Seventeen

Amber stared at him and it was this time Alex's throat caught in the middle of his own words.

"A favor?" It was obvious the favor of his was related to something he had been down about. A sudden tug formed in the pit of her stomach.

"I wanted to make sure before I say it that It was done face to face and believe I have thought about it multiple times. There are problems, my father is um-not well, I just have unfortunate problems which do not appear to have straightforward solutions. Problems that I cannot avoid"

Amber stayed quiet. He was visibly trying his best to get his words across and she was patient with him.

"I need you, Amber," he said heavily.

"Need me to do what?" Her voice had a soft tone filled with fear.

"Need you to come To Oregon, with me"

"What?" Amber was confused, to say the least.

"I just need your help. I need you to come with me to Ontario to my family house"

"What? Why? Alex, I don't know what's going on with your family. And I can only hope and wish for your father's good health. I am sorry if your father is unwell but what I can I do to help?"

"I understand your questions and concerns, but just hear me out"

Amber leaned on the counter but Alex pulled her by her hands and dragged her to the chair behind the counter and sat her down on the tall chair. Now his chest was in front of her face. He leaned down, his hands on either side of her resting on the counter behind her. He sighs closing his eyes and when he opened them, she was staring right at him. He wanted to kiss her. But there was something he needed to do before that.

"He had a small accident. I just a call from my Stepmother. He had been moved to our family house and apparently.." He paused, dealing with the realization that he was truly going to open up about a situation that felt intensely personal and he instinctively thought he should keep to himself.

"Apparently?" Amber could feel the vulnerability in his voice, his hesitation, he was strong, sp proud, and always held the authority among all the men he worked with. His intimidating aura never falter, so much so that the alpha male image seemed like a weakness to his personal confidence.

Despite feeling her heart reaching out to him and settling with the unwanted wave of sympathy she felt like she could

"He was depressed, His recovery will hopefully be fast but I have been stalling for years. Promising him something he wanted from me and never giving him what he wanted to see, I just.."

He paused again. His eyes remained on the floor. She could see him struggle to find the right words and it was difficult for someone like him, a man so proud and confined within his own walls to speak about his deepest problems. Asking for help was something he never imagined himself in.

She felt like she understood him at that moment, and she wondered how that was possible, considering they had only spent a couple of hours within a week with each other never speaking about anything so close to their personal life. Of course, a sense of mutual understanding crossed everyone's mind whenever someone fell into an unfortunate situation like him.

You see yourself in their shoes and wonder how you could help yourself in turn by seeking answers to help others. Knowing someone took a long time, to get this desperate, it must have been a hell journey for them to succumb to their emotions and finally break. It had taken her years to realize the man she once liked and saw as her lover who married her sister, that she knew nothing about him. It was just his face she found appealing. She hadn't talked a word to him before until the day of their wedding. And she found tears in her eyes sharing the view of others as they kisses a man she never knew.

She wasn't going on to give mixed feelings about what he was talking on. Amber knew she soft and would help anyone if they asked for it. But she didn't know how to take his news and request. Alex was the guy who she had slept with, who never bothered to ask her anything about he life except for that first night. The man who never glanced at her even if they were right in front of each other, exceptions being the time they had together.

"He had been in the stage where he wanted nothing more than, well what parents at his age want"

Amber gulped.

"Which is why I need you. He will recover no questions but he is depressed. Because of the business, sudden problems with the company's expansion. He was taken away from the city to have time away from all his stressful work conditions. And he has never asked me for anything but this. Nothing I will do will make him happy but this" he sighed heavily turning his back to Amber and she breathed out.

"Perhaps I should have dealt with this long ago, but I didn't want to deceive him. I thought he would understand. But he didn't and now I feel like disappointment"

"Disappointment? Alex, you are far from a disappointment."

Alex scoffs glancing at her before putting his hands in his pocket and running his hands through his hair.

"I am not joking. You are carrying your father's business. Taking care of your family, you are successful, that's not a disappointment" She insisted.

"Yes, but I wasn't obliged to this either. All he ever wanted me to do is find myself. Whatever that means. He said he wanted me to settle down and live a life lack of any worries. I don't understand him"

Amber bites her lip, letting her lower lip slowly fall out from between her teeth, and sat up straight.

"I think your father wants you to have a life with you enjoy. Have a normal life I guess" She mumbled suddenly realizing she didn't know anything about Alex or his father. She was embarrassed to talk about it.

"I mean, of course, I don't understand it any more than you do. Less even-"

"He wants to see my wife. Who currently does not exist" Alex blurted

There was a second of silence between them as Amber looked at him. He kept his eyes on her for some kind of reaction, she was late but she understood soon enough.

