Chapter 4: A Kiss to Seal the Deal
1651 Words
"Stand-in girlfriend!"
That phrase echoed in Susan's mind; she fixed her gaze on the man, studying him closely. He was tall, muscular, classy, with deep eyes, tan skin, dark hair, and those striking green eyes that contrasted with his complexion. She shivered as she recalled the events of the night before.
"And why do you think I'd go for such a ridiculous proposal?" she asked, placing her hand on her hip.
The man circled her, scrutinizing her carefully.
"For some reason, you came to me," he muttered with his husky voice. "What were you looking for?" he inquired, noticing her shivering and looking unwell.
"I..."
Susan felt everything spinning around her; her vision blurred, and she couldn't say more as she fainted. Franco's strong arms caught her just before she hit the floor.
"Margaret!" he shouted, summoning help from his personal assistant.
The woman rushed in, hands over her face.
"Should I call an ambulance?"
"No, get the keys to the top-floor suite and come with me, open it and leave," he ordered.
The woman nodded, and with Susan in Franco's arms, they took the elevator to the top floor. Once inside, he placed her on a piece of furniture; she was almost freezing. He immediately grabbed a cotton ball, soaked it with alcohol, and rubbed it near her nose.
Susan coughed, furrowed her brow, opened her eyes, and while still dazed, the first thing she saw was him, Franco Rossi. She sat up and immediately felt dizzy again.
"Easy, girl," he instructed.
"Where am I?" she asked, and when she opened her eyes, she realized she was in a luxurious and massive suite, with an impressive view of New York City through those large windows.
"We're gonna chat calmly here, but first, you need to ditch those wet clothes. You might catch a cold," he suggested. "You can hit the bedroom on the right, take a shower, and wrap yourself in a robe while I arrange for your clothes to be washed."
Susan had no choice but to comply. She nodded, carefully got up, and headed to the bedroom, which was also quite spacious. She immediately locked herself in the bathroom, shed her clothes, the stall had some music, and she wasted no time turning it on. The hot water streamed down on her skin, easing her, but she couldn't afford to enjoy it while her father languished in prison.
She quickly showered, dried her body, wrapped herself in a white robe, and covered her hair with a towel. Opting for one of his shirts, she inhaled the exquisite aroma when she took the garment.
"But what am I doing?" she scolded herself, putting on the shirt, and she reappeared in the living room. Franco wasn't there, but she could hear noise from the kitchen and the delightful aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Susan's stomach growled.
"I'm ready," she said softly, approaching the kitchen, and she observed him from the door. He had rolled up the sleeves of his impeccable shirt to his elbows; his arms were pretty strong. She took a deep breath.
"I'm listening. What do you want in exchange for being my substitute girlfriend?" she asked, and he turned to look at her. His gaze blurred at the sight of her long legs. She looked very sexy in his clothes, her body started to react, but he had to control himself. Maybe that innocent girl wasn't so innocent after all. He couldn't afford to trust her right away.
Susan gathered her courage.
"I want you to help me get my father out of prison and recover my family's fortune."
Franco stopped what he was doing, looked at her attentively.
"Is your father a criminal?"
"No!" Susan exclaimed firmly. "He is an upright man. I'm sure he was set up, and it was someone we thought was trustworthy. I will pretend to be your girlfriend if you help me," she said, never taking her eyes off him.
Franco snorted, cleared his throat.
"Well, now things change. I thought you were a lady of the night that one of my friends sent to the room. I thought things would be simple, that you would ask for a good sum, and that's it," he placed his hands on the counter, "But the situation is more complicated. It requires lawyers."
Susan observed him intently.
"I thought you were a man of your word, that you didn't back down in business," she emphasized. "But now I see that's not the case, and I came here to waste my time," she expressed sadly. "I'll just give you this scenario: I know it's easy for you to hire any woman to pose as your girlfriend, but if someone finds out that woman is a lady of the night, your reputation will be tarnished. On the other hand, I don't have a shady past. I am a well-educated woman, from a wealthy family, even if now we're ruined," she explained.
