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“Next up is Amber Cross,” the emcee said.
Catie rushed to her makeshift dressing room and sat down, breathing heavily. She’d done everything Annie said. She’d made eye contact with the judges, and it had damn near taken her out of the competition.
How the hell was she going to do it in the freaking bikini she had to put on?
The bikini had been Angie’s idea. Catie had wanted to go for a maillot.
“You’ve got the bod, sweetie,” Angie had said. “Use it to your advantage.”
Yeah, she was really going to hurl.
Her hands shaking, she stripped out of her western outfit and dressed in the bikini. Had it been this tiny in the store yesterday?
Why did she want to do this again?
She tied the silky cover-up over her hips and waited for Judy to call her.
It happened what seemed like only seconds later.
“Catie Bay! You’re up.”
She took a deep breath and swallowed, hoping she wouldn’t trip in the black stilettos Angie had insisted upon. She spied Amber in a red thong bikini. God. Angie had wanted to go thong, but Catie had put her foot down. Angie had wanted to go red, too. No way. Wearing a red sundress to a family party was one thing, another thing altogether to strut around in a candy-apple-red bikini.
“Here’s Bakersville’s own Caitlyn Bay again, wearing a sea-green bikini by Lenny.”
Catie smiled as she walked outward. The crowd cheered. Had they cheered that loudly when she’d worn her western wear? She wasn’t sure.
“The bandeau top features a malachite adornment in the center and is fully lined. The American bottom—”
Catie inhaled and untied the cover up, flipping it behind her shoulder. Again she stuck out her hips.
“—features soft construction sides for a smooth and flattering fit.” He cleared his throat. “It provides moderate coverage in the back.” Catie turned around.
She walked down the platform and again made eye contact with Dallas, and then Zach. She swallowed, gulped in a quick breath, and turned up her lips in what she hoped was a dazzling smile. She met Chad’s gaze.
His mouth had dropped, and he looked like he’d been knocked into a cocked hat.
* * *
“Tough call,” Zach said, after all the contestants had finished modeling.
“Not too tough,” Dallas drawled. “I know who my pick is.”
“Me too,” Zach agreed. “How about you, Chad?”
Chad hadn’t breathed since Catie left the stage. He wasn’t sure who had come next, or how many. The image of her gorgeous breasts covered by that strip of sea-green silk burned into his mind. All he could think about was ripping the thing off her and clamping his mouth onto one of her sweet nipples. And that moderate covering bottom had done more for him than all the thongs he’d seen. Hell, he knew the precious treasure that silk covered. “Don’t know. They were all pretty.”
Zach grinned. “Didn’t you think there was one who stood out?”
“Like I said”—he cleared his throat—“I don’t know.”
“Well, you’d better make a decision,” Dallas said. “You have to rate them.”
Chad choked. The thought of his older brothers—of any other men, and there were plenty in the audience—seeing Catie in that sexy getup was more than his heart—and another stubborn part of his anatomy—could take. His jeans were so tight right now, he thought he might burst.
“This is stupid,” he said, and hurriedly scribbled random numbers next to each of the contestants’ names. When he got to Catie, he couldn’t help himself.
He gave her a twelve.
