When I made it back to my suite I thought of ways to avoid Anabella but to my luck, she wasn’t there. All I could do was lay in bed and think of Arsen. I haven’t felt the weight of a crush in years and it made me feel like an irresponsible schoolgirl again. There’s just something about the way he talks, how his voice almost strikes fear into my heart. Those bold eyes and pink lips, that slender body in that dark suit. I felt myself getting hot and breathing heavily so I had to quickly take my mind off of the thought of him. I rolled over on my side and pulled my laptop onto my bed. I opened it and the screen of the last writing I was working on appeared.
It was titled “Daisies & Apricot”, it was a short story I had written about my past lover who always brought me daisies and apricot scented body scrubs. Reading over it I thought that I’d come across some similarities between my ex-boyfriend and Arsen, to give me a little hint of why I was so attracted to him, but that wasn’t the case here. Arsen was the exact opposite, he was challenging. All of my past boyfriends were very sweet and submissive, their personalities fit so well with my dominate behavior. They all fell to my knees the moment they saw me, but Arsen Lockhart was different. He saw me and felt attracted but he didn’t fall to my knees like the rest of them, he remained strong and determined. That’s what attracts me the most about him.
I’m so used to being around childish little boys that think being over the age of 18 makes them a “real man” but no, Arsen was a real man. Strong, hardworking, dedicated, and stern all while being confident. He had everything he wanted in the palm of his hand and he could control them however he pleased. Except for me, of course. I like him too but I’m not that easy. I’m a tough cookie that takes a while to be cracked so if he thinks he could have me falling to my knees in a couple of days he has another thing coming. I smiled closing my laptop and putting it on my bedside table. I have a man who has my dream job and also has a thing for me, why not use this to my advantage?
I took one red rose and one white rose from the vase on my desk and carried them to the bathroom with me. I needed some time to relax and to also care for my skin so I ran a warm bath and added the petals from the roses, pink salt, and a few drops of lavender oil. When I first put a foot in I felt the warm water kiss my skin and it automatically put me to ease. I played my favorite album on my phone and just relaxed. This was everything that I needed.
I was about three songs in when my phone began to ring. I dried off my hands on a small towel and picked up my phone to see who it was. My eyes widened at the name that sat on the screen. Arsen Lockhart. What was he doing calling me after our meeting? Hopefully, it was to tell me why he ended our session so quickly. I hesitated a little then answered. For some reason, it felt really good to hear his deep voice on the other line.
“Hello, Lola” he spoke, not saying anything else.
“Hello, Arsen. Is there anything I could help you with?”
“I’m trying out this new restaurant tonight and I want you to come with me.”
“Well, Mr. Lockhart I-” he cut me off.
“I’ll pay for everything and you can ask me any of the other questions you were going to ask earlier today.”
“I guess dinner wouldn’t hurt…” I trailed off and sat up in the tub.
“It wouldn’t, so I’ll pick you up at 7:30. I’m wearing a navy blue suit so work around that” and before I could even get a word out he hung up. I guess I was going on a date tonight. I sat there genuinely confused and sort of turned on, but I quickly shook the thought and began to wash off.
When I got back to my room I looked in my closet and thought to myself “What do you wear on a date with a billionaire?”
I have to look like arm candy, Arsen Lockhart wouldn’t just go out with any girl. It was now 6:30 so I just laid out my clothes and started on something else to past time. I decided on a simple black dress that hugged my curves with a pair of heels. I straightened my hair and put on light makeup but I made sure to wear a bold red lip.
“Where are you going tonight?” I heard Anabella speak from the door.
“Out” I replied simply.
“Yeah sure, Lola. Have fun with Mr. Billionaire” she chuckled and walked away. I don’t know what upset her so much about me being out with an older man but I am a grown woman if I want to date someone much older than me I have every right to.
I rolled my eyes at her remark and walked over to the bed to slip on my dress. I felt so beautiful with it on, I never wore it because my mind was too focused on my studies to go on dates. To go anywhere at that, all my life consisted of was writing. I remember when I was around 18 or 19, I knew how to balance being a party girl and still getting everything that I needed to be done. That sadly wasn’t enough for me, though. I wasn’t reaching as much success as I wanted so I completely cut out partying and having fun at the age of 20 and here I am today.
I’m 21 years old and I have butterflies before going on a date. Nothing wrong with that I just always thought life would turn out different for me. Maybe that’s why I’m so open with Arsen. It may not seem like it on his end but I don’t even give guys the time of day so he’s lucky. I feel like he could be that missing excitement that I need in my life, I’m just so used to being by myself without any distractions. I’m not sure if a relationship is what I need right now but I’m willing to try it out.
