Meeting Mr. Mogul: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance (8 page)

As I headed towards the bedroom, I made a quick observation of the apartment. On the right side of the room was the kitchen. It had a small island counter, situated across the stove and sink, which was made of marble. The dining table, located a few paces away, wasn’t made of any old, ordinary wood. I’ve never seen wood that was well polished before.

When Kevin opened the door of the bedroom, I stood outside with my eyes wide open. The room looked like it came straight out of a lifestyle magazine. After I finished marveling the room, my eyes spotted a light beige knee-length chiffon dress neatly placed near the edge of the bed.

I slowly walked towards the dress then held it up in front of me with a careful hand. The hem of the dress gently dropped down as I moved it towards my body. I was trying to imagine how it would look like once I wore it.

“...I’ll pick you up at five in the afternoon. Here is my number if you need anything else.” Kevin’s voice resurfaced as I turned towards him, regaining my senses.

“Thank you,” I said softly and grabbed the calling card he offered.

“Are you alright?” he asked as he looked at me worriedly.

“I’m fine, I think. I just need to breathe,” I said softly as I took a huge intake of breath, closing my eyes in concentration. “What have I gotten myself into?” I whispered in disbelief. I tried to wrap my head around the things that happened today, but I was too overwhelmed. Everything was happening too fast. However, since I haven’t passed out yet, I will try to go with the flow—for now.

Kevin chuckled at my response before he walked out of the room with the rest of the movers. When the door finally closed, and I was left alone, it finally dawned on me that I might have sold myself to the devil.

After unpacking what little things I had, I got out of the apartment and went straight to the hospital to tell my dad about what happened. Because I didn’t know how to get there, I decided to ask the receptionist. She was kind enough to give me directions and even told me which bus to take to get to my new workplace. For some reason, she wasn’t fazed once she found out where I worked.

When I reached the hospital, it was already past one in the afternoon. That meant I had at least three hours to kill before Kevin would pick me up for this evening’s event. I entered my father’s room and brought him up to date about everything that happened that day. He chuckled at my expression as I described the apartment. I was glad that he wasn’t as freaked out about it as I was.

The three hours went by so fast that I was slightly disappointed to leave. My father insisted that I should go and express my gratitude to Alexandra personally. With that said, I kissed his forehead and went on my way. The ride back to my place had me thinking of tonight’s event. I knew for sure he would be there. He was her brother after all.

A few blocks away from my new apartment, I stopped dead for a second then smiled. Terry was sitting on his motorcycle, looking like a killer model with his leather jacket and slick dark hair gelled up. I half ran towards him and called his attention.

“Terry! You’re here!” I exclaimed. I had texted him the address before I left the hospital. I didn’t know he would be here that fast.

“I did tell you I was coming,” he stated with a smirk as he stepped away from his ride. “So, here I am. Now, show me your new crib,” he continued once I reached him.

I smirked and gave him a quick hug. “I miss you already,” I stated as I tugged his arm, guiding him towards the entryway made of clear glass.

The creamy, ivory lobby immediately caught Terry’s attention. He whistled in appreciation as I guided him towards the elevator. The receptionist looked at us with a strained smile, her eyes on Terry. I softly chuckled at her reaction and walked faster towards the elevator before I could ruin her fantasy.

It didn’t take long for the elevator doors to open once we reached my floor. Terry whistled and shook his head in awe when he saw the hallway. I snickered at his reaction and told him to keep walking. When I stopped in front of my apartment door, I took my time opening it. Terry let out an exasperated sigh, which made me chuckle in amusement.

“Can we get on with it?” he asked irritably.

I laughed at his impatience and opened the door. He sure didn’t wait for me to invite him in. He burst inside and scanned the room in appreciation. He almost gasped when he finally saw the plasma television in the living room.

“Can I move in with you?” he asked absentmindedly as he caressed the television.

I laughed at his actions and slumped down on the couch. “Where is Andrew anyway? I thought you’d bring him along,” I asked.

“He is held back by his job,” he answered as he sat down beside me. He turned his attention around the room, his eyes filled with awe. “I can’t believe this is one of the job perks. If I only knew,” he stated softly to himself.

I lightly punched him in the arm and laughed at his words. After a few seconds of silence, I stood up and looked down at him. “You can’t stay long today, I’m sorry. I have to go somewhere this evening,” I said grimly. He noticed my tone and tore his eyes away from of my television.

