“I’m sorry. Are you okay?” I feel stupid as I meet his gaze. He looks really worried and a little scared. I feel terrible, why did I react that way?
“I’m fine, just please don’t do that again.” He presses his eyebrows together as he helps me off of the floor. The doors open and he pushes me out into the hallway. He walks me to a grey door and he uses one of the keys to let himself in. He throws open the door, and he waits for me to enter. I walk into the ultra-modern apartment and I can’t hold back my smile. This place is huge. You could fit our entire apartment in the kitchen/lounge area. The furniture is plush and looks really expensive. There is a massive flat screen TV, which is fully equipped with the latest Blue-Ray player and Nintendo Wii. I move further into the apartment and I scan its beauty. The walls are white and there are little LED spotlights along the roof. The kitchen is black and there is a massive built in refrigerator and two coffee machines. The counters are white marble and the flooring is white and black checks. I am beaming from ear to ear as I explore the house further. I walk along the hallway and I come across a large bedroom. There is a leather bed in the middle of the room. A flat screen on the wall and the bathroom is massive. I push open the door and I smile. What a difference from our messy bathroom. Everything is shiny and clean. The shower is huge and there is a whirlpool bathtub. I run out of the bathroom and I open another door. I gasp when I see the size of the closet. I frown; none of my clothes are worth hanging in here. I close the door and I jump when I see Mr Wilde standing behind the door.
“Why are you so jumpy?” He asks. I blush, I don’t want to answer his question, and instead I gush about the apartment.
“This place is awesome. Sydney is gonna love living here.” Mr Wilde coughs at my words.
“Excuse me, but your friends can’t stay here.” He says firmly.
“What do you mean? I have always had a roommate.” he laughs at me.
“Well now you don’t. Get used to it.” I frown at him.
“Why are you being a jerk?” I ask as I rest my hands onto my hips. Mr Gucci eyes me intently. He is clearly attracted to me.
“I’m not being a jerk. Its company policy, only the musicians can stay in the apartments. I’m sorry it’s just the way it is.”
“Can’t you make an exception?” he smirks at me.
“And why would I do that? Why would I make an exception for you and not the other artists?” I blush. Because it’s clear that you like me, that’s why. My subconscious shouts at him. I force myself to calm down as I try to reason with him.
“I can’t bail on my friend. She won’t be able to pay the bills on her own. It’s not fair and I can’t do that to her.” He considers my words for around thirty seconds and then he replies with a smart answer.
“If she is your friend then she will understand.” I roll my eyes at him. There is no point in fighting him, I’ll never win. I exhale and I push my loose hair away from my face. I stomp out of the bedroom and back into the lounge. He follows me and when he reaches me, he spins me around to face him. His dark eyes lock on mine and his lips start to shake. “You should know that I was only going to kiss you in the elevator.” My heart begins to race at his words.
“That’s exactly what I was afraid of.”
Four
Mr Wilde drove me back to my apartment. He was quiet on the way home. We didn’t have much to stay to each other. The only time we spoke was when he was giving me orders. He said that I should pack tonight, because I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. He is going to pick me up at six thirty so that we can get breakfast and then head to the gym. After that he said that we are going to have a long day of discussing my schedule. He said that we should work out when I should record, what gigs I should play and all the details before I actually get into the studio. I was a little annoyed with his conditions. I am itching to get into the studio. I want to record. I want to make music. But Mr Wilde is refusing to let me play until we fine tune the details first. I am annoyed with him, but at the same time, I am grateful that he is putting the effort in. He is a top music producer and I am just a rookie. I need to put my faith him, after all he is the professional not me.
Sydney isn’t home yet and I am dreading telling her that I am moving out. She was so kind to welcome me into her home and I feel awful about leaving. But Mr Wilde is right, if she really is my friend, then she will understand. I mean it’s not as if I won’t see her any more. I’ll still visit and we’ll still have our famous nights out on the town. Our friendship isn’t going to change. I am moving out to pursue my dreams.
