Meeting Mr. Mogul: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance
Page 20
“Uhm...” I acknowledged with a curt nod, knowing that he wouldn’t see me. I didn’t say anything after that and made my way to the kitchen to whip up something to eat.
As I stood in the middle of the room, I turned to the clear glass wall and watched the sun rise over the slowly waking city—just a beautiful way to start my morning. An hour later, breakfast was ready. I neatly placed his food in the small dining table in front of the kitchen. I turned to my left and stared at the back of the couch where I could hear William’s soft snore. I smiled at the sound and walked silently towards him. Now, I knew another thing about William Maxwell. One, he snores; and two, you need to smack his head for him to wake up. I snickered at that thought.
After a good smack in his forehead again, William begrudgingly sat up on the couch. “Get your butt to the dining room. Breakfast is ready,” I announced with a soft chuckle.
He turned towards me with his eyebrow raised. “Did you poison my food?” he accused.
I shook my head in disbelief and turned towards the couch where I placed my white shirt. I put it back on, much to my dismay, and my shoes. William kept his gaze on me the whole time, peering at me from head to toe.
With a sigh, I look back at him. “Stop staring at me,” I blurted in annoyance as I turned back to get my bag and coat.
“Where are you going?” he asked hurriedly as I heard the couch buckle up as he stood up.
“I’m heading back. I need a decent rest and a shower,” I replied grimly as I glanced down at yesterday’s outfit.
“Aren’t you having breakfast with me?” he asked in confusion as he took a step closer to me.
“No. I need to go,” I asserted as I took a step back from him. “I have plans today,” I added as he started to open his mouth in protest.
“Breakfast with me won’t ruin your plans for this morning. It would be reasonable to eat here than at home. It would save you money,” he theorized after I finished.
I shook my head at his stubbornness and sighed in defeat. “Get your butt to the dining table already,” I commanded as I placed my coat and purse down yet again.
With a beaming smile, William grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the dining table. I mentally noted that he was energetic enough to walk on his own. After that, I vowed to just stay here long enough to eat the meal and maybe clean the dishes. With that, I gave myself a mental slap. Why are there so many things keeping me in this apartment?
Twenty-Five
After we ate, I stood up from my seat and brought the empty plates to the sink. William was silent as he stayed in his seat watching me. At some point, his gaze started to bother me and made me feel self-conscious. When I finished washing the dishes, I headed back to the living room and ignored his presence as he trailed behind me.
I lazily turned towards him when I reached the couch. He was standing a foot behind me still perusing me weirdly.
“Would you stop looking at me?” I asked in annoyance.
“Sorry,” he muttered in apology and turned his head away from me.
I raised my eyebrow at his silly action and chuckled lightly. “Now, please sit down and rest. You need it,” I instructed, pointing at the messy couch.
He gave me a sly smile as he walked past me to the couch. I stiffened at his sudden closeness but brushed it off as I turned away from him. I bent down and got my coat and bag, hoping that this time I wasn’t going to put it down again.
“You’re going now?” William asked aloud. His voice echoed in the spacious room.
I snapped my head towards him. “Yes,” I replied shortly as I slowly draped my coat on my arm.
Suddenly, William stood up, which caught me by surprise. I stepped back at his advance as I eyed him curiously. When his breath almost caressed my face, he placed both his hands on my shoulders and pulled me towards him, closing the little distance between us.
“What are you doing?” I asked with a shaky breath, my heart suddenly picking up speed. Oh no.
“Do you still think I’m joking about being interested in you?” he asked, his voice low and raspy, yet stern.
“I…I... I don’t know what…” I stuttered in reply. My heartbeat started to ring in my ear. Where the hell is this conversation going?
“You know what I mean, Andy,” he interjected as he stepped closer to me. There was no more space between us.
I mentally hissed at our current situation. I could feel the blood rush to my face as it heated up. I couldn’t believe that I’m blushing right now. It wasn’t a good reaction in this situation. But from the way William’s lips twitched into a grin, he thought differently.
For a second, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. The second was enough for him to lean forward and place his warm lips against mine. I froze in response to the contact as it sent shivers down my spine. I shuddered as goose bumps broke out all over my skin. William’s hands gently stroke my arms as they traveled towards my waist, encircling it as he crushed me into his chest to deepen the kiss.
I was lost in his kiss. With my eyes closed, my entire consciousness zeroed in on the feel of his warm lips. His tongue asked for entrance and he didn’t need to. I allowed him to go deeper taking me in, and fully consuming me. He was in control as we explored each other.
I don’t know how long we stayed that way until we broke away from each other to breathe. William didn’t stop kissing as he trailed his lips down my heated body, from my jawline to my neck. While he kissed me there, his hands explored other parts of my body. At some point, it stopped on my butt as he gave it a little squeeze, making me moan softly in pleasure.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’ve felt like this. The last serious relationship I had was in college. But even then, we didn’t really reach third base. I did remember the kisses but this kiss was like on another level. I was already turned on.
