An Unexpected Bride

by Shadonna Richards

  When they arrived on 45th Street to reach their hotel, near Broadway and 45th Street, she was in awe of being near the famous Broadway.

  Just outside the hotel, Emma soaked in the midtown Manhattan view. Buildings were dressed with all these elaborate digital or poster advertisements. This city was certainly an advertiser’s dream.

  As Evan spoke with the porters and arranged for their luggage, she took in the enormously tall billboard ads on the buildings and theatres nearby. The Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, South Pacific, the Sound of Music, Shrek. Every show she could imagine was playing somewhere nearby. She almost wanted to regress into a little school girl again. "Oh, please! Please, take me to the show," she pretty much wanted to beg.

  There were crowds of colorful people everywhere. Business executives, show people, tourists, you name it. She was close to Times Square Studios, home of Good Morning, America, MTV’s New York studios, The Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, and Rockefeller Center to name a few. And she just had to visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

  And of course, she caught a glimpse of the famous tower at number One Times Square where over a million people gathered every year at New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop. Many bright ads including the bigger-than-life Coca-Cola digital ad glowed from the tower.

  Amazing!

  To see it up close in person was a whole new ballgame. Emma thought the people of New York were so lucky to have so many beautiful landmarks and world-famous attractions.

  She could see now why they called it the city that never sleeps. She couldn’t imagine having the time to snooze with so much going on. She once read that you could spend a lifetime in New York and not see everything, even if you stayed awake twenty-four hours in the day.

  You just could not be in one of the most elaborate entertainment districts of the world and not be overtaken by its fascinating features. She didn’t mind the sound of the honking traffic, the laughter, the noise of busy travellers, or people on their way to work.

  It must be a dream to work around here, she mused.

  She could not believe her luck, as she was in one of the most glamorous theatre districts in the world and right beside the famous Times Square. Times Square was the major intersection in Manhattan to be. A commercial district right there at the junction between Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

  “Geez, no wonder they call it the ‘crossroads of the world,'” she commented as she soaked in the spectaculars. There were so many large animated digital advertisements outside.

  The marble floor of the hotel's entrance glimmered with the glow of the lights above. It looked as if you could see your reflection in it. She loved the beautiful, elaborate floral arrangements on the table in the lobby. For some reason, wedding bells went off in her mind.

  She noticed farther down by the check-in counter a nice plush, red carpet where many people stood around, some sitting on the comfortable lounge chairs waiting for their loved one or for service with their luggage by their side. Some on their cell phones making calls. Others paced with their hands in their pockets. Waiting. Some were flipping through brochures of shows in town—probably on Broadway.

  She noticed other travellers with their bags either checking in or out. But she was checking out the plush furniture, the cosy feel with the dim lights and the tall ceiling with the enormous chandelier above.

  While the pleasant clerk checked them in, Evan turned to Emma and told her there was a message from Lucinda at FAC. Puzzled, Emma took the note. Scrawled on it was a message.

  “Not to worry. Your grandfather called the office today.”

  She swallowed hard. Why would he call? She was going to call the palliative care unit once she got into her suite and powered on her cell phone.

  They got checked in and Evan picked up their electronic key cards and headed up the elevator to the twentieth floor.

  Their rooms were situated side by side. They knew they didn’t have time to waste. The client meeting would be in a hour, which didn’t give them much time. Luckily, lunch would be served at the Weddings R Us office.

  When Emma opened up her hotel suite, she paused in awe at the window where the drapes were drawn back to expose the outside world.

  The view was breathtaking. Both she and Evan got a good view of the heavily populated, dazzling entertainment district of Times Square and the large poster ads of various theatre shows. The flashing digital ad lights were intriguing. She thought it would be sparkling at night time to catch the view. When she moved closer to the window, she could see herds of yellow taxi cabs below making their way through traffic.

  Was it always this busy in New York? At any given time of the week?

  She dialled her grandfather’s hospital room extension. “Gramps?” She thought the phone had been answered. But she was wrong.

  Evan came to her door and asked if everything was okay with her grandfather. “No news yet. Didn’t get an answer. I’ll call Lucinda to see if there’s more to the message.”

  Evan’s cell phone buzzed. He excused himself to answer it. Emma told him it was okay to go back to his suite. She would catch up with him soon once she unpacked.

  “Good afternoon, Fletcher Advertising,” Lucinda answered the phone.

  “Hey, Lucinda. It’s Emma, you left a message.”

  “Oh, right.” For some strange reason, Lucinda seemed different. As if she knew something. As if she knew a secret.

  Emma could tell by her tone of voice. Now she wondered in a panic, what exactly did Gramps say to Lucinda? Did he mention the wedding next week?

  Oh, God, Emma hoped not. Feared not. Her grandfather had been gleefully telling every single person he met and spoke to that his granddaughter was getting married next week to the president of an ad agency.

