Love, Lies and Louboutins (Heartbreak Book 2)

by S. M Phillips

  “Your Diva mode,” I say again. “You’ve just gone all arsey on me and I don’t know why.” I confess truthfully. “Help a girl out here.”

  “Jesus, you’re so dramatic,” Matt sighs, finger rubbing circles at his temple. Is he stressed? What the bloody hell has he got to be stressed about? He’s the one acting like a knob. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “Often,” I admit, “believe it or not. What can I say, I guess it’s all part of my charm?” We’re still not any closer to the mysterious issue at hand though. “Oh my God, you are stressed.” I exclaim aloud. “Is this what all this is about, is it too much?”

  “Emily…”

  I don’t really hear much of anything else that comes from his mouth as my mind has suddenly gone on autopilot. “God, I knew this would happen. I knew Graham would make your life a misery. Huh, I bet he’s doing it to get back at me. I’m telling you I knew something like this would happen. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he’s definitely not the man I used to know.” Then I try to breathe slowly, aware that I’m going off on all kinds of tangents. Bloody hell, this could be bad. This could be super bad for Matt. Shit, what if they want him gone too?

  “Emily, will you just stop and listen? I am not stressed, okay. I promise you I’m good.” He says, just before he rams another forkful of spaghetti in to his mouth. “Anyway, enough about me, how was today? I want to hear all about it.”

  “Erm…” I say, totally taken aback. What was that and how can he just pass it off so easily? He’s made it clear that he’s not about to divulge anything to me, which in turn I’m a little upset about because well, I’m his girlfriend and he should be able to tell me anything. But, with that being said I really don’t fancy a pointless barney so I’ll save all my questions for another day. Mark my words though, I will get my answers. “It was eventful.” I finally say, my mind still on overdrive.

  “Really? You don’t seem as excited as I imagined you to be.”

  Oh, I was excited beyond belief about ten minutes ago, right up until shit got weird. Right before his standoff-ish mood rocked up and killed the party. “Oh, trust me, it was very eventful. I guess it’s just taken it all out of me, that’s all.”

  I think back to the whirlwind that is Lyndsey Reid and I feel the last dregs of energy leave my body, maybe even my soul. I’m going to need at least a solid ten to twelve hours sleep before I even think about going back there, both mentally and physically.

  I slam my bag down at the side of me and breathe. In and out, slowly, and again, in and out. What is this and where in the ever-loving God has it come from? I’m not saying that I’m not grateful because I am — so, so grateful, but this little adventure of mine was supposed to be fun. Reaching out and finally grabbing onto my dream was the plan, but so far it seems all I’m doing is running around like a headless fucking chicken. I can’t tell you the last time I sat down today and I’m stressed out beyond belief. I never knew it would be this tiring, or time consuming. So far, I haven’t even been able to sit down and watch the soaps, and catch-up only keeps them for so long you know.

  “Oh, what time are you finishing up here?” I ask Rachel when she finally shows her face.

  She stops dead in her tracks and blurts out, “Shit, Emily, you look as rough as I feel.” Her smile is full of pity but I don’t have the energy to question her further.

  Instead I say, “Thanks, love, I guess I can always rely on you to make me feel so much better after a shitty day.”

  “I thought things were going well?” She asks and a look of worry flitters in her eyes.

  “Oh, they are, they’re going a bit too well, actually. I know I shouldn’t complain because things could be a hell of a lot worse, but I guess I just never imagined that it would pick up so soon.” I confess and I feel exhausted all over again just thinking about it.

  “You know,” Rachel claps her hands together gleefully, “I bet that’s all the social media interaction I’ve been doing for you.” Boy does she look proud. I imagine she’s currently wearing the very same expression she’ll be wearing when she births her very first child.

  “Say what now?” My head is fried and God love Rachel, but she’s just adding to it. I can’t keep up at all.

