Raquel

I work at the big and feared Alencar family office. Fernando, the patriarch, founded it, but he retired a few years ago, and currently, his children take care of everything.

There are four children in total: Alex, the oldest; Fabricio, the second; Caio, the third (he's my boss); and lastly, Beatriz, the only one who escaped the family profession and dedicated herself to medicine.

I'm about to graduate in law, and for being one of the top students in my class, I received this referral to work with Caio Alencar. It's great for my resume. The bad part is that this man is very difficult.

Caio Alencar seems like an impenetrable and unshakeable fortress. I've never seen this man smile. He's bossy, and everything has to be done at the exact moment he asks for it—or rather, he doesn't ask, he orders.

I don't come from a wealthy family, but we've always lived well, having all the basics and even a little more than what we needed to live.

Everything was fine until the day my father died, and my mother couldn't manage the finances well. She ended up taking out many loans. My job has been saving us, but it's only enough for our basic needs, and the debt with the bank only grows.

My mother lives in the house my father left for her with the twins, Liz and Bella, my younger sisters. I live in a small apartment that my father also left me. He always said that he was keeping this apartment for me, for when I started working, so I could have my independence and privacy.

I'm getting ready for another day of work. I take a shower, wash my hair, and then dry it. I put on my black pantsuit and my black shoes. I do basic makeup and head towards my handsome and feared boss.

My apartment is not very far, about a fifteen-minute walk, since I don't have a car—maybe it will take a while before I can buy one. I'm going by foot, which is good since I woke up early anyway.

After a few minutes, I arrive. The building is very large and elegant; here, everything exudes luxury and good taste.

"Good morning, Marcela," I say to the receptionist.

"Good morning, Raquel. Your boss arrived breathing fire today."

"He's already here? Why so early?" I ask. She shrugs.

I run to get him a coffee, hoping to ease his mood a bit, which must be worse than on other days.

I arrive in front of his office door, take a deep breath, and knock. He tells me to enter.

"I brought your coffee, sir." He lifts a cup to me. I don't know where to hide my face.

...Caio...

"An assistant is expected to arrive before the boss and leave everything organized," he says without looking at me.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I arrived on time. You arrived early," I say and smile, hoping not to sound disrespectful. He just looks at me with his indecipherable look.

"Let's go over the schedule."

"Yes, sir." I lean in to pick up his schedule and notice him looking directly at my butt. I smile internally; so he's not that unshakeable.

I go over his entire schedule for the day and take the opportunity to analyze some pending processes to pass everything on to him.

My desk is close to his office, so I hear everything that happens in there, and at this very moment, I hear many things falling and breaking.

I'm a little scared, but I still go to his office to see what happened.

"Do you need help, sir?" I enter without knocking. His look frightens me.

"You, I need a favor from you," he says, pointing at me, his gaze different.

"Yes, sir, tell me."

"I need you to accompany me to a wedding!"

"What?" I look at him incredulously.

"That's right, what you heard."

"Are you alright, sir?" He slams his hand on the table, startling me. I take a step back.

"I'm sorry, I need you to accompany me. I'll pay you 20,000 reais." I look at him in surprise.

"Sir, I'm not sure. Can I think about it?"

"You have until tomorrow. If you don't give me an answer, I'll find someone else. You can go, and ask someone to come clean up here."

"Yes, sir."

I leave his office, very nervous. I don't understand why he made that proposal to me. This man is crazier than I thought.

My cell phone vibrates, and I see a message from my mother.

*message on*

"Honey, I'm going to have to sell the house to pay off the debts."

This breaks me. I wish I could help her somehow. I didn't want her to sell the house because I grew up in it, and there are many memories of my father there.

I know my boss's proposal seems absurd, but those 20,000 would be enough to pay off part of the debt, and I could see about the rest when I actually graduate and can work full time.

I hope it's just to accompany him, and he won't try anything with me. Although he's a temptation: handsome, a brunette with green eyes, muscular, straight, dark hair. He's a very handsome man, but I would never accept money to be with someone.

I don't feel right about accepting money to be an escort, but I really need it, and I hope it's just this once.

Today I woke up earlier to avoid the risk of Caio arriving before me; today I will wait for him with coffee ready so that he doesn’t complain.

I also decided that I will accept his proposal; I was already determined, and now that my mother wants to sell the house, I need to do this for her.

I take my shower, put on a white satin blouse and a gray pencil skirt, throw on a gray blazer, slip into my black shoes, grab my bag, and walk towards the office.

"Good morning, Marcela." I say as I enter.

"Good morning, Raquel. You got here early today."