  She clasped her head to her forehead. She just couldn’t warn him beforehand not to breathe a word to a single living soul. Then again, she wished maybe she should have. She thought it would seem strange. Odd. Bizarre. Almost as bizarre as her plan to get married next week to a gamophobic.

  There was an uncomfortable silence on the phone. What was she playing at? Emma wondered as she crossed one arm around her chest and narrowed her eyes looking out the hotel window at the Coca-Cola digital ad on the Times Square tower.

  “He’s fine. He just wanted to see if he could tell you two to have a nice trip,” Lucinda said, snapping her lips chewing gum.

  Ooh, Emma really disliked that. First of all, she ought to tell Lucinda, it was very rude for a receptionist to be chewing gum but she should already know that by now. Secondly, she wanted to ask just what the hell she was playing at.

  She sensed a very cocky tone of voice when Lucinda knew it was Emma calling. Or was she just suffering the effects of some serious jetlag followed by non-sleep from last night? She thanked Lucinda politely and hung up the phone.

  No way was she going to give her any kind of satisfaction by revealing any details. She didn’t care at that point what Lucinda thought. Though she could hear Lucinda striking some sort of rumour about she and Evan and her recent promotion.

  Evan’s knock on her door jolted her back to reality. She had other hurdles to heave over right now, thank you very much. One of them, at the moment, was to make her new client…very happy.

  11

  The taxi cab drove them to Greenwich Village not too far from the hotel where Emma spotted a row of brownstone buildings. As they pulled up to the curb and got out, Evan paid and tipped the cab driver handsomely.

  “You ready?” He looked at her with an air of concern. He noticed she kept raking her fingers through her hair. She only did this when she was nervous about something. Very nervous.

  “Ready as can be.” Her feigned chuckle was fraught with tension.

  Evan thought she had a lot on her mind, probably something to do with her grandfather. He began to wonder if it was a good idea making her come to New York, knowing that her grandfather’s condition could change in a heartbeat. So to speak. Too late for that no
w.

  They ended up at a nice corner unit. A 10,000 square foot, four-story brownstone office building probably built in the late 1800s by the look of the design.

  Emma noticed the first floor was beautifully renovated with plush facilities. A restaurant was located on the main floor.

  When she saw the brownstones on the street, memories flooded her mind, even though she'd never lived in one. She thought of the popular television shows The Cosby Show and Sesame Street and even one of the characters from Sex and the City who lived in one. She even recalled that Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn, most of the film took place in the brownstone apartment building.

  Of course, many of these brownstones were converted into offices and eateries. In the buildings themselves no doubt unique characters lived and had stories of their own. She would love to do more research on that.

  They made their way up through the lavish reception to the second floor. Again, beautiful, high-tech renovation surrounded them. There, on the door the sign read:

  WEDDINGS R US.

  Founded by Herbert and Kelsia Endo

  She wanted to offer at a later date to redesign their logo, if they were receptive to it. It seemed oddly basic and formal for what image they wanted to portray.

  They had lunch with the client at a gorgeously designed Chinese gourmet restaurant. The aroma of baked entrees tantalised Emma’s taste buds. Her mouth watered. She hadn’t eaten since their elaborate breakfast at the gourmet airport café in Texas before they departed.

  She ordered the orange chicken, a crispy chicken battered, stir fried and flavoured with orange peel sauce with a side order of assorted vegetable steamed and served in sauce and a cup of boiled rice on the side. Evan ordered an exotic dish of beef with black bean sauce and broccoli sliced tender and mixed in a tasty sauce. The clients ordered similar dishes.

  The business late luncheon went better than expected. The client was impressed with Evan and Emma’s new concept for the direction of the ad campaign. As a matter-of-fact, they loved the idea. Especially the usually stoic, hard-to-please Ms. Endo.

  Later, they headed down to the studio off 46th Street to supervise the shoot they had already discussed. It was for a wedding scene with a bride and groom and a few family members in the background to give it that whole traditional appeal.

  The studio was dark inside except for the bright overhead illumination that shined above. The lights were directed on to a screen where the models would be posing for the initial shoot.

  A woman with purple hair gelled into a Mohawk, thick black eye-liner, pierced nose, and black skin-tight outfit rushed out from the back as she shook her hands up in the air. By the looks of her, she would be a hair or makeup artist.

  “This is unbelievable. I can’t believe this.”

  “What is it?” Ms. Endo looked appalled.

  “Our bride model. She’s sick. Throwing up. She can’t do the shoot. I think she pregnant or something.”

  Ms. Endo rolled her eyes. “This is unacceptable. The art team is here all the way from Texas. They’re only in town for a couple of days. We need to get this thing moving right away. Find a replacement!” She rolled the words off her tongue with such a shrilling sound, Emma thought her ear drums would pierce.

