Of course, the colleagues had all watched the program, apparently they had met for a cozy "men's night" and enjoyed Jill's brilliant performance together.
And like last time, she was greeted with whistles, jeers and salacious comments when she came to the headquarters a day later. Almost in tears, she fled to Walter's office. "I'm not going out there anymore," she said firmly instead of a greeting. Walt grinned. »Come on girl, don't be so wild. You've done well and I'm sure the boys will settle down in the next few days,' he comforted her. "The main thing is that it worked, what are some stupid jokes about?" "You don't have to listen to that," Jill said, frustrated. 'It's going away. You're going to be in this model mansion for a while now, and by the time you get back the co-workers will have something else to talk about.” “Or not,” Jill murmured, annoyed, realizing the men were getting along Certainly would watch every further episode. "I take it you haven't gotten around to investigating much?" Walt got down to business. "Notice anything?" "No, except that it's easy to break your legs in those heels," she said dryly. “Okay, it doesn't matter, you'll have enough time now to listen and look around. But again, no arbitrary actions, I want to be kept informed.” Jill nodded. "Yeah, that's clear." "What time does it start?" "We're moving in there on Monday," Jill said with a sigh. “Okay, you're free until then so you can get some rest beforehand. I wish you the best of luck and success.” Jill shook his hand unhappily, then ran out and hurried down the aisle before the whistle started again. It was the evening before moving to the villa. Jill was lying on the couch trying to focus on a book. Her suitcase was already packed, and she knew this would be the last few hours she could enjoy in peace for at least a week. She went into the kitchen and got a glass of wine and was about to take it back into the living room when the doorbell rang. "Now who's that?" she thought, not at all thrilled with the interruption. She opened it and to her surprise it was her mother pushing past her excitedly. "Jill, why are you doing this to me?" Alice Moore said indignantly before Jill could say a word. "How dare you show yourself so naked on TV?" Jill held up her hands in a gesture of reassurance. 'Mom, calm down.' 'How am I supposed to calm down when Phyllis asks me about seeing you almost naked on that modeling show? What were you thinking?” Jill pushed her toward the couch. "Sit down first, I'll make us some coffee and then we'll talk about it in peace." She disappeared into the kitchen and while the coffee machine was running she thought feverishly about what to tell now. Her mother didn't usually watch shows like this, and actually Jill had hoped to be eliminated by the next show at the latest and be back before she noticed anything. But apparently Phyllis Atkins, the old gossip girl next door, couldn't shut up again. Ever since Jill moved in, the neighbor didn't miss an opportunity to spy on her and then report every little detail to her mother. Apparently she happened to have seen the last program and then had nothing better to do than to start the bush drums immediately. Now her mother expected an explanation. There was no way Jill could tell her the real reason she was on the show, she wasn't allowed to talk about her assignments. So she had no choice but to convince her mother that she was speculating on the prize money. 'Mom, look,' she began cautiously after carrying the mugs into the living room, 'I've always wanted to start my own business one day. With the money there on the show I could make that wish come true.' 'But not by stripping naked,' said Alice Moore indignantly. 'My daughter is naked on TV - such a shame.' 'I wasn't naked,' Jill protested, thinking with unease that she'd felt the same way, 'I was wearing a bikini.' 'Like that one would make a big difference,” her mother fumed. 'Anyway, what will Simon say to that? Do you think he'll ever want to date you again if he finds out about this?” Jill rolled her eyes. “Mom, I don't really care what Simon thinks about it. I don't care to go out with him again.' 'But Jill, he's such a nice man and a good match at that.' 'That may be so, but he's also terribly boring and I don't think I will I'd like to play house cricket for him.' 'How can you say such a thing?' Alice Moore shook her head, puzzled. "You should be glad he's courting you, it's about time you got married and had kids." I'm only twenty-six and I'm in no hurry to marry, much less a man who wants to make me a housewife. So stop it, I don't want to hear anything more from Simon or this topic in general.' 