  “You know, the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram I set up for you. Word of mouth is key, and it works wonders in a world full of people who are far too busy to use the loo, only to spend about an hour sat there scrolling through their newsfeeds. I’ve kept it going for you. Honestly, Emily, it’s nothing but pure genius. Plus, I knew you we’re super busy with your first client but would be looking to book more in your diary. I’ve been having a wee nosey and the interaction and page reach is flipping crazy. It seems Elegant Weddings with Emily is in high demand.”

  “No shit. My phones not stopped ringing and beeping away all day. Who knew, so many people were still interested in getting hitched? Clearly those kinds of men aren’t as rare as we used to think. They’re hiding away or being kidnapped by these crazy bridezilla’s.”

  Rachel laughs at me and places her hand on my back, rubbing it gently before saying, “It sounds to me like someone could do with a drink.”

  “Maybe five…” I agree, “and that’s what I was hoping you could help me with. You know you’re the best drinking buddy in town and I don’t like going solo.”

  “I’m your only drinking buddy.”

  “That is so not true.” I mean I have Matt. Does Matt even count? “Please say you’ll come and play out for a little while. It’s been way too long since I let my hair down and had some real fun.” I add in the last bit purely for emotional blackmail and I know that I’m a super bitch for doing so, but it’s my power card. Rachel hates to see me sad and she will do anything in her power to keep me happy. Again, yes, I know that it’s a bitch’s trick, but so far, it’s seemed to do the job and I just know that she will have loads of fun too. It’s a given.

  “So, call me amazing if you want… but I think I’ve come up with a brilliant solution to your problems.”

  She has? Well, I can’t wait to what she’s come up with now. I love Rachel and her plans, but sometimes a hell of a lot of people don’t understand our logic and we tend to end up in a lot of trouble. Even though my new found sensible side is deciding against this before I even know what it is, Rachel is my best friend and I know that she always means well so I guess anything she wants to recommend I’ll be happy to give a trial run. Plus, I don’t exactly have a lot of other options coming my way and I need to get myself out of this little pickle and fast. “You have my ears… shoot.”

  “What you need is an assistant.” She says as if it’s the answer to all of my questions. “You know, someone who can take the load off a little so you can do the important stuff — the actual planning.”

  “You’re right.” She is, she’s an absolute genius. However there seems to be one small problem, “it’s amazing, but how do you suppose get one of those?”

  “It’s easy,” she waves her hand at me, completely dismissing my concerns. Bloody hell, she’s definitely been thinking long and hard about this, hasn’t she? “We’ll just whip up an advertisement on your social media and see what kind of response we get. Look, where’s the harm in testing the waters?” she asks. Wow, this all seems to be going way too fast and I won’t lie, I’m struggling to keep up with everything. “Trust me, you won’t be waiting around long, just you wait and see.”

  “Hmm, maybe you’re right.”

  “But… why does there always have to be a but, Emily? This plan of mine is nothing but fool proof.”

  “Hey, I don’t doubt that for a second, but I don’t know how I’d feel with someone else getting involved. I mean, this is my dream; it’s my baby.”

  Rachel watches me for a moment and I really, really wish I had special super powers so I can tell what’s going around in her head. “Exactly,” she says after another minute. “You just said it, this is your baby. Do you really want to crash and bu
rn before it’s all kicked off properly for you? Do you really want to see it all go down the drain because you were too stubborn to ask for a little help?” I shake my head vigorously at her as my mouth refuses to work. “No, I didn’t think so. I know that you want to be able to enjoy every second of this. I also know you love what you do. It’s written all over your face. Now, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you’re burnt out to the point where there’s no passion left then you’re destined to fail.”

  Oh my God, I would hate that to happen. Actually, I can’t think of anything worse. I mean, hello, look at me. After years and years of thinking this was way out of reach, I’m finally doing something I love — and right now, I have all the passion. The last thing I’d ever want to happen is for that to disappear and it all feel like a chore.

  Looking back, I don’t think I’ve ever really suffered with work fear before. I’ve always been super fortunate enough to enjoy the jobs I’ve had, well with the exception of working here at Rachel’s, but to be fair, that wasn’t all that bad, really. We had some pretty amazing laughs here and if it wasn’t for Rachel, then I definitely wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.