The apartment is quiet and I decided to make a head start with the packing. I throw my clothes and all my belongings into four large cardboard boxes. I tape them up and I set them to one side. Man that was easy. After all my effortless work, I feel a little hungry. I rush into the kitchen and I fix myself some cereal. I eat my Lucky Charms and I think back on Mr Wilde’s words. He wants me to lose weight. I have never thought of myself as fat, but hearing him say that I wouldn’t be attractive to guys was really upsetting. I am only a size two so how can I be fat? He is ridiculous and anyway, if I am so unattractive, then why did he want to kiss me in the elevator? He sends me so many mixed messages. He is really messing with my head. From now on, I am just going to focus on the music. No more staring at him and wondering what his kiss would be like. I didn’t move to LA to fall back into my old routines.
The door opens and Sydney rushes into the kitchen. She is carrying a few paper bags of groceries and I quickly relieve them out of her hands. I flop the bags down onto the counter, as Sydney begins to question me about my day.
“So how did it go?” she asks in a nervous voice.
“Really well, they have singed me to the label on an eight week trial.” Sydney wraps her arms around me as she gushes.
“I knew it. I’m so proud of you.” I squeeze her tight and then I let her go. Sydney quickly realises that something’s wrong and she begins to question me. “What’s on your mind?” I take another spoonful of my cereal and then I decide to come clean and tell her everything.
“The perks of being singed to the label are great, but I have to move out. They have given me an artist’s penthouse in a really good location. But the down side is that I have to live alone.” Sydney presses her lips together.
“You were worried about my reaction weren’t you?” I nod at her.
“Of course I was. You saved my life by giving me a place to stay. Now it feels as if I’m bailing on you.” Sydney shakes her head at me as she begins to unpack the groceries.
“I’m gonna miss you like crazy, but I would never stand in your way. You deserve this. I’m really happy for you.” It’s as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I am so glad that she is on board with this. I really don’t know what I would have done if Sydney had got mad at me. My mind starts to rush and I realize that I haven’t told her about Mr Gucci. I wonder what her reaction would be to that news.
“So you’ll never guess what happened to me today.” I say in a bright voice. Sydney pops her head around the refrigerator door. She is staring at me with her large dark eyes.
“Ah you got signed to a massive record label?” she says in a sarcastic tone. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at her. Instead I fill her in on Mr Gucci.
“Do you remember that guy from the bar last night?” Sydney looks interested in what I have just said. She stops her chores. She needs to know more.
“Mr Gucci?” she says in a squeaky voice. I laugh –that cute little nickname is going to stick with him forever.
“Yeah him,” I pause as I say the next words. I need a moment to phrase this in the correct way. “Well I saw him again today. He is my music producer of all things.” Sydney eyes jump out their sockets at my confession. She walks over and rests her hands onto the counter. She looks speechless for first time ever.
“OMG, I did not see that one coming. What happened? Give me all the details.” I laugh at her enthusiasm and then I beg
in to tell her all about my day with Mr Gucci.
“It was awful. I almost had a heart attack when I saw him. I couldn’t believe it. I was so embarrassed that I turned him down and I was scared about how he would react to seeing me again.” Sydney nods as I continue. “He was really intense and very serious. I apologised for what happened at the bar and his reply was so smug. He was like ‘As far as I’m concerned that never happened, you never happened’. He is so smug and arrogant. He makes my skin crawl.” Sydney lightly chuckles at my words.
“He seems like a jerk, but how are you gonna work with him? Isn’t it gonna be awkward?” I agree. It is going to be awkward. There is obviously some type of chemistry between us and I am scared that it might get in the way of my music. He has a way of making me feel uneasy and special all at the same time. He is like no one that I have ever met before. I just hope and pray that I can remain professional. I would hate for feelings and attraction to get in the way. I need to remain focused on my music. I am not here to fall in love. I have been in love and it was horrendous. I never want to experience that feeling again. I won’t fall for him. He is my music producer and nothing more. Anyway after the eight weeks are up, I won’t have to see him again. He will be a distant memory and Mr Gucci can go back to living his no doubt perfect life.
