Chapter 2

Aria raised her brow. “Aren’t you happy I gave you the best man on the planet for your first time? There’s also no one more I trust more in this world than you. This cannot get out. Not even a hint. You and I will both be signing non-disclosure agreements of a sort. Plus, you have the attributes that were requested.”

“Oh?” I replied, intrigued about what made me stand out.

“Yes. The request was that the girl should have discretion, no criminal record, no history of drug use, and someone with a university education.”

I frowned. “Well, that sums up all the girls in your business.”

“They also requested that you be a bit of a ‘girl next door.’ No supermodels.”

I snorted. “Wow. I feel so special right now.” Aria ignored my sarcasm and continued.

“You have to arrive in a corporate dress.” She gave me a look of absolute seriousness.

 “Oh, Mr. Rivera has a secretary fetish?” I asked.

“I am not sure about that, but apparently, it will make your arrival more plausible if you don’t actually look like you are there to have a tryst with the CEO.” I should have been offended at the statement. I couldn’t look like someone going out to have a tryst even if I tried.

“Of course!”

“Lily, if I sent one of the girls that look like they came out of magazine covers and a photo was taken, it would raise suspicions. Just imagine if one of the regulars recognized them. You are doing this once in your lifetime, so there is minimal risk. You also have the ability to tone it down or look like a sex goddess when you need to. So, wrap up your goddess-like body in the shell of a mousy girl, okay?”

I scoffed. “When have I dressed like a sex goddess?” I asked.

“You’ve always dressed comfortably. But woman, have you seen yourself in a dress? Any man would want to rip the dress off you!” Aria said. She waggled her brow, much to my embarrassment.

If you were given five days to prepare for a date with the sexiest man alive, who also happened to be one of the most powerful businessmen in the world, what would you do?

You would wax, shade, exfoliate, pluck, tan, spend more time at the gym, and probably not eat.

Did I do those things? Nope. Yes, I was waxed all over but that was my usual routine. I spent the weekdays obsessing over Kai Rivera’s hands. I watched hours of footage of the man giving interviews, looked at hundreds and hundreds of photographs. Many were from his younger days as part of the Rivera political dynasty. Then there were others when he launched his business and made a name for himself.

I got to know him as much as possible without meeting him. So, when I donned my expensive trench coat on Saturday night, I felt like I was as ready as one possibly could be. With the buttons done up and the belt tied, I felt all wrapped up like a present.

A yellow scarf was tied around my neck and tucked into the neckline to make the ensemble look super conservative. Not a peep of cleavage of skin anywhere to be seen.

I pulled a piece of sticky paper off the yellow shoes I had ordered for the occasion and threw it away unceremoniously. With one last look in the mirror, I smoothed a piece of my hair back into the bun at the base of my head, and then I grabbed my matching bag.

I looked like I was about to walk into a boardroom, not like I was about to have sex with Kai Rivera.

At precisely half-past seven in the evening, I received a phone call informing me that my ride had arrived. I made my way out of my room, down the elevator, and through the lobby of the hotel. I had my head down, concentrating on the floor, making sure not to attract any attention.

As I made my way through the front door, I spotted the black car that was waiting to take me to the CEO.

“Rosalind, good evening,” I was greeted with the name Aria had chosen for this purpose. The face of the person in question was familiar. Sitting next to me was Kai Rivera’s younger brother, chief of staff of the current President, Eric Rivera.

I took his outstretched hand and gripped it firmly. “Mr. Rivera, nice to meet you.” All business.

I was relieved when Eric dropped my hand and didn’t try to kiss the back of it. I had been scared of the knowing looks. Aria had warned her that men insinuated getting sexual favors after the assignment was done.

Apparently, that happened.

We were silent as the car pulled into traffic. Eric seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

“This isn’t something Kai has done before. He’s…” Eric looked down, picking an imaginary piece of lint from his pants. “He’s not in a position to date… and he’s…” Eric seemed quite nervous.

“Mr. Rivera, there is no need to explain anything to me. The President’s family is human. It’s just that your family are not in a position to follow your heart or date.”

“Correct.”

“What does he know about me?” I asked. I was curious about this. How was I represented to Kai?

“He knows you are coming,” Eric said lightly.

“Well, that’s good.” It would have been awkward if he had no idea that I was coming. How would I explain that? I couldn’t even imagine the embarrassment.

“He doesn’t know that you are being paid. Well, we haven’t talked about it.” He corrected. “It is best not to talk about these things, but he is not stupid. He has been told that you are a friend of my wife. He knows that you will be there to spend time with him. And if you are both willing… you know the rest.”

I nodded my head. I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen but I could sense asking more questions would make Eric even more nervous.