EmmaJackson parked the car and ran around to open her door for her. It was a simple gesture, but it felt nice. It made her feel taken care of. Wanted.“You said you’ve never been sailing, so I thought I would take you,” Jackson explained, leading her down to the pier.Docked along the side was a beautiful sailboat. Emma had no knowledge on sailing other than pirates did it, but she could tell this boat was nice. It wasn’t the biggest in the marina, but it had something to it that told her it was probably the most expensive sailboat there.“Her name is the Techno Volante,” he said, guiding her to the gangplank. “Welcome aboard.”“Do I need to call you Captain?” Emma asked, carefully putting her foot on the gangplank. The boat bobbed slightly and she was glad she was watching what she was doing.“Only if you want to,” he replied. He winked at her, nearly causing her to lose her balance. “I like to be called Captain.”She grinned and stepped onto the boat. “This is beautiful,” she said,
EmmaThe sun hung above the horizon, shimmering with gold and scarlet as an island came into view. She had never been more happy to see solid ground in her life. For the first time, she understood why sailors always sounded so relieved to shout, “land ho!” She certainly felt like shouting it.Her stomach had calmed down since getting on the speedboat. She still wasn’t ready to eat a large meal, but she no longer felt like the world was trying to throw her off of it either. Emma mentally crossed off a sailing career as a future occupation.Jackson pulled the boat up onto the beach. The coarse sand grated against the hull of the ship as he made sure the boat was high enough on the beach not to get pulled out into the ocean with the tide.Jackson took a deep breath and turned to her.“I wasn’t planning on bringing you here. So, nothing’s ready. I had thought we’d sail to the yacht and eat there, but I don’t think you on a boat is a good idea for the rest of the evening.”“I would very mu
JacksonJackson wrapped his arms around Emma, loving the way she seemed to fit so perfectly in them. She was made for him. He kissed her fiercely, tasting her sweetness as they stumbled from the kitchen and out into the living room.Her kisses were sweeter than wine. Maybe it was just his imagination or the fact that she had agreed to be his, but he’d never had better. His hands itched to feel her skin, to take her as his. To make their agreement official in the most primal of ways.She pulled away, shedding her windbreaker and hat. She wore cute capri pants that showed off the curve of her calves and a cute t-shirt. It wasn’t supposed to be sexy, but Jackson couldn’t think of anything he’d rather see more.His hands rubbed up and down her shirt, eager to find their way to her skin eventually. He rubbed his hand up to the back of her neck, where he pulled her in closer for his kiss. His tongue darted inside her mouth, and she responded with short gasps of pleasure.“Come with me,” he
EmmaThe next few days after signing the contract were an absolute blur for Emma.She quit her job. Movers came and boxed up everything she owned. She told her landlord she was moving. And suddenly she was living in Jackson’s apartment building.She had an apartment two floors below Jackson’s penthouse suite. Her apartment was much, much, much smaller than Jackson’s, but that was fine. It was for her, anyway. Not the two of them.The movers put her furniture and clothing into the apartment almost exactly the way she’d had her old apartment set up. The only real difference was that now she had a much better view.She was reorganizing her dishes when there came a knock on the door. She opened it, thinking it was the movers.“You really should be more careful who you open the door to,” Jackson teased. He stood in the hallway with fresh flowers as he leaned against the door frame looking cocky and sexy.“I shouldn’t let you in?” she asked, reaching for the flowers.“You should let me in,”
Emma“I was wondering when you were going to get home.” Her hand went to the silky collar of her robe and she tugged on it gently to reveal just a hint of smooth skin underneath. She liked that he swallowed hard and stared.“Work went long,” he said, his eyes still glued to the bare skin of her chest. She let the robe open just a little more. “If I had known this was waiting for me, I would have been home hours ago.”She grinned and stood from the couch She flipped off the light, letting just the pale glow from the city lights fill the room. With a grin, she undid the ties to the robe and let the fabric slide to the floor. The pale silk pooled around her ankles as she stood naked before him in the pale twilight. She knew the lack of light would hide her flaws.His reaction made all the waiting worth it. His eyes dilated, his mouth opened, and she could see the growing bulge in his pants. She rather liked having this effect on him. She knew that he found her beautiful. She knew that he