"I won’t take the risk of the boss arriving before me again."

"Very well." Her deep, husky voice echoes, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Good morning, sir." I say awkwardly.

"Let’s go to my office to go over the agenda." I nod to Marcela, who smiles, looks at Caio, and bites her lip; I smile back.

Once in his office, I head straight for the agenda, but he stops me.

"Sit." He says, pointing to the chair; without thinking twice, I sit down. He is so authoritative, demanding, and sexy.

Focus, Raquel! Don’t get distracted by his looks, and don’t delude yourself; a man like that will never look at you.

"About the proposal, do you have an answer?"

"Yes, sir, I accept to be your companion."

"Great; I must tell you, it won’t be just as my companion; you will have to pretend to be my girlfriend." I look at him startled; he didn’t mention this yesterday.

"Are you sure I’m qualified for that?"

"I thought of you; if you don’t accept, I’ll find another." He says coldly.

"No, it’s fine; I accept."

"Great, then sign here; this is a contract stating that you agree not to tell anyone about our arrangement; now that you accept, you must sign."

"Yes, sir." As a good law student and future lawyer, I read the contract very carefully.

Whenever I read a contract, I have a habit of biting my lower lip and running my tongue over it; I know it's a strange habit, but it excites me to read contracts and legal processes. I know that's even stranger, but that's just how I am.

When I finish reading, I see that he is looking at me intently, and I know exactly why; I feel a bit embarrassed that he saw me biting my lip.

"Should I add to the contract that you cannot bite your lip?" I flush.

"I’m sorry, sir."

"Sign." He says, and I sign. "The wedding will be this weekend, we leave tomorrow; it’s at the beach so think about that when packing... no, better take my card, go do some shopping; after all, you will be my girlfriend, and you need to look impeccable."

"You don’t have to, sir."

"That isn’t a request." He looks at me with that intimidating gaze, and I take the card. "Don’t worry about the amount you will spend; buy everything you need for the trip."

"Yes, sir, excuse me."

"Go now, take the day off, and buy everything."

"But what about you?"

"I’ll be fine alone."

"Yes, sir."

I gather my things and prepare to walk to the mall since I can’t afford the luxury of taking a cab; it’s a bit far, but that’s all we have for today.

"How are you getting there?" Caio sticks his head in the door and asks.

"Walking." I say a bit embarrassed; he returns to his office and a short while later comes back with his briefcase and the car keys.

"Let’s go; I’ll drive you."

"You don’t have to, sir."

"That isn’t a request." What a bossy man; I say nothing and follow him to the parking lot.

His car is one of those imports that cost about six digits, more or less; I don’t know the brand; I’m too nervous to think about it.

I never thought I would get into this man’s car; this kind of relationship is very intimate between boss and employee, and Caio Alencar is so intimidating that it makes me feel nauseous.

The whole way, he drives in silence, just looking ahead; I sneak a few glances now and then, but he doesn’t look at me at any moment.

I thought he would take me to the mall nearby, but he drives for about forty minutes and takes me to the most expensive shopping mall in the city.

He parks in the lot, and as I reach for the door to get out, he grips my hand, stopping me. A shiver courses through my body, and I feel a slight pang between my legs, just from his touch.

He walks around the car and opens the door for me, offering his hand to help me down. I've always believed he is a gentleman, but I never thought that would apply to me someday.

"I'm heading to the food court for a coffee. Buy whatever you need, and we'll have lunch when I get back to discuss the contract terms."

"Yes, sir."

I step away from him, and a few paces later, I glance back to find him still standing there, watching me. When he realizes I've caught him staring, he turns away and leaves.

The shops in this mall are all designer brands. I’m not sure if I should take it as a compliment or an insult that my clothes are cheap, which they are, but I dress well within my means; I have good taste.

The first step is to buy swimsuits since we’re going on Friday and won’t be back until Monday. Sooner or later, I’ll need to wear a bikini.

I choose four: a black one, because black is life, a navy blue, a red, and an aqua green. I pick a cover-up to match each one.

I head to the cash register to pay, and the total surprises me: 5,250 for these few pieces. That’s more than my salary, but since he told me to buy, I must comply; I would never dare to report what this man orders.

Upon leaving the bikini shop, I buy some short shorts because of the heat, tops to match, and a few light dresses.

Finally, I look for the dress I’ll wear to the wedding. I try on several, but none appeal to me. I like the aqua green dress I’m currently trying on a bit more.

I hear the sound of a message on my phone; it’s a text from Caio.

"This dress looks great."

