The Love Raffle

Chapter 1

“Thanks, but we’ve heard enough. You can go now.”

Amber had been reciting her monologue in the audition room for only five minutes before someone stopped her. She tried her best to read their faces, but she couldn’t gauge their reactions. She felt defeated. This had to be her hundredth audition since moving to LA—with no luck. On the bus ride home, she couldn’t even bring herself to listen to music. She stared into the space above her, and her eyes landed on the latest Captain Evolution movie poster. Her eyes did not linger long. She didn’t care for superhero movies, but Levi Marks… The bus halted to a stop, putting an end to her thoughts.

While she was making lunch, her agent, Beca, called and informed her she had once again been rejected. She had no desire to go to her event gig tonight. An hour later, after finishing lunch and scrolling through her phone, she shed off her shirt and jeans and slipped on a robe to do her hair and makeup for her shift. With her phone in front of her, she watched a TikTok makeup video while doing her own, opting for a heavier look. It was good to fill the silence of her small apartment.

She’d heard rumblings about the client tonight. Some rock star, or was it a movie star? Either way, apparently their birthday theme was dark. She put on a tight black dress with black heels. She pushed her curly dark hair back into a bun before slipping on a wig cap, then carefully put on a long, straight, jet-black wig with curtain bangs. Changing her day look to this was something she enjoyed. It took her away from herself. It also helped on the off chance someone from her other job showed up, which was very unlikely, or God forbid, started to work there. It would be hard to place her immediately.

Even though she didn’t live far from the club, she ordered an Uber ride. When she arrived, there was a massive crowd outside, which she shrugged off because the club was always busy, and it was hard to get in. It wasn’t until Amber was in the backroom with the other women that she heard who would be here tonight. She had it so wrong. The star showing up for a good time was none other than Levi Marks.

If you looked up the word “hot” in the dictionary, Levi’s picture would be there. He was by far the hottest celebrity because of his recent success in his superhero movie franchise. Amber would be a part of the group serving him. She didn’t normally get nervous on the job, but right now, she couldn’t help it. She could not mess this up.

Her head hurt from nerves and the loud bass of the music that surrounded her. It’d been an hour since her shift started and Levi’s party had just arrived. She tried her best to push it down and put a bright smile on her face as she moved with her group to Levi’s table. Levi sat low on the dark couch, engrossed in his phone and wearing an annoyed expression. As she approached, she could hear the end of his complaint to his friends.

“I can’t believe you guys brought me out here. I really don’t need this.”

The guy next to him rolled his eyes and slapped his hand hard on Levi’s shoulder. He didn’t even flinch.

“Get over it, man. You’re here, and you need to have some bloody fun. You’re lucky I’m only in town till tomorrow or I would be dragging your ass out a lot more.” His voice sounded awfully familiar. It wasn’t until Amber turned slightly to get a better look at him she realized Levi’s friend was none other than Nicholas Roth, a famous British actor.

Act cool. Act cool. Act cool.

Amber wondered how the other women felt, but if they were nervous, they didn’t show it.

“Fine, Nick.”

“Hell yeah!” Nicholas yelled, clapping Levi on the back before getting up and moving to the dance floor along with the rest of the group. He slid past Amber and gave her a smirk. She gave him a fake smile. The excited chatter of her coworkers picked up behind her as they moved along with the group to get them to buy more.

It was just the two of them now. A beat of silence ensued before Amber spoke up.

“Not going to dance, Mr. Marks?”

Levi grimaced. “Oh man, please call me Levi. Mr. Marks makes me sound so old. I’m only in my twenties, you know.”

“I know… I mean, of course, and to that point, Levi, get up and have fun. You’re only young once.”

Levi caught her eye, and she wanted to look away, but she knew she had to keep his attention. Her boss was most definitely watching their interactions in the VIP section.

“Would you dance with me?”

Amber had to resist the urge to sputter in surprise.

“Yes,” she replies as coolly as possible, then took Levi’s hand as he stood up to lead them to the dance floor. His hand felt soft and warm, his grip tight as they stepped down from the VIP area and pushed through the thick throng of people.

As Levi led Amber to the center of the dance floor, the music shifted to a slower, sultry beat that reverberated through the club. The flashing lights bathed them in shades of purple and blue, casting shadows on Levi’s sharp features. He placed one hand firmly on her waist, his touch lingering as he pulled her close. Amber’s breath hitched as their bodies pressed together, the heat between them palpable.

Her hands instinctively found his shoulders, and they began to move in sync with the music. Levi’s grip tightened on her waist, guiding her hips in a smooth rhythm. Each subtle movement brought them closer, the space between them shrinking with every sway. Amber could feel the tension crackling in the air like electricity.

