Page 29

“Solly, please stop playing games. You’ve had a bad temper since I’ve known you. Now you’re grown, and you can’t go around putting your hands on everyone just because they step on your shoes or bump your shoulder.”

She wasn’t telling me anything I hadn’t heard before, so I simply sat there and listened. Eventually, Brandi cleared her throat, and I assumed she was finally going to explain why she had called in reinforcements.

“Honesty, the team and I have been trying our best to work on Solo’s image, but as you know, he isn’t the easiest to work with. Right now, social media is torn when it comes to his presence. His music is phenomenal, but his personal life and extracurricular activities have fans split. They want to know more about him. Fans feel the emotions and passion in his lyrics, but none of that shows up in his personal life. They want to see his softer side, the human side.

“Joce and I came up with the idea of hooking him up with another artist to show his romantic side and give the fans a visual representation of the man beyond the music. Many artists have done this in the past to boost their image or create buzz around their name. Solo doesn’t need help with creating buzz; the problem is the type of attention he’s attracting.

Brands are concerned about his current negative publicity and if we can’t turn his image around then it’s possible he could start losing major brand deals which would result in millions of dollars lost. The fans need to see him in a positive light, and we believe showcasing him in a happy and loving relationship is just what we need to spin this current narrative being portrayed right now.” Brandi explained.

“I’ve heard of a lot of artists doing that. Athletes do it too. What’s the problem?” Honesty asked, shifting slightly in her chair.

“I don’t date. How would me being in a fake relationship show I’m a good person if I don’t know them? I feel like people would see right through it before we even made it to the tabloids. You know I’m not good at pretending, and it would be awkward as hell to be connected to someone I don’t know on a personal level. You’ve seen firsthand how I am with people.”

Honesty nodded, understanding exactly where I was coming from. Opening up to people wasn’t something I was good at, and it would be nearly impossible to do that with someone I knew was faking it. I’ve taken a few acting classes over the past year, but I wasn’t that damn convincing.

“Yeah, you have a point. You’re mean to everyone who isn’t family, and it would probably only make things worse.” Honesty sighed.

“Exactly. I was trying to get them to understand my point of view, but they weren’t listening.”

I breathed a sigh of relief because I finally had someone who knew me inside and out. My family knew I wasn’t friendly or fake, so putting me with a stranger wasn’t going to produce the kind of results they thought it would. I felt victorious until Brandi hit me with an unexpected curveball.

“You both are correct, and I realized the mistake we were making after Solo expressed his thoughts on the idea. That’s when I realized we needed to pivot. Honesty, I’ve been around you all for years, and I’ve observed a lot even if I’ve never spoken on it. Outside of his sisters, you’re the only other woman in his life who can get him to show real emotions. The two of you have incredible chemistry together, but Solo keeps you and the rest of the family hidden out of respect for his privacy and yours.

“I was thinking, instead of putting him with someone he doesn’t know and doesn’t have chemistry with, why not put him with someone he actually loves and cares about that isn’t related to him?”

My face twisted as an array of emotions coursed through me.

“Wait, so you want me to be Solo’s fake girlfriend?”

Hearing the words come out of Honesty’s mouth sounded foreign and out of place. The idea of pretending to be in a relationship made no sense to me. Why did I need to put on an act for my fans to fuck with me and my music? I mean, yes, my reputation wasn’t squeaky clean, but it had nothing to do with the quality of music I put out.

“Precisely. You two are already close and have incredible chemistry. It would be easy for people to buy into the relationship because it wouldn’t be a forced connection.” Brandi explained as if her plan made all the sense in the world.

“And what would I be expected to do?” Honesty inquired.

I immediately looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Why was she even entertaining Brandi’s foolishness?

“Well, we would start with something simple like a few sightings in public places to create some buzz. Then, once people start talking, we would have you accompany him to some of the upcoming award shows and premieres. Of course, the paparazzi will want to capture photos of you two holding hands and showing affection, but I don't think that’ll be an issue for you two.

“The ultimate goal is for the world to see Solo as the intentional, sensual, loving, passionate man he portrays in his music. They want to see the rugged thug with a heart of gold, not Floyd Mayweather.”

Honesty giggled while I sat there staring at Brandi with a blank expression on my face because she had me fucked up.

“What if I say no?” I inquired.

“Well, if we can’t turn things around, we may have to let you go,” Brandi answered in a flat tone.

“How long would we need to be in this fake relationship?” Honesty followed up.

Once again, I couldn’t understand why she was even asking these questions.

“At least a year. We need the world to fall in love with your relationship and invest in Solo and his music. I would say you stay together for a year, then slowly start to be seen with each other less and less. We don’t want a messy breakup, so once people start to notice the distance, we can write a statement saying you love each other and wish each other the best, but you’ve decided to go your separate ways.

“Or in your case, we could say the two of you have chosen to remain friends and support one another outside of a romantic title. Either way, we want it to be as smooth as possible. When it’s over, we want his fans to know he’s a good guy and to continue supporting his music.”

My head was starting to hurt, reminding me that I still hadn’t slept or eaten since they came and picked me up from the county jail this morning. I needed some food and my bed; all this other stuff could wait.

“Okay, I’m in.”