“I am?”
He nods. “Gorgeous.”
Me? Gorgeous? That's a strange thing for a cousin to say, but I’m also a little bit flattered. I’ve always thought that I’m attractive looking. However, I haven’t ever considered myself to be beautiful or gorgeous. I do know that my dark, purplish-blue eyes stand out, and they draw attention to my long lashes that frame them. My features are fine, almost delicate, and my skin is smooth and blemish free.
I study Roman closely as my thoughts shift back to him. He looks nothing like Khristos. Where Khristos's features are more classically handsome, Roman's are a bit more exotic. I don't think he's my cousin.
“What's on your mind? It's working pretty hard there,” Roman comments as he takes a drink of his juice, his gaze still focused on me.
“You look nothing like Khristos,” I say, deciding for the truth.
He doesn't look the slightest bit perturbed by my observation. “I take after my mother.”
“And where is she?”
“Dead,” he says bluntly.
Oh. Well, crap. Now I feel bad for even voicing my suspicion. “Sorry,” I mutter as I turn back to my now empty plate. I'm relieved I have an excuse to escape, and I rise to my feet, my plate and glass of orange juice in my hand.
Adelaide glances at me and frowns. “Leave it, Livia. I'll take care of it.”
“I can take care of it, it's fine,” I insist as I walk over and place them in the sink. I'm ready to bolt. I look up and find that Roman is watching me, and so is Adelaide. I feel like a bug under a microscope. “Thanks for breakfast, Adelaide. Um, it's nice to meet you Roman. I have some things I'd like to do today, so I'm heading out,” I say politely, pasting a slightly stiff smile on my face.
Roman's eyes narrow on me briefly before he shrugs. “Later.”
I make my escape and rush up to my room. That was awkward. I'm definitely feeling the urge to escape this place for a while. I just want to be alone, but not here. I grab the keys off the dresser. Then pause and reluctantly grab the debit card, as well. I have no cash on me, and if I'm hungry later, I'll need to buy food. I'm not thrilled to use money that isn't mine, but there's not much I can do about it at this point. I go back downstairs, and it dawns on me that I hadn't seen a garage.
With great reluctance, I make my way back to the kitchen to find that Roman's left and it's just Adelaide. She looks up and smiles. “Do you need something, Livia?”
“I prefer Livvy,” I offer with a friendly smile. I like her. I don't know why, but I do.
“Then please call me Addie.”
“Deal.” I hold up the car keys. “Where would the cars be?”
“The garage is out back. Just follow this hall, it leads to the back door, and then the path off the patio will lead you to the garage.”
“Thanks.”
I go back down the hallway, passing a formal dining room, a laundry room, and what looks like a library before I reach the end of the hall and step outside. The sun is out, and it's warm as it shines down on me. It's a beautiful day. My eyes bounce around briefly, taking in the decorative patio and the pool to the far left. When I tear my eyes away from it, I spy the rock path that leads down a slight hill to a large building that resembles the mansion—only it has four garage doors on the front of it. I see that one of the doors is opening. I'm guessing there must be a controller in the kitchen for the garage doors when a car doesn't pull out, and I see no one else around.
As I walk closer to the building, I see a small paved parking lot along the side, and there are three cars parked there. All SUV's. Just how many cars does Khristos own? I approach the garage cautiously and step into the darkened interior. Lights immediately flicker on, startling me. I look around, expecting to see someone, but the large room is empty but for the vehicles parked inside it. I'm guessing the lights are motion censored.
I turn my attention to the vehicles, and I bite my lip. I see a large, silver Cadillac Escalade—even I would recognize one, though I know nothing about luxury cars. The other three vehicles are sports cars. Ridiculously expensive sports cars from what I can see. I look down at the key fob in my hand and frown. None of these cars could possibly be the car that Khristos picked out for me. It has to be one of the SUV's outside.
I walk back to the small lot along the side of the garage and press the 'unlock' button on the key fob.
