“I’m boiling hot,” she announced, before stripping down to an itty-bitty bikini, and I couldn’t help but appreciate her obvious gifts. She was tall and toned, and her face was the perfect mix of soft and hard angles. But it was her eyes that completed the impressive package: light hazel against the backdrop of her darker skin. It was easy to see how she’d won a beauty contest. Aisha was definitely the type of woman I typically intercepted after concerts.
She saw me staring and smiled. “You want to go swimming?”
“Yeah, definitely.” I jumped up and followed her down to the water’s edge.
As we waded into the mellow waves, she said, “I feel like we’ve met before.”
I looked at her more closely. Shit, maybe shewasone of the women I’d slept with following a show. Or maybe she just saw a little of Jake in me. We didn’t look that much alike, but there was a slight resemblance, and people often gave me that look like Aisha was giving me now.
“No, I definitely would have remembered you.”
Aisha appeared uncertain, as if she were searching her mind for a connection. In an effort to deter her from identifying me, I jumped into the water like a dolphin and swam around her feet a few times. When I surfaced, Aisha was wide-eyed with shock.
“What?” I asked, alarmed, and immediately scanned the water for a shark fin.
“How long can you hold your breath? You were down there for a long time.”
“My record is just under three minutes, but that was when I was surfing a lot.”
“Dang! That will help our tribe in challenges. You need to tell Gene that you’re a good swimmer.”
“I’m not exactly his favorite person.”
“No, probably not. But what did you expect? Starting quarterback, Kyle? Come on. You should at least have asked to play back-up,” Aisha teased.
“Nah, I’ve played back-up all my life. It’s time to go big or go home.”
“Well, pissing off Gene is definitely going big, that’s for sure. And it will probably get you sent home.”
I nodded, my face turning serious. “Be honest, Aisha: am I on the chopping block?”
“No. I think everyone’s in agreement that Marsha will be the first to go.”
“And then me?”
“You, Dale, or Kenzie. I think it will come down to which one of you sucks the most in challenges.”
“Well, that could be any one of us.”
Aisha winced, looking pained by my words. “Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”
“But you’re following them… why?”
“It’s nothing against you guys. Really, I like all of you. I’m just going with the numbers.”
“So let’s make our own numbers. Join the underdogs. You know everyone likes them best.”
Aisha laughed. “I know, but I’m more comfortable with the prom queens and football players.”
“Oh, please, you’re not buying into Gene’s whole game day winner’s speech, are you?”
“I’m just trying to stay alive, Kyle. Just like you. If I jumped ship, you really think they’d find worth in Miss Nevada? I’d be one step up from Marsha and her thousands of interesting facts.”
Bobby waded out to join us, and placing a protective arm around Aisha, he flashed me the dirtiest look imaginable. Geez, he wasn’t even trying to hide his disdain for me. I wasn’t sure what I had done to invite his ire, but I knew to watch my back around him.
I couldn’t help wonder how Bobby would be perceived by the viewing public. By looks alone, he was sure to become a fan favorite. In fact, both he and Aisha were just the perfect male and female specimens. They needed to have posters made or something.
“What’s going on?” he asked, eyeing me suspiciously. “I hope you’re not talking strategy without me.”
