Chapter Three
Lumi
Itry not to squirm under his intense gaze. I’ve never seen eyes like his. They change with his mood and emotions. When I first saw them, they were darker, almost like a storm cloud. Now, they’re a light blue like a summer sky. What must they look like when he’s angry or sad? Or when he’s turned on?
Oh, God! That was not…I should apologize or…run as fast as I can. Running sounds like the perfect plan. I have never thought of someone like that, and I am absolutely sure it is frowned on to think of a client that way. I am a bad, naughty elf. Bad, bad, bad.
Before I can take off, he is leading me further into his home. He shows me into a large living room with a fireplace and multiple couches that look so soft and inviting.
“Can you wait in here while I call my sister?”
“Sister?” Why would he want to call his sister now? To tell her what a good laugh I gave him? To ask how he’s supposed to tell his girlfriend how stupid an idea this was?
“Janie.” Oh! Things start to fall into place.
“Oh, Janie’s your sister.”
“Yes. I told you, I don’t have a girlfriend, nor a wife. I’ve never been married, and I’m currently not dating. Yet.” He takes me over to one of the couches and waits for me to sit.
He has a funny way of adding that ‘yet’ to everything he says. He turns to leave but stops short and turns back to look at me.
“Don’t leave.”
“Um, okay.”
Like I could. I need this job too badly to run. Damn it.
I take my mind off my inappropriate thoughts and why I need to be here by taking in my surroundings.
Even though this room should be warm and inviting, there’s something…
empty about it. Like maybe it is seldom used or decorated to only look comforting.
There are no family pictures or little things left lying around that would suggest a person lives in it.
Not that pictures necessarily make a place a home. There can be plenty of pictures, and the place not have a soul. I know all about that.
I don’t have long to wait. Luka is back before I can really get comfortable on the fluffy couch.
“Thank you for waiting. I had to thank my sister.”
“Are you being sarcastic or…?”
“Nope, no sarcasm needed. I am very thankful she sent you to me.”
I sit up a little straighter. “Um, you do know this isn’t like a…,” I wave my hand around and try desperately to find the right wording, “sexual thing, right? I’m just here to do holiday shopping and to decorate your house.”
“I’m very glad to hear it isn’t a sexual thing, sweetheart.”
Oh, maybe…Maybe I misinterpreted his meaning when he asked if I was ready for him and called me baby.
Maybe…he calls everyone little nicknames like baby and sweetheart.
I had a teacher who called everyone honey, and she didn’t mean it as anything sexual.
She was just old. Really, really old. A lot older than Luka.
“So, what do you want help with first. You can make me a list of people you have to shop for or…”
“Let’s decorate the house.”
“The house?” That is…a huge undertaking.
“Yeah, let’s start with the house, then we can move on to my offices.”
“Um, okay. Just tell me where all your Christmas stuff is and I’ll…”
“I don’t have any.”
“What?” Once again, he’s stunned me into silence. I sit back down on the overstuffed sofa and try to think where this puts us. Should I call…or maybe…? Well, shit!
“We should go out and get a tree.”
“We should.” I smile and then rethink what I just said. “We?”
He nods.
“But wouldn’t it defeat the purpose of me doing it for you if you went with me to do it?”
“No, you’ll still be doing all the decorating. I’ll just choose how big I want it.”
It makes sense on some level, but it’s also counterproductive. Why would he need me if he could do it? Am I really going to bitch about getting paid to spend time with this handsome-as-sin man doing fun Christmas-time things? How bad is my life that this is something for me to complain about?