LITMIR.BIZ

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tomorrow. This afternoon’s agenda was supposed to be a lot of quick shots of them in the casino and around town.

      As the luggage carousel started, she caught sight of Finn and Dakota walking toward the taxi stand. As they weren’t going to be on television, they’d been able to pack light and only needed carry-on bags. Aurelia had been forced to borrow a couple of fancy dresses from women at the office, with the idea that at least one of them should be okay for their dressy evening.

      As she watched, Finn put his hand on the small of Dakota’s back. It was a simple, polite gesture, but one that made Aurelia long for a man in her life. Someone who would be there for her, just like she wanted to be there for him. Someone who would care.

      “Point out your bag and I’ll grab it,” Stephen told her.

      She nodded.

      He was sweet, she thought wistfully. But too young. That’s what she wanted to tell Finn—that she’d already come to terms with the fact that she and his brother could only be friends. But she was afraid if she told Stephen, he would act different and Geoff would notice. Aurelia didn’t want to be voted off the show too soon. The longer she stayed, the more she didn’t have to deal with her mother. Oddly enough, the more she was around Stephen, the stronger she felt.

      She saw her bag, and Stephen lifted it off the carousel. He had his. Karen, one of the production assistants, ushered them toward a limo. The camera guy was already waiting for them.

      “Don’t look so scared,” Stephen said, leaning toward her and speaking softly. “They’re going to think you don’t want to be with me.”

      “That’s not true,” she said, doing her best not to remember Finn’s outrageous claim she would trap his brother by getting pregnant.

      “Because I’m exactly who you’ve been waiting for all your life?” he asked, his voice teasing.

      She smiled. “I’ve always had a desperate longing for someone who could tell me the difference between Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan.”

      He winked. “I knew it.”

      They were still looking at each other as they got into the limo.

      She’d never been good at talking to men, let alone flirting, but Stephen made it easy. Maybe because she knew she was safe with him. He was…nice. Probably not a word to excite him, but for her, it was plenty.

      They left the airport and drove toward the Strip. She could see all the hotels rising toward the sky, their various heights and shapes standing out against the sand-colored mountains. As they got closer, she made out the different structures. The big, black pyramid at the Luxor, the Eiffel Tower in front of the Paris Hotel and the vast expanse that was Caesars Palace.

      “Do you know where we’re staying?” she asked.

      “There.”

      Stephen pointed to the right. As they rounded the curve in the road, Aurelia saw the tall towers of the Venetian Hotel. The limo pulled into the covered entry and their door was opened.

      She was vaguely aware that the cameras were filming everything, but she couldn’t seem to pay attention to them. Not when there was so much to see.

      They stepped into a massive lobby with a painted ceiling. Every inch was beautiful—from the huge sprays of flowers to the gilded posts. Even the carpets were gorgeous.

      There were people everywhere. She could hear a dozen different languages flowing around her, and the air was lightly scented with a slightly citrus fragrance.

      “You’re already checked in,” Geoff told her, and handed over her keys. “Your rooms are next door to each other. If you decide to do anything interesting, call one of us. We want to be there.”

      Aurelia felt her eyes bug out. Call him? What? If any of the contestants decided to have sex, he wanted it on film?

      “I can’t really see that happening,” she murmured.

      Geoff sighed. “Tell me about it. Still, if you get drunk enough, we all might get lucky.”

      With that, he walked off.

      Aurelia stood in the center of the lobby. The crowd moved around her, as if she wasn’t there. Hardly a surprise. She’d spent most of her life being invisible.

      “Ready to go to the rooms?” Stephen asked, joining her. “Geoff said we’re already checked in.”

      She held up her key.

      He glanced at the number. “We’re next to each other. That’s great. We can send coded messages through the wall.”

      She stared into his blue eyes and told herself it was enough that Stephen was nice. Going through this with a guy who was a jerk would have been unbearable.

      “Do you know any codes?” she asked.

      “No, but we could learn one. Or make one up. You’re good with numbers, right?”

      She smiled. “I’ll work on it.”

      They made their way to the room elevators. Thankfully, the camera guy took a different elevator, leaving them alone for a few minutes.

      Once they reached their floor, they made their way to their rooms. They were actually across from each other, rather than next door, but still close enough. A different camera guy was already waiting for them.

      “Who do you want to go in with?” she asked.

      He shrugged. “Your room. Stephen, go with her.”

      Like they were sharing a room? She blushed at the thought, then shoved her key into the lock and opened the door.

      Aurelia hadn’t traveled much and rarely stayed in a hotel. Still, she knew what a regular room looked like, and this wasn’t it.

      To her right was a beautiful bathroom done in marble and glass. There was a stall shower and a big tub, double sinks, a vanity and plenty of mirrors. It was like a movie set or something out of a fairy tale. Past the bathroom was the bedroom. Except it was more than a bedroom. There was a king-size bed with beautiful linens and big nightstands. Beyond that, three steps led to a sunken living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered her a view of the pirate boat floating in front of Treasure Island.

      She turned in a slow circle, taking in the room again, then looked at Stephen. “I don’t understand,” she said. “This can’t be my room. It’s so beautiful.” She laughed. “Tell me we never have to leave.”

      “If we win big downstairs, we can stay as long as you like,” he told her.

      Aurelia smiled. “I’d like that.”

      They agreed to meet in half an hour and go down to the casino. Aurelia used her time to put her brown hair into hot rollers and pray that it came out okay. She changed into white jeans and a turquoise-colored silk blouse she’d bought on sale nearly a year ago.

      She normally didn’t spend much money on her casual wardrobe. All of her clothing budget was spent on work clothes, and everything she didn’t spend on her own living expenses either went to her mother or her small savings account. But the shirt had been so beautiful, she’d been unable to resist it.

      After spreading out her newly purchased cosmetics on the marble counter, she carefully applied moisturizer, then concealer. The powder foundation went on as easily as the girl at the makeup counter had promised. She kept her eye shadow simple by brushing on a light taupe color. After mascara, she applied blush, then lip gloss. The last step was pulling out the hot rollers and finger combing her hair. She bent at the waist and doused herself in hairspray. As she stood, she flipped her head back and surveyed the look.

      In a bathroom full of mirrors, there was no escaping reality. But this time it wasn’t so bad. Aurelia looked at herself from several angles. She would never be stunning, but for once in her life she was pretty. At least she felt pretty, and that might be enough.

      She’d barely slipped

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