2. The Good Girl Well? Tristan said. Its gorgeous.

Ive always wanted to come here, but Akshay Most beautiful spot in Chicago, I think. Say what you will about the Donald, he knows what hes doing. And the people watching Cant be beat. Thank you. I needed this. Are you declaring a truce? Maybe not a truce A reprieve then. It was never much of a war. I mean, you and Akshay Tristan shrugged. If I was perfectly honest with myself, Yasmin said, Id concede that Akshay and I dont have much chemistry. We never have really. Ive never understood why. I mean seriously, look at me. Im fabulous! You are. Who wouldnt want to be with me? Seriously. I suppose I should have guessed. Perhaps Ive always suspected, subconsciously at least. I just didnt want to admit that someone might not want me that way. Its not your fault. I know, I knowdoesnt make me feel any better though. Can I tell you something? Whats that? Ive always wonderedyou know About? Aboutwellwould you believe that Akshay and I have never? Really? I know. Its crazy, right? But we havent. Not so much as a handjob. Damn. So, like, Ive always wonderedwhat hes like in bed. Not that I expect you to tell me. That would be Weird. Yeah, like totally weird. Totally. It just makes me sad. All these years Ive stayed true to the idea of being faithful to Akshaysaving myself for the marriage bed Youve never? Of course not! Im not that kind of girl. Shut the front door. Dont get me wrong. Ive done things. What did People India call me? A shining example of the new and improved Mother India or some bullshit like that. So, its not like Im a virgin virgin in that sense, but I amwella good girl. Wowthats great. Youre making fun of me. No, really, Id never make fun of you. At least not about that. Im just surprised.

Why? Because I act like a slut? I dont think you act like a slut. Youre just confident. Youve always come across to me as supremely sure of yourself. How sure of myself can I possibly be? Im twenty-nine years old and Ive never had intercourse. Does Marie know? Why? Just seems like an interesting twistfor your show. Oh rightmy show. Yasmin tipped back her glass and downed what remained of her Sancerre. She waved to their server and pointed at the empty bottle, indicating for a second. You havent anywhere important to be this afternoon, do you? she asked. Nowhere I have to be sober for. Good. Because I think were going to get dirty drunk today. Okay. Im supposed to be auditioning a DJ for the club this evening. Cool. Yeah, I guess. Hes flying in specially from Mumbai to meet with me. I kind of owe it to him to be there. What time? I dont remember. Its on my calendar. He comes highly recommended. Saif and Kareena swear by him. Saif and Kareena Their server arrived with a second bottle of Sancerre. I received a text from Kareena the other day. She said theyre so excited about the opening and cant wait to be there. You received a text from Kareena. Im sitting here shaking my head in awe of you right now and youre just like yeah, whatever. I get texts from Kareena all the time. Yasmin laughed and raised her glass in a toast before thirstily gulping it down. The truth is, I do. Bloody hell. And it should make me happy, right? All of this: the restaurant opening, the glamour, the TV show, all of this fabulousness that is my life. I should be happy, yaar? But you know what? Let me guess. Dont roll your eyes, Tristan. Im serious. I know I sound like the biggest clich there is, but Im not asking for anyones sympathy, believe me. None of it means anything to you without someone special to share it with. Am I right? Take Simone, for instance. Drrty Grrl? Do you think shes happy? Well, she didnt seem particularly unhappy Its really taking a toll. Im worried about her. At first I was like, what a spoiled little bitch. She has all this fame and celebrity and all she does when the cameras are shut off is complain about how miserable and lonely she is. Give me a fucking break! But then, I got to know her. Shes really opened up to me and I see who she really is and it kind of makes me second guess everything.

