Page 86 of Try Me

Letting Go

Pearl

A hairstylist,makeup artist, and wardrobe specialist were all on hand to assist Pearl. They dressed her and styled her hair in an elaborate braid and made up her face so that her black eyes gleamed like diamonds.

The commercial shoot went better than Pearl had expected. She’d only had one line, but everyone agreed she’d nailed it. She was still buzzing with exhilaration on the drive back to the hotel.

They passed a wooden sign announcing they were leaving the North Shore town of Hale’iwa, and it rang a bell in Pearl’s head. This was where Declan had crashed his car and almost died. A shiver ran over her at the thought.

“Have you ever been to South Africa?” Nate asked.

“What?” Pearl asked, dragging her attention back to Nate.

They were riding in the back seat of one of the Rolls Royces hired to transport the contestants around the island. Nate was sitting next to her, and the car felt too tiny with him so close. His long leg sprawled into her personal space, and the car stank from his endless chain-smoking.

“There’s an exhibition before Worlds this year,” Nate said, leaning forward to flick his ashes into the tray. “You’d be perfect.”

Pearl cringed at the thought of being trapped in a plane for more than a day while traveling to South Africa. But if she wanted to surf the waves of legendary Jeffrey’s Bay, there was no avoiding the long flight. She would have to find a way to deal with her irrational fear, and she wouldn’t even have Declan to help her. It seemed a monumental effort to steer her thoughts away from Declan when their breakup loomed only a few hours ahead of them.

“You haven’t even seen me surf yet,” she told Nate. “How do you know I’d be perfect?”

Nate chuckled, shifting to cross his ankle over his knee. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You look great in a bikini and the camera loves you. It’s enough.”

Pearl bristled, turning her glare on him. “It’s not enough for me,” she said.

Nate nodded. “You have spunk, too.” He drew on his cigarette, eyeing her appreciatively as he exhaled smoke. “I was hesitant to represent a woman, but I’m glad I took a chance on you,” he said.

“You’ll be even gladder when you finally see me surf,” she said.

Nate nodded. “I think I can work with you,” he said. “And you don’t even have to sleep with me.”

Pearl squeezed her hands together in her lap in an effort not to reach over and choke Nate. She knew she was jeopardizing the exhibition at Worlds and everything else, but she couldn’t let Nate get away with that kind of comment.

“That’s good news,” she said, “because it would be a cold day in hell before I let you lay a hand on me.”

Nate shrugged. “You and Bishop really hit it off,” he said, as if that meant she was fair game.

“That’s none of your business,” Pearl said.

Nate’s voice dropped an octave, and his smile turned menacing. “Everything about Declan Bishop is my business. I own him.”

“He’s your client,” Pearl corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Bishop would be nothing without me. Actually, he’d probably be dead. He does what I tell him to do.”

“You don’t know Declan half as well as you think you do.”

“I’ve tracked Bishop down on every continent. I’ve watched him go through countless women, screwing everything in a skirt. I’ve pulled him out of bars and rescued him from fistfights. I’ve sent him to rehab twice. I’ve represented him for over two years. How long have you known him?” he demanded. “Two days?”

Pearl looked Nate in the eye. “I know the real Declan.”

Nate laughed. “There is no real Declan Bishop. He’s only a character I created, flimsy as a leaf in the wind. You’ll see. In fact,” he said, “look at this.” He reached to the floor for his briefcase, placed it on his lap, and popped it open. Pulling out a stack of magazines he took the top one and showed it to Pearl. “Evelyn,” he said, pointing to a picture of Declan and the princess of Monaco on the cover of Tatler. “Loretta.” He slapped Confidential down next. “Claudia.” Hush-Hush. Nate finished with a picture of her and Declan surfing in Kauai, proving that Jack had done his job after all. “Pearl Sunn,” he said with smug satisfaction. “Who will it be next week?” he asked.

Pearl’s blood heated, and her temper flared as she looked down at the proof of what Nate was saying. There would be another woman next week, and another the week after that. Even though they were fake relationships, the idea of Declan with another woman made her eyes cross. Would he change his public persona for her? Did she want him to?

She had no rights to him. No claim on his affections. So why did it tear her up to see him in a liplock with Claudia Montgomery?

“Bishop has a reputation to live up to,” Nate said, punctuating his words with a flick of his ashes in the tray. “That doesn’t include shacking up with you.” Nate didn’t bother to disguise the malice in his voice. “Do you understand?”

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