Chapter 19 Alex
Alex
There’s no need for me to open my eyes to know that this cloud-like mattress is not Sophie’s couch.
Waking up in Leon’s bed doesn’t shock me as much this time.
I stretch my limbs out long, fluttering my eyes open, only to notice he’s not here.
The tipped up corners of my lips drop with disappointment, but a second later, Leon bursts into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand. This time, my smile fully forms.
“Thank you,” I say, seizing the cup from his hands. “Do you need to get to work?” Unlike my naked form, he’s already freshly shaven and half-dressed.
He buttons the two remaining buttons on his shirt. “Not yet. But it’s a force of habit.” He shoots me a smile. The expression is so rare that it makes me feel special, like I’m the only one deserving of his smiles.
“I’d love to get dressed, too, but you kind of ruined my outfit last night.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered.” He gestures to the three long boxes on top of his dresser.
I jump out of the bed, faintly aware of his gaze trailing my undressed body. The first box I open contains the dress he ruined last night. I gasp, running the fabric between my fingers as I realize it’s a brand-new one, with no signs of passion-induced tearing. “H-how?”
He shrugs. “Money gets you things.” He slips his hands into his pockets, looking almost ashamed of it.
I lift the other box, revealing the dress he ruined a few weeks ago, and I shake my head.
The third box contains a dress that isn’t familiar to me.
It’s more casual, with a loose-fitting cut, but it’s designer and made from brown silk, so it’s probably just as expensive as the other two. “What’s this?”
“I figured these two were too dressy for bright daylight.”
“Or you didn’t want me wearing them in public?” I tease, but the way his eyes darken shows me I’m close to the truth.
“That, too.” One side of his mouth hooks and I chuckle. “You like it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“I’ll give you some privacy,” he says and exits the room. I stare at the boxes, trying to remind myself it’s just a dress. Well, three dresses. It’s silly. But the attention, the care, play on the broken strings of my heart.
I release a shaky breath before brushing my teeth and getting dressed.
The dress fits me perfectly, and it’s just the right amount of casual to not look like I’m doing the walk of shame.
Again. A mouthwatering scent wafts into my nose when I enter the kitchen.
Leon, fully dressed in his suit, plates the eggs and bacon he just prepared.
The food tastes as good as it smells, and I find myself finishing my plate without a second thought.
Leon’s phone pinging interrupts his meal.
He responds to texts and answers quick calls.
It’s obvious he should already be at the casino.
It’s why I’m quick to finish my coffee so we can get going.
He, of course, doesn’t let me take a rideshare, insisting he drives me home.
I’m so distracted by these newfound feelings and the memories of last night, I don’t notice the problem until he drops me off at home.
Only, it’s not my home. It’s the building where his driver dropped me off multiple times before.
I open my mouth to say something, but he interrupts me.
“Here.”
The word makes little sense until the image before me registers. He’s holding his card out. The black credit card he offered last night, and I played it off as a joke.
He obviously notices my stunned expression, because he continues, “You can’t expect me to believe you haven’t thrown the game last night.” A smirk plays on his lips.
“I-I… Why didn’t you say something?”
“I was a greedy motherfucker and wanted my prize.” My nipples harden as the R-rated images invade my mind. “I guess you wanted it too. But it would be fair if you got your own prize as well. So take this.”
“What’s it for?”
“Whatever you want, baby. I have enough money. Spend it.”
His phone rings with a call, and he presses a quick kiss to my lips. He doesn’t have to tell me he needs to leave; I know it either way. I return the kiss and exit the car, the credit card somehow pressed between my thumb and forefinger.
He doesn’t drive away and I realize I need to enter the building for him to do that.
So, once again, I get inside the unfamiliar building, pretending it’s my own.
Guilt builds in my chest, pressing firmly.
I wanted to tell him it’s not my actual address as soon as he pulled up out front, but the card left me speechless.
I don’t need his money; I have plenty of my own, but I’m smart enough to know it means more.
Money is power, and he’s giving a part of his power to me.
To a person like him, a person in need of control, it shows trust. He’s showing me he trusts me with his money, just like I showed him I trust him with my body last night.
A lump forms in my throat as an intoxicating cocktail of emotions swirls through me.
“Miss Alex.” A gentle male voice pulls my attention. It’s Peter, the doorman. “It’s good to see you. I have something for you.” His face transforms into a smile as he gestures his head to the back.
I lift my gaze only to find at least half a dozen bouquets in tiny, impromptu vases.
“They’ve been arriving every day, addressed to you. I’ve put them in whatever I could find, but some of them haven’t survived.” He sports a guilty look as he glances at the dying bouquet of red roses.
“Thank you for keeping them.” Tears prick my eyelids for the second time today, both times courtesy of Leon Petrovic.
“I’m guessing someone is quite smitten with you.” Peter dons a proud grin.
I wrap my fingers around the black card in my hands. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“How are you getting home? You can hardly carry them all in your hands.”
He’s right. I call a rideshare, and he helps me dry the dripping stems. He also helps me load them into the car that arrives a few minutes later.
I barely manage to bring all the bouquets up to Sophie’s apartment, but leaving some behind isn’t an option.
I bury my nose in the flowers, inhaling their scent.
Each of them is different, like he was trying out fresh combinations until he found my favorite one.
I improvise vases out of random glasses because Sophie wasn’t into flowers and place them all over the living room.
Embarrassingly so, a certain thought pops into my mind for the first time. Maybe Leon could help me find Sophie. He has a ton of security; maybe they’ve seen her. Or maybe we could find her on the security footage.
It was a habit to keep so much of me hidden. But maybe, just maybe, I can show him some parts.