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“I’ve seen the competition and frankly I don’t think you stand a chance, sweetheart,” said Jackie with a shrug. “That boyfriend of yours, and the others? They’re all going down.”

“And what makes you think Gary will be immune to the charms of those seductresses?”

“Because if he cheats on me, I’ll kill him,” said the woman, and gave Odelia a fine smile.

Next to me, Dooley gulped, and this time it wasn’t from the motion of the plane. Jackie clearly was a force to be reckoned with, and I wasn’t entirely sure I liked her.

Chapter 16

The lodgings at the Cha Cha Resort& Residences were excellent. As Odelia inspected the little villa she’d been awarded, it was obvious the production company had spared no expense to make the candidates feel at home. The chalet was airy and bright, with a spacious bedroom and bathroom, and a salon where she could play hostess to the other candidates or… one of the seducers—or all of the above,if it pleased her.

She had absolutely no intention of doing any such thing, but she still played the game. So when Clint himself dropped by for a visit, and asked her if everything was to her satisfaction, she giggled and asked when she’d be introduced to the six seducers.

Clint grinned and said,“Now that’s the spirit, young lady. You’ll get to meet our seducers tonight for the first time, and rest assured you will not be disappointed.”

“Thanks, Mr. Bunda,” she said demurely, as befitting the profile Kimmy had drawn up for her: the not-too-clever innocent young woman, eager to expand her horizons.

“Just call me Clint,” said the producer with a lascivious twinkle in his eye. Odelia had the impression he wouldn’t mind playing the seducer himself, if given the chance. “So let’s go over those rules again,” he said, turning serious. “No cell phones, no contact whatsoever with the other island, and participation in all the group activities as well as the dates we set up for you. Whatever you do in the privacy of your own villa, of course, is entirely up to you.” He gave her a wink. “Though we will be watching.”

She glanced around the spacious living area.“You have cameras in here, too?”

“Honey, we have cameras everywhere, but don’t let that bother you. In fact pretend they’re not even there. We always edit out the stuff that would be too embarrassing, so you just go ahead and have fun—and let us create a great show for the people back home.”

And with these words, he left her to unpack.

“What a circus,” said Max as he padded in from the bedroom. “And where are those cameras? I don’t see them.”

“That’s the whole idea,” said Odelia. “To make the contestants forget about them, and make absolute fools of themselves so ‘the people back home’ can have their voyeuristic fun.” She darted a glance in the direction of the bathroom. “I wonder if they put cameras in the bathroom, too.”

“Probably,” said Max. “So you better shower in your bathing suit from now on. Unless you want the world to see you in your birthday suit.”

“Oh, heck,” said Odelia. “I’m starting to wonder why I ever said yes to this thing.”

“Do you think there are bugs in here?” asked Dooley, also joining them. He’d subjected the villa to a thorough inspection, and came to deliver his field report.

“Oh, yes,” said Max. “Plenty of bugs, and not the tiny, benign ones either. I think we can expect a veritable plethora of fauna and flora from now on.”

Dooley shivered.“I don’t like bugs, Max. They scare me. Especially the poisonous ones.”

“Don’t worry, buddy. I’m pretty sure there’s plenty of bug spray lying around. They wouldn’t want their contestants to get eaten alive before they have the chance to be seduced by one of the bigger bugs called seducers.”

Odelia laughed.“I’m glad they let me bring you guys along,” she said. “I would have felt pretty lonely without my two babes.”

“I wonder what Harriet and Brutus are up to right now,” said Dooley as he hopped up onto the couch and made himself comfortable. “Harriet really wanted to come.”

“She’ll be fine,” Max assured him. “She’ll be able to watch the show from the comfort and safety of her own home while we brave the elements to create the show.”

“I hope those cameras aren’t equipped with sound,” Dooley said after a pause, as he darted anxious glances around the room. “Otherwise they’ll wonder why one of the contestants keeps talking to her cats.”

Odelia gave him a startled look.“You’re right,” she said. “We better watch out what we say.”

“Isn’t there somewhere we can speak freely?” asked Max. “A place where they haven’t installed cameras?”

“There is a place,” said Odelia. “Kimmy told me there’s some sort of shack where the gardeners store their gear. She assured me it hasn’t been wired.”

“So let’s meet there when we have something important to share,” Max suggested.