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“Your behavior around Faron suggests otherwise. You can barely keep your hands off him.”

“That was a mistake.”

Ivy smirked. “Oh, I get it. You’ve had a tiff. Has your thong wearing lover gotten wind you’re dating someone else, and he’s not happy?”

“We’re not lovers.”

“You’d like to be, though. And why not? He’s a decent looking guy. He’s a bit rough for my liking, but we all have our specific tastes.”

“There’s nothing between us. Faron is not available.”

Ivy rested her chin on her hand. “He’s ditched you?”

“Since we’re not even a couple, it would be impossible for him to do that.” Kendra wished Ivy would get lost. She did not want to share details of her fight with Faron. It was none of Ivy’s damn business.

“You need to smooth things over with Faron. Depending on which way the public votes after this date, you might be going on more dates with him. We can’t have you bickering in front of the cameras.”

“There won’t be any more dates with anyone. I’ll do this one but no more.”

Ivy shook her head. “Diadora won’t be happy about that.”

“Screw Diadora. I might work for My Single Alien, but I’m not her bitch.” Kendra blew out a long breath. She needed to keep her cool. She wouldn’t lose her job over some dumb misunderstanding with an alien she should never have been involved with.

Ivy touched her shoulder, an uncharacteristically sympathetic look on her face. “These aliens know how to get under our skin. You have to remember they’re different to us, and they have different ways of handling things. You’re going to mess up and get crossed wires. If you really like Faron, you need to cut him some slack, or this will never progress.”

Kendra wavered at this unexpected behavior from Ivy. She lifted her chin. “This date is what I need. You’re right. I was getting in too deep with Faron. I’ve had enough of being messed around to last me a lifetime. Maybe this new guy is what I’m after.”

Ivy shrugged. “Whatever you think. You know what you really want out of a relationship.”

Kendra nodded. She’d had enough of being hurt. Things with Faron were too complicated, and she had to move on. She ignored the ache in her chest at the thought of not seeing him again. This was the best thing for both of them.

“She needs more color on her cheeks,” Ivy said to the makeup artist. “This date will be filmed and aired live. We’ll have a thirty second delay in case we need to edit anything too pornographic. I know what you’re like when you get with a hot alien.”

Kendra’s eyes narrowed. “I won’t do anything inappropriate.”

“The public decides if you get a second date with this new alien or if they’d prefer you to remain with Faron.”

Kendra simply nodded. It felt like she had no control over her life. Everything was being decided for her. Her heart sank as she recalled how similar this felt to her childhood, when she was shipped from family to family, often at a moment’s notice, never having a say in where she would live, who her new family would be, and whether they’d find space in their hearts to keep her.

She straightened her shoulders and blinked her eyes. She had no say in anything, not even her own love life.

“Let’s move,” Ivy said.

“Are you going to tell me anything about him? I don’t even know what kind of alien he is.” Kendra stood and stared at herself in the mirror for a second. She didn’t recognize the person looking back. Her eyes looked large and defined with shadow, and her lips were glossy. This wasn’t her. Maybe it was good that she looked so different. She could pretend to be someone else and forget her worries.

“Let’s just say he’s big and strong and knows what he wants.”

“He sounds like a dream man.” Kendra followed Ivy out of the room and along the corridor.

Ivy stopped outside a door. “We’ve given you a private room. There will be one camera bot watching, but I’ll make sure it’s discreet. We’ve lost too many of those during your dates with Faron.”

Kendra had to smile at the memory of Faron repeatedly punching the camera bots out of her way. He’d always been good at looking out for her. She’d have to get used to looking out for herself again like she’d always done.

Ivy opened the door and gestured for Kendra to go inside. “Enjoy yourself and don’t forget to smile.”

Kendra pasted a false smile on her face as she walked in the room. A table had been set in the middle with bowls of nibbles and a bottle of alcohol.

Kendra couldn’t think about eating as she settled in her seat and waited for her date to arrive.