EmmaGrace waved from a small table, motioning Emma to come sit with her. Emma smiled politely at the restaurant hostess and hurried over to see her friend.“Sorry I’m late,” Emma apologized. “I forget how long it takes to get anywhere downtown.”“Well, that’s because you’re living in the center of the city,” Grace replied. She winked at her friend. “Although, honestly, if I were you, I’d probably never leave the building.”Emma chuckled. If she never left the building, it was because she was too busy being naked with Jackson. His nice big bed with the wide windows was perfect for lazy mornings, afternoons, evenings and nights. She was surprised she was still able to walk in a straight line after all of the time spent in bed.“I ordered us coffee,” Grace said. She set the menu down and smiled at her friend. “Now, you have to tell me about dating Jackson Weathers. You never even told me you knew him!”Emma shrugged. “You know that he owns the building with the Coffee Shack I used to wo
EmmaShe’d stayed at the cemetery for hours waiting for a sign that had never come. She had cried, but didn’t feel better. She just felt empty.Jackson’s apartment was empty when Emma got home. The summer sun cast long shadows as it slowly moved toward evening. The world glowed with orange light, yet Emma didn’t see it. Her thoughts were elsewhere.What if in a few months he didn’t want her anymore? Had she really thought this through?Granted, she’d still have money, but she was starting to develop feelings for him. She liked the way he smiled at her. What if he didn’t feel the same? What if those emotions were one sided? What if after they had a child, he went back to his old philandering ways?It would break her heart and destroy her.She was starting to worry that she’d made a mistake. This had started out being about money and comfort, but now it was turning into feelings. That certainly wasn’t part of the bargain.She sighed and flopped onto the couch in the main room. She’d gon
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
JacksonHis mouth twitched like he wanted to smile at her. She raised her hand and tried to appear like this wasn’t breaking her heart. If anyone was looking, they would think she was here for moral support and that nothing was wrong.“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for joining me today. First, I’d like to address the vicious rumors going around that I am involved with a woman other than my fiancée. I want to state expressly that this is a bald-faced lie.” He paused and smiled around the room. “And I have proof.”Emma couldn’t help but gasp. So did several reporters.“If you’ll please turn your attention to the screen here,” Jackson said, motioning to a flat screen TV near him. He clicked a small button and the screen came to life. “This is security footage from a small sailboat in the dock. It was overlooked at first, but as with many good things, it warranted a second look.”Emma wondered if he meant something more by that statement, but didn’t have time to ponder it as the securit
JacksonJackson went back up to his apartment, got in the shower, and cried.He hadn’t cried since he was five years old and his pet turtle died. He hadn’t cried like this when his parents died. He didn’t know that it was possible for a grown man to feel this much hurt inside.He had screwed up. Big time.Why hadn’t he just told her? He could have come home from the party and told her then. He could have mentioned it the next day. It would have been so easy.He wanted to say it was to protect her. He wanted to believe it was because he was keeping her calm for the baby.But that was a lie.He was doing it to protect himself. He was afraid she would leave him. That she wouldn’t smile up at him like he was the best thing in the world. That she wouldn’t tease him or make him laugh because she would finally see his true nature.And he had made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. By not telling her, he had ruined things. He had broken their trust.He should have told her that he loved her the m
EmmaEmma didn’t know it was possible to cry this much. She didn’t know that she had this many tears inside of her. She didn’t know that it was possible to feel this much pain from just one lie.He kissed another woman.He didn’t love her.She was obviously nothing to him.She sat on her couch in her tiny apartment, mindlessly eating a pint of ice cream that she stole from his fridge, and cried.The worst part was that she didn’t even feel like she had the right to cry. It was in the contract that they could see other people. Their relationship was never meant to be about love. They were a business relationship. It was always supposed to be a way to keep the bad boy’s business happy. She was only ever supposed to be the good girl image.Yet, it still hurt. It hurt more than she ever thought possible.He had cheated on her. Just because she had suspected this day might come didn’t make it easier. When they had first started this arrangement, she thought she could handle it. She had tho
JacksonJackson sat at his desk, head in his hands. He didn’t know how to fix this one. He had screwed up. It wasn’t really his fault, but now that it was happening, he could see a million different ways he could have prevented this.‘If onlys’ whispered through his mind. He could have pushed the woman away sooner. He should have never been alone. He should have told Emma right away.That was the one that hurt the most. He should have come straight home and told her that a strange woman had kissed him. She would have forgiven him then. She would have understood.He sighed. Now it was too late. He’d kept the kiss to himself. For the first twenty-four hours, he thought he was safe. There were no news stories, no leaks. He had thought that it really was just an over-eager business student.And then came the phone calls. Nearly the instant it hit the tabloids, he was deluged by phone calls.Now there was a note from his housekeeper that Emma had moved all of her things out.He ran his han
