The Virgin Secretary: A Billionaire Romance

by Cross, Veronica

  “Are we avoiding Prince Charming too now?” Adam asked.

  “He’s not Prince Charming anymore.”

  “Whoa. When did that happen?”

  “Last night.”

  Adam was quiet. “Does your sudden break up with Prince Charming have anything to do with Mary and Lucas’ sudden realization of endless love?”

  “No. That doesn’t make any sense, Adam.”

  “I suppose it doesn’t.”

  Ella was able to avoid Mary and Lucas for a good four days before encounter was inevitable. She spent most of her time with Donna and on the weekend, she went to visit her dad. When she returned to her apartment after the weekend, Mary was waiting for her. She threw her arms around Ella.

  “Whoa Mary,” Ella said as the other girl nearly crushed her with surprising strength for someone so small.

  “Lucas told me about Liana’s half year anniversary. I’m sorry, Ella. I’m a terrible friend.”

  “You’re not,” Ella insisted as Mary let her go. Mary pulled her inside and onto the living room couch.

  “How’s your dad?” she asked.

  “Well. He’s going away again.”

  Mary nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Lucas.”

  “It’s alright.”

  “No, no, it isn’t. Especially since you told me not to do anything with him if it may ruin your friendship.”

  Ella was silent.

  “I’ll make sure nothing ruins anything between the three of us.”

  Ella smiled and nodded, wanting nothing more than to lock herself up in her room and sleep. The bus ride had been exhausting.

  Instead, she asked, “How’s Luke? Are you two happy?”

  “I’m very happy,” Mary said, and she looked it too. “I haven’t been this happy since… well, since a long time. It’s nice to finally meet someone real.”

  Ella nodded, trying not to feel her heart sinking. Mary was happy. Ella was supposed to be happy for her.

  “He’s happy too, I guess,” Ella found herself saying.

  “You were annoyed at Lucas a couple of days back,” Mary mused. “What was that about?”

  “He sent my painting to California Post, and I was annoyed about it because he didn’t ask.”

  “Ah, I see. Can I see the painting? I’m sure it was incredible.”

  Ella walked to the pile of newspapers and pulled out the painting. It showed a drunken man sprawled across the deck of a ship. A few bottles lay at his feet, and the ship was lopsided as if one part of it had sunk. Mary appreciated the depth and clarity of the details Ella had painted.

  “It’s beautiful,” Mary said. She noticed the name written across the ship. The Chevrolet. “Oh, what a coincidence. Lucas is writing about a ship called The Chevrolet too.”

  Perhaps deep down, Mary knew it was too strange to be a coincidence, but she did not want to think about it.

  And perhaps, Ella knew it too. Or maybe, she only hoped that it meant something… anything.

  It was another couple of hours before Ella ran into Lucas as she exited her class.

  “Hi,” Ella said awkwardly as she came face to face with him.

  “Nowhere to escape?” he asked, amused.

  “I’m not trying to escape.”

  “Avoiding, then?”

  “I’ve been…busy.”

  “So busy that you couldn’t tell me you were going back home? Or that you broke up with Prince Charming?”

  Ella sighed. There was no way to avoid it.

  Hours later, she and Lucas sat on the steps of the Astronomy Department and night was falling around them. Most of the students had either left the campus or departed to parts of the campus that were livelier. Lucas and Ella talked and as usual, lost track of time as they did.

  Lucas had produced two bottles of alcohol and halfway through their talk, they had begun to drink. By now, they were both a little tipsy.

  “You know Luke, you should have told me about Mary,” Ella said as she took a gulp from the bottle.

  “I know,” he said as he took the bottle from her. “I should have.”

  “If you wanted to sleep with my best friend, I should have been the first one to know.”

  “I didn’t want to sleep with her.”

  Ella raised her eyebrows, unconvinced.

  “I mean, alright, that’s part of it.”

  “Are you happy with her?” Ella asked.

