There's going to be another round of group dates. This time, mixed Suits. It's unclear exactly how the groups are determined - if it's the girls' privately shared interests, or the Kings' - but in the end no one has a date with who they were with earlier, so maybe there's more than preference at play.
The date invitations aren't on the Suit doors this time around. Instead, the next morning (after being given some heads up so they can make themselves presentable), the girls are sat down - squeezing the couch and chairs into one shot - and Brad hands them each a playing card. Their playing card, of course, because of course the theming needs to be worked in at every opportunity. Alex resists the urge to roll her eyes, but she's still grinning, 'cause the excitement is contagious and real. Dating is fun, after all.
"Written on the back of your playing cards is the King you'll be sharing time with on your next group date."
There's an excited tension in the room, and Alex takes the opportunity to poke Heather - sitting next to her - in the ribs, making her squeak, and Alex smirk mischievously.
"For filming purposes, we're going to start on this end and go around, wait for the okay before flipping your card and reading off the name, please."
Alex isn't the only one shifting in her seat, impatient for the reveal.
"Becca, if you'd like to begin."
With a surreptitious look around at them - just heightening the tension - Becca flips her card to reveal... "Devon." She holds up the card, the heart printed in the center.
"No applause please, ladies, we need clean takes."
Alex pulls a face at that - 'cause oooh, no applause, oooh - and stifles a soft snrk of laughter. Heather, of course, looks to her with wide eyes and shushes her, and Alex puts an arm around her to shut her up.
One at a time they go around the lopsided crescent, flipping card after card.
-*-
"I'm definitely counting cards. There's got to be eight per date, so I'm keeping a tally. I see three for one King, two for another, four for another... and I'm just doing the math to guess who I'll be with." -Jenna (♥A)
-*-
"The whole time I'm just thinking- let it be Tyler, let it be Tyler. ...Just really hoping." Birch looks down, blushing. "I may have a bit of a crush."
-*-
There's more than one girl who has a satisfied smile, or lets out a little squeal of excitement.
When it's her turn, Heather is shaking, and Alex tightens the arm around her encouragingly. "...Tyler." A pink flush spreads over Heather's cheeks as she bites her lip at the club printed on the back of her card. Alex is already aware that Tyler and Kai are Heather's top two. They're the... fluffiest, really (despite the whole 8-pack situation), opposed to the more imposing personalities of Devon and Nathan. Which makes sense: Heather's fluffy, too.
And then it's Alex's turn. She pulls her arm from around the blonde, giving a dramatic look around the circle before flipping the card suddenly. "Tyler." Another club.
-*-
Time to get down and dirty.
That had been the date clue. They were told to bring an outfit to change into. That's why Alex came in a paint-speckled button-up she usually saves for sleep, and shorts that are meant for exercise. She's got the cute look for later, a little black dress that has seen her through a variety of occasions, but for now it's a messy ponytail, waterproof mascara, and a pair of knee-high tube socks that she'd gotten as a gag gift that read DIRTY on one leg and GIRL on the other. She assumes they may be trashed, and she's okay with that. They just fit the clue so well, she couldn't resist.
They show up to a completely nondescript black building, and it doesn't take long to realize they're going in a back door.
"But what is it?" Birch whines, hands twisting in the hem of her shirt impatiently.
When Tyler finally appears, stepping out of a black door that perfectly matches the building's exterior, all anxiety is... well, at the very least hidden in favor of a round of cheering.
"Hello Ladies!" More cheers. (That seem to go on forever for the sake of the cameras.) Finally, things die down and Tyler continues. "Wanna come on inside?"
Which means... another move, another few minutes of set-up for the cameras. This time, in a big room - all black walls and floors, ceilings disappearing they're so high, taking Alex back to those uncomfortable college theater performances you get invited to and then awkwardly just experience - with a big black curtain dividing the space.
"Y'all may have heard I'm from West Virginia. Well, we have a li'l sport down South..."