EmmaEmma groaned, finally giving up on her nap. Exhaustion still tugged on her, but her phone simply wouldn’t stop buzzing or chiming. Unfortunately, it was on the kitchen table and a good ten steps away from the couch she currently was very comfortable on.The chime went off again. She thought about just leaving it there, but it was plugged in. The chimes would never stop since it would never run out of battery. Besides, that many text messages, emails, and phone calls had to be something important.With a groan, she threw her feet to the floor and sat up from the couch. She just wanted to nap today. This being pregnant thing was harder than she expected. She remembered her friend Grace’s pregnancy being easy. The only thing Grace had was an aversion to the smell of cooked chicken. Emma seemed to have an aversion to everything.She stood up and walked zombie like to the kitchen table. She picked up her phone and started making some ginger tea while she checked what was making her ph
Jackson“I don’t have to go,” Jackson told the beautiful woman laying in bed.Emma rolled over and hugged the bowl closer to her chest.“And what are you going to do if you stay here? Sit and watch me throw up?” she asked, motioning to the bowl.Morning sickness had hit her hard. He’d been surprised to learn that it really should be called All Day sickness as it didn’t occur just in the morning. It actually seemed to be worse for Emma right before bed.“I don’t like leaving you,” he said, softly. He sat on the edge of the bed and caressed her hair. She hummed slightly, leaning into him.“I’ll be fine,” she promised. “Honestly, I just want to lay in bed, drink the ginger tea you got me, and watch horrible, trashy TV. There’s a new episode.”Jackson rolled his eyes and then narrowed them. “You aren’t hyping the morning sickness so you can stay home and watch the new episode are you?”“Me?” Emma’s eyes got big and innocent as she held up a hand to her chest. “I would never.”“You so woul
He looked down at the picture again. He was a father.“What are you thinking, Jackson?” Emma asked. He looked up to see her biting her lip and looking like she was about to cry. “Please, tell me what you’re thinking.”“I’m thinking you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world,” he told her. He stood up and put his arms around her. She was shaking. “I’m thinking that I am the luckiest man in the world.”A shudder of relief went through her and she collapsed into him, tucking her face into his shoulder. He rubbed her back.“I was so afraid...” Her words came out muffled, but he understood them.“Why?” he asked, pulling her back.She shrugged. “I don’t know. Your reputation?”“It’s in our contract.”“Yeah, but so are sales taxes and membership fees. Just because it’s in a contract doesn’t mean that it’s something you want,” she replied.He took her chin in his hand, making sure that she looked up at him. She was so beautiful it made his heart catch. If he had felt protective befo
JacksonJackson woke feeling more rested than he had in months. He lay in bed for a moment, his eyes closed and body still, enjoying the lack of exhaustion. He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but it wasn’t his alarm. It wasn’t a need to move or a desire to get the day started.It was that he just wasn’t tired anymore.He peeked open one eye to see the world bathed in sunlight. It was strange that he’d slept so late. Usually, he was up and running by dawn. There was too much for him to do in the world to lay around sleeping all day.Yet, he had relaxed today. He looked over to see Emma curled up beside him. Her chest rose and fell with easy, deep breaths that told him she was still fast asleep. He smiled, watching her for a moment.When she was here, he felt at peace. There was no need to push for the next thing. He still wanted to excel, of course, but the need for better stopped when she was around. She was the best. He was content.It was a strange feeling. Usually, when he woke up
Emma“You must be Emma. It’s so wonderful to meet you. You look just like your pictures in the magazines.”Emma stood at the door of Jackson’s apartment and suddenly wished very much that she didn’t have to do this. But, she didn’t really have much of a choice. This had to happen.“Yes, I’m Emma,” she said, forcing herself to smile as she opened the door a little wider. “Please come in. Your name is Becca, right?”“That’s me, Becca the wedding planner,” the woman chirped. Becca wasn’t much older than Emma, but was several inches shorter. She had beautiful blonde hair in beautiful wavy curls down her back. The woman looked like she just stepped out of a beauty salon.She wore a light pink dress that looked like 1950’s vintage. Her makeup was perfect. Her hair was perfect.Even though Emma wore nice slacks, a button-up dark blue silk shirt, and light makeup, she felt incredibly unprepared. Becca just looked so put together.“Now, I have some samples of other weddings so that I can get y