Chapter 3: This Guy is a Total Catch

Nova had Selena's number from the get-go—she was a total fake, always hitting up Ashton in the wee hours, pulling the whole 'my power's out, I'm scared, please come keep me company' routine. At first, Ashton wasn't having any of it, but it wasn't long before he was all tangled up with Selena and kicked Nova to the curb. Her little act definitely got Ashton wondering. When he thought about all the times Selena tried to come onto him, he figured she'd probably done it with other dudes too, which grossed him out big time. Seeing Ashton looking like he was in a bad mood, Selena scrambled to explain herself. "Look, Ashton, don't buy into her drama. I was just looking out for Nova, didn't want anyone to con her..." Deep down, Ashton didn't love Selena, but man, she knew her way around the bedroom, and it blew his mind every time. If only Nova had been a bit more tuned in, a bit more fun, he probably wouldn't have dumped her. In the end, it was all Nova's fault for being so dull. "Enough, Selena. Let's just go inside. Why bother arguing?" Ashton didn't want to spend all day arguing with them. He didn't really think Nova would manage to snag a good guy so soon either. "Hey, Nova, aren't you coming inside with us?" Selena asked, faking concern. "No thanks, my boyfriend's on his way," Nova shot back. She didn't like flaunting her relationship status, but she wasn't about to give Selena and Ashton the pleasure of seeing her down. Once they were inside, Nova was feeling anxious. She called Tristan, but he didn't pick up. She felt pretty dumb for sending him money and possibly getting stood up, but she wouldn't admit it. She just hoped Tristan was a man of his word. And that's when this blindingly fancy car pulled up right in front of her. Nova, who was all over the place, saw this sharp-dressed man step out. He was all class, decked out in a sleek black suit, with shades on, and looking like a million bucks. Nova's eyes popped. Without hesitating, she grabbed his arm and couldn't help but gush at the Rolls-Royce, "Where'd you get this killer getup? Damn, you look incredible." Tristan was a little surprised but nodded, peering at her through his shades. She was all dolled up in a black gown with a cozy sweater over it, her shiny black hair done up just right, and her big, sparkling eyes made her look playful yet alluring. He remembered last night's fiery encounter and gave a sly grin, "You're not looking too shabby yourself today!" His voice, so deep and charismatic, made Nova's heart skip a beat, "Let's get moving. And keep up this high-and-mighty act you've got going—it's perfect. Stay in character as my rich, powerful boyfriend! And you got all the details of how you're 'chasing after me,' right?" "Relax, I've got this!" Tristan said. Did this girl really doubt his ability to handle even this simple task? Nova looked around to make sure no one was watching, then tiptoed to whisper in Tristan's ear, "Come on, spill the beans. How'd a gigolo like you get a hold of such fancy duds?" Tristan's cheek tickled from Nova's touch, her perfume wafting over him. He thought about teasing her a little more but then decided against it. All those missed calls told him she was worried enough, so no more games. "Don't worry, a buddy of mine manages a car shop. He hooks me up with a sweet ride for the day." Feeling they were too close, he stepped back, his face turning red. Nova let out a relieved laugh, "Wow, didn't peg you for the well-connected type." She felt lucky to have him there and was eager to show him off. Tristan was getting tired of being called a gigolo. He said, "Can you stop calling me that? My name is Tristan, remember?" Nova agreed, though she didn't seem too happy about it. On their way to the party, Nova went over the plan with him once more. "You've gotta knock this out of the park, okay? I'm not paying you big bucks for nothing," she said. Tristan took off his sunglasses and simply said, "Sure." Nova had known he was good-looking, but when he took off those glasses, she was blown away all over again. His eyes were captivating, like a hawk's—deep and sharp, with a playful glint. No wonder she was so attracted to him the night before. But they weren't ready for the nasty gossip they overheard right outside the party room. "Have you heard? Nova's got a new boyfriend, super hot, but she's paying for him! Looks like a gigolo from a club or something." "Seriously? It's just pathetic and kind of hilarious." "It's gotta be true. I saw them when I got