Chapter 3

Rileys POV:

Yesterday was… not what I was expecting. He really wants me to dress as a girl and pretend I'm dating him. I wonder if by doing this I'll get to see more emotions from him. He seems so reserved. At least by accepting this job I'll be able to afford the place left to me by my father. It's not like I have to stay at this job, I could look for others while I'm working there… but honestly who am I kidding. I really want to get to know Richard. He's hot, he's rich, and he's mysterious. Man what a package deal. I mean I won't delude myself with fantasies of him falling in love with me, but if we could at least become closer it would be nice.

I hear a strange noise outside, and take a peek through the curtains. A moving truck? Ah, I guess the place next door was on sale, wasn't it. Someone must have bought it. Hopefully they are a nice person, but I probably won't be here that much with my new job. That's some really nice furniture they are carrying in though, much nicer than anything I can afford. Dad was a man of simple means, and even though he had such a nice house he barely furnished it. Why dad, why? Now I'm left with the task of filling this house, no thanks to the fact that most of the furniture here was already falling apart. Did he never replace anything?

As I'm watching the movers carry the furniture into the house I spot a familiar face. There's no way that's Richard, is it? I squint my eyes a bit and really take in the details. Woah, that's really him. Should I go say hi? No, he might think it's weird. I'm just an employee of his now, I need to keep things professional even if we are fake dating. His head turns my way and I quickly dart away from the window. Oh God he didn't see me did he? Standing there like a creep and staring at him. My question is answered a moment later when I hear knocking.

Should I ignore it? I hear a knock again, but don't say anything. "Riley, wasn't that you I saw?!" He yells through the door, and I sigh. I guess I don't have a choice but to open it, at least he doesn't sound mad. I slink over to the door and open it a crack, peering out. "Oh, Richard. I didn't know you were moving in next door." He raises his eyebrows at me and looks me up and down. "If I didn't know any better Riley I would say you're afraid I'm gonna break in." I blush shamefully and open my door more. "N-no, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit nervous, I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"You know, this actually works out better for us. I'll need to help you get some clothing for the job, if you come over we can search online together. I'll be paying, of course, since it's for your job." Oh good, he really isn't upset at all. "Um yeah, that's fine with me." He looks over to the movers and back to me. "I'm afraid it will have to be later today though, as they will need a bit of time to sort things out. Do you mind if I come in?" Eh, he wants to come in? The shirt I'm wearing has holes in it, and I barely have any furniture. I'm gonna end up embarrassing myself, I don't even really have any food to offer. Nevertheless, I invite him in, not wanting to be rude.

"Ah yes, you can come in. I just moved in recently as well so there isn't much here." Yes, good excuse. Won't work if he comes over again in the future, but for now it's fine. "It's quite all right Riley, I of all people know it can be hard to find the time for personal affects." He casually strolls in with one hand in the pocket of his pants, and turns to me. "I fired Angela, she would start saying something unneeded if you came in dressed like a girl but I had interviewed a guy. She's not the brightest, but even she would put two and two together."

I press my lips together. "Ah, I'm sorry you had to fire her." He chuckles. "Thanks for finally giving me a good excuse to." He flops lazily into the single sofa I have in the living room, brushing his hair back. Wow, not sure I could be so comfortable in a near strangers home, but good for him I guess. "Ah, would you like something to drink?" "Oh, water will be fine. Is it filtered?" Is it filtered? Is he for real? "No?" He turns to look back at me. "Well, I'll still take it. It's your water after all." Now what's that supposed to mean? 

I get a glass and fill it with water from the sink, before bringing it over to him. "Sorry I can't really offer anything better, I would have prepared something better if I had known you would be showing up like this." I think I see a dark expression on his face, but a second glance reveals his same stone face. "Did you not want me to come visit you?" I blush and quickly speak up. "N-no! That's not what I meant at all, I'm just sorry I couldn't offer you any better." He smiles slightly and shakes his head. "Riley, I'm just messing with you." 

I didn't take him for the teasing type. That took me totally off guard. I know I'm still blushing in embarrassment, and I quickly look away. "I should get going, those movers will never figure out where to put everything if I don't direct them. I'll call you when you can come over, you saved my number right?" I nod and place my hand over the phone in my pocket. "I'll see you later then Richard." He waves goodbye as he heads out the door, and I shut it behind him. Ah seriously, that was way too stressful.

                     .........…..

Richards POV

Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cuuuuute. He gets more cute each time I meet him and this is only the third time. Before he gets here I should open some different tabs of clothes that would look good on him. Would be nice if I could show him and get his approval to buy them. I'm sure if I go about this tactfully I can ensure he wears the things I like the most. It's all about control, and right now I have all of it. Riley trusts me, and he trusts my opinion. I just need to be reassuring and confident on this.

