by Dani April
He was watching her eat. She swallowed the first bite of meat and cheese. It was delicious. She washed it down with a sip of Diet Coke.
“I’m really not a very interesting person in my private life,” she explained to him, never once allowing her eyes to meet his. “Ever since I got this job, I’ve been focused on my career. It is a great opportunity for someone as young as me. I feel I am in the driver’s seat. If I succeed, it will only be through my own efforts. If I mess up, that’ll be my fault, too.”
“Sounds to me, Rebecca, like there’s a lot of self-induced pressure on you.” He knew how to get right to the heart of the matter. Somehow she felt like if she talked to him for long she would not have a single private thought in her head from him. She was as simple to him as a child’s first grade reader. Without any effort on his part, he was sizing her up for all that she was.
“I think there’s pressure on every career-oriented individual. It’s part of the price of success.”
“Do you like it?”
“Do I like what?”
“To live entirely for your career.”
His words forced her to meet his eyes ever so briefly. Those depths tried to bring her down into them again. She looked away just in time.
“I don’t live entirely for my career,” she corrected him. “I have a mother and a father and a kid sister who live in a little town outside Sacramento. Since I’ve been living in San Francisco, I’ve made a lot of really good friends.” She laughed at how shallow all that she said sounded to her own ears. “I have an old stray cat named Rodney that I took into my apartment. He lives with me now.”
“I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable,” he told her.
“No. You didn’t,” she was too quick to tell him. “It’s just that I’m certain my life must seem fairly routine and mundane to you. After all, you’ve traveled all over the world and met a lot of interesting people. As I rule, you know, most reporters lead boring lives away from their jobs. We’re never as interesting as the people we cover.”
“Consider for a moment, Rebecca, that perhaps to me your seemingly boring life holds a great deal of interest.”
She nodded her head in agreement with him. There she was agreeing with everything once more. Why in the hell did she find herself in this predicament? She was never the type of woman to fawn all over a man just because he was drop-dead gorgeous or for any other reason. She had learned to control her hormones ever since she was a teenager. However, there suddenly seemed to be some unknown body chemical raging in her in the presence of this man whom she barely knew.
“I’m an open book,” she told him. “Ask me anything you want to know about me, and I’ll answer.”
“If you prefer, we can drop all the conversation about you and move onto me.”
The way he said this, it was like a challenge for her to continue. As if when she took him up on the offer, she would be proving herself a coward in his eyes. He had given her an out as if he took pity on her discomfort, but she was not going to take it.
“No. That’s okay.” Again she blurted out her words too quickly and was aware she sounded silly and adolescent. “We have all week to talk about you, Peter. Since we are on the subject of my life now, what is it you would like to know?”
He smiled. Again she was not sure if it was kind, or if another emotion motived him. She couldn’t be sure of a thing with this man.
He nodded and continued with all the confidence of the ages. “If you were to die at the end of the week, what legacy would you leave behind?” he asked her.
Her mouth dropped open, and she met his eyes again. There was no answer for his hypothetical question.
Chapter Two
Peter had a stretch limo waiting for them outside the Luxor. His home was in the desert, about eighty miles northwest of the city. The limo drove quickly out from the lights of the city and into the dark of the desert. For Rebecca, the trip passed in the blink of an eye. It took just a little over an hour to arrive, but Rebecca had no concept of the passing of the hour by the time they arrived.
What bothered her most were the tinted dark windows both outside and inside of the limousine. She never even saw who was driving it. Whoever he or she was they drove well over the speed limit, and the buttes in the desert outside blurred and mixed with the stars and moon overhead.
Since there was no traffic out on the desert highway and none of the stop lights of civilization to impede them, they never slowed during the course of their journey. When they arrived at Peter’s property, the limo suddenly decelerated and came to an abrupt halt. It was as if Rebecca was awakening from a dream.
Everything was dark outside the tinted window. Only a few lights were on around Peter’s property, and she could barely see anything in the dim light cast down by the moon. She took a long, lazy stretch and wondered why she had allowed herself to doze during the course of the drive.
She remembered from her research on Peter that there was supposed to be something unique about his property, but her brain was so addled from all that had happened tonight that she couldn’t remember what it was. When Peter opened the door for her, she stepped out into the moonlight, looked up into the air, and saw what it was that made his property so different.
A castle, looking as if it had just been transported from medieval Europe, stared down at her from the bluffs overhead. My God! This was his home. The perfect secluded getaway for a reclusive billionaire.
“I asked the driver to go on without us,” he was explaining to her. The sound of authority in his voice brought her back to herself and wakened her from the daze she had fallen into during the trip. “I hope you don’t mind. I thought we could walk the rest of the way and I could show you around my property.” He pointed up to the battlements above them. “As you can see, we’ve arrived.”
