8. Alexis
Alexis thought she’d immediately settle into the luxury of Evelyn’s penthouse, but the presence of Levi in the elevator had thrown her off.
She’d pretended to be nonchalant around him, but his douchiness hadn’t been enough to distract her from those lashes she’d remembered studying after helping him into his bed the other day.
She shivered. She would not think about that man in his bed downstairs. He wasn’t even her type. She never dated guys who were disrespectful to strangers, and that’s what she currently was to him. How hard was it for someone to be a decent human being and help them with the damned elevator?
She hadn’t yet seen the cat she was supposed to be looking after, so she did a quick inspection of each room in the place. Which took a surprisingly long time. There were four full-sized bedrooms, a massive living room with separate dining room, a restaurant-quality kitchen, two bathrooms, a laundry, and a balcony that spanned the entire length of the building.
It turned out Tofu liked the relative cosiness of the laundry and was curled up on a pile of folded towels on top of the dryer. She crept over and held out her hand to let the cat sniff her. She seemed indifferent to her presence, so she gave her a quick pat and retreated to the living room.
All the boxes were still sitting inside the door, but Alexis was too tired to unpack them. For now, she’d just open the one with her PJs and toiletries.
Evelyn had said Alexis was welcome to use the master bedroom, but it was a little intimidating with its king-sized four poster bed that looked like something out of the eighteen hundreds.
Instead, she chose to sleep in the smallest of the rooms, which wasn’t actually small by any stretch of the imagination. Sarah’s whole apartment would practically fit inside it.
After a shower, Alexis climbed between the obviously thousand-thread count sheets and closed her eyes.
But her brain went straight to the memory of Levi in the elevator looking at the strap of her sports bra. He’d been a bit too obvious about checking her out, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
She pulled a pillow over her head.
She needed to sleep. Apart from unpacking tomorrow, she had several clients, including three cleaning jobs.
It was time to switch off for the night.
What was that noise?
It took a moment for Alexis to remember where she was. Ah. That’s right. Evelyn’s penthouse. She wanted to stay in bed for a while longer, but there was a buzzing sound coming from the living room.
She rolled off the mattress, almost falling onto the floor in the process, and stumbled out.
The buzzing sound was coming from the intercom near the door. She hadn’t told anyone—even Sarah—the apartment number she was staying in, so it couldn’t be anyone she knew.
The intercom screen showed the guest downstairs. She lent in and studied the small figure.
It was a guy. A very good-looking guy. And he knew it. He waved, beaming at the screen with dazzling white teeth.
Alexis picked up the receiver connected to the intercom. ‘Hello?’
The smile disappeared, and a frown replaced it. ‘That doesn’t sound like you, Mum.’
Mum?Was this guy related to Evelyn?
‘Uh, hi. I’m house-sitting for Evelyn while she’s away.’
The guy’s frown became even more pronounced. ‘Wait, what?’
‘Didn’t she tell you?’
‘No! Where did she go?’
Evelyn had sworn Alexis to secrecy when she’d confided she was going to South Korea for cosmetic surgery. Apparently she’d been born there and returned for a couple of weeks each year for business, but this would be her first time living back in Seoul for more than a month. Even though recovery would only take six to eight weeks, Evelyn wanted to stay away until her new face had completely settled into its upgraded version.
Alexis wondered if she was supposed to keep the surgery news from her son.
‘I’m not sure exactly, but she’ll be back in six months.’
He blanched. ‘Six months? Can you let me up? I need to talk to you.’
Again, Alexis wasn’t sure if the rule about her not allowing guests into the penthouse included her son.
‘Um…’
The guy pressed one of his eyes to the screen. ‘Let me up. Now.’
Alexis hesitated for a moment before pushing the button to unlock what was presumably the door to the building downstairs. She then wondered how he would operate the elevator but figured that was his problem.
After a couple of minutes, there was a knock at the penthouse door.
Alexis cautiously opened it. Wow. He was even better-looking in person. He was around six foot two and bore a striking resemblance to Rowoon, one of her favourite Korean celebrities.
He seemed briefly lost for words, but then a slow smile spread across his face. He held out a hand. ‘I’m Theo. And you are…?’
‘Alexis.’ She felt her cheeks redden.
‘And you’re house-sitting for my mother?’
‘That’s right.’
He gently pushed his way past her and entered the living room. He noted the boxes on the floor and crinkled his nose. ‘I can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was going away for six whole months.’
‘It does seem a little strange. Do you not talk to her often?’
‘We talk twice a week! Which means she’s hiding something. Although, admittedly, I haven’t visited her here for a while.’ He pulled a phone from his pocket and quickly dialled a number. After a moment, he sighed. ‘She’s not answering.’
‘Maybe she doesn’t have international roaming on.’
‘Hang on. She’s overseas?’
Alexis panicked. She’d already told Theo she didn’t know where his mum was.
‘I mean, I don’t actually know where she is, but if she was overseas, she might not have roaming on.’
Theo fixed her with a stare. ‘You do know where she is, don’t you?’
‘No! I promise.’
‘I’m not sure I believe you. But you’re cute, so I’ll let it slide for now.’
Alexis’ cheeks felt even hotter.
Theo seemed to be enjoying himself. He strolled over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, removing a bottle of juice. He held it up. ‘You want some?’
‘Uh, no thanks.’
He shrugged and found a glass in a cupboard. At least he knew his way around, so he probably wasn’t lying about being Evelyn’s son.
‘Where’s Tofu?’ he asked, pouring himself some juice.
‘The laundry, last time I checked.’
‘Is my mother paying you to look after her?’
‘Payment is in the form of accommodation here.’
He tilted his head to the side. ‘I suppose if you were to rent somewhere like this, the money would add up to a decent full-time wage.’
‘Exactly.’
‘So, six months, you say?’
‘Yep.’
‘Plenty of time for us to get to know each other, then.’
Goosebumps rose on Alexis’ arms. Why did he have to say it so provocatively?
‘I’m not supposed to have guests over. And I can’t go out after 7pm.’ She wasn’t sure why she told him that last part. Was it so he wouldn’t be disappointed if he wanted to take her out one night? Would she want to go out with the guy?
‘Well, I’m technically not a guest. I’m Evelyn’s family. And that’s cool about the 7pm thing. We can just have fun here instead.’
Oh God. Alexis could just imagine Evelyn calling for her nightly video chat and seeing her son on the couch beside her.
Theo finished his juice and opened the kitchen cupboards, presumably looking for food.
‘There’s nothing good to eat here. You want to come have breakfast with me? I’ll pay.’
‘I should probably start getting ready for the day. I have to work?—’
‘What time do you start?’
‘Ten.’
Theo checked his watch, which was a very cool-looking Tag Heuer. ‘It’s only seven-thirty. That leaves plenty of time to eat. Come on.’
Alexis sighed. ‘I really shouldn’t.’
‘You really should. And are you going to wear those PJs? I don’t mind, but others might.’
Alexis looked down at the tiny Peter Alexander shorts and T-shirt set she was wearing. Why did she have to be wearing the ones with the cherry pattern? She really hoped Theo didn’t get the symbolism, but the smirk on his face said otherwise.
‘Fine. I’ll quickly change, and then we’ll eat somewhere nearby.’
‘Perfect.’
He grinned at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back shyly. It seemed like it would be impossible to feel unhappy in his presence.
Maybe living here would have a few perks she hadn’t anticipated.