4. The Seduction Test

~Kiara~

Kiki.

Hell no.

Zane was now standing right in front of me.

I slowly raised my head to give him the word of his life, but as I did, his huge frame blocked out the light as he towered over me.

I gulped in all my confidence in fact, it was as though I had no idea of what to do again as his gaze landed on me.

His gray eyes looked as though he was staring straight into my soul

I could sense his familiar and intoxicating scent filling my nose, bringing back all the memories I had tried so hard to bury. I shook my head. He was an enemy.

"Zane," I whispered. "Let me pass. I am leaving."

However, he didn't move an inch.

Instead, he took a step forward and forced me back against a production crate.

He leaned down, while his face was inches from mine.

His eyes flicked down to my lips before rising back to my eyes.

"The rules of the show are very clear, Kiki," he purred.

He had a mocking smile. "No contestant can opt out of the competition. You stay until you are formally evicted by the Bachelor. And right now? I don't feel like evicting you."

"You are an arrogant jerk," I hissed. "I will stay in my room and won't participate. I would rather be evicted tomorrow night than be in the same room with you!”

He chuckled, and I could hear the rumbling sound in his chest.

He had grown so different.

He reached out, his fingers hovering just an inch away from a loose strand of my hair, but he didn’t touch me.

"Oh, you will participate," Zane murmured. “In fact, you are one of the most recommended contestants. I can't wait to see what you can do in two minutes, Kiki. Don't keep me waiting."

“Stop calling me Kiki!”

He stepped back like I hadn’t just talked to him, and turned on his heel to walk toward the glass room.

That tyrant!

***

The production crew ushered all twenty of us into a waiting area.

Because I had signed up last at the very final minute, I was officially contestant number twenty.

I had to sit there and wait in line while nineteen other women went before me.

Every time another woman walked into the glass room, I found myself staring at the giant monitor that displayed Zane’s heart rate. Which was ridiculous.

I didn’t care. I told myself I definitely didn’t care.

But still, I was mentally comparing every number to my own before I had even gone inside.

I watched Chloe go in.

She tried to lean over his chair and whisper to him, pushing his monitor up to a high 92 BPM.

Several other girls tried to play along, their numbers averaging around 75 to 80 BPM.

Zane sat there like a block of ice through all of it.

He looked completely on top of the world while all these gorgeous women tried to seduce him, and it made me jealous for no actual reason.

Finally, the stage manager called my name.

"Contestant twenty, you're up."

I walked across the hall, and stepped into the glass studio.

The door clicked shut.

When I entered and sat before him, I could see the smug smile on his face. Like he knew I was only bluffing about not participating because I had no other choice.

Zane and I just looked at each other, which earned murmurs and mockery. It was as though that all knew I was going to be the contestant that would be evicted since I wasn’t even making a single effort.

Suddenly, a loud beep echoed in the room, warning us that we only had sixty seconds left on the clock.

I didn’t want the cameras to think I knew him.

But I needed that prize money for my dad’s clinic, and I wasn’t about to let him make me lose.

So, I decided to use our history against him.

Taking a deep breath, I walked straight toward him until

I stood inches away.

I was now close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body.

Without saying a word, I reached up.

Ignoring the arrogant look in his eyes, I casually adjusted the silver silk tie around his neck.

Then I pretended to remove a tiny piece of fluff from his jacket by brushing with my hand.

It was an old habit from our college days and it was something I always did whenever he got too cocky or too nervous before a big hockey game.

Zane’s body became still.

His jaw tightened, and his gray eyes widened as the familiar gesture dragged him five years back into our past.

Above his head, the digital heart-rate monitor went wild.

110… 140… 168 BPM!

And I saw his fists clenched beside him, I wanted to taunt him but there was no time for that. Instead, a loud alarm blared through the studio as bright red warning lights flashed.

“Cut! Over! Time’s up!” the director shouted, panicked.

The entire crew behind the glass walls was staring at us. They were so stunned.

They were completely shocked by the number and I myself didn't expect it to be that high. Probably that tyrant had intentionally caused that to cause some attention.

When we all gathered back in the main area, the host announced the results.

I had the highest score at 168 BPM.

The runner-up was Chloe at 92 BPM, and the distance between the two of us was completely embarrassing for her.

The other girls were already glaring at me like they wanted to kill me.

Needing to escape the tension, I walked away from the crowd and ducked into a quiet and dimly lit backstage corridor near the equipment rooms.

I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath.

However, I noticed a shadow following me as I entered.

I looked up and my heart stopped.

Zane.

That bastard.

I straightened up, annoyed. “What the hell are you doing here, Zane? You can't just follow me backstage!"

"I knew you were the only one down here," he said, calmly.

He took a predatory step toward me, his eyes fixed on my stupid flushed face. "I wanted to ask you how it feels to be the one who made my heart go that high on national television."

This jerk. Was he mocking me? That I had no choice but to play this stupid game despite strongly saying I wouldn’t…

"I don't care about your heart rate," I said, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.

“And I won't stay long in your stupid game. Enjoy your show with the other nineteen girls, because I am just going to wait until you evict me. I'm not playing along."

Zane chuckled. “Are you jealous that I would be with others too? You can just tell me directly if you want me to–“

I clenched my jaw as I replied. “You wish. Like I have said…I am just waiting to be evicted.”

"You're never getting evicted, Kiara," he whispered, leaning down until his lips were inches from mine.

What does that mean?

Just when I was about to push him away and ask how he could be so sure, he added instead, "Because I bought the entire production network."