Emily’s Dilemma: Seduced by Billionaire Brothers

“What just…. What just happened?” Emily said in panic sprinting towards the door. Her breath came in short spurts as she tried the doorknob again, the metal unyielding beneath her shaking. The gentle click of the lock that had sealed then in moments ago now thundered in her ears like an omen.

“It’s locked,” she murmured, the realisation setting her heart adrift on waves of panic.

Jackson quickly rushed to her side, eyes narrowing as he gripped the door knob firmly. His steady composure slipping like sand through fingers as he too found it unresponsive.

“What…?” He shook the knob harder, the finality of their situation dawning on him. “This can’t be happening.”

“Fuck!” He yelled in frustration, running his hands through his hair.

Emily backed away from the door and running to her purse in search of her phone and her chest tightened at the realisation that her phone was missing

“My phone…. I could swear….” She thought harder trying to remember when last she had her phone

“Maybe Ethan has it” she concluded, the same time Jackson started searching himself to realise his phone was equally missing.

“I don’t have my phone either” he confessed.

The room seemed to shrink, its once comforting decor now taking on the sinister quality of a beautifully adorned cage.

“Who would….. why would the door lock from outside” Emily went back to the door, her voice a strangled whisper as she struggled with the door.

Jackson’s forehead creased with worry as his protective instincts kicked in. He could handle his own concerns, but the terror veiling Emily’s normally bright eyes spurred him into action and he quickly grabbed her, pulling her away from the door by her hands.

“Relax Emily, we’ll get out of here, don’t worry. I guess it’s just a mistake” He attempted to sound sure, even as his own heart raced against the lie. He was in charge of this event and everything was going to go sideways if he wasn’t there, what the hell was going on?

The windows, they both knew, were ornamental and far too high to reach, the lace curtains mocking them with their soft sway. In unison, they turned back to the door, the only barrier between them and the rest of the world-a world that buzzed with life just beyond their reach.

“Do you think we should shout for help?” Emily asked, looking at Jackson, his handsome face creased with worry that mirrored hers but he was already shaking his head

“I doubt anyone would hear us from up here”

Quietly defeated, Emily slid down against the nearest wall, her voluminous skirt billowing around her like a froth of dejected waves. The weight of silence coiled around them-tight, uncomfortable, a tangible presence in the small space.

Jackson watched her, his own distress morphing into concern. He took a seat beside her, their backs pressed against the cool wall, the shared predicament rendering their status irrelevant.

“What do we do now?” Emily asked. Jackson’s jaw clenched and for a moment he said nothing.

They sat in a silence that stretched taut between them, each lost in a maze of conjectures. As the moments dragged into an unbearable continuum, anxiety ebbed and flowed like a dark tide, casting long shadows over their faces.

Emily’s heartbeat thundered in her ears, the tick of an invisible clock marking time in a room that seemed to exist out of step with the world outside. She turned to Jackson, their gazes locking-the same unspoken question mirrored in their eyes.

It was Jackson who broke first, tampering with the silence that encased them

“I’ve missed you Emily” he admitted, his gaze locked onto hers “Honestly, it’s been a fight to push you out of my mind”

His confession hung in the air, a delicate truth that threatened the careful balance they had maintained. Emily’s breath caught in her throat, her lips parting slightly, but no words emerged.

“Jackson I-” Emily’s voice was a whisper of conflict “Please don’t-”

“I’m sorry Emily, I can’t help it, each day is a torture, seeing you together with him when I met you first, when I kissed you first” his hands found her face, caressing her skin softly and Emily felt goosebumps rise on her skin from his touch.

“I’m married to Ethan” she managed to say and Jackson closed his eyes pulling his hands away from her

“So you love him then?” he asked but Emily turned away silent but it wasn’t until Jackson tipped her chin to face him and she felt a familiar flutter within her belly, the tight corset doing little to nothing to kill those butterflies.

“It’s complicated” she tried to pull away but Jackson held still

“Then give this a chance” he pleaded, his eyes were mesmerizing, they pulled her deep into dangerous waters and holding her captive. She felt the chemistry, her tongue tied by the weight of her height even when Jackson leaned in, his face a few inches from hers and the memory of the masked ball flooding her senses. She felt trapped between duty and desire, between a love that should be and one that she couldn’t help. But still, she pulled away, away from the lust just as someone came banging on the door.

“So what do you want me to do now, just leave him? It’s not that easy!” She stood up now, pacing around “I married him, we are married and then there’s you whom I feel this attraction that I cannot control. It’s killing me”

“So what? You’re going to ignore how you feel?”

“Yes if you stay away from me” Emily turned to look at Jackson from where he sat, the intensity in his eyes speaking volumes.

“I can’t not want you, it doesn’t work that way, it’s not that easy”

“But….”

“No Emily, this is not the first time Ethan and I are fighting over girl and every time, I just keep losing”

“What-?” Emily said in surprise “Tell me about -”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, it’s in the past just don’t chose him anymore” Jackson pleaded, standing up to hold Emily’s hand but she retreated.

“I think I chose him when I married him, maybe….” Her voice cracked “Maybe we should stay away from each other”

***

Outside the room, just minutes ago, a very different climax was unfolding.

The guests at the banquet had turned their attention to a sudden flicker on the projector-images flashing across the large screen that adorned the main wall for the night’s presentations. At first, the intrusion went unnoticed in the swell of voices and activity, but as the scene came into focus, a hush descended upon the crowd.

Confusion morphed into shock as the realization dawned-the projector was streaming a live feed from the room where Jackson and Emily had been cloistered away.

Ethan stood amongst the sea of guests, his sharp features frozen in an expression of disbelief. Wine glass in hand, unconsciously slipping and shattering unto the colorful carpet. His expression morphed into anger and a twinge of shame, guilt.

“Turn that shit off!!”