My phone lit up showing a text from Arsen, it said that he was outside and that his driver was waiting for me. I laughed a little and slid on my shoes. I don’t even know why I would expect for a billionaire to drive himself to a restaurant. I made it outside and saw the driver open the back door. I kindly thanked him and got inside. Arsen sat watching me get in the car with a smile on his face. His teeth were the whitest I’ve ever seen, all of his teeth were perfectly straight it was mesmerizing.
“You look absolutely stunning,” he spoke.
“Thank you. You look good as well, Arsen” I blushed slightly at the nickname he gave me.
The ride there was lovely. I got to see the view of downtown at night while music played softly in the background. The air was fresh while blowing through my hair, I felt like my 19-year-old self again. I heard a chuckle and turned to see Arsen watching me.
“Having fun there?” he smiled.
And for the first time, I actually smiled back. “I am, actually. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic”
“I understand” he nodded. “Go out with me more often and you could feel this all of the time”
The smirk on his face made my stomach drop. “As pleasing as that offer sounds, I’ll have to see how the rest of the night goes before I make a decision”
He shrugged with a smirk on his face and turned to face the window as we pulled up at the front of the restaurant. I waited for the driver to open my door and thanked him after. I looked up at the big white letters.
“The Crystal Room” Arsen spoke, reading my mind. He grabbed my hand causing me to tense up and pull my hand away. “It’s okay, Lola. I don’t bite”
I nodded and he grabbed my hand. “At least not too hard” I heard him mumble as we walked in.
Arsen
I watched as her body moved swiftly in that dress, she was the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. I liked a woman with curves, long hair, and an attitude. I was determined to make her mine.
“Hello, Mr. Lockhart. Your table is this way”
We followed the waitress to our secluded table, upstairs on the balcony, and took our seats. I ordered us some wine and watched as she looked over the menu.
“See anything you like?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not really…” she closed her menu and sat back in her seat. “Order for me”
I smirked and looked over at the waitress who had begun to pour our wine into our glasses. “Are you ready to order, sir?” she smiled down at me.
“We are” Lola stated loudly. The waitress jumped a bit from how stern Lola’s voice was and I chuckled. She clearly wasn’t expecting for her to b
e that bold. Lola seemed a bit protective over me but I liked it.
I scanned my eyes over the menu and decided on what we were having. “We’ll both have the steak and lobster dinner with mashed potatoes on the side”
“C-coming right up” The waitress spoke as she collected our menus and walked away.
“Jealous?” I asked Lola as I took a sip of my wine.
“I could never be jealous, sweetheart. Look at me” she smiled and took a sip of her wine as well. “I just don’t like being disrespected, I deserve just as much of respect as you do”
That turned me on, the way she thought so highly of herself. I just wanted to tear that little piece of fabric right off, but I had respect for her. A strong beautiful woman like herself took time and patience but I’m sure I’d get her to crack soon.
“I want to know more about you, Lola. Have you always wanted to be a novelist?” I folded both hands together and leaned back in my seat.
“Since I was about 7 I knew I wanted to write. Every other day I’d try to write a new story or start reading a new book to get inspired. My life was literally revolved around it” She took another sip of her wine and licked a drop of it off of her bottom lip.
“There was never anything else you wanted to do?” I raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. “There were, and I did them. I took ballet for a couple of years, I used to sketch, and I’m a pretty amazing cook. I used to want to be a chef as well but over the years those just became hobbies. I knew I wanted writing to be my career.”
“Ballet, huh?” I smiled. “Explains why you have such strong and beautiful legs. I’d love you taste your cooking one day since you’ve bragged about your talents”
“You’d be amazed” she smiled and ran her finger around the brim of her glass. “This wine is amazing. So smooth and opulent.”
“You want a bottle to take home?” I asked.
“I sure do” she smiled widely. “Thank you”
Just then the waitress came back with our plates. The food looked absolutely delicious, almost as delicious as Lola. Usually the girls I’m dating face would light up at the expensive meal before them but it was like she was completely used to this. Has she dated rich older men before?
I shook the thought and asked the waitress for another bottle to take back home. She politely told me that she’d wrap it up and put it in a bag for us. I nodded and turned my attention back to Lola who was cutting into her steak. Seeing the fork slide in between her lips after taking a bite made me hot.
“Is the night going well for you?” I asked staring into her eyes.
“Wonderful” she stated with a smile and continued to eat.
“Maybe we could do this again tomorrow night?”
“Sounds lovely, Arsen but I’d really like the next time we see each other to be at our next meeting” she poured herself another glass of wine. “I have a lot of work to do and I would love to be undistracted.”
