Sunset sérénade: A Love story in Florida

Part V: The Long Night 1

Emma glances out her window, noticing the beauty of New York. the city of life, Chris's car stops in front of a huge hotel with an old yet pretty structure, it was long like it had more than 70 floors and all painted in gold showing its fancy. She was impressed that she didn't see two lines of men wearing black suits waiting for them to get down from the car.

Once Chris opens Emma's door she asks, "Uh, What's with the whole men-in-black thing going on? It feels like a scene from a film or something."

Chris smiles amused by her remarque but knows he owns her an explanation, "That's pretty funny Neece but don't worry they are just some people my father sends when he wants to keep an eye on me. Nothing serious."

Emma can't help but widen her eyes, her imagination running wild, "so they are bodyguards? I was afraid were secretly part of some mafia organization or something. Next thing I know, you'll be telling me you have a secret lair under your penthouse, complete with a wall of illegal weapons. Wouldn't surprise me at this rate."

Chris smiles, her sense of humor never fails to make him laugh. As they both start walking towards the door of the hotel Emma finds herself in front of a huge reception room taken by the book fair, it is beautiful and colored you can easily see the big writers as George R. R. Martin, James Patterson, and Stephen King. She was so happy and thrilled that she almost started jumping, Chris easily tell that she was pleased.

"wanna take a tour" she suggested.

Emma Blue's eyes widen as she hears his proposition but tries to be as calm as possible so as they start walking she asks him, "Doesn't this kind of event need some tickets or an invitation."

"Actually my father donated a lot of money for this book fair and this hotel is, his," he answers her doubts.

Emma looks genuinely interested, intrigued by his father's involvement in this book affair, "Really? Your dad helped fund this? that's impressive."

he looks unpressed like her, "Yeah, he loves to make his image look good in people's eyes."

she can detect the father-son complex they have and that she'll never understand, "Well I should thank him after all, this all because of him", she gives that pretty smile, she can make you forget all the world with that smile or that what Christofer thoughts.

"How can be that you don't have a boyfriend."

Emma smirks, she was caught off guard, "Oh that's some bold questioning. Why I don't have a boyfriend? I don't know. Maybe I value my independence too much. Or maybe I just haven't found someone worth sacrificing my freedom for. Not all of us can just snap our fingers and have a boyfriend, you know."

Chris seemed unconvinced by her talk  yet respected her opinion, "I mean, I'm sure it's not hard for a popular and pretty girl like to find one."

Emma scoffs, both annoyed and flattered by his comment, "Ugh, you make it sound so easy. it's not like guys are lined up at my doorstep, swooning over me. I mean, yeah, I have my fair share of admirers, but finding someone who genuinely connects with who I am, is different from finding a boyfriend just for the sake of having one."

"Yeah after all if you don't date to marry, what's the point", he says.

she smiles, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie with him, "Now that's a mature response. Surprising, coming from a billionaire playboy."

He feels slightly offended, "Well I had my share of one-night stands but in the end, I realized that I'm not  boyfriend material."

Emma frowns, surprised by his honesty, "Well well, Not a boyfriend material? That's something I never thought I'd hear you say. So you're telling me the rich playboy has had a moment of self-reflection?"