  “Leave it with me.” She says before taking a sip of her drink. “I’ll make sure that we find you the best assistant London has to offer.”

  “I sure hope so,” I sigh, “I hate turning people away and I never thought I’d have to do that in first year, let alone the first week.”

  “It’ll all work out, you’ll see.”

  I sure hope she’s right. I know Rachel though, and I know that when she promises something, she always delivers – no matter what.

  “Nathaniel?” I ask, fumbling slightly as I step closer to the tall, striking human that stands before me. I won’t lie, he’s built like a fucking brick shit-house, and oh my, his eyes. Sweet baby Jesus, they’re blinding. I’m stuck in quite the predicament now. It’s not often that I’m left speechless, but seriously I have no words for his raw beauty.

  I can’t help but feel a little flustered stood there and I really hope he can’t tell. Well, I guess today will be the day to test out and see if my new super-duper deodorant lives up to the hype. But to be on the safe side, I’m going to do my best to prevent moving my arms at all costs.

  His jet-black hair is shaved short all over his head, complimenting his perfectly symmetrical hairline. My eyes sheepishly drop down and fall on his delicious pale pink lips and fearing that I’ve been staring at him for far too long I chance a quick glance at his eyes and I automatically wish that I hadn’t. Huge bright green pools off goodness take me in, swallow me whole and completely captivate me as they sparkle effortlessly like emeralds.

  Whoever this guy’s marrying, they’re one lucky sod. How lucky you would be to wake up to this sight every day for the rest of your life. My inner diva weeps with sadness and yes, I’m slightly jealous that we didn’t cross paths earlier.

  “You must be Emily?” He beams eagerly, and as he smiles down at me, he shows off his full set of perfectly straight and super bright pearly whites.

  Before I even have a chance to collect my wayward thoughts, Nathaniel’s holding his hand out at me, so to prevent myself from looking rude and in typical Emily style, I hold my sweaty and somewhat shaky hand out before thinking about it, and then I wait for the uncomfortable look of disgust to grace his face when we touch, but thankfully that doesn’t happen.

  Oh no, this beautiful specimen decides to take my hand ever so gently and pulls it up towards his face and he slowly places a feather light kiss on the back of it, all the while his big deep greens never leave mine.

  Holy shit. I think I’ve just died. I scream on the inside and just about manage a small nod.

  “Darling,” Nathaniel chimes, “it’s such a pleasure to meet you.”

  I clear my throat and pray that my brain and mouth decide to play nice. Now isn’t the time for the dreaded Emilyisms to come spewing out. “And you too.” I smile back at him and a sudden sense of ease passes through me as if Nathaniel here is calming me through just his touch.

  “Come, come,” he says, his voice soft and welcoming and heraises his Rolex laden wrist to signal behind him. The second he turns around; his magic is broken, and it feels as though as haze has been lifted and I can finally take in my surroundings. This isn’t where I expected us to meet. Our initial consultation should have taken place at Rachel’s but Nathaniel called earlier to explain that he’d be running late and if it would be possible to meet him in town instead.

  To begin with, I was in two minds and I’ll confess that I may have hesitated a little too long — to the extent where he needed to ask if I was still there. Epic fail on my part, but what was I supposed to do? A huge part of me was on pins at the prospect of meeting a random guy by myself, but then again, it’s not like I haven’t done it before. All you have to do is rewind to my Tinder days. Ugh, I can’t help but shudder at the thought.

  But, on the other hand, I’m new to the game, so new. Hey, I mean my business here, not prostitution. For the record, I’ve never dabbled in prostitution and I don’t plan on doing so in the near future either, if I can help it.

  I guess I just hate the thought of letting any of my clients down. After all, it’s my reputation on the line here and once that’s gone, it’s gone. You can’t ever get it back. Yes, you can work your arse off to build up something kind of good but it will never be how it was, pure — untarnished. It doesn’t matter what some may tell you, in this day and age with the horrific, yet somewhat amazing social media overload, people will remember everything.