“Where to?” he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.

“A party,” I answered in finality, not wanting to add more details to it.

“What party?” he probed, raising his eyebrow at me and ignoring the tone of my voice.

I sighed dejectedly, then gave him a sad look. “Ms. Maxwell invited me to a party tonight at their mansion,” I admitted and let out another sigh.

There was a short moment of silence as Terry looked at me with wide eyes. “Are you for real?” he asked, stunned.

I looked at him and nodded. Terry continued to hold my gaze before whistling in admiration. “Wow! I can’t believe how quickly you made it to the top with the A-listers,” he said with a snicker, his eye twinkling in amusement.

I shook my head and grinned back. “I haven’t. Don’t worry,” I said as I walked away from him towards the bedroom. “Can you keep yourself company while I change? I don’t have much time until someone picks me up.”

“Who is picking you up?” he asked suggestively, the end of his lips twitched into a smile.

“No. It’s not who you think it is. And I have no idea why you would even think that. Not in a million years,” I said with conviction as I opened the door of my new room. “Can you keep yourself company, please—and don’t destroy anything! Turn the television on,” I suggested with a smile.

“Hell yeah!” he exclaimed in excitement, all thoughts of teasing me were gone as he jogged to the living room.

I smirked at his actions and shook my head in amusement. He could be such a guy sometimes. I left him to watch shows while I closed the door of my room and stared at the dress on my bed. I hadn’t moved it from where I last put it down this morning. I glanced at it for a moment before sighing dejectedly. Afterwards, I walked towards the dresser on the left side of the room and pulled out the chair from under it. I stared at my face for a second before styling my hair with a comb.

It only took me half an hour to do my hair and makeup. That was mainly because I only owned a compact powder and lipstick. With my hair and makeup done, I stood in front of the dress again, hesitant to put it on. When a minute of internal debate passed, a knock on the door brought me back to reality.

“Andy? There is a man in a suit outside the door waiting for you. Do you know him?” Terry asked. His voice was muffled from the wooden door that separated us.

“Yes. If his name is Kevin, you can let him in. Tell him to wait for a second,” I called as I picked up the dress from the bed.

“Okay,” he shouted as his voice and footsteps got fainter the farther away he got.

I distinctly heard Terry tell someone to get in and wait for a few minutes. I quickly put on the dress before I thought twice about backing out. After a quick look in the full-length mirror, (which was located beside the door leading to the walk-in closet), I let out a huge breath and walked out of the room.

I heard someone gasp when I closed the door behind me. I turned around, a little curious as to who made the noise, when I saw both Terry and Kevin look at me in surprise. I felt a sudden blush creep on my face as their eyes assessed me from head to toe. I was a little uncomfortable with it, so I cleared my throat to get their attention.

“Andy, you look
fantastic
. I didn’t know you had it in you,” Terry spoke up first, breaking the silence.

“Thank you,” I said to him with a shy smile.

“You look lovely, Ms. Peterson,” Kevin agreed with a small smile of his own, nodding his head briefly in greeting.

“Thank you, Kevin. Shall we go?” I asked, mainly because their praise made me feel awkward.

“Sure. This way please,” Kevin said as he offered me his arm.

I looked at him, not really processing what to do until Terry silently signaled me to take it. I mouthed a
thank you
at him as I put my arm around Kevin’s. Terry winked at me and chuckled softly to himself.

As we walked out of the apartment, with Terry trailing silently behind us, I felt my heart beat faster. On our way down in the elevator, once again I thought about my predicament. I couldn’t believe the things I did out of desperation. This job may have been a gift from heaven, but then the person I would be working with might as well have belonged smack in the middle of hell. It was weird how your life can change in a short amount of time.

We stopped in front of the building as I waited for Terry to leave. We hugged for a second and exchanged a few jokes before he finally left. When I could no longer see his motorcycle on the street, I allowed Kevin to take me to the car, which happened to be the same SUV he drove that morning.

The drive to the mansion was long. Since the house was located just a few miles from the edge of Chestnut Hill, it took us almost an hour to get there. We drove past houses that could have been on the covers of architectural magazines. Obviously, this was a neighborhood for the rich, however, it was the huge modern-designed house, located a few blocks away, which caught my eye. It might not have been the only one in the neighborhood with its own lawn, huge grounds, possibly a pool, and a tennis court. But what set it apart was the fact that it was surrounded with trees and bushes that were shaped into different figures. As the car continued to drive towards that particular house, I had a gut feeling that it was the Maxwell’s Mansion.

