Another server arrived, bringing their pizzas. After chatting with him politely, Emily tried to take a bite of the steaming melted cheese, but she did not let the delicate flavors distract her too much. "You wanted to make it up to me... What do you have in mind?" she asked."It's a surprise," Byron said, "I'd like to show you something. We can go there after lunch, if you're not busy.""I'm not busy at all," she said. Fortunately she didn't have to teach any classes this day, and it would have been otherwise another boring, rainy afternoon. But as they left the restaurant the rain cleared up, and a shy ray of sunshine peeked through the low, grey blanket of clouds. They walked along the busy downtown street, and Emily couldn't help noticing all the women checking out her fake boyfriend. It provided a certain superficial enjoyment, even if it wasn't a real relationship. In a way, she liked being friends with him better than a love relationship. Friendship had a certain stabilit

A few of days later, Emily got a phone call from an excited Pam who told her Mike had received a job offer from one of Byron's subsidiary companies. Not only was the atmosphere more relaxed at his new job, but he was also paid double the salary of his previous position."This new boyfriend of yours is a real sweetie," Pam said, "hang onto him.""Wait a minute," Emily said, "Mike promised not to tell!""He didn't," Pam stated, "but I had my suspicions. I traced the ownership of the company, and then I made him confess everything.""I hope you didn't use any naughty methods to extract the confession," Emily hinted."Let's just say there was a break in the routine," Pam replied. "And I owe it all to you. Seriously, you're the best friend ever!"Emily was still glowing as she set off for lunch with Byron later that day. Not only was she happy for her friend, but she was proud of herself and of Byron for having arranged the intervention and pulled it off with such spectacular results.

Emily's life developed a pleasant rhythm over the next few days. She often had dinner with Byron at his place. She even felt comfortable enough to sleep over at the penthouse in one of the guest bedrooms. The bed was so soft and comfy, Emily couldn't resist coming back night after night. She even had her own bathroom there so no awkwardness could occur. She felt completely spoiled.In the mornings and afternoons she saw her family and showed them around the city, and in the evenings she taught painting.It all came literally crashing down one day when Emily was getting ready for work after spending the night in Byron's suite. She was brushing her hair in her private bathroom when a loud crashing noise startled her. Then she heard Byron yelling out a curse, his voice filled with frustration. Rupert barked from somewhere in the living room, just as alarmed as she was.Emily rushed over to the room that served as Byron's home office. When she opened the door and found shards of plaster

It's a Long JourneyEmily was awakened when someone opened the blinds in her bedroom. The scorching brightness of the morning sun was more than she could handle even though her eyes were still closed."No," she protested, her voice barely working, "It's too early."She had stayed up late into the night to write the article defending her reputation, and now all she wanted to do was sleep."It's seven thirty already," Byron's voice announced cheerfully. He usually didn't enter the guest bedroom when she stayed over, and they would meet up first thing in the morning at the breakfast table, but then Emily remembered he had a trip in mind.She squinted against the light and beheld Byron looking freshly shaved and energized like some god in the golden rays of the sun."All you need to do is get dressed, and then I'll throw you in the car," he said."That sounds fun," she grumbled.He snickered evilly and left the room.Despite her tiredness, Emily liked the idea of getting out of th

The fresh new day brought better prospects. When Emily awoke, she found a few emails already waiting for her. Three new students wanted to sign up for lessons!Emily arranged for them to come in as soon as possible, with the first one starting that same afternoon.Now that her brother was staying in the apartment, it would have been nice if she could use the studio Byron got for her, even if it wasn't fully refurbished yet, but Emily didn't know whether she was still welcome there. She texted Byron:Can I still use the studio space, or are you mad at me?Less than a minute later came the reply:Not mad at you but I want you. I can wait... take as long as you need.She should have been mad at him for insisting on his desires without even acknowledging that he needed to get help like she asked him to. But her first internal response to his words was a smoldering fire in her chest. Her feelings and hormones teamed up to agitate her body into a feverish state. The memory of