Chapter Eighteen
This was going to be one of the best days of Emma's life. Ever. How could it not be when she started the morning in a huge suite at the Bellagio being ravished by the most attractive man in Hollywood?
That was probably the best part of the day so far, although maybe it was because that was the only part of the day that she didn't have to think about spending Nana's money.
It was just her and Chase and nothing else.
They could've made love on the bed in the guest house at his place or a cheap motel or the high-thread-count sheets of a huge luxurious suite on The Strip.
It didn't matter as long as she was with him.
Of course, the suite was a nice touch and she wasn't about to dismiss it.
There was a large bed that was supposedly bigger than a typical king-size bed, which is why professional basketball players liked to stay in this room, according to the butler.
(And yes, the room came with its own set of butlers.) There was also a large living room with floor to ceiling windows that faced The Strip, giving them a romantic view of all the twinkling lights and the famous Bellagio fountain out front.
They took full advantage of the romantic inspiration multiple times last night.
While Chase was in the shower, Emma curled up on the fancy sofa in the fancy living room with her fancy cup of coffee from room service to check the balance on the credit card she was using to get her inheritance.
The change in the balance was mind boggling.
With the private jet and the suite for two nights at the Bellagio, there was a massive jump in charges and she could finally see an end to this challenge.
It wasn't done either. There was some shopping to do plus the couple's spa treatments later today.
The steak dinner at some fancy restaurant Emma had never heard of was just going to be that little extra they would need to ensure they got over the goal and spent every last bit of the money she needed to spend with Chase to get her full inheritance.
She didn't want to think about what would happen after that.
She knew what the rest of her plans would be for this weekend — fly home on the private plane, go back to Chase's place.
But then what? Her "lease" on his guest house would be up on Tuesday as per the agreement Charles made them sign.
It wouldn't be that big of a deal since she would have her grandmother's inheritance by then.
But was she just going to get a new apartment that day?
What about her job? Would she need to take a day off of work to get everything sorted out?
What about Chase?
That was the question she really didn't want to answer, at least not yet, because she was definitely worried about it. About him. About them. What happened to them when they finished this challenge?
"You still working on your coffee?"
Emma looked down at the mug in front of her on the coffee table. It had come from the fancy cart with the expensive breakfast they ordered from room service. More money spent to reach her goal.
"Almost done and then I'll get in the shower, I promise."
She looked up to see Chase walking into the living room, his body still dripping from his shower and his hair wet. He was only wearing a towel. Emma would have to make sure she remembered this moment forever.
Chase sat down in the plush living room chair without caring that he was getting it wet or that the towel he was wearing was riding up and getting close to giving Emma a very attractive view of what was underneath.
"Oh, bacon!"
He leaned forward, the towel inching precariously higher.
"It's the most expensive bacon I ever ate."
He stuffed it in his mouth in one bite. "Expensive and delicious," he said with his mouth full and a cheesy grin on his face. "So we have our plan for today?"
"We can do whatever we want until two o'clock when we have to be at the spa," she said. "As long as we're spending money of course."
"Of course."
Chase gave her a tight smile and looked out the window to The Strip below. She knew what he was thinking. They were going to have a good time together. They would walk around together and shop together and have an amazing day together, but all of that meant they also had to spend money together.
"We don't have to go just yet, do we?" Chase turned to her, putting that Hollywood smile on his face that covered up whatever he was really thinking. "I mean, we have some time before we have to leave, right?"
"I think so, but I can get ready quickly if we have to get out of her sooner than you were thinking."
"Oh, that definitely wasn't what I was thinking."
Chase stood up and sauntered over to her, his towel barely hanging on. He had his hand on the edge of it trying desperately to keep it in place while Emma was hoping he would just let go. He stood in front of her, hovering over her, putting himself in her personal space.
"I was thinking you don't have to take your shower just yet," he said seductively. "Like, maybe you could get a little dirty first."
She leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees to give him a good look at her cleavage. He was a great actor, but he couldn't hide the delicious way he looked at her breasts. "I could get a little dirty first."
He pulled his hand from the waist of his towel, the fabric falling to the floor as he tossed the condom he had stuck in the towel's very weak waistband on the sofa next to her.
"It's not fair that I don't have anything on and you're still wearing clothes. We need to change that."
Emma's brain almost broke as she could only stare up at him.
The most gorgeous man she knew was standing in front of her naked asking her if she wanted him.
She couldn't say no. Hell, she couldn't say anything.
So instead she reached up and pulled him down to kiss him and hoped he was thinking coherently enough to take control of her.
Emma was once again reminded that Chase Warwick wasn't just anyone when they had their couples spa treatment at the hotel.
The butler for their suite took them down a separate elevator to a separate entrance to the spa.
It was like being in a totally different hotel from the Bellagio everyone else was in, like there was some VIP section that only beautiful people could have access to.
It was amazing too and Emma could get used to it aside from the fact that she couldn't get used to it.
She was about to get a big inheritance from her grandmother, but she was determined to not be one of those people who spent it all and then went broke.
She was going to enjoy some of it, sure, but she was also going to be prudent about how much she spent.
But for now, she had to spend money with Chase and she was going to enjoy herself, especially when it meant a massage and a facial and a mud bath, which she had never had before. It also meant feeling warm and relaxed and happy to be spending that time with Chase.
He grabbed her hand and gave it a little kiss when they were finally done and ready to head out. "Thank you for treating me," Chase said sweetly.
"I'm glad you liked it."
He chuckled. "Admit it, you liked it too."
She could only smile as she went to the front desk and handed over her credit card, that little pang of guilt pulling at her again as she watched the woman behind the counter run her card to get her closer to her goal.
Chase's hand squeezed hers tightly and she wondered if he was feeling the same way about the money and their relationship. They could deal with that later though after all the money was spent. Until then, she just wanted to enjoy her time with Chase.
"Do you need anything else?" the woman asked as she handed back the card.
Emma didn't have to look at Chase to know he had put on his Hollywood smile by the way the attendant's demeanor suddenly changed. Emma wasn't the only one that Chase could charm and they both knew it.
"That's it," he said cheerfully. "Thank you again so much for your help. We had a lovely afternoon."
The woman blushed, and Emma knew she would be telling her friends about waiting on THE Chase Warwick for weeks after that.
Emma totally understood the reaction. She had felt the same thing when she was around Chase just as she felt it now.
It was that warm, inviting feeling that made her feel so comfortable even with all the uncomfortable weirdness going on in her life.
Chase and Emma started to head out when that warm feeling in her chest suddenly went cold.
"Emma?"
Oh fuck. She knew that voice. She knew who recognized her. She knew exactly who was standing right behind her.
Please don't let that be my mother's voice.
She let go of Chase's hand and closed her eyes for a brief moment, knowing that what she wanted was probably not what she was going to get.
As she slowly turned around, the face of Emma's mother came into view with that fake smile that Emma always hated.
"Oh, I saw you and thought, 'That looks like my daughter.' And it turned out it was!"
Her mother came over and gave her a polite hug that was more for show than actual affection, giving Emma a little bit of time to figure out how she was going to handle all of this. It was awkward enough with just her mom there, but Chase was standing next to her and how would she explain that?
She told him when they first started this that her parents could never know what was going on.
It was a flippant comment. She never expected him to ever meet her parents or have a chance to tell them anything.
But right now, Emma was really hoping that he would remember that conversation in her car after dinner that night.
Her mother pulled away and her eyes landed on Chase, a cheshire grin spreading across her face. "And who do we have here?"
"Um, this is Chase," Emma sputtered.