Chapter 1 #2
She quickly answers, her voice rising an octave, like she’s surprised.
Her shift is supposed to end in thirty minutes, and it makes me wonder if she’s staying over to avoid him.
With her, it’s about the chase. She collects men like Pokémon, but once they’re captured and they say I love you, she’s over it.
It’s a part of her relationship cycle. This guy lasted three weeks.
She walks toward the dining room, throwing a cleaning cloth over her shoulder.
I take the stairs to the top floor, my hand gliding over the smooth railing.
On one side of the area is a gigantic bedroom surrounded by windows, and across the hall is the bathroom.
I take in the gorgeous room that looks like it fell straight out of a magazine.
The vase of flowers isn’t quite centered, so I move it over one inch.
The king-size bed overlooks the city, and I can almost imagine rolling around in the silk sheets. When I turn my head, I see the comforter is wrinkled on the edge, so I slide my hand against the material, pulling it tight, and tuck the corner. My eyes land on the gold watch on the table.
I breathe in and pick it up, studying it. In the middle, where the big and small hands connect, there is a symbol, but I don’t recognize it. I flip it, and on the back, there’s something engraved.
I tilt it, allowing it to shine in the sunlight, and read the words, LOVE IS ALWAYS ON TIME .
It’s a nice thought, but also cheesy. Love . Pfft.
An heiress previously occupied this room, so it could belong to her husband … or lover . I smirk, dropping it into the front pocket of my apron to take it to my manager when we finish our final walk-through.
I check each window from different angles, ensuring there are no fingerprints or smudges. After moving to the bathroom, I push open the door. I immediately stop breathing.
The shower is running, and at first, I think Carlee’s pranking me, but then I notice a man with thick, messy, dark hair standing under the waterfall stream.
Muscles cascade down his tattooed back and arms. A strangled breath releases from me as the water falls over his carved body.
This is beautiful torture and will probably haunt my fantasies until the end of time.
When he reaches for the soap, I stumble back and quietly slip out of the bathroom. I take the stairs as fast as I can without falling, which is a miracle because I’m clumsy when I’m nervous.
My thoughts are a discombobulated mess, a ball of yarn tangled together, and all I can think is, We have to leave right fucking now.
I stalk through the living room and find Carlee sitting on the dining room table, swinging her legs, laughing. I grab the phone from her hand, end the call, then yank her up. She snatches the cleaning supplies as I pull her toward the door.
“What’s going on?” Her brows furrow, and she’s using her full inside voice.
“Shh.” I search her face, pointing up. “There’s a man upstairs, showering,” I whisper, panicked with a racing heart.
“ Shit ,” she hisses, picking up her pace. She looks as horrified as I feel. “They must’ve let Mr. Calloway check in early.”
“The asshole?” I ask when we’re finally in the hallway.
“ Yes .” She pushes the cart forward, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, like he’ll swing the door open and catch us.
When we step into the elevator, she lets out a sigh of relief. We’re tense and breathing rapidly.
“Did he see you?” I hear the stress in her voice.
“ No . No, he didn’t. Thank God.” I recall his muscles and tattoos and swallow hard.
“Good. He’d have had us both fired if he’d found us in his room. He’s a recluse. Stays to himself. The memo we received last week? It was about him and his space being off-limits.”
“What do we do?” I say.
“I think we’re safe,” she says.
The elevator stops, the doors open, and no one gets in. Then, we continue down to the bottom.
“When he’s in public, does a fan club follow him everywhere? He’s a wet dream.”
She chuckles. “You have no idea. He’s also New York’s most eligible bachelor.”
I reach inside my pocket for some lip balm, and my fingers brush against cool metal.
No. The world is closing in on me.
“That look on your face is scaring me.” She’s too good at reading me.
I slide the watch out and hold it in my palm. We stare at it like it’s a bomb that will explode at any second, and it’s as dangerous as one.
“When I entered the bedroom, it was sitting on the nightstand. I picked it up, thinking Helen had left it behind.” I cover my mouth, realization hitting me like a ton of bricks.
Carlee stares down at it, and I don’t think I see her blink once.
“What do I do?” I try not to hyperventilate. “I have to return it.”
“Lexi, you can’t, but you can’t keep it either. You should give it to Mr. Martin and explain what happened before Calloway does. Let our boss get ahead of it first, put out fires instead of fighting them.”
The double doors slide open, and she pushes the cart out. We stare at one another.
“I’ve always learned that it’s better to ask for forgiveness when it comes to things like this. We know I’ll be fired on the spot.”
One of the security guards passes us in the hallway and I shove the watch back into my pocket.
“What if I ran up there quickly, rang the doorbell, and gave it back? I could explain to him what happened.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t understand. There is no explaining anything to that man.”
“Okay, what if I snuck in, put it right back where he’d left it, then bolt out?”
“Both are terrible options. Go tell Mr. Martin.”
“You know I’m fired either way.” I tuck the loose strands of hair that fell from my bun behind my ears and dig deep inside for courage because I’m scared of what could happen.
“He’s one of the biggest assholes I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet.”
“You’ve met him?”
“Once. And trust me when I say, it was one time too many. He’s not liked by many. There’s a reason he’s considered the asshole of billionaires.”
“I don’t have to like him. I only need him to be understanding.”
“He won’t be,” she says. It’s nearly a plea.
“The risk is worth the reward,” I tell her. “I have to try.”
Before the elevator doors slide closed, I rush inside, knowing I don’t have a lot of time to execute this ridiculous plan. He was washing his hair. I might have five minutes to spare.
“Lexi!” Carlee rushes forward to stop me, but she can’t move around the cart fast enough.
A minute passes before I reach the top floor.
Adrenaline pumps through me, and I count to ten, sliding my hand into my pocket.
My thumb glides across the smooth surface of the face of his dumb watch that I stupidly took.
I have the worst timing in the world. Had I gone to the bathroom first, I’d have never seen it, and I wouldn’t be in this situation.
The elevator stops, and I grow nervous with every step forward.
I’ll put the watch back, go downstairs, change into my street clothes, and leave for the audition.
Everything will work out fine. I continue with my pep talk and almost believe it as I wipe my sweaty palms on my apron.
When I glance at the doorbell, I consider ringing it.
Could this man have an adult conversation with a housemaid who has his property?
I hear Carlee’s voice in my head. My personality doesn’t get along with assholes because I’m not intimidated by anyone. I might have a shake in my words, but I still rise and speak my truth. Always.
The thought of talking to him sounds like a living nightmare, so I’ll take my chances and James Bond his watch back to that table. It’s a quick sneak up the stairs and back down them. Less than one hundred steps.
My heart throbs in my chest. I realize this is the first adventure I’ve had since my heartbreak, and as sad as it is, it makes me smile.
I whisper a prayer up to whoever is listening. “Please let my timing be perfect. Just this once .”
I wait a few seconds as if someone will answer, then press my key card against the scanner and push open the door.