At dusk, I waited at a quaint little café downtown., While I was on my second cup of coffee, my date from the blind setup finally showed up. The guy wasn't overweight or balding, and his crisp, sky-blue shirt was neither wrinkled nor greasy. He matched his profile to a T., I didn't get catfished, but his being late knocked a few points off his first impression. Not that it mattered much. I wasn't looking to date him. I only needed a stand-in boyfriend to get my nosy coworker, Conrad, off my back.,

"Sorry for being late,

" he apologized with polished manners.,

"It's fine. I'm not here for a date. I'm looking to hire a boyfriend,

" I laid my cards out on the table., He paused, shocked.

"Hire a boyfriend?

",

"Yes, I'm not interested in a real relationship right now, but I need a boyfriend to deal with a situation,

" I explained further., He went silent, and I thought he might be offended, so I added,

"I'll pay you.

",

"Seems like the lady has deep pockets,

" he said with a gleam in his eye that I didn't quite appreciate. But, if anything, his reaction indicated he might be up for the arrangement., I ignored his comment and cut to the chase.

"We can settle the fee daily or monthly, whatever works for you. How much do you think is fair?

",

"And what are you expecting? Just appearances, or the full boyfriend experience?

" His question made it clear he was no stranger to this kind of deal., So, I wasn't the first to come up with the hire-a-boyfriend scheme.,

"Just appearances,

" I clarified. The idea of a package didn't sit well with me.,

"What about physical contact? How do we handle that?

" he asked professionally., I chuckled.

"Sounds like you've done this before. How do you usually handle it?

",

"I was hoping to date someone genuinely this time. Find a girl to connect with seriously,

" he suddenly shifted gears., Was he trying to up his price?,

"Let's get through this deal, and you can look for your Ms. Right without any distractions,

" I offered him a smile.,

"I'm happy with your proposal. Are you sure you don't want to give a real relationship a shot? Kill two birds with one stone, solve your problem, and maybe find a quality boyfriend?

" He was smooth and confident., And his pitch was eerily similar to what Ernest had suggested.,

"I have my reasons. If you're not on board, I can find someone else,

" I dismissed the man, my tone firm., He got the hint and finally laid out his terms.

"If you're hiring me, it's nine hundred and ninety-nine a day for the first seven days, no physical contact included. If it's over a week, we switch to a monthly rate. Even if you only need me for eight days, that'll be twenty-eight thousand eight hundred dollars for the month.

", Wow, he sure had his numbers figured out.,

"Physical contact is extra. Holding hands is two hundred eighty-eight a day, regardless of how many times. Hugs are five hundred eighty-eight a day, unlimited. A peck is one thousand eight hundred eighty- eight per instance, and if it's with tongue, that's double.

", His pricing left me speechless. This 'industry' seemed more lucrative than I thought., My marketing brain kicked in.

"And if we were to... sleep together?

", He pursed his lips.

"That would be eighteen thousand eight hundred per occasion.

",

"So, if you take a few of these gigs a year, you'd make quite a bit,

" I remarked, half mocking, half in awe., At that moment, I wondered if his delay was because he was negotiating another deal., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.