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| He hadn�t really liked the idea. It was too...weird. But for some reason, management loved it, which meant it didn�t really matter if he liked it or not. So he tried to sell himself on it, in the five days that they gave him. But come on... It was explained to him as sort of a cross between a WWF cage match and MTV�s Real World. Six people, living together in a house, not able to leave for two months No outside contact, though because of his status, they were going to waive that. Not that his profession was any more important than anyone else�s, but management insisted. And there were going to be cameras everywhere, no privacy at all for two months. He had never really thought his life could be any less private than it was, but he soon found out he was wrong. The weirdest thing was the part where they asked him to lie. Well, not exactly to lie, but to pretend. They gave him a fake name, a new hairstyle, colored contacts. And if he happened to cross paths with someone he knew, he was supposed to pretend he didn�t know them. Oh yeah, and only his groupmates, management, and his immediate family were allowed to know anything about what he was doing. Now, if that wouldn�t freak you out a little bit... He found himself in front of this house in San Francisco. It wasn�t small, but he wasn�t exactly sure how it was going to work with six people. Hope no one�s claustrophobic, he thought grimly. Four of his housemates were already there when he arrived. The producer welcomed them all and explained that the last member of the group was being flown in from out of the country and would be late. He went on to give them a tour of the house, and a final warning that there were cameras everywhere, watching everything they said and did. For the next two months, there was no way to escape them. As they walked through the house, he was interested to see that each of them had their own bedroom. That would certainly be a change of pace from tour life. Eric, the producer, stopped at each room to allow everyone to get settled in. They came to his last and Eric touched his arm. �We�re really glad you agreed to this. I think it�s going to make everything so much more interesting.� He smiled and nodded, not really sure whether this was a good thing or not. Eric handed him a cell phone, since he had been instructed to leave his at home. �This phone won�t accept any incoming calls, so we don�t have to worry about that. But try to limit yourself to one call a week to either your management or a member of the group. We don�t want this to be completely unfair.� He nodded again and accepted the phone, stepping into his room and efficiently ending the conversation. After he had unpacked, he wandered back down through the house, familiarizing himself with its layout. Eric had said that once the world-traveler had arrived, they would all sit down and introduce themselves. He had to admit, this was going to be an interesting time, if nothing else. He wasn�t sure if he wanted to go so far as to think that it might be relaxing, though he was getting a break from all aspects of the business, something he hadn�t been able to do for literally years. There was no doubt in his mind that being thrown together with five complete strangers in an enclosed environment had the potential to be extremely stressful. But he was just going to take it as it came. One day at a time. And that was when she walked in. His stomach leapt at the sight of her, but within seconds, it had dropped again, making him want to be sick. He shook his head. It can�t be her, they can�t be doing this. She was struggling to get her bags in the door, but he couldn�t bring himself to move. He was riveted to the floor. Please, God, let this be a joke, a nightmare I can wake up from. Finally, the bags were dropped on the floor and the door shut with a thud. The seconds until she noticed him felt like the longest eternity imaginable. Their eyes finally met. And he wanted to die. She smiled, recognition setting in instantly. But the troubled look on his face gave her pause. �Are you-� �I�m sorry,� he cut her off as she crossed the room. Her hand stopped in midair, abruptly ending its journey to cup the side of his face. The emotion he was radiating was pure agony, and she studied him from where she stood. Eric walked past and saw them standing together in the entryway. �So I see Miss Gabby has arrived.� She watched as he blanched, knowing that was his nickname for her. �Well, Gabriella, I�m assuming Brandon has introduced himself.� Slowly, she shook her head, looking up at him questioningly. �No, I don�t believe we had gotten that far yet.� There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she had a feeling she was about to find out what this was all about. With Eric there, he knew he couldn�t hesitate, couldn�t show the anguish he was in. Plastering a smile they both knew was fake on his face, he extended his hand, willing it not to tremble. �I�m Brandon James.� �Brandon�s a DJ from Florida,� Eric supplied. He nodded in agreement. She watched the scene in front of her as though she weren�t one of the participants. Reaching out to shake his hand, she faltered, not quite knowing how to react. �Gabriella Hayworth.� She fought to maintain her voice and not stutter over her words. �I�m a preschool teacher from North Carolina.� Leaning forward, he kissed the back of her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. �Well, I don�t want you to miss home too much, so I�ll have to be on my best gentlemanly behavior.� She nodded, smiled for Eric�s benefit, and reclaimed her hand. �You�ll meet everyone after we get you settled, Gabriella.� Eric grabbed her bags and escorted her to her bedroom, babbling all the while about the house. After Eric and Gabby had disappeared down the hallway, he immediately collapsed onto the nearest piece of furniture. This isn�t happening. This can�t be happening. Nobody could be this heartless. He rubbed a hand over his face. How was he going to deal with this? How was she going to deal with this? The word interesting was beginning to be a word he hated. Two ~Home~ ~Plot Mistress~ |