I gulped and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Emma, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” the woman said as she hugged me. “Look at you. You’re beautiful.”
“Emma, I’d like you to meet Bradshaw and Carol Hamilton, my parents.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” His dad smiled as he held out his hand.
I extended my hand and we lightly shook. “It’s wonderful to meet the both of you.”
Everything happened so fast I didn’t know what was going on. One minute I was in the bathroom and the next, I was meeting some guy’s parents who thought I was his fiancée.
“Mom, Dad. It was nice of you to come all the way here, but I have to take Emma home. We’ll catch up later, okay?”
“Nonsense, son. You both will ride with us and we’ll drop her off on the way.”
“Seriously, Dad, we want to be alone for a while,” Max commanded. “Can you please respect that?”
“Certainly we can, Max.” His mom smiled. “Come on, Bradshaw. Let the two of them be for now. We can get to know Emma better at dinner tonight. Seven o’clock. Don’t be late.”
My eyes widened and I took in a deep breath. “Looking forward to it.” I smiled.
They both walked away and exited the airport. I turned to Max, who let out a breath, and I smacked him.
“What the hell was that all about? Your fiancée? Are you fucking crazy?!”
“Ouch. Let me explain. Just calm down.”
“Oh, you’re going to explain. In fact, you have five seconds.” I walked away when I saw my luggage come around. I grabbed it and Max grabbed his, following me as I stepped out the doors.
Max hailed us a cab and I slid in the back seat. “Do you have the address of where you’re staying?”
I pulled out the piece of paper from my purse and handed it to him.
“Tribeca, eh? Nice.” He rattled off the address to the cab driver.
“Now you have three seconds to tell me what the hell just happened back there.”
“Emma, it’s a long story. Can it please wait until we get to your apartment?”
How could this day get any worse? I should have just stayed in Miami and none of this would be happening right now.
Chapter 3
Max slid out of the cab and held out his hand to help me. I smacked it.
“I don’t need your help.” I climbed out and grabbed my luggage from the cab driver. Max grabbed his and followed me inside.
“You’re on floor twenty-eight,” he said.
“No shit. I can read.”
We took the elevator up to the twenty-eighth floor and I found apartment 28C.
“Wait. I’ve been here before,” Max spoke. “What’s your friend’s name again?”
“Macy.”
“Is she a high-end fashion model?”
I turned and gave him a suspicious look. “Yeah.”
“I know her. I’ve been to a couple parties here.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes as I inserted the key and opened the door. “Wow!” I exclaimed as I stepped into the foyer.
“Pretty nice. Isn’t it?”
Over to the right of the foyer was the kitchen with a few white cabinets and black granite counter tops. The living room was huge with every wall being nothing but windows that overlooked the Hudson River. It was absolutely breathtaking.
“You should see the view at night with the city all lit up. It’s amazing,” Max said.
I turned from the window and glared at him. “Explain! NOW!” I yelled.
He put his hands up and fell back into the black leather chair.
“Okay. Okay. Can you at least sit down?”
I sat down on the couch across from the chair, waiting for him to explain himself.
“I have three months until my twenty-sixth birthday to get engaged to be married or I won’t get my trust fund. It was a rule that my parents put in place when the trust fund was set up. It’s what my grandparents did for my father and so now he believes because it worked for him, it’ll work for me.”
I waved my hands back and forth at him. “Wait a minute. In order for you to collect your trust fund, you have to be engaged by your twenty-sixth birthday? Did I just hear you right?”
“Yes, and I’ll be twenty six in three months, so I would say that time is running out. I’m sorry to drag you into this, Emma, but I need your help. Trust me, I didn’t plan on this. A couple of nights ago, I was drunk and apparently sent a text to my dad saying that I was bringing my fiancée home for them to meet. If you help me out with this small favor, I will help you out.”
“Really? And what could you possibly do to help me out?”
“I’m going to pay for your entire tuition at Parsons. You will never have to worry about that again.”
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I’m in a bind, you’re in a bind, and we can help each other out. All I need is for you to pretend to be my fiancée for three months. After I collect my trust fund, then you are to break the engagement off.”
I couldn’t believe what he was asking. He was only the guy I spoke to at a club in Miami last night and now I’m his supposed fiancée? Too much shit was spinning around in my head.
“So that’s it? Are there any rules or stipulations to go with this ‘arrangement’?”
“The only thing is you have to attend family and social functions. That’s it. We won’t be going out on dates. We won’t be having sex. Unless you want to, then by all means, I’m all yours.” He smiled. “Listen, Emma. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not ready to settle down and, frankly, I don’t have any desire to. My dad wants me to uphold the Hamilton image and create this perfect little family. Meanwhile, he’s off fucking his thirty-year-old secretary and the twenty-something intern he just hired. I’m rich, successful, and soon to be even more successful and I don’t need to be tied down to someone who will complicate my life.”
The plan he was proposing didn’t sound so bad and he was going to make my lifelong dream of attending Parsons a reality if I pretended to be his fiancée for a short period of time.
