1. Leo

Iapproach my agent's secretary with the brightest smile I can manage.

"Linus! It's so good to see you. I brought you coffee. Dark roast with oat milk and no sugar, right?"

He takes the paper cup from me warily. "Yes. Greg is currently with another client. Please take a seat."

"Okay. I have coffee for him too. Would you mind telling him? I wouldn't want it to get cold," I say.

Linus nods. "Of course. But it might be a while. His meeting just started."

He double-booked me. I can't believe it. I heard the photos that were leaked from the party last weekend were bad, but I'm an actor. Lots of actors do wild things. Besides, he's the one who suggested I go to that party in the first place.

I take a seat on one of the plastic chairs in the reception area. The coffee cup in my hand gets progressively cooler as I wait. I try not to shake my leg or fidget. If I project calmness, I will feel calm. That's what my life coach keeps telling me. But I'm not calm, goddamn it. I'm nervous that I fucked up the one good thing I have in my life. Moving from place to place every few months to shoot films has completely destroyed my friendships, and I've never had good luck with men. If those photos make it harder for me to act, I have nothing except for the money I earned in the process. And I've learned the hard way that money isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I throw away the coffee once it's luke-warm. Greg must be truly upset with me.

At noon, a young omega in a suit emerges from Greg's office. He walks with the easy confidence of someone who knows he's beautiful. His face is fresh and his eyes bright with excitement. He can't be older than eighteen. I remember visiting this office when I was his age. Greg is one of the best agents in the business, and I felt incredibly lucky to meet with him.

Now all I feel is dread as Greg waves at me from his office door.

"Hey." I plaster on a smile again. Greg doesn't smile back. He simply walks into his office without a word.

I rush across the lobby and try to ignore the way Linus doesn't bother to look at me. When I was booking high-budget rom-coms back-to-back he was friendly and encouraging. Other actors warned me that this industry turns its back on people, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. I mean, sure, I've been doing TV shows instead of movies for two years now, and those TV shows haven't taken off the way we hoped they would, but that doesn't mean my career is over. I was offered a role in a superhero movie last week. Greg was thrilled.

The way he sits at his desk with his focus on his computer instead of me makes me think he isn't thrilled anymore.

"Sit down." His tone is low and clipped.

I do as he says. The sleek leather couch is new, just like the rest of the modern décor in his office. Greg is always up-to-date with the times. That's why he's such a good agent.

I wonder if the boy I saw leaving is his new version of me.

"You were photographed having an orgy last weekend," he says, still staring at his computer screen.

"Um, yes. It was at that party you told me to go to. The one with all the industry professionals. I was trying to network—"

"You were naked in the photo and sucking two cocks at the same time." He picks up his phone and swipes the screen a few times before handing it to me. There I am, naked and kneeling in front of two alphas, both of their dicks in my mouth.

I wince. The photos are worse than I thought.

Greg takes the phone back. "It looks like a porn shoot."

"The party devolved into an orgy. I got caught up in the moment. I'm sorry."

Greg swipes to another photo of me. In this one I'm standing at the helm of a sailboat, completely nude.

"I was really drunk. The house was on a private beach—"

He flips to the next photo. I'm naked again and sitting on an alpha's lap, his cock visibly penetrating my ass. The alpha is snorting white powder from my shoulder with a rolled-up dollar bill.

I don't remember that. I must have gotten so drunk, I blacked out.

"I promise I wasn't doing cocaine," I say. "There were a lot of drugs at that party, but I stuck to alcohol."

Greg rolls his eyes, which is fair. "I don't care what you were on, Leo. All that matters is that you're clickbait now. X-rated, graphic clickbait."

"I didn't know someone was taking photos. We were required to surrender our phones when we got to the party. They had a security team and everything."

Greg sets his phone down and sighs. "That superhero movie you were cast in is a family film. I got a call from the casting director yesterday. They're thinking about going with someone else."

My heart sinks. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. What were you thinking? Six months ago there was that sex tape of you and your ex-boyfriend, but at least I could tell producers that it was a private moment he exploited for money. And then there was that possession charge. But again, I could say the drugs weren't yours because the cops were able to prove that was your ex's fault, too. But these photos are too much. I can't make any more excuses for you. Either you clean up your image, or I can't represent you anymore."

I swallow hard. My ex-boyfriend, Dave, was a huge mistake. But I was so lonely from the constant moving, I didn't see it at first. I even believed him when he said someone hacked his phone after a video of us having sex ended up online. I believed the drugs weren't his at first, too. But after a while, the lies piled up, and it was impossible to deny what kind of alpha he really was.

"I'm sorry," I say. As if that matters.

"Don't be sorry, be smarter. You can't have sex with people who will sell photos of you to the highest bidder."

That means I can't have sex with anyone then. The only time I've gotten laid since Dave was at that party. I was trying to get over him.

"Okay. I'll be more careful. I promise. I can even call the casting director and tell her I'm sorry."

Greg shakes his head. "That won't do any good. You need to do something more than that." He picks up a stack of papers on his desk and hands them to me. The title on the top page reads, "Perfect Match Agency."

"What is this?" I ask.

"Damage control. Perfect Match Agency is looking for a celebrity to use their services and post about their experience on social media. It's a paying gig, but more importantly, it's a way to publicly settle down with an alpha."

I scan the first page. They're a matchmaking company that finds a perfect biological match for their clients through scientific testing. There's an interview as well to ensure the match is compatible personality-wise too.

"You want me to get married to a stranger?" That seems like a worse idea than dating Dave.

"Of course not. You don't have to get married to the guy. Just meet him and live together for a while until the bad publicity dies down."

My stomach twinges at the idea of that. "Don't people who sign up for this service want to meet someone they can marry?"

"Technically, you could marry the guy if you're worried about that. From what I've read, the agency is really good at what they do. They've assured me that they can pair you with someone who has an impeccable reputation. In other words, someone with enough money and status that they won't be tempted to sell you out to the tabloids. It will be a win-win for both your reputation and your love life."

Greg's really laying it on thick. Over the last few years, I've noticed that he does this sometimes when he's trying to sell me on a role I don't want. Is that what this matchmaking scheme is to him? Just another role?

"What alpha with an impeccable reputation would want to be paired with me?" I ask.

"You're a handsome movie star. I'm sure they won't have any trouble finding a boring guy who wants to be with you."

So Greg's plan is to find a guy who wants me because of my appearance and my fame.

I might as well go back to Dave.

"What if I don't want to do this?" I ask.

"Then you need to find new representation. This is the final straw for me. If you won't stop doing stupid shit that gets posted online, and you won't clean up your image, I won't be able to find you work anyway."

If Greg can't find me work, a different agent won't be able to either.

I have to do this or my career is dead.

"Fine," I agree.

I've dated men who only wanted me for my appearance and fame before. I guess there's no reason why I can't do it again. At least this time, I'll get something more than a broken heart out of it.

Greg finally smiles. "Great. I'll call the agency and get you booked for your first appointment. A camera crew will be there to film everything. I'll send a stylist to dress you before you go. Be sure to keep your phone on you. We want to get the ball rolling on this as soon as possible."

I force myself to thank him. He's just trying to help me. If it wasn't for him, I never would have had a career in the first place. But when the meeting is over, and I'm finally alone in the elevator, I cry.

Hopefully no one got a video of that.