Chapter Eleven
Leighann leaned back against her chair as her eyes scanned the list of new emails in her inbox. Tension pulled her neck muscles tight, radiating pain into the base of her skull, warning her that she had been hunched over her computer for too long and it was time for a break.
As soon as she got home, she had taken a shower and went straight to work. She had been expecting email updates from her team and had spent several hours catching up on their progress and sending responses back. After tackling the important emails, she decided to spend a little longer emptying her inbox. Now, she was reaching her limit. The few hours she had spent with Enrique had drained her, and she really did need a break. He was a handful. It made her wonder how his colleagues worked with him. Surely, he didn’t work in an all-male work environment; it was the twenty-first century, after all .
Out of curiosity, she pulled up her internet browser and searched him. She had noticed skiers rubber-neck several times as they went by. And during the brief time they were in the lodge, some folks stared at them as if seeing a celebrity or whispered in small groups while shooting them secret looks. She doubted it was her they were so excited about, most folks just approached her and asked for an autograph or said hello and grabbed a hug. It had to be Enrique they were so intrigued by. Was it just his good looks garnering all the attention, or was there something more?
She wasn’t impressed, especially after the search results turned up nothing outstanding about him except his way with women. Apparently, he was a modern-day Casanova.
A celebrity bio mentioned his graduation with summa cum laude honors from a New York university, where he pursued a double major in computer science and programming, as well as engineering. His employment history consisted of a few years at some IT Help Desk, and then he opened a fashion business called Rodriguez Enterprises, a rather generic name if you asked her. Something had to be missing, though, because his net worth was listed as 28 billion dollars. What kind of person goes from a Help Desk to billionaire by the age of thirty-two?
His family, apparently, he had four adopted brothers, were listed as being billionaires as well, but they all had good reason to be. They were philanthropic entrepreneurs. No such good deeds could be found in association with Mr. Rodriguez. The only thing Google could find on him was how much he loved to party and have a good time. All the celebrities and models he had dated, extravagant vacations he went on, parties he had thrown, and who he had escorted to the latest red-carpet event.
It surprised her a little that they were the same age. Based on his looks and style, she had assumed he was closer to twenty-eight. Now she knew what kept him young. He probably bought top-of-the-line anti-aging products and had a fantastic skin regimen while she spent most of her time under fluorescent lights or in the sun.
Now, she understood his attitude a little better. He was a billionaire, after all. With so much money, he was probably used to people bowing to him and his every whim, with no care at all for his actions or how they affected people. She had run into people like him before in the Olympic circuit, worked with them at the resort in the past, and they had impacted her, but nothing like this man.
Something about his arrogance annoyed her. He didn’t have to say anything. She could tell from his appearance and demeanor that he was the type of guy who liked to flaunt his wealth. It didn’t help that he was wickedly attractive, either. It would have been easier for her to overlook if he was a hard-working, grumpy old man instead of the tall, dark, and handsome womanizer that he was. Why would her brother be friends with him? They had nothing in common.
She shook her head as if willing the thoughts of him to go away. She closed the search tab from the taskbar and shut her laptop .
No more Enrique , she thought as she got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. She would find a way to deal with him tomorrow and, well, for the next eight days after. For now, she was going to unwind and forget all about her haughty new client.
She had agreed to meet up with a few old friends and their families later tonight at The Crest. They were also ski instructors and had crossed paths at the resort today. It would be nice to see each other and catch up, especially since the new year began a couple of days ago. She enjoyed hearing everyone’s goals for the coming year. Goodness knows she has some big plans ahead of her.
She opened the drawer in the old vanity she had had in her brother’s home since she was a kid and took out her makeup bag. It was filled with cosmetics and products she barely ever used, not because she didn’t want to, but because she never had a good reason to get all dressed up, and in her line of work, wearing a full face of makeup wasn’t practical. That and she had never developed the skills of proper makeup application, having only Curtis and his roommate to teach her life skills. For adventurers, makeup does not make it on the list of essentials. Mascara, simple eyeshadow, and tinted lip balm usually did the trick, but on nights like tonight, when she was seeing people for the first time in a long time, she wished she was a little more competent in the girly department. She just didn’t have the time. Her life was busy, sun up until she fell into bed at night, sometimes early morning. Tonight, she was going to enjoy every second she had with her friends. This was her vacation, after all.
She grabbed her cell phone and pressed play on her Spotify before settling in front of her oval-shaped mirror with her eye shadow brush. She flicked the lid of the powder quad open, ignoring the thoughts of Enrique’s honey-brown eyes as she dusted powder over her eyelids.
