Thank you so much for the follows/favorites for the story so far and a special thank you to those who have reviewed. Please keep the reviews coming! I love hearing what you think. Enjoy!

Monday…

Elle stared down at her extensive collection of lipstick. One entire drawer in her bathroom was full of lipstick, organized by finish and shade. She had a definite problem but she figured it wasn't drugs so it wasn't something she needed therapy for anytime soon. She just limited herself to how much she could spend on it per month. Most months she even managed to stick to her budget. She couldn't decide which one to wear and it was driving her crazy. She just felt so awkward. It was like she was getting dressed for the world's most public blind date. Fortunately, she hadn't been given the option of stressing over what to wear. All of the women were supposed to wear the same shirt. It was a black t-shirt with 'Seth Freakin' Rollins' on the front. It obviously wasn't something Elle would normally wear but it fit tight and made her boobs look great so she supposed it would work. She paired it with black, high waisted jeans and a pair of black patent leather Ted Baker heels that Daisy got her for her last birthday. She'd perfected the art of the at home Brazilian blow out long ago so her hair looked great but she just couldn't make a decision on the stupid lipstick.

She looked up at herself in the mirror, making a face. Maybe this was a sign. She wasn't normally an indecisive person. Maybe she couldn't finish getting ready because this was actually a ridiculous and terrible idea and she shouldn't be doing it at all. Her phone screen lit and she looked down, reading a text from Daisy saying she would be there to pick her up in 5 minutes. She had to remind herself that this would be quick and painless. She was doing something to help Daisy, who had helped her a thousand times before. She took a deep breath and reached into the drawer, pulling out a dark cherry color she'd just gotten called Black Rose. She quickly put it on, took one last look in the mirror and then grabbed her purse and tossed her phone inside, heading out of the bathroom.

Ethan was lying on the couch, watching Stranger Things on Netflix and eating a bag of kale chips. He barely looked up when she walked out of the room but he did speak, "Hey can you bring me same dish you brought back last week? The one with the duck?"

He was talking about cassoulet but there was no point in clarifying it. She'd already told Ethan twice that she wasn't working at Porte Noire for the next week.

"Not going to the restaurant, remember?" she sighed, picking up her keys from the side table and dropping them into her purse.

"Ah, that's right," he snapped his fingers. He flashed her that beautiful smile, "Sorry babe. Have fun with Daisy. Tell her 'hi' for me."

"Will do," she assured him. "What are you going to do all day?"

"I'm planning on hitting the gym and then I was thinking about going out with Sully, probably hitting up a club."

He was going to go to a club? When she'd just paid his phone bill not 24 hours earlier? Of course he was. Because Ethan had no concept of how money worked.

"Did you call the agency to see if they have any castings for you?" she asked, leaning against the door. He'd promised her the day before that he would.

"Babe, if they have a casting for me, they're gonna call me," he chuckled. "That's how it works."

"Right," She nodded. "Of course it is. I'll see you later."

"Nice shirt by the way," he called as she opened the door.

"Thanks," she forced a smile. "Daisy gave it to me."

Seth stood in the ring, waiting while another girl walked down the ramp. They were coming down one by one and introducing themselves. It hadn't been completely terrible so far. Some of the girls had been pretty cute. If nothing else, he would probably get a few hookups out of the deal and he wasn't mad at that. And he couldn't deny the ego boost that came with a bunch of women wearing his shirt and telling him how amazing he was. This one wasn't bad looking but she seemed to be having trouble walking in her heels. They were sky high and she couldn't even move in a straight line. He didn't care if a girl couldn't walk in heels or not but why wear them if you didn't know how to use them? She walked up the ring steps incredibly slowly and Seth resisted the urge to check his watch.

"Hi," he smiled when she finally made her way into the ring.

"Hi," she giggled. She smelled overpoweringly sweet, like cotton candy.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Jade," she smiled. "It's so great to finally meet you."

"It's great to meet you too," he smiled and reached out, shaking her hand. Her hands were incredibly soft but he could tell right away that the cotton candy smell was going to rub off on him.

