Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Oliver doesn’t jump into the conversation, but I can tell he’s listening intently. I take it as a positive sign that he’s not displaying any disagreement.
“Ten men who’ve been thrown together shouldn’t get along as well as we do.” Theron glances out of the window at the sun that is starting to blink brightly at the horizon. A new day is coming, but what it will bring is unknown.
“What happens next will have a huge impact on Allie’s life. If we all disappear and leave her to deal with the fallout of those pictures, it will make things worse.”
“So, what are you saying?” Oliver finally jumps in, his voice almost desperate.
“I’m saying we need to step up. We need to be the men she needs us to be.”
“As a group?”
I nod and glance at my friend, finding his expression less pained. “As a group. If Allie’s friend can have nine men, why can’t Allie have ten?”
“There was a reality TV show about one woman with ten men a few years back,” Theron reminds us.
“I remember that. Did they work out?”
“The show was a hit,” Theron continues. “People loved the dynamic. They were a cute family. I remember that much.”
“People love a happy ever after,” I muse, already thinking about how to sell the story of the start of a crazy relationship setup that none of us expected.
“We need to talk to the rest,” Oliver says.
“And somehow get grumpy Russell on board,” Theron adds, but it’s with a smile.
“Exactly.”
“There’s just one other big part of this puzzle,” Oliver says.
“And what’s that?” Theron leans forward, gripping the headrests so he’s more part of the conversation.
“Allie might hate the idea.”
I reach out for my bottle of water, taking a long swig while I contemplate what to say next. This discussion feels big, and the outcome even bigger. In the end, I decide that discussing that possibility isn’t beneficial to anyone. “Maybe,” I accept, “but no idea ever comes to fruition without some challenges on the way.”
Oliver rubs his hands over his face. “There’s no way she’ll be able to think about anything like this with all the press attention looming over her. And the job situation.”
“So, you deal with that, and let us deal with the rest,” Theron says.
He makes it sound so simple, and I know it’s not going to be.
All we can do is try.
So that’s what we plan to do.
42
ALLIE
Russell is asleep in my bed as I brush my teeth, staring out of the window at the rising sun. The night had been turbulent, marked by tears and shared misery. He held me until I stopped crying and we both fell asleep. But I couldn’t rest for long. My racing heart woke me with the memories of the scandalous photos that are now splattered across the internet. Despite my exhaustion and frazzled nerves, I needed to get up.
Drowning in panic and misery isn’t going to get me anywhere.
There’s an article to write.
Regardless of everything, I’m going to deliver what I’ve been paid for.
And with Dawn’s idea fresh in my mind, I need to begin to get the words down while they’re ready to flow.
I set up my computer and immediately archive the draft I wrote after Kirsty’s visit. It sounds hollow after all my experiences. Rather than providing readers with insight, it’s cliche and ridiculous. I can do so much better.
Whether my draft, with all its truth and grit will be printed or not is another matter.
I have a feeling that Kirsty will reject it outright. She has a tone and style that she expects to run consistently through every piece that’s featured in the magazine, regardless of who penned it. In reality, every journalist in the place has a natural sound to their writing that is sanitized by the magazine until everything is unified and bland.
I begin to type from the heart. I delve into the stories of the men I spent time with at the beach house, highlighting their similarities and differences. Each man has left an indelible mark on me, and I strive to convey their impact on my emotions. Theron empowered me to explore my desires. He gave me the freedom to put aside all my anxieties about sex and open my body to new experiences. Stefan, my first, was a firm and steady hand, who made the time we spent together a safe and exciting space. Carson woke different desires in me, and he and Jimmy showed me what it could be like to be worshiped by more than one man. Tom, Clay and Gabe gave me so much pleasure that my mind disconnected from my body, and then helped me realize it’s okay to want more. Jonas and Theron took me further on my journey with lessons that made me more confident, and Oliver and Russell sealed us as one formidable group.