Chapter 8 - Emily
EMILY
Emily had a vague hope that there might be a way out of the mess she had gotten herself into. The thought that she had signed the contract under duress allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. That could be questioned. Maybe that was her salvation. But when she risked a cautious glance at Alexander Fitzpatrick, the relief faded and was replaced by a completely different feeling. There he was - the handsome billionaire, the dream of all her colleagues, lost in the hustle and bustle of the crowd. His eyes wandered, searching, as if he didn’t quite know what he was looking for. For a moment, he seemed... vulnerable. And Emily, who had only known him as the powerful, aloof businessman, actually felt sorry for him. It surprised her, but there it was: a quiet regret that this man, who usually seemed to have everything under control, seemed so lost right now.
How absurd, she thought. Here he is, the dream of so many women, and he doesn’t know what to do. Normally, Alexander Fitzpatrick was the man who held the reins, who made decisions energetically, who never had to wait for anyone-especially a woman. And now? Now he was waiting for her - Emily. Or rather, for “Amelie”. The thought made her swallow again. After all, she was still his employee. And suddenly it was clear to her: she had to do her job and play his date. No matter how absurd the situation was, it was her job to help him. Whether that meant running numbers for him, posting bills, or - like today - pretending to be someone else to go shopping with him, it didn’t really matter. It’s just another day at work, she told herself. Overtime was part of the job. It was her duty to get him out of this embarrassing situation. No more, no less.
With renewed determination, Emily squared her shoulders and walked towards him, still smiling with forced lips. She had no choice. Someone had to take control of the situation, and obviously it couldn’t be him right now. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she walked the last few meters to him. He hadn’t noticed her yet, which gave her some time to collect herself. He’s looking for Amelie, she thought, biting her lower lip. He had probably already seen a photo of her and had his mind on a particular image. Emily was aware that as “Amelie” she didn’t fit that image at all. No expensive dress, no high heels, no perfectly styled hair - here she was in sweatpants. A thought that suddenly seemed ridiculous. Sweatpants? What a first impression!
Emily could only imagine that there were reporters lurking somewhere in the crowd, ready to take pictures of Alexander Fitzpatrick with his new “girlfriend”. Imagine him looking in my direction and not recognizing me! How embarrassing would that be? A smile crept across her face as she considered the absurd situation. But it passed quickly. A man like him, who didn’t recognize his own girlfriend - that could ruin his perfect reputation. He, who usually had everything under control, could cause a scandal that would also affect his business relations. She had to prevent the disaster. It was her job to help him out of this embarrassing situation and protect his reputation. Even though her own heart was bursting with fear and uncertainty, she knew she couldn’t let him down.
“How do I do this?” she murmured, nervously starting to nibble at her lower lip when she remembered the lipstick. There was no way she was going to ruin the perfect makeup. Lipstick on her teeth would look unprofessional, too. And she didn’t want to see an ugly picture of herself in the newspaper the next day.
She was only three steps away. Now she had to think fast. “Sneak up on him!” The idea came so suddenly that she thought someone else had whispered it to her. She wasn’t usually this spontaneous, especially when it came to relationships. But today was different. Nothing was normal today. The rude trainer at the gym came to mind.
She approached her boss, who was already looking at his watch, in a slightly wider arc. She was really sorry that she had to do this to him. But there was no other way to save his face. He had to wait a few more seconds. Hopefully, he wasn’t in a bad mood and wouldn’t take his anger out on her. She couldn’t afford to be late for work. As an accountant, if she lost track of time, she’d get a warning and then be fired. Being on time was almost as important as being able to write accurate sets of numbers.
The closer Emily got to her boss, the more uncomfortable she felt. She hadn’t realized he towered over her. He was as tall as the agent, about six feet. At five feet seven inches, she was much shorter. She also wore flat sneakers instead of high heels. So how could she whisper anything into his ear? The whole situation was getting more and more awful!
During the last two steps, she tried to shut out her thoughts, so that they would not distract her from her plan. Then she ran towards Alexander, dropped her gym bag and stood on tiptoe. She quickly reached out to place her hands over his eyes.
“Surprise!” she called in a cheerful voice, feeling that she was more surprised than he was. At least her heart was beating faster, and wasn’t there even a light film of sweat on her palms? Oh no, not that! Sweaty hands on the face of her perfectly styled boss was worse than smeared lipstick on her teeth.
She held back her smile and tried to control her increasingly frantic breathing. Then she felt his warm hands on her fingers. She was almost relieved when he turned to her and leaned down with a beaming smile. For a moment, her heart stopped beating. He wasn’t going to kiss her, was he? No, she was not at all prepared for that!
Before he could say or do anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her cheek against his and whispered in his ear: “My name is Emily and I’m Amelie’s replacement.”
He whispered back, “Okay, Emily, I get it. We need to kiss now as a greeting. Like people who have just fallen in love do.”
Emily felt the first feathery kisses on her cheek. A gentle flutter spread through her stomach and her entire body. His lips moved slowly to her mouth, and with each touch she sank into a whirlwind of unknown emotions. Then, almost like a breath, his lips touched hers. It was just a tiny moment that completely captivated her. She could still feel his warmth on her face, his breath on her mouth when he pulled away. But the tingling sensation remained. Never before had a man kissed her so tenderly. It felt like the first taste of a delicious chocolate - sweet, seductive, and unexpectedly intense. With her mouth half open, she stared at him, unable to process the experience. For a moment, she felt like an insecure teenager who had just experienced her first kiss. Her thoughts raced, her emotions swirled. She desperately needed to get herself under control!
But how could she do that when the mere presence of him aroused such unrestrained desire in her? Her inner voice screamed for reason, but her body seemed to go its own way. Just as she tried to take a deep breath and collect herself, she saw his gaze - so intense it made her feel hot and cold at the same time.
And then - he was leaning towards her again.