by Krista Lakes
The bathroom door opened and she stepped out. Jackson’s use of the word stunning wasn’t enough to describe her. She was radiant. Gorgeous. Breathtaking.
Scratch all of those, he thought to himself. There isn’t a word for how beautiful she looks.
“What do you think?” Emma asked, her voice unsure as she held out her arms for his approval. Jackson didn’t know much about dress design, but this one fit her to a tee. Her dress was black with just a hint of shine to it. White cutout patterns accented her waist and bust, giving her the illusion of a corseted waist. Her hair hung around her shoulders in soft waves.
He wanted to run his fingers through those waves. He wanted to hike up her dress and take her right there, to be honest. He felt himself harden at the thought of bending her over and how the dress would ride up her ass...
“Jackson?” Emma’s nervous voice broke through his thoughts.
“You look perfect,” he told her, keeping his desire to hike up her dress quiet.
“I just want to make sure that I’m doing what you need me to do.” She chewed on a delicious red lip for a moment before realizing what she was doing.
He loved that she was putting her whole heart into making this work. It was more than he expected.
His watch vibrated notifying him that the car was ready to take them. He tapped the notification and smiled at Emma.
“Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath and nodded. He offered her his arm, making her smile, and together they walked to the car.
Emma said little on the drive to the party. Jackson had been invited to a high profile charity fundraiser and felt that this was the perfect opportunity to present the two of them as a couple. His PR adviser, Jane, agreed.
There would be lots of photographers and press. Jane had drooled imagining the red carpet photo of the two of the walking hand in hand. It would go viral. He’d warned Emma that she would be on the cover of every tabloid magazine tomorrow.
“Why will I be on the cover?” she asked, as the limo turned toward the gala. “You have a new hot date every other week. Why is this different?”
Jackson shifted slightly in his seat. “Because I am going to be the attentive boyfriend tonight,” he explained. “Also, I never bring dates to these things. I always pick someone up there.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “So, I’m your first real date?”
“I’ve been on plenty of real dates,” he replied, only a little defensively.
That made her smile wider. “I’m your first real date,” she repeated. “You like me.”
“I’m supposed to marry you, remember?”
“You like me and I’m your first real date,” she repeated in a sing-song tone. She sat up a little straighter and grinned at him. “You’re gonna marry me.”
“Not if you keep that up,” he teased her. She kept grinning at him, knowing that he was playing. “You still clear on what we need to do tonight?”
She put on a serious face. “I’m supposed to tell everyone how wonderful and loving you are. That we met at the coffee shop and you asked me out. Then we talked for hours and are madly in love.”
“Good. What else?”
“That I’ve seen a change in you. I’ve served you coffee for over a year, and thus I am qualified to say that you are so much more than a playboy exterior. You have seen the error of your ways and are turning over a new leaf because I am so very, very awesome.”
She grinned at him and winked. The last part was extra.
“I’m glad you feel confident,” he said as the limo came to a stop. He turned and watched her swallow hard. She was nervous and trying her best not to show it.
“I’m ready,” she said, squaring her shoulders. She flashed him a grin. “I won’t let you down. By the end of the night, everyone will think we are madly in love and that I have tamed your bad boy ways.”
He kissed her cheek, careful not to smear her delicate makeup.
“You’re going to do great.”
The door opened and he helped her out of the limo. She did her best to keep a smooth smile on her face, but he could see her eyes darting everywhere to take everything in.
He looked around, seeing the event through new eyes.
The red carpet, the photographers, the beautiful people, and the obvious display of wealth suddenly became very apparent to him. He’d become so used to it that this felt normal, but he could only imagine what Emma felt. It must be overwhelming.
She clung to him like she was holding onto a life preserver in a stormy sea. Her smile was bright, but her hands trembled against his arm as she made sure he couldn’t leave her side. He was half afraid he might find bruises on his arms from her grip.
“You’re doing great,” he coached as they entered the main area. There were less photographers here and more guests, so he hoped she could relax a little and enjoy the party.
For the first time, he was worried about someone else having a good time. It was strange to think that he had her coming home with him either way, but that he wanted her to be happy.
He usually only wanted his date to have fun so they’d come home with him.
He steered her towards a friendly face.
“Emma, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine,” he introduced her. “This is Ed Hallen. He’s my vice president of operations.”
Ed wasn’t in on the secret about Emma. No one but Jane and his secretary knew the truth. They were the only people he trusted with this, because he paid them enough to stay quiet. His success was their success.
“So you’re the one who has Jackson leaving the office early,” Ed replied, smiling at them both warmly. “I must say, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you,” she replied. Her grip on Jackson’s arm lessened a fraction.
“Don’t be scared of the guests here,” Ed advised. “They all bark, but none of them bite. If anything, they’ll be curious how you managed to keep him this long. I must say I am curious myself.”
“Emma is amazing,” Jackson replied for her. “She’s smart and funny and obviously beautiful. What isn’t to love?”
