by Lulu Pratt
“Okay,” Evelyn said, clapping her hands. “Let’s go into the next room.”
“All right,” I said, shaking hands with the lawyer, not at all sorry to see him go.
We walked into the back where there was a blue backdrop drapery with a stool on top. Evelyn flipped on the lights and pointed to the seat. I nodded and walked over, sitting down. I felt uncomfortable already and knew this was just the beginning.
“So, we’re going to do a brief introduction here,” she smiled. “I just want you to relax, look into the camera and tell us about yourself. You can just act like you are talking to me in a normal conversation. Make sure to smile and relax your shoulders, you look like a robot.”
I cleared my throat and rolled my shoulders, trying to let the nerves go. She smiled and nodded at me as the cameraman lifted his head. He held up three fingers and counted back, pointing to me when it was my turn.
“I’m Ryan Carson, I’m from small-town Indiana where I own a mechanic shop,” I said, pushing out a fake smile at the end.
“Cut,” Evelyn said, smiling broadly with that fake laugh that may turn out to be her trademark. “Okay, let’s do this instead. Tell me where you’re from, a little about your shop, what you do in your time off work, what your interests are, and what your future goals are. Okay?”
“Yeah, sorry,” I said, sitting back up in the chair.
“And relax your shoulders,” she winked.
The cameraman gave her a side glance and adjusted the camera before giving me the same count down all over again.
“Hey, I’m Ryan Carson from small-town Indiana,” I said, with enthusiasm. “During the day I run my own mechanic business. I’m into football, family gatherings and anything to do with cars. In the future, I’d like to have my own mechanic shop empire.”
Evelyn clapped her hands and headed back over to me, looking me up and down. I felt like I was for sale, and she was the potential buyer.
“I think the tux we got you will fit perfectly, but just in case try it on when you get back to the hotel and if it needs alterations just have the concierge send it over to me here at the studio,” she said. “Other than that, I will brief you tomorrow on the ceremony and in two days you will be the first ever star and husband on our new series!”
I smiled, unsure of what to say.
“So, dinner is on us tonight, anywhere in the city, or you can always do room service if you prefer. Your choice,” she said. “If you need a ride, call the front desk and they’ll have a car and driver at your disposal. We are so glad to have you on the team, Ryan. Call me if you need anything, otherwise, I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” I said, as she raced out of the room.
The cameraman gave me a pitied smile and nodded. “You’ll get used to her.”
I chuckled and nodded my head, looking over at the secretary who was waiting to escort me out. I jumped down from the stool and followed her to the car which drove me straight back to the hotel. Everything was moving so fast, but at least I had a decent place to stay for the two days before I said, ‘I do’ to a perfect stranger. I still couldn’t believe I’d agreed to do this, it wasn’t like me in the least.
When I got back up to my room there was a tux hanging on the back of the door. It was Armani and looked just like something you’d see on a movie star on the cover of some magazine at a store checkout. I was pretty sure the suit cost more than my first car. Carefully, I took it off the hanger and, piece by piece, I put it on. Evelyn was right, it fit perfectly, like it was made just for me, and I wondered if it just might have been. I stood looking at myself in the mirror feeling regal, fitting in perfectly with my surroundings. I looked like a rich bastard, and I had to admit it looked good on me. Just then, my phone rang and I picked it up, smiling what I saw it was Miles.
“I’m wearing an Armani tux right now,” I answered.
“Already tying the knot?”
“No, not for two more days but I had to try on the tux to make sure it fit right,” I explained. “I look like James Bond right now.”
“And you probably smell like Gold Bond,” he laughed.
“Very funny,” I scoffed.
“Seriously, when I did this, I really intended it as a joke,” he chuckled. “I can’t believe that you actually took the bait and are going to be a reality TV star. Seriously, I’m just gonna start calling you Snooki. Are you gonna get one of those really bad fake tans?”
“Make fun of me all you want,” I said, straightening my bow tie in the mirror, as I realized I hadn’t actually tied it correctly. “You are the one who put me in this position in the first place. And, man, they dangled six figures in my face and now I’m stuck. I am going to be someone’s husband in two days.”
“Watch, we’re thinking she’s gonna be like Jessica Rabbit,” Miles said. “But she might end up being Roger Rabbit.”
“Hey, for five hundred grand, I’ll sign the damn dotted line and then erase my memory afterwards,” I laughed. “How hard could it really be?”
