[IC] Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

[Rogue Sloth]

Congratulations!

Due to your exceptional reputation, you have been nominated by our production team to take part in this summer’s hit reality TV series: Oceanside Strangers! We would like to personally thank you for giving us your time this summer and for helping to make our cast more diverse with the addition of your unique personality. All of us from Empire Entertainment are excited to see what is in store for both you and your eager fanbase this year. We can’t wait to meet you!

Filming begins on May 20th at 7:00PM, so please be sure to arrive on set in Malibu, California at that time to get moved in. The house where you will be staying is located on 11846 Ellice St, Malibu, CA 90265. All of your production-related expenses will be covered by Empire Entertainment throughout the duration of the show. If you have any further questions, contact Benjamin Hoof at [phone] or [e-mail].

See you soon!

Empire Entertainment Production Crew

Jett Olliston stuffed the letter back into his pocket and stared out the window of the limousine, watching as the tropical California scenery passed by. Coming from the steel-and-cement city of New York, NY, he found the natural greens and blues refreshing. Trees and other plants lived in harmony among the manmade buildings, giving the area a relaxing, laid-back atmosphere. It was a nice break from the busyness of his home state, where everything that breathed seemed to be in a hurry to get from one place to the next. He smiled as the ocean peeked into view at the edge of the horizon. The TV production he had joined would only last for the duration of the summer, but hopefully this rich, beautiful paradise would give him plenty of memories to take home once it was all over.

As a professional singer and songwriter who had built up quite the reputation around the country, he had been invited to take part in this show as one of the celebrity guests. The director had phoned his agent personally, spewing off a list of reasons why he would want to take a summer off from touring to participate in this series instead. Money, connections, and a growing fanbase were some of the lures he’d tried to use, but Jett didn’t care about any of those. To him, the biggest attraction had been the experience. Sure, he’d been on TV before, doing interviews and performing in front of the camera, but participating in a season-long reality show? That was new.

The drive from the airport was long and slow as the limo driver battled against the dense California traffic, but after an hour or so, they arrived at the house addressed in Jett’s letter. Both driver and passenger exchanged a look of surprise when they saw the building. Just the front side of it was enormous. Palm trees lined the driveway and the path to the front door, giving it a tropical resort kind of feeling, and small landscape lights casted a majestic glow on the walls. Jett let out a whistle as he climbed out of the limo. Damn. I knew it was gonna be nice, but no one said we’re staying in a multimillion dollar house! The whole thing made his luxury apartment in Manhattan look homely.

“Alright, folks! Participant number nine has just arrived,” a man with a cordless microphone announced to a cameraman standing nearby. Jett looked pointedly away from them, pretending to be caught up in gathering his luggage from the trunk of the vehicle. It was bad form to stare at the camera after all, and he had an image to keep up for his audience.

“Jett Olliston: a 25-year-old musician,” the announcer went on. “We were quite lucky to have caught him in-between jobs! With his looks, who knows what kind of spice this young man is going to bring to Oceanside Strangers? I know I can’t wait to find out! Ah—! Here he comes now.” As Jett began walking down the path that led to the house’s front door, the announcer intercepted him. “Jett Olliston! A star such as yourself must be very busy, but do you think you can spare a moment to answer some questions for your fans back at home?”

“Well, I’m not busy now,” Jett shrugged. “Of course I have time.” I guess it’s that kind of reality show, huh? He let himself face the camera and smiled, playing it up for his audience.

“Wonderful!” the announcer beamed. “Many of the lovely people watching tonight will be following your story all summer, so I just want to ask you a few things that will help them get to know you better before this rollercoaster starts.”

“Shoot,” Jett said. “I’m an open book.”

“Fantastic! First question, then: Where are you from?”

“New York, New York. The city that never sleeps.”

“Excellent! Second question: Why did you join this humble little show of ours?”

“Honestly? It sounded like an interesting change of pace for me. And besides,” Jett glanced back at the gigantic house behind them. “Who wouldn’t want to live in a place like this for a whole summer? I was lucky to have gotten that phone call.”

“Very true, very true! So, do you have any hobbies? Say… long walks on the beach or watching the sun set?”

Jett couldn’t help but laugh at that. This interviewer really wasn’t holding back. “Those are fine and all, but I actually like to play sports like Ultimate Frisbee or Soccer. Being a musician, I also spend a lot of time practicing in my studio, of course.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait to hear you perform for us! I’m sure you know that we have a few other artists in the group as well. But enough about that; you’ll meet them soon enough. In the meantime, I must ask you the question your fans are dying to know the answer to…” he paused for dramatic effect. “Do you have a special girl in your life?”

“I don’t,” Jett scratched the back of his neck.

“Really? A handsome devil like you: single? I’m shocked!” the announcer grasped at his chest in astonishment.

“I guess I just haven’t met the right girl yet,” Jett shrugged, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the interviewer’s over-the-top behavior.

“Well then… do you think you’ll meet her here?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t come here looking for a relationship, but you never know when or how that sort of thing will happen.”

“Very wise,” the announcer nodded sagely. “Anyway, those are all the questions I have for you for now, Jett Olliston. Head on in and meet the rest of the cast! We’re just waiting on a few more people before we turn you all loose for the summer.”

“Can’t wait,” Jett grinned. He turned and headed up the path to the open front door, eager to see who and what laid inside.

[Bee]

Luckily for Anastasia, she lived right in the heart of Los Angeles. When she got that letter about the reality show she admittedly auditioned for as part of a lost bet, she was rather surprised. A biological engineer who had just very recently graduated from Northeastern was going to be on a reality show, at least that was as far as she knew according to the letter. There was the possibility that this was a very good fake -- but the letter just seemed too real for her to pass up. There was an email and everything, and a quick Google search yielded results that boded well for Anna, and a quick phone call also verified what the letter said. Everything added up - hell even the address that was listed on the piece of paper was real. It took Anna a while to consider her options, but in the very end, after spending some time thinking about it, she decided to accept the offer and start packing for the trip.

Even though Anna was right there in Los Angeles, meaning Malibu was only a forty minute drive away (on paper), she was still going to pack heavy for the trip. The Ukrainian woman had a feeling that she wasn't going to be allowed to go back and forth between her actual home and her Malibu home to grab what she needed. That meant her suitcases were going to be packed full of a variety of items, from clothes all the way to the various things she used to apply makeup. After some time packing, Anna was successfully packed, somehow managing to fit her giant pieces of luggage into the back of the Ford Expedition that was picking her up, and she made her way to the venue that was laid out on the piece of paper. Hopefully this was going to be a good opportunity for her, because this girl was way out of her element when it came to being on national television, especially someone who only applied to this thing as a joke.

Anna didn't really have much of a reputation in the grand scheme of things. She was just someone who sat in a laboratory or an office all day and worked magic with science. Nobody outside of her little bubble of life really knew who she was. She was about as hard to find as a needle in a haystack. Nothing made her stand out among seven billion people in this world. Her social media followers were in the high hundreds, and she had all the platforms you could think of. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram... you name it, she had it. The wild premise of the show meant that Anna was going to be submerged into an entirely new world she couldn't even fathom. Anna thought she was the shit at her company. After all, she was appointed the leader of a huge project at some point. That meant that her superiors saw something in her that made her stand out from the rest. That meant she was good, and she knew it. However, that didn't mean shit in the scope of this show. No biological engineering magic could save her from whatever situation would arise from being on this show.

The drive from Los Angeles to Malibu took nearly two hours, as it was peak rush hour and Anna made the unfortunate mistake of leaving right in the meat of it. She spent most of the drive just sitting on the freeway, the SUV inching along as she listened to whatever was on the radio drone on and on and one about god knows what. It was annoying that Los Angeles had some of the worst traffic in the entire country... she would've been able to get to the address a long time ago if it wasn't for Los Angeles's poor infrastructure and the overabundance of people in the county. She was frustrated. However, that frustration soon melted away when she finally got to an exit she could take, where she could gain back some time and zoom away. Gone was the stop-and-go traffic of I-10 and in was the flowing, free road of CA-1, also known as one of the most beautiful highways in the entire country.

The Pacific Ocean was a beautiful sight for eyes to behold, and this day in late May made it so much more beautiful. The waters were calm, and people were frolicking about on the sandy beach. The closer she got to the destination, the more aware she was of the caliber of the situation she was dealing with. This was rich person territory, this was extravagant territory, this was territory where a square inch costed more than her entire apartment. Anna was really out of her territory here, and it wasn't long before she arrived at the extravagantly fabulous venue of the show. Just looking at it made her feel broke, and she could already sense that the net worth that had congregated onto this property was sky high. Anna suddenly felt a little bit nervous, but that just meant she had to compensate. So what if she was just some lowly biomechanical engineer? That didn't mean she didn't have anything to offer.

