“So, I’ll pick you up here tomorrow at eight. Be ready for the time of your life,” he told her. He was already thinking of the best way to get her to like him. He was going to show her a great time so she’d want to say yes to his proposal to marry him and have his baby.
“Okay.” She grinned and hugged her arms to her body. “That sounds great.”
He flashed her his best smile and walked out of the coffee shop feeling like he’d just won the lottery. She had said yes. He felt like jumping into the air and shouting, but decided to just walk calmly to the elevator since he knew she was watching.
He grinned the whole way up. This was going to work.
Chapter 4
Emma
* * *
The clock read 6:58. She only had two minutes left of work and then she had no idea what was going to happen next. She was supposed to go on a date with billionaire Jackson Weathers in an hour, but she had no idea where they were going, what they were doing, or what she was supposed to wear.
She’d packed a small backpack with a cute little black dress, but she wasn’t sure it was going to work if he wanted to take her somewhere nice. She looked down at her khaki pants to see a new coffee stain. There was no way she could wear her work outfit anywhere.
“Excuse me, are you Miss Emma Sheridan?”
A man in a dark brown suit stood at the front of the coffee shop. Everything about him was thin and nervous looking from his brown suit to his wispy brown hair.
“That’s me,” Emma told him, coming out from behind the counter. The clock tripped over to seven.
“My name is Thad Romero,” the man told her. He smoothed the top of his thinning hair. “I’m here to help you dress.”
Emma blinked twice. No one had helped dress her since she was five years old and couldn’t get the buttons straight on her sweaters. “Excuse me?”
“Mr. Weathers has instructed me to help you pick out something appropriate for this evening,” the man explained. “If you’ll come with me, we can begin.”
Emma stood still for a moment before remembering that Mr. Weathers had said he would take care of everything. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. With a shrug, she followed this thin man out into the main building.
He walked quickly and efficiently to the elevator, holding the door open for her and then pressing the button to the thirty-third floor. As the doors closed and the elevator began moving, he put his hands on Emma’s shoulders and moved her to the center of the elevator.
“The light is not ideal in here, but we are pressed for time,” he told her as he circled around her, examining her like a hungry shark. He reached up and took her chin in his hand, studying her face. “Hazel eyes? The greens then.”
Emma just stared at him, unsure of what she’d gotten herself into. When the elevator door opened, the man hurried out into the hallway and was halfway to a door when he turned around.
“Well? Hurry up, we don’t have much time,” the man said, holding open a door and motioning impatiently.
Emma shook herself and quickly followed him. The door looked like it should lead to a conference room, but instead of an over-sized table and chairs, there were racks of clothing. She glanced around and saw two women waiting at a full makeup counter, complete with the movie-set lights.
“This is Claire and Shana,” Thad explained, pushing her into the room. “They’re here to do your hair and makeup once I’ve fitted you. Come stand here, please.”
Thad had her stand on a small stool. He pulled out a tape measure and quickly measured her hips, waist and bust with speed and accuracy. He kept muttering the numbers and looking around as he thought.
Suddenly, he paused and smiled. “It’s perfect.”
“What’s perfect?” Emma asked, but he didn’t answer her.
> Instead, he dove into a rack of clothing and sorted through it until coming to a specific hanger. He pulled it out and smiled at her.
“I’ll have this ready in just a few moments,” he told her. “If you’ll please go to Claire, she’ll get you started. Claire? Half up-do, please.”
The taller woman in the corner stepped forward and smiled. “Please sit. I’m going to do your hair. Shana will do your makeup. Do you have any allergies or specific requests?”
“Um, no allergies,” Emma replied. “I guess my only request is a more natural look.”
“Oh, with your skin, that will be perfect,” Shana told her. “You’re going to look like a million dollars.”