Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

Pearl tapped on her phone and realized she hadn't ordered anything nutritious, so she cleared her throat. "Do you like McDonald's?" Richard looked sluggish, not expecting that question.

"If you don't like that, we can order something else," she offered, having just received a thousand dollars for the meal.

"It's fine, but it's unhealthy. Not something I would usually go for," Richard admitted, sounding a little guilty.

"Just this time," Pearl replied, covering her ears in surrender.

The food soon arrived, but Richard seemed visibly unhappy when Pearl returned with it. He stared at her with a dangerous look in his eyes. "You were too close to the delivery man. Do you have bad intentions?"

"It's just an accident." Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ

She was wearing a sexy dress and it was obviously showing too much.

crossed her arms, feeling frustrated. "I can't cook. If I don't order takeout, what am I supposed to eat? Are you going to cook for me?" She immediately regretted the last part, remembering Richard's disastrous attempt

for

recalling how smoky her kitchen was and realizing the mess that would entail. "It's

was determined. "That won't happen again if I learn to cook properly," he

eyes darted around. "Are you trying to get the

"No," he denied, though he had considered it. He then realized Pearl saw through his ruse and said in a low voice, "I'm your boyfriend. What's wrong with me having keys to your home?" Pearl found herself filled with regret. She realized she was only making

it differently. He asked for her keys, not wanting a repeat of the past incident. The thought