A chirp greets me, but it comes from within the garage instead of one of the SUV's. There's no way one of those cars inside is the one I'm supposed to drive. I press the 'lock' button, and the sound comes from within the depths of the garage again. Khristos wouldn’t have bought me a sports car. Would he?
Footsteps approaching has me turning around, my expression wary.
Roman's walking towards me, and I'm relieved to see that he's put some clothes on. He's wearing jeans and a tee, his hands tucked in his pockets as he makes his way over. His hair is still slightly messy, but on him it looks good. He smirks at me. “I saw you from the window and had a feeling you'd doubt which car is yours. Ready to see what you'll be cruisin' around in?”
I glance at the SUV's with puzzlement. “Whose are those?”
“Employee vehicles. C'mon little Vee,” he says as he slips an arm around my shoulders, leading me back into the garage.
I stiffen against his side, because I can feel my body perking up at his closeness. “Vee?” I ask as I try not to wriggle away from him. It wouldn't be good to offend my cousin my first day here.
“I hear you like to be called Livvy. I'll just call you Vee.”
“I don't like Vee.”
“But I do,” he says as he gives my shoulder an affectionate squeeze before he releases me and walks over to a dark green sports car. “This baby is yours,” he says, patting the hood.
My mouth slackens. I don't even bother to hide my shock. Somehow, I manage to shake my head in denial. “Can't be,” I manage to say.
Roman chuckles under his breath, then walks over, plucking the keys out of my hand. He presses a button on the key fob, and the car chirps. He holds the keys up. “These keys go with this car,” he says as if he's talking to a child. He's enjoying himself.
I shoot him a look as the shock wears off. “I don't need an expensive car to drive around. In fact, I don't want it. I want something else.” Something cheap.
“Khristos will be insulted if you refuse it,” he warns me.
“But I can't drive that! It's too expensive. I don't know what it is or how much it costs, but I can guess it's a lot of money. Money I'd never make in my lifetime even if I worked two jobs.”
“It's an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, and he paid almost two-hundred thousand for it,” Roman fights back a smile as he leans against the car, crossing his arms lazily as he enjoys my reaction.
My eyes nearly bug out of my head. “I'm not driving that!”
“Good luck getting around then. If this is what Khristos wants you to drive, you're driving it. It's either this or nothing.”
“I'll call a cab.”
Roman shakes his head. “We have a security gate at the end of the drive. You really planning on walking all the way down there to meet the cab every time you want to leave?”
My heart sinks. Most girls would think I'm being foolish turning down such a beautiful car. Maybe if there weren't any hidden motives behind buying me the car, I'd try to enjoy it more. Maybe even accept it if it were under different circumstances. But the thing is, I don't want to use any of Khristos's gifts, because I'm not sure what I'll owe in return. And let's face it, he's going to expect something from me. I am not here, being smothered by luxury, out of the goodness of his heart.
“Hey,” Roman says, his tone serious now as he straightens up and walks over to me. His blue-green eyes meet mine. “The car is yours, no strings attached. You look worried and you shouldn't be. All Khristos wants is for you to be happy.” He shrugs a broad shoulder. “He has a tendency to go overboard sometimes, but that's just who he is. He's filthy rich. If
he can afford it, he doesn't blink twice.”
“I'm just not comfortable driving something like that,” I say quietly as I motion to the car.
Roman looks pleased, and he smiles widely. “I'm glad you're trying to reject it. It just makes me want to shove you in it even more.”
“Thanks,” I say dryly.
“No, really. If you'd hopped right in and drove off, I would have thought you to be a superficial bitch. Now, I know you're not. You and I, we're going to get along perfectly,” he says before he grabs my hand and presses the keys in it. “Take the damn car.”
I look down at the keys in my hand.
“It's either the car or nothing,” Roman reminds me.
I sigh and cave. I need a vehicle, because I can't stay cooped up in the mansion. “Fine,” I grumble as I walk over to it and stare at the sleek lines of the car. “What if I ding it or something?”