The SUV stopped in front of the front door, before Anna was allowed to leave and gather her things. Hopefully she could unpack and find her room and gather her bearings first, but the production crew had different plans. A camera was already trained onto her, watching her every move as she reached into the trunk and pulled out her rather large suitcases. An announcer spoke into the microphone as she pulled her belongings out, "And now we have our last, but not least participant, Anastasia Ivanova!" The man beamed, as the camera zoomed in on her closing the trunk door, one of her suitcases in hand as she prepared to walk to the front door. "This twenty five year old biomechanical engineer is our tenth participant! Why don't we see what we're getting from her, shall we?"

Anna didn't make it more than five steps before the production crew came up to her, in which she was rather startled and taken aback by. However, this was a critical and pivotal moment for her. This moment with the camera was going to be the first out of MANY as she participated in this show. This moment was going to define who she was as a character on this show, even if she was a real person. The tone she took, and the words she chose to use were going to make an impression. She might as well have given them something to go off of.

"Hello there, Miss Ivanova. Do you have some time to answer some questions for us? It sure would be great if you did!" The announcer asked, a smile on his face. Something told Anna that she didn't really have the option to decline.

"Sure." She smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear to make sure the audience got a clear shot of her face.

"Great! So first off, where are you from?"

This was information that was revealed in her audition tape. Couldn't the editors just put it on the screen or something instead of asking her outright? She was rather confused as to why they were asking her this, unless they meant where she was from from and not where she was a couple of hours ago. "Well I was born in Kiev, Ukraine before my family moved to Boston, where I spent most of my life and went to college in. After that, I got my degree and I moved to Los Angeles."

That was about as generic of a reply as any, but it was the best given the material. "Splendid! So what brought you here? Why did you want to come onto this show?"

Anna had the option of revealing the actual reason as to why she was here, but her gut told her not to do it. Having someone that only auditioned as a joke wasn't going to go over too well, especially with the production crew who had no idea. She had to think of a bullshit answer rather quickly. "Well... I joined because I wanted something different to do. I like my job, but I can only do the same thing for so long before I just wanna rip my hair out of my head."

Hopefully they bought that.

"That, we can all agree with, Miss! Now tell us, what are your hobbies like? What do you do? Maybe long walks on the beach?"

"I like to uh... watch TV, I guess? Once in a while I'll go to a bar."

The announcer nodded, before finally getting onto the last question. "Now, do you have any special person in your life? Someone you go home to?"

"No. Not unless you count the creeps at the bar." Anna laughed, flashing an awkward smile. It was a rather disastrous interview, Anna thought, but she thought it would be fine for the most part considering she wasn't a crazy celeb, but instead just a regular Joe.

"Really now? A beautiful woman like you? Well, you think you'll meet someone here?"

"I don't know. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll find someone good enough for me. Maybe I won't."

The announcer made a face that could only be interpreted as shock, but in a juicy sort of way. Seemed like they had a feisty one when it came to Anna. "Well that's all I have for you, Anastasia Ivanova, head on in and get settled!"

Anna nodded and smiled, before pulling her suitcase up the walkway and into the house. Walking into the house had taken every single bit of air she had inside of her lungs. It was large, it was grand, it was grandeur, and it was definitely beautiful. This beat the shit out of every single place she had stepped into prior to today. She couldn't believe her eyes, and she couldn't believe the people that were in here. Anna honestly didn't know what to do with herself. It seemed like everyone else did, however, with how a rather young looking girl with glasses and a tattoo on her arm was conversing with a long haired man, both with drinks in hand. Anna stood there for a while, trying to figure out what to do now that she was here. Maybe a drink was in order? There were a ton of them at the table. Yeah, a drink sounded good. Anna made her way to the drink table, leaving her luggage near the door. Hopefully she'd be able to run into someone there, and get the ball rolling.

[Rogue Sloth]

If possible, the inside of the house was even more stunning than the outside. The first room Jett stepped into was thoroughly modern in design, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, a multitude of hanging and free-standing artwork, and a neat arrangement of comfy-looking chairs and a sectional couch in the center. There were few dividers between the different rooms, so the living area and kitchen space overlapped, giving the first floor an open and inviting feeling.

A crew member hurried over to relieve Jett of his bags and waved a hand, gesturing at the bar on the far end of the room where the other participants were all gathered. Jett followed the motion with his storm gray eyes, lingering by the doorway as he took a moment to look over the people he would he living with for the next few months. Right away, he spotted a couple other famous musicians that he knew, Bella Michaels and David Hopper, along with a few celebrities he was familiar with, but had never met in person before. A smile spread over his lips as he watched the small crowd from a distance. Just based on the personalities that had been invited to take part in the show alone, he could already tell this was going to be a wild ride.

Jett murmured a quick ‘thank you’ to the crew member who had just finished collecting his luggage, and then headed towards the group, eager to grab a drink and join in the conversations. As he got closer, he noticed a bartender rushing back and forth to prepare and set out a variety of classic drinks on a quartz-topped table nearby. It wasn’t a long shot to guess that the poor guy had been told by production to make enough to keep the cast drunk and happy. He stepped up to the table to look over the display. Fancy, crystal glasses were filled to the brim with the alcoholic beverages and garnished extravagantly. He recognized Old Fashioneds, Martinis, Mai Tais, and White Russians to name a few. It looked like there were plenty of options to satisfy all kinds of tastes. They really went all out, huh?

This show was pretty much a fancy vacation to Jett, so he selected a Mojito for himself—to get the full vacation experience, of course. With a glass in hand, he turned back to the rest of the group, bringing the minty drink to his lips as he worked on deciding who he wanted to talk to first. The easiest thing to do would be to start with someone he already knew, especially since half of the people here were probably crazy fans of the celebrity guests. He’d had enough close calls with some of his own fans in the past to be at least a little wary of approaching someone he didn’t know.

However, the decision was made for him when a familiar voice called out his name. He turned to see Bella Michaels making her way over from the other side of the crowd, grinning broadly as she headed towards him with her arms outstretched.

“Hey, long time no see,” Jett set his drink down on the bar to greet her with a friendly hug and a pat on the back. It had been about a year since the last time he and Bella had crossed paths. Last summer, she had sung a duet with him for one of the songs he’d written that had needed a female vocal counterpart. Not only did he admire her talent as a singer, but he’d also found that they’d gotten along quite well during the collaboration and even kept in touch off and on after he’d gone back to New York. It was great to see her again.

“I had no idea you were going to be doing this too!” Bella said excitedly. “I mean, I heard there were going to be other singers, but what were the odds we both got invited to join this show?”

“Who knows?” Jett shrugged, picking up his drink again to take another sip as he leaned back against the bar. He glanced over the crowd of people once more, “Whatever the case, I’m excited to see where this thing goes.”

“Me too,” Bella nodded in agreement as she followed his gaze. “Have you met any of the guests who had to audition to join yet? The ones I’ve talked to have all been nice so far.”

“No, I just got here.,” he shook his head and then turned back to her with an amused look. “I’m glad you already tested the waters though. I wasn’t sure what sort of people they invited to live with us, and I really don’t feel like starting off my summer getting mauled by a rabid fan, you know?”

Bella laughed, “Lucky for us, they seemed to have picked a nice, semi-normal bunch of people, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.” She lifted a hand to rest briefly on his shoulder before taking a step back to head slowly toward the crowd. “Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I’ll see you around, Jett.”

“Same to you, Bella,” he lifted his glass to her in a lazy gesture of goodbye as she wandered off to chat with some of the other girls that he didn’t recognize.

Jett was just about to follow her lead and approach a couple of unfamiliar guys, when another thought crossed his mind. They were still waiting for the last couple of people to arrive, so he had a bit of time to look around the house. This could be my last chance to explore without a camera following my every move. Being a people-person nearly to a fault, he loved meeting and getting to know new faces, but he had all summer to do that with this crowd. So, instead of joining the rest of the group, he turned and walked over to the living area side of the massive room instead.

Unsure how long it would be until the final participants arrived, he only took a little while to wander, but in that time, he discovered a number of interesting things about the house, including a small aquarium built into one of the interior pillars, an enormous infinity pool on the back patio, a piano in one of the parlors—he made a mental note to remember that detail—and an open-air bar. By the time he came back to join the others at the bar he was grinning excitedly, already picturing the luxurious summer he was going to have at this millionaire estate.

Apparently, he’d had perfect timing too. As soon as he returned to the rest of the cast, he noticed that the announcer and camera crew had joined the party. The rest of the show members must have arrived while he was gone. Quickly finishing off the rest of the drink in his hand, he stepped up to fill the nearest gap between two other people as the man with the microphone prepared to address them all.

“Alright!” the announcer said loudly. “It’s good to see you’re all getting to know each other. The people standing around you now will be your friends, your comrades, your family, your rivals, your partners in crime, and for some of you… your lovers.”

They’re really hung up on this ‘lovers’ thing, Jett mused, folding his arms loosely across his chest as he listened to the wordy speech. Romantic flings must make for good ratings in this type of show.

