Continuity mistake: When Vivian is eating dinner and the snail "flies" away from her, it goes to the far right of the screen disappearing. Then in the next shot the waiter catches it, but it flew too far to the right for him to catch it.
Continuity mistake: When Edward and Vivian kiss for the first time, her white nightgown goes from being long to being short.
Continuity mistake: In the screen where Vivian has been on the shopping spree, she returns to the hotel wearing the cream colored dress and a black hat. When she walks into the hotel, her black purse is under one arm. Then they show a behind shot of her walking away and the purse is under the other arm.
Continuity mistake: At the beginning when Vivian is sitting on his desk she says " you can pay me now" and he hands her her money and she puts it inside her boot. Later, after the Champagne comes and she is sitting on the steps in the hotel room she asks "do you mind if I take off my boots." When she does there is no money, not even in the knee highs she is wearing under her boots.
Answer: Edward always needed to project a certain image of success, including having a beautiful woman by his side. His previous girlfriend dumped him because she was fed up with him treating her as nothing more than someone to cater to his needs and to be a prop to aid his business deals. He hires Vivian for the same reason and to charm the men he wants to conduct business with. Presumably, he would find a new girlfriend later on, but needed someone in the immediate interim to fill that role.
raywest