'Okay, then don't,' said her mother pointedly. “But don't come to me in a few years and whine to my ears because all your girlfriends are married and you aren't. – And what about this show? You're not going to continue doing this, are you?" "Yes, Mom, I will." "And what does your boss say? There's no way he'd agree with a female police officer showing himself like that in public.” “In fact, he even encouraged my resolve and gave me unpaid leave until I got back,” Jill lied hastily. Noticing her mother's unhappy face, she sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “Mom, please don't worry about it, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I might not get very far, and this is going to be quicker than you think.' Alice Moore shook her head and stood up. “I really don't understand you. But you're old enough to know what you're doing, it's your life you're ruining. "I'm going to go now and I hope you can come to your senses before it's too late." Feeling guilty, Jill walked her to the door. After they said goodbye, Jill sighed and walked into the bedroom and stood in front of the large wall mirror. She looked at her reflection critically and asked herself again what had persuaded the judges to choose her. Sure, she wasn't ugly by any means. Her long, auburn hair fell in soft waves down her shoulders to mid-back, her green eyes were bright and lined with long, dark lashes. Her nose was perhaps a little too narrow, but her lips were full, the contours delicately curved. Her figure was also quite impressive, her legs were long and shapely, the waist narrow, her breasts full and firm. While she was generally happy with herself, she couldn't imagine making it to the finals, let alone winning the competition. She closed her eyes and began to dream, trying to imagine what she would do with the money if she actually won. Maybe she would quit her job and open her own small detective agency or security company. She would definitely treat herself to an extended vacation first, she hadn't been able to afford it with her small salary so far. White beaches appeared before her inner eye, the sea splashed onto the shore in gentle waves. Palm trees swayed slightly in the wind, she walked in a bikini - down a catwalk, bright headlights relentlessly illuminated every inch of her body. Abruptly she opened her eyes again, shook her head, and asked herself again what she had gotten herself into.The next afternoon, with a heavy heart, Jill lugged her suitcase to the town hall. There was the meeting point, they would all be picked up by a bus and brought to the villa.A few of the other nine girls were already there when she arrived, and a camera crew was there to film the departure from Lakeside and arrival at the villa.One by one the rest of the girls trundled in. To her delight, Jill spotted Mandy among the stragglers, and she immediately came up to her and gave her a happily hug."Glad you're here too, I don't feel so alone," she said, and Jill nodded."Yes, I'm happy too."They stood there in silence and waited for the bus to arrive. Jill, meanwhile, let her gaze wander over the other girls, who were dancing around, chattering excitedly."Well, that could be something," Jill sighed to herself, already annoyed. She fervently hoped there wouldn't be shared rooms, she couldn't stand a whole flock of those affected geese.Fi
After they had calmly unpacked their things and stowed their suitcases under the bed, they went out onto the balcony and sat down in the two sun loungers. They shook their heads as they watched the rest of the girls splash around in the pool, squeaking and screaming like they'd never seen a pool in their lives. Harriet and Mick were lying in two sun loungers a little way from the pool and were talking. It was immediately clear to Jill why the girls were so excited again, of course they tried to put themselves in the right light in front of the two judges."Oh my god, what a monkey business," Jill murmured in consternation, and Mandy smiled. "But we'll have to godownstairs at some point, unless you're starving."I don't do the theater voluntarily. – Speaking of which, what do you think if we go shopping together tomorrow?”Mandy nodded. “Yes, of course, okay.”They enjoyed the sun in silence, lost in thou
Shortly thereafter, Jill jumped into the pool and did her laps. She had already done a few laps when suddenly the water splashed up close to her. She paused in surprise, trying to see through the shimmering surface who had jumped into the pool. A head appeared a few yards away and to her surprise it was Craig Peters, now turning to face her with a smile."I hope I didn't startle you.""Well, a little warning would have been nice," Jill said sullenly. She wanted to complete her training courses in peace and didn't feel like company. But she couldn't very well prevent him from using the pool, so she just sighed softly and continued paddling in the opposite direction.To her relief, he didn't seem to be intending to talk either, so with a few vigorous strokes he caught up with her and swam silently alongside her.They did a few lengths together, then Jill took a short break at the poolside. Craig stopped as well and grinned at her. "Tired already? Shame, I w
