by Ana Meadows
She woke with a start, her hand between her legs and the cabbie glancing at her in the mirror more than he was keeping his eyes on the road. Alice jerked herself upright, her face blazing. She cringed against the door, opening the window a bit for some air, even though it was chill. She pulled her sweatshirt tightly around her shoulders. She was never more happy to see the entrance of her building looming in sight, and when the cab pulled up to her stoop, she did not hesitate, but jumped from the car, throwing her fare and a healthy tip on the front seat, and bounded into her building.
Once inside, Alice leaned against the front door, the sounds of the street muffled by the heavy wood and glass. She glanced at the empty lobby, the thick oak stairs, the black and white checked flooring, the wall of mailboxes, and the elevator. She breathed in the smell of polish and floor wax. So, this was reality. She’d been living a dream and now she was here. Home. Back to her real life. She felt odd, however; out of place, as if she were a stranger here. How could a few short days have made this happen? Alice sighed, making her way to the mailbox. She knew it wasn’t just the fact that she had been out on the water, caught in another world. The change was within her, in her heart. She’d fallen in love.
Well, she told herself, steeling her emotions as she put the key in the lock of her mailbox, she was just going to have to fall out of love. She would have to realize that for Cal, this had just been a dalliance, a chance encounter – and hadn’t it been lovely? At least, she thought, she could be grateful that like some crushes, she didn’t have to deal with the sight of Cal Landon on a daily basis. Didn’t have to see him at work, at the university, on the street. Cal Landon was from another world. A world she had no place in. She pushed the envelopes she’d extracted into her bag and mounted the stairs, forgoing the elevator. She wanted to take her time getting back to reality.
It was the middle of the day and the building was quiet, her neighbors off to work or school. Alice pushed the door to her floor open and stepped into the carpeted hall. As she walked toward her apartment door, her stomach clenched and she stopped a few feet away looking at the door to her home. It was slightly ajar. Alice placed her hand on her bag, feeling for her cell phone, her first instinct to call for help. She listened, but all around her the silence pervaded, large and looming. She stepped toward the door and put her hand on the frame. “Hello?” she said softly, listening, but there was no response.
She pushed the door open and peered inside. Everything looked normal and in its place, just as she’d left it that morning on her way to the university; the vase of flowers on the table, dried and brown now, her books and drawing pad on the coffee table, her coffee cup on the sink, right where she’d left it. Sun streamed in the windows, shining on her many plants, green and healthy as she’d left them, though some craved a bit of water, to be sure. She set her bag down on the table and slouched off her hoodie sweatshirt. “Hello?” she said again, halfheartedly, to no one, a sob suddenly catching in her chest. She was home. Back to her life. Alone.
Alice took a deep breath. She would just have to pull herself together. She walked over and locked the door, then peeled off her top and shed her bra. She’d take a shower, wash off the past few days, and begin anew. Yes, that was what she would do. She peeled down her jeans as well, and wearing nothing but a pair of silk panties entered the bedroom.
Cal was seated in the little antique chair by the window in her bedroom. Alice stepped back, sucking her breath in audibly, her hand flying to her throat. His legs were crossed casually, his shirt open at the throat, his eyes honing in on her, taking in her body. Alice’s face flushed, a blush rising to her cheeks.
“What - how?” she stammered.
“Surprised to see me here?” he drawled. “A little – hmm – shocked even?”
Alice found it hard to catch her breath. Her voice came out in a whisper. “Y-yes – I –“
Cal ran a hand through his hair, the sun behind him highlighting it, making him glow. “Of course you are,” he said pointedly. “Just the way I was when you invaded my home.” He got up and walked toward her. Alice was frozen to the spot, holding her discarded jeans in her hand. Embarrassed, she brought them up, covering her breasts with them. Cal picked them from her hand and threw them on the floor. “I think we are way past that, aren’t we?” He turned from her then, walking back to the window. Oh, why couldn’t her feet move? Alice trembled, watching him, still dumbfounded. How had he beaten her here? How did he know where she lived?
“In any case,” he said. “I figured turnabout is fair play. You invaded my home – and I do consider my yacht one of my homes – I would invade yours.”
“But how - how” Alice stammered.
“We’ll talk details later,” he said, his voice commanding, and Alice clamped her lips shut obediently. She watched as he extracted a long, white linen envelope from his pocket. Her name was scrawled on the front. He held it out to her.
“What – what is it?” she said softly.
He took a step toward her. “It’s an invitation,” he said, looking dead into her eyes, his gaze melting her, and God help her, causing the heat of desire to bloom in her belly once again. “A job invitation.” He reached out and took her hand. He placed the envelope in it, not taking his eyes from hers. He leaned in close, so close she could feel his breath on her lips. “And I won’t take no for an answer.” As his mouth came down on hers, Alice sighed with longing to feel his lips on hers again. Her hand closed on the envelope, and as she sank into his kiss she worried oh, what, oh, what will I do?
Ana Meadows
The sequel to this story is available now!
Close Quarters: A Billionaire Bind
Shocked, and perhaps even a little relieved at finding Cal Landon making himself at home in her apartment, Alice decides to take him up on his job offer. With no idea what to expect from a position in his company, Cal certainly finds the time to spice things up on her first day in the job! As she sees more and more of the corporate lifestyle, however, Alice begins to doubt whether her heart is really in the job; and what's more, she begins to question just where her billionaire employer's heart belongs...
Table of Contents
A taste of things to come:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Close Quarters: A Billionaire Bind