The curtain pulls away, and what's revealed is... well—
"Mud wrestling."
-*-
"I'm from the south. I am. But I am not the kind of girl who wants mud all up in her business. You know what else we have in the south? Sweet Tea and cotillion. Why aren't we doing that on a date?" -Carla (♥10)
-*-
"Oh hell yeah I'm ready to roll around in mud. I intend to completely destroy the other girls, naturally." -Alex (♠A)
-*-
The plan is a full tournament. Seven matches in all; quarters, semis, and finals. They've got their match-ups pre-planned, and Alex is in the fourth of the four first-round matches. Two of her fellow Suit Spades teammates are on the date, too - Heather, of course, and Lizzie.
She's just finished watching the second bout (pageant girl Carla against the far more sporty Ellie) when she gets approached by Tyler. He's been making the rounds, trying to get in a word with girls before they get too muddy, so she just offers him a grin from where she's been cheering on the competition from the edge of the ring.
"Are you gonna open with howdy again?" she teases.
"You ever gonna let me forget that?"
"Oh, of course not," Alex grins, as Tyler loops his fingers in hers, turning her away from the action. "Can't let you live that down, cowboy."
"'Cowboy?' What about you, 'Dirty Girl?'"
"Hey- I dressed for the occasion. I'll have you know I did not purchase these myself."
"Mmmhm." His drawled tones are sarcastically doubtful, and Alex can't help but notice his absolutely adorable dimples. "So you're not so dirty, then?"
"Well, I never said that," her voice is a low purr, a playful smirk on her lips.
Tyler's eyebrows raise - intrigued, surprised maybe that she'd be so bold - and it makes Alex want to laugh. "Well, I guess we'll see just how dirty you can get."
"I guess we will."
-*-
When it's time for her bout, Alex ties her hair into a more compact bun, and leaves her shoes and shirt out of the ring, drawing a giggle and whoop from Heather (muddy and out of the tournament) when she strips down to a lime green sports bra.
It doesn't stay lime green for long.
Alex would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy a little wrestling. Of course, for her, it's usually in a more intimate context (not really one for fistfights if she can avoid them), and rarely in a pit of liquidy mud. But she's fighting Birch, and Birch is both shorter and slighter than her, and more keen on screeching and squealing and cowering than actual wrestling, so Alex takes her down easily. It's not even that messy, actually. Sure, she's dripping with the stuff, and her whole front is covered, but after mostly knocking Birch down or falling onto her knees, her back is almost entirely clean after the first match, though her socks are no longer readable.
Semifinals are down to Alex, Lizzie, Ellie, and Emily (L).
Emily is a much tougher competitor, and Alex is way more into the fight the second time around. She's like a spider monkey wrapping herself around the girl, getting pushed back and rolling over her, all colors lost to clay-colored mud. She's grinning most of the time— or grimacing determinedly, fiercely competitive in this sort of small-stakes activity.
Small to her, anyway. The winner gets some alone time with Tyler, that's all. They'll all have a bit of it by the end of the evening anyway, so Alex is more keen on the win for winning's sake.
She does finally manage to take down Emily, and then watches Lizzie and Ellie battle it out. It's one of those activities that is fun but also painfully sexist. Admittedly, Alex kinda... aesthetically appreciates the view, but it also just screams objectification (they've just been reduced to the shape of their bodies, after all).
She's scraping some excess mud from her arms on the sidelines when Tyler approaches again. "You know, if you expect us to do this, you really ought to join in yourself," she quips, stripping off her socks to wring them out and reveal mottled almost-skin-colored calves beneath.
"You think so?" He sounds amused but skeptical, like he'd need a very good reason to do anything like that.
Still, she makes the attempt. "Setting a double standard, aren't you? I mean, I love a mud-covered girl as much as the next guy, but I think we'd all love to see you try it, see how long you'd last." She tries to pull back on the sock, but it's too wet so she tosses it to the side of the ring with other girls' discarded clothes (those they were willing to shed, anyway; they won't get to shower and change until after this is all over).