“I’m scared about working with him, but this is a massive opportunity. If I have to put up with a little tension and awkwardness to achieve my dreams, then I will.”
It’s getting kinda late and I have showered and brushed my teeth. I am now slowly climbing into my bed. My head falls against the pillow, and my eyes gradually close. I fall asleep with an image of Mr Gucci in my mind.
My alarm goes off at six the next morning and I am so tired that I can barely open my eyes. I manage to reach over and hit the snooze button and then I pull the covers back over my head. I smile as I feel myself slipping back to sleep. But my pleasure is short lived when I hear my phone ringing and vibrating on the side table. I reluctantly pull the covers off my face and I reach over and grab my phone. My eyes squint as they try to focus on the screen. The number says unknown and my heart to starts to race. I sit upright in my bed, and I begin to panic as I answer the phone.
“Hello,” I say in a groggy voice.
“Oh good you’re up.” I hear a familiar voice say. I fall back down onto my bed as I respond.
“Good morning Mr Wilde,”
“Likewise Miss Harper, now are you ready?” Crap I totally forgot about our workout. Kill me now!
“I’m still in bed. What time did you say that you’d be here?”
“Don’t you ever listen to me Miss Harper?” His sharp tone wakes me up. I jump out of my bed and I franticly begin to search for the workout clothes that I left out last night. I find them and I pull the tiny lycra shorts onto my body. I yank my oversized t-shirt over my head and I pull a tight black tank top into its place. With one hand I scrunch my hair into a ponytail and then I march out of my room and into the bathroom. “I’m on my way to your apartment. I should be there in about ten minutes, please be ready by then.” His voice is strong and very serious. I am dreading seeing him again. And I’m terrified of working out with him. It’s going to be so embarrassing. I am useless at working out and judging from his tight body and perfect arms. I am guessing that he is a pro. My cheeks burst into flames at the thought of him seeing me in my tight workout clothes. I shake myself. Be cool Ashley.
“I’ll be ready.” I say as I run the water to fill up the tired sink.
“Good, now I’ll see you soon.”
“Wait!” I shout down the phone at him. My voice was a little harsh. I have to compose myself as I say my next words. “How did you get my number?” I can hear him laughing in the background.
“It’s none of your business, Miss Harper.” He hangs up on me and I am left speechless. He is so annoying. How am I going to survive working with him? I quickly wash my face and then I brush my teeth. I rush out of the bathroom and I head straight into the kitchen. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge as I try to avoid another inquisition from Sydney.
“And where are you going in your little short shorts?” she says as he eyes me closely. My face bursts into flames and then I realise that I better inform her that Mr Gucci is on his way. I smile at her as I take a sip of my water. I clear my throat as I speak.
“The gym with Mr Gucci. You should know that he’s on his way.” Sydney bursts out laughing at my words. I don’t know if she is happy or annoyed.
“Seriously, Mr Gucci is on his way to our apartment?” she says through her laughing fit. I can’t hold back my giggles, so I give in and join her. “This is priceless.” she adds. We laugh for a few more moments and then I jump when I hear the buzzer. I bite my lip to hold back my laughter as I rush over to the door. I press the buzzer and I greet Mr Gucci.
“Hey,”
“So you gonna let me in or what?” I blush as I buzz him in. I can hear his footsteps as he climbs the staircase and then I jump again when I hear his firm knock at the door. I look over at Sydney and I shoot her a darting look. She is still giggling and I need her to stop. I narrow my eyes at her and she quickly straightens her face. I take a deep breath as I open the door. The door flies open and there he is standing in all his stunning perfection. He is dressed in dark blue Adidas shorts and a white soccer jersey. He is so tanned and his hair is pushed back into a wavy, spiked style. His big brown eyes are glossy and his full lips are ever so inviting. He looks sinful. Have I mentioned that there should be a law against looking this good? I look up at him and I notice that he is smiling as he stares at me. I feel awkward as I stand looking up at him, so I move back from him and I invite him in.