Levi’s gaze never left hers, and she felt a rush of warmth spreading through her, a combination of the music, his nearness, and the undeniable chemistry between them. As their bodies moved, the world around them seemed to blur, the club’s noise fading into the background. It was just them, lost in the moment.

Amber’s pulse quickened as Levi leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. “You’re a good dancer,” he murmured, his voice low and smooth, sending a shiver down her spine.

She bit her lip, trying to keep her composure. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Levi smiled, his eyes darkening with something unspoken. He spun her gently, pulling her back against him, their bodies now flush. The closeness was intoxicating, and Amber’s heart raced as she felt his chest rise and fall with every breath.

For a moment, she let herself forget who he was—a superstar, someone out of reach—and instead focused on the way his hands moved over her, the way their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together.

Amber wasn’t sure if it was the heat of the room or the way Levi was looking at her, but her head felt light, and her lips parted slightly as if waiting for what might come next.

The music’s tempo increased again, and Amber felt like she was flying.

“You’re going to get me fired,” Amber said, but she laughed as he twirled her around. He grabbed both her hands and pulled her in and out as they moved to the music. He hadn’t had this much fun in ages. The DJ grabbed the mic and, with a grin, made a remark about Levi being there before he switched the music to something out of the ordinary for the venue: Harry Styles. Levi rolled his eyes and Amber smiled. With a shared look, they broke into a dance. They screamed the lyrics as they jumped around. Amber would have kept going, but she spotted her boss motioning for her to cut it out. She stopped in her tracks, sighing at the fact that this had to end. She didn’t normally have fun at this job.

“If you need anything while you’re here, just wave for me.” She went to move past him, but Levi grabbed her arm, and his hand slid down from her elbow to her wrist before settling at her hand. He gave it a squeeze.

“Thanks for the dance.” He winked at her, and she smiled in return.

“Anytime,” she replied.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

* * *

Amber’s notepad was nearing its last pages, but she didn’t care. Last night felt like a dream. She shook her head, trying to focus as the child in front of her rattled off his order. Riverside Restaurant was a nightmare on Friday nights. There was no vacant table in view, and conversations rose from every corner, creating a swarm of conflicting vocal pitches expanding in the dining room.

“Yeah, I’ll take the rest of this home for later.”

“Can I get a refill over here?”

“This is not what I asked for…”

She flipped to the back of her notebook to write down the kid’s order and kept an eye out for the time on the wall. It hasn’t even been five hours yet. Kill me.

“And I want that with no skin. I hate chicken with skin.” The little boy’s feet could barely touch the ground. He sat at the head of the central table with his family. They’d called this his birthday dinner. She would imagine that a child would prefer to eat at Chuck E. Cheese for their special day, but this kid was different.

Amber made a special note of his request as two waiters zigzagged behind her with their arms full. “So…” She called out the list of menu items requested by the kid’s parents, grandparents, aunts, and cousins, then stopped on his. “Lime chicken and salad with…no skin…?” Repeating that last one had her head spinning.

None of the adults batted an eye at the odd request. “Yes,” they said together.

Amber smiled tightly. “Lovely. I will be right back.” She headed for the worst room at this godforsaken job: the kitchen. She dreaded its heat, hustle, noise, and smells, but braced herself to enter. Let’s get this over with. Amber shut her eyes and plunged through the door at the back of the counter.

* * *

When the clock showed one a.m., the nightmare was finally over.

“And he would not stop asking for it no matter how much I tried to tell him it wasn’t what he thought,” Conner said as he and Elouise helped Amber take out the trash.

Amber laughed as she heaved a large black plastic bag over her shoulder.

Elouise dragged her trash bag on the ground. While the other staff members continued to work on the floors and tables inside, they remained busy. The chef, along with the sous-chefs, was also preparing to pack up. The guy on dish duty would be here for a while, though, for sure. Tonight was busy. “Some people don’t know how to take no for an answer.” Elouise led the way to the dumpster in the alley and hoisted her bag onto her shoulder before throwing it in.

Amber did the same and dusted off her hands. She sighed after an alarmingly loud motorcycle sped down the street ahead. “Jeez.”

Elouise plucked her vape pen from her pocket. “I know. Every day makes you want to off yourself, right?”

Conner threw his bag in and wiped his hands on his dress pants. “Elouise, we just touched trash.”

Elouise blew the mist from her nostrils. “So?”

Conner folded his arms. “So…germs? Hello?”

“I just talked about offing myself and now you’re trying to guilt trip me about coping?” Elouise spat. Her green hair seemed brighter under the alley’s lone light, which hung on the wall above the kitchen door. Her nose ring twinkled when the light hit it.

Conner shook his head. “Disgusting.”

