by Bella Grant
"Come on then," she said as she walked through the door, which had been held open for her. I followed her closely.
“Thanks. Are you Nick's sister?" Once the words left my mouth, I regretted speaking. I had called him Nick like I knew him well. The way his name rolled off my tongue, no one would have known that the only interaction the two of us had shared so far was a kiss I had been an unwilling participant in.
She stopped in the middle of the reception area and turned around. She didn’t answer my question, but she looked at me from head to toe as if assessing me. "So you’re a friend of my brother’s?” she asked. “Interesting.”
The way she said it made me self-conscious. I probably wasn't what she was used to seeing when compared to Nick's fleet of mega-rich brats and bitch girlfriends, aka sluts. Maybe I wasn't skinny enough or maybe I wasn’t slutty enough. I looked down at my clothes. Yes, second-hand clothes, even though nice, hardly made a good impression on a billionaire princess.
"Not really," I said. “Well, sort of.”
"And you're here to see him?"
"Yes."
She looked at me a little longer, like she was trying to determine what to do when a look of recognition flashed over her face as she walked to the elevator. "I'll take you to my brother," she said, getting into the elevator and holding it open for me.
I scrambled in, noting that the elevator was fancier than the best hotels I'd ever been to. I could smell her perfume – a fruity, exotic scent that had probably been made for her.
"So, where did you meet my brother?" she asked casually as she pressed the button to the penthouse once the door of the elevator closed.
I glanced at the penthouse button and all sorts of naughty things crossed my mind before I remembered that I was simply here to return a necklace to Mr. Rich.
"We met…ah...at the ball," I answered, and again, I regretted my words. She would have been at the ball and that ball was supposed to be for guests they already knew. I didn’t want to get Nick in trouble, though I doubted anyone could ever do that. I hoped she assumed I had come with someone else and happened to meet him.
"You must be Sara Nolles," she said flatly, but I saw a mischievous smile curve her face. "I can see why my brother likes you.”
I wanted to refute the idea that Nick liked me, but Zia didn’t look like she was in the mood to talk too much, and besides, she didn’t look like someone I wanted to argue with. She would probably win.
"He doesn't really know me..." I began, but I was cut off by the ding of the elevator. We had arrived at the penthouse. She entered a security access code since the elevator needed one to let us out and into the penthouse. She put her thumb on a screen to confirm her identity.
I watched silently, trying not to get too excited. All that separated Nick and me was a fancy elevator. Why do Nick and his sister need high security access? I assumed they had grown so rich they’d probably made enemies along the way, people like Olivia who probably stalked Nick. Or maybe I was letting my imagination run wild again and the security access was just to restrict unauthorized access to their company’s sensitive materials. That made more sense than Olivia stalking Nick at the office. That was more hilarious, though. I chuckled to myself. Nick’s sister turned to look at me, and I quickly pretended I was straightening my skirt suit.
I would never have to worry about security as long as I remained nicely broke - one of the benefits of having ten dollars to my name. And since there was no boyfriend in the picture, I wasn’t worried about some man coming after me for retaliation.
The elevator finally opened to reveal another security check, a man dressed in a crisp security uniform. "Good day, Ms. Saunders," he greeted as she walked by, but he stopped me briefly. “Security access?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"Your name tag?" he asked.
"You can do a quick finger scan, Dan. She's with me," Ms. Saunders said.
The security guard pulled out a device that looked like a small, handheld game and asked me to place my thumb on it. At first I was hesitant because I didn't know what having my fingerprint meant, but the urge to see Nick overwhelmed my need to protect myself or my identity, so I placed my thumb on the scanner. In five seconds, the scanner beeped and showed that I was clear.
"Thank you, ma'am," the man said.
"Ms. Nolles," I corrected, but he already knew that; the handheld device let him print out a laminated temporary ID card which had my name and picture. He handed it to me.
"Please hold on to that while you are in our facility. Have a pleasant day, Ms. Nolles."
"Tough security," I commented to Ms. Saunders as I rejoined her where she was patiently waiting for me.
"Yes, we must protect our employees.”
I didn't ask what they were being protected from.
Nick’s sister opened the door and entered an office space with several people sitting behind really nice glass offices, all working. She walked fast, but I kept up her pace. She walked toward a section of the room with a placard emblazoned with “Nick Saunders” in bold letters.
A woman who was on the phone quickly got off and greeted her.
"Hello, Bev," Ms. Saunders replied without a smile. In the few minutes I had spent with Nick’s sister, I understood that she was polite but never smiled. I wondered if she ever smiled.
"Is Nick here?" she asked as she walked toward an office behind her, but before she could open the door, the secretary replied.
"He's gone out for a walk."
"How long has he been gone?" Her face showed her concern. I wondered why. I'm sure it was perfectly safe for a grown man to take a walk on his own. Unless she was afraid he was out of the security blanket when he was gone for too long. I stifled a smile.
"About thirty minutes. He said he'd be back in an hour." I followed her eyes to a clock on the wall. 12:30.
"This is Ms. Nolles. She's here to see Nick. Make sure her needs are met until Nick returns."
