Heart Bound to the Alvarez (SOON TO BE PUBLISHED UNDER KM&H BPF)

Chapter 5

Serena stared at Esequiel, her mind whirling at a rapid rate, and her hands becoming clammy in her lap. She noticed that Esequiel was watching her carefully, but she couldn't fix the expression on her face, even if she wanted to.

"I don't... What is this, Zeke?" you asked quietly.

Esequiel rolled his eyes. "I thought the header would make it fairly obvious," he said, now sounding rather bored. "After you and Kelton cornered me yesterday, I began to think about the proposal. And then it seemed rather obvious to me."

He took a second and scanned her face again. "I don't have the time to find anyone to offer such a dumb set-up. Not only that, but I find most women to be rather difficult to connect with," he continued with a wave of his hand, "when we were at dinner with Tito Franco last night, I was reminded of how easily you seem to connect with people. You're talented at making someone feel comfortable, and even I don't detest your presence, in small doses."

Serena knew she should be offended by the way he spoke of her, but she was far too confused and even more shocked, for it to register to its full extent.

She had encouraged Esequiel to date someone, sure. She had even droned on about why it was a good and even practical idea. But she hadn't intended that he would approach her to fill such a role. It was highly inappropriate, for several reasons.

"I met with Kelton late last night, and then Nick early this morning. While it's technically a breach of company policy normally, Nick is willing to make an exception. Everyone sees the stocks dropping, and we all want to fix it," Esequiel spoke curtly now, and it was clear how annoyed he still was about the current situation the company was in.

"There will be rumors, no doubt. But dealing with those is part of your specialty, correct? We'll ensure to publicly state that we've only become my girlfriend for a few months and that you didn't climb to your position by sleeping with me, or anything like that," Esequiel prattled on with a shrug.

Serena's face flushed crimson at the casual mention of sex. What was this conversation? He couldn't possibly mean what he was suggesting.

"Esequiel..." she began, deciding to use his full first name. "You can't possibly be serious. I can't... I can't... date you," she practically squeaked.

Esequiel huffed and shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Serena. This is all purely for show. I thought that much was also obvious." He indicated the contract with the tip of his pen. "It's quite simple. May I go over it with you?" he asked with a glance up at her.

She swallowed hard, willing her heart and mind to calm down. "I... Sure," she finally relented as she breathed.

Esequiel nodded and cleared his throat. "Right, as I said, it's simple. There are only a few rules, and there are several benefits involved for you." He pointed to a section emphasized as terms, and she leaned down to follow along apprehensively.

"First, the duration of the contract will be six months, with the option to extend it, if necessary. Second, we need to go on at least one date a week, and it must be somewhere public. Having the paparazzi taking a few photos is imperative."

Esequiel was looking at her to ensure she was paying attention, and she gave him a weak nod to indicate she was. Sort of, anyway. Her head felt light and airy.

"Still in the second term, you need to accompany me to any galas, business dinners, and trips during the whole period. You will maintain your duties as my assistant, but you'll have the additional responsibility of acting like my girlfriend, to the public anyway. Third, you need to be prepared to hold my hand, hug me, or kiss me, if the situation calls for it," Esequiel spoke clinically, and it only added to her lightheadedness.