"Alexander, where are you. We have dinner tonight. You didn't come last week when we asked you to, but have you forgotten we have dinner tonight. You know we have company."
"Mother," I say, as I squeeze Em's knee. "I'm glad you rang. I am coming to dinner tonight; I have someone I'm bringing with me."
"No, Alexander, we don't have place at the table for one more," she bites back.
"Well, I suggest you make room. Whatever woman you have coming over to set me up with might as well stay at home, because I am bringing my girl with me tonight. I want you to meet Em, the woman I am going to spend the rest of my life with."
"What? Since when? Is she of good stock?" I can hear the panic in her voice.
Em looks at me and mouths, "Good stock?" I laugh.
"Em is everything I have ever wanted in a woman and more. We will be over about eight thirty. See you then." I cut the call off and can imagine my mother flapping around trying to work out how she is going to get an extra seat at the table without cancelling the woman.
"Alex, I can't turn up to a dinner with your parents uninvited."
"Em, you don't need an invite to their house, you are family and the sooner they realize that the better. Baby, I love you. They'll love you and I can't wait to start out life together." I squeeze her leg and she leans over and kisses me on the cheek, resting her head on my shoulder for a while.
This is what I want. A beautiful, intelligent and funny woman at my side. Watch out we are going to take the World by storm.
Epilogue - Emily
It's beentwo years since I met Alex at his office building. During that time, we've got married and are living our best lives. Alex walks into our bedroom and stands at the door, leaning against it in his tuxedo. "Hey baby, you look amazing." He moves closer to me, and as always, I get goosebumps when he's close.
He stands behind me, looking in the mirror so that he can see my face. He helps me to put my necklace on and then kisses me in the crook of my neck. "So beautiful. I am a lucky man to have you on my arm. You are going to be the belle of the ball tonight." He kisses me again. I love watching him in the mirror; his face shows me how deep his feelings are for me, and I hope he can see how much I love him back.
"It's our first wedding anniversary, and we should be spending it in that bed, not out entertaining others," he moans.
"You just don't like sharing your wife." I smile at him.
"Damn straight I don't."
"It's not every day my husband gets to sell one of the most prestigious buildings in the city."
"It's not every day my wife gets to showcase her work in the most prestigious building in the city." He kisses my neck again.
"I have shown my work in a lot of your buildings, Alex. Most business owners in our city have seen my work." He turns me around to face him.
"Baby, nobody has ever seen anything like this. These pieces are spectacular, and I would love to keep them. Finding these views for you to paint is costing me a fortune."
"It's not my fault that you are buying the buildings for me to find my views. You could just let me negotiate with the owners if I can spend a few days there taking pictures at different times of the day." I reach my hand up to caress his face.
"Oh, it's so much more fun to be there with you taking those pictures. Especially when we get naked, and I fuck you against the windows. Do you remember the building we are going to tonight? We had fun that day."
"Oh, we certainly did." I move out of his hold because if I don't, then we won't be going anywhere tonight.
"Ah, Em, I just wanted one more hug." He's become needy since we got married. We decided not to have children yet, even though it is on our agenda; we just want to spend time together before we add to our dynamic.
We make a superpower couple. The artwork that I make is of views from the building that Alex is selling. The people buying usually buy artwork to go with the building, and I can earn more money on one painting than I could working for a year as an assistant or something like that.
"Come on, we need to get there before it starts. You know I like to check my display first." It should come as no surprise that I am highly critical of my work and won't display it unless it is 100% complete and beautiful. I have a team of workers who help me set up these pop-up galleries, and they work in my main gallery in the city too. I trust them, but I always have to check myself.
I can't believe that I have come so far in two years. Meeting Alex was the best thing that happened to me, and he tells me constantly that I’m the best thing to happen to him too.
When we arrive at the building, we find his parents are there already. His Mom hugs me. "Hey, we missed you at dinner this weekend. Are you coming on Sunday?"
"We had something come up suddenly," I say as I snigger to myself. The only thing that came up was Alex being so horny that we went for a drive and had sex in the open air. "We’ll be there on Sunday, I promise." His mom kisses me on the cheek before moving away. She’s accepted me into the family, although it took a while for her to realize that I was going to be a permanent fixture in Alex's life. But now she loves me. I mean, who couldn't?
Flora comes and scans my outfit. "Oh my god, Em, you look beautiful as always." I hug her. We have become really good friends, and she works for me. She is the main person in my gallery when I'm not there. I trust her with my paintings, and I trust her with my business. She is still painting, and she has space in the gallery where she shows off her work. She sells enough pieces to keep her in a good lifestyle, and I love that for her.
