I bit my lip. ‘Do you think you could maybe keep yelling at me that I’m not allowed to sleep in the same room as you?’
I could almost see her mind working as she put the piecestogether. ‘Yes, I could help you keep sneaking out without the other girls noticing,’ she said. ‘But what’s in it for me?’
Of course she’d want something.
And as usual, I was broke.
‘You could scream at me some more in front of the cameras?’
‘I was going to do that anyway.’
‘Oh.’
I must have looked really downcast, because she laughed. ‘I’ll tell you what,’ she said. ‘Just this once, you can have a freebie.’
‘Why would you do that for me?’
She shrugged. ‘I like drama. It’s going to be hilarious when everyone realises that they spent all that time busting their arses to try and impress Dylan when he’s been banging you this whole time.’
‘He hasn’t!’
‘Oh really?’ she said, raising an eyebrow again. ‘Those your socks you’re wearing?’
Fuck. How did she magically notice everything? Was she a witch?
‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to tell anyone.’
‘You’re telling me that’s not something Lily Fireball would do?’ I asked. ‘Tell everyone the Romeo’s been sleeping with some trashy first-night rejectee while pretending to date a bunch of perfect, lovely, classy women?’
‘One, they’re not all lovely, trust me.’
‘I know. I’ve met Heather.’
‘Two,’ she said, counting on her fingers, ‘if I fuck with the perfect love story the network’s trying to set up with DylanSquared, then the network might not have me onJuliet on the Beach. Doing that show is a big part of my plan, and I do not jeopardise the plan.’
The image of Dylan declaring his love to Hero Nurse Dylan on the final day of the show danced through my mind.It’s you, Dyl, he’d say.Your heart is the other half of mine.
I curled my fingers into fists, driving my nails into the palms of my hands, trying to distract myself from the sudden nausea.
‘Three,’ Lily went on, ‘I wouldn’t do that to you.’
‘What?’
‘Don’t look so shocked,’ she said, folding her arms and leaning back against the laundry sink. ‘I might be a bitch, but I’m not a monster. Plus, game recognises game.’
‘I don’t have any game.’
‘Maybe not on purpose, but you’ve managed to weasel your way into what’s going to be one of the most interesting narratives in the history of this show, basically lock down the next season ofWherefore Art Thou Romeo?, and bone the current Romeo, all after being eliminated on night one,’ Lily said. ‘That’s game, my friend. You should consider hiring me as an image consultant when all this is over. I can help you maximise your game potential and make some serious money out of all of this.’
‘Really?’
‘Really,’ she said. ‘It’ll cost you, though. I don’t come cheap, and you’ve already used your freebie. Now shove over. I want to hear what Dylan’s like in bed, you dirty bitch.’
‘What did you tell her?’ Dylan asked me as we lay together in his bed on the boat later that night.
‘That you’re a sex god,’ I said, kissing my way down his neck. ‘Obviously.’
He chuckled, and I felt it vibrate through every place we were touching. ‘That’s very kind of you,’ he said, winding his fingers through my hair and pulling my face up to him, ‘but I meant about her becoming your image consultant.’ He kissed the tip of my nose. ‘Not that you need an image consultant. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.’
