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Although, at this point, I’m not sure I want anything to do with this situation anymore. What he’s asking me to do is way outside my comfort zone.
“I don’t know…”
“This isn’t a request, Emma. This is something you’re doing, no question. I’ve let you and your mother live comfortably on my dime for years. You owe me this.”
Owe him? He’s rich. Paying for our meager expenses is a drop in the bucket for him compared to his normal lifestyle.
He cuts off my protest by continuing, “If you don’t convince him, there won’t be any money. No phone, no health insurance, no house.”
No house? He’d evict us? And Mom needs that insurance. The cost of her prescriptions is bad enough as it is and she hasn’t qualified for disability yet. Plus, if her cancer comes back…
“Dad—”
“I’m not bluffing. I… I’ve already had to put my apartment up for sale.”
Again? He just downgraded his condo in Manhattan earlier this year.
“Okay, I’ll try.” I can do that. I’ve got nothing to lose, I guess.
“No, not try. You’ll do it.”
“Yes, sir,” I whisper, just wanting this conversation to be over.
“Good. I have a meeting with some business associates in two days, so I need this taken care of by tomorrow. I expect results by the time you come home from work.”
By tomorrow? Yeah, right. He must be delusional.
I’m quiet as he takes his leave, slamming the door behind him, and I sit in silence for a minute, ruminating over everything he said. He expects me to flirt with Connor Bishop and make so much of an impression, he’ll do whatever I say? The man just suffered the loss of his father, had his whole world upended, became CEO of one of the biggest social media companies out there. I highly doubt he’ll be paying the least bit of attention to me, his temporary assistant.
I glance up as Mom peeks her head into the living room, furtively checking the area. “Was that Greg?”
“Yeah. The coast is clear.” It kills her to have him see her this way. Like he said, in her prime, she could have had her pick of men. But for some reason, the only man she’s ever had eyes for is my dad. Too bad he stopped looking her way long ago.
“Look, I’m sorry for snapping earlier.” She gingerly sits by me on the couch, brushing the hair back from my face. “I know you’re trying your best, baby. I appreciate it.”
I nod, accepting her apology. I don’t want to get into it again. “How about I make us dinner? I put some chicken in the fridge to defrost this morning.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, pain still lingering there.
I guess I need to take Dad’s commandment seriously. Mom is depending on me. If he actually kicked us out… what would we do?
Now to just figure out how to fake seduce a man.
Chapter Three
Emma
“Hello?”
I press my phone to my ear as hard as I can, but it’s still difficult to make out Vivian’s voice through the noise of other New Yorkers exiting the subway.
“Daughter… labor… early…”
I only understand every third word, but it’s enough for me to get the gist of what she’s saying. “Your daughter went into labor early?” No, no. I need more time. To shadow Vivian and learn the job. To figure out how I’m going to convince Connor to buy Dad’s company.
To… seduce.
I walk as briskly as I can, trying to escape the crowd to hear better, but it’s no use. “I’ll call you back later,” I tell her, hanging up and stowing the phone in my purse.