“From now until the end of summer, this dream house is yours to use as you please,” the announcer went on. “You have access to all of it: the pool, the game room, the theater, the bar… everything is yours through September. The only place you won’t be able to wander to and from at all hours of the day is that cozy little spot outside.” He pointed at a covered area to the right of the pool outside, where three, cushioned benches were arranged around a fireplace. “That is where we’ll be filming all of your confessionals throughout the show. So, apart from there, you have free reign.

“As for your rooms, they’ve already been assigned, and your luggage has been dropped off accordingly. Whenever you’re ready, you can go find the room with your nameplate and arrange it however you’d like. Now then, I think I’ve done enough jabbering. Go and enjoy yourselves in this oceanside paradise!”

As if on cue, the lights dimmed, and loud, electronic party music played out over speakers that Jett couldn’t see. Immediately, the circle of cast members folded in on itself as people began talking, drinking, and dancing together. Meanwhile, the camera crew circled the crowd predatorily in search of captivating scenes to catch on film. The sight sent a thrill of excitement through Jett. This was exactly the kind of atmosphere he had been hoping to find when he’d accepted this summer gig.

Since it was the first party of the summer, he supposed now was as good a time as any to meet some new people. Grabbing an Old Fashioned from the drink table, he slipped into the crowd and sauntered up to the first girl he saw, a tall blonde with a pretty face. Having approached her from behind, he tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. “Hey there,” he grinned, speaking loudly so that she would be able to hear him over the blaring music. “Want to dance?”

[Bee]

Before Anna could get to where the drinks were, the sound of rapid footsteps as well as the sight of everyone in the household congregating into the center. stopped her dead in her tracks and interrupted her from getting something to make this a little bearable. Before Anna stuck out like a sore thumb, she made her way to the center as well, her boots thudding softly against the tile floor as she pushed into an open slot in the crowd. Anna was bursting at the seams with anticipation as she waited to see what this dude had to say. Hopefully it was something good, but brief, because Anna could really use a drink right now. As the rest of the people filled in, Anna took a brief moment to take a quick headcount. It looked like there were ten people, including herself, at this moment. Every single face she saw right now was going to be someone she was going to see very, very often for the next four months or so. She liked what she saw so far.

Standing up straight, Anna folded her arms and stared at the announcer in the center of the circle that had formed. Knowing that this was a summer show - there was going to definitely be some romance involved. The target audience was most likely going to be teenaged girls on their summer break with nothing better to do than to oogle at some hot faces on the screen. Romance was going to be big, and Anna knew that. However, was there really a suitable candidate for her here? There were definitely some attractive faces here -- at least the casters knew what they were doing. Attractive faces were going to pull in the viewers, which was something that Anna definitely could've admired, and definitely a move she would've also made if she was in charge of this stuff.

So, it seemed like everything was fair game, besides that spot. Anna knew that she was going to have to check out everything before she left. The pool sounded like something that would definitely pique Anna's interest. She was a sucker for infinity pools, and with the impending California heat coming in these next few months, she was going to have a good time soaking in that pool. Additionally, it seemed like they already had rooms picked out for them. Hopefully Anna got something that was good. The chances of getting something not as good were slim though, considering how amazing the damn house was. There was a good chance that every room was going to be equally as beautiful as the other, and especially with a personal touch splashed upon the rooms. The biological engineer had every reason to believe that her stay at this rather beautiful estate was going to be nothing short of amazing, provided that she meshed well with everyone here though.

Shortly after the man finished speaking, the lights suddenly dimmed, which had caught Anna as a surprise before the loud music started to blare. So, it had become a party, eh? Finally, Anna could have a drink and get to know the people around her. Sighing softly, the crowd broke apart as everyone started to get into the party. Anna took the opportunity to grab a drink, and apparently in the time between the last time she was at the drink table and now, the entire thing had been restocked and was now brimming with all sorts of drinks. Anna took an Old Fashioned herself, one of her personal favorites, and took a sip. After that, she migrated away from the table and started to slowly drift toward the center of the party. She wanted to get a better look at everyone at the party, and even maybe start up a conversation. However, it seemed like someone had a similar idea when it came to her, indicated by the tapping on her shoulder.

Turning around, Anna had her drink in her mouth before she saw the rather handsome man standing before her. Her face turned a light shade of red, before the words he said toward her had finally processed. There was no way she was going to turn this down, not with a face like that. "Sure, as long as you can hang with me..." She smiled, before finishing her drink and putting it aside somewhere that wasn't too out of place. Anna took the man's hand, before she tugged softly. "Come on, show me what you've got."

[Rogue Sloth]

Jett found the young woman’s surprise amusing. He couldn’t tell if she had reacted that way because she had recognized him or if he had simply startled her, but whatever the case, he thought it was entertaining how quickly her cheeks lit up a warm pink when she had turned around to face him. Now up close, he also got a better look at her in the low light. Before he’d approached her, he had caught a glimpse of her face from a distance, but it had been brief, and he hadn’t been able to take in very much. Honestly, the main reason why he’d picked her to dance with in the first place had had more to do with the convenience of where she’d been standing than anything else. He had just wanted to socialize, and there had been a clear path through the crowd from his spot to hers.

But now, with nothing standing between them besides the small distance of their own personal spaces, he could see that she was quite a looker. His eyes swept over her face as he studied her. Bright, blue-gray eyes, clear skin, and full lips were some of the traits that drew his attention right away. He let his gaze wander a little lower. She was shapely too. If he didn’t know better, he might have mistaken her for an actress that had been invited to take part in the show with the other celebrities. She definitely had the makings of one. I bet production just went through all the auditionees and picked the most attractive ones that submitted a tape. He wouldn’t have been surprised, especially since it seemed like the crew was hoping to coax the cast members into some summer romances.

Jett’s eyes flickered back up to her face, and he quirked a brow in surprise at her answer. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like that. This woman was either really ballsy or had no idea who he was. Either way, he liked her attitude. He felt her take him by the hand and give it a tug as she took the initiative to lead him to the dance floor. She’s bold too. He grinned eagerly and quickly downed the rest of his drink, setting the glass on a nearby table—he guessed that, like most bars he had been to, the bartender would come around to pick up the empties between making drinks—before he followed her over to a small open space between the other pairs of dancers.

Already two drinks deep and feeling a little feisty, himself, Jett decided to take her earlier words on as a challenge. As soon as they reached a point where they had enough room to move somewhat freely in the crowd, he let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her waist, moving smoothly as he picked up the beat of the music. Performing in front of audiences for a living, he considered himself to be a skilled dancer. After all, it would be sort of pathetic if he didn’t know how to do that much after seven years of training with a multitude of dance coaches and other professionals. Freestyling at a casual party like this was child’s play to him by now.

“I think I can ‘hang with you’ just fine, yeah?” he said with a wry edge to his voice as he led her effortlessly through the undulating sea of people. While they danced, his eyes occasionally roamed over the others in the crowd. He saw other pairs of men and women dancing together along with one group of three girls who all bobbed and swayed to the music with drinks in their hands, clearly intent on getting drunk. Off to the side, more people stood around talking or watching the people in the middle of the room as if waiting for their turn to dance. Overall, it was a wild and energetic scene—the kind in which Jett thrived.

“So,” he said, turning back to the woman in front of him with a glint of interest in his eye. “I noticed you were working on an Old Fashioned earlier. I’ve gotta know the name of a fellow whiskey lover.”

[Bee]

The eagerness of this stranger had caught Anna by surprise. A welcome one, at that. Anna wasn't expecting this guy to actually take her up on this challenge. Usually when she showed the slightest bit of confidence and bite to anyone else, people cowered in fear and backed away from them like the pussies that they were. No man wanted to deal with the possibility of someone as confident and self-assured as Anna was. They couldn't handle the heat that came with her punches. They couldn't deal with the fact that Anna wasn't just some lackey who would say yes whenever a man so much as looked their way and smiled at them. No -- Anna didn't play that way, and she was surprised that there was someone that was actually willing to play the game that she had challenged people to play. That definitely made Anna feel a little warmer inside. This guy had something -- and she had a feeling he wasn't exactly a "regular" person either.

And this guy had something that most guys lacked as well. This guy, he had rhythm. Most guys that she encountered lacked rhythm, or at the very best, a shrivel of a sense of rhythm. But this guy - this guy was doing things to a T. He did the one thing that nobody ever did, and that was that he was moving to the beat of the song and not just the lyrics. It was amazing just how many people fell into that trap. Even Anna herself was in that hole at some point, but then a friend pointed it out and ever since then her dancing game had been revolutionized, and the fact that she was able to find someone to actually hang with her was making her incredibly happy. A smile had formed on the girl's face as they swayed to the rhythm.

Looking up at him, she looked deep into his beautiful, blue eyes. Who was this man, and where had he been this whole time? The more she got familiar with his dancing, the more she started to figure that he wasn't just some regular guy they had picked up off of the streets. This was a celebrity, and it showed. "You're doing a good job..." Anna smiled, leaning into his embrace a little more as she put a hand up on his chest, feeling his heart beat. Anna didn't have the intention of letting this guy go anytime soon. With every second that passed between the both of them, the more that Anna realized that she was going to enjoy her time at this place, especially with eye candy like this fine specimen around.

