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back if she wasn’t prepared to deliver the service he had booked and she wasn’t able to return his wretched money to him! It put her between a rock and a hard place and frustration roared through her. Had Odette won their battle so easily? She could deny all connection to her mother’s escort agency and leave Bastian Christou to pursue the return of the money he had paid, but that would undoubtedly plunge Odette into serious legal and financial trouble. And the woman who had financed the surgery that had given Emmie the opportunity to live a normal able-bodied life again deserved better than that from her, Emmie conceded reluctantly. The gift of that life-enhancing surgery truly was a debt that could never be repaid.
    ‘Why the disguise?’ Bastian enquired indolently. ‘Are you afraid of being recognised in the day job?’
    Emmie went pink again. ‘Something like that.’
    She couldn’t tell him the truth, had never told anyone the truth. When Saffy’s face had gone global and her twin was constantly pictured in the media, Emmie had no longer felt that her face was her own. Even more awkwardly, people had started mistaking her for Saffy in the street and it had got embarrassing: strangers approaching her asking for autographs and photos, men coming on to her, people getting angry and abusive when she insisted that she wasn’t the famous Sapphire because they didn’t believe her. The attention had mortified and intimidated her, making her feel like a fake copy of her famous sister, incapable of satisfying people’s expectations. She had always been a very private person and could never have put herself on show as her sibling had done to make a living in front of the cameras. She had never had that kind of confidence in her face and body.
    Bastian relaxed back against the side of his desk. ‘If you make a good job of the role I have for you I’ll pay you a bonus,’ he told her smoothly. ‘This is very much a business arrangement, not a pleasure trip.’
    Emmie wondered if this was what he always did when a woman became difficult: offer her more money, clothes, jewellery, whatever ? Did he often use his wealth as a bribe?
    ‘Are you in the habit of using an escort service?’ Emmie enquired flatly.
    ‘You will be the first...and the last,’ he informed her grimly.
    ‘And why didn’t you tell me what you’d done when you spoke to me yesterday about the photo on the website? Wasn’t that complete hypocrisy?’ she asked him drily again.
    ‘Common sense. If I take you to my sister’s wedding, I naturally don’t want your escort identity to still be visible online,’ he pointed out coolly. ‘And I’m not a hypocrite. What you see is what you get. I’m a very forthright guy.’
    ‘Your sister’s wedding? You want me to accompany you to a family occasion?’ Emmie prompted in surprise.
    ‘I don’t want anything to take the gloss off my sister, Nessa’s big day,’ Bastian admitted. ‘Seeing me with you will persuade her that I have moved on from my broken engagement and that will make Nessa happy. She’s a very soft-hearted soul. And as my ex is one of her bridesmaids, it will be more comfortable for everyone present if I have a partner of my own.’
    ‘One of her bridesmaids?’ Emmie grimaced at the concept. ‘Sticky—’
    ‘But less so with you on my arm,’ he confirmed. ‘May I assume that you will be accompanying me to my home in Greece?’
    Emmie gulped at the prospect, thinking frantically about how she could possibly repay the fee he had paid, knowing that, short of a lottery win, she could not. There was no way out, no convenient escape route. What was one weekend to be spent in the company of family and wedding guests? It sounded innocent, safe . She swallowed hard and then nodded in surrender, curling lashes lowering over her angry gaze.
    ‘All that remains is the provision of suitable clothing for you to wear over the weekend,’ Bastian remarked.
    ‘That won’t be