“Oh” I cleared my throat. I’ve never been turned down, I’m starting to wonder if she even likes me. I began eating my food.
“I would like to do this again, though” she smiled and continued eating.
“Then we shall” I wiped my mouth clean and smirked.
“Arsen Lockhart, I am going to murder you!” a woman screamed as she ran towards me. She began hitting me yelling that I killed her husband and ruined her family. Lola was shocked but managed to pull the lady off while workers rushed over to see what all the commotion was. I dialed my driver’s number and told him to be out front of the restaurant now.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Lockhart!” A random woman said to me as she tried to clean off the food that the woman spilled on my clothes while going crazy. “I’m the manager and I’m not sure why this would happen”
“You should really work on your establishment if you’re going to let crazy people like that inside of a place like this” I looked at her then over at Lola who was taking the extra bottle of wine from the waitress. I quickly grabbed her free hand and dragged her out of there. We quickly got inside of the car and the driver sped off.
“Um, what was all of that about?” Lola asked.
“I have no idea, I’ve never seen that woman a day in my life” I shrugged and turned to look out of the window. I knew exactly who that woman and her husband was but that was none of her business.
I heard her sigh deeply and adjust herself to face the window. She probably doesn’t want to go out with me again, but I’ll make sure that she does.
Lola
That was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever encountered and the fact that Arsen has absolutely nothing about the situation seems very fishy to me. I really loved the feeling of being taken out and shown off but not if things like this are going to be happening. I wonder if he was hiding something.
“Why do you think she’d do that? Throw an entire fit in front of everyone, claiming that she’d want to kill you in a public restaurant, and why would she accuse you of killing her husband?” I unlocked my phone to text Anabella and tell her that I was coming home and that I didn’t have my key.
“Simply because I am a billionaire, Lola. People will do anything to get their hands on my money, even if that means accusing me of false crimes. I don’t even have the time to kill some random man” he scoffed.
“I guess you’re right” I agreed and looked out of the window the entire ride back. When we pulled up to my dorm I called Anabella but there was no reply.
“Let me walk you to your door” Arsen offered with a smile.
“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it.” I laughed slightly and proceeded to step out of the car until I felt him pulling me back by my hand.
“What? Do you think I'm going to murder you or something?” He smirked staring me directly in the eyes and I felt my body go entirely numb. His voice sounded so chilling, more serious than playful.
“N-no, you can walk me there” I quickly pulled my hand away and got out of the car fully. I was in such a blank state of mind that I forgot to thank the driver.
“Here’s your wine,” Arsen said walking around the car and handing me the bag. I nodded with a slight smile and led him into the building and up to my door. I knocked a few times but there was no answer. I tried calling a few times too but there was still no answer.
“I mean. You’re always welcomed to stay with me for the night” Arsen offered.
It was a solid ten seconds of silence before I even replied. I had to seriously think, do I really want to stay with this man after he made several romantic advantages or do I want to sleep outside in the hall until Anabella realizes that I’m here. I turned to him slowly and laughed. “You promise you won’t kill me?”
“I’ll try not to” he threw his head back and let out a loud chuckle that made me jump. His arm slid around my lower back and he walked me back outside to his car. The car ride back to his place was long and silent, the only sounds were the wind and soft music playing in the background. I felt like something was going to happen tonight but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
We pulled into the driveway of his house and it was luxurious. I had never seen anything like it before. There were plants everywhere and I could see the view of the pool upon entering. The driver got out and opened our doors, wishing us a good night and Arsen led me into his home.
“This place is so beautiful” I looked around at the fiery red furniture and black decor.
“Almost as beautiful as you, Lola. Follow me” He led me to the clear doors of his elevator. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable”
“What did you have in mind” I raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing too serious, my daughter is a little younger than you. She comes to visit time from time so I always have new clothes here for her to sleep in” he laughed. “She’s a little smaller than you but I don’t think there’s anything that you can’t sleep in”
When we made it upstairs it was just as huge as the downstairs. There was a long marble-floore
d hallway that leads to what I suspected was his bedroom because it was the biggest. Upon entering I saw the biggest bed I’ve ever seen in my life with black silk sheets.
“Wait here while I go get you something to put on” He winked and then left the room.
I was quite sure how to feel about that, I was just happy to take these shoes off. I sat on the edge of his bed and kicked off my heels. I found a small hair tie in my clutch and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I looked around the room and it was very minimalistic but still very opulent.
The Billionaire’s Lighthouse Series: A Billionaire, Bad Boy, Romance Page 112