"Are you challenging me, Miss Ace of Spades?"
Alex grins. "Damn right I am, cowboy. Want to make that championship worth a little more than a few minutes of alone time?"
Tyler shakes his head, those dimples still in full effect even if his smile is more suspicious now. "We'll see."
"I guess we shall."
Any flirting ends there, as the ref has called the extended match in Ellie's favor, and Lizzie slogs out of the ring looking winded.
So it's down to two.
She shouldn't like the final match as much as she does. For once she's the one squeaking and giggling and wriggling her way free. It's exhilarating, and she may have a slight fondness for a little roughhousing. More than once she has to quickly sandwich her lips closed, biting them between her teeth to avoid mud in the mouth.
In the end it's a close call - a very close call, with more than one almost-end - but Alex just ekes out the victory, holding Ellie down with a full-body pin across her torso.
After her hand has been raised in victory, and Alex is laughing and finally wiping the mud from her face and neck, there's a whoop from the girls.
...Of course it is.
Alex grins at Tyler stepping up to the ring, stripped down to an undershirt and a pair of gym shorts that were either on hand just in case, or had been planned for all along.
"Hmm loose clothes, that's gonna be a hindrance for you. Gonna get real weighed down," Alex jibes, shaking out her arms and heading for the opposite side of the pit. Because this, obviously, is the real prize for winning the tournament.
Tyler shoots her a look, then strips off his shirt as the other girls hoop and holler from the muddy sidelines. "Better?"
"Much."
-*-
"Shirtless Tyler? That makes it aaaall worth it." -Birch (♥8)
-*-
"I may be a little jealous of Alex. I was so close to winning that match." -Ellie (♥2)
-*-
Alex loses. Of course she loses; he's got several inches and tens of pounds on her, not to mention he's ripped. But she still has a great time. Getting pinned is probably one of her favorite activities.
"Really going all-in on the foreplay," she teases when he's got her pinned for the second time, just before the ref starts a countdown. A couple seconds in, after the briefest breather, Alex squirms out from under him and back onto her feet to the cheers of the girls. Looks like they all want to see Ty struggle a bit. "Come and get me, farm boy," she jeers, grinning.
She's straight up tackled into the mud with a scream and burst of laughter, and he full-on straddles her, forearms pinned, to keep her down.
Leaning close, looking smug, he drawls a smooth, "What was that, Dirty Girl?"
Alex is smirking like this was her plan all along - and it wasn't, but she definitely doesn't mind it - and lets her eyes dart over him, lets herself revel in the full contact and closeness, that same delicious tension she's so addicted to. She scoffs a laugh. "Fine, fine, you win."
There may be a couple happy little noises coming out of her as he shifts his weight, her eyes may be a bit darker than they were when this all started. The clinging mud is what really gives it away, though, and Alex makes a point to pull her shirt on over the mud-drenched bra as soon as possible once she's been freed from the ring. Not the same kind of padding as a bikini. Makes things just slightly awkward.
-*-
"Oh it was... fun! Yeah, I'll say it was fun, definitely. Challenging, that's for sure, but I had a good time." -Heather (♠6)
-*-
"Alex is a wild one, I'll tell you what. I almost expected her to make a move in front of all the other girls. I certainly wouldn't have minded." -Tyler
-*-
After a couple hours to shower and get dressed, mic'd up, and eat (which apparently has to be done during primping time, since no one wants to be caught dead chewing on camera - Will was right about that), the girls are ready for a casual sort of cocktail hour that's been set up outside.
Alex gets first dibs on Tyler once they're all back together and he's said his piece for the camera, summing up his satisfaction with the day's activity. It's apparently on her to lead him away somewhere, though she's not exactly sure where until a producer signals her toward a secluded area hidden by greenery. It's cute, if a little obviously set up. There's already a camera waiting. That part will always be awkward, Alex thinks.
"Congrats on your wins," Tyler grins, those dimples super noticeable in the golden hour.
