Page 24 of Try Me

“I don’t understand,” Pearl said.

“Don’t worry. It’s all fake. There’s no sex involved. Bishop won’t even touch you unless there are cameras around. He’s got some hangup,” Nate said. “Stuck on some princess type back home, I think.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Pearl said.

“That’s good,” Nate said, smiling and nodding. “That’s exactly the way you’ll answer if anyone questions you. The press gets suspicious sometimes.”

“I’m not following,” Pearl said, feeling like she’d been blindsided. Nate wasn’t making sense.

“It’s simple,” Nate said. “It’s all pretend. You act like you’re dating until after the contest, then it’s over. It will help your career to be linked with him. That’s why most women do it. This is going to be the perfect publicity for both of you.”

Pearl’s heart lurched as she thought of Declan’s pictures in the tabloids, or his hot kiss with Claudia Montgomery.

“Are you saying all Declan’s relationships are fake?” she asked.

“Keep your voice down,” Nate warned. “You’re under contract now. You can’t discuss this with anyone, or I will ruin your career before it even starts. Understand?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Pearl said.

Nate lit another cigarette. “We have an arrangement,” he said, his voice a low murmur over the clink of glassware and conversation that filled the restaurant. “I handle Bishop’s public life. His image. It’s worked brilliantly, so far. The press eats it up, and the sponsors are rolling in.”

“So, all the women are fakes?” she asked, her voice softer this time in case anyone was listening.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Bishop is famous for it. He’s the biggest name in surfing because he does what I tell him to do.”

Pearl struggled to digest what Nate had shared. She wasn’t usually so slow on the uptake, but the information had been so unexpected. She tried to reconcile what she’d just learned about Declan with the man she’d seen at the awards party and with the man she’d spent the day with at Sharp Park. It was starting to click why he hadn’t seemed to match his public persona.

The thought of spending the week as Declan’s girlfriend intrigued Pearl. Butterflies took flight in her stomach at the thought of seeing him again. She could spend more time with him, surf with him again, and it would all lead nowhere. It was perfect, really. Pearl couldn’t have asked for anything better.

A fake relationship with a start and end date? Sign her up.

No emotions? No strings? Even better.

A week with a man so hot he could heat her blood with a single glance? Oui, s’il vous plait.

“Excuse me,” the waiter said, coming to stand at the table. He looked at Pearl. “You have a phone call at the front lobby. Very important.”

“Thank you.”

When the waiter left, Pearl explained that her roommate needed her and she had to go.

“But we haven’t had lunch yet,” Nate said.

“We have two years to have lunch together,” she said, looking pointedly at the contract.

“You’re really leaving?”

“Yes,” she said, reaching for her champagne flute. “Let’s have a toast first. To new relationships?” she suggested.

Nate nodded, clinking their glasses together. “To new relationships,” he agreed.

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