Her phone ringing cut off Francesca Battistelli’s voice right in the middle of her favorite part of “Beautiful, Beautiful,” leaving Leigh belting out the lyrics by herself. She picked up the phone, sliding her finger across the screen to accept the call without needing to look at the caller ID. She knew from the ringtone it was her brother.
“If you’ve called to ask me about how my day was, then I’ll just cut straight to the chase and tell you it was frustrating,” she said, tapping the speaker button and placing the phone down while she continued with her makeup. “Courtesy of the one and only Enrique Rodriguez.”
The sarcasm in the latter part of her statement was obvious, and Curtis sighed. “There’s been a change of plans, Lee.”
Leigh frowned. “What do you mean? What change? Did he decide to wait until you were available and let me off the hook? Thank you, Lord, for small mercies.”
“No, nothing like that. I just got a call from Mr. Bailey,” he said, referring to the owner of Avalanche Crest Ski Resort. “As of tomorrow, there’ll be a change of location. ”
She smudged the shadow at the corner of her eye with her middle finger, trying to blend the large spot of dark powder that landed there with this statement. “What kind of location change? And why?”
“It was Enrique’s decision,” he said, bringing her finger to a halt. “He paid five hundred thousand dollars to reserve half of the mountain. He prefers somewhere more private, somewhere that would be hidden from the eyes of onlookers and other skiers. So that’s where you’ll be going tomorrow.”
Leighann scoffed, her fingers falling from her face as she stared at herself in the mirror. This had to be a joke. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’m not,” Curtis said, sounding very serious. “He values his privacy.”
Annoyance bubbled in her gut as Curtis’s words resonated in her brain. She remembered the conversation they had shortly after they arrived at the lodge.
“Why this one? It’s too crowded.”
“What do you mean, ‘Why this one?’ It’s the bunny slope; there is only one. It’s where every beginner learns how to ski before tackling the harder slopes that require the ski lift to get to. What? You want everyone to leave just because Enrique Rodriguez wants to learn how to ski?”
“Preferably.”
Leigh remembered the way he had looked around at the slopes, the flare of his nostrils when the children around giggled when he fell. When she uttered those words, she meant them as a joke. And even when he had responded, she didn’t think he was serious, not really .
Her annoyance morphed into anger. Who did he think he was? Paying for half of the mountain just for himself? Just for one man to learn how to ski? It was absolutely ridiculous, and it irritated her so much that she grabbed the phone from its holder and placed it against her ear.
“Who does that, Curtis?” she asked, her tone fierce. “Tell me one reasonable person who does that.”
“Leigh – ”
“No,” she snapped, cutting him off. “I need you to answer me. Who in their right mind decides to take half of an entire mountain just for himself? Just who does he think he is? Why does he think he is so different from everyone else that he can’t learn like other people and endure a little public embarrassment? It could barely even be called that, Curtis. Falling down as a beginner is normal, and it’s also absolutely normal for other people to find it funny. How in the world is this kind of man your friend ?”
“Leighann – ”
She scoffed, her cheeks burning a brighter shade of red without any blush needing to be applied. She was borderline furious. If there was one thing Leighann hated the most, it was wealthy people thinking they were better than everyone else, flaunting their privileges only money could buy. This man had to be the worst she had ever met. Reserving half a resort… she had never heard of such a thing. She didn’t think she could tolerate any more.
“And where do the others go, now that he’s taken half of the mountain for himself? What happens to the plans other people made to be at the slopes tomorrow? All of their ski adventures get thrown out the window because a certain billionaire can’t handle a little fall?”
“Angel, I think you’re overreacting.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “I’m overreacting?”
“It’s not that serious, Leigh – ”
“I believe it is, Curtis. If there’s anyone overreacting, it’s the spoiled brat you call a friend, with an ego the size of Texas.”
“Leighann,” Curtis called, his voice stern, and she snapped to attention. Her brother rarely raised his voice to her, so when he did, she listened.
“What?”
“Take a breath and just calm down .”
Those were the last words she wanted to hear. Curtis knew better than to tell a woman, any woman but especially her, to calm down when she was angry.
“You know what?” she hollered into the phone, placing it back in its holder on the vanity. She detested men like Enrique. She was done being a little pawn in his power game. She had started to soften towards him a little, but not anymore. Everything was his way or the highway. He wanted a ski instructor but then didn’t think he needed to listen to their directions. He wanted to learn something new but not make any mistakes. He wanted to fall, and no one laugh. Leigh had had enough. It was ridiculous, and she was getting off the crazy train. Even one day more would push her to her limit. Given the circumstances, nine more days was unimaginable. Now this . Nope. She was done.
“I’m ending this right now. I quit!”