Anna took a moment to glance at the hand on his chest, trailing along it before she looked back up, meeting his eyes as he asked her a question. Laughing softly, Anna took a deep breath and looked to the side, glancing at whoever may be keeping an eye on them, namely producers and cameramen who had undoubtedly picked up on their little encounter. "Call me Anna." She asserted, before sliding a hand up his back, resting it in between his shoulder blades. "...and who might you be, stranger?"

[Rogue Sloth]

The longer he danced with this woman, the more impressed with her Jett became. When she had made her challenge to him earlier, he had just assumed she was being cocky with him, but now that he’d had a glimpse of her skills for himself, it was starting to seem like she really did have a reason to make such a haughty comment. Even though he was talented from his years of experience in dance, she kept up with him effortlessly. His eyes swept over her with interest as she kept up with the series of complex steps he led her through, following the beat of the song. This girl may not have been a celebrity guest, but she definitely had some moves. He smiled to himself, enjoying dancing with a partner who could match him so easily.

As they continued to move to the music, Jett also noticed that she was getting a little friendly with him. His lip quirked upward in an amused smirk as she rested a hand on his chest. She isn’t wasting any time. He hadn’t met many women who were bold enough to get a little physical after meeting someone for the very first time. For a moment, he wondered if she’d had a few to drink, but that didn’t seem to be the case. She was dancing far too smoothly to be drunk, so he brushed off the theory. She must have just been a genuinely confident person who wasn’t afraid of a little light touching.

He glanced off to the side, where one of the cameramen had his lens trained in on them like a hawk. It looked like production had taken notice of them and were searching for broadcast-worthy moments. I guess we’ll just have to put on a good show for them, he thought as he turned back to the woman in front of him. It was obvious that of all the pairs of dancers, the two of them were the most visually interesting to watch. There were a few other celebrities on the dance floor with their own partners, but he could tell that they were taking it easy, so they wouldn’t overwhelm the people who had little to no experience with this sort of environment.

“Anna, huh?” Jett quipped when she told him her name. “I like it.” In the next moment, he felt her hand slide to his shoulders, and he raised a brow. She just kept getting closer to him, didn’t she? He was just beginning to wonder if she was a fan who was trying to coax him to make a move on her, when she asked him what his name was. Now that was surprising. It wasn’t that he was conceited, but he’d been expecting the non-celebrity guests of the show to all be followers of famous people like himself. Why else would anyone audition to join a cast like this, if not to meet their favorite stars? She doesn’t have to be a fan of mine though. Maybe she came here to meet one of the other celebrities.

“The name’s Jett,” he answered with a grin. Now that he felt confident she wasn’t a fan pandering for attention, he decided he might as well test the waters with this girl a little—see if he could find out whether her confident front was real or fake. As he led her through a simple turn, he slid his hand from her back down to her tailbone and pulled her closer so the space between them disappeared. From there, he guided her into a series of close-quarters dance moves that were more difficult than what they had been doing before.

While he had only done so to challenge Anna, Jett found that being so close to her got his heartrate up a bit. He may not have known anything about her other than her name, but she was hot. It was only natural that he would get a little excited. He met her gaze as they danced, near enough now that their whiskey-tinted breaths mingled. “You’re a lot better at this than I was expecting,” he complimented, maneuvering expertly through the thinning crowd. With a quick glance up at their surroundings, he suddenly realized that most of the other dancers had stopped to watch him and Anna.

He chuckled and leaned in to lower his voice slightly as he alerted her: “Don’t look now, but it seems we’ve got an audience.”

[Bee]

Jett. Anna couldn't tell that it was spelled with two Ts considering he just said it, but she liked the sound of that. You didn't really get many people named "Jett". All the world seemed to be populated with Brads and Chads and Braydens. Anna wasn't into that, as generic as her preferred name was. The Ukrainian didn't have much time to think about how uncommon and unique Jett's name was, however. She felt a hand slide down her back into a region that only few had the right mind to even think about venturing into, and even fewer who managed to journey to such a territory safely.

There was no more room for Jesus. It was just Jett and Anna, rubbing up against each other. This man was the epitome of "walking the walk and talking the talk". Whatever he said so far, he seemed to back it up just fine. Anna liked that. This man knew what he wanted and how he wanted to go about getting it. But, it felt like he was underestimating Anna. Not like that hadn't happened before, but she found it rather humorous. Anna didn't take long before catching onto Jett's new maneuvers. Seemed like this man had some training, because there was no way that someone who didn't know how to dance was able to move like he did. This man moved with a sense of purpose and confidence that was entirely unprecedented with Anna. It did something within the bioengineer. She could feel her heartrate raise and her breathing slow. That was hot.

Laughing at the fact that Jett was taken by surprise at Anna's dancing prowess, she continued to move along with Jett's movements nearly perfectly. There were some stumbles here and there but for the most part she was holding up just fine. "That's what they all say." Anna's small smirk once again turned into a smile. There was something about this man that just made her keep smiling, and not just the fake smile she put on to creeps to inflate their confidence and bait them into doing stupid shit, this was a real smile that represented every single bit of Anna's feelings. She really was happy to be with someone who could actually hang with her. It was a nice change of pace from the usual assholes she got herself tied up with. At least her status as an asshole magnet didn't follow her all the way here -- at least not yet.

"You're not so bad yourself, even after all this time." Anna followed up, continuing to dance. Anna didn't even notice that they were practically weaving their way in and out of the crowd. She had been so entranced into the music and dancing with Jett that she couldn't bother with the fact that there were people watching their every move and probably formulating a way to twist their encounter in editing to fit whatever the hell the producers wanted. Anna was far too gone to realize that, and she was deep in this encounter. It had to take Jett reminding of that fact to realize what she was doing. This was a show, after all, and not just some party at a house. She was going to see a lot more of Jett in the next few weeks.

Still, though, that didn't mean that they couldn't put on a show for the gawking eyes. They wanted something? They were going to get it. "Well then, let's give them something to watch, shall we?" Still in Jett's embrace, Anna migrated both arms to wrap around Jett's shoulders, as the music slowed down into something a lot more intimate.

[Rogue Sloth]

Jett couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun dancing with a partner. Sure, he’d had other talented partners in the past—he’d even had plenty of attractive partners—but the routines had all been for performances. It was hard to let go and just lean into the music when he’d had to keep track of an eight-count in the back of his head. Being with Anna was something else entirely. Aside from the fact that he didn’t have choreography to stick to, he also didn’t have to worry about dumbing down any of the steps he led her through. She was a talented follow, and she kept up with his moves with a level of confidence he’d only seen in professional dancers.

She was also hot. Like, really hot. In fact, Jett was starting to find it difficult to focus on anything else with the way she brazenly moved her body against his. He could feel the sway of her hips beneath the hand he had so coyly slid down her backside, and with her face no further than an inch or two in front of his own, she took up the entirety of his vision. Usually, he had no problem being this close to a woman, since he’d been dancing platonically with partners for the last seven years, but there was just something captivating about Anna that was different than anyone else he’d been with before. The way she moved wasn’t just smooth, it was sexy. And, if he was honest, it made his heart race with an excitement that wasn’t just because of the dancing.

Anna continued to further impress when she didn’t shy away at the crowd of onlookers. Performing in front of audiences for a living, Jett was used to being the center of attention, but he was well aware that most people got stage fright when other eyes were on them. He was surprised that she didn’t seem bothered by it. As she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, he didn’t skip a beat, adjusting his hold on her so that both of his hands were resting on her waist. He slowed to a gentle sway as the music changed, stifling the urge to roll his eyes as he realized that someone from production had probably told the DJ to put on a slow song for them. They must really be hoping for something romantic to happen, huh?

“I’m thinking we should kick this one old school,” Jett murmured in her ear with a mischievous smirk. “They’d like that… Ever tried blues dancing before?” He slid his left hand up to her shoulders and offered his right hand for her to take as he proceeded to change up his footwork. While it was an old form of dance, he’d found that blues was sort of timeless by itself, since it could be reworked to fit nearly any song with a steady four count. Being well-versed in the steps, it wasn’t hard for him to make it work for this one. He could see a cameraman homing in on them from off the corner of his eye, clearly eating up the intimate dance. I’m getting the feeling we’re going to have a lot of screen time in the pilot episode, he thought as he led Anna into a smooth turn.

As they worked their way around the dance floor, Jett put a little drag into his step, showing off for the audience that stood watching from the side. Whether Anna had tried this style before or not, he thought she was keeping up with him quite well. The longer they danced, the more she proved to be able to match whatever he threw at her. He liked her tenacity. Closing his eyes, he let himself sink into the music and allowed it to guide him through the motions to create a fluid sequence of moves.

