Chapter 13
It’s only been a minute since I moved to New York and started this job. Why do I have to travel just yet? Charlee is only now adjusting to this new environment,
her 5th birthday party yesterday wasn’t exactly a party, just myself, Charlee, and Mom. She loved it. It does not take much to please Charlee.
Now I have to travel for work, and I have to leave her all alone. I mean with my mom but still. How will she feel? I need to have a conversation with her and
make sure she understands this is just for a while. I walked to her room once I got in the house, and she was putting on her pajamas.
“Charlee, come here,” I say, stretching out my hands to her. She runs into my arms, and I pick her up.
“Hey pumpkin, you know mommy loves you, right?” I say, kissing her cheeks and trying to start the conversation. She nods her head in response.
“Mommy has to travel for five days for work, but I’ll be back very soon,” I say quietly.
“Is daddy coming?” she asks.
“No, you’ll be staying with grandma. I promise to bring back lots of treats for you,” I try to convince her. At the sound of treats, her face lights up.
“Do you want to help Mommy pack?” I tickle her to help get her in a good mood and get myself in a good mood as well. We’ve never been away from one
another, so I don’t know how to feel, but I know she will be in good hands.
I can’t sleep, so I’m up most of the night. Finally, I get up at 6 am, prepare breakfast for everyone, bathe, and prepare myself. The flight is at 9 am. I kiss Charlee
goodbye as she is still asleep by the time Leonard arrives to pick me up. I pick up my box, say goodbye to Mom and head out of the house to join Leonard.
The ride to the airport is very quiet and awkward. I’m in my emotions because of Charlee, and I don’t know what the deal is with Leonard. He barely even
responds to my greetings after I join him in the car.
We arrive at the airport and walk straight to the private plane waiting for us. Leonard just walks towards the hangar and says hello to the pilot. The pilot nods
at me, and we enter the cabin. It’s just myself, Leonard, and the cabin crew. The plane finally sets in motion, and the Pilot mentions our destination – LA. “LA?” I didn’t know where we were headed until that piece of information slipped out. Leonard looks up from the papers in his hand.
“Is that a problem?” His eyebrows are raised in a questioning manner.
“Nothing,” I manage to say.
Obviously, there is something. Why are we going to LA, of all places?! I hope I don’t run into Reece. I already have too much to worry about. I have a schedule to look through and a boss to look after.
I close my eyes to catch a break from the week I’m about to have.
***
Arriving in LA brings back many memories, from being an ambitious girl who wanted to be a star in Hollywood to meeting Reece, getting pregnant, having
Charlee, and taking up a personal assistant job because I couldn’t do Hollywood anymore. All these memories send a chill down my spine.
But this is work, and I really have to be as professional as possible. We are welcomed by a chauffeur who takes us to our hotel. It’s about 3 miles away from the
airport. The hotel we are lodging in has five stars, which is probably the norm for him. He even knows almost all the staff at the hotel. I know my boss is
wealthy, but how rich can he afford a private plane and a 5-star hotel in LA?
According to the brochure, the hotel has stylish rooms with unique decor, a rooftop pool and a restaurant with stunning views of the city, a 24-hour fitness
center, and an on-site indoor restaurant serving California cuisine. The reserved penthouse suite is in Leonard’s name, and we will share the space for five days
with separate bedrooms. I wasn’t expecting to share a suite with Leonard considering he is my boss. I have not slept in the same house with a man since Reece.
As I settle in and plan the meetings, today and Friday are free for arrival and departure. Tuesday to Thursday is filled with meetings. It’s evening already by the
time I’m finished.
Finally, room service arrived with grilled Salmon dinners that looked delicious. My stomach was growling, and I was starving. It had been a long day. I called
Leonard, but he did not respond. I noticed his door was half cracked open and gently knocked, but he still did not respond. I felt a little weird, but I opened his
door slightly, walked into his room, and found him sitting on the side of the bed with his head buried in his hands.
“Are you okay?” I asked, baffled as to what was happening. I moved closer, and I saw a picture in his hands. I knew immediately that the person in the photo
must be special. “Who is that? I asked. “This was my mother, Carol. I miss her so much.” I walked towards him, sat on the bed next to him, and wrapped my
arms around him to comfort him. He wept like a little boy in my arms, missing his mom. All I could do was embrace him and allow him the space he needed to
grieve the woman who birthed him, and I felt honored to do so, but my heart was sad for him. I didn’t ask him anything after the tears had subsided. Instead, I
handed him some Kleenex and began to set the dinner table. I grabbed the lighter, lit the candles, unfolded our napkins, and escorted him to the table. I
grabbed the chair across from him, slowly sat down, and we ate dinner with few words spoken. Although dinner was quiet, the silence was not awkward. He
reached for my hand across the table, our eyes made contact, and the connection between us was unavoidable. I responded by embracing his hand and giving
him a sincere smile.