Roman snorts. “Then Khristos will pay to have it fixed. He'd buy you five of these things if it'd make you happy.”
My eyes dart to him. “Why?” I ask immediately. “Why would he want to make me happy?”
“You're his niece. Let him spoil you.”
I get the feeling there's much more to it, but I'm going to have to figure it out on my own. Without a word to Roman, I carefully open the car door and ease into the driver's seat. I sit there for a long moment, scanning the interior. If mom could see me now.
Roman taps the hood to get my attention. “Have fun,” he says before he turns and walks out of the garage.
I spend five minutes familiarizing myself with the car before I dare to turn it on. It purrs to life, and I can feel the power the engine holds. I can't believe I am going to drive this. I'm super careful when I work up the nerve to drive it out of the garage. It's a smooth ride, and I make my way up the paved path that goes along the side of the mansion and intersects with the main driveway.
I admit it. The car is fun to drive. When I reach the gate at the end of the drive, I'm feeling a bit more confident. I glance up at the visor, and I'm not surprised to find two little gray boxes clipped to it. One for the gate, and one for the garage. I press the first one and it opens the gate. A second later, I'm cruising past the gate and down the road.
Relief sweeps through me, and I can feel the tension easing from my muscles. For the first time in twenty-four hours, I am alone. I'm not in the mansion or around prying eyes. And I'm driving a kick ass car.
Might as well enjoy it.
***
I spend about thirty minutes driving around Cherry Creek. It's smaller than what I am used to, but it has a quaint feel to it. Trace was right, the center of the town is only about several blocks, and it is lined with shops on each side of the busy streets. I'm disappointed there's no train or bus station, but I know Minneapolis will certainly have one or both.
After I familiarize myself with where everything is located, I decide to park the car in a restaurant parking lot. I want to walk around the town and get some fresh air. There are other residents out and about, and some of them look at me curiously, but no one approaches me. I walk around aimlessly with no destination in mind. Eventually, I sit down on a bench across from a couple stores as I let my mind wander. Why am I here? What kind of life am I supposed to lead in Cherry Creek? I'm definitely not comfortable with Khristos's wealth. I don't want it, and I guess if I could, I'd wish for things to go back to the way it had been before Brad attacked me. I'll take the small shabby apartment over this new life that has somehow become mine.
As I stare at the stores in front of me, I see that one has a 'help wanted' sign in its window. Suddenly, I get an idea, and my mood perks up. That's it. I'll get a job. That way I’ll have my own money and won't have to use Khristos's. There's no rent to pay, so anything I make will be mine. Maybe I can even save up for a cheap car of my own.
I'm not sure how Khristos will feel about me working, but frankly, I don't really care. If he wants me to be happy then he shouldn't care if I get a job, right?
I'm walking to the store the second I make my decision. That's when I spy the mannequins in the window wearing scanty bits of lace. It's a lingerie store. I glance up at the name above the doorway. Sinfully Yours. Hmmm. Well, as long as it's not a sex-toy shop, I think I can handle selling lingerie.
When I step inside, I’m relieved to see that it’s a classy shop with what looks like high-end lingerie. The walls are painted a pale lilac color while the floors are hardwood. There are racks all over boasting differently colored arrays of lingerie, and the tables have white, satiny cloths over them with an assortment of panties lined up in perfectly strategic displays on top. Bright sunlight shines into the room from large windows that line one entire wall, giving customers a glimpse of the street outside and people passing by. I hadn’t noticed the windows when I’d walked past, so I’m assuming they are darkened on the outside so those walking by can’t see in.
Luck must be on my side today, because the manager, a pretty blonde named Selena, seems to take an instant liking to me. I think it has more to do with my looks, though. She'd looked me up and down, looking pleased the second I'd inquired about the sign in the window. After I fill out the job application, she scans it and tells me I'm hired. Just like that, I have a full-time summer job. And when Selena hears I'm seventeen and will be starting my senior year in the fall, she assures me she'll drop me down to part-time and work me around my school hours.
