‘What the fuck?’ My nostrils flared.
‘You wouldn’t go through with it,obviously.’ She rolled her eyes again.‘The point is, whilst they’re documenting your romance, we’ll show you working on your music.And thenboom! With all the extra exposure you’ll get from social media, the reality show and your blossoming romance, the public will forget about the whole BUTT-RRR thing and be itching to hear your love songs.It’s genius, right?’
‘It’s batshit crazy!’ I shook my head.
‘Why?’
‘Because you know I fucking hate social media.I’m a private person.’
‘Says the guy who’s been pictured sucking face withhundredsof women.’
‘ButIdidn’t take those photos.That was an invasion of my privacy.And that’s the point.I don’t want to share my private life any more.’
‘Well, you’re fresh out of options.If megastar musicians like Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran have to do social media, then so do you!Behind-the-scenes access sells.’
‘Even if it does, doing something like this would be immoral.The woman I’d be matched with will be there to find love, so going there knowing I have no intention of having a real relationship is dishonest.I don’t want to lead anyone on.’
Having one-night stands was one thing.I always made it crystal clear from the start that it was just a hook-up.But going to a hotel where the objective was to meet your soulmate just to revive my career left a bad taste in my mouth.
‘When I submitted your application, I said you were looking to date another celebrity, so it’ll be fine.Whatever you do will benefitbothof your careers and once we know who it is, I can speak to their agent to make sure we’re all on the same page and work together to make the partnership mutually beneficial.’
‘Still doesn’t seem right.’
‘This is LA, baby!This shit happens all the time.If you want to get back in the game, you need to do whatever it takes.And it’s not like I’m asking you to do anything difficult.All you have to do is take some photos and videos whilst spending two weeks in an all-inclusive luxury hotel.People would kill for an opportunity like this.You should be kissing my feet, not acting like a spoilt brat who’s just been told he can’t have ice cream at a birthday party.’
Ouch.
In the grand scheme of things, maybe it wouldn’t be such a hardship.For starters, as grateful as I was to have a roof over my head at Roger’s apartment, it would be nice to sleep in a decent bed again, even if it was just for two weeks.
As much as I hated everything about this idea, I wasn’t in a position to pick and choose.I was lucky that Wilma was even representing me.Most people dropped me when my career tanked.Including my so-called industry friends.
And knowing that I’d be matched with another celebrity, no doubt another has-been like me, made me feel a bit better about things.At least they’d understand the way things worked and know this was just purely a business arrangement, not anything romantic.
As much as I hated posting on social media, right now this was the only opportunity I could see to get me back on my feet again.
If two weeks at a hotel was my ticket to saving my career and securing my future, then as much as I didn’t want to, it looked like I didn’t have a choice.
‘When did you say that I’d need to go there?’
‘In three weeks.’
That was sooner than I thought.But soon was good.
I’d promised Roger I’d be out of his hair in a month, so I’d be able to keep my word and get to stay somewhere nice for two weeks, rent free.
Wilma was trying to help, so I needed to do my part.Although the idea still sounded dumb as fuck, I had to give it a chance.
‘Okay,’ I said, ignoring the crushing feeling in the pit of my stomach.‘I’ll do it.’
3
HALLE
Usually, I wasn’t one for believing in miracles.But as my chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce pulled into the grounds of the Love Hotel in California, which was based near fancy Malibu, I was convinced they were real.
Less than a month ago I was freaking out about the fact that my aversion to emails and answering phone calls had led me to miss out on my big chance to secure a place at this world-renowned matchmaking hotel.And now, I was here.
It hadn’t been easy though.Ironically,I’dspent the weekend bombardingthemwith emails, begging them to give me another chance.Then on Monday morning I’d called head office to apologise for not responding sooner.
