Losing to the Millionaire

Zara was desperate for money. Her credit card had kept her afloat for a few months but that would only last a month or so once she had paid the rent and bills. She had been a personal assistant for a publishing companies CEO, but after her boss had made sexual advances towards her and she had refused, her contract was terminated. No reason just that her contract was up for renewal and they had decided not to re-employ her. Nothing to do with the her boss and she had turned him down, more than once.

She flicked on the TV and scrolled through the channels. She came across one which caught her eye. She read the info and decided to give it a go. Woman were tasked to live with a millionaire for 1 month. They weren’t allowed to leave the house, but could access the small garden for 60 minutes a day. They needed to cook clean and do general household tasks with the man of the house around. Cameras were in every room so there was no privacy anywhere. Only catch was, you couldn’t kiss or sleep with him.

She watched girl after girl enter the house. Hours of the show were whittled down to highlight what went on. Every girl ended up succumbing to his charms within a week. He played hard and he always got what he wanted. The prize flashed on the screen at the end of the programme asking for more willing volunteers to come and try. The prize for one month was 5 million pounds. Zara nearly spat her drink out.

She had nothing to loose. She sent an email to the production company with a photo of her looking half decent and told them why she thought she could win. She watched a few more episodes before heading to bed. Her phone rang the next morning from a number she didn’t recognise. Julie from the production company wanted to interview her as she liked her profile.

Shocked, Zara stuttered through the phone call before she was told to pack a bag as a car would be around to pick her up in an hour, she was being put on the show. Zara said goodbye and looked at her simple flat. She didn’t have a lot to pack as she had to sell most of her things and down size. Stuffing a few clothes and essentials in a bag she sat and flicked through her phone and googled the man who she had to stay away from.