It's so refreshing to be treated as though I'm an actual human. The falsities get so tiring, and Riley is just so honest and open. I should get something for Riley as a gift for starting work. His house was so empty, and he drinks tap water? If I can at least get him a filter for the tap, that would be better than just plain tap water. Filtered water has a much better taste than tap. Didn't look like there was much in the house though, so maybe he just didn't have a chance to get a filter. Oh well, I'll get it for him.

"Hey, where do you want this?" I'm taken out of my thoughts as the movers carry in my heavy desk. Times like this make me happy I have plenty of money to hire movers, I know the weight of that thing is no joke. I can tell this isn't an easy job for them as I see a slight perspiration across their brows, and it's not a hot day."Ah, that will go in my office. Let me show you where." I direct them over to a side room with plenty of space. It was a bedroom, of course, but I won't need to use it for that. The house has a total of four bedrooms, but it's obvious to anyone I don't need that many. I really only bought this house to be closer to Riley anyway. At least I can turn one of the bedrooms into an office, and then if I need to work from home one day Riley could just come over here. From what I could see, the setup of Riley's house is the exact same as mine. Of course I didn't get to really explore, but from where I came in I could see everything was the same.

My house seems to be a little more up to date though. A big indicator was the countertops. My countertops are a sleek marble, and from what I saw of his kitchen it was… well I'm not sure what that was. I also have nicer flooring as well. I guess my house was remodeled whereas his hasn't been updated in quite some time. I'm not sure if any walls were knocked down or put up in my house though, I would have to see his whole house to truly know if the layout is still exactly the same. Ugh, why am I obsessing about this anyway, I need to finish getting things moved in and look up clothes for Riley.

                   ............

Riley's POV

"Wow, this is a lot of clothes you saved. I'm not sure I'll really be needing this much." He looks over at me and raises his eyebrows. "As my so-called girlfriend, the way you look would also impact me. If you went around wearing the same dozen outfits, the public would criticize me for not buying you nice clothes. I am a millionaire after all." Seriously, he's really that rich? I mean I knew he was rich but still. Maybe it's only like 1 million, and it's all tied up in his company. It's expensive to run a company. The last person I was a secretary for owned a rather small company though so I can't be sure of the costs for a big one. Still though, these clothes are really expensive. "Um, do we need to get such expensive stuff? This one dress is over 1000 dollars…" He looks up at the ceiling with an amused face. "No, it's definitely not too much, don't worry Riley."

I bite my lip and look away, nervous about all this. It's definitely too much. "So if you approve of these outfits can I buy them? After all, you will be using it for work. Don't worry, I already picked out a nice wig for you, very high quality. It even matches your natural hair color." I nod shyly and breathe shakily. Ah, he really is attractive!! I'm sure this guy doesn't even realize the effect he is having. Quit it Riley, he's your boss! This is all just for a job, he just wants to stay on the good side of his business partners. This isn't because of me personally.

Ah shit, now I'm getting depressed thinking this way, I should stop. "If that's all, I'll be leaving now." I get up to leave and he grabs my hand. Shocked, I look back at him, but his face is still rather blank. "Come over tomorrow, about 5 pm. The clothes should have arrived by then and we should check to make sure they all fit well." Oh yeah, that. "I will Richard, see you tomorrow." I wave goodbye at him and head outside, slowly making my way back to my own house. I still can't believe he is right next door to me. If this job doesn't work out that will make things really awkward. I guess he moved because this area is rather close to his workplace.

Once I get back home I toss my keys onto the counter and plop back against the sofa. I'm exhausted, it's been such a long day. I know I still have things to clean in the house but at this point I really don't care.  At least I don't have to go into work tomorrow since I don't have the clothes yet. He mentioned that he's gonna go into work for a while tomorrow before the clothes arrive. It must be hard running a business. Secretary work is no joke either, but at least I don't have to make decisions. I just have to follow orders and do my job.

I get up and look into the fridge, nothing of course. All I have is some cans in the pantry. Once I get my first paycheck I guess I can get some food for the fridge. Milk, meat, pasta, I won't have to rely on leftovers and takeout anymore. I probably won't have the time to cook but at least I'll be able to buy foods I can just heat up here. At least there isn't any dishes in the sink…

I guess I should get changed into my pajamas and go to bed, I really don't have the energy for anything else today. I haven't eaten dinner yet though… guess I'll just order something. Pizza, or Chinese I guess. If I order pizza I'll at least have leftovers. Would be nice to have something in the fridge. Yeah, pizza will do. Then I can curl up in bed and sleep, forgetting the crazy past few days I've had.