I glance around, searching for him, but don’t see him. He’s definitely nearby; this man is very strange, and he frightens me. His behavior can change suddenly. Caio Alencar is the most bipolar person I know.

The dress is very elegant and lightweight, perfect for a beach wedding. It’s aqua green, which I think is a great choice for the beach and daytime, and it has my boss’s approval.

I delve into each purchase, but I have no way to backtrack; I signed a contract, and above all, I need the money.

These few purchases total 93,578 reais. I’m surprised that wealthy people spend so much on clothes. I love dressing well, but I don’t know if I’d have the courage to pay that much for a few articles of clothing.

I exit the store, and Caio suddenly appears beside me, startling me a bit. His hair is messy, he’s removed his blazer and tie, and the first two buttons of his shirt are undone, revealing a hint of his muscles, which makes me slightly dizzy. I swallow hard again, feeling that familiar pang in my core, and heat rising to my cheeks.

"Let’s have lunch!"it’s not a suggestion; he’s simply informing me.

"I’d prefer to go home; you don’t need to bother."

"Okay."

For the first time, he doesn’t impose his will on me, and I must admit, I feel incredibly relieved. I’ll already have to face a long weekend with him, pretending to be his girlfriend. I don’t know why he needs this pretense; a man like him could have any woman he wanted.

We get into the car, and he plays a song, something by The Weeknd. I don’t know the title, but I know it’s very sensual. The beats make me imagine this man inside me. Caio is scrambling my thoughts. I’ve never thought of him this way, but seeing him outside the office, with his guard a little down, is sending my mind on a journey.

"Why do you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"I ask, breaking the silence.

"My sister is getting married, my brothers are already married, and my ex, who also got married, will be there with her husband since she’s friends with my sister. I don’t want to show up alone."

"I understand."

"I didn’t mention that we’ll be staying at my family’s beach house, and since we’re a couple, we’ll have to share a room."I swallow hard again; it will be very difficult to be in a room with this man without being able to touch him.

I remain silent, unable to come up with anything intelligent to say; all I know is that it will be a great challenge for me. Caio has never affected me sexually before; he influenced me in other ways. In fact, I’ve always been afraid of him, but with this proximity, I'm looking at him with new eyes.

"Is this too much for you?" he asks.

"No, we’ll manage; we’re adults."

"Great."

After a few minutes, he stops in front of my apartment, and only then do I realize I never told him where I lived. I don’t know how Caio knows where I stay.

"How do you know where I live?"

"I’ve seen you leave here a few times."

"Were you watching me?"

"I think you would have liked it if I had been." He doesn’t give me a chance to respond and quickly gets out of the car to open the door for me. "I’ll pick you up here tomorrow morning at 8:00 sharp, don’t be late."

"Yes, sir." He gets back in the car and drives away, and I stand there like a fool, watching until I can no longer see the car.

My heart is racing so fast that I can feel the rhythmic beats in my chest. Tomorrow will be a big day; I hope everything goes well.

I spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I'm very anxious because I don't know what awaits me, in fact, I don't even know how to act in front of so many people pretending to be my boss's girlfriend.

It's a little after 5:00 am when I decide to get up. I do a full waxing, since I'm going to the beach. I take a nice long shower that cleanses even the soul, put on short denim shorts, a nude belt, a white blouse, put on some gold accessories, slip on a sandal the same color as the belt, and I'm ready.

Since I couldn't pack yesterday, and luckily I woke up super early, I have plenty of time to pack now.

I put everything I bought yesterday in the suitcase, plus some of my things, underwear, some sandals, accessories, and makeup.

I finish packing and go make some coffee, my day doesn't really start until I've had my coffee.

At exactly 7:58 am I hear his car arrive, I rush down before he can come up, I wouldn't want him to come into my house, that's too intimate.

He waits for me leaning against the car, he's wearing sunglasses, his hair is still wet but not combed like he usually wears to work, he's wearing a black shirt, white jeans, and black sneakers.

He's more handsome than usual, seeing him out of formal attire is quite strange, but I confess that I like him better this way, he's less intimidating and seems more approachable and normal.

"Good morning," he says.

"Good morning, sir." He takes my suitcase and puts it in the car.

"You better stop calling me sir, since you'll be my girlfriend this weekend."

"Yes sir... I mean, Caio." I find it strange to call him by his name.

"Do you think it's better if we define some affectionate nickname? Boyfriends do that, don't they?"

"Yes, what do you think is best? YOU! What do you think is best?"

"Honey? Too cheesy?"

"It could be." How am I going to call this man "honey" all weekend?

We have about an hour's drive ahead of us, the good thing is that we don't have to fly, because I'm terrified of flying.

