Page 32 of My Irresistible Enemy

“They can’t do that,” I protested. “Not both of us, not in one week.”

“They can, actually,” Nora said. “I looked over the contract all the contestants signed, and you agreed that you’d only stay for as long as the show wants you here.”

“But the votes—”

“Even with the votes,” Nora said. “You basically signed your soul away when you came on the show. If you read the fine print, it only says that the judges will take the votesinto accountwhen making their final decisions—not that they have to abide by the voting totals.”

“But it’ll throw their numbers off,” I said, feeling increasingly desperate. “It’s an eight-week show. If they get rid of both of us—”

“They’ll just save someone another week,” Nora said with a shrug. “Have a week where no one goes home.”

“Butwhy?”

My voice went up an octave. I hated it, but couldn’t stop it. It didn’t help that Nolan was just standing there, silent, like he wasn’t even bothered by any of this.

Nora made a face. “It sounded—I mean, I could be wrong, but it sounded like the network never intended either of you to last that long. They wanted the brownie points they got for diversity in casting you, but you were never meant to make it. If things had gone differently, maybe they would have kept one of you around for a few more episodes, but as it is…”

“What do you mean,if things had gone differently?” I asked.

“Jesus, what do you think?” Nolan pushed away from the wall. “She means that we look ridiculous. They wanted sweet, inoffensive gays who make them look good, not two guys who can’t stop fighting, one of whom can’t even bake.”

“But it’s good TV.”

“Not if the network doesn’t want it,” Nolan said. He looked at Em and Nora. “Thanks for letting me know. This gives me some time to try to line up a job before I have to go back to DC.”

Before I could say anything else, he was gone. Em and Nora left pretty quickly after him, nervous about someone seeing them and wondering if they were giving us some sort of inside scoop. I supposed they were—though it wasn’t a very helpful one.

Nolan had gone back to his room—I heard him shut the door down the hall—but I couldn’t stay in mine anymore. My mind was swirling, trying to come up with some way out of this, and I felt the need to move. I’d just gotten down to the main floor of the inn when I ran into Tanner in a back hallway.

“Oh, Aiden. Wonderful. I was hoping to see you.”

He smiled broadly and took a step towards me. I stepped back involuntarily. Tanner was taller than I was—well, everyone was taller than I was—but there was something vaguely predatory in his broad smile. It was all teeth.

“You—you were?” I asked, confused. He couldn’t possibly know what Em and Nora had just told us, could he?

“I was.” He stepped closer. “I hope we weren’t too hard on you out there, just now.”

“You weren’t,” I said, a little breathless. Somehow, I’d bumped up against the wall. “You were—I mean, what you said was fair.”

“It was also true,” Tanner said. “I really do want you to stick around. It would be a shame to lose you so early.”

“But what about—” I broke off, confused. I couldn’t tell him what I knew—unless he already knew that I knew. But how could I find out without asking him directly?

“What about what?” Tanner tilted his head to the side and smiled again. I felt like a caterpillar being examined by a large, hungry bird of prey.

“Just—nothing,” I said, laughing lightly. “Ignore me. I’m being dumb.”

“But I don’t want to ignore you.” He leaned against the wall, his forearm braced above my head, and looked down at me. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I’d like the chance to get to know you a little better.”

“You…would?”

He laughed. “I just have this feeling you haven’t been able to show off your best side for the camera. That sweet, lovable side we saw back when you auditioned. I think America’s missing out on the real you.” His smile grew. “I’d love to be able to get to know the real you. And maybe, if I found him, I could make sure viewers got to know him too. Make sure you got to stay on the show.”

My jaw dropped. It was really getting a workout this morning. But I couldn’t help it. I felt like one of those comic-strip characters with a lightbulb over his head. I wasn’t going to take Tanner up on his proposition, but he’d just given me the best idea.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Tanner asked, his eyes boring into mine.

“I—I—I have to go,” I said, sprinting down the hall before he could say anything else.

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