As the afternoon wore on, Harriet eventually returned to the dining room with the rest of the girls and surveyed Ewan's work. She made a few comments, but seemed happy overall. When her gaze fell on Jill, she frowned."She still looks the same as before," she said reproachfully to Ewan, who immediately defended himself, whining. 'Sorry Chérie, but she just didn't want to.''You won't stay here long if you keep being so stubborn,' Harriet snapped at Jill."I think her hair is so fine," Craig interjected at that moment, before Jill had a chance to answer. "You're well groomed and the color is nice, why force anything that looks good?"Jill bowed her head, embarrassed, not liking being the center of attention.Harriet gave Craig a critical look, then looked at Jill's hair again and sighed."All right, at least it's long enough to get started with," she conceded. "But don't imagine it's always like this, I don't take extra frills," she sn
By the time she got to the bottom, Craig was already in the pool, and when he saw her, he was paddling toward her, gazing at her from the edge of the pool."Come in, the water's lovely," he smiled, and Jill didn't need to be asked twice. She dove gracefully into the pool and then happily swam a few laps while Craig watched."Now do I get my revenge?" he asked teasingly when she stopped beside him after a while.“Agreed – ten lanes again?”He nodded. "Three - two - one - go!" he counted, and they started moving almost simultaneously. Jill was an excellent swimmer and although Craig was not far behind, she still managed to win by a narrow margin."I can see I don't stand a chance against your pretty legs," he laughed, playfully splashing some water on her face."Hey," Jill muttered, laughing, and immediately repaid him. Shortly thereafter, they were happily romping around in the pool, diving into each other and wrestling with
When Jill came to the pool shortly after, Craig was already there, sitting on a deck chair and waiting for her."Why aren't you in the water yet, aren't you too cold?" Jill teased."No, I've thought of something," he smiled. "We were pretty noisy last night and I think we should go somewhere else before there's any trouble here."She eyed him suspiciously. 'And what did you have in mind?''Let's go to the beach. Apart from the fact that I prefer swimming in the sea anyway, it's quiet there and won't disturb anyone.”Jill hesitated, not sure if hanging out alone with him at night was a good idea. After all, she didn't know him and had no idea what might be hiding behind his harmless manner, so caution was advised.As if reading her mind, he added at the same moment, "Don't be afraid, I certainly won't attack you," sounding utterly amused."I'm not scared," Jill said hastily. "I don't mind driving."She had been looking for
"Wake up you sleepyhead, if we don't get down to practice on time Harriet will kill us," Mandy's voice jerked Jill awake.Wearily she blinked at the alarm clock, it was almost half past eight."Oh shit," she blurted out in surprise.She jumped up and put on her gym clothes."Yeah, yeah, if you hang around at night, you can't get out of bed in the morning," Mandy teased her meanwhile."I wasn't hanging out, I was swimming," Jill explained, embarrassed.Mandy smiled. “You haven't been in the pool.” Jill frowned, and she added, “Don't worry, I'll keep that to myself. I happened to wake up and was on the balcony for a moment, but didn't see you downstairs.”“I was at the beach,” Jill admitted hesitantly."Did you walk to the beach alone in the middle of the night?" Mandy asked, puzzled.“Mandy, please don't ask, I can't explain this to you. And promise me you won't tell anyone, I don
Jill hadn't expected that Cloe would actually carry out her threat, but as soon as they entered the villa, Harriet's voice shrilled through the open living room door. "Jill - please come in here, I want to speak to you." "Oh God," Mandy whispered anxiously and started to follow Jill, but she stopped her. "You stay here, I'll take care of this myself. It's enough if one of us gets in trouble.” Mandy stood there dejectedly while Jill entered the living room. Harriet and Mick were sitting on the couch, Craig was standing at the window, there was no sign of Cloe. "Sit down," Harriet invited her. Jill flopped down on a couch, looking at Harriet expectantly. "Is it true that you slapped Cloe?" she immediately began with an angry voice. “Yes.” “How yes? Isn't that all you have to say? Do you think it's okay to fight with the other girls here?' snapped Harriet. "No, I don't think so, but I don't think it's okay fo