“Three months?” I asked just to be sure.
“Yes. Three months. Just until I turn twenty-six.”
I placed my hands over my face and took in a deep breath. I was already here in New York. Nobody had to know about this. It would be our little secret for three months. Three months wasn’t so long.
“Okay, Max. You have yourself a deal.”
He stood up in excitement. “Really, Emma? You’re sure about this?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ll write you a check for your tuition. Now, since we’re having dinner together tonight at my parents’ house, we have to go get you a ring. We have to keep it real and you can just wear it when we’re together and around family.”
“Now?” I asked.
“Yeah. We’ll head over to Tiffany’s and you can pick out whatever you want.”
“Tiffany’s? I’ve never been in Tiffany’s.” Excitement took over me.
“You’ll love it. Let me call the family driver, Martin, to come get us.”
“You have a driver?”
“Yeah. He’s really cool. You’re going to love this lifestyle for a while.” He winked. “I think we should exchange phone numbers since we’re engaged to be married.” A light chuckle escaped him.
I pulled out my phone and entered in his number and he entered mine. A while later, Martin called and said he was waiting outside. My first couple of hours in New York City and I was off to pick out an engagement ring. What the fuck am I getting myself into?
Chapter 4
When we arrived at Tiffany’s, we were taken into a room in the back where the most beautiful diamond rings sat on velvet cushions.
“It’s nice to see you, Mr. Hamilton.”
“Thank you, Doug. I would l
ike to you to meet my fiancée, Emma Knight.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Knight.” He smiled graciously. “Please take a seat. I’ve taken the liberty of pulling some of our finest diamonds for you. May I offer you a glass of wine?”
My face lit up. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
Max and I took a seat in front of the table. “Pick out whatever you want.”
“They’re all so beautiful, Max.”
“Beautiful diamonds for a beautiful woman.” He winked.
My stomach was in knots and I was afraid to touch them. I’d never seen such beauty up close before. I carefully looked at each ring as I slipped it on my left hand. Such sparkle and elegance had never touched these hands and I was in awe and feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“Here, try this one.” Max smiled as he took my hand and slipped on a two-carat cushion cut ring with diamonds going down the sides.
“Excellent choice, Mr. Hamilton. That is one of our brand new collections.”
“I love it.” I smiled as I looked over at Max.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, and it fits perfectly.”
“That’s the one we’ll take, Doug.” Max pulled out his credit card.
“Ah, excellent. It’s so wonderful to see two young people so in love and embarking on a wonderful journey and new life together.”
I almost busted out into laughter. If poor Doug only knew.
As soon as Max and I left Tiffany’s, I stopped him and put my hand on his chest.
“Aren’t you going to properly propose to me?” I smiled as I slipped my ring off and handed it to him.
“You mean right here on the street?”
“Yes. If we’re going to be engaged, I expect a proper proposal.”
“But the street is filled with people,” he replied nervously.
“Isn’t that the point, Max?”
He rolled his eyes and looked around. He got down on one knee and took my hand. Suddenly, people were stopped and gathered around us, watching the show.
“Emma Knight, will you marry me?”
I placed my hands over my mouth in excitement. I had to play the part of the happy girl who just got proposed to on the streets of New York.
“Yes. Oh my God, Max! Yes! I will marry you!”
He slipped the ring on my finger and stood up, pulling me into a warm embrace, one that jolted the shit out of me. His muscular arms wrapped around me were setting my body on fire.
“You’ll pay for this.” His hot breath trailed along my ear.
Everyone around began to clap and whistle and congratulations were said all around. Martin opened the limo door.
“Congratulations, Max and Miss Knight.”
“Thank you, Martin, and please call me Emma.” I smiled.
We slid into the back of the limo and Max looked at me, narrowing his eyes.
“You wanted me to do that in front of Martin. Didn’t you?”
“Made it look more real. Didn’t it? Now he can tell your parents how you proposed to the love of your life on the streets of New York because you’re so happy and you wanted everyone to witness it.”
“Damn. You’re good.”
“I know.” I winked.
“Martin, please take us to Saks so my lovely fiancée can buy a new dress for dinner tonight.”
“I have dresses, Max. I don’t need to go to Saks.”
“How can I put this nicely? Dinner with my parents is a formal occasion. Don’t worry; I’ll help you pick something out.”
I guessed if I was going to play the role of a millionaire’s fiancée, I’d better dress the part. Martin pulled up to the curb of Saks and opened the door for me. I climbed out and Max placed his hand on the small of my back, sending shivers down my spine. Damn. What is it about his touch? We took the escalator up to where the women’s dresses were and, immediately, Max pulled a dress from the rack. It was a Jacquard Sheath sleeveless dress with a round neckline in natural.
“You’re what? About five foot nine and a size two?”
“Size four.” I smiled. “But thanks for thinking a size two.”
“This will look amazing on you. Go try it on.”