His kisses unhinged me and when William broke away, I was brought back to my senses like a bucket of cold water splashed on me. I pushed myself away from William like he had assaulted me.
William looked at me with wide eyes as he blinked a couple of times. I stared at him for a second before glancing down at myself in shame. My coat and bag were on the floor and all the buttons of my shirt were open, revealing my white tank top.
“Is there something wrong?” William finally asked, breaking the silence between us.
I looked at him, confused by his question. “What is wrong? This is wrong,” I replied gravely as I gestured between the two of us. I let out a frustrated breath and bent down to grab my things on the floor.
“What are you doing?” he queried, confusion evident on his face as he watched me button up my shirt and slip on my coat in a hurry.
“Thank you for letting me stay for the night. I hope you’ll get better soon,” I said softly as I turned away from him. I didn’t allow myself to look in his direction.
I took two steps away from him but his hand grasped my wrist and brought me to a halt. I looked up and met his eyes. I felt flushed. The memory of our kiss was still fresh in my head.
“Why are you running away?” he asked sadly as he stared directly at me.
I turned away from his piercing blue eyes. I knew what it does to me. “This is a bad idea. Let’s just forget that it happened and go back to hating each other,” I offered as I tugged my arm from his hold.
He tightened his grip on my arm and pulled me towards him. He held me in a tight embrace making me squirm. “What are you doing?” I asked in annoyance.
“I’m not letting you go until you answer me,” he stated stubbornly.
I tried to get away from him but failed miserably. Even if he was sick, I was no match for him. I can’t believe I’m this weak. I am physically strong for a woman but why couldn’t I get out of his hold?
After a few more tries, I stopped struggling and sighed in defeat. Even though I wasn’t trying to escape, he kept his arm tightly wrapped around me. I could feel his piercing gaze as conflicting thoughts and emotio
ns took over me.
“If you want me to let you go, you have to answer my question,” he maintained after a few seconds of silence.
I finally looked up at him and felt myself blush as I quickly averted my eyes at his plump lips towards his dazzling blue eyes. “I’m not running away. I’m trying to save myself. We both know what you really want, Mr. Maxwell. And I’m not that kind of woman. Can we drop the act and be blunt about it? I’m not your plaything nor will I be a part of your games,” my voice was low yet menacing.
“Do you think I’m playing with you?” he asked as I tried to look unaffected when I saw the hurt in his eyes.
I lightly pushed him one last time, telling him to let go, which he did. I took three steps away from him as I straightened my posture. “In this room, who has the reputation of sleeping around with women?” I asked sharply.
He blinked a couple of times while he remained quiet. “And you think that I’ll believe you just like that. We both know that you just want me for sex. Well, I’m flattered, but no, thank you,” I voiced out with finality and turned towards the door.
“So why did you kiss me back?” he called in anger. I was halfway to the door when his voice echoed in the room.
I stopped and turned to glare at him. William was standing by the couch where I left him. He looked at me longingly as I continued to glare at him. “I’m a woman with human impulses. Give me a break,” I replied viciously before turning back to the door and walking out of the apartment.
When I was halfway towards the elevator, I expected William to follow me. But he didn’t. As I reached the lobby, I finally let out a frustrated sigh and exited the building. I didn’t glance back at the reception desk in case the same person was manning it.
The walk back to my apartment was short. I didn’t linger in the lobby as Ally came out of the elevator to greet me good morning. One look at me and she knew that I wasn’t in the mood to be congenial. I went straight up to my apartment and closed the door with a light slam.
After taking a quick bath and changing into new clothes, I went out to visit my father at the hospital. On the way, I was debating whether or not I was going to tell him what happened. The last time I talked to him about my relationship problems, he ended up giving me a sour look that I didn’t want to see. I don’t want him adding to my already ruined day.
For most of the morning, I was inside my father’s hospital room watching his usual reruns of some random sitcom. When my stomach started to grumble, I excused myself to get some lunch while a nurse came in, bringing my father his meal.
As I reached the lobby of the hospital, I wasn’t aware of my surroundings since my thoughts were elsewhere. As a hand grabbed my arm, I was brought back to reality. I turned around to yell in protest when I saw who it was.
“There you are. I knew you’d be here.” William took a deep breath as he continued to hold my arm.
“Can you please let me go? You already got to me,” I intoned seriously and glanced at his grip on my arm.
William’s eyes hardened at my words but he lets go. He straightened his posture, pulling his navy blue V-neck shirt down to his dark blue jeans. For a moment, I ogled his casual look. I’ve never seen William wear anything but a suit outside of his home. This was something new.
“What are you doing here? You should be resting at home,” I asked in surprise.
“I wanted to talk to you about…” he trailed off as he tore his eyes away from me, giving the lobby a quick scan.
“About?” I interjected.
“Can we talk somewhere else?” he asked as he looked pleadingly at me.
I glared at him for a second before I scanned the lobby. We have gathered a few on-lookers who were gushing about William. If you have guessed it right, they were all women whose eyes were set on him. I couldn’t deny the fact the he looked breathtakingly dashing right now.
