Chapter 21 The Rules
The next day, Emily did not have to wait long for a call from her friend and soon to be fake boyfriend.
She meant to call him as soon as she finished breakfast, but her phone rang at 9 am.
“Have you forgiven me yet?” Byron’s smooth voice caressed her ear.
“Yes,” she replied, “and I want to do the fake dating.”
“You do?” his voice suddenly lost some of its professional lustre, and he sounded vulnerable for a moment. “Let’s talk it over. I’ll pick you up for lunch at Mangiamo.”
The Italian restaurant was bustling with glamorous couples and smartly dressed professionals. Amadeo, the same middle-aged man who had served them the last time they were here, appeared even happier to see Byron. Once again he had a hug for his employer and a warm greeting for Emily.
She was bewildered by how close Byron was to his staff, despite all the articles she had read about his ruthlessness and how he crushed all companies that stood in his way. Maybe he truly cared about the people who worked for him but saw all others as mere statistics of collateral damage.
“This might not be easy,” Byron began, “considering what I can safely call our mutual attraction for each other.”
As she sat at the table across from him, Emily could not deny it. It was good that the table separated them because she was tempted to reach out and stroke the beautiful outlines of his face. She wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Suddenly she realized Byron was saying something, while she was completely distracted by his god-like appearance.
“...so, maybe you would like to make any suggestions?” he asked.
“Suggestions?” she echoed.
“About our new arrangement.”
“Oh, of course,” she said, flustered, “No, you go first.”
“All right.” He smiled as if he knew she had been admiring his looks. “Let’s start with public displays of affection. How far are we willing to go?”
“Um...” Emily had not considered this.
He took her hand and stroked it with his thumb, a light and teasing touch.
“Would this be okay?” he asked.
Emily nodded, wondering how she was going to be able to stand this without surrendering to his charm.
“What about hugging?” he went on.
“Hugging...” Emily cleared her throat nervously.
“We need to proved something for the journalists to talk about,” he said, though Emily suspected it was not the only reason he wanted to get closer to her.
“Hugging would be fine.”
“I guess kissing would be out of the question?” His eye glinted mysteriously as his lips bent in a wicked smile.
“I... haven’t thought about it,” Emily said. “Kissing on the cheek might be allowed.”
“No kissing on the lips then?” he asked. His whole look seemed to say, “try it, you might like it.”
Her body melting with desire, Emily stayed firm on this point. “No kissing on the lips.”
Amadeo came to take their order, providing a much-needed break from the sultry discussion. After they both ordered pizza, they resumed what was turning into an indulgent yet alarming list of things they might be doing in the future.
“I know you’ll think this is too much,” Byron said, looking more serious, “but what about sleeping over at my place?”
“But that could lead to much more touching than we agreed on,” Emily said, unsure what he had in mind.
“It doesn’t have to,” he responded.
“Can you really believe that?” she asked. It was hard to picture herself in the same house as him without feeling the temptation to forget all the rules.
He almost seemed offended. “Hey, I’m not a wild animal. I can control myself.”
Emily smiled, tipping her head to the side. “What if I’m a wild animal?”
He grinned. “I’d like to see that very much.”
“I’ll bet you would.” They both laughed, and Emily was having too much fun to remain cautious like she had planned.
“But I want you to know,” Byron said, resuming a serious look, “you’ll always be safe at my place.”
“I know,” she said, “I trust you.”
His lips opened a touch in surprise. “So you’ll think about it?”
Emily took a long drink of water, trying to reduce the heat that infused her whole body.
“Yeah. Maybe a sleepover would be nice.”
“Why are you being so agreeable today?” Byron asked suspiciously.
Emily was glad she could finally reveal the reason since this was good timing. “I got your letter!”
“So, it finally arrived,” he remarked with a slight smile, “I sent it by regular mail to make sure you get the full experience.”
“Thank you,” Emily said sincerely, “I’ll treasure it forever. I’ve always wanted to receive a hand-written letter.”
She decided not to mention she had always wanted to receive one from an attractive young man.
“I’m glad it arrived when it did,” Byron said, “or you might not have forgiven me for yesterday’s blunder. But I’d still like to make it up to you.”