Because there's a dress code at the store, I learn I will need to dress in pants and skirts. When I ask where to shop, she suggests the Mall of America in Bloomington. Since I'm not in the mood to go back to the mansion, I ask for directions and decide to go on a little road trip. When I'd woken up this morning, I'd kind of dreaded the coming day. But now that things seem to be coming together, my mood is much better.
The one thing I didn't expect is for the Mall of America parking lot to be so huge or for there to be so many parking lots. After parking the car and feeling a bit nervous leaving it, I make my way through the lot and into the large mall. I've been in malls before, but not like this. It's crazy and super busy. With it being Saturday, a lot of out-of-towners are here, visiting the amusement park in the center of the mall or shopping.
I feel guilty using money that isn’t mine, but because the clothes are for a good cause, I try to brush it off as I shop. I'm walking down one of the mall's busy corridors when I suddenly feel like I'm being watched. I casually peer around as I walk behind a small group of young girls. I don't see anyone paying much attention to me, but I still feel nervous. After Brad's attack, I find that I'm jumpier than I used to be and much more cautious.
It's time to leave.
The drive back to Cherry Creek is somewhat enjoyable thanks to the sports car I’m driving. But the guilt of using money that isn't mine weighs heavily on me.
When I make my way back to the mansion, I park the car in the garage and take the little path up to the back patio entrance. I'm walking down the hall with four large bags in my hands when Khristos appears from within a doorway. He takes one look at the bags, and a smile tugs at his lips. “Did you enjoy your day?”
I pause and decide now is as good of time as any to tell him about my job. “I got a job. I had to buy clothes for the dress code,” I explain.
“A job?” he asks, looking comically bewildered. “Why would you do that?”
I'm pretty sure he'll be offended if I tell him I don't want to touch his money, so I lie. “I just want to keep busy. I'm used to working.”
“You don't have to work anymore, Livvy.”
“I know.” I smile at him while inwardly gritting my teeth. “I love the car. Thanks,” I say, wanting to cushion the news of my job.
His expression instantly shifts to one of satisfaction. “I'm glad,” he says, looking pleased.
“Uh, these are heavy, and I'd like to go hang them up before they wrinkle.”
“Yes, of course.”
I move around him, and as I walk down the ha
ll, I can feel his eyes burning into my back.
***
Later that evening, I try calling my mom again on my new cell phone. Instead of going straight to voice mail, I hear a disembodied voice telling me that the number is no longer in service. I disconnect the call and set the phone down on the bed, frowning. That's odd. Why would she switch numbers? Does she not want to hear from me?
A knock on the bedroom door startles me. I give the cell phone one more puzzled look before I walk across the room and open the door.
Roman stands there and by the looks of him, he's ready to break hearts tonight. His hair is sexily mussed, and he's wearing a tight shirt that shows off his muscular build. Jeans and black boots finish off his outfit. He gives me a wicked smile that turns his expression suggestive. The guy just oozes sex appeal. “Hey, Vee. Come out with me tonight.”
I'm taken aback by his invite, and I feel myself going on guard. I don’t know Roman well enough to understand how to handle him yet. With Khristos, it’s kind of easy. He’s arrogant and likes getting his own way. I figure if I am polite and mind my own business, he probably won’t pay much attention to me. He seems more interested in his own life to delve into mine too much. Of course, I’ve only been here for one day. That could all change. But the fact that he hasn’t really sought me out has me relaxing slightly. I can handle a non-existent uncle. “Go where?” I ask Roman cautiously.
“To the club. I have friends you should meet.”
I have a feeling that Roman's idea of fun probably differs from my kind of fun. “It's been a long day. I'm just going to go to bed early.”
He looks at me blankly for a moment before looking a bit perplexed. “You're going to bed early? On a Saturday night?”
“What are you, the bedtime police or something?” I can't resist asking dryly.
This earns me roguish grin. “That could be fun.”
My eyes widen at the sexiness of his tone.
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