Whiskey and Scotch

Chapter 42

I stood in front of a full-length mirror in the dressing room and gazed back at my reflection. My hair flowed over my shoulders in waves, and my makeup was flawless, thanks to the hairstylists and makeup artists that had been brought in for the occasion. The final dates were a big event, and the producers wanted to make sure we looked our best.

The dressing room had been a hectic mess as recently as a few minutes earlier, but the other girls had already been sent out, leaving Priya and I as the last ones left. It was nice to have a brief moment of peace after all the chaos.

I smoothed my hands over the ruched folds of my slate blue dress and turned slightly, looking over my shoulder at my profile in the mirror. It was a form-fitting one-shoulder dress with a single three-quarter length sleeve and fell just below the knee. It could almost be considered conservative, but the way it fell and hugged every curve made it anything but.

"Oh, yeah," Priya smiled appreciatively as she openly checked me out, "that's sexy. Bobby's gonna love it."

"Do you think?"

"Well, I love it, and I'm not the one that looks at you like he wants to rip your clothes off every time he sees you."

"He doesn't—"

"Yes, he does. You just don't always see it because you're oblivious."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. Now, how do I look?" Priya spun around to show off her long, fire engine red evening dress, which flared out at the bottom as she rotated. She stopped to face me and posed with her hand on her hip. The dress clung to her tightly, with a deep V neckline that showed off her greatest assets to full effect.

"And you said I'm sexy? You're putting me to shame."

"Good," she smirked. "Now, let's get out of here, yeah?"

She grabbed me by the hand and together we left the dressing room and headed down the stairs to the foyer where Bobby and Arjun were waiting for us. They both turned at the sound of our heels on the stairs, their eyes lighting up with approval.

Bobby held out his hand as I reached the last steps and I placed mine in his, giving him a shy smile. He leaned towards me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek before brushing his lips against my ear.

"You look amazing," he said in a low voice.

"Thanks," I whispered back. "So do you."

He really did, wearing a neatly pressed, light salmon button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a darker salmon on the inside of the cuffs. The shirt was partially tucked into a pair of well-fitting white trousers that my eyes might have lingered on for a few extra seconds before he nudged me with a knowing smirk.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Let's go."

We headed outside to a waiting vehicle, and when we reached our destination Bobby told me to wait while he rushed around the car to my side and opened my door for me. I took his offered hand, stepped out of the vehicle, and kissed him softly, taking care not to smudge my lipstick.

"Where are we?" I asked as I looked around. "This can't be where our date is, can it?"

He stepped aside and pointed to a helicopter that had been hidden from my view. "I think that's our date."

My jaw dropped. "A helicopter? That's so cool!"

"Not bad for a first date, huh?" He grinned. "I sure know how to impress a girl. Makes me feel like Rahim."

I laughed and swatted his arm. "Okay, hotshot."

We headed over to the helicopter excitedly and got strapped into our seats. Soon we were taking off and were given a tour of the Mallorcan coastline that left us breathless. The sun was setting over the ocean, washing the landscape in shades of red and gold. It was stunning.