“I’m busy today,” I replied firmly as I turned away from him.
“Wait!” William called behind me as I made my away out of the hospital.
When he caught up after a few steps, he grabbed my arm again. But this time, he yanked me around to face him. Startled at his sudden forcefulness, I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. The sound was loud that it made me flinch.
William let go of my arm and covered his cheek, which was slightly reddening from my sudden assault. I stared in shock at what I have done.
“I… I… I’m so…” I tried to choke out an apology.
William rubbed his red cheeks as he looked around us before landing his eyes on me. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m rather surprise that you’ve only slapped me now after what I’ve done to you,” he threw in with a soft chuckle.
“This is not a funny matter, William,” I expressed grimly. I couldn’t help but give him a small smile at his attempt to lighten the mood.
He looked at me with wide eyes as he dropped his hand that was caressing his cheek. “Did you just use my first name?” he asked softly in awe.
I eyed him for a second until I realized that I had addressed him with his first name rather his surname. I snorted at his reaction and brushed it off, though my stomach fluttered at that fact.
“Can we talk about this some other time? Please,” I asked him in as much of a friendly tone as I could conjure.
In reply, he gave me a nod and a small smile. “Then, I’ll see you some other time,” he stated as he walked past me.
I peered at him in confusion, shocked to see that he hadn’t argued further. I continued to watch his retreating back with uncertainty. But when he didn’t look back, I felt a twinge of sadness and irritation. I brushed off the feeling after a fleeting moment. It was unnecessarily irrelevant on my situation right now. I shouldn’t be distracted with such thoughts.
I headed out towards the fast food chain right beside the hospital and got myself something light to eat. I didn’t have much appetite after that encounter with Mr. Mogul. Throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but recount the conversation I had with him. I grimaced when I remembered the part that I slapped him. It was an accident. Still, I might have crossed the line.
After I ate, I headed back to my father’s room. I lingered in the lobby for a moment as I studied the place where William and I bickered a few minutes ago. I let out a sigh of frustration, feeling a little drained from all of it.
When I reached the front door of the father’s room, I stopped mid-knock as I heard another voice. I stiffened at the familiarity of it.
“Thank you, Mr. Maxwell. I’m glad that you are taking good care of my daughter for me. She can be stubborn sometimes, but she has good intentions…” my father replied to an unspoken question, his voice a little jumpy as he chuckled.
“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Peterson. I know Andy can be a handful,” William echoed as he chuckled along with him.
I was stuck in front of the door as I continued to listen to their conversation. I can’t believe my own father was warming up to the one person I thought he would be tough on.
With a deep breath, I knocked on the door and interrupted their conversation. I entered the room in quick strides and headed to my father’s bed to greet him with a kiss. As I leaned away from him, the tension in the room was palpable. I tore my eyes away from my father to look at William, who sat on a chair across from me.
“How long have you been here?” I asked grimly in clinched teeth.
“Andy, please don’t…” my father started in warning but stopped as I held his hand and gave it a light squeeze.
Both fell silent for a moment as guilt registered in their faces. I kept my ground as I tried to reel in my anger. I didn’t want to lose my cool in front of my father.
“Andy. I’m here to talk to your father about…” he defended quietly. His voice hardly had any confidence in it, which was unlike him.
“Get out. Now,” I commanded darkly. My voice was low as I tried to control my bubbling anger.
“Andy…” William started again.
“I’m so sorry for intruding. It wasn’t my intention to make you angry,” he whispered in apology as he stood up.
He slowly paced towards the door while I remained motionless from where I stood. I felt him pause for a second as his eye bored through the side of my face. But I continued to ignore him and kept my gaze straight. When I heard a faint click of the door closing, I let out a strained breath as I visibly relaxed.
“Why did you do that, peanut?” my father asked softly, his voice filled with disappointment.
I looked up at him in shock. He was siding with him. “He was the one who came here and barged in without my knowledge. He had no right to intrude,” I almost shouted in reply but I kept my voice at a minimum volume.
My father stared at me as his face depicted the one expression I didn’t want to see from him. “I know what this is, Andy. I know that you are scared. But you can’t shut people out like that. I’ve raised you better,” he finally scolded me, though his voice held no anger in them. It was calm and stern.
“Please, let’s not talk about this now,” I sighed in defeat as I moved away from his side. “I’ll head out a bit and get some air,” I added as I stopped halfway towards the door.
“I understand.” He nodded briefly, giving me a sad smile.
After that, I silently walked out the room. At this moment, I didn’t want to be with anyone. I don’t know what I want anymore.
Twenty-Six
The noise of the busy city streets started to hum as I leaned back on the park bench. It’s been half an hour since I left my father’s hospital room. I texted Terry after I walked out from the hospital. He would be here any minute now.
“Andy!” I look up and see Terry jog towards me.
I gave him a rigid wave as a greeting. “Thank you for coming. I thought you were with Andrew,” I said after he stopped in front of me. I moved a little to give him space to sit.