Once the limo pulled up in front of her apartment and she stepped out, Elena made her way to the front door and let herself inside, taking the four flights of stairs two steps at a time to make her way up to her room. Fishing her front door key out of her bra where she usually kept it, she slid it into the lock and twisted it until she heard the telltale click that told her it was now unlocked. Pushing the door open, she let herself in, closing the door softly behind her and making her way to the living room. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to take the time to glance around at her apartment.
It was exactly the way she had left it three days ago, from the expensive paintings hanging on the wall to the high-priced furniture that she had bought specifically for the place. A fifty-five-inch television hung from the wall, and on a small metal desk to the side of it sat her laptop, an HDMI cord leading from it to the back of the television. She usually used her laptop to stream Netflix and Hulu to her television, so it was just easier to keep it connected to the TV as opposed to constantly detaching and reconnecting it each time she wanted to use the laptop by itself. She had bought a high-powered Windows tablet for those kinds of things, and it worked quite well for the things that she needed it to do, so she was content.
Kicking off her high-heeled shoes, Elena dropped down onto her couch with a tired sigh. She rubbed at the heel of her foot tenderly, lamenting the fact that such stylish shoes had to be so uncomfortable. Maybe I should use some of my money to put in a word with one of the shoe companies about making high heels that don’t kill your feet after a few hours of wearing them. She tapped her finger against her chin, tilting her head slightly to the side at the thought. It wasn’t a terrible idea, in her opinion.
Glancing over at the clock on her wall, Elena sighed at the fact that it was only a little past three in the afternoon. That meant there were at least two hours before she could even begin to think about going to her favorite nightclub, Eighteen Sky Bar. It was located inside the Intercontinental London O2, a hotel that was loved by both native Londoners and tourists alike. She had booked a room herself there once or twice, and she could definitely see what people were talking about. Shrugging her shoulders gracefully, she grabbed the television remote from where it sat on the small glass coffee table in front of the couch and reclined on her side, pressing the power button to bring the TV to life.
Between her full stomach and the rather uninteresting choices of cable viewing, Elena ended up nodding off for a little while. She found herself dreaming about Gerard, the two of them acting far friendlier in the dream than they had ever acted in real life. In the dream, they were sitting together on a beach somewhere sipping brightly colored cocktails. He looked so handsome in only a pair of black swim trunks, his muscular torso on full view for anyone to see. She had seen him half-naked plenty of times while they were on assignment, so it wasn’t like she had to imagine too hard about what he looked like. She could see countless people occupying blankets around them, but she only really had eyes for him.
“I’m so glad you let me come with you, Elena,” he said, lifting his glass to take a small sip from his drink. “I didn’t realize how badly I could use a vacation.”
“Glad I could be of help. I figured that you couldn’t be grumpy all the time,” she replied, her dream version gently brushing a lock of her golden hair away from her face gently.
“Not all the time, no. Just most of the time,” he said playfully, offering a gentle chuckle as he clinked his glass softly against mine. “It is only around a few special people that I am comfortable enough to let my guard down.”
“Does that mean I am one of those special people?” she asked cheekily, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth while her heart fluttered in her chest.
“You might be,” he said playfully, flashing a wink at her. “Hard to say.”
She giggled at that, glancing down at her body at the black two-piece swimsuit that she was currently wearing. They were technically on a nude beach, but she had chosen to wear clothing to try and retain some of her modesty. Despite how she looked, Elena was quite a conservative girl, and she wasn’t the kind of person who liked to show off her goodies to just anybody. Only special people were allowed that privilege.
“What would I have to do to make you say it, Gerard?” she asked, reaching her hand over to stroke over his thigh teasingly, feeling happy when I saw the telltale sign of a bulge beginning to appear in the front of his swim trunks.
Just as he was about to answer her, a lustful look on his face as he looked at her, she was brought awake by the sudden sound of someone knocking on her door. She pouted at having her dream interrupted right at the good part, yawning gently as she pushed herself up off her couch and made her way to the front door. Peeking through the peephole at the top of the door, she was surprised to see what looked like a delivery man. Pulling open the front door, she found that her suspicions were immediately confirmed, a chubby delivery man standing before her with one of the most breathtakingly beautiful bouquets of flowers that she had ever seen.
“Are you Elena Montague? I was told to deliver these to you by Mr. Gerard Donahue from Donahue & Co. over on Canary Wharf. He said that I could find you here,” he said, holding out a clipboard to her. “If I could just get your signature, I’ll leave them with you and get out of your hair.”
Once she had signed for the bouquet and tipped the delivery man, she closed the door. There was a card that had come with the flowers, which she eagerly opened. I’m sorry about being so rude to you lately. Why don’t we have dinner to make up for it? Meet me at 7 pm at the Eighteen Sky Bar. Her heart skipped a beat as she set the flowers in a vase, a smile on her face. She was definitely going to take him up on that.