  “Yes,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Mary is fun and easy to be with.”

  Lucas wondered if Ella could see through the lie that he threw at her so casually. She could normally see through everything he tried to hide.

  But Ella only nodded. She watched as Lucas drank but did not touch the bottle again. She didn’t want her inhibitions to be compromised lest she ends up saying something she would regret later which was strange because she had always been able to say everything to Lucas. That was before she realized her feelings for him.

  Mary was fun and easy to be with, Ella figured. Mary didn’t care much for arguments or opinions. She would hardly ever fight with Lucas. She wouldn’t be stubborn, and she wouldn’t drive him crazy.

  “Well, aren’t you two cute?” a voice behind them said. Ella turned around to see Adam walking towards them.

  Lucas rolled his eyes, but the comment meant more to Ella. What would she look like next to Lucas? Mary and Lucas looked just about perfect together. They were both extraordinarily good looking and flawless.

  “Come join us, Adam,” Lucas said. Adam sat next to Ella and reached over to take the bottle from Lucas. He drank deeply, and the three sat in silence. Moments later, they were joined by Donna and Mary who had apparently been searching for them. Soon after, Matthew and Enid, friends of theirs, joined them too. They were passing around the bottles as the group chatted and laughed.

  “You okay, Ella?” Adam asked. Donna and Matthew were arguing heatedly; alcohol never seemed to affect either of them. Enid was playing referee. Mary’s head rested on Lucas’ shoulder.

  “Hmm,” Ella replied.

  “Want to get out of here?” he asked.

  “Oh god, yes,” Ella said who had been trying to look anywhere but at Lucas and Mary who were now kissing. Adam stood up and held out his hand to Ella.

  “We’ll be seeing you lot,” Adam said. Lucas looked confused, but the rest were too immersed.

  “Where are you two going?” he asked.

  “Ella doesn’t like PDA,” Adam said winking before draping an arm around her and leading her away.

  They walked in silence in the general direction of Ella’s apartment.

  “I had a date today,” Adam spoke up. “Missed you terribly when I wanted to get out of there. Lucas was too busy with the girlfriend.”

  Ella laughed.

  “Don’t you hate it when your best friend gets a boyfriend?”

  “Normally, no. This time, yes.”

  Adam lit a cigarette but didn’t respond.

  “Ella,” he began quietly and suddenly, it was clear in the utterance of that word that this was the real reason he had pulled her away from the group. “Do you- do you have feelings for Lucas?”

  It ought to have been a shocking question. She should have been surprised, stunned, taken aback. She had done everything to hide it, hadn’t told a soul. But someone must have noticed. Especially someone as observant as Adam who noticed her relationship problems with Patrick before she even realized them herself.

  “Please don’t tell him,” Ella said wearily. She did not have the energy to deny it.

  “When did this happen?” he asked. “Or when did you realize?” he modified.

  “The day of Liana’s anniversary.”

  He frowned. “Because of Mary?”

  “About ten second before I found out about Mary,” Ella replied. “Convenient, isn’t it?”

  Adam was silent. He took another puff before responding.

  “What are we to do, then?” he asked.

&n
bsp; “Nothing,” Ella sighed. “Mary is my best friend, and Lucas is…”

  “The dream?” Adam offered.

  Ella rolled her eyes. “I’ll get over it. I mean, he did too, right?”

  Adam wished he could contradict that and tell Ella the truth but he couldn’t.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never really liked Mary.”

  “Hey, she’s my best friend!” Ella protested, but she was laughing.

  “Remember how I told you that the two of us would agree on certain things?”

  “Hmm.”

  “Well, those things include the fact that Mary is so completely wrong for Lucas and you are so completely right for him.”

  Ella looked at him, incredulously.

  “I’m totally betting on you, Scott,” Adam continued.

  Ella shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

  They had reached her apartment by now.

  “I’ll go now,” Adam said.

  “Why don’t you come inside?”