Amber tucked some strands of hair behind her ear. “She’ll face the consequences in the long run.” She fished for her hand sanitizer in her pocket. Amber didn’t know what she would do without these guys. Work had been hard since she’d moved here, but Elouise and Conner made it bearable. “Here, Conner. I know you haven’t gotten around to replacing yours.” She squirted some of the gel into the lanky guy’s palm.

“ Thank you , Amber.” He rubbed his hands thoroughly. “When I get rich and famous, I’ll remember you.” He winked.

Elouise chuckled. “I mean, I want to see it happen, but with the way the industry’s been in the last ten years…I don’t know if any of us will get a break soon.”

Amber hated it when she talked like that, but she was stating the truth. “Tough market. You either need to know someone, be the kid of someone, sleep with someone, or get crazy lucky to get your big break.” These words were not hers. She had collected them in her mind over the years.

“You guys are such cynics. You’re messing with my aura,” Conner whined. “Come on.” He smiled at Amber, then poked her in the ribs with his elbow. “I thought you said Beca’s been giving you all her focus.”

“Only because most of her other clients dropped her,” Elouise said dryly. She curled a finger to her nose and snorted.

“Shut up, you.” Amber pushed her playfully. “She’s all I can afford.”

“Guys, we need to be more positive. Come on.” Conner exhaled. “Elouise, your bar gig is still working out.” He gestured a hand towards her.

Elouise shrugged lousily. “It’s not Madison Square Garden though.”

“But it’s something.” Conner held his chest. “And my band’s last song got two thousand streams on Spotify.”

Amber appreciated what he was doing. If it was up to her and Elouise, they’d both be drowning their sorrows in whiskey every night. “And Beca booked me that commercial.”

Conner clapped. “See? You’re catching on,” he said, laughing under the blinking light. It did that sometimes.

“It was only your foot, though. Your foot got a role in a foot moisturizer commercial.” Elouise twirled her vape pen between her fingers. “And it’s a commercial that only grannies on YouTube will see.”

“Elouise,” Conner hissed.

Amber sighed and smiled wearily. She pointed her head down the street. “Yeah, well…it was something, right? Like Conner said,”—she pulled Elouise’s vape from her hand — “if we had to focus on everything, we wouldn’t be doing anything. We’d all go crazy.”

Elouise tried to reach for it, but Amber pocketed the pen. “ Hey, ” she complained.

Conner smiled and his eyes squinted. “ That’s the spirit.” He wrapped an arm around Amber’s shoulders. “Got to think positive.”

Amber forced a giggle as the cars kept driving and the buzzing light flickered once more. She saw a rat scurry under the dumpster from the kitchen but pushed down the panic that welled inside of her. As her eyes wandered upward, they were drawn to the twinkling stars above, a celestial blanket that seemed to hold infinite possibilities. One star burned with a vibrant red light, catching her attention. Amber speculated that it must be a satellite, a tiny beacon in the vast expanse of the universe. The sight grounded her, reminding her that there was a world beyond the confines of her current circumstances.

Elouise and Conner were talking about celebrity crushes now. They were both willing to go to war to gate keep Andrew Garfield. It made her chuckle when they argued. Oh, God. She thought of tomorrow and what it would bring. These days were so busy they flew by quickly. One month had turned into a year in a flash and now that year had been three. And I have barely booked any gigs.

Her shoulders slumped as her mother’s discouraging words threatened to return. No. She could not go back. Sometimes things took a long time. She knew that her youth would one day expire and so would her dreams, but pretending she had all the time in the world was her way of coping. And that’s okay.

* * *

“We’re beautiful, like diamonds in the sky!”

Amber’s eyes popped open, the blaring music yanking her away from slumber. She sat up and dragged her phone from under her pillow.

“Oh, God. Already?” she complained. The sun had barely risen, but here she was awake. Women in leggings and tank tops ran on the sidewalk below her apartment. Traffic had already started on the street. They call New York the city that never sleeps, but LA might just come for its title.

She ran her fingers through her messy hair, turned off the alarm’s music, and swung her legs off the edge of her bed. “Alright, Saturday. Let’s go.”

As she brushed her teeth in her narrow bathroom, she remembered the days when Saturdays meant lying on Grandma’s couch and watching TV. Back then, it had been easier, but all she had wanted to do was grow up. And that I did. She peeped out the bathroom door at her bed, which was only four feet from her kitchen. Living the life. She laughed with a mouth full of toothpaste.

While standing at the kitchen counter with a butter knife smeared with jam, she listened to Conner’s latest track. It was all about getting lost in some fantasy about a guy he liked. He called it “Lucid,” but she wasn’t sure how the title related to the song. Like a lucid dream? She shrugged and swiped the jam onto her bread.

The lyrics were enchanting, though. Whoever Conner wrote this about had to be the one. People did not just describe someone as a hook on their mind, body, and soul. There had to be something special there. Wish someone would write that about me one day. She snickered, while shoving her knife into the jar of peanut butter next to her plate. I do not have time for that. She dedicated her time to work or jobs booked by Beca. They were small and paid close to nothing, but she did them. I’ll try to get a new agent soon.

