Simona frowns.
“Shoot.”
“Well, it turns out he does need to hire a woman, but not for bedtime fun. He needs to find a fake fiancée, and he’s willing to pay triple my rate for six months.”
Simona squints.
“Yeah, but if he’s so awesome why can’t he find an actress or model to play the part? Or a lady friend?”
I nod.
“I know, my point exactly. He just said he needs a professional, and not only that, but someone who won’t lose their head when it comes to fake-dating him.”
Simona looks suspicious.
“What does that mean?”
I shrug. “I think it means that he doesn’t want the woman to fall in love with him. You know because he’s so handsome and all.”
My buddy snorts.
“OMG, what a prick! He’s so full of himself I bet he has his head up his ass.”
I shrug.
“No, Luke’s actually really charismatic and self-aware. And the worst part is that I think he’s right. A woman not in our line of work probably would fall head over heels with him because he’s the ultimate package. That’s why he wants me. Or rather, a professional woman. Again, he said he’ll pay triple my rate for six months, and that’s not nothing.”
At that, Simona’s eyes go round.
“Are you frickin’ kidding me?”
I shake my head. “Nope. It’s a full-time gig, and at triple my rate, that means I’d easily be in the six figures. Mid-six figures in fact, and not even low.”
Simona gasps then. “Oh my god! You have to take it, Patty!”
My drink arrives and I take a small sip. “Do you really think so?”
Her head nods so fast that it bobbles.
“Yes. You wanted to leave City Girls anyway, right?”
I nod. “Yes.”
She continues.
“Then what’s the problem? You’ll make plenty of money and you won’t have to rely on City Girls for anything ever again. This is, like, a once in a lifetime opportunity. A swan song, if you will. After you finish, you can take the money and then do anything you want! Imagine the freedom!”
I sigh and nod again. Again, Simona gets it because she’s also working at City Girls to make ends meet. My friend wants to write children’s books, but from what she’s told me, it sounds like a tough industry to get into. Thus, the life of an escort.
But then she tilts her head at me. “What’s got you hesitating, girlfriend? Is the guy really ugly or old? I know that’s hard to stomach sometimes, but cash is king, honey. You can do it.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not that. To be honest, the client is insanely handsome, wealthy, and he’s not old at all. He said he was thirty-five, which is my sweet spot. But wait for it: the reason he wants a fake fiancée is because has a crazy woman stalking him, so he wants to use the dummy bride to shake her off.”
Simona looks confused.
“Are you serious? Why doesn’t he call the police instead?”
I nod.
“I know, right? He says he has, and that he even has a restraining order against this woman. But I guess it isn’t really helping, and so he’s hoping a fake fiancée will dissuade his stalker once and for all.”
Simona snorts. “As if! Or it could go the other way, and she could become even more determined. She could start harassing you, too!”
I nod miserably.
“Yeah, this is all really weird. I don’t know. Maybe I should say no.”
Simona thinks for a moment.
“Or maybe you should ask for quadruple your regular rate, you know, as hazard pay.”
At that, I begin laughing.
“OMG, you’re terrible! Do you think he’d really go for it?”
My friend shoots me a sassy smile.
“Well, you said he’s filthy rich, right? So why not?”
I sigh. “Alright, I can ask. But I guess I just … Well, I guess I still have misgivings.”
Simona shakes her head.
“But about what? For quadruple pay, I’d be willing to jump out of helicopters in Afghanistan.”
I laugh again despite myself. “Well, I guess … This sounds silly, but Luke is someone I’d like to date in real life. He’s intelligent, witty, he treats me well, and he’s absolutely mind-blowing in bed. He’s huge down there, and trust me, he knows how to use it. But here I am in another hopeless City Girls situation—”
Simona puts her hand on top of mine. When I look up at her, she shakes her head. “Don’t go there, Patty. You can’t afford to think about what could be because you know that that’s not how the world works for girls like us. You can be his fake fiancée, but you can’t make it personal. You know what happens when that happens.”
I swallow and look down.
“I know,” I say in a small voice. My friend squeezes my hand encouragingly.
“Just think: this money could easily fund the EP you were telling me about. It could jump-start your career! So just keep your emotions out of it, alright?”