  And that’s how I’ve found myself standing in super posh elite restaurant in the centre of London, meeting my super-hot new client while looking rather drab compared to the masses.

  “Can I get you anything before we begin?”

  Oh yes, but it wouldn’t be all that professional, I think to myself and I mentally want to slap myself. Get a bloody grip woman. You’re not even his type… AT ALL! When I finally find my voice again I reply, “A water would be great thanks.”

  “Are you sure?” He exclaims, “most people need something much stronger when dealing with me, darling.” He chuckles back at me, but his eyes are wide and disbelieving.

  I have no doubts in my mind whatsoever that they probably do, and boy I could kill for something strong right now but I can’t because I’m on the job. Life can be so bloody cruel sometimes. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” I smile back at him and he gives me another throaty chuckle. I’m already sensing that Nathaniel likes to live by his own rules.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  It takes me a couple of moments to collect my thoughts. Now my thoughts have been confirmed. Nothing makes me happier than to know that sometimes my gut instinct can be right. I’m also fairly certain that had we both have been single and been lucky enough for our paths to have crossed, the whole Emily and Nathaniel thing could never have worked, mores the pity. I just don’t have the right body parts, is all. But if I did, I’m telling you this would be a match made in fucking heaven.

  He’s utterly spellbinding, but isn’t that always the way? He’s too pretty, too perfect to be straight. I should have realised that the second I laid my eyes on him. I’m pretty sure he’s used to this kind of reaction from everyone he meets — you know ditsy and completely bat-shit crazy. He’s just magnetic and devilishly handsome too. His Mother must be so proud.

  I finally find a secluded table situated next to the bar, and it’s a mighty shame I’m not one to drink on the job because my days, I know I could bloody murder for a cocktail or five right now.

  Luxe is a nice little bar. It’s one I haven’t stumbled upon before and looking around me, I think there’s probably a good reason for that too. The whole place screams first class and to be honest, little old me being the plain Jane that I am, is feeling a little out of place and a tad overwhelmed. This, this is why it’s important to carry out my initial consultations at R
achel’s; my safe place.

  I chance a quick look up at the bar from behind the very elegant bar menu, and then straight down to my silk blouse and I sigh with relief when I see that everything’s where it should be. Now really wouldn’t be the time or place to experience an accidental nip-slip.

  “Water for the Princess.”

  What, where?

  Bloody hell. Don’t tell me I’m about to mingle and breathe the same air as royalty. This isn’t what I signed up for and a bloody coronary wasn’t on my agenda for the day, either.

  It takes me a couple of dazed moments before I realise that it is in fact Nathaniel, referring to me. I’m not all too sure whether I should take his comment as a compliment or be slightly offended. I mean I’ve yet to be called a princess from the opposite sex, so I guess for now I’ll happily take it. Yes, Princess I think I can roll with.

  I am however quite surprised to see Nathaniel glugging down on a good old pint like beer is about to go out of fashion and he must notice my expression. Today the poker face isn’t all that strong.

  “You’ll have to excuse me. It’s been a fecker of a day already and I’ve needed this since elevenses.”

  “Oh no, please,” I stutter, trying my best to keep a straight face. Yet on the inside I have no idea how I’m supposed to handle this kind of situation. On a quick whim, I decide to go with part honesty, “don’t mind me, I could murder a beer myself.”

  “So, have one then. You’ll have enough water showering down on your grave when you’re gone, darling. Life’s far too precious to worry about staying sober.”

  “That’s very true,” I agree with him completely. Nathaniel seems like a very wise man and I’d love to go forth and conquer on his words, but alas I cannot. “However, I have a very important date tonight and lightweight Lily here would only end up ruining it. Plus, I like to be nothing but professional and clear-headed whilst on the job.”

  “And you looked like so much fun when you strutted through those doors,” he sighs at me, which in turn causes his biceps to ripple beautifully before me. Strutted? Do I really strut? I make a quick mental note to look out for that the next time I catch my reflection in a window. Looking at him though, his green eyes full of humour, I think he’s taking the piss out of me. “Ah well, as you wish. Tell me where we begin.”