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It took me a full ten seconds before I finally forced my feet to move. I could hear my name being called out by Hunter, but I knew if I turned around, everyone in the club and, most importantly, those watching from home, would see it on my face.
The hurt. The anger. The jealousy.
I was falling in love with Hunter Shaw, and my heart felt like someone had ripped it out as I watched him dance with those women.
I picked up my pace, only to be stopped by Jack. The triumphant look on his face made my stomach drop.
“You did this on purpose,” I said, my voice cracking while I attempted to keep my emotions at bay.
“Kipton, I noticed the attraction between you the moment you both met on Zoom.”
“You used me,” I said. “Dressed me up in this outfit to see what he’d do.”
Jack nodded. “It’s a social dating experiment, Kipton.”
“That I’m not a part of!” I shouted, causing a few people around us to look in our direction.
Rose walked back to me. “I think maybe you should hold off on yelling at him until the cameras stop. People are starting to stare.”
I drew in a breath and held it a few moments before slowly letting it out.
“It’s time for the date to end, so I need you to get into place,” Jack stated.
The way Jack was calmly telling me to basically get over it and do my job made me want to scream and run. I wasn’t going to quit. I needed the money, but I wasn’t about to let this asshole use me in the games he was playing.
Going forward, however, I’d need to make a few changes. It was clear I was working for a bunch of liars who didn’t mind messing with everyone’s feelings. Social dating, my ass. Jack and I were going to have a long talk, and the sooner the better.
“Kipton.” Jessie’s soft voice infiltrated my running thoughts. Turning, I followed her numbly as we made our way through the crowd. We stopped at the bar, and I tried to ignore the way people looked at me, the whispers I couldn’t make out.
Jessie checked to make sure the mic was working. My eyes drifted past her to the dance floor, only to see all the girls dancing together and Hunter nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Hunter?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about where Hunter is. You go on in two minutes.”
Jack’s command nearly had me ripping the earpiece out. Instead, I glared at him. “We need to talk.”
Jack cleared his throat. “We will.”
“Before we head back to Montana.”
“Thirty seconds,” he said, ignoring my request.
Hunter suddenly appeared, walking toward me. Paul following him with a camera.
“Hunter,” I heard in my ear, “we’re still live, so please stop looking at Kipton like you want to devour her.” The voice came from Travis who had remained all too quiet during all of this.
Hunter dragged his eyes away from me and stopped to say something to Lynn. He should have been looking at her that way, not me. After all, she was dressed in a black sequined cocktail dress that left nothing to the imagination.
“Here we go,” Jack said as I watched the countdown and the red light appear.
I stared at the camera, unable to get anything to come out of my mouth.
Jack softly said my name. “Kipton…”
“You’re live, Kipton!” Travis said more urgently.
I laughed. I don’t know why, but I laughed.
