I drew in a deep breath, put on my pageant smile, and prayed like hell I didn’t forget how to read.
“Four, three…”
The production assistant used his fingers to finish the countdown, then pointed to me when the camera light went red.
“Hello from Hamilton, Montana! I’m Kipton Howse, the host of Swipe Right. We’re so excited that you’ll be coming along with us on our social dating experiment. Starting later this week, you lucky viewers will get to see dates broadcast live every Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you’ll get prerecorded, behind-the-scenes footage of the competing ladies, of our bachelor, Hunter Shaw, and more!”
I paused a few beats, then went on.
“For those of you who don’t already know how the game will be played, we have one bachelor and twenty single women. Each week, two women will be randomly selected to go on dates with our bachelor. Afterward, Hunter and the women will spend time in the private Truth Booth to talk about their dates. Those confessions will air live. After sharing their individual impressions of the date, they’ll each have the ability to either swipe right, and stay in the game, or swipe left. If Hunter swipes left, the woman is out of the game. If the woman swipes left, she’s choosing to leave—even if our bachelor swiped right.”
Another beat.
“Before we can officially start the game, though—it’s time for you to meet our bachelor!” Turning to look at Hunter, who was off camera, I waved my arm and said, “Come on over, Hunter!”
With that full smile showcasing the dimple that could surely melt the snow outside—and trust me, there was a lot of snow—Hunter made his way over and stood beside me.
“It’s great seeing you, Kipton,” Hunter said as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. I turned to the camera and fanned myself. Everyone would assume I was acting, of course, but the moment his lips touched my skin, my entire body hummed to life.
“My, oh my…aren’t our single ladies lucky?”
Hunter laughed, and I faced him once more. “Let’s get to know you a bit, shall we, Hunter?”
He lifted his hands and replied, “Let’s.”
“Before we show viewers your intro piece, tell us a little about yourself.”
Hunter nodded and kept his eyes on me the entire time he spoke. “I’m twenty-one, a senior at the University of Montana in Missoula. I’m majoring in business accounting, and I’m also part of the UM Rodeo, where I compete in team roping.”
“Good-looking and a cowboy, ladies,” I said to the camera. When I glanced at Hunter, he was blushing. “Are you the header or the heeler?”
“My position is header.”
“Growing up on a ranch here in Montana, and being the son of a retired professional bull rider, that surely had some kind of impact on your decision to do what you do.”
He nodded. “It did, absolutely.”
“Do you ride bulls also?”
Giving me a wickedly seductive smile, he replied, “I do, but I’m better on a horse than a bull.”
“It shows. You and your partner, Dustin, are rated number one on the college circuit right now, correct?”
Another blush. My God, the women are going to go crazy for this man.
“Yes, ma’am, that’s right, we are.”
Turning to the camera, I laughed. “Ma’am? Lord, I feel twenty years older.”
A nervous bubble of laughter came from Hunter.
“And with that, how about we take a deeper look at our bachelor?”
The red light faded away and the prerecorded piece about Hunter began.
“I didn’t mean to insult you, Kipton. I won’t say ma’am again,” Hunter started just as a few people rushed over to pull him away. Before I could even utter a word, I was being pulled along behind him.
“I feel like I’m going to trip in these heels,” I said with a laugh.
“Nonsense,” Georgiana stated as she walked beside of me. “You strutted your stuff in a bathing suit in heels higher than this, in front of millions of people.”
“That’s just it. I was strutting, not almost running.”
“Don’t run!” Tricia cried out. “You’ll sweat and ruin the makeup.”
We made it to the huge conference room with a couple of minutes to spare. I walked over to Hunter and grinned. “I think if we have to keep doing that, I’ll lose those last ten pounds I’ve been hoping to drop.”
He looked at me with a confused expression on his face. “You’re perfect, Kip. You don’t need to lose any weight.”
I blinked at him, not sure what to say, when someone shouted, “Back in thirty seconds.”
“By the way,” I said, as I stood on my mark. “I wasn’t insulted. Just trying to keep things light.”
He looked at me and winked. “Good.”
We both faced the cameras as they started to count down from ten. This time, it was Jack in my ear. I saw Hunter reach up and mess with his own earpiece. I’d been practicing with mine the last couple of days, so I’d gotten used to it.
The red light was back on, and I started to read the prompter.
“That’s some bachelor we have for the first season of Swipe Right. Now is the moment everyone has been waiting for—or at least, I’m sure you’ve been waiting for, Hunter.”
He smiled and offered a nod.
“You get to meet the twenty lucky single women who will be living at a château not far from your family ranch. Are you ready?”
Hunter rubbed his hands together in what I knew had to be a nervous gesture. “I’m ready.”
Turning to the camera, I said, “Ladies and gentlemen, let the game begin!”
The camera faded off me and focused on the door. I squeezed Hunter’s arm and smiled before I quickly made my way over to stand next to Jack, who was directing this episode.
“Here we go,” he whispered as the double doors opened to reveal the first contestant. As I’d told Hunter, I’d met the women already, and a few of them I’d instantly liked. By “few,” I mean three exactly. The rest seemed so shallow and fake, and not women I could see Hunter falling for. Then again, I’d only known Hunter a few weeks, and before that, we’d only spoken via Zoom calls.
I watched as Mollie walked through the open door. She was beautiful. Black hair that was pulled back into a French twist, a form-fitting black dress that made her green eyes pop. She smiled the moment she saw Hunter. I watched as he let his gaze move over her body. A small part of me wondered why he hadn’t checked me out like that the first time we met. Of course, it could have been because both of my parents were standing next to me.
“Hey,” Mollie said in a seductive tone. “I’m Mollie.”
Glancing over to the monitor, I read the same information the viewers would see: Mollie, age twenty-six, consultant, San Francisco.
Hunter held out his hand, and she swatted it away before she practically threw herself into his arms. He hugged her and chuckled.
“Hi, Mollie. I’m Hunter.”
She let out an ear-piercing fake laugh as she placed a hand on his chest and waggled her brows. “Oh, I know who you are, sweetheart.”
Hunter let out an awkward laugh this time. “Well, I look forward to getting to know you.”