  “I have an… arrangement,” Adam replied which made Ella roll her eyes. She knew what he meant by arrangement.

  “You and Mary are one of a kind. You should have been dated her.”

  “So that your path to Prince Charming Number Two is clear?” Adam teased.

  Ella hit him playfully before the reality of the situation hit her, and she sobered up.

  “Well, I’ll see you around,” Adam said. “And then we can decide how to get you and Lucas together.”

  Ella shook her head. “Have fun at the arrangement. Call me if you need an escape.”

  Ella was still awake hours later when she heard a car pull up. The canvas was spread on the table as she sketched a larger image of the ship she painted earlier. The ship had a very deep meaning to her since her father was a travel writer and was always away. She remembered one particular time the summer after her mother passed away. Her father took a ship called The Chevrolet, and he had waved at her from the dock as the ship glided away. She had been terrified at the thought of the ship sinking; she would lose another parent. That summer, she had drawn ships after ships, some magnificent, some small, some sunk and some flying.

  Ella looked up when the door opened, and Mary and Lucas entered. Mary was slightly tipsy from the drinks they were having earlier. Lucas had an arm around her.

  “Oh, more ships!” Mary exclaimed when she saw Ella’s drawing. “What is with you two and ships?”

  Lucas was watching Ella’s paintings very intently. Mary noticed this fact when none of them responded to her question.

  “Well?” Mary demanded.

  “Ella likes ships,” Lucas replied as he tore his eyes away from her painting. “Her dad took The Chevrolet to Europe once.”

  Ella glanced at him, and Mary thought she saw a glint in her eyes. Mary felt uncomfortable for one fleeting moment. It was as if the other two in the room shared something much deeper than she would ever understand. She watched as Ella looked at Lucas and they shared a smile. It was a friendly smile, but it somehow bothered Mary.

  Up in Mary’s bedroom, she was silent as she lay next to Lucas.

  “You okay?” Lucas asked her.

  “I’m just tired,” Mary told him.

  There was a brief silence before Mary spoke up again. “Hey, Lucas?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you remember back in high school, you used to like Ella?”

  Lucas was quiet and then, “Yes.”

  “That was cute.”

  “Hmm. Why did you bring it up?”

  “You were very adamant on getting her despite all the girls who lining up to date you.”

  “I was an idiot.”

  “Why do you say so?”

  Lucas turned to look at her. “Because Ella was never going to like me back.”

  Mary noticed at the intensity of apathy behind his words.

  “How did you get over her?” Mary said.

  Lucas shrugged. “I grew up, I guess.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Hmm.”

  Silence.

  “Mary,” Lucas said, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice. “Are you worried that I used to like Ella two years ago?”

  “No,” Mary replied truthfully. “No, I’m not. It’s just that… sometimes, you and Ella… you seem to have something that’s… hard to understand.”

  Lucas reflected on the bare honesty of the girl beside him. She was incredibly blunt.

  “We’re friends,” Lucas said shrugging. “I’ve been around all the difficult times in Ella’s life.”

  Mary nodded. That was probably it, she told herself. She lifted herself up and let her hair fall over Lucas’ shoulders. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on his lips.

  “Enough talking,” she told him. “You couldn’t have invited yourself into your girlfriend’s room just to talk.”

  “I don’t plan on doing much talking,” Lucas replied back playfully as their lips met again.

  Chapter Eight

  The warmth of the sunshine spilling into the room coaxed Lucas out of his deep stupor. It was 10 am on a Saturday morning. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t in his own room.

  Mary stirred beside him. Her black hair was sprawled on the blue duvet, and she looked just about perfect for someone who had just woken up. She snuggled closer to him, and Lucas felt her naked body press against his.

  “You’re cold,” he murmured, pulling her closer.