“Thank you, Rayne, so much for being here for me,” he spoke softly. I looked Leonard directly into his eyes. “I would not rather be in any other place than to be
here with you this very moment, Leonard,” I squeezed his hand and slowly let it go as I pushed myself away from the table. “Well, you better get some rest. We
have a long work week ahead of us; goodnight, Leonard. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you,” I say sincerely. “Thank you, Rayne,” he responded.
That night I lay in bed, the room pitch dark. The glare from the street lights crept between the curtains. I could not help but feel sad in my heart for Leonard and
wonder how I landed a job with such a wonderful boss. Tonite felt so right, and it felt so normal. How could this be happening? I moved to Queens for a new
start, not a new relationship.
As the days go by, I start to see Leonard in a different light other than just my boss, and he is a vulnerable, thoughtful man who cares for the people around
him. We still haven’t spoken about the Monday night incident, and it feels like we have known each other for a lifetime. Monday night was the only night we ate
meals prepared by the hotel. Leonard took me to every fancy restaurant in the city. I wondered if this was a business trip or a vacation; it felt so different from
what I was used to. He wanted to make me happy, and it felt amazing.
The following day, when I opened my eyes, I pinched myself. Is this real life or a fairytale? A few months ago, I was being beaten by Reece, with no money,
crying every day, and today I feel like a queen. Is this real? Does Leonard feel the same about me as I do for him? Should I pull away? As the questions flooded my mind, my heart said, he is the one.
That evening we were sitting on the patio and started talking about work, but slowly the conversation became more personal.
“Thank you for the other night,” he started to say when suddenly my phone rang. It”s my mother requesting a video call. I have barely spoken to Charlee in the last couple of days, and my first reaction is to panic.
“Mom?” I begin to say when Charlee’s face greets me. “Oh! Hey Pumpkin, are you missing Mommy?” I ask, feeling guilty that I have been having too much fun lately and forgetting about the most precious gift to me.
“Yesssssss!” my daughter screams, making sure I hear her.
“Aww, Mommy will be back tomorrow with lots of treats for you, okay? Pass the phone to Grandma, please.” I say, blowing her a quick kiss.
“Hey, Mom, how is she? Hope she hasn’t been too much trouble?” The questions spill out.
“Breathe, she’s fine. Hope you’re fine as well?” she asks, arching a brow.
“Yes, I am. I’ll see you at home tomorrow. Sleep well.” I wave before ending the call.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, turning to Leonard and dropping my phone. “You were saying something?”
“Yes, I was,” he picks up from where he left off. “I’m sorry for dragging you out like this. I knew you had a daughter, and I still made you come out for my selfish
reasons. Monday was my mom”s death anniversary, and I always came here every year to remember her. This was the last place she stayed before she died. I
bought that penthouse so no one else could stay in the room she last slept in. I usually come here with Ria, but she couldn’t make it this year, and I didn’t want
to come alone. I didn’t have anyone else to come with, so I lied about it being work-related, but all the work meetings were secondary.” He finally stops talking.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” I said as soothingly as possible. “Was she sick?” I inquire.
“No, she died in an accident trying to save a few-month-old child,” he responds with pride in his voice. It was a noble and heroic death.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. May her soul rest in perfect peace,” I say, but without pausing for him to respond, I continue: “However, if you would have asked me to
accompany you in remembrance of your mother, I would have. I do wish you would have been upfront with me before we left Queens”.
“From the night I told you we were traveling. I wanted to tell you the truth but didn’t know how to express my emotions. I guess my pride got the best of me,”
he admits.
“Next time, just tell me the truth,” I say coldly.
But I soon smiled up at him, saying: “So, you decided to bring me all the way to LA without telling me why. Did you not think I would understand?” He nodded
just like Charlee would, it was sort of attractive to watch, and before I knew it, I burst into a full laugh.
As the night goes on, the mood becomes more relaxed and playful. We start joking around and laughing, and Leonard playfully touches my arm. It sends
shivers down my spine, and without a doubt, I’m attracted to him. I try to push the thought out of my mind, telling myself that it’s just the moment and it will
pass.
However, the feeling doesn’t go away as the night ends, and we head back to the penthouse. I find myself thinking of him and what the future may hold for us.