"Now, it's my turn to ask: Are you in or out?" Franco blinked and focused his intense gaze on the innocent young girl. He never thought she'd be such a savvy negotiator, but she had a point. Susan exuded class in every way, and that's exactly what he needed to sell to the board of directors. All he had to do was figure out the narrative to keep anyone from suspecting the deception. "Alright, I'll take the deal," he said.
Susan cleared her throat. "We'll sign a contract, and I have some conditions."
"Conditions?" he snorted.
"Yeah, no intimate stuff. In public, I'll play the part, but behind closed doors, we're on our own. Deal?"
"Of course not," he replied casually. "We get along quite well in bed. Why deny ourselves that pleasure?" His gaze darkened as he approached her, like a panther closing in on its prey.
Susan felt her heart race, took a step back, and her back hit the counter. He immediately cornered her with his arms, keeping her captive. "Answer, ragazza," he muttered, very close to her lips.
Susan trembled, memories of the previous night flooding back. She shuddered entirely. "That was a mistake," she stammered. "I confused you with Tayler."
Franco furrowed his brow. "Who's this Tayler?" he asked, his eyes lingering on her cleavage, recalling how his mouth had explored those pink n*****s the night before.
"He was like my stepbrother. My parents took care of him since he was a child, and he betrayed us." Her voice broke, and she lowered her face.
"What? You planned to spend the night with the guy who left your family in ruins?" he asked seriously.
"Because until yesterday, he acted like a decent man. And now that I'm back, he's showing his true colors. He wants me to be his lover, and that's never happening," she replied, lifting her chin.
Franco shook his head.
"Hold on a sec. You're saying you don't want to be with the me, the guy you were about to lose your virginity to, but you're cool with being my backup girlfriend. What gives?" he asked.
"For justice!" she fired back. "And, you know, being your stand-in girlfriend feels more like taking a job. It's just business." She blinked. "Even though I'm not in it for the cash, you should know I can't crash at home. Nowhere to go, and I've got no clothes."
Franco grunted. "I'll figure it out," he replied earnestly, but he needed to make sure she was telling the truth. "What's your name?"
"Susan Miller," she replied. "My family's in real estate, and my dad's well known. George Miller."
"Alright, Susan. I've got some things to deal with. There's food around here you can grab. I'll have my assistant help you with getting clothes. I'll be back later," he explained, catching his reflection in her eyes. "So, do we have a deal?"
“Thank you.” Susan replied, nodding still somewhat hesitant, but she had no other choice.
“Then we need to seal it.” He approached her more, and without giving her time to react, he took hold of the back of her neck and kissed her again, with the same intensity as the night before. This time Susan struggled, tried to resist, but he was bigger, stronger, more powerful, and his lips exerted pressure, he bit her lip and tasted the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth, he pulled back a bit, growled, and she took the opportunity to slap him.
“For being daring, you took advantage of me yesterday” She muttered weakly.
Franco rubbed his cheek, if she really was a girl from a good family, she deserved that slap, he thought, but he took hold of her wrists and kissed her again with even more force, she resisted again, her breathing was agitated, and once again that sensation of warmth engulfed her, she stopped fighting and opened her mouth to meet his caress.
"Good job," Franco said after he stopped kissing her. "And you enjoyed it last night, so be grateful." He smiled cynically, moved away, and left the kitchen. As he walked through the corridors, he called his lawyer.
"Hey, I need you to dig up everything on George Miller and his family. They seem to be in the real estate business."
"Sure thing. You'll have that info shortly," the lawyer replied and hung up.
"I hope you're not feeding me lies, Susan," Franco muttered. "It would be a real shame." He sighed deeply.
"Am I making the right move?" Susan asked herself, her legs trembling after that kiss. He was an experienced man, and she was an inexperienced young girl. There was a huge risk, and falling in love with that man was not part of her plans. But the attraction he had on her was undeniable.
“But I won't submit to your whims so easily, Franco Rossi.” She said firmly.
- Writer