He turns on the stereo and REM echoes inside the car, "Losing My Religion," I love this song, I've been listening to it since I was a kid, my dad liked it too. I rest my head on the seat, close my eyes, and sing the song as if I were alone.

I open my eyes for a few seconds and see him looking at me, I'm a little embarrassed, even in these casual clothes I still see my boss and my stomach churns a little.

"Sir, you should concentrate on the road," I say a little timidly.

"I drive very well, you don't have to worry, your life is not in danger." He looks at me and I feel like his sentence has a double meaning, I just ignore it.

Another song starts playing, The Police, "Every Breath You Take." The guy has good taste and what surprises me the most is that we have that in common, I also love those 80s songs.

"You can sing, no problem," he says, seeing my hands moving to the rhythm of the music, I smile.

"Okay."

"My parents are going to be there, but I suppose you already know that, since it's my sister's wedding and obviously they would be present." As obvious as it seems, I hadn't thought about it.

"What are your parents going to think when they see you arrive with your assistant?" I say this because they both know me.

"My parents are not the type of people who are judgmental, they treat everyone equally, even because they didn't always have money, my father fought hard to have what he has today, you can rest assured that they will treat you very well."

"Okay."

"Relax, you have to make it look very natural, or everyone will notice."

"Don't worry, no one will notice a thing."

"Great."

We spend the rest of the trip without saying anything, finally he stops the car and gets out to open the door for me.

The house is huge, it has three floors, it's very beautiful from the outside, I imagine it is on the inside as well, it has a giant pool, the house faces the sea.

He hands the keys to a young man to take the car to the garage.

"Show time," he says and takes my hand, my whole body shivers.

A middle-aged woman opens the door for us, it must be the housekeeper.

"Good morning, young man, it's been a while," she says, hugging him.

"Good morning, Cintia, how are you?"

"I'm fine, young man, better now that I'm seeing you."

"Thank you, and how is your family?"

"Jose is out there taking care of something and the boys are fine, all in college."

"Very good. This is Raquel, my girlfriend."

"How beautiful, you finally found someone. It's a pleasure to meet you, dear, anything you need, just let me know," she says, hugging me.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you."

"Your room is already prepared, someone will bring your bags shortly, breakfast is ready, do you want to eat now or wait for the others to arrive? You are the first ones here."

"We'll wait for the others, thank you," he says and, without letting go of my hand, leads me to the stairs.

We go up the stairs hand in hand and enter the room in the same way, when I realize that there is no one watching, I let go of his hand, this situation makes me a little embarrassed.

"You are very tense, try to relax, think of it as a job."

"Yes, sir."

"And stop calling me sir!"

"Force of habit."

"Don't call me sir anymore, that's an order." Now we're talking! This is the Caio I know.

"Okay, honey." I emphasize the last word.

"Less sarcasm."

"Alright, honey," I say and smile.

"That's better."

Someone knocks on the door and he goes to open it, it's the young man bringing our bags, the same one who parked the car.

"Thank you," Caio says. "Do you want to take a shower and change for breakfast?"

"Yes."

"You can go first, there are clean towels in the bathroom cabinet, body lotion too, feel free."

"Thank you."

I separate one of the dresses I bought yesterday that Caio paid dearly for, the dress is white and very light, I take a white lingerie too and I notice him looking at my underwear, it makes me shy, he notices and smiles.

It's hard to see him smile, the dreaded Caio Alencar is very relaxed, this mood seems to have done him good.

I go to the bathroom almost running, I close the door behind me, my heart is racing and my breath is panting.

I observe the bathroom, which is bigger than my bedroom, it has two sinks, two showers, a bathtub, it's very luxurious, all black and white, just like the bedroom.

I take a quick shower, don't wet my hair, just comb it, dry myself, get dressed, and leave.

Caio is only wearing pants, he has already taken off his shirt and sneakers, he is lying on the bed fiddling with his cell phone, when he sees that I come out he observes me, as if to approve what I am wearing.

"My turn," he gets up and walks past me into the bathroom.

While he's in the shower, I look for flip-flops to wear, I don't usually wear sandals at home, I don't know if Caio will approve, I'll wait and ask him to see what he says.

A few minutes later he comes out wearing only a towel, I think he's doing this to tease me, I don't understand why, he never seemed to be interested in me, most of the time I thought he only put up with me because I did everything he said without complaining.

"I forgot to take my clothes, I'm not used to having company and when I do... Well, never mind." I roll my eyes.

I turn my back so he can get dressed, and I hear his laughter. I don't recognize this man, he seems to be someone else, he really is very bipolar.

