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But it’s no use. No matter what I say, Nadine has made her decision. She’s hell-bent on getting that proposal out of me, one way or another. Or if not, making people tune in to watch me overcome my supposedly broken heart on national TV.
“Okay, Nadine,” I finally say. “You’ve made an offer to me. Now, let me make one to you. I’ll let you keep a half-mill of my salary, if you’ll promise, right now, to keep Laila on the show for the rest of the season and leave us alone to be happy. In that time, I promise I’ll consider proposing to Laila in the finale. If I do, you wouldn’t need to pay me any bonus. I’d do it for nothing.”
In truth, I won’t be proposing to Laila on reality TV, no matter what. But by then, what could they possibly do to me if I don’t get down on bended knee like they want?
I add, “That’d be a net positive to you of a million bucks, Nadine. You’d keep the bonus you just offered me and keep a half-mill of my salary, too.”
Nadine pauses, which means she’s considering my offer. She says, “Let us keep a million bucks of your salary now, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
I close my eyes. Fuck. “Do you promise to leave Laila and me alone—no more demands for ‘Vintage Savage and Laila’? No attempts to create any kind of love triangle?”
“Ah, Colin told Laila about our offer to him, and Laila told you? I knew he’d run and tell her.”
I press my lips together. My “love triangle” comment was purely hypothetical. I was grasping at straws. But clearly, my instinct about why they hired Colin as Laila’s mentor was correct. Were they planning to create the storyline in the editing room? I’m sure there’s plenty of footage to allow them to stitch together a saucy little narrative. Hugs and smiles between Colin and Laila. Daggers between Colin and me. Not to mention, Laila and I delivered a whole lot of spicy “trouble in paradise” footage on Draft Day.
“Yeah, Laila told me everything about your plans with Colin,” I lie. “And one of my conditions, if I pay you that million bucks, is that you stop chasing any ‘love triangle’ storyline that involves Colin or anyone else.”
“Well, that’s a moot point now, seeing as how he said no.”
No to what? “Yeah, but you guys are geniuses in the editing room. I don’t want you to stitch something together to create even the suggestion that Colin or anyone else has come between Laila and me.”
Nadine sighs. “Look, I’m going to need you to pledge your full salary as collateral, in order to agree to this side deal. If you wind up proposing in the finale, then I’ll release a million back to you. If you don’t propose, then we’ll keep the full two mill.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck! I run a palm down my face, my mind whirring, but quickly decide I’ve got no choice. “Okay, Nadine, but only if you meet three conditions. One, you’ll call Laila within the next twenty minutes to tell her she’s doing a bang-up job on the show, better than your wildest dreams, and you want her to know you’re going to keep her on for the entire season. You’ll say, ‘We’re tearing up that early buy-out clause. We can’t imagine doing the show without you.’”
“Fine.”
“Two, I hope this goes without saying, but Laila and I will be performing our duet in the finale, as planned.”
“Yes.”
“Three, you’ll never tell Laila about this side deal of ours. Ever.”
“Wouldn’t you want Laila to know you’re her knight in shining armor?”
“No. She already feels guilty enough she’s getting half my initial salary. She doesn’t need any reason to feel even guiltier.” I hear footsteps in the hallway, getting closer. “So, do we have a deal or not?”
Nadine sighs. “Yes, we have a deal.”
“Great. I’ve got to go. Don’t forget to make that call to Laila.”
“Will do. Happy holidays.”
“Bye, Nadine.”
The door opens as I’m saying “Nadine,” and Laila steps into the room. As she approaches, I toss my phone onto the nightstand. “Hey, baby. Is Mimi ready to see me now?”
Laila sits on the edge of the bed next to me and takes my hand. “No, Sasha is in there. You were talking to Nadine?”
My heart lurches. “Yeah, she called to wish me happy holidays and tell me how thrilled everyone is with us. Apparently, our ‘fight’ on Draft Day quenched their thirst for drama, and now, they want us to go back to being a happy couple for the entire rest of the season.”
Laila’s jaw drops. “Nadine said that?”
“She did. Oh, and she also said she’s looking forward to our performance in the finale.”
Laila looks flabbergasted. “And I was so positive they were going to fire me during the break! I wasn’t going to tell you this, but when Colin and I were alone in my dressing room, he told me something confidential—something that made me all the more certain my days on the show were numbered.” She tells me her story, which makes my blood boil, and wraps up with, “See? I told you Colin is a good guy. He came straight to me with the information, rather than ambushing me for an easy hundred grand.”