Her ringtone interrupted Conner’s soulful voice, and Amber saw her screen light up with Beca’s face. “Wow. Speak of the devil.” She stared at her peanut butter hands and rushed to the sink to wash up. “Coming, Beca! She can’t hear me. Ugh.” She rinsed her hands, dried them on the towel hanging on her tiny stove, and then picked up her phone. “Hey,” she said pleasantly. “Got anything for me?”

“Oh. Amber. Doll. You’re up. How amazing.” Beca’s Jersey accent rasped through the phone.

“I’m usually up early now on Saturdays, Beck. I try to work out before my shift.” Amber continued preparing breakfast, using her shoulder to keep her phone pressed to her ear.

“What’d you say? They changed your shift again?” Beca said, voice muffled.

There had to be food in her mouth. Amber heard chewing. She cringed at the noises. They were way too close to her ear. “It’s been a couple of months.”

“Oh, okay, okay. Anyway!” Beca laughed. “I got it this time, baby.”

Something less than spectacular usually followed those words. Amber finished making her breakfast and began putting the jars away. “Is that so?” She always tried to be optimistic, but despite Conner’s encouragement, it remained a challenge. The only times she smiled when things were not ideal were when she made fun of her situation. So, that was what she would do. “Did you book my hand a commercial too?” She laughed to herself.

“No, no, darling, but we’re getting there.” Beca coughed. “What I got you was a place on that hot new TV show. You’ve heard of it, right?”

Amber swallowed her mouthful to answer. “Your hot and new is a lot different from my hot and new.” She leaned against the counter to keep eating.

“What was it again? Ah, yes! The Love Raffle .”

Amber’s brows went up and her jaw hung open. Her food almost fell out of her mouth. “ The Love Raffle?”

“Ah, see? You know it. You’re going to be on that. Loads of people will see your pretty face and if you win, you’ll get the best prize in this industry…a connection. Eh? Eh? Or, well, a date with a celebrity, but you get it. Connections are important. Make sure you show him your moves—”

“Wait, Beca, that show is a pretty big deal but it’s usually for people who want to be influencers and reality TV stars. I want to be an actress. ” She couldn’t help but marvel at Beca’s ability to secure her a spot on a show as prestigious as The Love Raffle . Its debut season had burst onto the scene just a year ago, captivating audiences with its unique blend of game show excitement and celebrity romance. The media hailed it as “game show TV at its finest,” and its popularity had skyrocketed overnight.

The concept was simple yet captivating. Contestants would face three rounds of challenges, each designed to test their compatibility with a Hollywood superstar. The ultimate prize? A coveted date with one of the industry’s biggest names. Although the dates themselves rarely led to anything serious, the winners who played their cards right could leverage their newfound fame to build a significant following.

Amber was aware of the potential power and influence that came with winning The Love Raffle . The show had become a launchpad for many aspiring YouTubers and social media influencers, propelling them into the realm of internet stardom. It was an undeniable pipeline, connecting the winners of the show with the world of successful online content creators.

While Amber was excited, a nagging uncertainty gnawed at her. She pondered the appropriateness of such a venture for the trajectory of her own career. Sure, the show promised exposure and an instant boost in visibility, but would it align with her long-term aspirations?

Amber yearned for substantial acting roles, for the chance to prove herself as a versatile performer capable of capturing hearts on the big screen. What if participating in a reality dating show pigeonholed her into a certain typecast, overshadowing her talent and hindering her pursuit of more meaningful roles?

As she contemplated the decision before her, Amber could not deny the allure of the opportunity. The tantalizing prospect of fame, increased visibility, and the potential doors it could open in the industry tugged at her. However, she also valued her integrity and the importance of staying true to her artistic journey. She did not want to be known as a random winner of a game show that would probably die out in a few years. Amber had seen so many others crash and burn trying to cling to their fifteen minutes of fame.

Deep down, Amber knew that success was not solely measured by fleeting moments in the spotlight. It was the result of hard work, perseverance, and a steadfast commitment to one’s craft. She could not let herself be swayed solely by the glittering promises of reality television.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but you know how it is,” Beca continued. “Listen, this is to get your foot in the door, okay? Just try to make an impression on the show and if you win, make an impression on the celebrity you get the date with. If you play your cards right, this could be your big break.” Beca laughed. “Am I the best agent or what? This is the first time I’ve gotten something like this for a client. Guess it’s cause you’re my focus.”

Amber could hardly speak. The Love Raffle. Elouise had made fun of that one a few times. Even so, some big names have been on it. Movie stars. Maybe Beca, as unconventional as she was, was onto something after all. “When will I be on?”