Someone knocks on the door and he goes to open it, he's wearing only a pair of thin fabric shorts.

"Oh my God, what a wonderful man." Beatriz hugs him. "I thought you weren't coming, since you don't like people."

"Wouldn't miss this for the world, seeing poor Michel go to the gallows."

"Very funny, that man loves me," she smiles. "And this wonderful woman, where did you find her? I couldn't believe it when Mom said you were coming with someone."

"This is Raquel, she works with me, and in her spare time she's my girlfriend."

"It could only be someone from work, you only live stuck in that office. Hi, I'm Beatriz, his sister." She pulls me in for a hug.

"She already knows that, Beatriz."

"Stop being boring, kid, I don't know how you put up with him." I smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I finally say, the two of them talk a lot.

"I'll leave you guys to it, don't take too long to come down, breakfast is served." She says and winks at me.

"My sister is a little intense," he says when she leaves.

"I noticed."

"I think everyone expects us to take a while, you know..."

"Yes, I know, but we were the first ones here, we've been in this room for a while, so no one will suspect anything."

"Alright, let's go down then." He puts on a white shirt and black flip-flops, I'm relieved because I won't be the only one.

We go down the stairs hand in hand and everyone is already there, his siblings, their spouses, his parents, plus a few people I don't know.

"This is Raquel, my girlfriend," he says and everyone greets me.

I am a little embarrassed by so many people looking at me, most of the looks are friendly, except for one woman, who I suppose is his ex.

Caio approaches me and hugs me, I'm a little surprised, but I return the hug, he kisses my neck, sending a shiver down my spine, I feel my intimacy come alive, he notices the effect this has on me and squeezes my waist harder and kisses my neck again, I gasp at the same time.

"Relax," he whispers in my ear. "That redhead behind you is my ex, don't look now, she's looking at us, can I kiss you? To convince everyone and her too." I smile to appear natural.

"That wasn't part of the deal," I whisper and put my hands in his hair.

"I'll pay you extra for it."

"I'm not for sale," I say with a smile.

"I know, but we're boyfriend and girlfriend, we have to kiss, so as not to arouse suspicion."

"Okay."

Without further ado, he presses his lips to mine, he just gives me a peck, which is normal for couples when they are in front of people, it seems insignificant, but it made me wet, I wanted more, but I'm not going to give in and show that I want to.

"See, I didn't bite off a piece of you, you'll be well compensated." I smile.

"Can I borrow her for a bit?" Beatriz says, taking my hand, I look at him for help and he shrugs.

"I want to thank you," she says when we move away.

"For what?"

"For bringing my brother to my wedding, I thought he wouldn't come, because of Barbara, they didn't end well and she's my friend, but thank you for coming and for making him come too." I feel guilty for lying.

"You don't have to thank me, he loves you very much and certainly wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I know he loves me, I love him too, but I think if he wasn't with you he wouldn't come, so I owe you one." She hugs me.

"Don't mention it."

"Shall we have breakfast?"

"Let's go."

The table is huge and plentiful, there's enough food here to feed about ten families, there's everything, bread, cakes, fruit, juices, milk, coffee, but all in large quantities.

There are only couples here at the house, now I understand why he didn't want to come alone, it would be very embarrassing for him to arrive here without anyone, poor my boss, good thing I'm here to save him.

"Coffee, honey?" he asks, I find it strange that he calls me that.

"Yes, please, honey." He serves me and kisses my cheek, he's really taking this whole boyfriend thing seriously.

Beatriz looks at us and smiles, Barbara, on the other hand, would have killed me if she could, this woman still likes him, I'm sure of it, it makes me angry, I think I'm jealous.

To provoke her, I wipe Caio's mouth, which has a breadcrumb on it, he takes my hand and kisses it, everyone looks at us in surprise.

I believe we are making everyone believe that we are really a couple.

"When did you two start dating?" Marisol, Caio's mother, asks.

"It's been a while, but I haven't had a chance to introduce her officially yet."

"Take good care of her, son, she's a very beautiful young woman and seems to really like you," she says and looks at Barbara.

"Don't worry, Mom," he says and caresses my face, I smile at him and everyone looks at us with admiration, except Barbara.

Everyone finishes breakfast and goes to their rooms to change into their swimsuits and enjoy the sun by the pool.

Caio and I went up to the room to change too, I chose the black bikini and the black cover-up to match and went to the bathroom to change.

The bikini ties at the back and as much as I try, I can't do it alone, I have to call Caio to help me, super embarrassed, but it's the only way.

I get myself into such situations!