Executive Seduction

Chapter Three

He tried to hide his laughter as he watched her walk towards him. She looked different, more different than he's ever seen her in nine years but he couldn't pin down what was actually making her look different.

If there was anyone that would make his plan work, it would be her. All she had to do was to pretend to be his fiancee, nothing more. That would make his father finally hand over the company to him and make the board accept him.

They wouldn't even suspect a thing at all. She was his personal assistant and looking after the welfare of the company was part of her job — even if it meant being in a fake relationship with him

Harper always looked simple but very elegant. That was one of the things he liked about her. She always looked professional and her hair, he'd never seen her let it down before. Neither did he know it was that long. He had always seen the 'work' Harper, but not the 'real' Harper.

But she looked different today. Was she really Harper?

He looked back to check if there was someone behind him. He chose the perfect spot. That was where he usually sat at Uncle Carlos whenever he was there.

The woman walking towards him had long brunette hair reaching under her chest. Her makeup looked off, like it was her first time using them as he could see from the way she did her brows. He could tell this was the first time she was putting effort in wearing her make-up.

He looked sideways again to see if there was someone sitting. Probably they were expecting someone.

But she smiled as she approached his table and he looked back again.

He wasn't dreaming, was he?

"Hello sir. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, I couldn't get a bus on time." She said as she tightened her grip on her purse.

He looked closer. She looked familiar. He had seen her before but where? He hadn't been with a brunette lately and she looked different from the women he's been with.

They were usually posh and chic, the women that were always around him. You can tell their personality from the way they dressed. The woman standing in front of him was neither of those. He could tell she wasn't used to going out especially on weekends. She was nervous like she had made a very regrettable decision. He knew she wasn't used to dressing the way she used to. Her dress looked new but not new like she just bought them but new like she never wore them.

"Sir?" She said again, waving at him, bringing him back to reality.

"Sorry, do I know you?" He asked.

"Oh!" She smiled.

He was curious and her smile felt like it unlocked something inside him. It was genuine, innocent and beautiful. He's been with a lot of women but never seen innocence behind a smile.

It was either they wanted something from him, they always wanted something from him and he did too — it was a win-win.

"It's me, Harper." She said rather embarrassedly.

"Harper?" He looked closely at her.

"Yes?" She responded, her awkward smile and embarrassment written all over her face.

"Hello sir, again."

"I… Oh… I'm sorry I didn't know it was you." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Hehe." She chuckled dryly.

"You look beautiful."

She looked at him like her heart just stopped breathing and time froze for a few seconds. The silence between them had echoes as they looked away awkwardly.

It was the first time he had ever complimented a lady genuinely. He had never seen her like that before. All he could picture in his head of Harper Whaite was a serious looking workaholic who barely smiled, who looked too uptight and dressed like a badass boss with her hair usually tied in a bun.

It was the first time he was noticing the color of her eyes. Her hazel eyes were just like a goddess', her small round face and eyes fit her slightly slender cheeks.

He was noticing her for the first time and surprisingly, he wanted to know more. Probably her telling him she missed him was a good thing.

"Uhmm… thank you." She laughed dryly again, quickly taking her drink and looking away from him.

He didn't want to talk about her looks yet. She looked nervous obviously showing it was her first time doing this. He could bet a billion dollars that she had never been on a date before.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," she began before he could say anything.

"I know." He replied with a knowing smile, making her relax a little.

"Thank you sir." She smiled. "You called to discuss something urgent."

"You can drop the formalities. It's the weekend and we're off work." He crossed his legs and gave her a smile.

"Oh." She said and grabbed her drink again, looking away. "So what did you want to discuss?"

He passed her a brown envelope and folded his arms. "You can check it."

She looked at him in confusion and slowly opened the envelope.

"What does this mean?" She asked him.

"A contract."

He watched her open and begin to read. Her soft and delicate facial features became much more obvious.

"Why do I have to agree to this?" She looked at him and back at the paperwork she was holding.

"It's nothing huge. You're just going to pretend to be my fiance for some time."

"But I thought you had a date. You said so yesterday." She asked, her eyes looking straight into his

"You know how my mother is. What we need to do is simple; make her believe I'm in a relationship for two months and that's it."

"Two months? What if she finds out?" Her voice showed signs of hesitation like she was supposed to do something.

"She doesn't have to. Unless you want to tell her." He said nonchalantly. "Asides that, the pay is a huge compensation for the act."

She was dumbfounded. He watched the way she looked at the file and back at him again. It was a mouthwatering sum and what she just had to do was pretend to be his fiancée, pretend to go on romantic dates and gatherings too.

"I'll expect a reply tonight". He gave her a smile, sipped his drink. "Call me to discuss anything that's uncomfortable in the contract." and left.

~~~

Harper sat there, her mind running wild as she tried to gather her thoughts. The offer was good, twenty million dollars to pretend to be his fiancée along with other side attractions. She remembered Asia's offer too, eight million dollars to find him a partner in sixty days. They both sounded good, especially to her, but something did not add up.

She didn't want to get tangled in Eros' personal life at all. She didn't even like him and always saw him as a scheming, flirty, cunning, entitled, self-absorbed and nasty playboy. Agreeing to be his fake fiancée would mean that she would be ready to face whatever comes her way while with him and judging from his past records, his previous flings would not back down when they hear of him having a fiancée.

Rejecting his offer will only make things worse when he finds out that Asia wanted her to find someone for him, thus interfering in his personal life.

Harper put the file back in the envelope and took her leave. She had to think this through before agreeing to his terms and conditions. Telling Asia might bring her support -- or not -- but she can't afford to lie to her parents. What if they find out? That would automatically cause her to lose her job and never get the chance to work anywhere again.

Her mind would not settle as the Uber drove her home. The money…

'Twenty million dollars'

She thought in her mind. That would solve a lot, set her up and even get her the dream house she had always wanted.

They wouldn't know, they didn't even have to know. She read the terms of the contract again as she got home, pacing back and forth. She wouldn't tell Asia now.

"Move into the house of party A… " she read aloud. "Party B should do away with friends of the opposite… "

Harper scoffed as she read further, putting the file down and grabbed her phone.

"Have you made your decision?" He said before she could say anything.

"Not really, but I have some things to discuss concerning the terms and conditions."

"Okay."

"It says here that party B is not allowed to be in contact with friends of the opposite sex."

She read aloud.

"That'll make us look suspicious. You don't want to have your name plastered all over the internet."

"Yes I know but you can't just tell me to do away with my friends." She protested.

"You have to pay a price."

Harper looked at her phone, cussing under her breath. "Alright but I have my own terms too."

"What is it?"

"You stop whatever it is you have with those women." She said, her voice sounding angry.

"You're jealous?"

"No! There's no need for me to be. You're not my boyfriend." She said in irritation. "but for us to make our act believable, you have to stop seeing them." She explained.

"Fine. Anything else?"

"Well, that's all for now." She said and he hung up.

"Annoying brat." She said and tossed the phone on the bed. She laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

It's just an act. It isn't real and can never be real.