Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“But… the sponsorship…” I stammered, my voice hoarse.
Martin sneered. “Did you really think I’d want to keep a slut like you around? You spread your legs far too easily. No challenge at all.”
Tears pricked at my eyes as I fumbled for the door handle, desperate to escape the suffocating confines of the car. The cool night air hit me again, this time like a load of bricks.
As the sleek black limousine pulled away from the curb, its taillights blurring through my tears, I felt utterly lost and alone on the darkened Paris street. The cobblestones beneath my unsteady feet seemed to mock me, their centuries-old permanence a stark contrast to my own precarious situation. The gentle breeze from the Seine carried the faint scent of river water and distant bakeries, reminding me of the dreams that had brought me to this beautiful, cruel city.
I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how disheveled I must look. My carefully chosen dress was wrinkled, my hair mussed from Martin’s rough handling. The taste of him still lingered on my tongue, a bitter reminder of my humiliation. How could I have been so naive? So desperate?
Just then, my phone buzzed in my purse. I fished it out with trembling hands, half-expecting—and dreading—a message from Martin. Instead, I saw a different kind of notification from the Selecta Arrangements app: You got a message from Lucas!
CHAPTER 6
Alice
With a mix of curiosity and trepidation, I read the message.
Chère Alice,
I hope this message finds you well. Your profile caught my eye, and I find myself intrigued by your passion for French history. I would very much like to meet you and discuss the possibility of sponsoring your studies.
Perhaps we could have dinner tomorrow evening? I know a lovely place near the Hotel de Ville that I think you might enjoy. Let me know if you’re available.
Cordialement,
Lucas
I blinked in surprise, rereading the message. The polite, almost formal tone was so different from Martin’s crude propositions. And Lucas seemed genuinely interested in my academic pursuits. Could this be real?
My finger hovered over the reply button as I wrestled with indecision. After the nightmare with Martin, every instinct screamed at me to delete the app and forget this whole sordid arrangement; to spend a carefree month and then accept my deportation.
With a deep breath, I typed out a response:
Cher Lucas,
Thank you for your message. I accepted a sponsorship yesterday, so I’m afraid I’m no longer available.
Cordialement,
Alice
It wasn’t really true, of course, but I felt like I needed some sense of agency, some ability to say no—in that moment at least, as stupid as the decision might look the next morning.
I had trudged up the steps to my apartment and reached the door when another alert buzzed on my phone. Frowning, I looked at it, expecting another of the blows to my ego that Selecta Arrangements seemed uniquely designed to inflect. Probably Lucas telling me I was a cunt to turn him down.
Instead of a message notification, though, it was a kind of alert I hadn’t yet gotten from the app.
Congratulations! Lucas has granted you full access to his profile!
My frown deepened, even as my heart rate sped up so much that I started to wonder if I might faint like some heroine of a nineteenth-century novel. Associate members like me couldn’t see potential sponsors’ profiles at all. I had looked for long minutes for the button that would take me to the listing I had felt certain must be there, only to consult the FAQ and find:
Why can’t I see the potential sponsors so I can reach out to them?
Selecta Arrangements is a different kind of matchmaking service. Because of Selecta’s corporate philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of traditional gender roles, your sponsor will do the choosing. When he feels the time is right, he may grant you access to his profile. If he does that, he’ll have two different options: limited access, which will let you see a few key details like a photo and his occupation and interests (but not his surname); or full access, which will allow you to see his surname, his level of sponsorship, and his expectations for the associate he sponsors.
When I tapped the notification, and Lucas Moreau’s full profile did in fact pop up on my screen, the possibility of doing an old-fashioned swoon—reinforcing, of course, Selecta’s corporate philosophy I supposed—became very large. Even I, definitely not a sports-loving kind of girl, had heard of Lucas Moreau. In fact, I recognized his freakishly handsome face before I saw his full name down below.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from my phone, my keys forgotten in my hand as I stood transfixed in the hallway outside my apartment. The soft glow of the screen illuminated his chiseled features, those ice-blue eyes that had graced countless magazine covers and billboards staring back at me.