Lights, Camera, Lies

She nodded eagerly. “Yes.”

“Then I’m going to be your husband. Holding your hand and keeping my arm around you at all times. Kissing you. We’re going to agree on everything, except when it’s funny to bug each other a bit. Are you all in?”

I nearly held my breath as I noticed she was staring at me strangely. Was she focused on my lips? To my great relief, she finally whispered, “Yes.”

3

_____

Alice

Being nervous in a new situation was natural. But there were so many new situations at once right now that it was a bit much to take.

&n

bsp; The brooch on my dress was both a camera and a microphone. Taylor had a similar pin on the lapel of his jacket. We’d been told that the security system had been replaced with high res cameras that could pan and zoom, so that we could be observed both inside and outside the dealership.

All of this spy tech sort of gadgetry plus a brand new husband was a lot to deal with. Slipping on the fake diamond ring the studio had provided, I hoped it wouldn’t turn my finger green.

Taylor had insisted on driving us into the car dealership even though it was only a few blocks away from the studio. It gave him a few minutes to quiz me on coffee and tea preferences, any food allergies, and any other life and death issues he should know about to play a convincing husband.

I appreciated how absolutely determined he was to win. But it also felt on some level that he was focused on taking care of me. He took the fake wife thing seriously, and it was sweet. I had to admit, after going practically my entire life without anyone to rely on, having someone care for me for a few days sounded amazing.

As soon as we pulled into the lot, Taylor ran around to open my door. His muscular arm felt possessive as he tucked it around my back to grip my waist.

“Stay loose,” he smiled down at me. “Relaxed body language.”

“Got it.”

We walked into the large, gleaming dealership, as I stared around at the polished metal works of art. This was definitely how rich people shopped.

As we strolled around, browsing the cars, Taylor said, “Now, I know you don’t do a lot of highway driving, but I still want to make sure you have the safest car possible, sugar.”

I looked up at him in surprise at how natural the slightly old-fashioned endearment sounded on his lips. I liked it. Especially when he squeezed my hip in a half hug that felt deliciously possessive.

“Good afternoon,” a tall, lanky salesman said as he came over. His name tag read, “Toby”, which inexplicably matched his slightly rounder face. “Can I help you find anything today?”

“My wife needs her very first car,” Taylor said, lightly kissing the top of my head. “But I need to make sure it’s the absolutely safest one you’ve got.”

Toby led us straight to a lovely mid-size black car that was some fancy German brand I didn’t know much about.

“Now, this one isn’t as flashy as some of the little sportsters,” Toby explained, “But the safety ratings are through the roof.” He leaned toward Taylor conspiratorially. “To be honest, I got one of these for my mother last year, since her driving has become a bit, you know.”

Taylor’s meaty palm squeezed me again and a touch of stiffness crept into his voice. “My Alice is an excellent driver. It’s the other jerks on the road I don’t trust.”

“Of course,” Toby said. Then he turned to me with a bright smile. “Why don’t you hop in, and get a feel for it? The slight upgrade package comes with heated seats and an incredible audio system.”

He opened the door, pulling out a brochure from the dashboard. “Plus, it comes in all of these colors.”

I took another good look at the car, which honestly, would’ve been my dream vehicle. Flipping through the brochure, I pointed out one photo to Taylor. “It’s really pretty in this light gray.”

He shook his head. “Not gray. We need people to be able to see you. Gray blends in with the concrete, especially on low light days.”

I honestly couldn’t tell if he was acting. If he was, he was spectacular.

“Oh – look at this!” I pointed to a brilliant cherry red. “That would make it look more sporty.”

Taylor shook his head again. “Not bright red. Studies have shown that people instinctively want to pass red cars to feel superior, and that leads to more accidents on the highway.”