The moment I'm outside on the sidewalk waiting for the car that's supposed to pick me up, it starts to rain. Great. And I don't even have an umbrella.
"Ugh. Can things get any worse?" Just then a car drives past me, splashing mud water all over my body. "Hey!" I shouted. "Why don't you watch how you drive?! Idiot!" I said in frustration.
Then a black limousine pulled up in front of me. "Hell–" the driver inside starts to say but stops and looks at me with a hint of disgust and confusion. "Tell me you're not Ms. Julie."
I don't blame him. I've got mud on my black knee boot, green flare and white button down shirt. "I'm afraid I am."
"Okay. Change of plans. Get in."
He takes me to what looks like a clothing store. But entering inside, he directed me to another room inside of the store, where I saw different varieties of outfits, from ball dresses to casual wears to fancy underwears.
"She needs to get presentable within the next fifteen minutes." The driver told a black young lady that came to welcome us.
"But she's covered in mud."
"That's why I brought her to you. You're the best at your job, I'm sure you can make it." They speak like I'm not even there. "Besides, my boss is an important man. We can't let her show up like this."
"Okay." The dark skinned curvy woman says. "Don't worry dear. I think I have what you need." She proceeded to bring out a line of clothes, giving chic and stylish outfits. I chose a two piece crop top and skirt on the hanger.
Then she shows me a room to enter and get cleaned up. I slipped into the pink floral, two-piece outfit and–wow. It hugged me like it was made for my body, soft and daring in all the right ways. The heels added to my height, the purse added polish, and that headband? Total doll vibe.
I looked in the mirror and smiled. "Perfection" Not just the outfit–me in it.
"OMG. You look stunning." She said admiring the outfit on me.
"Well, the outfit is fashionable." I blushed.
"Alright then, you're ready to go. Good luck."
"Thank you." Then I leave the room and go to meet the driver waiting for me outside.
"Before we move any further, you need to sign this." He says as I approached him.
"I don't think I've gotten your name."
"It's Henry." He said, handing me the paper.
"What's this?" A confidential agreement is what is written on it. "Why do I need to sign it?"
"It's just a typical procedure. Mr Rossi is a very private man. You can't reveal the content of your discussion to anyone."
I stare at him with a hint of uncertainty. Mr Rossi? Why does that name sound familiar.
We arrive at the place or is it apartment. It was a tall building with glass windows, almost looking like a hotel. We got in, past something like a reception and went up an elevator to the top floor.
"I'll inform Mr. Rossi of your arrival." Henry gave me a nod and left, after he took me inside the beautiful room. The decor is so elegant.
The apartment is a modern architectural marvel–glass, gold, and elegance in every corner. The kind of place that whispers wealth without raising it's voice.
I take in the rest of the room, my eyes fall on a beautiful painting, I walk over to the painting to admire it.
"It's Botticelli."
A deep, smooth voice caught me off guard. I could feel his intimidating presence behind me. He was so close his breath caressed my neck. My whole body heated up.
I turn around, a ridiculously tall guy was standing right in front of me. His black suit fitted him in all the right places. If I had to guess I'd say it's tailor-made. Then my gaze shifted to his face. His sparkling golden eyes looked playfully at me, patiently waiting for my reaction.
"It's you?" I said rolling my eyes. The man is gorgeous, I'll give him that. Hair that's perfectly styled but never tries too hard.
"So we meet again." He was smiling. Then his face turned serious and his eyes moved over my body, then my outfit, slowly, then he brought them back to my face. "You look…good."
"Thank you." I said indifferently. "How did you find me?"
"I'm a man of many means, Ms. Hart." His smirk returned.
"Wow." I crossed my arm. "And you claimed I was the stalker."
He gave a small laugh that my body wasn't supposed to react to the way it did. "I admit, your boldness is one of the reasons I chose you for this…job. The other one was your little act during the gala. Your acting skills are impressive."
"So, what's this about."
"I have a proposal that'll solve all your problems." He said with a straight face. "At least financially. But first…" He moves closer, "I need to make sure you're the right one for the role."
"I don't underst–" His gaze was fixed on mine, his expression was unreadable.
"I need a girl who's different, wild. Someone who can keep up with me and be my equal."
I think for a moment. "I'm not someone to easily back down from a challenge." I raised my chin. He put on a little smirk and took a step back. "I still need to know what I'm going for."
"My father will soon retire and he threatened to give the CEO position to my cousin, unless I settle down. And that's when you come into this picture."
"Are you asking me to be your wife?" I said with a confused look on my face.
"It's quite simple actually. I'm asking you to be my contracted fiancée."
I look at him in disbelief. "You want to pay someone to pretend to be your fiancée, instead of finding a real one? You have a cute face, I thought women would be interested in you."
"You think I'm cute." He gave that half smile again. "Don't get confused, sweetheart. It's not that I can't find one. It's that I don't want to. Relationships are distractions Ms. Hart. Time-consuming ones. And I happen to be a very busy man."
Then he walks up to one arm chair on the side of the living room and sits. "So here is the deal: I want you to be my fiancée until my cousin's wedding. Convince everyone about the authenticity of our engagement."
He paused. "If you succeed, you'll be generously compensated. But if you don't, you'll leave empty-handed."
"Compensated?" I ask.
"A million dollars. That's how much I'm willing to pay for your service." I stare at him in shock.
A million dollars. That's more than I've ever seen in one place. More than my rent, my debt, my dreams combined. My heart stopped beating for a split second.
"So what do you say? Will you accept the challenge?" He asked.
Pretend to be someone's fiancée. I've had jobs, I know how to act, what to do, but I haven't been in this kind of situation before. He stares at me as I stand there, still contemplating if I can be able to pull this off.
Can I make this act believable?