"Perhaps, you should get married" She whispered. "You have such great people around, accomplished men and women who are as successful and educated as you"

"But only you fit the preference"

Amber wouldn't lie when she admitted her heart stopped. The so-called fictional sparks ran through her body as she stared at him. His eyes not moving showing how serious he was. Another minute of the cinematic silence before Amber burst out laughing.

She knew this was not something she should do. This was a funny conversation but whatever he said was a joke according to her.

Alex watched her with a neutral eye. He had not proposed the agreement yet, as she had already taken it as something unbelievable. But at this point where he decided to cross his wall and give up the arrogant thought of solving his own problems by himself, he would not back out for any reason.

" What are you talking about?" She asked after regaining her posture.

"I am asking you to be my fake fiancee." His neutral eyes, zero expression, and composed posture showed how less of a hope he had.

"It's just for two weeks, while we stay over at my family's house. It's a harmless agreement. No one has to know, I will pay for everything, traveling, clothes anything you need. You just have to smile and play along. Show everyone that we plan on settling down and my father will be happy again"

"Ya, sure! Until they all discover who I am, and it's a complete lie in their face and I will be done for life. Do you realize your Aunt is my Boss Alex?"

"By the time that happens my father will be happy. As I said, you don't have to do anything other than smile and attend a wedding the next month with me"

"A wedding!? A wedding? Alex, you are risking hurting your father even more. Do you know how many people you will deceive? also, did you just ignore the fact that your aunt-"

"I asked my Aunt to keep you as my assistant, I specifically asked her not to take you with her so I could have you as my assistant, I think she got the point and even if she didn't I can just tell her what happened while she was away. I am not a chicken in telling lies. As I said-"

Alex walked to her and looked down at her.

"I will handle everything. You just have to be there, present as mine, my girlfriend and future wife"

To be honest with herself, Amber felt her heartbeat skip when he said that. A wife, as his. Then his tone reminded her who she was. She was no one to him. She was a one-night stand who turned into employees with benefits overnight.

"They have seen me with girls, You have Amber. I always preferred girls who looked perfect, carried a rich lifestyle with them, came from a prestigious family, and always dressed up at any event. But my family is far simpler than they look. They wouldn't believe me if I took one of those girls to pose as my girlfriend"

"So, you are deceiving your family even more by showing them you are dating someone like me?"

"You are not like them, you do not come from a rich lifestyle, you are a normal person. Far from my life and ordinary. You are simple, like many of my family members. I want them to see that I am not lying to them by bringing a girl they know would never just be with me for sex "

"And yet that's exactly why we know each other"

Alex walked away in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, I know. But If I said that I had a guaranteed position for you in the editorial team of this company in the East branch, the very first preference you gave while starting this job?"

Amber stared at him in disbelief.

"What ?"

"You want a life out of the mess you are in. And I am giving you that. The east branch is laid back, you will have all the time to sit and do what you wanted with a salary just a little higher than your current one but with much more time to yourself"

"Are you trying to bribe me?"

"I am not trying to bribe you, Amber. I am giving you an opportunity to have your own life, You just have to help me out here."

Alex wondered how his brilliant idea had suddenly turned into an argument that he imagined to be the perfect exchange in his proposal. He underestimates her. He had heavily shaken off the feeling of using her and instead thought of something that would benefit both of them.

"It's a business proposal. You act as my Allie and I hand over you a position you always wanted."

"Keeping aside the fact that you just decided to form this agreement to deceive your father, you cannot do that. Miss Linden is my boss. I signed a seven-year contract-"

"I am your boss Amber, I can transfer you at any point of this employment. You do not have to think about that"

Amber sighs, "I don't know Alex"

Alex dropped his voice from demand and desperation to soft and relaxed.

"I am asking you from the bottom of my head Amber, you told me if you put yourself in my shoes you would do anything to make your family happy, so do it right now. I just want him happy and want him to stop stressing about my life for once"

He heard the hard hesitation in her voice as she tried to speak. Amber looked down at her hands on her lap and gave a heartfelt sigh of surrender.

"I have never said please before in my life"

She helo back her little chuckle but it sure made her lift the corner of her lips up making Alex hopefully.

"Okay. I'll help"

"Thank you," He said.

"But I have my demands," She said her legs closed tight and her body suddenly aroused as he suddenly walked towards her, far too close, and looked right at her.

"Anything"

"I will sleep in a different room and...no sex"

He knew for a fact that he would never be able to handle it, not having her to himself for two weeks. But he knew better than to argue.

"Done"