She only has one rule...
[WATTYS SHORTLIST 2022]
A buttoned up bookworm agrees to a fake relationship with a surprisingly literate male model in order to save his career. She only has one condition: No kissing allowed.
***
At age 27, Cora Glass ha...
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Jamie felt a bit grubby.
Unlike Cora, he hadn't enjoyed a mid-afternoon swim in the dunk tank. He could sense the back of his shirt clinging to his skin with an invisible film of sand, sunscreen, sweat, and shame.
His co-star had lost the guessing game, but worse than that. She had lost track of the blurry line between fact and fiction. He could tell from the look Cora gave him, the split second before she went plummeting into the water. "This is true?" she'd asked.
He wished to God he'd hit the lever faster. He never should have given her a chance to read that final card, but his reflexes had proven too slow.
He walked beside her now, eyes on the horizon, careful to keep the tension he felt from showing in his face. The sunset cast a rosy glow. The perfect light for romance. Cameron led the way, walking backward, with the camera steadied on his shoulder, capturing the happy lovers' every move.
Fact or fake, this love affair? That was the question. If Jamie wasn't sure himself, poor Cora didn't stand a chance.
Jamie cringed again at the memory of the words printed on those blasted cards. Of course Cora had believed them, labeled as Fact and printed in stark black and white. Of all the lies his agent could have concocted...
Darius had well and truly fucked him over.
Jamie would have a few choice words for his agent when he got off this island. If Darius would even take his call, that is.
No, Jamie was under no illusions. The agency might not drop him outright, but agents of Darius' stature only dealt with the major fashion houses. He would undoubtedly pass Jamie off to some lowly associate. Someone in influencer marketing, no doubt.
An influencer...
The very word brought a sour taste to Jamie's mouth. There was a reason he had resisted the lure of reality television up until now. His stint here in Cozumel would define him for the rest of his career. A chameleon no longer. Whatever color the TV writers chose to paint him would become Jamie's "reality" hereafter. The world would come to see him in that light and, with any luck, follow him on Instagram. And Jamie would be expected to play the role on social media forevermore.
At least the game had given him an inkling of the character he would portray. The "international man of mystery," as requested from the start by the show's casting director. The so-called "Facts" printed in the cards must have been pulled from some bio Darius provided to help Jamie land the role. Unless the producers themselves had invented them.
Jamie hadn't bothered reading through all the materials his agent had sent over. He hadn't even read his contract in any detail. A cursory scan had been all he could stomach before signing his name on the line.
