Chapter 13 - Emily

**EMILY**

Emily felt uncomfortable. It took her a while to realize what was making her uncomfortable. And it took her that long to understand until she entered the luxurious shoe store at Alexander Fitzpatrick’s side. It was indeed her red sneakers that must have been an insult to the eye with her enchantingly feminine off-the-shoulder dress. But she couldn’t possibly have tried on matching shoes with her tracksuit, so she had to wear one of the newly purchased dresses. And that’s why she now felt shabby and out of place.
As soon as they entered the store, a salesman approached them with a friendly smile. “Are you looking for something in particular?”
“Yes,” Alexander replied before Emily had a chance to speak. “She needs a pair of high heels to go with this champagne cocktail dress.”
The salesman’s eyes swept over Emily and she immediately felt small and insignificant. Even this man seemed to have more elegance than she could ever project. Her self-confidence took a big hit, and she lost herself in thoughts of rows of numbers and bookings. She was very good at her job, reliable and trustworthy. Hardly anyone could fool her - only her direct supervisor, Ms. Harper, was even more competent. But Ms. Harper would be taking her well-deserved retirement this year.
“Emily?” She jumped as she felt a gentle caress on her shoulder. She looked up into Alexander’s brown eyes, which seemed unfathomable. “Yes?”
“How about following the nice gentleman?”
She looked in the direction Alexander was pointing and blushed. The salesman was waiting. How long had she been standing there, lost in thought? Her heart was pounding and she tried to hide her embarrassment by hastily following him.
The salesman led her to a collection of picture-perfect high-heeled shoes in various shades of beige, gold, and ivory. Emily reached out to pick up a pair with delicate straps and sparkling accents. They were beautiful, but also incredibly high. She could already feel her legs lengthening as she stepped into them.
Alexander was standing behind her, leaning lightly against a pillar, watching her with a look of desire in his eyes. “They’re perfect,” he said in a voice that brooked no contradiction. “Try them on.”
Her pulse doubled. She was a simple bookkeeper who had never been interested in extravagance. But the way Alexander looked at her, the way he touched her, the way he spoke to her - it awakened sensual urges in her. But that shouldn’t be the case. On the one hand she was his accountant, on the other hand she was his booked escort. In both cases, she had to keep her distance and not feel anything for him. He was a job for her, she had to keep reminding herself of that.
Emily took a seat on the velvet chair to kick off her sneakers and try on the sandals. The salesman handed her a pair of sheer trial socks, which she accepted with flushed cheeks. She was so embarrassed as she took off her gym socks and slipped into the tights. But she couldn’t help the way she was dressed. She had dressed perfectly for the gym. After all, she couldn’t have known that a man from an agency would come and hire her on the spot.
She had barely pulled on her sandals when Alexander held out his hand. Did he sense that she had never stood on such high heels before? She let him help her up, feeling weak and at the same time safe and secure in his hand. A warmth flooded through her, and if her cheeks weren’t red already, they would have turned red from the heat that filled her.
“How do you feel?” Alexander’s deep voice sent a pleasant shiver through her body.
“They... are incredible,” Emily whispered, looking into his eyes, almost breathless now that she was almost at eye level with him.
“Show me if you can move safely in them.” He let go of her hand, and she was immediately overcome with uncertainty. *They’re just shoes*, she thought, swallowing nervously. *I don’t mind a few inches.*
Her first steps were still a little awkward, as she had to get used to the unusual height. But after a few meters she became more confident. So that’s how models felt when they walked down the catwalk? She thought of the movies she had seen and tried to imitate the walk. One foot diagonally in front of the other, not taking too big steps, and of course swaying her hips sensually.
As she tried to coordinate everything at the same time, she noticed that she was becoming more and more tense. She had tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes to slits. She stopped with a slight shake of her head. Who was she trying to fool? It was the first time she had worn fourteen-centimeter heels. She would do better to practice erotic walking in such shoes in private before trying it in public.
She turned and walked back to Alexander with normal, though small, steps. He looked at her sympathetically and nodded in satisfaction. He was discussing something with the salesman, looked slightly annoyed and then spoke louder so she could hear him.
“What do you mean you only have high quality stilettos in one color? Where’s the business sense in that?”
Involuntarily, Emily slowed down. She winced inwardly. She felt sorry for the salesman, because it wasn’t his fault that business owners valued originality and exclusivity over mass production. She was a little surprised by Alexander’s annoyance. After all, he only offered high-priced furniture in one color. Only in the mid-range segment was the color palette wider. This was to prevent elite customers from feeling like they were in a furniture store. “If your partner would like to try on red stilettos, I’ll be happy to take her there,” the salesman said, keeping his friendly tone. He pointed in a certain direction. “We’ve arranged the shoes by color, because most customers aren’t looking for a particular style of shoe so much as a color that matches their clothes.”
Meanwhile, Emily had reached the two men. She didn’t like the fact that her boss looked so annoyed; after all, this shopping experience was supposed to be fun. It was enough that she was stressed out herself, he didn’t need to get upset about little things. She put her arm around his and smiled at him.
“Honey, how about we go find you a suit?”
“You need more shoes,” he replied grumpily. You shouldn’t have to make do with just one pair. His lips were still pursed and his forehead was still furrowed. Emily didn’t really think about it, she just acted on instinct. She was his hostess, and she was supposed to spend a carefree afternoon with him. So she had to make sure he relaxed.
Still smiling, she raised her hands, wrapped them around his neck, and rose slightly on her toes. As she slid her fingers into his hair, she placed her lips on his mouth. Her heart pounded with excitement and a hot desire ran through her entire body. The tingling in her abdomen grew into a pleasurable longing. When he relaxed his mouth and opened it slightly, she let out a soft gasp. She moved closer to him and brushed the tip of her tongue along the corner of his mouth. He began to moan too, pulling her even closer and pushing his tongue into her mouth.
Emily clung to him like a drowning woman. She would have liked to kiss him like this forever, feel his tongue, his hand on her ass, the other on her back. Many more obscene thoughts shot through her head, all related to naked skin and passionate cries of pleasure. She felt hot waves chasing each other in her lap, their tongue play became more intense and she began to breathe in gasps. His closeness, the manly, spicy scent and his aromatic taste drove her to orgasm.
“Oh, Alexander,” she breathed into his mouth. She was about to forget where they were, so aroused and full of longing desire. “I want you.”