Emerald Island: A Billionaire Bedroom Romance

Chapter 19

Business was frantic. There were still problems: a late shipment of harem pants, a mysterious smell coming from the storeroom, but for the first time in a long time, the frenzy felt good. It felt like things were just about to take a turn for the better.

"The day's orders are ready to go, Sophie!"

Sophie turned. The sight of Erik still made her catch her breath. The fact that he was helping her pack and stack boxes of scarves made the whole sight even more unbelievable. This was her man. His quiet smile, his strong forearms. A hundred times wealthier than the next wealthiest person she had ever met, and here he was with the tape gun and label printer, working with a smile on his face like a teenager on his first job.

"Great. Stack them by the door for now, the truck is on the way."

"Just in time, too. Our flight out is in an hour."

Sophie smiled. The idea of showing up ten minutes before a flight was still the craziest thing to her. Oh, what you can get away with when you own a private plane.

Maybe that was it. Work was crazy, but it felt manageable when you had someone on your team. And even the worst days felt like an exciting challenge when you had another trip to Emerald Island blocked off on the calendar. She'd be gone for quite a while this time, so she hoped Desiree would have it all under control. After a week on Emerald, she'd be off to Morocco, to Italy, and to Copenhagen for her sourcing trip with Jens. Erik had offered to come along, to fly her on his private jet and help her negotiate leather deals, but somehow she knew that this was something she should do on her own. She was his girlfriend, but she wanted to be his equal. She wanted to make something of herself and her business.

With Erik as her man, she felt more confident than she ever had before. If I'm woman enough to call him mine, I can do anything.

As the car pulled out, Sophie looked up. "This isn't the way to the airport!"

"Nope. We have one more stop along the way."

Sophie squealed and flung open the door as they pulled up to their stop. They were in front of Kristen's chic home in Silver Lake, Kristen in front of them with a casual weekender bag and bright red lipstick.

"I thought I knew someone else who might enjoy a week on Emerald," Erik smiled. "Besides, Sergio's been doing a great job recently, and I thought he deserved a nice surprise."

After firing him for his beachfront sexcapade with Kristen, Erik had realized how indispensable Sergio was. Rather than just giving him back his old job, though, he did one better, making Erik his head of global operations for all of his properties and projects. It was hard to tell who was happier about this: Sergio, or Kristen.

As Kristen tossed her bag into the back of the car, Sophie turned to Erik. "You. You... are a very nice man."

"You're not so bad yourself, kid."

They kissed until Kristen cleared her throat loudly, then laughed and continued their drive back to paradise.

THE END

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