. I smiled and held her gaze for several long seconds, and felt quite gratified when she missed a step and had to catch herself on the handrails.

After getting upright again she gave me a dirty look, so I winked and walked over to the nearest bench, content that I had at least broken even in the exchange.

When I'm not working with a personal trainer, Mondays and Thursdays are typically my Push days, where I focus on moving weight away from my body: think about presses and extensions. As I loaded up the bar after my warm-up, I seriously considered putting an extra plate on each side, but was able to talk myself out of it before I did something stupid. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I'd have hurt myself trying to show off. It didn't actually end up mattering, because Kat and Savannah were watching me openly by the time I was halfway through my routine, despite the low(er) weight, high rep approach.

It made me feel pretty special and I wore a grin through the rest of the exercises.

When I finally finished my crunches -- every day is an ab day -- I was lying on the floor, thoroughly soaked in sweat. I had checked out somewhere along the line and gotten into my normal rhythm, gratefully shutting off my brain for a while. It booted back up instantly when a toe tapped my shoulder. Leaning back, I saw that the two women were looking down on me, standing side by side.

"That was impressive," Savannah offered.

On the other side, Kat was giving me a sensual look, her eyes intense. "Very."

My mouth was suddenly dry, and only partially because of the workout.

I pushed myself to my feet rather ungracefully and realized belatedly that my shorts weren't doing a particularly good job of hiding my building appreciation for them. I had a moment of hesitation, not sure what to do, then decided I didn't actually care, choosing to focus on them instead.

I tried to think of something witty or suave to say, but what came out was, "Same time tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Kat replied immediately, her expression having gone from warm to hot.

"Absolutely," Savannah added, pressing herself against my side; she subtly rubbed her breast against my ribs while making eye contact. I could just smell her perspiration mixed with lilac undertones, a combination that removed any shred of doubt as to how I was feeling about the situation.

Not to be outdone so easily -- or at all, really -- Kat moved more to my front and leaned into me as well, pushing her side against my erection, all while looking up with those enchanting eyes of hers.

I chuckled, a bit overwhelmed, then pulled them both tighter against me for a brief hug. "I'm feeling a bit overheated -- I think I need a shower."

"I could wash your back," Kat offered, her expression one of faux innocence and yet obviously serious. I peeked at Savannah and almost laughed at the competitive fire I could see in her eyes.

"Maybe next time," I replied before things could escalate further, extracting myself from the two beautiful women. "See you both in a few hours."

I made my exit without looking back, afraid I'd get drawn in again.

~ ~ ~

It was a gray, drizzly kind of day, pretty typical for Fall in Chicago, but just back luck in the Summer. We got to the park about two hours early so we'd have time to explore a little before settling in to the suite Gloria had reserved.

The ladies weren't actually into baseball, or at least not the Cubs. Savannah was a casual Braves fan, having grown up in the South, and didn't follow the sport in a meaningful way, while Red had played softball growing up, but never picked a professional team. As for the other two, Amy-Lynn had a rudimentary understanding of the rules, but I don't think Kat had even the slightest clue how the game is played.

But Wrigley is still a beautiful, historic place, even on a dismal day, and I enjoyed taking them down to the field courtesy of our passes. We caught the very end of batting practice and were just heading toward the suite when one of the players trotted over to intercept us.

It was a guy named Mike that I'd met a time or two back when I was playing. He was a relief pitcher, like I had been, and I recalled him being a nice guy, if a little overenthusiastic. I had barely made the introductions before he was talking with the ladies about the show, giving his impressions, and asking them to describe their experiences so far. In ten minutes another half dozen players had joined the discussion.