  Just then, the presumed-to-be makeup artist eyed Emma from head to toe and took great care in tracing her silhouette. Emma shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

  “Why not her?” The cosmetologist turned her eyes back to Ms. Endo.

  “But she’s from the ad agency.”

  “And…she seems to have the right measurements.” She smiled. "I’ve been doing makeup, costume, and hair for years to know a replacement when I see one."

  Evan stepped forward and leaned towards Emma with a grin. “How do you feel about that? Why not?” he whispered in her ear. Emma thought she would melt. Why not? Maybe she should have a go at it.

  Evan spent the next twenty minutes talking with the client while Emma was backstage getting made up for the bridal shoot. His hands behind his back, head tilted, Ms. Endo seemed to be enjoying his attention as well as the conversation.

  He was not prepared for what happened next.

  A vision of beauty.

  Emma, dressed up in a bridal dress. He felt his manhood rise. He stopped breathing.

  She was, in a word, breathtaking.

  Literally.

  He couldn’t speak. For the first time in his life, he was dumbfounded. He must have stopped mid-sentence when speaking to Ms. Endo. But he was oblivious to that fact now.

  They say that a dress can make a woman, but he believed Emma gave life to her ensemble. She shined in it.

  She wore a gorgeous satin royal bridal gown with an elaborate plunging neckline that accentuated her full breasts. The dress had an embroidered and beaded bodice with a slight drop princess line waist that once again showed off her finest assets, in Evan’s opinion. Her gorgeous mane of beautiful, ebony curls were swept up into a French ponytail accentuating her high cheekbones and defining lips and eyes.

  She was stunning.

  It’s amazing what they did with her makeup to highlight her already natural attractiveness.

  Evan was sure he salivated while eyeing her. But he couldn’t help himself. What man could? He couldn’t peel his eyes off her. He didn’t want to. He was mesmerised. Intrigued. Hypnotised by her beauty. Not just her exterior—she glowed from within. Her grace. Her humility. Her demeanor. It was everything. She was everything.

  Was this what if felt like to fall in love?

  He needed emotional CPR. His heart just stopped. He didn't know if he could go on without telling her how he really felt. But there was an anchor above his head, and he didn’t want it to fall and destroy everything that could be. Never mind the fact that she was his employee and they were there strictly on business. But that Fletcher curse was real and true, even if it sounded strange or bizarre to mention it. He had to stop himself from falling in love with her. That may be a feat impossible to master.

  Emma noticed Evan didn’t speak. Did she look that…awkward? She sure felt awkward. Her heart beat fast and hard. The photographer, lights, studio team, and Evan made her feel self-conscious.

  Say something, silly!

  “You look beautiful.” Evan’s silky voice was deep and seductive. Oh, God, did he just read her mind? Was it that obvious? Ms. Endo looked at Evan then at Emma and back again. Oh, no. Was it that blatantly obvious? Emma hoped Ms. Endo didn’t clue into the sexual tension in the room between she and Evan. She hoped not. Horror struck her at the thought. She straightened her expression and perched a humble smile back onto her face to prep for the shoot. She felt moist in different areas of her body all of a sudden. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin her newly done up makeup. She had to hand it to Lilly, the makeup artist, she really knew her stuff.

  Immediately, Ms. Endo started fussing over Emma and even went as far as to place her hands on Emma’s breasts to readjust them in her dress. Ever conscious of Evan watching, Emma flushed. Heat rushed inside her.

  After the wildly successful photo shoot in the studio, the group moved to Times Square to take a few dazzling, live snapshots with an entertaining background. A bride in the middle of one of the world’s busiest entertainment districts.

  The artistic contrast would make quite a statement. Basically, it didn’t matter whether you were in the country, down South, upstate, or on a ranch. Weddings R Us catered to all brides, in all situations, from all localities.

  Evan was famished and wanted to take Emma to dinner once they got back to the hotel. It was early in the evening, and they dined on the patio overlooking Manhattan. The night lights glowed. They enjoyed each other’s company and talked about the shoot, the ad campaign, and weddings.

  “You really looked…look amazing.” He gazed into her eyes and could tell she was nervous. They sat on the rooftop, the breeze gently rustling Emma's long, silky head of curls.

  She held her gaze on
her plate, chewing carefully now, he noticed. “Thanks. So do you.”

  Emma took in another bite of her gourmet dinner while she sat at a candlelit table opposite her sexy boss. She looked out at the beautiful sunset sky that was turning a remarkable shade of red and purple.

  The glittering lights of the Big Apple dazzled her as she overlooked the busy district below. She wondered if now would be the best time to tell Evan about their not-so-fake wedding nuptials next week. But she hesitated as she was aware of his eyes on her. She really didn’t want to ruin a good mood—just in case.

  Not now.