My Ex's Football Rival Wants Me
Russell James called me plain. He said I didn't have what it took to drive a man crazy, then crawled back into bed with the supermodel he'd been hiding from me. I found out the hard way, with my own eyes and what little dignity I had left. By then, he'd already signed his professional football contract, become a rising star, and decided I was no longer in his league.
A year later, my life is falling apart. My mother's surgery is unaffordable. My younger brother's hockey dreams are slipping away. My final semester fees are overdue.
Then my half-sister offers me a deal.
Seduce a powerful fashion executive at an elite Madrid nightclub and help secure her place in Europe's most prestigious fashion show. In return, my family's problems disappear.
I say yes.
I spend the night with the man she described.
By morning, I discover I've slept with the wrong man.
"Connor?" he repeats, amused. "My name's Andre."
Andre Fernandez.
Real Numancia de Madrid's golden boy. Europe's most sought-after footballer. Forty-eight million followers. A €150 million market value.
And the biggest rival of the ex-boyfriend who shattered my heart.
Before I can process what happened, Andre finds me. He clears my family's debts and makes one impossible demand:
"Be my girlfriend."
I say no.
Andre Fernandez clearly isn't used to hearing that word.
When paparazzi catch us kissing at a high-profile party, the internet explodes. To save Andre's reputation, his PR team pushes us into a fake relationship complete with staged appearances, rehearsed interviews, and public displays of affection.
None of it is supposed to be real.
Except the longer we pretend, the harder it becomes to remember where the performance ends.
Russell sees the photographs and is annoyed at his rival's proximity to me.