Eventually, the song came to an end, and he concluded the dance by lowering her into an easy dip. “That was fun,” he said somewhat breathily as he raised her up again and took a step back to part. After dancing with her for a few songs in a row, he wanted to take a short break. Turning to the side, he picked up two Old Fashioneds—he had strategically lingered close to the drink table by the end of the song in order to grab some when it was over—and offered one to her with a wink, “Thanks for humoring me, Anna.”

---

Poke

Here's a contemporary blues example, just for reference. One of the sexiest forms of dancing around (skip to 1:00 in)

[Bee]

Anna tilted her head curiously at the prospect of "kicking this old school". How could they take this old school? This wasn't Bach's Cello Suit #1. This was some Jason Mraz song. Then a few seconds later she got what he meant. Blues dancing? That was a distant memory in Anna's repertoire. It was buried deeper than her memories of middle school and high school. Was it even the right style that she was thinking of? It didn't matter at this point -- she had to do it. "I guess we'll see." Anna smirked, before they started to get into the dance. Much to her surprise, it wasn't as foreign as she thought it'd be. A lot of her previous training was translating over to whatever Jett was doing. It felt mostly the same.

The movement wasn't as hard as Anna had previously anticipated. The hardest part was predicting what Jett was trying to do. That was what created very subtle hitches and hesitation in her movements. But otherwise, Anna thought she was doing a fine job with hanging with Jett, and based on the look on his face and how much she was really getting into it, he thought so as well. That was a good sign for her, as well as the producers and viewers and cameramen, but that was at the back of her mind right now. The biggest priority for her at this moment was making sure that Jett was having a good time and that she wasn't embarrassing herself.

After navigating through a very risky dance routine, the song came to a close. The both of them agreed that it was a good opportunity to take a break after dancing together for a little bit more. She just couldn't bring herself to break away from this man. Jett was giving Anna a good time, a good time that she hadn't really had before. Having a man with the confidence and the moves to back it up was entirely unprecedented for her. It was one thing to be confident, but to be able to back it up? That was an immediate turn on for Anna. She respected any man who knew what he was about.

Moving over to the drink table, Anna was met with an Old Fashioned, much to her delight. Did this guy see her drinking one earlier? Or did he just really want to spread the goodness? Either way, Anna was happy that he had given her such a good drink. She took the drink and put it up to her lips, taking a sip as she listened to whatever Jett had to say. It was the least she could do for someone who took the time to grab her a good drink and give her a good time on the dance floor. She was still reveling in the fact that he was just sooooo hot as well as the fact that he was a good dancer. Pulling the glass away from her lips, they subsequently split into a small smirk. This guy really knew how to make a girl smile.

"Same goes for you, Jett." Anna replied, before raising a glass to him. Taking yet another sip, she tilted her head curiously once again as she tried to study him. There definitely no chance that this guy was just some regular guy off the streets. The dancing and his attitude confirmed that. But, she still didn't know what he did or who he was, aside from the fact that he was Jett and he danced good. The little silence as Anna looked him over was quickly broken as she cleared her throat, folding her arms so that her drink was closer toward the table as she prepared to ask him some questions and get to know this guy a little better. She might as well have started to get to know this guy.

"So what brings you here, Jett?" Anna inquired, "I know you aren't a regular person like me... so what brought you here from whatever it is that you did?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Leaning back against the edge of the bar, Jett lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip of his drink. The citrusy cocktail was a perfect means to whet his thirst after dancing with Anna. If he really wanted to, he probably could have lasted at least a few more songs with her, but he really didn’t want to end up an exhausted, sweaty mess on the very first day of the show. Today was all about first impressions, and he intended to show his best face to both the other cast members and the audience watching from home. That meant taking it easy without pushing himself unnecessarily to his limits.

Now that he had stepped out of the center of attention, Jett had another chance to look over the rest of the people in the house. The dance floor had filled up again pretty quickly once he and Anna had backed off, and it was easy to see that the rest of the cast was slowly getting drunk off the bottomless supply of beverages the bartender was putting out for them. Men and women with flushed faces were starting to get a little friendlier with each other, much to the delight of the prowling cameramen. He glanced down at the drink in his hand. This one was… his third? He ran a quick recount in his head. Yes, it was his third drink of the night. He took another sip. If he wasn’t careful to keep track, he knew he might end up just as tipsy as the others. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but he hadn’t even found his room in this massive house. He wanted to keep his wits about him enough to figure out where he was going to sleep at the end of this thing.

When Anna cleared her throat, he turned away from the crowd to look at her. The sight of her standing so confidently with her arms crossed brought another amused smile to his lips, and he lifted his glass to his mouth to hide it. He’d figured out by now that she didn’t know who he was, but the way she spoke to him was so different from everyone else, he couldn’t help but find it entertaining. To make it even better, she had apparently realized that he was one of the celebrity guests on the show, yet here she still was, talking to him like he was just some common stranger she had met at the bar. He liked her attitude.

“Looks like you figured me out, huh?” he laughed, hooking the thumb of his free hand into the pocket of his jeans. Though he’d known this show was supposed to be high-end, he’d chosen to dress down a bit for the debut. He’d brought along a couple nice suits for special occasions, but who in their right mind would want to fly across the country in dress pants and a jacket? It had been much more comfortable to wear the simple pair of blue jeans and classic black button-down shirt he had on now.

“Honestly, I’m just here because it sounded like fun,” Jett answered her question with a one-shouldered shrug. “No matter who you are, life can get repetitive. I like a little variation to keep things interesting, and joining the cast of this show seemed like the perfect opportunity to mix things up.” He studied her face for a moment before breaking out in a grin. “You know, I should probably tell you what I do, since you don’t seem to know. It sounds like you figured out that I’m one of the celebrity guests, but to narrow that down a little further, I’m a song artist.” He paused to take another sip of his drink. “If you care to learn anything more than that, feel free to look me up. My full name’s Jett Olliston.”

Tilting his head back slightly, he finished off the rest of the drink in his hand and set the empty glass down on the bar. He was tempted to grab a fourth from the drink table but decided it would be better for him to pace himself at least a little bit. After all, there was still plenty of time left before the end of this party by the looks of it. He didn’t want to overindulge right at the start, when there was still so much to do, and so many people to meet. Not to mention I’m having a decent conversation with a beautiful woman, he added, briefly letting his eyes sweep over Anna’s figure before they rested on her face again.

“I think I want to throw the same question back at you,” he said with a smirk. “You’re not a very crazy or eccentric personality, and you don’t seem interested in ogling at celebrities like some of the other ‘regular’ people here.” He held up one hand to form quotes in the air when he said the word ‘regular.’ “So, what made you join the show, Anna?”

[Bee]

At least somebody had actually wanted to do this. Anna was unfortunately not in the same boat. However, she still couldn't help but to wonder what exactly brought him to make such a decision in his life. This guy was a singer, an artist. If she knew how the musician lifestyle worked, then she was wondering why he would make such a radical change in his life. Anna had a feeling that there was more to this than met the eye. He probably did legitimately want a change in his life, but at the same time, this was probably also a marketing stunt and a way to get more publicity. At least, that's what Anna would've done if she was a celebrity who wanted to legitimately do this thing. It was working, since Anna had no idea who this guy was prior to them meeting today.

"Jett Ollison... don't be offended if I Google you tonight." She laughed, "I've never heard of you in my life." Anna felt sort of bad for not knowing who this guy was, but she figured he was outside of the scope of what she was interested in. She had him pegged as as a country singer, or at the very most, pop. Anna wasn't much of a pop or country person. Sure, she listened to some of the people in the top 40 every once in a blue moon, but Anna was much more of an indie/non-mainstream type of person. Jett Ollison was a name that didn't even sound the slightest bit familiar, and she felt a slight bit of guilt for not knowing who he was. Someone who carried themselves with that type of confidence and self-assurance definitely knew that they were all that and definitely a significant figure in industry.

It was the same way Anna carried herself. She knew she was the shit in her company, and carried herself as such. Anna hadn't really touched her drink while talking to Jett. Something about talking to a cowboy country star/pop star was so captivating and invigorating. She would've never expected to be so engrossed in a conversation with a musician, especially one in his area, but there she was. Briefly, Anna had forgotten that she was even in a party and on a reality show. She was simply enjoying this conversation with Jett way too much. It was only the first day, and Anna had to remind herself that there were going to be plenty of opportunities coming up ahead. It was okay to slow things down and take some time.

The next question had Anna in sort of a dilemma as well. So, why was she here? It was the same dilemma she had earlier, and she wasn't entirely sure as to how to go about answering it. Did she want to tell him the truth? Or did she want to tell him a white lie? Surely telling a dude she just met on a reality show that she only signed up as a joke wouldn't exactly go over so well. The last thing Anna wanted to do was to say the wrong thing and completely blow this conversation and burn a bridge right out of the gate. So it was settled, Anna was going to tell a white lie to protect the real reason she signed up for this show. She figured nobody would find out about the intentions behind her appearance on this show.

