“Amber, will you marry me?”
“What do you mean Neil?” she replied.
“I want you to actually be my wife until death does us part,” he said, “not just until the end of the series.”
***
Amber was sitting in the front row of a large theater, looking up at a stage full of children. All around her were excited parents, holding up video cameras.
“Come on Jessie…” she whispered under her breath, seeing the girl she had cast as Wendy hesitating when Peter Pan flew into her room.
“What are you doing in my room?” Jessie cried out. “And what’s up with those horrible clothes? Get out of here this instant or I’ll scream!”
Amber grinned. She had taught her students how to improvise and they had started to become quite good. Their responses were witty and charming, proving to everyone in the audience that someone didn’t need to follow a script word for word in order to be a success.
Parents were a little taken aback at first, but as the play went on, they found the added lines quite humorous. By the end of the show, parents were coming up to her, shaking her hand and congratulating her on a great show. She smiled to herself, feeling proud in her moment of glory. All her life, she had assumed she would be some sort of a movie star. She’d never even imagined herself becoming a teacher, but now, as she saw the bright smiles worn by all the children on the stage, she knew it was her true calling.
Once the show finished, she rounded up all the kids and got them onto the school bus. Together, they went to a local pizza shop. The kids ran wild, enjoying the pizza, games, and bowling at their disposal. Amber smiled, knowing they deserved it after a job well done. As she watched a little red-haired girl bowl a strike, a peck on her cheek surprised her. She turned around and saw Neil standing there with a smug look on his face.
“I was wondering when you would get here,” she said, handing him a can of his favorite cherry soda. “I was getting worried.” Her engagement ring sparkled in the dull light.
“Well, we went into double overtime and then a penalty shoot-out. It was pretty intense,” he said. A group of young boys, all wearing white soccer uniforms, joined Amber’s soon to be actors and actresses. Soon they were getting along like peanut butter and jelly. The couple watched them, seeing the two groups meld together.
“So, who won?”
“We did of course,” Neil answered with a bright smile. He had wondered when she would ask him. He pulled out a large trophy, showing it to her. On the base, the words Junior Soccer Champions were engraved.
“Is that real gold?” she asked, smiling too. He knocked on the trophy with his knuckles and shrugged.
“I don’t know, but I don’t really care, because all the gold and happiness I could ever want is right here.” With that, he kissed her gently. His fingers ran through her hair, pulling her close. In that moment, their lives were perfect.
*****
THE END
My Boss’s Fake Fiancé
Rafe
There was nothing he enjoyed more than experiencing new things, especially from the people around him. At one point in his life he had gone to great lengths to let people be who they were, but as time went on he had tailored his abilities to help, and sometimes hurt, the people around him. He wasn’t a bad person, not really. There was simply a time and a place for everything and everyone. When bad people did bad things, they simply needed to be punished, and if the people sworn to protect the townspeople failed to do so, he often took matters into his own hands.
There was, of course, a flip side to that idea. He loved to get his own way, always had. He could use his powers of persuasion to get exactly what he wanted, though he went out of his way to not do that, not when it was so much more of a challenge to conquer whatever he wanted on his own terms. Tonight was one of those nights, as he pursued the crowd of people and singled out a lucky lady whom he would enjoy playing with for the night. Playing was a good word for it, really. He barely finished up one dalliance before he was bored with it and ready to move on.
This one was a blonde, petite and she was eager to please, which he needed tonight. He was in no mood for games and the way she was looking at him made her obvious. He stood, his tall 6′2″ frame easily noticeable among the crowd, and smiled rakishly at the bartender, sliding his money over to her before heading away from the bar and towards the blonde. She smiled up at him and he offered her an arm, which she took, rubbing one of her manicured hands over the rough texture of his coat.
He knew by the way she carried herself, she would be more than willing to please him, and the night would still be young when he finally made it home. He was no stranger to the wiles of women and he knew how to give just as much as he took. As they made their way into her apartment, he watched and waited for her to begin.
He glanced at the clock and saw that it was 12:05 before he stood and made his way to the bathroom. It had been an hour and ten minutes. As he splashed water on his face, he stared hard at his reflection. He was average in his own opinion, but many women would disagree. His black hair fell in waves on his head and the razor stubble across his face and chin gave him a more devilish look. Even his chocolate-brown eyes seemed to gleam as he blinked at his reflection before slipping into his clothes and making his way out into the darkness of night.
He hadn’t always been so cavalier about women; it was something that came with the business. A business that was near and dear to his heart—and in a little bit of trouble. His father had warned him about his ways, something about being a womanizer coming back to bite him, but what he had been in school was nothing compared to him now. After the death of his father, he had taken up all the responsibilities of running the business, but that brought about a certain coldness in him.