here, heard Nova briefing him on the down low, and even heard her call him a gigolo. She told him to keep acting like a big-shot CEO, and she was loving it, ha!" "Nova's just a gold digger, huh? Trying so hard to look good. Probably couldn't find anyone to top Ashton, so she's scraping the bottom of the barrel with a rent-a-gigolo to save face. Ashton, you're gonna have to school them later. Nova's just a lowlife trying to show off in front of you, totally disgraceful." Nova, standing at the door, felt her face flush with anger. She'd only wanted to make a splash with a fake boyfriend, but her plan was out in the open before she even walked in. She could almost hear the trash talk that was about to come her way. Just then, Tristan had popped the question, "Why were we just standing here?" Nova glanced at him, her face giving nothing away, "Off you go. I'll send the cash we talked about on time." "Come on, are you scared?" Tristan had said, cool as ever, like he didn't give a hoot about what was being said inside. Nova had a bit of a temper and didn't take well to being dared. She wasn't the type to chicken out, "Scared of them? That's a laugh!" "So, were we going in or what?" Tristan had asked, all laid-back. Nova took a deep breath, grabbed his arm again, chin up, "Let's do this. Anyone who hangs back is a wimp." Tristan couldn't help but crack a smile at her reaction. The moment they stepped into the room, it was like the mute button had been hit. Everyone's eyes were glued to the door. They knew she had hired a guy, but nobody had expected Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. The guy had style and grace that just didn't scream 'gigolo'. Even Selena had been a bit green with envy, but then she thought, "He's just a fancy gigolo, no big deal." She greeted them with a grin, "Look who's here! Your man's a real catch, Nova. Come on over, we've been waiting for you." Nova walked in on Tristan's arm, and they could have been hitting up a gala instead of a school reunion—they stood out that much. Selena nudged Ashton, and everyone was giving him the eye. Ashton just snorted and slouched back. Selena was all smiles, "Hey, I'm Selena Voss, Nova's classmate. And you are?" Tristan had given her a quick, cold look, "Tristan Alastair." Someone had piped up, "Sounds familiar, that name, doesn't it?" Ashton thought he had heard it somewhere but couldn't be bothered to think hard—he was sure Tristan was just here to show off for Nova. He stood up, glass in hand, "You're late. How about a few penalty drinks to make up for it?" But Tristan didn't bat an eyelid. He checked his watch, "The Party's starting at twelve, right? You can't tell time or what? It's ten to. We..." He had given Ashton a look that said he wasn't even worth the trouble, "Late? I don't think so." Tristan's vibe had been so on-point that even Ashton had felt the squeeze, and he was the rich kid there. But it had ticked him off, realizing he was intimidated by a guy he saw as a nobody. Standing there with his drink, Ashton's face had gone through all the colors of the rainbow. Nova was thinking, 'Good job, fake boyfriend.' "Nova, do you need to be so arrogant? " someone had said, "You think we're clueless? We know he's just your rent-a-boyfriend." They weren't even trying to hide it anymore and started roasting her big time. Especially Emily, that girl from earlier who overheard them. She's been green with envy over Nova's looks since college, and now she was all too happy to jump at the chance to take her down a peg. Emily whipped out a bank card and flung it at Tristan. "So, hot stuff, how much is Nova paying you to pretend to be her boyfriend? I'll double it!" And like that, everyone else was waving their cards around. "Triple here!" "Quadruple!" Tristan was just standing there, finding the whole money-throwing scene pretty laughable. He kept his cool, just watching to see what kind of silly thing they'd do next. Nova was feeling the heat, knowing they weren't wrong about her renting a boyfriend. Telling a lie in front of a crowd, and a whopper at that, was new territory for her. Ashton, who was watching closely, saw Nova's reaction and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He knew it; Nova had to be lying. Emily, not hearing a peep from Nova, was even more convinced she was right. "Hey, don't tell me you can't take the gig 'cause Nova's here, right?" "Relax, we'll make it worth your while. and trust me, we've got more tricks up our sleeve than Nova could ever dream of in the bedroom, haha!"