I took the dress from Max and the sales associate let me into the dressing room. As I took off my clothes and stood in front of the full-length mirror, I noticed some areas of toning that were desperately needed. Damn these fitting room lights. Macy said there was a fitness center in the apartment building and I could use it at any time. Tomorrow, I’d start working out. I slipped into the dress and had trouble zipping it up, so I walked out of the fitting room and asked Max, who was sitting in the chair, to help me out. He got up and walked over to me with a smile on his face as I turned around. His hand lightly took hold of the zipper and he slowly zipped it up.
“Nice light pink bra. Are you by any chance wearing matching panties?” His hot breath trailed along my neck.
I swallowed hard. “Don’t you worry about what panties I’m wearing,” I replied in a seductive tone.
Once again, his lips were a mere inch from my ear. “I can’t help it.”
I took in a deep breath and turned around. “Well?”
“That dress looks perfect on you and incredibly sexy.”
“Thanks. I like it too, but I’m afraid it’s too expensive.”
“Nonsense. Nothing is ever too expensive for my fiancée.” A smile crossed his lips.
Hell, if he wanted to buy it for me, who was I to turn down a four-hundred-dollar designer dress. I began to walk back into the fitting room when Max called my name.
“Ahem, Emma.”
“Yes?” I turned around.
“Don’t you need help with your zipper?”
Shit. Here we go again. My panties were already wet from when he zipped it up. I turned around and pulled my hair up. He unzipped it as slowly as he had zipped it up.
“I swear to God. If you even think about looking at my panties, I’ll smack you.”
“I would never. Only if you wanted me to see that sweet ass of yours, then I would.”
I smirked and walked into the dressing room. As I changed back into my clothes, Max paid for the dress.
“Do you need shoes?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I forgot about shoes.”
“Well, let’s head over to the shoe department and see what they have.”
He walked a step in front of me and I couldn’t help but check out his fine ass in the dark denim jeans he was wearing. He had a great body. Muscular, strong, and, from what I could tell, perfect in all areas. When we reached the shoes, a pair instantly caught my eye. I walked over to the table and picked up the thin strap, four-inch heel sandal in a natural color.
“I think these would go great with the dress.” I turned the shoe over to see what size it was and my eyes diverted straight to the price. “Oh never mind.” I put the shoe down.
“Why? What’s wrong with them?”
“The price,” I replied as I moved to another display of shoes.
“It’s fine, Emma. They’re only eleven hundred dollars. I’ve paid more than that for my own shoes. What size are you?”
“Size eight. But seriously, Max, they’re too expensive.”
He flagged down the sales lady and asked her if they had an eight. A few moments later, she returned with the box of shoes and I slipped my feet into them.
“They look great on you.” Max smiled. “What do you think?”
“I think they’re great.”
“We’ll take them,” Max told the sales lady.
Martin was waiting for us when we stepped out of Saks. He opened the door and I slid in and across to the other side. As soon as Max slid in next to me, I lightly grabbed his hand. He looked at me with surprise and smiled.
“Thank you.” A small smile fell upon my lips.
His gray eyes stared at me for a brief moment. He tilted his head as the corners of his mouth slightly curved.
“You’re w
elcome.”
I let go of his hand and looked out the window. We arrived back to my apartment and Max told me that he’d be over around six thirty to pick me up.
“I can catch a cab. You stay at your house and I’ll see you when I get there.”
He chuckled. “Emma, I don’t live with my parents. I have my own place.”
“Oh. I assumed you lived with your parents.”
“Good God, no. I moved out as soon as I graduated from college. My apartment is over on East 77th Street, about twenty minutes from here, and my parents live over on Park Avenue.
“Oh, sorry about that. Then I guess I’ll see you at six thirty.” I grabbed the bag that my dress hung in and my shoes and went up to my new apartment.
****
I stepped into the marble tiled shower and let the hot water bead down the front of me while I tried to take in everything that happened today. I lost my loan to Parsons. I moved to New York. I got engaged to a man I just met last night, and I was going to be wearing an entire outfit that cost over fifteen hundred dollars to dinner with his parents; parents who believed that I was the love of their son’s life. It was only for three months. I needed to keep reminding myself of that. I did the right thing, right? I was second guessing myself and my decision now that I was alone and had time to absorb it. I was nothing but an ordinary girl who lived in a doublewide trailer her whole life. Everything I had was worked for. Nothing was ever given to me, including the tuition payment for Parsons. I was working for that. Like an actress. Playing a role, a part; one that probably could have won me an Academy Award.
I stepped out of the shower, put on my makeup, and threw a few curls at the ends of my long, blonde hair, deciding to pull the sides back and pin it up with a pretty pearl hair clip that Aubrey bought me for my birthday. Slipping into my dress, I struggled to zip it up. Somehow, I managed and then I slipped on my ring. As I held out my hand and stared at the beauty of the diamond, there was a knock on the door.
“Hey.” I gulped when I saw Max standing there in a pair of black dress pants and a white dress shirt with the top three buttons undone underneath a matching black blazer.
“You look gorgeous.” He smiled as he stepped inside.