She pulled a few pieces of paper out of her pocket, giggling nervously, "I wrote something for you."

"Oh wow," he braced himself. "Okay, let's hear it."

"Roses are red," she began. "Violets are blue."

Seth rubbed his beard to hide his uncomfortable smile.

"I'm ready for love. And I hope you are too," she smiled.

He put his hand down after that line but she wasn't done. As she read another line, he tried his best to tune it out. If he heard any more, he was going to laugh and he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Once she was done, he thanked her, trying not to watch as she struggled to walk back up the ramp.

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out. It had buzzed several times in his pocket during Jade's poem. The first message was from Sasha. It was a picture of herself, Nia Jax, Xavier Woods, and Charlotte Flair wearing the same shirts as the girls. The next text was also from her.

What did that girl have on those pieces of paper? I MUST KNOW

Then Renee sent 5 bucks says that girl falls going down the ramp and The next girl is really pretty. Like too pretty. She must be lost.

"Seth, we need you to keep your phone in your pocket," Daisy, one of the producers, came up to the ring apron.

"Sorry Daisy," he flashed her a charming smile. This was the third time she'd told him that and she still managed to say it without sounding annoyed. He was going to like working with her. She might not like working with him though. She gave him a patient smile, "We're almost done. Next girl is on her way. This one is from Illinois. She's 24 and she works in the hospitality industry."

Seth nodded, putting his phone away. He looked up the ramp, big smile spreading across his face when he saw her. Renee wasn't kidding. She was gorgeous. She was on the taller side, with long, impossibly shiny dark hair and a perfect curve to her hips. She was one of the few girls who hadn't cut their shirt to show off more skin which was a disappointment because he could tell she had a great body. When she got closer and flashed him a beautiful smile, he thought to himself, Renee's right; there had to be something seriously wrong with this girl. He walked over, holding the ropes open for her, taking note of her warm brown eyes. She even smelled great.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, reaching out to shake his hand. "My name's Elle."

She looked up at him and seemed surprised, like she was seeing something unexpected. She looked almost awed or something but the look was gone in an instant.

"Seth," he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too Elle."

They stood there, awkwardly smiling at each other for a moment before a laugh bubbled up from her and she spoke again, "This is so weird."

"It is," he laughed with her, letting go of her hand. "Trust me; it's just as weird for me as it is for you. I've never done anything like this."

"Neither have I," she smiled. "At least I'm not the only virgin."

As soon as the words left her she looked horrified, "I mean..I'm not a virgin."

Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Not that you need to know that at all," she blushed. She ran a hand through the front of her hair, looking like she was trying very hard to fight off laughter. She gave up and they both started laughing. Every time one of them tried to start a sentence, they would just start laughing again. Seth was probably overtired from not sleeping on the flight to California but he just couldn't stop.

Daisy cleared her throat outside the ring.

"I'm sorry," Elle giggled, shaking her head and covering her mouth.

"We're both sorry Daisy," he called out to her, though neither of them had stopped completely.

"You know we're going to have to cut all of this out," Daisy said.

"Okay, okay," Elle bit her bottom lip. She reached out, her soft hands catching his forearms. She looked him in the eye. Her eyes were big and beautiful with thick, dark lashes. She squeezed his arms, "We're being very unprofessional right now."

"This is all your fault," he smirked. "I have kept it together all day."

"Well you're doing a terrible job now," she giggled when he broke again. He didn't know what it was, he just couldn't stop. He felt like an idiot.

"Stop. Stop," she laughed. "Look at me, take a deep breath."

He did as she instructed and they both took a long, deep breath together. She let go of his arms and he could still feel her warmth as she shook her own arms out.

"You good?" she smirked.

"Are you?"

This time another one of the producers took a turn scolding them, "Guys..we don't have all day."

"I think you're in trouble," Elle whispered to him.

"I think you're right," he agreed. "I'm supposed to ask you why I should keep you around."

"Well," she took a deep breath. It didn't seem that she'd given the question much thought before that moment. She shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here who isn't crazy or already in love with you."