Anna chuckled softly after a little bit. "I only know like two faces here... and besides - they're just people. Just because you sing or act doesn't make you any more special. At the end of the day we all live and breathe, don't we?" It was such a canned and bullshit response, but hopefully Jett would buy it. "I... just wanted a change in my life too." Anna shrugged, sipping on her drink to give her time to further develop her response, "I'm a biological engineer -- so I just sit in a lab and an office all day doing stuff. It can get really boring, so I decided that I wanted a change and... here I am." Anna shrugged. "Maybe we'll get something out of this. Maybe the audience'll enjoy what they see..." She glanced at the crowd briefly, before turning to her new friend. "What are you trying to accomplish on this show? Someone like you definitely has to be tied down by someone."

[Rogue Sloth]

So, Anna really didn’t know who he was. Jett studied her with interest after she admitted she had never heard his name before. It would have been one thing if she had at least known about him, even if she didn’t recognize his face or had never listened to the music he put out. For her to have not even come across his name before was shocking. He really didn’t like to come off as conceited, but maybe he was just a little bit. Expecting other people to know who he was just came with the job. It was hard not to get that way when he was stopped almost everywhere he went to take a picture or sign something. Even the humblest of people couldn’t last long without puffing up a little at the constant recognition. Meeting someone like Anna put things in perspective that just because he was popular didn’t mean there weren’t people in their demographic who didn’t know who he was.

“I’d be more offended if you didn’t,” Jett replied with a careless shrug, his lip curled upward in a joking smirk. In the next moment, he wondered if he’d taken things a little too far with the comment. After all, he barely knew Anna, so there was no telling if she got sarcastic humor. It had been risky to make the assumption that she understood he wasn’t being serious, because if she didn’t, he probably just came off as the biggest douche on the planet. So, just to make it extra clear, he added: “Tell you what: To make it even, I’ll look you up too. It could be fun to find out who Anna-the-amazing-dancer is behind the scenes.” There. After a blatantly ridiculous—and semi-flirtatious—joke like that, she had to see that he had been kidding.

Still, despite the humorous nature behind his words, he found that he really was tempted to follow through on finding out more about Anna. There was just something intriguing about her that made him want to know more. Who was this confident woman and where did she come from? He found her answer to his question interesting too. It seemed like she wasn’t even remotely fazed at the fact that she was standing in the presence of the rich and famous. He quirked a brow when she stated that she didn’t find celebrities any more special than any other people. It was definitely a true statement—he knew quite well that all the celebrities here, himself included, were ‘just people’—but it wasn’t one that he’d heard from anyone else before, and it wasn’t one that he had been expecting to hear at a show about the differences between celebrities and ‘regular’ people of all places. Her brazenness continued to catch him by surprise.

“A biological engineer, huh?” Jett whistled. “You must be hella smart.” Just when he was starting to think Anna couldn’t get any more impressive, she continued to impress. He didn’t know what he had been expecting her occupation to be, but engineer certainly wasn’t the guess he would have made. He had always thought the people in that field were all geeks with glasses, the type who would snort when they laughed and make bad jokes about math. However, Anna was nothing like that. She was smooth and sexy, a complete package. And possibly a genius, he added, looking her over with newfound curiosity. He may have been wrong about his stereotypes, but he knew engineers were smart. If that was what she did for a living, she had to be too. It was starting to make a little more sense to him why she had been picked to join the show.

At her last comment, Jett couldn’t help but laugh. “Someone like me?” he repeated with a grin, deciding to prod at her a little more over the comment. He was fairly certain he knew why she would have said something like that, but he wanted to make her say it, herself. Folding his arms loosely over his chest, he leaned forward slightly as he went on in a luring tone, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

[Bee]

Anna raised an eyebrow at Jett's reaction to her job being revealed. Something about the way he reacted to that had made Anna suspect that he wasn't expecting that. Just because Anna was a blonde and she didn't have glasses didn't mean that brain of hers was totally empty. She graduated had graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern with a Bachelor's. Blonde airheads who looked like her didn't have anywhere near the credentials that she did when it came to this. But, it helped keep up her deceptive facade. Anna loved looking like someone she absolutely wasn't. It was part of the reason why she was approached by so many men at the bar, thinking she was going to be an easy lay or a pushover. They were dead wrong, and many people fell into that trap.

However, she didn't have the intention of putting Jett into that trap. A man like him didn't deserve to be ensnared into the enigma that was known as Anastasia Ivanova. Gambits and trickery were her game when it came to these situations, but this man deserved to spared from it. He wasn't like any of the dumbasses she'd encountered in the past. This man was genuine, and just a breath of fresh air. No creepy attempts to get into her pants, no shitty pickup lines, no wingman trying to compensate for their chickenshit friend. Jett was pure, unadulterated confidence and swagger, and that was such a turn-on for the Ukrainian. Anna hadn't encountered anyone like him, and the more time that she spent with him, the more that she liked what she saw.

But, that didn't mean that Jett could play Anna's game. She knew exactly what he was trying to do with that deflection and redirection. "You know exactly what I mean." Anna smiled, before finishing off her drink, "A man like you has gotta be tied down by somebody, right?" There was no chance in hell that this man was single. How could this piece of concentrated swagger not have a girl (or man) by his side? But, she still wanted to ask. Maybe this was something she could pursue -- or something she should dump like a hot potato. Strangely enough, this question would probably be one of the most influential and pivotal questions of the whole experience, and it hadn't been even been more than a few hours.

Anna herself was obviously single, of course. She had a few relationships here and there, so she wasn't too inexperienced in that department. But she knew what she wanted. She didn't fall into the trap of falling for the first man that so much as gave her the slightest sliver of attention. That was the reason why very few ever conquered the mountain that was dating Anastasia Ivanova, and even fewer lasted longer at the top. But, Jett might have been someone she was interested in pursuing -- but she wasn't sure if she wanted to play hard to get or go after him. She liked seeing what this man had in store, whatever tricks he had up his sleeve. He was different, to say the least.

"Not even a fling?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to make Anna play by his rules. Jett lightly bit the tip of his tongue when she called his bluff without even the slightest hint of hesitation. She knew that he knew why she would have said ‘somebody like him,’ and she wasn’t going to give in to his bait to make her explain herself. No, she was too clever for that. She was making him work for it—actually work for it—and that was something he wasn’t used to. Whenever he’d prodded at women in the past with such pointed questions, they would always get flustered and try to backtrack, as if he would be turned away if he ever found out they thought he was attractive. But Anna wasn’t like other women. She met him step for step without a care about his opinion. It was different, but he found her self-assurance alluring in its own way.

“I’m flattered that you think so, but I’m not seeing anyone right now,” Jett shrugged in answer to her question. Now that he knew she wasn’t going to play his game, he decided it would be easier to give her a straightforward reply. “Despite how much the media loves to blow up stories about celebrity couples, it’s not easy to meet people in my industry.” It was one of those things that had come as a shock to him when he’d first gotten into professional music years ago. Like most people, he’d been under the impression that the super-rich and famous could have whoever they wanted and didn’t have to suffer through the same awkward stages of dating that the rest of the world was forced to endure. But, surprise, surprise: only the first half of that belief had even been remotely true.

“At least, not anyone worth meeting.” He’d discovered pretty early on that there were, in fact, a lot of girls—and even some guys—who wanted to be with him as his name rose in popularity. It had been exciting to think that he had his pick of any of them. He’d even gotten his hopes up that he’d meet a girl he could eventually settle down with. After all, how hard could it be to find someone worth dating in a sea of people who were just waiting for him to ask them out? Well, apparently, pretty damn hard. After some horrible encounters with women who were crazier than his schizophrenic uncle, he’d decided to call it quits and made a personal rule that he would never go out with a fan again. Maybe by making that choice, he was missing out on meeting the girl of his dreams, but even if she existed, she wasn’t worth being held at knifepoint by a psycho chick with a singer complex—and yes, that had happened one time.

From there, he’d tried getting to know a few women in the industry, but that had just taken him back to square one with all the awkward small talk and the usual phases of attraction. By itself, that wasn’t too bad—he was confident enough in himself to power through the discomfort of a crush—but almost every girl he met had had a major ego or only cared about whether dating him would boost their own popularity. Even the one relationship he’d been in had turned out to be more of the same.

After six months of dating another pop singer named Jess Fuller who also lived in New York City, he’d learned that she had just been using their relationship to spread her name across his fanbase. Naturally, he’d broken things off pretty quickly after that, since he didn’t appreciate being led on by her, and the media covered the breakup as ‘a difference of interests,’ which he’d found degrading at the time because of how offended he’d been by the whole mess. Since then, he had come to feel glad that the real reason behind his split with Jess hadn’t been broadcasted to the world. With almost every other aspect of his life made transparent to the public, he liked to have a few secrets for himself.