The car stopped in front of a huge back gate where a man in a black suit and tie stood. Several more of them were scattered throughout the perimeter. From the way they clenched their jaws and looked at the car, I could tell they were guards. Kevin rolled down his window to talk to one of them. He smiled at the man and addressed him in a friendly manner.

I wasn’t able to hear their conversation since I got so engrossed with the stately house in front of me. After they finished talking, we slowly drove towards the house. The exterior of the mansion had the same shade of cream as the lobby of my new apartment. Some of the walls were attached with tinted glass, which gave the house a modern edge. The huge lawn near the entrance had a huge pond with a fountain. The female figurine at the top of the fountain provided a classic look, which softened the modern edge of the mansion. All in all, the place was mesmerizing.

When we finally stopped by the front porch that led to a huge, dark, wooden door, I was startled when the car door opened. Apparently, I was so preoccupied with the beauty in front of me.

“We’re here, Ms. Peterson,” Kevin said and then offered me his arm again. I absentmindedly looped my arm around his and allowed him to guide me inside.

As the front door opened, I gasped at the interior of the house. It was even more stunning than the exterior. The dark wooden walls rendered a classic feel to the room, which was balanced out by the contemporary furniture and design. The staircase across the main door was huge. It was made of dark wood and was so well polished that you could see your own reflection. I was in awe. No words had come out of my mouth as we stood by the door.

Kevin cleared his throat to get my attention. I looked at him with a shy smile. “Do you want a drink, Ms. Peterson?” he asked as invited me to enter the house.

“Please, call me Andy. Ms. Peterson makes me feel old,” I whispered.

He chuckled at my words and nodded his head once in reply. As we moved inside the house, I could hear soft murmurs and light music playing in the background. I took in a huge breath as we slowly moved towards the sound.

Mentally, I was praying that I wouldn’t see him at all. But as we entered a hallway, my eyes landed on a familiar figure with dirty blond hair and a well-built physique. That night, he was wearing a navy suit. When he was about to turn our way, I gasped in shock. Luckily, I was able to react fast and shifted away from his line of vision, dragging Kevin along with me.

When we got to the nearest room and made sure he didn’t see us, I took in a steady breath and looked back at Kevin (whose eyes were wide and astonished by my actions). I let go of my grip on his arm and bowed in apology.

“I’m so sorry about that. I thought I saw something... Anyways, I’m sorry,” I fumbled an apology and trailed off, not wanting to explain my reason.

Kevin chuckled at my embarrassment and patted my shoulder lightly. “Would you like to meet Ms. Maxwell right away?” he asked with a small smile.

“I thought you’d never ask,” I answered in relief.

He laughed at my response and signaled for me to follow him. He led me towards the grand staircase and onto the second floor. On the way up, I grazed my hand on the wooden railing as we ascended the carpeted stairs. It was as smooth as I had imagined. Once we arrived on the second floor, we continued along a vast hallway. I couldn't help noticing that the carpet was the same color as the walls downstairs. It wasn't until Kevin stopped in front of a door, and I heard a soft familiar voice behind it, did I realize that we had arrived. He knocked before opening the door, not waiting for a response.

“Ms. Maxwell, Ms. Peterson is here to see you,” he announced then opened the door wide enough for me to go in.

I slowly stepped inside, not sure what to say to her. When I finally got a view inside, I was in awe again. It was a study. The room was filled with shelves of books that reached the ceiling. There was a wooden desk in the middle where Alexandra was seated. The study looked like it came out of the nineteenth century.

“Andy, welcome to the Maxwell Mansion. I hope you are enjoying the party,” Alexandra greeted, effectively grabbing my attention. She had an open laptop on top of the desk, which looked out of place considering the classic design of the room.

“Yes. Thank you for inviting me. And I also would like to thank you for the apartment. It was more than I could have hoped for, along with the furniture and all,” I said softly to her, not sure how to properly respond.

Her beauty took me aback. She looked like royalty with her hair styled up at the crown of her head, elegant, white dress, and natural-looking makeup. I was sure that with or without the makeup, she would still look stunning.