Page 41 of It's Not All Fake

Liam was completely oblivious to that fact, wasn’t he?

This is all just too much. I close the article and find Ashley’s number. I need a dose of reality right now.

As the line rings, I hear a knock on my office door. An older, balding man peeks in—the tech guy, Randy, from Liam’s staff. I had to send him away this morning because he couldn’t finish before a client arrived. Glad he has returned, I wave him in as I stand up and let him take the driver’s seat at my desk.

“I’ll just be outside,” I explain as I walk past him. I definitely need privacy for this conversation. The tech guy smiles and nods as I exit the office.

On the third ring, Ashley picks up.

“You see the article?” She gets right to the point.

“Yeah, I did.” I exhale, taking an empty seat in the waiting area near the elevators. There are no more clients today and the area is deserted.

“Chloe, what’s going on? Are you sleeping with him?”

I scrub my face. “I did, yeah.”

“And he’s still paying you?”

“Yeah, technically,” I admit. I told him I would give his money back, but we didn’t exactly get around to solidifying a plan to end our financial arrangement.

I hear her exhale in frustration. “This isn’t going to end like Pretty Woman, Chloe.” Her tone is firm, motherly.

I just listen, my entire body tense.

“Chloe, you’re his paid escort at this point. You do see that, don’t you?”

I groan, Ashley’s words cutting me. “No, I don’t think it’s like that,” I counter, my mind spinning. I am completely torn. Things feel so real with Liam, and he said it’s not all professional anymore, but we didn’t exactly agree to new terms.

“Sweetie,” Ashley’s tone softens. “Did he say you’re his real girlfriend now?”

Her question feels like a gut punch. “No.”

Is that what I want? To be his real girlfriend?

“You’re his employee. This whole thing,” Ashley pauses, frustrated. “The money isn’t an issue for you anymore, I get that. But I thought you cared about your career. You love helping people and this could ruin your business,” Ashley cautions me.

“Yeah, the media already thinks I’m a ‘shrink’ apparently.” I laugh half-heartedly, desperately needing to break the tension even for a second.

“But it’s not just your business, Chloe. This can’t end well. He hasn’t made any promises to you.”

“I know.” I rub my temples. “I know,” I repeat. She is warning me that I’m going to get hurt.

“You need to end it. The whole thing,” Ashley says firmly. “He can deal with mommy issues on his own.”

But it’s so much more complicated than that.

Explaining all the nuances of this situation to Ashley would take ages. Olivia’s cancer, Liam’s desperate attempt to ease her anxieties about his well-being, and how his protective instincts stem much further back to the abuse Liam and Olivia endured from his father…

Yes, the risks are real for me. I see the danger, but I’ve driven straight into each pothole so far.

“Look, I get it.” I sigh, feeling the weight of it all.

Just then, the tech guy peeks out of my office, giving me a silent nod to signal he’s finished and ready to debrief.

“So, what are you going to do?” I hear Ashley ask.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I have a tech guy here to fix my computer and I have to go.” I stand up and walk back toward my office.

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