A few moments later, we are sitting in the cutest French cafe I have ever eaten in. It’s the kind of place I hope to own one day. Although my cafe wouldn’t be French. It would feature new American cuisine. We’re sitting at a table near the window with a clear view of the park nearby. It’s a crisp day, but the cafe is small, warm, and cozy. He pours me another glass of red wine and asks, “So, you’re from Iowa?”

I struggle to remember my next line. I’m not an actress. I’ve never performed on stage – ever – not even in high school. The line finally comes to me.

“Mayflower, Iowa,” I declare. “A small town. If you blink your eyes while you’re driving through it, you’ll miss it.”

He nods. “I’m from a small town up in Maine,” he reveals. “I couldn’t wait to get out after I graduated high school.”

“Same here.” I take another sip of wine. It’s helping me relax, which I hope helps me deliver my lines more naturally. Like I said, I’m new to this whole acting thing.

According to the script, his next question will make me feel tense and slightly uncomfortable. I prepare for it.

“Are your parents still in Iowa?” he asks.

I lower my head and stare at my salad. As directed in the script, I take a moment before responding.

“Yeah,” I mutter and take another sip of wine.

“What are they like?”

I suddenly forget my line. What do I respond? According to the script he sent me, Ashley had a very difficult relationship with her parents. Then I remember what I’m supposed to say.

“I don’t like to talk about them,” I answer, looking up from my plate.

“Why?”

He’s looking at me with an intense stare. He’s incredibly handsome – gorgeous, actually – with dark, mysterious eyes and strong facial features. He’s got an impressive physique too. If you didn’t know he was a painter, you’d think he was a model. He’s that hot. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to his proposal and embarked on this crazy experiment. Who wouldn’t want to spend time with a guy this sexy?

By asking the question Why?, he also demonstrates how he’s different from all the other men I have encountered in my life. He’s actually curious why the woman I am playing doesn’t want to talk about her parents. Most people would just hear that response and respect the person’s wishes. But because he’s an artist, he’s willing to push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable. Perhaps that’s what makes him such a well-regarded, famous painter. He wants to know what makes a person tick. And perhaps that is why the woman I am pretending to be falls in love with him.

“Do you really want to know?” I ask.

He nods, his gaze still fixed on me. “Very much so,” he says leaning forward.

He’s so impressive… physically. And he’s got the most confident, intense stare. I feel a nervous, sexual desire shiver through me as he studies my face with his hypnotic gaze.

I take a deep breath and describe Ashley’s back story, her childhood – which is nothing like mine. “My dad was and still is a heavy drinker. He used to beat me and my mom when he’d come home from one of his benders, then disappear for days.”

He nods slowly and softly reveals, “My father was the same way. It was rough growing up with him.” He then asks with the gentlest tone, “What about your mom?”

I look down at my plate and admit, “She drinks, too. I don’t know if it’s to numb her from the reality of what’s going on, or what. But when my dad isn’t around, she isn’t very much fun. Let’s just put it that way.”

I look up and he’s still staring at me. Then I notice a tender look emerge in his eyes.

“You don’t have a place to stay, do you?”

I shrug my shoulders and deliver my next line of dialogue. “I’m crashing on people’s couches. But I think I’ve overstayed my welcome. That’s why I really need to catch a break soon. I’m cleaning a rich woman’s apartment on the Westside two days a week, but it doesn’t cover what I need to pay rent in the city.”

I take a bite of my salad as I feel his eyes still on me. It’s hard to understand the woman I am pretending to be because her childhood is so different from mine. I’ve been blessed with two loving parents who sacrificed everything for me. That’s why I agreed to his crazy proposal in the first place. But that’s not the only way I am different from Ashley. She lived life on the edge. And with him, she was willing to explore her sexuality in ways I could never imagine myself doing. Together, her and Jackson explored a relationship that was tender, loving, and explosive. In my twenty-five years on this planet, I’ve never experienced a relationship like that. But for the next five weeks, I’m going to see what it feels like to be loved passionately and forcefully by another human being. I’m going to inhabit her skin. I’m going to become her – for him.

“I want to paint you,” he suddenly says from across the table.

I look up from my salad. “Really?”

He nods his head and abruptly stands up, throwing his napkin on his chair. “You’ve got a light inside you that I want to capture.”

As directed by the script, I laugh sarcastically and take a sip of wine.

“I’m serious.” He leans across the table and stares directly into my eyes. “I have a sense for these things. And there’s something inside you screaming to be released. Maybe that’s why you want to be an actress. You want to be someone else. You want to escape who you are, but the truth is you can never escape. What you should do, is explore who you are. In all its many facets, in all its many shades.”

The way he’s talking to me makes me realize why Ashley found him so intriguing. He means every word he just said. He’s not pretending – like I am. He really does believe there is something unique and special about her. About me.

“Don’t you want to finish lunch?”

He shakes his head. “We can get it to go. Come with me.” He extends his hand. “My studio is downtown.”

I stare at his extended hand. Unlike the woman I am impersonating, I know what happens at his studio. I know the barriers that will be crossed. I know by taking his hand and leaving with him, I will experience something I never thought I’d be capable of with a complete stranger.

I take a deep, hesitant breath. I lift my gaze from his hand and up to his face, at those serious and intense eyes.

This is why he hired me. This is why he’s paying me $200,000. He wants to relive the memories he had with her. He wants to relive those memories through me.

I can see by the expression on his face that I’m taking too long to accept his offer. She agreed to go with him much more quickly than I am. But like I said, she didn’t know what would happen at his studio once they arrived. Or maybe she had her suspicions and didn’t care. After all, Ashley was much more adventurous than I am.

I hear him clearing his throat, waiting, growing more impatient.

Then I think about my parents and how badly they need my help. I realize this isn’t about me anymore. This is about my mom and dad. I reach and grab hold of his hand as he helps me from my chair. I look at him and see a relieved look in his eyes. Holding my hand, he escorts me out of the restaurant.

We take a car service downtown to his painting studio. Riding in the backseat of the car, I glance out the window, at the pedestrians walking around.

Most people are trapped in their own reality. But as we head downtown, I realize I am about to step into another woman’s life.