CHAPTER 4
Mira
“My name is Mira and I was born and raised right here in sunny Los Angeles. I live with my beautiful mom who is also my best friend, and I am working on becoming an actress and model. In my spare time I love to relax with my mom’s dog, Ollie, go to the beach, swim and anything that has to do with art. I would love to star on the big screen one day in a romantic comedy or science fiction movie. I am excited to be part of this new series and nervous to meet the man I’ll marry!”
“And cut,” Evelyn said, smiling. “You are a natural. I love it, and they will love you. You are like the sexy girl next door. It’s perfect. So, the contract is all signed and ready to go. Tomorrow I will contact you with the details of your big day, eek! And then two days from now you will be married! I love weddings, I can’t wait to go to yours. Ooh, it’s gonna be so exciting!”
“Yeah,” I giggled nervously. “Exciting and nerve-racking.”
“Oh, you’ll be just fine, and the day of the wedding you get all kinds of pampering,” she smiled handing me envelope. “This is a check from the studio, it was all in the contract.”
“What is this for?” I asked.
“Oh, for your wedding gown of course,” she said. “We have partnered with La Soie who has the most high-end dresses on the market. They are awaiting your arrival and have already lined up a bunch of dresses they think you would like. You just go and try them on. You have a budget of ten thousand for the outfit and they will also be able to help you with undergarments, shoes and a veil.”
“Wow, that’s more than my car cost,” I laughed.
“Welcome to the big leagues,” Evelyn winked. “We thought about just having the dress designed but since everyone hopes this is a match made in reality heaven, we thought it would be nice if you picked out your own gown. Just in case it turns out to be the right fit all the way around.”
“Oh,” I laughed. “Yeah. I mean, I have a tough time believing that, but hey, anything can happen, right?”
“That is the perfect mindset,” she smiled. “Now, have fun, and I will talk with you tomorrow. Anything you need you let us know and just relax, you’re in your hometown with anything and everything that you could imagine.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly, glancing over at my mom.
The cameraman left the room with Evelyn and I walked over, putting my arms around my mom. I squeezed her tightly, trying to get the nerves in my stomach to calm down. Hopefully they had champagne at this place because I wasn’t ready for all of this.
“You sure you don’t want to shack up at the fancy hotel they offered me?” I smiled.
“No,” she laughed. “I like it at home with Ollie and I’d like to be close to my medications.”
“Of course,” I smiled.
“You can go to the hotel, though, baby girl. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t,” she said, pulling back.
“Of course not,” I smiled. “I want to be with
you and Ollie, and my things, in my home. I don’t want to be in some fancy hotel room.”
“Good,” she said, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek.
“Ladies, are you ready?” Evelyn’s secretary said behind us.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I sighed. “My mom can come, right?”
“Of course,” she smiled. “We’ve got a car waiting out front for the two of you and lunch is set up at the boutique.”
We followed her out to the car and jumped inside, watching the film crew loading their van. This would all be caught on camera, and that was unexpected. When she told me that in the office, my mom got a little upset, feeling she wasn’t ready to be photographed, so Evelyn hooked both of us with hair and make-up. I liked seeing my mom be pampered, it was really nice.
When we got to the dress shop the women were all in a tizzy, running around, showing me a million different dresses, and helping me try on several different ones. My mom really liked the last two that I tried on, so I put those back on and did a little runway walk for her. I tried on the second one and walked back out, trying to ignore the cameraman walking around me.
“I really like that one,” my mom said. “But I like the other one too. You look so beautiful in both of them.”
“I don’t know which one to go with,” I sighed, walking up to the mirror.
I stared at myself in the dress, picturing myself walking down the aisle, adorned in flowers, people oohing and awing as I arrive. I pictured both dresses, but my mind got sidetracked as I imagined the man standing at the front of the aisle. He was faceless, the perfect tux, the perfect body, but faceless. It kind of made my stomach drop.
“Honey?” my mom said pulling me from my thoughts.
“Sorry,” I said, turning back around. “I’m pretty sure this is the one.”
“I love it,” the woman said from the counter.
I turned back around and looked in the mirror at this gorgeous Badgley Mischka dress that fit me like a glove. It felt like it had been made for me to wear and was pretty much everything I ever wanted in a wedding dress. Part of me felt bad since I’d be wearing it to marry a man for a business deal, but as I stared at it I couldn’t imaging wearing anything else. The three-quarter length sleeves of lace, the way the neck cut sharply down into a V, then the perfect fit through my hips, exploding into an airy train. Who knew you could fall in love with a dress! At least I’d be in love with something when I went down the aisle.
