Match Fit (Bad Boys & Showgirls)

Notorious British Striker Dylan is pretending to be mine. Will this fake
relationship send us to stardom or end our careers?

Brooke

Dylan is scorching hot…and he knows it.
With a mouth as filthy as his reputation, linking myself with him could ruin my public
image.
But showbusiness is all about risk, and as a down-on-my-luck actress,
this could be the break my career needs.

Dylan

Brooke is my most difficult opponent yet.
Being seen with a good girl like her may give me a chance at Hollywood stardom,
but I never expected to crave this feisty redhead.
I can’t lose my focus–I always keep my eye on the ball,
I’m always match-fit.
And winning her is the most important game I’ve ever played.

“I couldn’t put it down for the life of me. Loved it so much that I would re-read it. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy hot and steamy romances with characters who have a good backstory.” Amazon Review

Excerpt from MATCH FIT

Before I went to bed, I noticed the light on my phone was flashing. It sometimes went on silent mode. When I checked I found I had a new message from my agent Raymond.

Ray. WTS: Got a job $ Come by tomorrow morning

I quickly called him back. He answered on the first ring.
“Brooke,” he drawled out. When he sang my name, it usually meant he had called to discuss a job I wouldn’t want to do.
“You called about a job that fits my skill set,” I prompted.
“An exciting job,” he said. “It’s not acting in the traditional sense, but it pays well.”
I frowned. “What does it involve?” I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my tone.
He said, “Meet us at eight a.m. at my office tomorrow.”
“Wait. Who is ‘us’?” I cut in. “You haven’t told me what the job involves. Who am I meeting?”
“You, uh, met him already. Dylan Pierce,” he said. “Surprise! That’s what I was in Colby’s for today.”
My mouth dropped open. “No way. With him? Doing what?”
Raymond laughed a little. “Well, you know he came over here to be a forward for New York’s Football club. But what you may not know is that he’s interested in acting. Something he’s looking to take up when he retires.”
He paused, as if expecting me to object at the ridiculous idea, but I was too intrigued to interrupt.
“Now, he’s had some bumps in publicity with his image. He doesn’t want to go the reality route. He wants to be taken seriously. So I presented him with an opportunity to get a more wholesome girlfriend. That’s where you come in.”
I glared at the phone. Raymond had lost his mind. “You have expanded your services to pimp? He could get an escort for that. Hell, he could get any woman to do that. Can’t he get one of his many girlfriends?”
“No, he can’t. He’s not looking to settle down, and girlfriends don’t always play nice. And once he’s done, she’ll be all too ready to cause more tabloid fodder… Let me explain it another way. Remember Liza Remington? She started dating Samuel Rivers. And now she’s on that HBO series. All because she was seen around in public with that star. That could be you with him. He’d have you, a good wholesome woman—”
“Wholesome. Are you calling me ugly on my birthday?” I snorted.
“No. You’re pretty and you know it. What I meant when I said wholesome was you’re a good girl. You don’t do drugs. If you’re sleazy, I haven’t heard about it, and I talk to everyone. Even if you are, you’re an actor, you can pretend not to be. And he can come across as a good guy. Paparazzi snap away and the jobs start rolling in. Everyone’s doing it. He gets a chance not to appear too self-absorbed and shallow. This pretend budding relationship would give you a chance to get on the short list for acting roles in theater, TV, and film. What do you say?”
I scrunched my face. “What would I have to do?”
“Go to his games, travel to his ‘friendlies’, exhibition sports matches, out of state. Be seen taking photos with him. Who knows? If he has scripts, run lines with him. That’s it. You’ll be the girlfriend experience without the sex,” he said.
I licked my lips. Shit, this was sounding alright. And being seen dating an incredibly hot guy like Dylan Pierce wasn’t exactly what I’d describe as a hardship. Though this evening he seemed to delight in making me uncomfortable. I bit my lip. “But he doesn’t like me. He called me uptight.”
“So? Does every actor like who they star with? Let’s keep this shit real. You get paid, and free travel with a star athlete,” he said. “This could be your big break.”
The potential and possibility sounded good. My big break. The core of working show business. Everything was a gamble of potential and possibility. This could lead to being noticed from the crowd and getting a real break, a paid acting job that could jumpstart my career. Being arm-candy for the handsome Brit would definitely get me noticed. He was often in the press.
But on the other hand, not all of his press was good. If he did something scandalous, our fates could be linked with stories that would overshadow any chance at success. He’d probably recover, but what about me? I’d be lucky if I ended up with a reality show offer. Truly, the situation was too risky. My phone beeped, giving me a chance to stall for a bit more time before making a decision. I excused myself and switched lines.
“I got an email alert about the overdraft on your account,” my dad grumbled.
“That was my private business, not yours,” I said, raising my voice an octave.
“Watch your tone, and it is my business. You’re my daughter and you’re destroying your life—”
“I’m talking to my agent about a job as an…assistant,” I interrupted. “I’ll fix the overdraft as soon as I get paid, and that’s the last time my bank will be sending any alerts to anyone but me. Talk to you later.”
I sighed heavily and took a moment to collect myself. If something went wrong in my life, my father always paid attention. Rarely did he see or comment on the good that went on in my life unless prompted by my mother.
But I didn’t have time for that now. Raymond was waiting for an answer and I had the only one I could give him.
I switched back over and said, “Fine. So when do we start?”
“Well, actually, Dylan hasn’t completely agreed, but he did agree to meet with us tomorrow morning,” he added. “He wants to, but we have to convince him.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled. Fuck it. “How do I need to prepare?”
“Come looking wholesome. Think sweetheart romance.”
He had us both laughing at that.
I turned to my computer screen and saw my first rejection email from one of my contacts. I needed this more than not. “Fine. I’ll be there.”