“Call me old fashioned or picky or whatever, but I don’t date just any girl off the street—not even if she’s a good singer,” Jett stated with a nonchalant smile. “I know what I want, and I won’t settle for less.” As he spoke, his eyes wandered back to the drink table. Now was starting to feel like a good time for that fourth cocktail. Edging a little closer, he reached over to pick up a full glass and brought it to his lips. “Let me guess,” he studied Anna’s face when he turned back to meet her gaze. “I don’t know many committed girls who ask total strangers about their relationship statuses, so you must be unattached too. Am I right?”

[Bee]

So, this man, by some weird miracle, was actually single? Anna took that as a shock. She was expecting this man to be tied down by someone -- maybe a fellow singer or celebrity. However, that was not the case. Jett Ollison was about as free as a bird when it came to his relationship status. Anna was amazed. There either must've been something wrong about him that she was missing, or something wrong with the girls he pursued, because there was no way a catch like Jett was going at it alone. She was still in disbelief, but at the same time she was kind of relieved. At least that meant that she had the option to pursue him if she fancied him enough. As much as she wanted to, there were still eight other people to hang out with and get to know. Maybe Jett was the lowest on the list and he was actually the worst out of the entire crop. At the same time, maybe he was the best the cast had to offer. There was no way for her to know for sure until she met everyone else.

But she didn't want to entirely leave Jett just yet. He was rather alluring and she didn't want to break away from the sheer amount of swagger this man possessed. Not while drunko manbun off in the distance was trying to get into another girl's pants, but failing miserably. On the bright side, the cameras had gone away from them, so they could at least enjoy a conversation in private, without cameras pointed at them and trying to figure out their business any further. It was funny to see the interaction out of the corner of her eye, as much as she was trying to pay attention to what Jett was saying.

However, she could pretty much figure out what was being said. The music industry wasn't all that when it came to having people to date. It was like a dry field in a field you would think would be fertile and full of bountiful crops. That was a big surprise to Anna. She thought that relationships in the music field would be rampant and all over the place. So often, you saw celebrities and musicians dating each other. Whether it'd be a pop princess dating some comedian she was clearly too good for, or a couple of actors entering a relationship after they worked on a movie together. But no, this musician in particular, was actually single. It was one of the biggest shocks that Anna had recently faced.

"That's a surprise..." Anna trailed, before nodding to acknowledge what Jett had just said. Surely there had to be someone that Jett wanted to date, right? Someone in the music world that could've caught his fancy. But at the same time, Anna's earlier suspicions that something may have been up with him were starting to rise. Typically, when it seemed like every girl was crazy or not good enough to a man, it was more likely that he was the issue instead of the women. Whether it'd be that he was the crazy one or had standards that were simply too high to realistically attain and sustain. But she also figured that it was also an entirely different game knowing that the public eye would also have a glimpse at their relationship and more details as well. There was bound to be more trickery at hand when it came to handling those relationships.

Then all of a sudden -- the question was redirected back to her. Of course she was going to be asked the same question that she was just asked. Why wouldn't she be asked that question? It was deadly obvious and it was something she couldn't really avoid any longer. But, how was she going to put this? She didn't want to reveal too much as she had only just met this guy. She didn't want to tip her hand all at once. Anna still wanted to string this man along, and see what he had before she showed her hand. Not to mention, there were still the prospect of all the other people at this setting.

"Yeah. You're right." The last time Anna had been in something that even remotely resembling a relationship was almost a year ago. And even then, it only lasted a month and a half before Anna decided to call it off, citing that he simply wasn't stimulating and challenging enough for her. To her, he was about as flat as a runway, and about as smart as a rock. Everything he did was the least efficient way to do something, or everything he said was just a flat out lie. It was a miracle that he even managed to get that far with Anna, because everything that he had become after she agreed to be his girlfriend was a complete farce and a bunch of bullshit. It was definitely top five on the biggest regrets of her life.

Shrugging, Anna followed suit with Jett and grabbed another cocktail to keep her going, and give her some more time to think as well. Taking a sip, Anna added onto what she had to say earlier. "Nobody's good enough for me." Shrugging again, Anna knew damn well how that came across, but it was the pure, unadulterated truth. Nobody was good enough for Anna, and most likely would never be. Was she being hypocritical by having standards that were simply far too high for anyone? Absolutely. Did Anna care? No. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn't going to settle to accommodate some shithead that she met off the street. "Maybe I'll find someone who actually might be good enough for me..." Anna flashed a playful smirk, "...or perhaps I won't."

[Rogue Sloth]

To Jett, it wasn’t a huge surprise to find out that Anna was single. In fact, he would have been more astonished if she was taken, simply because of the nature of the show they had both joined. With production practically trying to shove all the cast members at each other in the hopes of sparking some summer romances, he didn’t think they would have accepted any auditionees who were already in relationships. The more people were available, the more chances the crew had to film some drama. It only made sense that they would try to do that, especially since he was starting to get the vibe that “Oceanside Strangers” was some weird spinoff of “The Bachelor.” Except they orchestrated it to leave the door open for quite a few hook ups, he added silently as he looked over the drunken crowd.

Speaking of drunken crowds, Jett was starting to notice that his fourth drink was affecting him much more than the last. He looked down at the half-empty glass in his hand, feeling fuzzy from its inebriating effects. One more of these, and he would be good and tipsy. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to push himself much further than that though. With a still unknown room to find, cameramen on every corner, and a house full of interesting people to meet, he didn’t want to turn himself into a stumbling drunk like some of the other cast members seemed intent on becoming. Making that good first impression was too important to him. So, once he reached five drinks, he decided he would cut himself off for the night, just to be safe.

Focusing in again on what Anna was saying to him, Jett was surprised that nobody was good enough for her. Even as someone who had been accused on many occasions of being picky, himself, he would never have had the audacity to say that nobody could meet his standards. Sure, he wouldn’t settle for any girl with a pretty face, but he at least had what he liked to think were realistic standards. All he wanted was a woman who could be genuine with him. Of course, a physical attraction had to be there too, but his biggest checkbox was just a down to earth kind of girl who wasn’t fake or crazy. Honestly, he guessed the fact that he hadn’t found anyone like that yet was probably just because of dumb luck. He probably even had fans who were like that, but somehow, he’d wound up meeting the psycho-murderer ones instead. It was because of misfortune, not pickiness, that had left him single and losing interest in looking.

Anna, on the other hand, seemed like a completely different story. Just the way she worded the phrase ‘nobody was good enough for her’ left him wondering just how often she shot down guys who tried to approach her. With her confidence and, not to mention, smoking hot figure, he wouldn’t have been at all surprised to find out that she got asked out all the time. Maybe she had just reached a point where she was sick of it all? Or—just maybe—she was like him: Always ending up with the worst of the lot whenever she tried to test the waters? After all, celebrities weren’t the only ones who could be hit on by creeps and weirdos. It wasn’t a long shot to guess that a woman like Anna had probably dealt with at least one or two guys who had gone after her for their own selfish reasons.

At her last comment, Jett grinned. “Who knows?” he shrugged, bringing his glass to his lips once more as he glanced over the crowd of ‘potential love interests.’ “I’m sure production would be ecstatic if you do find a lover here.” He inflected his voice in a mocking manner to mimic the announcer who had spoken to them earlier. Now that he was four cocktails in, he was starting to get a little looser with his speech. Swirling the remains of his drink in its glass, he chuckled softly and shook his head, “With the way they keep pushing romance on us, I’m starting to wonder if the perks of this show were a just trap to lure us all into one big blind date. I’d even bet you that our rooms are close together so we’ll all hook up.”

[Bee]

Anna knew that what she said had come as a surprise to Jett. His face said all that she needed to see. Guess he was surprised to see Anna's tenacity. She didn't take that much offense to it -- considering it wasn't too uncommon that men reacted like this. But that was enough about how Anna treated men and those who were tenacious enough to even attempt coming for her. Now it was a completely new game -- or was it? Anna still saw the same old opportunities that she had always saw, there were just different players in the game that were probably more experienced and better. It wasn't a challenge that Anna wasn't willing to undertake, however. Just because there were different players didn't mean that Anna wasn't willing to play and compete. She was more than willing to hang with all of these folks, and if Jett was what people had to offer, then she was going to have a fun time maneuvering with these people.

Not to mention, this was a reality show. She didn't forget about the fact that cameras were watching her at all times. It would either mean that this was the start of a relationship that would undoubtedly be put into the public eye, or this was a giant advertisement for Anastasia Ivanova and what people would get when they tried fancying her. Millions and millions of people would be seeing this on display -- and Anna had every intention of making sure people liked what they see. But, she was also sure that there was going to be some tomfoolery pushed and perpetuated by the producers. That was inevitable and it was obvious given how reality shows like these were. It didn't mean that Anna wasn't willing to play along, though.

"Oh no doubt about it." Anna trailed, "I wouldn't be too surprised that our rooms are a few steps away." The assignments were completely random, however. There was no way that these people could've seen how these relationships would start out and develop. There was just as much of a chance of having two people who loathed each other sleeping in rooms next to each other as there was a chance of people who loved each other and were going to get married not long after the show ended. Anna didn't know what she wanted from this show, honestly. But, she was going to take whatever she got out of it. She knew that much about her desires.

