by Laura Burton
David threw his hands up in exasperation.
“Well, maybe he should stop putting money before family.”
“He’s a hard worker, you know that.”
“At what cost?”
“Please tell me you had her sign a prenup.”
David stared at his father, taken aback by the sudden change of topic.
“Of course, Father.”
David’s father relaxed. “Good. I don’t want you to go through what I––”
“You mean when my mother left you and took half of everything.”
“It was fortunate your grandmother saw sense enough to keep the shares.”
“I know.” David sighed and picked at a loose thread in the seam of his trousers.
“You know the terms… your grandmother must approve of your wife before she will amend her will. If you do not want everything to go to your brother, you will do well to prepare Emily.”
“I’m not worried. Emily is perfect for––”
“Have you told her?” The words hit David right in the chest, as if shot by a poisonous dart. He shook his head.
“Good, the less she knows about that, the better.”
David shifted in the seat and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I have to go.”
“All right, I’ll see you at the island.”
David and his father looked at each other silently for a moment before they simultaneously nodded to each other, in mutual understanding.
David returned to his seat just as the two men on either side of Mathew stood up.
“Excuse us, we need to fly out to Chicago for an early meeting.” They shook hands with David. Emily stood up and reached out her hand.
“Thank you for meeting me,” she said as she shook hands with them both.
“We look forward to seeing how this turns out. Mathew will keep us posted.”
Mathew offered a salute, and the gentlemen left the restaurant.
“That was fast,” David said as he and Emily took their seats. Mathew chortled into his glass.
“Time is money, Mr. Marks. You should know that.”
Emily placed her hand on David’s, the warmth of her touch sent surprising shivers through him.
“They like my proposal.” She gave a dramatic pause, her eyes glinting in the dim lights. “Thankfully, they didn’t recognize you, and they’re going to invest.”
Emily flashed her teeth at him proudly and turned back to Mathew, her hand falling onto her lap as she moved. David’s fingers twitched against the burning sensation where her hand touched his skin.
“Great.”
Mathew got up from the table and tucked his checked shirt into his pants.
“Well, I’ll settle the check.” He licked a hand and smoothed down his straw-like hair to the side before straightening his tie.
“You’re leaving?” Emily asked.
David couldn’t decide if she sounded hopeful or politely disappointed. Mathew’s shoulders shook as he chuckled, the sound bubbled in the back of his throat.
“Like I said, time is money. It was nice to meet you both, and David, next time you’re in Texas, give me a shout. I’ll show you what a real smokehouse looks like.”
David shook his sweaty hand and smiled politely.
“I will,” he lied. Mathew swaggered off to the bar walking across the room as if he owned the place. David turned back to Emily.
“They didn’t even stay for dessert.” Her face paled as she looked at him, most likely in a state of shock knowing the investors were on board.
“Do you want to take dessert back to our place?”
Emily looked pointedly at David with her brows raised. His pulse thumped against his temples as his blood rose to his face by her response.
“I need to get back to my place, there’s so much to do. I’ve got calls to make and get things moving before we go to your grandmother’s party.”
“Which reminds me, if you want to convince my family that you’re Mrs. Marks, you will need to look the part.”
Emily cocked her head to the side and twirled her hair around her finger. David wanted to run his hands through those curls.
“Oh, what are you thinking?”
He knew she wasn’t asking him to tell her what he was literally thinking at that moment. But the truth blurted out of him before he could muster any self-control.
“I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.”
Emily bit her lip and her cheeks flooded with color at his response. She was irresistible. David swallowed nervously and balled his hands into fists. Control yourself, David. You’re behaving like a teenage boy. But he couldn’t help it. That’s just how he felt around Emily. Was he falling for her? So soon?
Emily leaned in and his heart raced. The scent of her floral perfume filled his nostrils and sent his head spinning. He licked his lips and leaned in, anticipating their lips meeting. Instead, Emily brushed her cheek against his and pressed her soft lips against his temple.
“I need to go,” she whispered in his ear. David closed his eyes at the sound of her gentle voice. He was under her spell. If she told him to drive off the edge of a cliff, he was certain there would be no hesitation. He nodded.
“All right,” he murmured. Emily got to her feet, David grasped her hands and squeezed as he looked up at her.
“Thank you for your help tonight. I couldn’t have done this without you,” she said softly. David jumped to his feet and looked down at her. The silver clasp in her hair sparkled.
“You could. And you did.” He kissed the back of her hand.
“I’ll call you,” she said, sliding her hands away. She turned and walked confidently out of the restaurant. David looked on, immobile and helpless. He just stood there, forgetting what he was doing, or where he was supposed to go. His father’s words echoed in his ears. The less she knows about that, the better.
He swallowed the rest of his drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He wanted to get down on his knees at Emily’s feet and confess everything. She was so sure and upfront. He had to tell her.