Looking at it now, it was then when his father had told him of the mutation in him. Up until that moment on, Rafe had assumed he had a way about him, a way of getting people to respond to him. He always thought he was the type to be able to make change simply by raising a voice. Sadly, it had been his ability to persuade that had been doing it for him for years.
He thought of himself as the only one, but his father had given him a list of people to contact, others like him. With that he had a network of friends, some he would even call family; all of them had their own unique talents. That was when he met Angel, and with her came a different kind of understanding. He had loved her, in his own way. She had come barreling into a room full of people her head held high and her blond hair flowing down her back. She had been pissed off, and not afraid to let people know it.
She caught his eye on her way out of the room, gave him one look, and kissed him full on the mouth. From that night on they had been together. It seemed so long ago now, before he had learned to be hard, learned to put emotions away and face the reality of what running the company really meant. Somehow, they had drifted away, both wanting too much or too little from the other until he had left her and everyone else behind to live his life as “normal” as possible.
His mother had wanted more—a lot more–for him, and she never failed to tell him that. Just yesterday she drilled him full of questions.
“Rafey, why don’t you give your old mothers some grands before I get too old to enjoy them?”
“Come on ma, you know I don’t have time for all that stuff. Business is booming and I have mergers on the table. Plus, you wanted me to take on that charity stuff with you remember?”
She was frowning and still pouting when he dropped her home after lunch.
“Rafey I want you to understand. You are a good man; you work too hard just like your papa. Go have fun and meet a nice girl. Give me that much before I am gone.” With a sigh, he helped her inside and she hugged him close before he left.
He wasn’t sure what she was worried about. At 31 he still had plenty of time to meet a girl and give her some “grands” as she called them—plenty of time indeed.
Angel
She still had it, whate
ver “it” was exactly. She smiled at the dark-haired man who just entered the bar, and right on cue, he smiled back, giving her a once-over. His aura was red, lustful, just as she thought it would be. She flipped her long, blond curls behind her shoulder as she moved on to glancing around the room once more. Something was shifting with her abilities, but testing it now she felt better than she had in weeks.
She wished she had something better to give to the community. She could read emotions, which really didn’t seem like much of a gift. Most people were blatant about how they felt, at least eventually. She could sense a color surrounding someone and that would tell her what that person really felt deep down, even if they didn’t know it yet. Lately, things weren’t as easy to accomplish and by the way people in her community were acting, she knew it wasn’t just her alone that seemed to be struggling with it.
Now she found herself on a mission to find him of all people. She wasn’t sure whose great idea it was to send her, but now she was here in the seedy Washington D.C. weather looking for him. She hadn’t completely left him. She would pop in from time to time to check on him, but the last time had been four years ago, and she knew the interaction would be difficult for them both.
She had loved him then, and she still did. She had been chosen to find him and build a new community together, but she wasn’t sure if he was even interested in the community anymore. He had been gone so long now, most people thought he was dead. She glanced up at the lights on the bar, noticing how they dimmed slightly and suddenly she felt him there. She watched him as he took a few long strides towards the door, taking some blond with him as he went.
She sighed, sipping her drink. He was different, but he still loved a good time. She would have to use that to her advantage tomorrow when she went to see him. Hours later she made her way to her own apartment, one she had rented just for this purpose. Everything would be better soon, and she would be able to feel like herself again. Stripping down for the night she was reminded of her past. The scars on her back were proof of the little girl she had once been. She had been raised in one foster home after another until she escaped it all one day. It was back then that she had met Rafe, and her life had changed forever.
Melody
She was in trouble and there was no denying it. Melody pushed back her mass of flaming red hair off her shoulders and then slumped down in the chair once more. There had to be some way out of this mess, but she couldn’t see it. She thought once more about her job at the diner and if she should have given it up so quickly. She thought about Roger and his groping hands and visibly shuddered. There was no way she could feel like her decision to quit was a bad one. That had been two weeks ago, and despite her best efforts, she was running out of options, and fast. She glanced once more at the classifieds, though there was nothing different.
She decided to go for a walk to clear her head—anything to change up the monotony of her day. She slipped into a coffee shop on Main and settled into a cozy booth to wait for her name to be called to pick up the hot brew. There was something soothing about this place, something that made her feel warm and cozy, especially since the weather was getting colder. Even the two dollars spent on this coffee was a luxury, but one she afforded herself since it was really her breakfast.
The days seemed to get shorter by the minute and with them went her options for work. She thought long and hard about her brother’s offer to come live out west with him and his family, but she didn’t want to be a burden on him. He was happy, with a massive family of his own; the last thing he needed was his kid sister tagging along because she hadn’t found her own way in life.
It wasn’t for lack of trying that’s for sure. She was still in school, though the semester was at an end and she would have almost a month off to get her life in order. She heard her name and stood to get the coffee, smiling at a nice older woman as she went. She had just grasped the paper cup when she felt the rush of something hard hit her from the side.
