“Thank you, I try.” He tried desperately to stop the flush from rising to his cheeks. He’d been caught. She’d already accused him of being sexist. It couldn’t be further from the truth. More like he thought she was one of the sexiest women he’d ever met. If she was his girlfriend, he’d tell her that very thing. She wasn’t but damn, part of him wanted her to be.
“I’ll take Babydoll,” Mary said, handing the little dog to one of the volunteers. The other volunteer took Ribbon from Belle.
“This next fellow is Rufus.” Mary held up a leash and a golden lab mix stared at him, head tilted, pale golden eyes shining with intelligence.
He lowered his hand and allowed the dog to sniff. Rufus lifted his nose and nudged Erik’s hand with his big head. He’d grown up around animals and if he had more time, he’d get a dog but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. A shame, since Rufus was his kind of dog.
“See, he likes you already,” Belle said. She held a white rabbit with floppy ears and a pink nose in her hand.
“He’s a handsome dog.” Erik patted the animal’s side before he pointed to the rabbit. “Where did you pull that from?”
Face alit with mischief; she shook her head. “My magical hat, where else?”
The dog barked, his tail end wagging, eyes riveted to Erik.
“I think he likes you.”
I like you a bit too much. When Darius had told him what he had planned, Erik was allowed to choose which woman to bring to the fundraising event. The most obvious was the vet assistant but he’d had a sense that Belle would enjoy this.
“We need you two out there,” Tim said, holding his hand to the Bluetooth in his ear.
Erik went with Belle through the hallway and to the stage once more.
Darius was prepping the crowd for the next animals. “Here come the guests of honor. Rufus and the rabbit, sounds like some magic act.”
“See, I told you,” Belle said with an engaging giggle. He’d expected her to stiffen up once more but she seemed to be enjoying herself. If he hadn’t given his word, he’d kiss her once more. But he’d promised and it sucked.
“Erik is showing Rufus the dog,” Darius said.
“He is so cute,” a woman with a heavy accent said from the right of the stage.
“Are you talking about the dog or Erik?” Darius made a great show of searching the crowd. From his body language, he’d thrown another wrench into the mix.
The crowd laughed and parted so Irina could come to the stage.
Erik didn’t find it funny but he kept the smile pinned to his mouth. He handed the leash to Belle and noticed that her smile was frozen in place. She wasn’t any happier than he was. What was once a perfect date was turning into a circus. “Irina,” he held out his hand while she climbed the stairs at the end of the stage. Stairs that magically appeared. No, this wasn’t staged at all. Like Belle, she wore a white sundress with strappy heels. He had to admit, she had a killer pair of legs. He’d enjoyed his dates with her. She was funny and smart, and unlike her reputation, she wasn’t a bitch. She just played one on TV
“Hello, Erik,” she kissed both his cheeks, the strong scent of her perfume overwhelming. Someone really needed to tell her to tone it down.
“Irina, what a pleasant surprise.” A lie, pure and simple, but he was playing a role and she was a key player in the game.
“When I heard about these beautiful animals, I couldn’t resist. Look at the bunny, what a stunning creature he is.” She reached out one long red-tipped nail and stroked the rabbit’s head. “May I hold him?”
“Of course,” Belle said, handing the rabbit over to Irina.
Scared by the sudden shift from Belle to the other woman, he began to struggle. Irina nearly lost her hold on him. The crowd sucked in a collective breath. Belle tried to stop the rabbit’s momentum.
Erik clasped the rabbit by its rear end, his hand moving over hers. Meeting Belle’s startled gaze, he adjusted his palm to let her hand slip free.
“Hold him under the ribcage and by his hips, not his feet.” He helped Irina adjust the rabbit in her arms. “Rabbits have strong feet and he’ll use your hand for leverage to kick off. Now tuck him close to your body and he’ll calm down.”
“Thank you, Erik. You are very good with bunnies.” She offered him a warm smile and bumped her shoulder against his.
“When you’re raised on a farm, you tend to know how to handle livestock.” And in the cutthroat world of professional sports, he’d learned how to handle aggressive fans. Irina was in it to win. The women hadn’t had much interaction with each other in the earlier shows. After the Tuesday episode was aired, it would be an entirely different ballgame. Three weeks, four women, and guaranteed chaos, courtesy of Darius and his devious mind. He just hoped after it was all through, Belle didn’t hate him for getting her into this mess to begin with.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Erik isn’t your boyfriend and you’re not out on a date. Jaw throbbing from her forced smile, Belle listened to the other woman flirting with him. She’d been having a good time until Irina showed up. Just breathe. She’d have to get used to it, at least for the short-term future. On Monday, she and the remaining three contestants would move into the main house.