"You make being in love with me sound like a bad thing," he smirked.

"I just think you're probably going to need someone sane to talk to," she suggested, crossing her arms.

"The last girl wrote me a poem," he said. "All you have is sanity?"

"Was it any good?" she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"No, honestly," he admitted. "It was pretty bad."

"Yet another reason to keep me," she held up a finger. "I won't write you any bad poetry. You have my word."

"You make some good points," he chuckled. She seemed so much less nervous than most of the other girls. He liked that. He didn't feel like she was living and dying by whatever decision he made.

"You think you can handle living in the house with the other girls?" he asked. He certainly couldn't imagine being stuck in a house with that many people, male or female.

"I can handle anything," her smile was confident and sexy. She lifted one shoulder, "You don't need to worry about me."

"Good to know," he smiled back at her.

"Okay, we've gotta move on," Daisy clapped her hands together.

"I guess I'll see you later," Elle shrugged. "Maybe."

He nodded, watching her walk away, "Maybe."

Elle looked up from the Facebook app on her phone when she felt a pair of arm's wrap tightly around her.

"You were great!" Daisy exclaimed, squeezing her tightly.

"I didn't really do anything," Elle laughed. She definitely hadn't planned an uncontrollable giggle fit. She had intended to be much cooler than that but for some reason, when she and Seth started laughing together, she couldn't stop. It probably had something to do with the sound of his laughter. It was ridiculous and kind of infectious.

"You were great, trust me," Daisy insisted. "He seemed to like you."

"We were talking for like 2 minutes," Elle reminded her friend.

"Which is longer than some of the other girls," Daisy said. "Can't you just let me have my happiness?"

"Sorry," Elle put her hands up. She just didn't want Daisy getting too excited. She was only signed up for a few days. She would be in and out. Her phone buzzed in her hand and Elle unlocked the screen, seeing that she had a text from Ethan.

"Put that away," Daisy put her hand over the iPhone, pushing it down into Elle's lap.

Elle stared at her friend, amused.

"You cannot let any of these girls find out you have a boyfriend," Daisy explained.

"Okay, calm down," Elle advised her friend. "I know what I'm doing. And I won't even be here long enough for anyone to find out. Don't worry."

"Once you get in the house, those girls will be like a dog on a bone if they find out," Daisy said. "The pack mentality starts and they will eat you alive."

"I'm gonna be in the house for a day, who cares?" Elle reminded her. They were moving into a mansion, not the jungle.

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you," Daisy shrugged, patting her on the shoulder. She pointed into the room where the rest of the women were waiting, "Go mingle. I've gotta get back to deliberations."

Elle chose to keep to herself how weird that sounded. Daisy had a lot to do. She headed into the room, feeling awkward. Usually at a casting call, she ran into at least 5 other people she knew. When you went to enough auditions, you started to make friends, and sometimes enemies. But she didn't know a single person in the room and she wasn't sure if she should even bother trying to approach them. They were a beautiful group of girls and they were probably interesting people but Elle's only purpose was essentially to be mean to them for a few days. If she got to know them at all there'd be no way she could do it. She actually felt like an asshole just thinking about it.

"Oh my God, I love your shoes!"

Elle felt a hard slap on her shoulder and she turned to the side, seeing a pretty redhead, smiling with her whole face. She was about the same height as Elle and she looked just like a young Amy Adams, one of Elle's acting idols. She'd seen the actress at a boutique once and her heart nearly stopped she was so star struck. She stood so still the star probably mistook her for a mannequin. Elle snapped back into the moment, rubbing the spot on her arm where she'd been smacked and staring at the lookalike in front of her, "…Hi?"

"Hey," the redhead smiled, her blue eyes full of excitement. She held her hand out, "Kentucky."

Elle frowned, confused, "That's not your name, is it?"

"Of course not," the redhead laughed with a hint of an accent. "I'm Harper. But we've all been introducing ourselves by state. Hence, Kentucky."

"Got it," Elle nodded. "Then I guess I'm Illinois."

