Emma Grace 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
Emma She’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. Sh
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
Emma Emma barely waited for both of them to get in the limo and the door to close before she kissed him again. She needed his kisses like she needed oxygen. From the way he kissed her back, Jackson felt the same. The car started moving and Emma decided to utilize the space only a limo could provide. She pulled up her dress so that she could straddle his waist. He groaned as she moved over him, his hands going to her hips. The soft silky fabric pooled around the two of them as they made out in the back seat of the limo. Jackson nipped at her lower lip, causing her body to heat with desire and she let out a low moan. “Everything okay back there?” the limo driver asked, glancing back in the mirror. “Perfect,” Jackson replied, his voice tight. She felt his right hand leave her waist and fumble with the buttons until the privacy screen went up. Emma grinned and glanced around at the darkened windows and privacy screen. “I’ve never done it in a limo,” she remarked. “Mmm,” Jackson mum
Emma She lay there in a daze, letting her mind catch up to her body. She floated on light as she heard him stand and the soft clang of his belt buckle as he slid off his pants. She sat up. “Your turn,” she told him. “I want to taste you.” His eyebrows went up, especially as she leaned forward and took his cock in her hand. She motioned with her head for him to take a seat. She loved the velvet softness of his cock against her fingers. She loved the way his breath caught just a little when she moved her fingers along his shaft. His stomach tightened with anticipation as she sank to her knees in front of him, the muscles clearly defined in a six pack. She flicked her tongue on his head, then ran it down his shaft, lifting him and licking down the thick vein, down to his balls. She pressed his cock up against his own abdomen, looking up at him as she kissed and licked his balls. His groan was music to her ears. “Does that feel good?” she asked, mumbling into his balls. His cock tw
Jackson“You look very nice, Mr. Weathers,” Mrs. Bales said, looking up from her desk as he passed. She paused typing a memo to smile at him. “Are you going on a date with that lovely Ms. Emma?”At the sound of Emma’s name, Jackson couldn’t help but smile. “No. Business dinner.”“Oh, that’s right. It’s Tuesday.” His secretary nodded and then stood up. “Let me fix your tie. It’s crooked.”Mrs. Bales hobbled around her desk, mumbling something about getting to the doctor for another look at her hips. She stood before her employer and fixed his tie for him. She smiled as she smoothed the dark silk of his tie.“There you go,” she said. “I sent the flowers to your house as instructed. I went with amaryllis because they mean, ‘worth beyond beauty.’”“Where did you learn that?” Jackson asked her.“I looked it up,” Mrs. Bales replied. “I do know how to use Google. I made sure that the flower meaning card got put in there too, so Emma will know as well.”“You’re going to make her think I’m rom
EmmaThe coffee pot hummed to life as she pressed the buttons. Jackson had the fanciest coffee machine she’d ever seen. It was a good thing she had worked in a coffee shop with a temperamental espresso machine, or she would have never been able to figure out how to work the dang thing.In just a few seconds, Emma had a cup of steaming coffee complete with foamed milk and just a dash of vanilla. It was heaven in a cup.She wrapped her hands around the mug and sat down at the table. She was a little more awake now, but still tired. It was a good thing she didn’t have to work today, or any day really, because she wasn’t sure she would make it to the end of the day without a nap.She sipped her coffee and sat in the sunshine pouring in through the big windows. She could understand why cats loved sunshine windows. They were decadent.The smell of roses caught her attention and she smiled. The entire living room was filled with different colors of the beautiful blossoms. She still couldn’t
Emma “Are you okay?” “What?” Emma stuttered, turning from the limo window and looking blankly at Jackson. “You’re distracted,” he told her. “I’ve asked you the same question three times and you haven’t said a word. You just sat there. Are you okay?” “Oh, I’m sorry,” Emma replied. She reached for his hand. “I’m just tired.” “Are you sick?” Jackson asked. “You look a little pale.” “I’m fine,” Emma told him. “It’s probably just a little bug. I’ll be fine.” A baby bug, she thought to herself. And I’ll be fine in about nine months. Emma thought about telling him about the positive pregnancy test, but decided to wait until she had it confirmed by a doctor. Her appointment was in a couple of days. She was still so early in her pregnancy that she didn’t want to get his hopes up yet. She didn’t want him to think about his business troubles tonight, either, so, she was waiting until the doctor confirmed what the pregnancy test told her. It was better for everyone that way. “Oh look, w
Jackson His 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 se
Jackson Jackson 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
Emma Emma 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
Jackson Jackson 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
Emma Emma 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 he
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 protec
Jackson Jackson 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 wo
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 ca