Chapter Five: Gerard
I imagine she will be getting the flowers just about now. Gerard smiled as he sat behind his desk, a stack of completed paperwork sitting next to him. He had been working on it for the last few hours, but at least he would be able to leave tonight knowing that pretty much everything was taken care of and ready to go. He stood from his chair and stretched, letting out a gentle groan as he felt a few of the vertebrae in his back pop. He had been hunched over for the better part of two hours, so it felt amazing to finally be able to stand. He strode over to the window of his office, gazing out at the Thames for a moment. He could see the ferry sailing across the river, no doubt stuffed to the brim with tourists wanting to enjoy the sights that the river provided.
He remembered the very first time that he had taken the ferry and been able to gaze out upon the Thames as it seemed to stretch for miles in each direction. Despite having a view of Canary Wharf, very few sounds of the city had managed to carry out onto the water, which had been very peaceful. He might be tempted to take Elena out on it sometime if she would agree to it. He pulled back the sleeve of his shirt so he could glance at the shiny Rolex wristwatch clasped to his wrist so he could check the time. There was roughly an hour and a half before he would need to start making his way to the Eighteen Sky Bar, but he also wanted to go home so he could change into something else. He didn’t want her to think that he cared so little about their date that he would wear his work clothes there.
Pressing the button for the intercom on his desk, he cleared his voice before speaking. “Debra, could you call for my limousine, please? I am finished here, and have plans for later tonight.”
“Certainly, Mr. Donahue. I will get on the phone with them immediately,” she said cheerfully, obviously looking forward to the fact that her work day was coming to an end as well.
“Thank you, Debra,” he said curtly, lifting his finger from the button on the intercom to end the call.
I wonder what Elena is going to say when she sees me tonight. She is probably going to make a joke about me feeling obligated to take her out. She wouldn’t be entirely wrong if she said that, but I’m not going to admit to her that she would be right. I’d never hear the end of it otherwise.
Pulling his phone from his pock
et, he scrolled through his contacts until he found Elena’s number. She had given it to him back when they had done one of their very first assignments together so he could keep in touch with her while they were separated, and since there was no reason for him to get rid of it, it had stayed in his contacts. He would never admit to her, however, that she was the second speed dial on his phone. He didn’t know how she would take the news, but he had a feeling that she probably would have made fun of him for it. She had always been like that, firmly cementing from the very beginning what sort of relationship she would allow them to have. He had once found myself impressed by her steadfast dedication to the man she was with, but as time had gone by, he had found myself growing jealous of the way she interacted with her former boyfriend.
His hand moved up to stroke over his chin, tracing the soft hairs of his beard gently as he pondered his current mindset. Gerard was not the kind of man who allowed himself to become so bent out of shape over a woman. He liked to consider himself cool and collected; the kind of guy who could put aside such mundane worries to get what he wanted. Despite his best attempts to remain humble always, there was no stopping the occasional whispers of his pride that would inflate his ego to the point that he might casually say something upsetting to those around him. It was never his intention to do it, but according to those that he confided in that was one of his most glaring flaws as an agent.
Enough of my internal critiquing. I have dinner with Elena to prepare for, and I need to make sure that I have my game face on. I don’t want her to assume that tonight is about anything more than just making up for the recent friction between us. I shouldn’t try and get my hopes up about anything happening. I wouldn’t want to build myself up only to be crushed with rejection later. Rejection, he had found, was something that he had never learned how to take well.
The sound of the intercom beeping gently broke him out of his thoughts. “Mr. Gerard, your driver has just arrived for you.”
“Thank you, Debra. I shall be taking my leave for the night, then. You may also head home for the evening, as I don’t foresee the need for you to remain here after hours. I will see you in a few days,” he said, grabbing the jacket of his suit from where it hung on a coat rack beside the door of his office and sliding it on before making his way out.
Walking down the hallway toward the elevator that would lead him to the lobby, Gerard glanced casually at one of the sizeable paintings that hung on the wall. It was a very old Monet painting that had cost him a small fortune at an auction to purchase and was easily one of his most precious possessions. There was even a security camera positioned directly in front of the painting that made sure to surveil it constantly just to make sure that no one got the inclination to try and make off with it. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his employees; he just knew how much of a temptation something worth that much money could prove to be to someone. He just wanted to subtly discourage them from acting on any such temptation.
Pressing the down button to summon the elevator, he took a moment to glance at his reflection in the metal doors of the elevator. His eyes twinkled in a surprising amount of anticipation, hands clasped gently behind him as he whistled nonchalantly to himself. I really hope she liked those flowers I sent her. I didn’t check up on her list of allergies, so I’m hoping that I didn’t unwittingly send her something that might be causing her issues.
As he rode down in the elevator, he sent off a quick text message to Elena. It took him a moment to think about what it was that he wanted to tell her, his usually flawless way with words somehow seeming to escape him now. Come on, Gerard! You are just sending her a text message to ask about our dinner plans. Stop acting like a virgin at your first prom and send the damn message!