“Love, huh?” Ed didn’t look completely convinced, but he shrugged and smiled anyway. “Speaking of love, have you met my wife? She’d love to meet you.”
Emma looked over at Jackson, her eyes making sure that she was doing the right thing. Jackson gave her a subtle nod. Ed’s wife was a sweetheart who would spread the news of Jackson’s change of heart. It was what they came here to do.
“Have fun,” Jackson told her. “I need to go schmooze a little.”
“And you can’t flirt with this lovely lady on your arm,” Ed teased. He motioned to a different part of the room. “My wife is over by the bar.”
Jackson gave Emma’s hand a gentle squeeze as she let go of his arm. He could see her nerves in the small movements she made. Her breath came fast and her eyes were wide. If he didn’t know her, he wouldn’t know to look.
She flashed him an smile and followed Ed. He watched her walk away, sad to see her go but enjoying the view. With a deep breath of his own, he went to mingle. He needed to show he’d turned over a new leaf and not flirt with the beautiful women of the party.
He should have felt disappointed about not being able to chase the women here. The hot new movie starlet was here and just his type, yet he had no desire to speak with her. If anything, he wanted to go find Emma.
It was a strange sensation. He shook his head. He was just getting into character, he told himself. He was method acting, and just like actors, his character bled onto his real life person. It sounded like a fine theory as to why he had no real desire to seduce the movie star.
The night went slowly. Jackson made sure to talk to as many people as possible, all the time working in how happy Emma made him. He made sure to mention that she’d moved into his building but was actually spending most of her time at his place. He mentioned how wonderful it was to have a roommate.
And it didn’t feel lik
e he was lying.
The crowd inside the fundraiser increased. Jackson made sure to keep an eye out for Emma. She was always in the back of his mind and he wanted to make sure she was alright. As much as he had promised her that everything would go well at the party, the crowd here could eat her alive if she stumbled.
Luckily, she was doing amazing.
From his spot in the room, he could see her smiling and laughing with a set of wives. As far as visibility was concerned, she was one of them now. She’d charmed them, just as she had charmed him. And she appeared to do it effortlessly.
He smiled and took a sip of his drink. She was doing so well, he was starting to relax. Maybe this night could go as well as he’d hoped.
That’s when he saw Max. Max Singleton was the Public Relations officer for the Innocence Company. Jackson had hired him several years ago, but had found the man to be willing to do anything to get ahead. Jackson hadn’t approved of the man’s methods and fired him.
Max was a snake and exactly the last person Emma should talk to. He would figure out their little plan in two seconds flat and then announce it to the entire room. Max would ruin everything.
Jackson set down his drink and hurried across the room until someone caught his arm and attempted to pull him into a conversation. Jackson tried to get away, but he was too late.
Max was talking to Emma, and she looked panicked...
Chapter 17
Emma
* * *
“And how exactly did you two meet?” the man asked Emma.
He looked nice enough with his tuxedo and smoothly combed brown hair, but there was something in his ice blue eyes that made her squirm. Something that made her want to run from the man.
“Excuse me, I’m afraid I didn’t get your name,” she said, doing her best to be polite. She glanced around, looking for Jackson, but she didn’t see him anywhere.
“Max,” the man replied. He smiled in what she assumed was supposed to be a friendly smile, but it felt more like looking at a shark. “Max Singleton.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Max,” Emma told him. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”
Emma gave him a short smile and turned to step away. Something told her that if Jackson and her plan were to work, she needed to get away from this man as quickly as possible.
“No, I won’t actually,” Max replied, catching her arm. “I have far too many questions. Where in the world did Jackson find you? You’re perfect.”
“Excuse me?” Emma pulled her arm away from him hard enough to hurt.
“You’re the perfect fake wife,” Max replied. “Cute, bubbly, and you probably want a whole litter of kids. What did Jackson promise you? I hope it wasn’t his faithfulness. He’s not exactly known for that.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emma said, trying to keep her voice calm even though she felt like screaming. This man had seen right through her. “Jackson and I are very much in love.”
“You almost sound like you believe it.” Max chuckled. He pointed a finger at her. “You’re good. You’re really good. If I didn’t know he needed an image change, I would believe it. You are an amazing actress. Really.”
Emma stumbled back from the man. She crashed into another couple, spilling the woman’s drink all over her expensive dress. The woman was thin and gorgeous with long, straight, platinum hair and a body that belonged as a centerfold of a swimsuit magazine. The man beside her looked furious at the interruption and Emma felt like crying.
She’d been doing so well up until now. Emma wished she could melt into the floor and disappear.
“Do you know who I am?” the woman shouted at her. “Do you know who designed this dress you just ruined?”
“I am so sorry,” Emma apologized. “Please, let me go get some napkins--”
“You think napkins are going to fix this?” The woman scoffed at her. “You obviously don’t belong here.”
Emma’s mouth opened, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. The only upside was that Max had disappeared. Although, he was probably just hiding in the shadows and laughing as she floundered and failed.