"Yes, ma'am. But she doesn’t have an appointment."
One look from Ms. Saunders and Bev backed down, sat, and turned on her computer. "Then find her one."
"Right away, ma'am."
"Sara, it was nice meeting you. I will see you again. I’m Zia Saunders, by the way." She flashed me a smile - the first I had seen. She had a dimple in one cheek, just like her brother’s, when she smiled.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Saunders," I said.
"Call me Zia. I'll see you soon," she said with such certainty that I totally believed her.
NICK
When Nick returned from his walk, his eyes widened in shock. The woman in the waiting room of his office wasn’t supposed to be here. How did she get here? He had left specific instructions for the staff to only let people up to the penthouse with his or Zia’s approval. Had Zia already met Sara? Did all hell break loose?
So he took a couple of breaths and calmly walked toward her, willing his body to stay calm. She had the power to make him lose control even when she wasn’t trying, and now was no different. His pants grew tighter at the sight of the fishnet tights on her endless legs. She was wearing a red and black skirt and a really cute white top that showed off a little more of her cleavage than he was comfortable with. Keeping his hands off her was going to be a dare he didn’t know if he’d win.
Even though she wore a spring coat - a red coat that covered some of her outfit, he could sense her curves, and the knowledge of how good her body looked was driving him crazy. All he wanted was to run to her and hold her, kiss her and hope she didn’t run away. But he knew better than that. If he so much as touched her again without her permission, his ass would be fried for it. He was weak for her, but he didn’t want to go to jail for not being able to control his desire for her.
Someone was watching him watching Sara. He looked over at Zia’s office. She smiled and waved at him with two thumbs up. He knew she had authorized Sara to come up to his office. Even though Nick didn’t need Zia’s approval to date anyone, her approval
of Sara only validated the fact that he could not give up on pursuing Sara until she became his.
He took quick steady steps towards his office, and as Bev saw him approach, he saw her look from him and to Sara, a look of helplessness in her eyes, like she couldn’t do anything to keep Sara away from his office.
“Ms. Zia said it was okay,” Bev said. “She has no appointment.”
"It is okay, Bev,” Nick said. He couldn’t be mad at Bev for something she couldn’t prevent. He knew Zia was tough to get around. Heck, he sometimes found it difficult to get around Zia once she set her mind on something.
"Sorry, sir," Bev said, shrugging her shoulders as she sat back at her desk
“It’s okay. I’ll take it from here,” he said, smiling at the woman who still looked worried.
"Ms. Sara Nolles?" Nick said as he approached her, holding his breath as he waited for her to turn around and look at him. Those lips. He dreaded seeing those lips again, but he had better self-control this time. He willed his body to behave and his piece in his pants to stay calm.
"Mr. Saunders. Sorry to disturb you at work, but I had to see you," Sara said as soon as she saw him. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you,” Nick said. He wanted to say he was surprised to see her, but that would be a lie. He knew that as long as she had that necklace, their paths were going to cross; he just hadn’t expected to see her so soon after the kissing incident.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Sara said as she reached into her pocket to pull out the box before he could open his office door. “This belongs to you. I can’t keep it.”
Nick hesitated a little, then took the box from her.
‘It’s lovely, and I’m sorry. But I can’t keep it,” Sara said. “I hope you understand.”
“I do,” Nick said. He couldn’t force the necklace on her.
“Thank you,” Sara said. She rose to leave. “I better leave you to get some work done.”
“Wait,” Nick said. He needed to stall her. Once she left his office, she was gone forever from his life. He couldn’t let that happen.
“Yes?” Sara said.
“I’m glad you made it to the ball.”
“Oh, it was my pleasure. My best friend made me go. She’s obsessed with you.”
“Then I should meet her someday to thank her for making you come,” Nick said, watching her closely, hoping his statement would help her open up to him, but she simply smiled and gathered her things, ready to leave his office.
“She’ll be thrilled,” Sara said.
“Do you have a moment to spare?” Nick asked as he opened his office door. He had to try and woo her, just enough to make her spend the rest of the day with him.
“Yes, a few minutes,” she said.
Nick noticed the look of anticipation in her eyes, like she wanted something more than she was letting on. Maybe she did like him as much as he liked her. "Please come inside," Nick requested. He led her into his office, opening the door wide to let her in.
She walked in front of him and he walked behind, his eyes glued shamelessly to her behind. He observed her as she walked, her hips moving and gliding against the fabric of her coat. He knew what was wrapped underneath her coat - dangerous curves that could mess him up. He shut the door behind him.
"Nice office," she told him, and Nick pointed to a seat for her.
"Thanks." He smiled as he sat across from her.
"Very nice,” she said when she noticed a huge 3D painting of a large forest that took up most of one wall of the office. “I like the outdoors. Impressive painting.”
"Thanks," Nick said. Impressive was not the word most girls he had brought to his office used for that picture. In fact, none of the girls he’d ever dated had noticed or commented on the picture. They had been too busy trying to spread out on the table for him, something Sara was clearly not going to do anytime soon.
