Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
London
“You’re at the top?” I asked.
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No. I bet the view is amazing.”
“It’s okay.”
The door opened, and an elegant, marbled floor and an oval curved staircase in dark mahogany greeted me. His place was beautifully decorated with mahogany wood floors and walls that were coated in a light gray color.
“You can take the guest bedroom upstairs. It’s the only bedroom up there. Follow me,” he spoke.
I followed him up a few stairs where there was a landing and to the right was a bedroom.
“What’s up there?” I pointed to the rest of the stairs.
“It’s the solarium room. There’s a TV up there, a sectional, and a bar. Feel free to use it. In fact, you can have this whole upper part of the house. That way, we won’t be in each other’s way.”
We entered the bedroom, and Damien set my suitcase in the corner.
The room was stunning with its gray-painted walls and a queen size bed with a white down comforter.
There was a beautiful white dresser with matching nightstands on each side of the bed and a large TV that hung on the wall above a white fireplace that sat directly across from the bed.
“This is beautiful. Did you decorate it?”
“No. I had an interior designer.”
“I figured as much.” I yawned and rubbed the back of my neck.
“Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. Just tired. It’s been quite a day.”
“Then take a nap.”
“I think I will,” I said as I sat down on the bed.
“Okay. Help yourself to the kitchen later if you get hungry. The refrigerator is stocked.”
“Thanks,” I spoke.
He walked out of the room and shut the door. I was out the moment my head hit the oversized pillow.
Damien
I went downstairs and poured myself a bourbon. I couldn’t believe I’d asked her to stay here. I was not a fan of having houseguests, but we'd be fine as long as she stayed upstairs. Plus, it was only for a couple of nights until she found an Airbnb. As I downed the last of my drink, my phone rang.
“Damien Prescott.”
“Damien, It’s Don Bradbury.”
“Hi, Don. How are you?”
“I’m good. Listen, I gave our dinner a lot of thought last night, and I’ve decided to sign with your company.”
My heart started racing as I made a fist, and a wide smile crossed my face.
“Thank you, Don. You won’t regret it.”
“You and your future fiancée were very impressive. Of course, your company and ideas were too. I see a bright future for both of you, Damien.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Thank you, Don. She is the love of my life.” I could barely speak the words.
We said our goodbyes, and I immediately called Scott.
“What’s up, Damien?”
“I just got off the phone with Bradbury. We got the account.”
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “I knew we would.”
“How about we meet up and celebrate?”
“I’d love to, man, but Madison and I are taking her parents out to dinner for their anniversary.”
“No problem. We’ll celebrate another time. Have a good dinner.”
“Thanks, Damien. I’ll talk to you later.”
I ended the call, poured another bourbon, and went into the media room to shoot some pool before I sat down to do some work. Before I knew it, a couple of hours had passed.
“I see you do, do something other than work 24/7.” London smirked as she stood in the entranceway to the media room.
I glanced up at her before shooting the eight ball into the left corner pocket.
“Is there something you need?”
“I just came down to grab a bottle of water if that’s okay.”
“Sure. I told you the refrigerator is stocked,” I spoke.
“Thanks.” She smiled.
I sighed as I watched her walk away. I set down my pool stick and followed her into the kitchen.
“Did your nap help?”
“It did.” She nodded.
“I got a call from Bradbury. We got the account.”
“That’s great.” She grinned. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. He really liked you. So, thanks again for helping me out.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled as she walked by and placed her hand on my cheek. “I hope you can sleep at night knowing you lied to him,” she spoke as she walked out of the kitchen.
“Excuse me?” I loudly voiced as I followed her up the stairs.
“What?” She laughed. “You did lie, and you can’t deny it.”
“I’m not denying anything. Getting that account is a huge deal for my company, and if I had to tell a little white lie to get it, so be it. No harm done,” I said as I followed her into the bedroom.
“And what will you tell him when I’m out of your life in a couple of days?”
“He’s going back to Seattle. So, he won’t know. And if sometime down the road he asks, I’ll tell him things didn’t work out as we planned.”
“Okay.” She glanced up at me as she put her shoes on.
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked.
“Yes.” She got up from the bed, grabbed her purse and a blanket, and walked out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“Central Park.”
“Central Park? “It’s going to be dark soon.”
“And?” she asked as she walked down the stairs.
“And it’s not safe. You’re not from here, so you don’t know. Plus, you don’t know your way around Central Park.”
“I’ll figure it out.” She climbed into the elevator and gave me a small wave and smile as the doors shut.
I closed my eyes for a moment, clenched my fist, and inhaled a sharp breath. “Dammit,” I shouted with fury as I picked up the penthouse phone.
“Sammy, do not let London leave this building. Do you understand me?”
“No, sir. I’m not sure I do.”
“She’s on her way down. Keep her inside the building until I get down there.”
“Yes, sir.”