The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(42)
“So, you come here often?” Kaye remarked.
Amir nodded.
“It’s one of my favorite places.”
“How do you know so much about everyone?”
“I ask. Don’t you?”
“No. Usually, I get where I’m going, do what I need to, and then go home.”
“Ah. See, that’s the problem with Americans. You all like your personal bubbles and isolating yourselves, but it’s not natural. Humans are social creatures. We need one another.”
“Does everyone working here aspire to be an actor?”
“Doesn’t everyone in this town?”
Kaye thought about her own circumstances, and smirked.
“I suppose they do.”
Amir took a sip of water, then his expression turned serious once again.
“Which brings us to the topic at hand. You would like to know what you’re about to get into.”
“That would be ideal, yes,” Kaye said, leaning in.
Amir nodded, sitting back and lacing his hands together. Before he could launch into his speech, however, a waitress appeared—a tiny woman with pitch-black hair and piercing green eyes.
“Amir, my old friend. We meet again.”
“It’s good to see you again, Misty.”
“And you. What can I get you?”
The two glanced at their menus and ordered a pair of steaks before Misty grabbed their menus and made to leave.
“Oh, and Misty? A bottle of champagne, if you could?”
Misty nodded and headed off to fill their order. Kaye lifted an eyebrow.
“Champagne? Is it even noon yet?”
Amir looked at a very expensive watch on his wrist. He held up a finger to keep her silent, and Kaye laughed.
“And…now, it’s noon. Besides, it’s five o’clock somewhere. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
“It is, but it is still barely noon here.”
“Well, depending on your answer to this contract, we can either celebrate together, or I can drown my sorrows with a nice bottle of champagne. Either way, it’s a win.”
“Fair enough. Now, you were getting to the part where you tell me what I’ve gotten myself into.”
Amir nodded.
“Right, of course. I suppose I should give you a little backstory, hmm?”
“Sure, why not?”
“A few months ago, Merle showed up on my doorstep with an idea for a reality show. He pitched it as something like Beauty and the Sheikh, where the show would follow along as I make my way through cultural differences with my beautiful fiancée before we have a stunning, romantic wedding. It’s meant to be silly and funny, romantic and interesting, and hopefully we can keep viewers’ attention for a prolonged period of time.”
Kaye’s eyebrows pushed together as she took that in.
“I don’t understand your motivation for going along with something like this. You clearly have the world in the palm of your hand, and there is nothing shallower than reality TV. Why do this?”
Amir shrugged.
“Why not? I have a production company that not too many have heard of, in spite of its success. This kind of publicity could really bring in some new talent, not to mention increase visibility. It’s a silly thing, but it sounded like fun, even when Merle said it.”
“So, you’ll be inviting a camera crew into your house to pretend that you’ve got this American fiancée, and call it reality TV, when really it will all be staged?”
“You can’t be so na?ve as to think reality TV is real?”
Kaye shook her head.
“Of course not, but I guess I’ve never seen this side of it before.”
“It’s all a show, of course. It’s all entertainment. You are a professional actress, and I believe you have the chops to pull this off.”
“But, of course, I would have to marry you in real life. There’s nothing scripted about that part.”
“Yes, but picture this,” Amir said, holding his hands out as though setting the scene.
“The Sheikh and his all-American bride get to know one another better after a whirlwind romance saw them engaged after mere weeks of dating! We will be married on-screen in a beautiful affair, and as soon as we’re done shooting—whether that’s after one season or several—we can get a quick, painless, no-contest divorce. Easy peasy!”
Kaye processed the proposal, thinking about the premise of the show, paired with the fact that she would have to marry the Sheikh for real.
“Why would we need to bother with making the marriage legal when the rest of the show is a farce—not to mention the fact that it won’t be broadcasted live, anyway?”
Amir was about to answer when the food arrived, providing a break in their conversation. As Kaye took a bite of succulent steak, she pondered just how far she was willing to go to get into the acting world.
Could she marry a complete stranger?
Chapter Five
It was the best food Kaye had eaten in years, and she did her best not to scarf it all down in three bites, instead taking delicate nibbles.
“To answer your question…” Amir continued, after taking a bite of his own steak, “I asked Merle the same thing. The production company has been through this kind of thing before. If the marriage isn’t officially registered, the show will instantly be revealed as a fake, and our success lies in the audience believing this is real life—even if it’s a heightened version of it.”