But Elise didn’t seem to notice because she was already saying, “For tonight’s ceremony, we’ll start with a wide shot of the deck as the contestants line up under the acacia. You’ll be standing by the railing facing them. Vivian will make her speech, and then you’ll walk over to that pedestal.” She pointed to a tiny pedestal that was next to an acacia-carved elephant statue. The pedestal held nine ridiculously red roses. “Once you’ve picked up the rose, I want you to draw it out a little. Count to five in your head. Make them sweat. We want viewers leaning so far forward on their sofas that they nearly fall off. Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes,” Sienna said, though she was only half listening now.
Vivian stepped through the open doors. She wore a bone-colored blazer without sleeves and matching straight-cut trousers. Her hair was slicked back at the sides. Her heels were unbelievably high, which made her look even taller than she already was.
Vivian’s focus was on the camera crew setting up by the stairwell. Sienna hoped she wouldn’t look her way. In fact, she even prayed she didn’t because, honestly, she couldn’t face her after this morning’s disaster. But then…
Sienna spun around so quickly that she felt dizzy.
Ahead of her stretched an endless black sea of bushveld and starlight. Behind her, Elise said something else—something about timing and holding the rose so it caught the light—but Sienna wasn’t listening. She was muttering a prayer under her breath, hoping that even though Vivian had spotted her, she wouldn’t come her way. Unfortunately, she’d never been religious enough for her prayers to be answered.
“Elise,” Vivian said, her voice silky and smooth. “I need your opinion.”
“Shoot,” Elise replied.
“Would you rather I make the walk across for the intro, or stand beside Sienna for the first pull out?”
“Walk across,” Elise said. “Start your mark by the door. Camera two will catch you coming through, then swing left until you join Sienna.”
“Easy.”
“Like spreading butter on toast.”
There was a pause. Then footsteps whispered softly against the deck. For a moment, Sienna let herself hope it was Vivian who had walked away. But then a voice came, soft and smooth, and her entire top layer of skin broke out in prickly goosebumps.
“Evening,” Vivian said.
Sienna stayed perfectly still. She considered playing it cool and not turning around. Then she thought about pretending she hadn’t heard Vivian, not because she wanted to ignore her, but because a part of her wanted Vivian to try again. To say her name this time. To step closer. Maybe even touch her on the shoulder. Or the arm. Or anywhere, really. But then she thought about how fucking ridiculous all that sounded and spun around.
“Wow. You look—” Sienna started, but then immediately caught herself. Whatever compliment was going to spill out of her mouth should be saved for the ten ladies who were actually vying for her attention. “Better than I do,” she finished.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Vivian said without hesitating. Before Sienna could consider whether that counted as flirting, she added, “How’s your back? Any pain still?”
“Not much,” Sienna lied. Her back hurt. She was uncomfortable. Every now and then, the sparkly pool caught her eye, and she remembered the doctor had instructed her not togo swimming. Which somehow made the heat feel even more oppressive.
“Well,” Vivian said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Sienna nodded. Her eyes flicked down to Vivian’s chest. On it rested a thin gold chain with a tiny, square-shaped diamond pendant. She wondered if it meant anything to her, and then she noticed how dangerously close it rested to her cleavage. She snapped her head up before she accidentally stared for too long.
Vivian watched her. Those blue eyes felt like little searchlights sweeping over her face, looking for something. It made Sienna nervous.
“Have you made your decision?” Vivian asked, tilting her head to the side.
Sienna found herself tipping back the remainder of the champagne. Liquid courage. She had, in fact, not made her decision. Or barely even thought about it. All ten contestants were great. They each had qualities she liked, and they were all gorgeous. Some were funnier. Others smarter. Both Imani and Lucille had acted so tentatively toward her after the whole spa incident, bringing her flavored water and reminding her that accidents happened to everyone. Holly, Dani and Nisha had made her feel better by recounting their own embarrassing stories. Brooke, Trina, and Lara had spent the rest of the afternoon doting on her. They had brought her slices of papaya, cut strawberries, and had smeared salty crackers with a selection of cheeses from the cheese board they’d been served. At one point, Sienna even had to remind them it was her back that was burned and not her feet. And Carla and Marie had offered to dip towels in the pool and place them on her arms and legs so she wouldn’t succumb to heatstroke.
The truth was, she didn’t want anyone to go home.
“What would you do?” Sienna asked. “If you were in my position, how would you choose who goes home?”
Vivian looked surprised by the question. The small space between her eyebrows folded together. Sienna thought she was either going to laugh at her or tell her off, because surely Sienna should have locked in her choice by now. But then Vivian said, “I… I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.” She exhaled and chewed on her bottom lip. “I guess it isn’t the easiest choice to make.”
Sienna was taken aback by her honesty. It felt like an admission that this whole thing was a hell of a lot harder than everyone thought, even harder than she had ever imagined. The gravity of sending someone home was practically life changing. What if you accidentally sent home the wrong person? What if you waved goodbye to the person who was actually your soulmate, and then you ended up spending the rest of your life haunted by a soul-crushing ‘what if?’
“It isn’t,” Sienna said.
Somewhere behind them, a hyena whooped. Then a bird squawked, and Sienna snapped her head back to see if either animal was close enough to pose a threat. When she looked back, Vivian was standing closer. Close enough that Sienna could see that the square diamond on her chest wasn’t square at all. It was coffin-shaped. Intriguing.
“Something tells me you haven’t made your decision yet,” Vivian said, almost smirking.