But would she be able to look at me again, once she knows the truth? He shook his head, determined. He would have to take the risk, she deserved to know. Resolved, he marched out of the restaurant.
Chapter Eleven
Beautiful Chaos
“Julian, I’m sorry to call so late.”
“Everything all right, Emily?” Julian’s voice sounded tired echoing out of the phone resting on the table.
“Yes, how are my clients doing?” Emily asked, trying to sound chirpy.
“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”
“You’re right, sorry. I wanted to talk to you about the company and the changes—”
“You’re opening an office in LA,” Julian finished for her in a bored tone.
“How did you know?”
“Everyone knows. It’s all you’ve ever talked about for the last six months.”
“Right. Well, it’s finally happening.”
“Good for you. It’s a great move… Why are you calling me?” His frankness set Emily back a bit. She took a breath and frowned.
“I want you to take over the New York office.”
Silence.
“Emily… I don’t know what to say.”
“Say, ‘thank you, this is the opportunity of a lifetime,’ or something. You’ve been working alongside me from the beginning, I can’t think of anyone more qualified.”
“Thank you, Emily, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
They laughed.
“Really, though, I didn’t expect it,” he urged.
“I have to go. We’ll iron out all the details next week.”
“Great, thank you. Enjoy your time off.”
Emily ticked off “call Julian” on her check list and sucked on the pen as she looked down the list of items. Then she picked up her phone and placed it on speaker again.
“Hello?”
�
��Jaqueline, are you sitting down?”
“Ms. Stewart? Yes, yes I am.”
“The investors are in. We’re moving to LA!”
“Oh, that is great––wait, what?”
“Julian is taking over the New York office, and you are coming with me to LA.”
“I’m moving?”
“Yes, of course. You want a promotion, well here it is. I need you to help me set up the new office. Besides, why would you stay in New York?”
“My whole life is here, my family, my boyfriend.”
“Jaqueline, there will be plenty of eligible bachelors in LA, I assure you.” Emily laughed.
“You’re asking me to break up with my boyfriend?” Jaqueline sounded affronted. Like this was not happy news. Emily frowned.
“Are you telling me, you are going to turn down this opportunity to stay with your boyfriend?”
“I want to stay at the New York office.”
Emily didn’t like the defiant tone of her voice. Jaqueline definitely had more courage when she wasn’t face to face with Emily.
“Right. Well, if that’s the case you’ll have to speak to Julian about that. He might have a job for you in the New York office.”
“Julian? Please, no… Ms. Stewart, are you saying that if I don’t come with you to LA, I’m fired?”
“No, of course not. I’m saying your job is relocating to LA and if you want to stay in New York, you’ll have to apply for a job.”
“But––I. Julian doesn’t make me feel comfortable.”
“It sounds like you have a decision to make, then. I’ll let you go and think about it.” Emily ended the call before Jaqueline could reply. Moving to LA and getting a promotion was a dream for anyone who’d been working as an assistant for years. Jaqueline was young, inexperienced, and expected Emily to create a perfect career path for her, in the place of her choosing? What is it with these Millennials? She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and opened up her laptop.
After forty minutes she was rubbing her temples and yawning, scrolling through the listings. This was going to take a while. She got up from her desk and unzipped her dress, allowing it to fall to her feet. She marched over to the bedroom and pulled on her cotton pants and her favorite sweater. It was the softest item of clothing in her closet and slipped down her right shoulder. Her curls drooped enough to make her hair look more wavy than curly now. She pulled out the clip in her hair and shook her head. The door alarm buzzed, and she stood still, eyes wide and staring at the clock on the wall, before she walked into the living room to hit the buzzer.
“Who is it?”
“Emily, I need to speak to you. Can I come in?” His voice crackled against the sound of rain pouring over the microphone, but Emily knew who it was. She buzzed him in.
“Come on up.” She turned around and eyed her apartment in horror. From the dress lying discarded on the floor, to the stack of papers spread out on the coffee table. She jumped into action, throwing her dress on her bed, collecting empty chocolate wrappers littered around the apartment, and forcefully stacked the dirty dishes in the sink. She swiveled on the spot to the sound of the faint tapping on her door.
“Hi there, long time no see,” she said brightly as she pulled the door open. Without her heels on, she had to crane her neck to look up at David’s face. His skin was wet and waxy in the yellow light, and a crease along his brow and the firm set to his lips told her he had been thinking too much. He walked into the apartment and started to pace the room.
“Are you okay?” Emily asked warily. She wondered would could possibly have happened in the last handful of hours since she saw him. Perhaps it was something to do with the phone call he had to take at the restaurant? Or maybe he was having second thoughts about their arrangement?
“Hey, do you want to call this off?”
David stopped pacing and stared at her like a rabbit in headlights.
“What?”
Emily closed the door and walked over to him.
“Look, you saw those investors… I don’t think they care very much about visiting again. I’m pretty sure we can just go our separate ways.”
“That doesn’t help my situation though, does it?”