"You must love the outdoors," Sara said.
"I do.” Nick looked at Sara, who avoided his eyes. “Do you?”
"Yes," she simply said. “A lot.”
“Great. Then you should visit sometime," he said, pointing at the painting on the wall. “That’s the most peaceful place on earth.”
“It’s real? That’s amazing,” Sara said, her eyes lighting up.
“That's the preservation we raise funds for annually through the ball. My company wants to preserve all nature as we know it.”
Sara looked at the picture again. “Is it okay if I get a little closer?”
"Sure," he said, walking over to the picture with her. The only thing he wanted to get closer to was the woman in front of him, but he didn’t want to scare her any more than he had already. He watched her walk gingerly toward the picture. He gave her some decent space, not wanting to crowd her, but as she stood observing the picture, he inched closer to her.
"There, over there, is a tree that’s over a hundred years old." He drew nearer to her to point at a tree in the picture. Gosh, she was sweet, he thought. She smelled sweet! Her scent was tugging at all the right parts in his body. He could smell her hair - fresh berries with a hint of orange. What conditioner did she use? He wanted to ask her but knew that would be weird.
"Wow. It looks like a lost kingdom. A place you could live forever."
Nick's heart stopped. He would love to own a home close to the preservation if it meant Sara would be with him there forever. They could play all night and sleep all day. Heck, she could even do whatever she wanted as long as she was always close to him.
He looked at her childish admiration of the painting and decided to tease her. "I don't know. A girl like you may not survive there.”
"You'd be surprised. I'm not one of your skinny, blonde girlfriends you can kiss at will."
"Regarding that," Nick said, walking away from the painting so she was forced to follow him. "I am so sorry that happened. It was not meant to happen. I didn’t do it to make anyone jealous, as you imagined."
"So, why did you kiss me? Do you make it a habit of kissing women whenever you feel like it?”
"I warned you," he chuckled. “I did ask you to kiss me.”
"Telling me to kiss you is not a warning. It's a command, and I'm not your child to boss around."
Nick’s tone changed, and his voice lowered. "You’re right, Sara, and I'm truly sorry. I don’t know what came over me. You looked so beautiful that day, and I couldn’t resist the urge to get closer to you. I wanted to kiss you so badly, since the first day I saw you at the coffee shop. I guess I just gave in to my desires when I saw you at the ball.”
Nick looked at her, observing her reaction and wishing he could tell her the truth rather than apologize for a kiss he had loved. If only he could tell her how he felt about her - he wanted to kiss her, hold her, and make love to her right then and always. He liked her so much more than was healthy, and he was prepared to do whatever he needed to do to get her to say yes to him.
“Apology accepted,” Sara said. “I'm flattered.”
Nick looked at her, her innocence overwhelming him. If only she knew how good she looked. Girls like her intrigued Nick, but they were hard to find. They didn’t see their bodies the way men saw them – beautiful and sexy!
"I’m not flattering you," he laughed. “Just stating the obvious. You’re beautiful.”
"Oh," she said, her face turning red. “Thank you.”
“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I keep doing that. My apologies again,” Nick said.
Nick could tell she was not she used to compliments, which was a shame for someone so pretty. Was she not used to being loved? If he ever got a chance to show her how much he cared for her, he would protect her with all his life, with all his money. He looked at her again, and all he could think of was her parted lips. He wanted so much to kiss her again, but he knew better than that.
"Thank you," she said simply.
SARA
I looked at the man who had just told me I was beau
tiful. Beautiful was a word I rarely heard but one I’d take. He was avoiding my eyes as if I’d caught him looking at me. I wanted to tell him how beautiful he was, but I was still mad at him and really needed go home. I had a couple of job resumes I needed to send out and hanging out here, playing friends with him, was not going to make my bills go away.
“So the necklace,” he said, taking the box I had given him earlier and replacing it in my hands.
I pushed the necklace toward him, sliding it on the table. "It's so gorgeous, but I can't accept it, unless you tell me every invitation card for all your guests was sent with a diamond necklace."
"What if I said yes?" he said.
I looked at him. One look into his eyes told me that wasn't true. "I'd know that's not true and you’re saying it to make me keep the necklace."
"I do want you to keep the necklace, Sara," he said, pushing it back to me.
"Why? We've never met. You don't know me. Why would I keep a necklace that looks like it cost a thousand dollars?" The necklace game was getting childish and I needed to end it.
"A million," he said casually.
"Excuse me?" I asked, hoping he hadn’t said what I thought I’d heard. Why would a person send a million-dollar necklace to a random girl? What if I had sold it and kept the money? I had no clue how expensive that necklace was, and if I had sold it, I'd have been cheated.
"Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything about the price.”
"But you did, and I won't keep this," I said and stood. “I don’t know why you want me to keep this necklace so badly. It’s ridiculous. I don’t want to play games anymore.”
“I don’t play games,” he said coldly.
“Maybe not, but I need to go. I have a million job applications to complete. I don’t have the luxury of sitting in a penthouse entertaining men, women, whatever. I’m sorry, I have to go…”
“You’re hired.”