“Come on in,” he smirks as he brushes past me and into the apartment. My face feels hot as I watch him look around our messy apartment. He notices Sydney and I quickly introduce them. “This is my friend Sydney. Sydney this is MR … Wilde.” I blush –I was about to introduce him as Mr Gucci. He nods at Sydney as she says hello.
“It’s nice to meet you,”
“Likewise,” he says coolly. He turns back around to face me and he looks deep into my eyes. “Have you packed?” I can’t stop staring at him. He’s too gorgeous. Focus Ashley.
“Yeah I’m all packed. Actually I might need some help carrying the boxes to the car, if you don’t mind?” He smiles at me and then I lead the way to my bedroom. I brush into the room and he follows me. I walk over to the boxes and I lift two of the lightest ones. Mr Wilde scans my room with a devilish smirk on his face.
“So this is your room?” I blush again. Dam I wish that my face would stop bursting into flames every time that he looks at me. I manage to compose myself as I ignore his comment. I try to walk too fast over to the door and I stumble and the boxes fall out of my arms. I am about to lose my balance, but he is there to steady me. He grabs me from behind and he steadies me by my waist. His touch feels electrifying as he holds onto me. His body moves closer and I catch a strong whiff of his cologne. My eyes close at the sinful fragrance, and I fall against his body. He laughs as he holds onto me, and I can’t breathe. I can’t deny it; it feels good to know that he is holding onto me. His strong arms are wrapped around my waist and his chin is resting on the top of my head. My heart is pounding. I need to break free from him, before I do something that I will live to regret. I wriggle myself out of his grip, and I nervously play with my ponytail. He smirks at me as he makes his way over to the heaviest of my boxes. He effortlessly pulls both boxes into his strong arms. I bite my lip as I look at him. He is so sexy and manly. He is rugged and drop dead gorgeous, but there is something playful and young about when he smiles. I shake my head. Please stop it Ashley. I try to put my burning desire for him out of my mind as I lift the boxes from the floor. I steady myself and then I look at him as I walk out of the room. He follows me into the lounge/kitchen area and I catch Sydney laughing at us as we head towards the door. Mr Wilde flicks the door handle and he pulls the door open with
his foot. He is wearing a fancy pair of sneakers and here I am wearing an old pair of Chuck Taylors. He is so glamorous and fashion forward. Even his workout clothes are expensive. He glides out into the hallway, but he still manages to hold the door open for me. I take one last look at the apartment and Sydney standing in the middle of the kitchen. She is smiling at me, so I return her gesture. I am going to miss living here. But who knows, if this music thing doesn’t work out, then I will be back here in eight weeks’ time.
I follow Mr Wilde down to his car and I watch as he places the boxes into the back of his fancy set of wheels. He holds the car door open for me and I jump into the front seat. He slides himself into the driver’s side and he starts engine. He fixes his aviator sunglasses onto his face as we speed off along the busy street. He drives me to San Fernando Boulevard and he parks in the lot of the gym. He jumps out of the car and he opens my door for me. He is such a gentleman. He leads me towards the entrance of the gym and he pushes me in through the entrance. The area is large and filled with all sorts of gym equipment. There is a desk and a perky blond girl is looking over at us.
“Welcome to Crunch Fitness, and welcome back Mr Wilde.” she says as she twirls her hair around her delicate fingers. Mr Wilde pushes me towards the front desk and he looks down at me as he signs in.
“This is Miss Harper she is a new member. She’ll need some forms to fill in.” He is so bossy. He just tells people what to do. He never just asks for something nicely. I shake my head at him as he hands me the forms. He rolls his eyes at me. “Fill them in, quickly.” He orders. I resist the urge to scream at him as I do as he says. I fill in the forms as quickly as I can. I am very aware of him staring at me and exhaling loudly for me to hurry up. I sign all the boxes and then I nervously hand the forms back to the girl. She smiles at me and then she asks for the payment.
Wilde Velvet Page 4