Had it been anything else but coffee, she would have likely smiled the situation off as bad timing, but not today and not when she was covered in it. Not to mention that it was her morning coffee—one she had accepted as a necessity to start her day. She glanced up at the tall figure beside her and wanted to yell.
“What the hell are you doing, trying out for barrel racing or what?” She turned her head then, really looking at him. She felt the heat radiating off him the moment his eyes met hers. He was perfect, in as many ways as she could see. Dark hair and eyes and he was tall—taller than most men. There was something remarkable about his eyes, the dark brown with lighter brown flecks in them, making her look away as quickly as she had looked at him.
“I’m terribly sorry. I was looking in the other direction for some reason.” He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, before looking down at her again. “Please get the lady another coffee. Would you like a muffin or scone perhaps?” he inquired carefully.
“No, I’m fine. I just need to go clean up this mess.” She stomped off to the bathroom and once inside she let out the breath she had been holding.
Aside from a little hot coffee, she was no worse for the wear. Her only concern now was going back out there and facing the man who had knocked her over in the first place. She had nothing to worry about, not really. No man like that would ever give her a second glance. She did her best to calm her racing nerves and head back out into the shop.
She saw him immediately, smiling at her from a table in the corner. Despite refusing his offer, she found herself faced with a new mug of coffee and a blueberry muffin on a paper plate at her seat.
“I’m not hungry.” She pushed it towards him.
“Very well, it’s just that you looked like a muffin kind of gal to me.” The man shrugged and gave her a sly smile.
“Well I am changing directions.” She eyeballed the muffin before focusing her attention on him. “I trust I can sit now and not worry about being pummeled?”
He smiled at her, gesturing to the chair beside him. She sat down carefully, her stomach making a growling noise, which made her blush. He pushed the muffin in her direction, not saying a word as she broke it apart and ate it in chunks.
He didn’t speak for a long time, not until she glanced up at him. “I just wanted to apologize once more for my erratic behavior. I trust you weren’t really hurt?”
She didn’t have the heart to tease him, so she nodded. “I am fine. It was just a little bump.” She smiled as she put the brew to her lips, tasting the warm heat there.
“So, my name is Rafe. I wanted to introduce myself to you just in case something breaks later and you need a name to blame.” He smiled at her and she returned it generously. The two of them decided to sit for a moment and simply be friendly.
“So Rafe, what do you do?”
“I am a business owner, and I invest in new businesses. What about you?”
“Oh, my...” She frowned for a moment lost in thought. “Well, I am between jobs right now, and I go to school. I am just here for the coffee, I suppose.” She drifted off, glancing at the far side of the bar.
“What kind of work do you do, normally?” He smiled as he watched her.
“I am in school for teaching. I want to teach theater arts. It was always a long-term goal of mine to do some acting.” She frowned again. “I can’t believe I just said that. I am sorry, I don’t mean to bore you with the details of my life.”
He laughed slightly. “On the contrary, I am rather enjoying living vicariously through someone else for the moment.” He glanced at his watch and I knew the moment had passed.
“Well, Rafe it was nice meeting you, even at the expense of my sweater.” She smiled at him as he stood to go.
“Here, write down your number and I’ll write down mine. Just in case.” He gave her a wink and soon he was gone.
Once more, Melody sank back into her cushioned chair, she smiled as she noticed that he had splurged for the coffee with free refills. This day was looking up
after all.
Rafe
“What do you want me to do Angel? I am powerless to help the community. Plus, I must focus on my business now.” He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her as she moved. She was like a cat in many ways, always slinking about.
“I just came to see if you were having the same issues, that’s all Rafe, and to see you. Don’t tell me you don’t miss me a little?”
“I don’t, and I want my life to stay simple. I don’t care if my powers diminish. Every time you're around me things get out of hand. I’m done with that life Angel, for good.”
“Fine Rafe, but I’m not ready to give up on you, not yet. Can you at least try and help me, please?”
She meant it, and since their abilities were not active on each other, he was not able to read her and had to rely on his intuition. It was no secret that Angel was always looking out for herself, but she also seemed concerned about the mutant community they were a part of.
“Fine Angel, I’ll look into the situation, see if I can help. But you and I are finished. I have a fiancé now, and I care very much about her. I won’t have her hurt, is that clear?”
Her eyes lit up as he spoke. She was bothered by his announcement. “Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner.”
He watched her go. He had lied and knowingly played with fire. Now he had to find a girlfriend, to make sure that Angel left soon. If he got tangled up in her again, he may not recover this time and he could not risk his life and business again. He needed someone who could work hard, and look the part. He smiled as he thought of the perfect person.
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage (A Romance Collection Boxed Set) Page 16