"Nice to meet you," Kentucky gave her a stiff handshake. "Now back to those shoes, what size are you? I've got my fingers crossed that you're an 8 because I can't wait to borrow them."

Elle was taken aback. She hadn't spoken 5 sentences to this girl and she was already plotting to borrow her shoes. She had a good eye, though. Elle was an 8.

She confirmed her size and the redhead laughed, "I knew it. I could tell. My dad owns seven shoe stores and made me work in 'em every summer as a kid. I can tell every person in here what size they wear."

That was an incredibly random skill and Elle wasn't sure what to say about it.

"Did you just die when you saw Seth up close?" Kentucky asked, fanning herself. "I thought he was hot on TV but in person? He's a masterpiece. It's insane."

Elle pursed her lips, nodding. Kentucky was right about one thing, pictures did not do Seth justice. Her fit of giggles may initially have had something to do with being caught off guard by how attractive he was. She wasn't about to share that though. She almost wanted to. This girl seemed so friendly and sweet and she wanted to talk about how weird this whole thing was but she couldn't. So instead, she reminded herself that this was a job; a means to an end. That was it.

"Listen, I need to go make a phone call," she said, trying to come off as cold. "Good luck."

She took a deep breath as she walked away, hoping this whole thing would go by quickly.

She stood by herself in the hallway for quite some time. She responded to Ethan's text, telling her to bring Daisy to Catch. He was going with his best friend Sully and Sully's sister Layla.

Of course

Ethan knew Elle didn't like him hanging out with Layla when she wasn't around. He'd dated her for a few months before he dated Elle and Layla never let her forget it. In fact, Elle suspected there had been some overlap between them, despite Ethan's insistence that there wasn't. The two women had gotten into a near physical fight once because Layla thought it was okay to talk about how she and Ethan once had sex on a couch that Elle was sitting on at the time at she and Sully's parents' house in Palm Springs. Elle could feel her blood beginning to boil and she closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions. So what if her boyfriend was going out to spend her hard earned money hanging out with a skank that she couldn't stand while she put herself into a completely awkward situation, just so that she could pay their rent?

Was everything always so red with her eyes closed?

She opened them, turning off her phone and putting it in her back pocket. She was only going to get more and more annoyed and then she was going to call him. She would hear Layla's voice and flip out and start a fight, giving the other woman perfect ammunition to slip her filthy little talons into Elle's man. Fortunately, she was soon distracted by Amy and Jim, Daisy's producer friends, coming by ushering her into the room with the other girls. Jim explained that they would be going out to ringside for the first round of cuts and those who made it would be moving into the house the following day. He winked at Elle when he walked past to lead them out and she rolled her eyes, falling in line.

Seth was standing in the ring and Elle looked up at him. He didn't look anything like guys she dated. He had to have 20 pounds of muscle on Ethan. He was very easy on the eyes. If she was actually single he would definitely turn her head.

She leaned against the security barricade, waiting for eliminations to start. She decided not to bother acting nervous. She was going to play this cool and confident. She knew Daisy said that things were guaranteed but if by some chance she was wrong and Elle didn't get picked, it wouldn't be a big deal. She was still getting paid for the day at least.

"Ladies," Seth smiled. "It has been great meeting all of you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all coming here and putting yourselves out there. Unfortunately…there isn't room for everyone in the house. So, if I call out your home state, please come into the ring. You'll be moving in tomorrow. For those that I don't call, just know that you're all incredible women and you'll make some lucky man very happy."

Elle wondered if Seth was reading the states because he hadn't actually learned any of their names. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't. The first state Seth read off was Kentucky. She looked over to see the redhead jump up, clapping her hands together before rushing up the ring steps. Good for her.

"Connecticut

Nevada

Florida

Texas

New York

Illinois."

It took Elle a moment to realize he was talking to her. Someone next to her nudged her and she snapped her head up, meeting Seth's gaze.

"You still interested?" he smirked at her hesitation.

"Of course I am. Sorry," she laughed, pushing off of the barricade and getting into the ring.

"I'm counting on you to keep things sane," he smirked at her.

She smiled at him, "I'll do what I can."