“I apologize, Peter,” she told him, somehow still feeling like a child when she spoke to him. “I must have fallen asleep during the drive. I hardly remember anything since I started eating that cheeseburger back at the restaurant.”
“That’s quite all right.” He took her by the arm and began to lead her down a paved path leading toward his castle. “You’ve had a tiring day with your flight this morning and my unusual request for us to meet after dark this evening. A brief rest will surely have done you a world of good.”
She felt very safe walking at his side. She realized for the first time how much taller he was than her. The feel of his hand touching her arm as he led her forward was reassuring. With him so near to her now, she could feel his body heat pulsating out to her.
The night was positively beautiful, and the moonbeams shining off the castle battlements before them made the setting haunting. The temperature in the desert at this hour and this time of the year was just right, only a little cool. A dark stillness surrounded them as they walked forward. This would be one moment that Rebecca knew she would remember for the rest of her life.
“Thank you for suggesting this walk, Peter,” she told him. “I think I need fresh air now more than anything else. And what can I say about your home…” She looked up at the towers looming straight overhead and had her breath taken away yet again by the sight. “It’s absolutely scary. But I mean that in a good way. I love it. I can’t imagine actually living here.”
“But you will live here.” His voice was a promise that echoed out of the darkness.
She looked up at him. She had to bend her head because he was so tall. His eyes were easier to meet in the dark. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean you will be my guest here for the next week,” he corrected. She was certain that was not what he had originally intended by his remark. With this man she never knew what ground she stood on.
“Is it true you had this castle brought over stone by stone from the ruin of a real castle from thirteenth-century Europe?”
“Actually the castle remains were from the eleventh century. But yes, the rest is true.”
“How long must t
hat have taken?”
“It took a long time, but time is of no consequence to me.”
She looked back up at him. There was another odd reference to time, and the thought of his age cropped back into her head. How old could this man be? She didn’t think he could be over thirty from his looks, and possibly not even that old. No, he had to be about her same age. Perhaps a year or two older. No more. He was just super wealthy, and that made him eccentric. Naturally he most likely thought about time in a different way than other people did because he didn’t have to get up and go to work every day.
“I’d love to take a few photos of those towers tomorrow,” she told him.
“You have my permission.”
“Maybe even shoot a video when the sun comes up over that ridge? My producer would just love that.”
“Yes. Fine. You have my permission.”
“I’d also like to get a ballpark figure of how much this whole thing cost you?”
“I don’t know. I have people who manage my money for me. You would have to ask them. I can provide you with the name of the firm I used.”
“You mean you don’t have any idea how much money you paid to live in this enormous place?”
“I’m afraid not. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t care all that much about money.”
“Do you think you say that because you have so much of it and seem to have a knack for investing?”
“I haven’t always had money.” His voice was clear and crisp in the darkness. He had more confidence than anyone she had ever met. His level of self-confidence didn’t seem to be bravado. It was just there. Like he always knew himself and exactly what he was speaking of. He could be confident without even trying.
She would have to check on what he had told her. She remembered that he had inherited all his wealth from his father who had been Peter von North Senior. The family seemed to have been wealthy for years. Why would he tell her that he had not always had money? Rather than call him a liar, she decided to change the subject.
“Why a castle?” she asked him. “I have interviewed several very wealthy individuals before. They prefer to live in modern pleasure palaces with lots of lights, fountains, and swimming pools. They also like to live relatively close to other people. This place is miles away from anyone.”
“This is my home, Rebecca.” He supplied another simple answer to what she considered a complex question. “I have lived through many years within those walls, many of them lonely ones. Before our week together is finished, I shall tell you about them all.”
He took her by the arm once again. His body warmth felt so good this close up. He seemed to be keeping back the chill of the desert for her. He led her up a winding stone staircase built into the side of the bluff. Before them at the top of the stairs was a giant wooden door that was already raised to admit them inside.
“There is also a lot of history hidden in these stones,” he explained as they climbed the steps. It was quite a climb. Rebecca was becoming winded, but he did not seem like the strain affected him in the least.
“See up there on the top of that wall.” He pointed into the night. It was too dark, and she could not see the top. Why didn’t he have any lights out here? Didn’t he have electricity? She nodded for him to continue. “Eight hundred years ago a warrior stood right there and slayed his enemies one after another in a magnificent and terrible battle. He was fighting because he lusted after a beautiful woman. Much blood flowed back in that time.”
He smiled at her and seemed to stop himself before he went any further. This time when he smiled at her, it took the warmth away and made ice run through her veins.
“You must forgive me,” he told her as he led her under the giant wooden door. “I am talking about the past. But I brought you here so that I could have a future.”
* * * *
Peter led her across an open courtyard lit only by moonlight and then up another flight of stairs. Rebecca’s legs were starting to cramp from all the stair climbing, and she had thought she was in good shape, too. Striding at her side and leading her by the arm was Peter. He did not ever seem to get tired.