"Mmmhm," Alex's eyes are narrowed in mock suspicion, "I think we know who the real winner was here. Tell me, was that planned all along or did I talk you into it?"
Tyler shrugs. "I'll never tell."
"So coquettish."
There's a shared smile between the two of them before Tyler looks down for a second. "Real talk, though."
Alex's smile settles to something more focused, feeling a tension coil in her stomach, a kind of nervous hum start up in her limbs, wondering what he's going to ask.
"Why'd you come on the show?"
Oh, that's an easy one. "Love." She shrugs. "I've had a not-so-great track record. My friends thought it was time I found someone a little more worthy of my time, I guess."
Tyler's eyebrows raise. "Oh? And am I worthy?"
A crooked grin spreads slowly on her lips. "A hell of a lot more than drug dealers or stalkers," her tone is wry, but there's a well-ingrained positivity to it. Trying to look on the bright side.
His expression turns concerned. "You really never had a nice boy to treat you right?"
Alex lets out a soft huff of laughter. "Not exactly." She turns her head out to the setting sun, but shoots a sidelong gaze at Tyler. "And you're not quite the gentleman you claim to be, either. Gentlemen don't get girls all wet and then tell 'em to hit the showers."
Eyebrows raise as Tyler registers the innuendo that wasn't even Alex's initial intent (though she doesn't mind it). He moves a little closer on the little bench they're sequestered on, voice low. "Oh really? And what would you suggest instead?"
Alex has an eyebrow quirked in her typical challenging attitude, and she's trying to come up with a snappy response when he slips a hand around the back of her neck, into her hair, and she realizes oh, right, just before he leans in to kiss her.
It's... um...
Well, kinda messy.
-*-
"Kissing Tyler." Alex nods slowly, impassive. Then winces. She tries to put on a positive voice. "It's... enthusiastic!"
-*-
She tries to rein him back, she does, multiple times pulling away a bit to keep him from straight up eating her face, but he just seems really into open mouths. It's not the worst kiss she's ever had, but it's definitely not the best. He's lucky he had a hand in her hair to keep her feeling into it.
When he pulls away, Alex has to fight the impulse to wipe her mouth.
-*-
"It was... very moist." Her facial expressions are so clearly a mix of cringe and regret and really trying to be polite.
-*-
"I think I like you, Dirty Girl." His voice is probably supposed to be a purr, forehead leaned against hers, but Alex is a little distracted by how wet her mouth is.
"Mm." It manages to come off as sultry, but she's not sure how, as she pulls back and his hand slips out of her hair.
"Might like to keep you around a little longer."
"Wouldn't mind that." Which is true enough. She wants to stay. She just doesn't feel like kissing him again any time soon. Which, coming from Alex, says a lot. Of course, that doesn't mean she'll stop flirting— it's just her default, really.
"Tyler? Can I steal you for a second?"
-*-
"Honestly? I was not mad at all that Carla came to interrupt. Actually, I'd probably say I was grateful." -Alex (♠A)
-*-
Alex does finally wipe her mouth on the way back to the other girls. When she looks at Heather, she briefly wonders if she'd even be into Tyler's particular brand of enthusiasm, but decides one can never really know.
"What did you talk about?" Heather asks as Alex takes a seat next to her on the wrought iron patio furniture that's been set up.
"Oh, y'know, what brought me on the show, that sort of thing." Nothing too substantial, really. She shrugs.
"He didn't ask you how you got so good at mud wrestling?" Ellie quips, though the potential barb is blunted a bit by her friendly smirk.
"Natural talent, I'm afraid," Alex shoots back with a grin.
-*-
It's unclear whether or not Heather and Tyler kissed (Alex has to assume not, because Heather looks too happy and too dry for that to be the case), but either way the blonde comes back after their talk blushing straight to her roots. So whatever they talked about, it must have been good. Alex doesn't bother asking what, just asks how Heather feels about it.
"I really like him. He's very nice." She's so very pink.