He stepped out of the elevator and made his way across the sizable lobby, the door being held open for him by another one of his employees who had been on the way out. The woman in question squeaked out a nervous goodbye before hurrying off, something that made his eyebrow arch in curiosity. It was no secret to him that many of the women thought that he was attractive, but this was one of the first times he had actually noticed someone being that flustered in his presence. It wasn’t that he was oblivious or anything; he was just used to people acting that way in his presence, and it had gotten to the point where he didn’t even really notice it anymore.
His limousine was waiting for him right out front, the driver standing at attention with his hands clasped behind his back as he waited. Upon seeing Gerard, he immediately pulled open the back door of the limo, holding it open so that Gerard could climb inside. He smiled at the spacious interior of the limo, reaching forward to pour himself a glass of Coca-Cola from the small bottle that the limo kept stocked for him. It was one of his few guilty pleasures, and while he didn’t drink it often, there was something satisfying about the taste that always brought him back for more. After he cracked open the lid of the bottle and took a deep gulp, he let out a satisfied sigh and glanced toward the driver, who had been waiting patiently this whole time for him to give an order.
“Take me back to my house, Simon. I have a date tonight, and I would like to change my outfit before that happens,” he said casually, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket.
“As you wish, sir,” Simon replied courteously, the limousine pulling away from the curb and starting to make its way down the street.
Gerard pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced down at the screen, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he read Elena’s message. I got the flowers. They are very pretty. Thank you. As for your invitation to have dinner, I would love to. Do you think you have me picked up, though? I might feel like drinking tonight and don’t want to have to worry about driving home afterward.
My reply was short but sufficient. Sounds good to me. I’ll see you at 7.
Chapter Six: Elena
Despite it seeming to take forever for the designated time to arrive, Elena soon found herself receiving a message from Gerard telling her that he was downstairs waiting for her. She found it somewhat strange that he chose not to come up to her place for a bit, but given the fact that they had thirty minutes until seven o’clock, it didn’t come as too much of a shock. He was probably worried about them getting to the restaurant late, though the fact that Elena hadn’t heard him say anything about having made a reservation for them somewhere she didn’t understand why he was so preoccupied with being on time. He has always been like this, though. He loves nothing more than being on time.
It had been one of the many things about him that used to irk her when they had first been partnered up. Elena was a far more laid-back type of person and preferred to live her life in such a way that she didn’t have to spend her time rushing from place to place to try and meet up with other people’s arbitrary senses of time. Gerard had been quick to tell her that he didn’t approve of her lack of timeliness, and she had lost track of the number of times that he had chastised her for being late to something. She couldn’t help it, though. She had been born on June 19th, a day that was dedicated to taking your time with things. She believed that had something to do with her carefree attitude, and she wasn’t going to apologize for something that she didn’t think she could control.
This time, however, he would have no reason to complain. She had taken a shower to freshen up, going so far as to spend a half an hour in front of the mirror doing her makeup. She wasn’t trying to seduce him or anything, but she did like to look good when she went out, and this seemed like as good a time as any. As she gave herself one last lingering look in the mirror that hung in her living room, she smiled at how good she looked. If she didn’t turn any heads tonight she would be very surprised. So long as I catch Gerard’s attention, I don’t care if I don’t get a single glance from anyone else tonight.
She paused, a small frown spreading across her face then. Just what was it that she wanted from Gerard? Sure, he had been her partner for quite a long time, but he had never actually shown any interest in her as
a woman. To be fair, that was probably because of her having been in a relationship for the longest time, and she had been the one who insisted on repeatedly telling him that she wasn’t interested in him. Add to that the fact that they always seemed to be arguing in the aftermath of her breakup with Jeremy, and she could easily see why he might have chosen to keep himself somewhat distant from her. Now, however, she was single. That meant that she was fair game, and she was going to make sure that Gerard knew it by the end of the night.
The sound of her phone ringing from the small purse that she had chosen to use tonight broke her out of her thoughts, making her blink as she fished the small pink cellular device out and glanced at the screen. Gerard was calling, and she knew better than to not answer his calls. “Hello, Gerard? I’m making my way downstairs right now. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t forget anything before I left the house.”
“I just wanted to make sure that everything was alright. I texted you but you didn’t send me a reply, and it’s been about five minutes since I sent that message. I don’t mean to sound impatient, but I am rather eager to get to this restaurant. I want us to be able to get a good seat before the other tourists and hotel guests start crowding up the place, which is why I got here a little earlier than I had originally planned to,” he said casually, his deep voice making Elena shudder gently with sudden desire that caused her to blush from just how powerful the sensation was.
She fought the urge to roll her eyes at his words, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling. Despite how subtle he had tried to be, she could tell that he was trying to make it sound like he wasn’t excited for the two of them to be going out, which only made it even more obvious to her. She chose not to call him out on it, though. She would play along with him for now; she didn’t want to risk the two of them arguing when this dinner was supposed to be a way for them to make up for all their previous arguments. “No worries. I’m heading out the door right now. I’ll be down in a few moments.”
Unwrapped by The Billionaire Page 83
