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“Let me walk you out,” I say and wave my hand in front of us. Together, we make our way to the elevator, and I turn to her. She stands next to me, her head tilted upward to meet my gaze, her long hair falling down her back. Right now, she looks like she did at the bar, and I like her head back, looking up at me like this. I am about to say something that I really shouldn’t even be thinking, like how much I want to march her back to my office and strip her of her fucking red dress, but I clench my teeth together.
Being in a fake engagement is not ideal, as the press, of course, will have a field day. But the more I think about it, the more I am sure this is what will keep Sasha off my back. Plus, I will get to spend more time with Emily and maybe find something that can help my client purchase the school he so desperately wants.
The only problem is trying to keep my hands to myself. Because whether I want to believe it or not, Emily is the only woman who has grabbed my attention in months, and the only one who I am itching to touch but can’t.
This is going to be the hardest month of my life.
CHAPTER NINE - EMILY
There have been many difficult occasions in my life up until this point, but being in close contact with Benjamin Rothschild in this elevator is one of the hardest. My fiancé. I am scared, I am not going to lie. I am dancing very close to the flame that continues to haunt me, even to this day. But I would do anything for George and the kids, so putting myself out there to try to win this case is the least I can do. Even if it means portraying a fake fiancée to one of the city's most well-known bachelors. I could tell he hadn’t thought through his offer. Not as well as he should have. His client is going to be angry, and that thought alone was enough to get me to agree to this stupid idea. Because if his client is focused on that, they might drop the case altogether, and then we’ll have a chance of keeping the school.
With his tall frame standing next to me, our arms touching slightly, my senses are in tune with his aroma as the delicious scent of fresh woods after a heavy rain fills my nose. My fingernails dig into my palm, and my heart races. It has been way too long since I have been with a man; I am losing my mind.
It is lunchtime, so the elevator from the top floor is a slow journey, stopping at each floor as more and more people pile in. As it gets crowded, I shuffle slightly, pressing into Ben. His arm brushes mine before it comes around and rests on my lower back, not unlike he did moments earlier in the boardroom. It isn’t unwelcome, not unwanted, but a little bit surprising and very calming.
“You okay there?” he whispers down to me, his warm breath skirting across my neck, sending small shivers down my chest. I look up to catch him smirking.
“I am great. It was a successful meeting, and I have an amazing fiancé, so I couldn’t be happier,” I smart back, and he smiles. I don’t miss the genuine look in his eyes.
“Glad I make you so happy, darling.” With that mocking endearment, our new arrangement vibrates between us, the tension growing heavier in the small space.
The elevator stops at yet another floor, and a few people get out, but his hand remains firmly set on me. I don’t move either, content to stand close to him, feeling almost protected. A feeling I crave and have never experienced. I guess I need to get used to it. We will need to be seen as a united front when we are in public, and I need him to see the school and the kids as real humans doing amazing things. Maybe that way, he will at least try to get his client to see a different point of view and leave us alone—if his client doesn’t fire him first, that is. Just before the doors close, Sasha dashes into the elevator, and I feel his body stiffen. I don’t miss the way she looks at him with possession in her eyes. I wonder what she has been doing in the building all this time; she left Ben’s office at least ten minutes ago. Maybe she has another boyfriend or something.
“Ben,” she purrs, obviously over the shock at our engagement news as she walks straight up to him like they didn’t just see each other moments ago. Unlike earlier, I can’t help but notice how beautiful she is. I look like a dowdy schoolgirl next to her. She might as well be a model straight off the runway. A flash of both jealousy and disappointment courses through my body. Jealousy, because these two have history, and disappointment for thinking Ben is different than any other man. But I smile, nonetheless, looking like the happy fiancée I am supposed to be, instead of the broke single mom that I am.
“Sasha,” Ben says with a curt nod and in a tone which indicates it really isn’t that good to see her again.
Then she looks at me and raises her eyebrow. She is challenging me. She is aware that he is engaged, but is not abiding by girl code and is going after my fake fiancé anyway. I look away, not wanting to be involved, already regretting the deal I just made. This is the last thing I need. To be in the middle of their lovers' tiff. I close my eyes and take a breath, sorting my racing mind, pushing away any stupid thoughts I have of how good I feel being close to Ben and realigning my brain to think of George and school, the only reason I even agreed to this stupid arrangement. Ben’s grip around my waist tightens, clearly expecting me to run, which is exactly my plan as soon as we reach ground level.
I watch the lights on the elevator as we descend, and I’m thankful that we stop on no other floors. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sasha reach out and touch Ben’s tie, then she leans in and whispers something to him. I want to scratch her eyes out with Rosie’s braille pen that I have stashed away in my handbag.
The elevator dings, and as soon as the doors open on the ground floor, we all start to pile out.
“Doubtfire…” I hear Ben grit out as I escape his grip and walk swiftly out of the elevator.
“See you later, darling,” I say in my best fake fiancée tone as I give him a little wave and force a smile to my lips before walking away from them both quickly. That is one helpful thing about being small, the ability to disappear in crowds, and I’ll use this to my full advantage today.
Along with the rest of the people, I walk at pace through the foyer, my heels clicking across the polished marble as I head to the double glass doors. Once outside, I take a left, eager to get straight to the subway and back to school.
I make it halfway down the street before I stop when I see a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk.
“Hello,” I say to the man, bending down a little to get closer to him.
“Hello, ma’am,” he replies with a kind smile.
“Are you in need of anything? Is there something I can get for you, or would you like me to call the local shelter to see if they have a space tonight?” I offer. I know what it is like to have nothing. I never had to live on the streets, but Rosie and I jumped from shelter to shelter for a time. That was before George took us in, and so while I don’t understand exactly what this man is going through, I know a little of what he may be feeling.
“No spaces in the shelter tonight, they’re all full, but I will take a dollar if you have it,” he quips with a shrug, squirming where he sits on the hard sidewalk.
I nod. There are far too many homeless people and never enough spaces. If I ever win the lottery, that is the first thing I would do. Build a massive shelter, with all the support systems in place, so it becomes a hub for people like this man, for people like me, who need support at a time when there is none.
“Sure thing. I’m Emily, by the way,” I say as I grab my purse.
“I’m Dale.”
“How long have you been out here, Dale? On the streets?” I ask as I fish around in my purse to see what money I have.
“Most of my life, Emily, most of my life.” I nod at his confession. Homelessness is a hard position to break, and some people never survive it.