What everything? You know, everything. Dont get me wrong. I cant imagine another life for myself. Some people are simply destined to live routine anonymous lives working shitty nine-to-five jobs that they hate so they can save up money to put a down payment on a boring little house in the suburbs, raise a family, put a couple kids through college, and then retire in questionably good health to pass their twilight years playing golf or tenniswhen their lower back pain permitswhile cursing the fact that theyve spent the better part of their lives chasing a dream that was only ever a myth to begin with. Sounds pretty bleak. Exactly. That may be fine for some. When you put it like that, I dont think its fine for anybody. But how many of them realize it, at least while its happening? I dont know. Very few, I suppose. But then, what if you strive for and actually achieve your dreams only to discover that what you thought you wanted really wasnt so hot to begin with? Its a risk. Im so torn, yaar. I look at someone like Simone and I think, Shes got it all. Life is really happening for her. And then I listen to the things she says to mein private, when the cameras arent rollingand I feel afraid for her, afraid for myself. I mean, I suppose most normal people only imagine what it must like to be someone in my positionokay, okay, dont roll your eyes. I know how that sounded. But you get what Im trying to say, yeah? Tristan shrugged. He knew exactly what Yasmin was trying to say. The problem was, he didnt know how much of it to believe: what was real and what was acting? Even without the heightened presence of Marie and her cameras, Tristan still got the sense that Yasmin played each moment of her life as though it were a scene in a television show. True realitywhatever that was was superfluous. He found it difficult to believe that Yasmin would give up the fight so easily. He sipped his Sancerre and studied her intently, his gaze obscuredas was hersbehind his sunglasses. Her seeming reticence in regard to her show bothered him, made his palms itch, and a slightly acrid taste of bile rose up in his throat that he identified as a symptom of early onset panic. What if she decided to cancel her VH1 contract? What if whatever was going on with Simone spooked her so much that she opted to take a new direction that didnt include the trappings of reality show success, andworst of alldidnt include him? What would be left for him then? For as much as he loved the idea of a life with Akshay, Tristan knew without reality TV notoriety, he would never truly be happy. And of course he still hadnt really taken into consideration the whole issue of playing the role of Yasmins boyfriend on TV and the challenges that would most certainly present as far as he and Akshay were concerned. But he figured he could deal with that issue when it aroseif it arose, for he wasnt at all convinced that Yasmin hadnt another trick or two further up her sleeve. These were the issues Tristan grappled with as Yasmin monologued over their second bottle of Sancerre. He listened but only half-heard what she was saying. The views from the sixteenth floor of the Trump building really were spectacular. Tristan felt he could have been anywhere in the world but Chicago. The palm trees made him imagine that he was in Dubai or sitting there with Yasminat the Taj in Mumbai or Raffles in Singapore. He closed his eyes behind his sunglasses and sighed: if only, he thought. He was becoming bored. Yasmin was boring him. He took another sipnow a gulpof the slightly sweet, slightly tart French wine. It was crisp and refreshing. Tristan wondered whether he should prolong the conversation with Yasmin

and order a third bottle. She was now saying something about her childhood, about the endless string of filmi auditions her mother dragged her to when she was a girl and something about whether or not her mother had done her a disservice by introducing her to that life and that milieu at so impressionable an age. Yada, yada, yada At least the peoplewatching was good, definitely worth the price of admission. So much beauty, so much idle wealthdidnt these people have jobs? A blonde with a more than passing resemblance to Ivanka strutted past their table, precariously perched on seven-inch heels that were truly a thing of wonder. Wait! Tristan did a double take. The blonde really was Ivanka and she was meeting another equally statuesque blonde at a table for two just a few down from where he and Yasmin sat. He pulled himself up in his seat to get a better look over Yasmins shoulder. The other blonde looked so familiarwhere had he seen her? Tristan? It came to himthe other blonde was none other than Maria Sharapova. Shit. What were they doing in Chicago? Tristan! Yasmin was waving at him, a curt little wave that thoroughly annoyed him. Ivanka and Maria hugged and air-kissed before sitting down. Tristan felt a tingling in his balls. This was what the proximity of fame did to him. It made him almost dangerously horny. Hello? Tristan? Earth calling Tristan? Fuck. Yeah? Oh, sorry. I didnt think blondes and pussy were your thing. They arent usually but in that case I think I can make an exception. Whatever. Should we order another bottle? Not if youre going to ignore me and ogle other women. Im not ogling other women. I only have eyes for you. Akshay wouldnt approve. Speaking of Akshay Yes? So, like, youre cool with everything then? Cool with what? You knowme and him. Does it really matter? Well, sure it does. I mean, the two of you have a history I was thinking. Yes? We havent talked about the show. The show? I thought we were talking about Akshay? Yeah, hello Tristan, are we even on the same planet right now? Definitely. In fact, the show is exactly what I was hoping to talk about. Its still a go then? Why wouldnt it be? Have you heard something? Did Marie tell you something? No, noMarie doesnt talk to me. What then about the show?