  Mary drifted to sleep again, but Lucas stayed awake, thoughts racing one another. Would Ella be out in the living room if he went there? And if she was, what would she think of him spending the night in Mary’s room? She would think nothing of it, he told himself. Ella didn’t care about what the two of them were doing. Except, she apparently didn’t appreciate them kissing in public. He thought back to their conversation yesterday, rolling bits of it in his head.

  Gently, he detached himself from Mary and went to take a shower. Minutes later, he entered the living room and there she was. Ella was seated on a couch by the window, her blonde hair shining in the morning sun. Her back was towards him, so she did not see him coming. She had a book in her hand, and a cup of coffee lay on the table next to her. Of course, he thought. Ella always woke up early. He remembered that from the days she had ended up falling asleep on his bed. And the days after Liana’s death when she practically started living with him because her house seemed too empty.

  “Hi,” he said.

  She turned in her seat. “Hi, Luke.”

  And nothing had still changed. In the moment of clarity, Lucas understood that his attempts to get over Ella were futile. Every woman, the latest one being Mary, had been an attempt to forget Ella. And none of that mattered because she was still perfect, she was still too good for him. Despite everything he told Adam, despite all the time he tried to tell himself that he was happy with Mary, he knew deep down that none of that was true.

  “Come sit,” she said, gesturing to the couch next to hers. He complied. “So are the three of us going to start living together now?” she attempted at humor.

  Lucas forced a smile. “Probably not.”

  “I got a call from The Gallery’s manager,” Ella said at length. “He saw the paintings you sent to the magazine. He wants to display my work.”

  “That’s incredible, Ella.”

  “But he wants to meet me first. Something about doing an interview with me before he made the final decision.”

  “Go for it.”

  Ella paused. “Will you come with me?”

  “Of course.”

  Mary appeared at that moment. She was dressed in a nightgown which fell off one shoulder. Her right leg was visible through the slit in the gown. The silk slithered on the floor as she walked. Mary looked flawless in whatever she wore.

  “Good morning,” she said happily. She gave Lucas a kiss before sitting at the edge of Ella’s couch and draping an arm around her. “What are you two talking about?”

/>   “I got an offer to display my paintings at The Gallery.”

  “That’s big, Ella!” Mary said. “Why am I just hearing about this?”

  “I found out last night.”

  On Sunday, Ella and Lucas drove to The Gallery to meet Nate, the manager. Lucas waited long enough to meet and greet Nate before wandering off to give them time alone.

  After their rendezvous was over, Ella and Lucas walked in a park next to the café.

  “Thanks for coming with me, Luke,” Ella said.

  Her meeting with Nate had revealed a lot about her art to her, and she was a little emotional. He had agreed to display her paintings and even pay her to work for The Gallery.

  She still struggled with her feelings. In the past two years, she didn’t remember a single time Lucas hadn’t been with her at an important moment. And maybe, admitting her feelings was more important that the consequences. Because it was such a shame that she had to keep something from Lucas. Perhaps the fact that she was so overcome by emotions led to what transpired next.

  She reached out and took Lucas’ hand. “Luke,” she began. “I love you.” He turned around to look at her and smiled.

  “I love you too, Ella,” he said. But he didn’t understand. He meant it platonically as was obvious by the way he looked at her warmly. He meant he was glad she was a part of his life, he was grateful to have her as a friend. But it was all wrong.

  “No, Luke. I’m in love with you.”

  His expression was blank, unreadable. Somewhere along the line, they had stopped walking and stood facing each other.

  She wasn’t thinking straight. She stepped forward and pressed her lips against his. He was still for a moment. Then, he responded, and Ella pulled him close. The kissed moved too quickly, deepening, growing more heated and needy at once. Because they knew they only had about a minute before reality would strike again and they would have to stop. In a minute, they will have to pay for this or realize this was wrong or do something other than what they were doing right now. And there was so much to communicate and experience in this moment. They couldn’t possibly feel every missed opportunity, every unvoiced though in that one moment. So she clung to him tightly, and he pressed more fervently against her as if in doing so, they might be able to make each other understand.