"I'll take that bet." Anna shrugged, before looking over at the other 10 people interacting with each other. "And I'll win that. Easily." Looking over at Jett, she stuck out her tongue. This guy really wasn't so bad, though. If whatever romance they pursued didn't work out -- she didn't mind having him as a friend at the very least. She liked having Jett around. At least she made friends with someone right off the bat, so she didn't have to worry about the social situation and the painful, awkward process of feeling each other out and figuring out how everyone worked. Most of the dirty work had been done with Jett already. Before either Anna or Jett could say anything, however, a rather overenthusiastic, and most likely intoxicated, young woman had appeared out of nowhere between the two.

She had glasses on, and raising her arm revealed the Chinese tattoo on her forearm. She grabbed two random cups off of the drink table, before turning to both Jett and Anna and handing them the cups, regardless of whether or not they already had drinks! "Drink! Woohoo!" She cheered, her smile honestly being bright enough to light up the entire room, before she reached a hand out to greet the people. At least, before she realized that they may or may not have already had both of their hands occupied by drinks and cups.

"Hi! I'm Nina! It's good to meet you both!" Just one sniff could reveal that this woman was intoxicated to hell. How many drinks did she manage to have in the span that they were there? She was far beyond gone, and any more alcohol in her system may very well have caused her to implode. "Anna." She nodded at Nina, before leaning over to Jett to watch him introduce himself to another girl. Anna was a little disappointed that someone had shoved themselves into their conversation without really asking, but then again, this girl was drunk as FUCK. There was no way she was acting rationally right now.

[Rogue Sloth]

Having four drinks in less than an hour was definitely starting to push Jett over the edge into the realm of tipsy. He was still self-aware for the most part—or at least, he was pretty sure he was still self-aware—but he could feel the alcohol quite a bit now. Leaning back against the edge of the bar, he looked over the crowd again. There was no doubt in his intoxicated mind that this was exactly what the producers had been hoping for when they’d set out that table of free drinks. A pilot episode about a bunch of drunken people—half of whom were famous celebrities—was sure to rake in the views. However, he wasn’t about to let himself fall into their trap. He may have joined their show, but he planned to play it by his own rules. After all, his goal was to make this summer as memorable as possible, and that meant spending every day however he wanted to. Sure, maybe some days he would get drunk and party hard, but he was only going to do so on his terms, not anyone else’s.

Interestingly enough, it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who had come here with that train of thought. Jett glanced at Anna again with a curious look when she responded so casually to his comment about the possibility that all their rooms would be close together. Like him, she seemed to have her own agenda when she joined this show. Just the fact that she thought nobody was good enough to date her was proof enough that she wasn’t the type to roll over to someone else’s whim. Somehow, knowing that made him want to keep getting to know her better. There was something magnetic about the way she didn’t seem to care about anyone else’s opinion of her. He got the impression that she would do whatever she wanted without paying any mind to the people watching, and he had a feeling they would get along quite well during the time they had together over the summer.

“It’s not much of a bet if we’re on the same side,” Jett snorted at Anna’s haughty expression. He opened his mouth to make a snide remark about teaching her a lesson or two about gambling, but before he had a chance, a third person appeared to join their little conversation. He quirked a brow in surprise when a girl he didn’t recognize practically shoved herself between them to reach the drink table. Someone knows how to make an entrance. It was clear that this woman had just one mission on her mind: Get wasted and drag everyone else down in the process. He barely had time to react as she put a new glass in his hand. Looking down, he saw that she’d given him a Manhattan with a black olive garnish. Well, it’s not an Old Fashioned, but I’ll take it, he thought as he lifted the whiskey cocktail to his lips. Now on drink number five, he made a mental note to stop once the glass was empty, so he wouldn’t get drunk enough to make a fool of himself.

The girl, whom he now knew was named Nina, was quick to introduce herself to them. Jett could smell the heavy scent of alcohol on her breath when she spoke, but he knew he probably wasn’t much better off at the moment, so he kept his mouth shut about it. He hung back as Nina and Anna spoke briefly to each other, studying the new girl from a small distance. Like all the other auditionees to join the show, she was attractive, with thick, dark hair and exotic looking features. But in addition to that, her personality was also a closer fit to what he had been expecting to find here in Malibu. Energetic and bubbly, she reminded him of the classic fans he’d believed would be the ones to submit an audition tape to the producers in the first place.

When it came time for his turn to introduce himself to Nina, Jett flashed her a friendly smile. Even though he’d been having a good conversation with Anna, he didn’t mind the extra face. After all, the whole reason he had come to this place was to have a good time and meet new people. He didn’t want to spend the entirety of his first day on the show with just one of the other eleven guests—even if she was in intriguing hottie. “Nice to meet you, Nina,” he said, setting down his empty Old Fashioned glass to take the new girl’s hand. “I’m Jett.”

“Jett… as in Olliston?” Nina’s eyes widened. There was the recognition he’d been expecting.

“Maybe,” Jett winked at her.

“Oh my god,” Nina grew visibly more excited as she began to spout off: “I loved your last album! Your voice is amazing. Do you write all your own music?”

“Thanks,” Jett laughed. “And yeah, I do.” If he’d been soberer, he might have found her onslaught of fast-paced words more deterring, but with four and…—he subtly checked his glass—a third cocktails in him, he was more amused by her enthusiasm than anything else.

“Cool,” Nina gave him one of her bright smiles, swaying slightly on her feet from the drinks in her system. “There are so many talented people here! It’s like… damn, I never thought I’d meet famous people like you guys in real life. This is so cool.”

“Yeah, well we ‘famous people’ never thought we’d meet you either, so I think we’re even,” Jett said with a flirtatious grin. He hadn’t really joined the show to meet anyone, and that hadn’t changed since he’d arrived at the house, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep his options open. If there was even a chance that any of the girls here were “the one,” he wanted to leave the door open for romance.

Plus, on a totally unrelated note, a little flirting sounded like fun after all the alcohol he’d had that night.

[Bee]

Anna couldn't help but to be affected by Nina's rather contagious energy. She wasn't entirely sure if this was the actual Nina or if it was just an exaggerated version of her propped up by alcohol. But still, she liked the energy. It was rare that you find this kind of energy in grown ass adults with a job and everything. Most of the time, everyone was too sad about the fact that the world was going to shit and that baby boomers were doing nothing but ragging on the generations ahead of them while making things terrible for them. But Nina... Nina seemed like she was cut from an entirely different cloth. At least, her drunk self was. But if Anna knew anything about drunk people -- it was that alcohol brought out people's true natures. Nice people turned into assholes, and assholes turned into sweethearts. Was Nina an asshole sober? Maybe, but it was far more likely that she was the sweetest person on Earth.

"Oh, I can't believe that I'm standing in front of Jett freakin' Ollison!" Nina swooned. The look on her face said it all. That was a look that was pure, concentrated fascination and possibly infatuation with the music star. So that was what rabid fanaticism looked like. Nina looked like she was about to pass out from the fact that she was standing in front of Jett, and Anna sort of wanted to see that happen. But, before she could make a mental bet with herself, Nina turned around with the goofiest smile on her face. "Dude, can't you believe that freakin Jett Ollison is right in front of us?" The girl beamed, before Anna shrugged, taking a sip of the drink Nina had just handed her. "Yeah, I can believe he's in front of us." Anna's tone was rather dismissive and one that lacked emotion and surprise, indicating that she wasn't really enthusiastic that Jett Ollison, music superstar, was in front of her. Nina didn't know that Anna didn't know or care who Jett was.

"...really? That's odd." Nina continued, before she turned back to Jett. It seemed like Nina immediately forgot about the existence of Anna as she turned to gush about Jett to Jett. "I looooooved your latest album. It was soo fantastic!" It didn't take too long for Nina to descend into a long winded gush. She went through his entire discography starting with his early EPs. It was shit that Anna wasn't too entirely keen on listening in on, considering she could've just read everything she was saying on Google instead of listening to her talk at a million miles an hour. She just sipped on her drink, leaning against the drink table before she decided she had enough of Nina for the time being. She leaned out from behind her and gestured that she was going somewhere else to Jett, before she took another sip and made her way to the dance floor.

But before she could really make it far, she ran into someone. Her pink hair was brighter than the sun, but yet it fascinated Anna enough to stop her. "Oh. I'm sorry." Anna said, before checking her drink to make sure that it was okay. Not a single drop was spilled, and that was good news to Anna. Looking up, she looked at the Asian woman who looked back at the Ukrainian. "No, it's okay. It's dark." The pink-haired girl apologized, before looking over Anna once again. "You on the show? Well, you must be, considering you're on the floor without any equipment. I'm Ashley!" Ashley held her hand out for Anna, where she briefly hesitated due to the sudden explosion of energy and the transition of emotions. Did the producers just want to hire balls of energy? What was with the people here?

"Anna." She shook Ashley's hand, "It's good to meet you."