13|Trial Run-Part 2

Pushing her uneasiness aside, Natalie walked around the room, trying out the shoes. They were more comfortable than any pair she'd ever owned.

Now that she knew the difference between cheap and expensive shoes, there was no going back. But after she got Jamie a new kidney.

"I feel like a princess!" she giggled, giddy with excitement and anticipation. "Where's my tiara?"

"Coming right up."

But it wasn't a tiara. It was a statement necklace.

Natalie had never seen so many diamonds in one place, so she had to ask. "Is it insured? What if I lose it?"

"Of course, Paul's insured it!" Emily nodded. "But I doubt Clooney and his crew plan to stop by The Empress tonight to pull off the heist of a century."

"But—"

"Stop worrying and be good. Let's put this on."

The necklace felt heavy and cold on her bare skin, but Natalie loved how it glistened in the afternoon sunlight. She liked shiny things. They were her favourite.

"Now, let's go over tonight." Emily led her to the bed and told her what to expect at the gala.

There'd be the usual hour-long awards ceremony, followed by some keynote speaker, a three-course dinner, and finally, some dancing. The whole thing would be over in five hours tops. Afterwards, Natalie could enjoy The Empress to her heart's content. And if she wanted, Paul could even book a room for her for an overnight stay.

Natalie thought it over for a moment. The offer was tempting, but she didn't want to feel even more indebted to Paul. "That's okay. I don't want to trouble your client."

Emily nodded and continued with the crash course. "Now, this is important, Nat. You have to use your alias tonight. I told you, we never use our real names on the job. If any of Paul's colleagues ask, you are an oil heiress passing through town for the weekend."

"Okay, tonight I'm Noelle," Natalie said the name, liking how it rolled off her tongue. She'd barely thought about it since she picked it.

"Are we good?" Emily searched her face for signs of panic.

"I won't mess this up for you, don't worry," Natalie assured her.

She didn't like the lies but understood they were a necessary evil. She couldn't exactly tell Paul's colleagues she was an escort substitute.

"Thanks. You won't have to do much. Speak when spoken to, and the rest of the time, nod, smile and look pretty. I know you're super smart, but remember, tonight is about Paul."

"Yes, yes. I won't steal his thunder!"

"Good! One more thing, and I hate that I even have to tell you this."

"What is it?" Natalie asked, already dreading what her friend was about to say.

"Paul has a huge ego, and sometimes, it can be incredibly fragile, and he can be quite—" Emily said, pausing briefly before adding quickly. "Possessive."

"What do you mean possessive?" The first warning bell went off somewhere in Natalie's head or maybe her tummy. But she felt even more uncomfortable now.

Had she made a mistake? Not just by agreeing to this, but with Dreams as a whole?

Goodness, she should have taken her time and thought about this instead of jumping headlong into adult entertainment.

Seeing the apprehension in her eyes, Emily was quick to reassure. "God, no, it's not what you think! He just wants his date to himself, that's all. So no flirting with other guys. No chatting to other men longer than necessary."

"But I'm just his fake date for the night. We are not in a relationship. Why would he care who I talk to?"

"Because, silly, he loves being the centre of attention. So make him feel good about himself, you know. Shower him with praise. Laugh at his stupid jokes. Even if you're tired or not in the mood, pretend you're having a good time, okay."

"Okay, I get it." But Natalie didn't get it.

Something was off with Paul, and she felt uneasy—like she was about to walk straight into a minefield. Her gut screamed at her to cancel the whole thing, take off the pretty dress, slip back into her pyjamas, and watch a TV show about people hoarding insane shit.

"Are you okay?" Emily placed her hands on her shoulders, searching her face.

Natalie was not okay. This was starting to feel more like a babysitting stint than an evening out at the fanciest hotel in the country.

But she had already promised. And Emily wasn't feeling well.

So she plastered a thousand-watt smile on her face, already practising for the evening ahead. "I've got this. And I get it, we don't want to upset Paul and his fragile ego, so I'll be sure to shower him with lots of praise!"

"Great!"

"But Em—" she said, even though she already knew Emily wouldn't heed her warning. "Maybe you should consider dropping Paul as a client. From where I'm sitting, he doesn't sound nice. I mean, all this tiptoeing around him, bending over backwards to please him? I can do it for a few hours, but I don't know how you've done it for so long and you are still sane."

Emily's laugh rang false, and her eyes were flat and hollow as she shrugged off her words. "It's my fault. I did a terrible job selling him to you."

"Whatever you say." Natalie nodded. "So quick recap. I'm Noelle, an oil heiress passing through town. Don't piss Paul off. Don't steal his thunder. Smile, nod and look pretty."

"Well done!"

"Seems easy enough." Natalie stood up, grabbed her stuff and headed out with Emily behind her.

"You forgot this," she said, handing her a clutch big enough to hold her purse, cell phone, house keys and lipstick.

"Great, more goodies from my fairy godfather," Natalie said, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

At the door, they hugged and kissed each other on the cheek.

"Don't forget to get someone to pick up your car, and get some rest after you share my page with your adoring fans! You look like shit!" Natalie said with a small wave of her hand.

"And you look like a dream! Have a blast at The Empress. I love you, kid."

Natalie gave her a quizzical look. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine. Now go. Your pumpkin chariot awaits."

Natalie blew her bestie one last kiss and set off.

The lifts were out again. They worked at least once a week if they were lucky, and she'd learned to choose her battles with rent being so cheap.

As she took the stairs one at a time, careful not to trip over her precious dress, she wondered again why she was going through all this craziness.

It felt so surreal. Like she was a spy in a James Bond movie. She looked the part of a Bond girl, too, and had a secret identity to match and the perfect clutch to hide her weapon of choice—her mauve lipstick.

For Jamie, and to see The Empress up close, she told herself as she stopped to catch her breath when she reached the ground floor. Walking down four flights of stairs in 4-inch heels was not child's play, no matter how expensive and comfortable they were.

Excited catcalls and applause erupted across the street when Natalie stepped into the afternoon sunshine.

She didn't doubt for a second that the husky man Aunty Viv had sent to pick her up would take on the unruly group with little effort if they tried anything.

The forty-minute ride to The Empress didn't call for lengthy introductions; they would never see each other again after today. But he was still the perfect gentleman, and after a brief nod from him and a polite smile from her, Aunty Viv's driver opened the door for her and made sure she was settled comfortably in the front seat of his fancy Mercedes-Benz C Class before he climbed in behind the wheel and shifted the car into drive and whisked her off.