Love My Way by Bridget Midway
Publisher: Phaze Books
November 2008
“I don’t want this man’s affections. Why would I want to be a part of this show?”
“You could promote your dancing and get tons of work from the exposure. Plus, as I alluded to before, you can last in this competition for as long as you like. Want to leave out of the first round? Do something to get disqualified like admit you’re an actress. He is adamant that he wants no actresses. My suggestion is that you do everything you can to hang in the game until you reach the top three or four. Then, start pulling back so that you can be eliminated. Or maybe you want to win.”
“And why would I want to do that?”
“To give him the treatment he gave you at the auditions. To stand up for those of us who want so badly to put this man in his place in a public forum. You can do that. Win, then dump his ass right on TV. Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
Ananda wasn’t a vindictive person, but the lure of exacting revenge on the asshole who’d refused to recognize her talents did skip through her thoughts.
“I don’t know. That’s really not my style.”
“Okay, let me tell you the prizes. You’ll get trips, a car with a driver, your own American Express Black Card.”
Ananda blinked. “An Am Ex Black Card? What’s that?”
Darnell must have known. He dropped his bags and fell to the floor in one of his classic over-the-top faints. Ananda turned her back on him.
“It’s one of their most prestigious cards. You would be expected to dress a certain way and keep Mr. Morton happy. You would also be getting jewelry, a cash prize, and you would stay in the mansion for at least one year, even if it doesn’t work out.”
“How much is the cash prize?”
“Last I heard, it was up to five million dollars.”
“Five mil—” Ananda stopped herself. Her dear friend had just lifted himself from the floor. News that she could win that much cash would make him drop to the floor and twitch with convulsions.
“All of that to be his girlfriend?”
Carter cleared his throat again. Ananda sat on the edge of the ratty sofa.
“You would be more than just his girlfriend. I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not. Mr. Morton is involved in a different kind of lifestyle.”
“What kind is that?”
“Ever heard of BDSM? Bondage and discipline?” Ananda’s throat went dry like Carter had opened her mouth and dropped a ton of sand into it.
“My God. He’s looking for a sex slave? They’re going to air something like that on national TV?”
“No, of course not. On premium cable.”
No way could Ananda bow down to any man, especially not to Eagan Morton. Her mother would kill her, not to mention what it would do to her dignity and pride.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” She was about to hang up the phone when Carter spoke again.
“Room and board paid for. You’ll be living in the lap of luxury. You can jumpstart your career finally and get the man that could make something happen for you to help you. Eagan is looking for a true submissive. I’d say play along, and then when you get toward the end, let your true self come out. No harm. No foul. If you don’t want to do it for revenge, at least think about your career. There’s nothing to lose.”
Except for her self-respect, her morals, her lunch, if she looked at Ego at all.
“I’d like to think this over.”