“I am so, so, sorry, miss.” Emma’s face was hot with shame. She couldn’t even see the wet spot on the woman’s black dress anymore, but that didn’t matter. She was failing at her one mission at this party: to get people to like and believe her.
“I can’t believe Jackson would bring a nobody like you,” the woman sneered.
Emma stood there, helpless.
“Kristy, how nice to see you,” Jackson said, magically showing up at Emma’s elbow. He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm.
Relief at being saved filled her, followed promptly by shame. This Max fellow knew the truth and now she’d managed to ruin this woman’s dress. This was exactly what Jackson didn’t need.
“Jackson, did you see what your little girlfriend just did to my dress?” The word girlfriend hurled from the woman’s mouth like an insult, making Emma wince.
“Kristy, there’s nothing there,” Jackson replied smoothly. “Much like my desire to speak with you.”
Emma’s mouth opened a little in shock. Jackson never spoke that way to her. Jackson went to turn and walk away. Emma was all to happy to follow along.
“Jackson, I know that you still want me,” Kristy replied, her voice dark and full of seduction. Emma watched as the man who had been standing beside Kristy turned his head and looked surprised.
“No, I don’t. Once was more than enough and I never make the same mistake twice,” Jackson replied, his voice light and cheerful. He leaned toward the man. “Be careful with this one, friend. She’s a tiger in the sack, but she’s gone through two rich husbands. You sure you want to be hubby number three?”
“Jackson!” The woman switched tactics, going to angry rather than seductive. Even angry, she was gorgeous.
“Come on Emma, we have better places to be,” Jackson replied with a polite smile as if the woman hadn’t just shouted at him. He turned, pulling Emma with him, and walked away.
Emma followed, surprised at how calm he appeared even while the woman shouted after him. Jackson pulled Emma to a small room off to the side. It looked like it was the coat storage area during the winter, but since it was summer, there were just boxes of storage and one of the caterers texting on his phone.
“Get out,” Jackson told him. The man looked up in surprise and quickly left. Jackson shut the door to the small room behind him.
“I’m so sorry, Jackson,” Emma began. Hot tears welled up behind her eyes. “I should have just walked away and, and-”
Jackson wrapped his arms around her. She was sure he was going to yell. She was sure he was going to tell her the contract was done and she could start to pack her things. She was sure of it, yet he was holding her.
“You couldn’t have known Kristy was going to scream at you,” he said after a moment. “You did fine with her.”
A little hope worked into her chest.
“Max on the other hand...” Jackson shook his head.
“I didn’t say anything,” Emma quickly told him. “I told him we were in love, but... but I don’t think he believed me.”
He hugged her a little tighter. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” she said, pushing him away. “I was supposed to be convincing tonight and he saw right through me. I don’t know who he is, but Max Singleton suspects exactly what we’re doing.”
Jackson stood silent for a moment, his broad shoulders unmoving. “He’s the PR manager for The Innocence Company. If he had tried to solve this problem instead of Jane, I imagine he would have come up with a similar solution.”
Emma stared at him, amazed at his calm. She felt like things were spinning wildly out of control. Max knew. Kristy was off telling the entire party how terrible Emma was. And yet, Jackson just stood there. Being calm.
“Why are you not freaking out?” Emma asked. She wanted to pace the floor. She wante
d to hit something, throw something to the ground. Nervous energy crackled through her skin.
“What would freaking out accomplish?” Jackson asked with a shrug. “It’s two people. Max might be a problem, but he has no proof. And Kristy? She’s a joke. Always has been.”
“What do you mean?” Emma asked.
“Kristy is a certified gold digger. She’s working her way through rich husbands, and her little stunt this evening was because she’s mad I’m not next,” he explained. “She is jealous of you, so I’d say her little freak-out is actually in our favor. She believes that you have snagged the prize.”
He motioned to himself like he was a prize winning fish on display.
“Oh.” That made Emma feel a little bit better. “Did you ever sleep with her?”
Jackson looked at her with those green eyes that made her knees weak. “Do you really want the answer to that?”
Emma thought about it. “Not really. It’s in the past either way.”
Jackson nodded.
“What about Max? What do we do about him?” Emma asked. There she felt like a failure. She should have done more to convince him. She should have done something. Anything.
“We make it so he has no proof,” Jackson replied simply. “If everyone else believes it, who cares what he says?”
“So we keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Emma said slowly. She nodded and took a deep breath.
She looked up at Jackson. She had been so sure he was going to be angry, but he had been the exact opposite. He wasn’t mad at all that she failed. It felt liberating to know that she didn’t have to be perfect all the time to make him happy.
She could fail and he would pick her up.
If that wasn’t the foundations for a successful marriage, she wasn’t sure what was.
“Kiss me,” she ordered him.
He frowned slightly, but did as she asked. A small peck on the lips. She shook her head as he stood up straight. She reached up, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling his face into hers for a real kiss. One that lit up the room with heat.