Emily grimaced. In all the excitement about planning her move to LA, she forgot about the party with David’s family. She owed it to him to follow through.
“I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly. “So, if you’re not here to call this off? What’s wrong?”
David took a deep breath and his eyes floated up and down Emily. She crossed her arms self-consciously and noticed his eyes darkening as he looked at her.
“I need to tell you something.”
He averted his eyes and started pacing again. Emily tapped her fingers against her arm waiting. Should she offer him a drink? Maybe take his jacket and hang it up to dry? She wasn’t sure what was so important he dragged himself out in the rain.
“You’ve been nothing but upfront and honest with me since we first met,” he said finally. Emily swallowed.
That’s not true.
“Listen, I can see this is hard for you… do you want me to take your jacket? You’re making the floor wet.” She reached out her hands and David stopped moving. He glanced down at the floor and looked at it in shock, as if surprised it even existed. He nodded and handed her the heavy jacket. She eyed the Armani logo on the label before she hung it up.
“There, that’s better. Do you want something to drink? Tea, coffee? Hot chocolate?”
“No, I’m all right.”
“Why don’t you take a seat?” Emily brushed cookie crumbs off the couch and motioned for him to sit; they sat side by side, staring at each other.
“I like you too.”
Emily started and blinked several times.
Is this what’s eating him up inside? Her shoulders relaxed.
“Is that it? Goodness David… the way you were acting. I thought you were going to tell me you murdered someone and needed help hiding the body.”
David chuckled to himself with the faintest smile. Emily caught sight of something flash behind his eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had more to say. David cleared his throat and clasped his hands together.
“I’m sorry to show up so late, I was just thinking….”
“Yes?” Emily leaned down to look into his eyes as she placed a hand on his knee. He flinched against her touch.
Why did he do that? Emily had replayed their kiss on repeat in her mind, it kept her awake at night. And they had been shamelessly flirting all afternoon. Now he’s flinching at my touch? She eyed the hollow of his neck and suppressed the urge to trace her fingers along his collarbone. David turned his head and looked at her, he placed a hand on top of hers and his lips curved upward. Emily forgot what they were talking about. Sitting this close to his face, that beautiful masculine jaw, and those tender lips… her breaths became shallow and uneven as a hunger grew within the pit of her stomach.
“I do think we should be living together.” His low grunt sent flurries of excitement through Emily’s midriff.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit soon?” Their faces were less than a foot apart, and she could sense the heat rising off his cheeks.
“People will wonder why you keep coming back here.” He looked around, a twinge of disdain washed over his face before he corrected himself with a casual smirk. Emily frowned and crossed her arms.
“Do you know how expensive it is to have an apartment in the city… for normal people.”
“Oh, and you’re normal?” David laughed.
“I’m not a bazillionaire!”
“A what?” They both threw their heads back and chuckled. “That sounds like a dinosaur.”
Emily loosened her arms and rested her hands in her lap. David leaned in close and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “And anyway, you are not normal, Mrs. Marks.”
Emily inhaled deeply, taking in his scent. Once again, her brain emptied all thought or memory of their conv
ersation and she became lost in the moment. Her instincts woke up like a sleeping lion, starving. She licked her bottom lip, his eyes darted down showing her he noticed. She gulped. Their chemistry was electrifying, and Emily was sure that if someone were to walk in, they would see strobes of light ricocheting off the walls. What was David doing in her apartment? Why did she think she could act serious, sitting on her crumb-infested couch, wearing a sweater with a giant bunny on the front? This was so far from the respectable businesswoman exterior she liked to put on. David was still wearing a suit, but the top two buttons of his grey shirt were undone and his hair was tousled in waves around his ears. Emily wondered if he grew it out, would his head be covered in curls? David turned to her as if to say something but he remained silent.
“Why am I not normal?” she asked as she gave him a nudge. David tugged at his collar, a flush of color rising up his neck. Is he nervous? Why are you so shy now, Mr. Marks? She leaned in to kiss him, the luring scent of his cologne and the faint blush over his cheeks were too much to resist. She wanted to place her hands everywhere and kiss him until morning. David stood up as Emily froze, leaning awkwardly to the space David had been. She tilted her head to the side to look up at him, a giant in her living room.
“I should go.”
“But you just asked me to live with you?”
“Right,” he said, slightly breathless. “We should go. Do you need help packing your bags?”
“Excuse me? You think I’m just going to come along and play house in your fancy top-floor apartment?”
“It has three bedrooms; you’ll have your own space… I’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”
Emily slowly rose to her feet and folded her arms as she looked at him with the most self-respecting, serious pout she could muster.
“Oh really?” She surveyed his face. There it was again, a flash of something behind his eyes. What is going on in that gorgeous head of yours?
David walked over to the kitchen area and opened the cupboards, looking for something. He found two mugs and pulled them out and set them on the counter. Emily watched him open the refrigerator.
“What are you doing?”