Finally at the head of the stairs, he led her inside a large room that was lit by the bright glare of an overhead chandelier. There were electric bulbs in the chandelier confirming he did have electricity.
Though the room was large it was furnished in a Spartan manner. In the center was a table with a few chairs around it. Other than that, the room was not graced by furniture. Mounted on the walls leading to the tall ceiling overhead were axes and swords and suits of armor. Rebecca was sure these were authentic period pieces and there was probably a small fortune in historical artifacts right here in this odd room.
The other noticeable peculiarity about the room was its lack of any windows. This must be a dreary place in the daytime. Though, Rebecca reasoned, a medieval castle was probably not the sunniest place in the world.
“Do you live out here all alone?” she asked him as he walked to the center of the room and turned on a lamp in the center of the table.
“I have two employees who also live on the grounds with me. I also have a friend visiting from abroad. You will meet them tomorrow. They have heard I was to have a visitor and are most anxious to make your acquaintance.”
“Well, Peter, I must say this is all very authentic-looking. I feel like I’ve stepped through a door in time.”
“No more talk about this place.” He waved off further conversation, brushing the air with one of his long hands. “You must still be hungry. Allow me to bring you something from the kitchen.”
“Thank you, no, Peter. I’m fine.” She gave him a quick smile meant to be reassuring.
“You are tired and wish to rest perhaps?”
“I admit I am a little tired. The flight this morning and the desert air…I feel a little groggy.”
“Then follow me and I will show you to your room.”
He led her across the big entrance room and down a long corridor. The corridor was dimly lit. She could barely see two feet in front of her. He was leading and walking quickly. She could hardly keep his pace and was afraid of letting him get out of her sight. As big as this place was, if she didn’t have him for a guide, she didn’t know how she would find her way. Earlier that night she had become lost in the casino at the Luxor. She most certainly would get lost in this place.
Suddenly the thought of getting lost in this old castle terrified her. She hustled as best she could to keep pace with him. Every step she took in the dark she was afraid would be her last because she could not even she the floor beneath her shoes. She could only feel the stones as her heels clicked off them. The long hallway had a tall ceiling, but the walls gave a narrow confine and she felt claustrophobic.
“Your room, Rebecca.” He held open a door for her and motioned her inside with another sure wave of his long hand and fingers.
“Thank you, Peter.” She hesitated outside her door and looked back into those attractive eyes again. “I appreciate everything, and I look forward to starting our interview…hopefully tomorrow morning if you have the time.”
“Regretfully, no…I shall be gone all day tomorrow. But please enjoy the estate in my absence and consider everything on the property as your own. Feel free to go wherever you like and do whatever it is you want.”
“Peter, I came all the way out here to interview you, not just look around your land. I hope you’ll find some time for me tomorrow afternoon.”
“Tomorrow night, I promise. You will have my undivided attention all evening.”
She shrugged. There was no point in arguing. With this man, she knew she would never stand a chance at winning. All she could do was what she had been doing all night, nod her head and agree with him. In a little less than three hours, he had come to completely dominate her. It was a scary feeling, and one that she hoped she could examine in the light of day tomorrow after a good long sleep.
She cleared her throat. “Peter, is there a restr
oom nearby?”
He smiled. “Each guest room has its own bathroom facilities. A modern convenience the original did not have.”
“I forgot to ask after my luggage?” she asked, remembering the two little bags she had fit in the overhead compartment of the flight that morning and the large case she had checked at the ticket counter. At the hotel, she had left them with the concierge as she awaited Peter’s arrival. She had no memory of asking him to retrieve them for her before they left the Luxor. A brief moment of panic seized her as she could picture what it would be like stuck out here all week with nothing to wear but this business suit from her first day.
“Not to worry,” he assured her with that effortless way he had about him. “You’ll find one of my men has already delivered them to your room for you.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for everything, Peter.”
“Good night, Rebecca.”
She took one last look down the wells of his deep eyes. Then almost too quickly she closed the door behind her and shut him and his incredible eyes out. There was a latch that locked the door from the inside, and just for good measure, she threw it.
She let out another sigh of relief to have the rest of her foreboding surroundings shut out. Taking a moment to glance around her bedroom, she was pleasantly surprised. It was large as were the other rooms she’d had a chance to see in the castle. But this one was elegantly appointed. Her bed was king sized with a huge canopy covering it. There were three large dressers each with a mirror. A couple of huge overstuffed chairs that actually looked inviting. A prim little glass coffee table was set between the big chairs. Beneath her feet she was astonished to find carpeting, thick and even colorful.
An actual window looked out on the world beyond from the center of the room. She rushed over to it. The glass panes unlocked and opened to the outside. The air of the desert was cool but also exhilarating. She was up high in the air. From her vantage, she could look all the way down to the bottom of the bluff, which must have been over a hundred feet.