“There’s Ria. You’re just a substitute,” I keep telling myself to try and make sense of this whole thing. I sense we have chemistry, but I might be imagining it. Or
does he feel the same way? I struggle to push the thought out of my mind knowing that pursuing anything with my boss would be unprofessional.
We enter our suite, and as we get to the door of my room and are about to say goodnight, Leonard turns to me and says, “I had a great time with you tonight.”
I feel my heart skip a beat. “Me too,” I say, trying to play it cool. “Good night,” I speedily turn the doorknob to enter my room before he can see the redness on
my face. He softly grips my hand and draws it into his chest. He places his hand under my chin and softly pulls me closer to him. Before I knew it, our lips met
passionately. I could stay in Leonard’s arms forever. The kiss felt like a lifetime, and neither of us wanted it to end. “Rayne, you are one special lady, do you
know that”? He whispers in my ear. “Leonard, this trip has been amazing. You make me feel like I have never felt before,” I responded. We kissed one last time, and he gently released me. “Goodnight, Leonard.”
As I enter my room, I quickly make sure my door is locked behind me. My mind is racing with thoughts of the evening. As soon as I reached my bed, I jumped on
the bed and screamed into the pillow.
This man is my employer, the man I work for, my boss. It’s wrong. It”s strange because I haven’t thought about a man since Reece, all I want to do is be a good
mother and make sure we have everything we need. But this man, my billionaire boss, is attracted to me. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming.
I can’t help but feel a little flattered by this. I mean, he’s successful and attractive, and the fact that he liked the time he spent with me is a bit of an ego boost. Yes, it is most definitely a bad idea, I convince myself.
I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my job or my reputation, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel drawn to him. It”s like this
invisible force is pulling me toward him, and I don’t know how to resist it. What if it doesn’t work out? What will happen to my job? Do I have to resign and start
from scratch? There’s Ria as well, are they dating? I can”t help but question, who is she really in his life? They have schedules for calls every other day because
she isn’t in the country etc.
As I lay in my bed, I knew I needed to figure out what to do. But for now, all I can do is scream into my pillow and try to sort my thoughts. Despite the
uncertainty, it does feel great being the center of attention and appreciated. Some good sleep will do the magic of clearing my head.
***
Leonard taps on my door to let me know it’s time to go. I guess we are back to awkwardness and professionalism. “The bellhop is here for our luggage, are you
packed?” He calls from behind the door.
“Just a few minutes,” I call out before emerging with my bag. I face the bellhop. “Good morning. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“Good morning, mam. It’s no problem,” he says as he picks up my box and adds it to the trolley.
“Good morning, Rayne. How did you sleep last night? I’m heading down to the lobby. The car is here to take us to the airport,” Leonard says before heading out,
making sure to avoid eye contact with me.
I head back into the room, pick up my handbag, and walk down to the lobby. As I entered, I had to do a second glance, Reece! He is standing across the lobby
and instantly notices me. My heart skips a beat. What is he doing here?! Probably laying-up with some strange women. He was always good at that! Maybe he
did not recognize me. Can I run? Can I turn back or hide?
But before I can arrive at a solution, he approaches immediately. I quickly scan the lobby for any sign of Leonard. I don’t see him and don’t know how to feel
about this, but it feels awkward.
“Rayne! I thought you moved away from LA? Where’s Charlee?” he asks.
“Hi, Reece. Yes, we moved. I’m here on a work assignment. Charlee and I are doing well. We are adjusting to a new city, and life has been good, I say with a smirk.
He starts to comment just as I see Leonard walk through the entrance door. I know I have to dismiss Reece immediately. I can’t let him talk to Leonard. I told
Leonard all about Reece, and our trip has been great. I want to keep it that way. Reece tends to ruin everything.
“I have to go. I’m running late. I have a flight to catch,” I say, pretending to be looking at my watch as I begin to move away from him. “It’s nice seeing you, and I
wish you the best, Reece.” I don’t wait for him to respond before walking as fast as my legs can carry me. Leonard walks in to meet me and reaches for my
carry-on makeup tote out of my hand. “I will carry this for you. Do you know that guy? He is looking this way at us”. I frantically respond, “That is Reece,
Charlee’s father, the irony of seeing him here. He just makes me nervous. I hate I ever married him”. Leonard grabs my hand, and we walk to the limousine. “Are
you ok? I know you had a bad experience with Reece, but that is in the past. Rayne, do not allow him to affect you” Leonard”s voice reassured me that Reece
was my past. As he opened my door and I leaned to get in the car, I saw Reece staring through the window with the most peculiar look on his face. Leonard
shuts the doors, and we drive off.