The saleswoman walked up behind me with a pair of heels. They were bright blue satin with small diamond buckles on the top. She winked at me and held my hand as I slipped my feet into them. I suddenly realized why women spent so much on shoes, they were gorgeous and comfortable, at least for six-inch heels. After that she brought out several veils and I picked the one that best matched the lace on my sleeves. It was made by the same designer, and was thick enough to hide my face, but thin enough for me to not fall down as I walked down the aisle. I turned to my mother and she smiled broadly, covering her mouth and nodding her head. It was a sweet moment, and I realized that with my mother’s health, I should appreciate the experience, because fake reality TV marriage or not, this could be the only wedding dress shopping we’d get.
I choked back the tears that were burning at the corners of my eyes and turned to the saleswoman nodding my head. Next was the lingerie, which mercifully, the cameraman agreed was best left out of the show. I chose a lovely bra and panty set in white lace. I glimpsed at the price tag and feel a little dizzy. The choice had been made.
I got undressed and changed back into my sneakers, shorts and T-shirt, then paid for everything with the check the company had given me. I swallowed the last big gulp of my champagne and nodded as they indicated they would be delivering the dress to the studio that afternoon. When we were done the cameras shut off, but my emotions and brain didn’t follow suit.
We climbed back into the car service provided by the studio and headed to the house. I sat quietly, looking out the window, thinking about everything that was happening. It was all so much, and it was happening at the speed of light. I was excited, but nervous at the same time. I was getting married the following day, to someone that I had never met before. This man could be anyone, and though I didn’t think the studio would pick someone unattractive, that wasn’t what I was nervous about. What if we hated each other? What if he bailed and left me with no money and alone on a reality TV show? I had no idea what he expected of me, if he expected me to play the part of his wife, or if he was really looking at this the same way I was, a business deal with a huge payout at the end. I didn’t know if I was a good enough actress to play someone’s wife twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for six months, even if it was for half a million dollars. It seemed dishonest in a way.
“Are you okay?” my mother asked. “You look like you are deep in thought.”
“I’m fine,” I sighed. “I guess I’m just a bit nervous.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” she smiled. “I would be a wreck right now.”
“If you think about it, I haven’t had a serious boyfriend since you-know-who, and that’s been years.” I gripped my hands in my lap. “We were just kids, so I don’t even know how serious I could actually consider that. Now I’m marrying someone who I’ve never even met. He could be a complete asshole or a puppy kicker or something.”
“I doubt they would have a puppy kicker on the show,” my mom chuckled. “That would be bad for the ratings, and it is strange that would be one of your worries, but I guess I wouldn’t want to marry someone like that either.”
“You know what I mean,” I laughed. “I know it’s all worth it in the end, and six months is not that long, but still, it’s really crazy to me how all this happened. When I applied for the reality show I was thinking I would be stuck on an island or marooned on a broken boat with five people. I never thought it would be some twisted version of The Bachelorette, that’s for sure. I thought maybe at worst I would be eating grubs and camping.”
“Well, it’s definitely a surprise, but I think you’ll be just fine,” she smiled, patting me on the leg. “Unless of course you want to back out, and I would never look down on you if you did. This is a huge move and you are being asked to do something that could possibly end up with no profit and a divorce to boot.”
“Unfortunately, even if I wanted to back out, I just signed a sixty-page contract that won’t let me do that without having to pay for it, and I just spent six grand on a wedding dress, not to mention the shoes, veil and lingerie,” I laughed. “I’m pretty sure I’m locked into this thing now, but it’s okay because I don’t want to back out. I just keep thinking of it this way, if he turns out to be a complete ass and he dips out getting the half million and leaving me with nothing, then I still haven’t lost everything. My name will be out there, there will be something for my résumé, and it will have been a really interesting experience. Plus, if the show is popular there are bound to be other things that spin off from it that will bring income in. It’s not like I turned down a motion picture to do this thing, I had nothing else in the works.”
“That’s my girl, always thinking of the bright side,” she smiled. “I am proud of you, no matter how it turns out in the end, and I’m excited to watch you every week on the TV. We are going to be famous in the neighborhood.”
“Ha! Maybe Mrs. Bowling from down the street will bring over that mac and cheese dish she makes to watch the show,” I laughed.
“Perks,” Mom laughed. “It’s all about the perks.”
***
Thank you for reading the first chapters of Fake Marriage Act. Want more? Go to Amazon.com to read the full book. Thank you!
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