Nothing. From the way you were talking just now I sort of thought that maybe you werent interested in doing it anymore. What gave you that impression? Tristan shook his head. Ivanka and Maria were toasting each other over a bottle of Dom Perignon. The feeling of near panic was gradually leaving him. Hed misread Yasminno, hed read her perfectly. For all her self-serving bullshit about the moral compromises inherent of celebrity, she still wanted it as much as ever. She thrived on contradiction, saying whatever to whomever whenever and however it suited her. The person Yasmin projected to the world was based solely on her audience at any given time. She was so fucking transparent Tristan had to laugh. How could he have thought even for a moment that Yasmin was anything other than a manipulative bitch? He hated her and yet he couldnt help but grudgingly admire her level of selfabsorption. So I was thinking, she said. Their server came by and Tristan nodded for a third bottle. He knew hed regret it later but for now it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Yes? Akshay still doesnt know that youre going to be playing my boyfriend on my show, does he? My lips have been sealed. Well, at least about that. So I was thinking that it might be interestingfrom a plot perspectiveif we had like this love triangle thing going on. It wouldnt be acting becausewellAkshay is still my fianc and Im not really supposed to know that the two of you arewell, you know In other words, we just go along as weve been doing and let the cameras roll. It might work. Itd be real. What a concept. A reality TV show that is actually real. More-or-less. I want my show to be different, you know? Real. Yeah. Raw. I want viewers to feel like theyre getting a real taste of me: no secrets, no lies. Me in all my unadulterated glory. Do you think Akshay would go along with it? He wouldnt have to know. Until Marie and the cameras show up. Hes used to it. As much as he whines about it, hes a willing accomplice. Have you talked to the network? Marie. And? I told her that I wasnt going to be pushed into a faux lesbian thing with Simone. I wasnt comfortable with it and neither was Simone. God, you should hear the things Simone says about Marie. I have half a mind to contact Andy and see if I can take my show to Bravo. Andy Cohen? Who else? Hes the king of reality TV. You know him? Were connected through Danielle Staub on Linked-In. Well then, why not?

Im so worried about Simone. Youve said. I wish there was something I could do to help her, but Marie wont hear of it. Marie doesnt think theres anything wrong. Maria Sharapova got up from the table to pose for a picture with a geeky-looking tourist wearing light stone-washed blue jeans and a fanny-pack. What the hell is someone like him doing here? Tristan thought. At least shes a good sport about it. He wondered how hed react to random strangers coming up to him for pictures and autographs. Tristan liked to think that hed be as gracious as Maria. I dont know what to tell you about that, he said. Im so glad we had this conversation, Yasmin said. I really feel we cleared the air. Its one thing to be rivals on-camera, but off-camera we shouldnt carry around all that animosity. Its unhealthy. Tristan shrugged. Their server opened their third bottle of Sancerre and filled their glasses. Yasmin got out her phone and told Tristan she was texting the DJ from India to tell him she was running late. Maria and Ivanka were, well, Maria and Ivanka, and Tristan had the feeling that despite the fact he was getting a shot at exactly what he wanted, he was selling his souland Akshaysto the devil in order to get it. 3. Texts for an Assignation Riz, I need to see u. 2morrow or soonest. XXX Yaz Long time no hear. 2morrow 10am. Outside video store. Inshallah. Riz. Cant meet 2night? Its important. Important biz mtg 2night. C u @ 10 2morrow. Riz. OK.