“Welcome, Arnie!” Rita introduced him.
Arnie looked at his feet. “Well.” He chuckled nervously. “This is certainly a surprise for someone who thought they’d be here building robots.”
My uneasiness was eased just a smidge by his genuine nerves. While I was absolutely in no state to connect with anyone right now, at least not every guy on the show had a sleazy vibe.
Next, a buff guy with a buzz cut and tattoos poking out from under his gray T-shirt entered the room. His icy blue eyes leveled at us with an intense glare.
“Say hello to Danny.”
Danny’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t sign up for this bullshit.”
Rita laughed, completely unbothered by his display. “But you’re likely in desperate need of it, which is why you’re here.” She gestured around the room. “Why you’re all here.”
Pain shot through my hand, and I unclenched it. I hadn’t even noticed that I had balled it up into a fist again.
The last guy entered, and every head turned in his direction. He walked in with the ease of someone who had never felt uncomfortable entering a room in their entire life. His tight brown curls hung in a cut that was cropped on the sides but long on top. He already had a smile affixed to his face, one which showed off a deep dimple in his left cheek and made the skin around his dark eyes crinkle.
“And last, but certainly not least, welcome Eli.”
His eyes met mine and my throat went dry. He nodded at me in greeting, but I jerked my head down.
At the end of the couch, Sofia gasped.
“Sofia,” Rita called out. “It seems you might recognize Eli.”
“Of course,” she said, her voice now sultry and at least an octave lower than it had been before. “That’s Eli Price—Tim Price’s son. I’ve seen all of your old movies.”
While Eli hadn’t seemed familiar, that name definitely rang a bell. Tim Price was a famous actor from the nineties. He had been the lead in every action movie for a while.
Eli raised his hands momentarily, his gaze dropping before returning to meet ours in turn. It was evident that he had mastered the art of boyish charm. “That’s me. But I hope that if you’re familiar with my reputation, you won’t hold it against me. We all have a past and we can all grow,” he said with a wink.
Past? What did he mean?
Thoughts whirled in my head. This was a giant mistake. A colossal miscalculation on Piper’s behalf. She must have misunderstood what she was signing me up for. That was the only explanation that made any sense. I couldn’t possibly do this. There was no way any of these guys were meant for me.
I had to get out of here.
“Calla? Why don’t you start us off.”
Rita had been speaking this whole time, but I hadn’t picked up any of it.
“Sorry, what?”
She signaled for me to join her next to the guys. “Come up here. You can pick your partner first.”
Trace squeezed my arm again and gave me a gentle push off the couch. I put one foot in front of the other until I stood beside Rita. All I could see were three cameras pointed directly at me.
“So, who will it be?” she asked. “Grant, Arnie, Danny, or Eli?”
I swallowed. “I...” My throat closed up.
Rita gave me a minute before nudging my shoulder. “Yes? Who will it be?”
My whole body shook as tears threatened to burst free. When I looked at the guys, I noticed Eli staring at me intently.
My lip quivered as I took one step back, then two.
“I can’t do this,” I said, before turning and rushing toward the hall I’d arrived through. I wasn’t even halfway down the hall before Brady blocked my path.
