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I damn near flipped my chair as I turned to face my best friend, who had obviously lost her mind.

“What?”

“I think it’s a good idea. The world only knows what you show them, which isn’t much. They need to see the man I know and love.”

I stared at her incredulously because I couldn’t believe she was agreeing to Brandi’s dumb ass plan.

“You’re gonna pretend to be my girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you get out of this that you aren’t already getting from me?”

Honesty was spoiled rotten, and anything she wanted from me, she got it. I took care of her like she was mine and laced her with gifts all the time. Financially, she was secure and didn’t want for a single thing, thanks to me and her brothers. I couldn’t even offer her money if I wanted to because she had more control over my accounts than I did. She got no real benefit from agreeing to this plan.

“I guess that’s for me to find out, huh?”

Clearly, she was getting a kick out of this, while I still didn’t see how this was beneficial to either of us.

“Perfect. I’m glad to have you on board. You care a lot about him, so I think you’re perfect for this. The goal is to get the world to see him from your perspective. Now, I know affection and PDA are probably like Kryptonite for you, but in order to sell the illusion, you’re going to have to fully commit, Solo. I’m not saying you have to dry hump her in public, but there needs to be some form of physical touch and intimacy displayed for the public.”

I chuckled in frustration because I was tired and over the conversation. Showing affection towards Honesty would never be an issue for me, but I didn’t love the idea of putting on a show for other people’s entertainment. I loved my life and my career, but I found the extra stuff exhausting and extra as hell.

“When should we start?” Honesty asked with a smirk on her face. She could tell I was annoyed, and for some reason she found it entertaining.

“As soon as possible. Find a public event for the two of you to attend and go from there. Solo is rarely ever spotted out in public, so the bigger the event, the better. We do have security on call to follow you all around to ensure your safety,” Brandi offered.

“We have our own security, but I’ll be sure to keep your offer in mind. Do you need me to sign some kind of paperwork?”

Brandi looked between the two of us as if she wanted to ask a question, but wasn’t sure how I would respond.

“Well, normally in a case like this, we would have you sign an ND⁠—”

“No. She’s not signing anything.” I interjected. Honesty wasn’t some jump-off who I needed to protect myself from. She knew more about me than anyone else in this world, and I trusted her with my life.

“I figured as much. Please try to stay out of trouble, Solo. While you may be a solo artist, you aren’t the only person who is affected by these brands pulling out. Not only does your behavior negatively affect you, but it also affects the company and others’ desire to work with us. All eyes are on you, and it’s important for your next move to be your best move.” Brandi got up from the table, thanked Honesty, and then walked out of the office.

I sat there in disbelief, trying to wrap my mind around everything going on. In my opinion, it was all overwhelming and irritating. When I turned to face Honesty, my heart did that weird ass galloping thing it normally did when she was in my presence. I hated the fact that I had no control over it, but after all these years, I had grown used to it.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“Well, the first order of business for you to go home and wash your ass. Then you need to feed me. I don’t feel like sitting in a restaurant, so you can find us some good takeout, and we can brainstorm this new relationship of ours.” She beamed with excitement.

“You’re acting like this is some kind of school project or something. Why are you so excited about this?”

“You ask too many questions. Learn how to go with the flow and live a little.” She winked, then got up and walked to the door.

“Come on, boyfriend. I need a foot massage and one of those Maple donuts from Buckeye Bakery. Chop, chop, lover.” Honesty clapped her hands.

I groaned, knowing she was about to drive me crazy with this boyfriend shit. She was lucky it was her, because no one else would have been able to get me to agree to this. I just prayed it didn’t come back to bite me later.

EIGHT

honesty graham

“Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You agreed to be in a fake relationship with a man you are secretly in love with?” My sister, Serenity, probed.

We were all having girl time at my other sister Charity’s house, along with our sister Peace and my cousins, Triniti and River.