The Billionaire’s Crush

by Tineka Brown

  She finally stood up and switched off the fan. Deacon Williams had taken their bags to the rooms and her room overlooked the garden and the smell came through the open window. There was a slight breeze that lifted the green lace curtains. The queen sized bed was neatly made up with white cotton sheets and green flowers and there was a green straw mat at the foot of the bed. Abby unpacked her clothes and put them away and then went to take a shower. The bathroom was pretty and had matching shower curtain and mats for the floor and the tiles were black and white. The water was lukewarm and there were shower gels and soap in the caddy above the shower.

  She called Pastor David and spoke with him briefly. He told her Dave had called him a little while ago and he was glad that they had gotten there safe. She told him she was going to be calling on the different members tomorrow and see what needed to be done.

  Abby was making herself a sandwich and had poured herself a glass of ice cold lemonade when David came back. It was approaching six o’clock and there was still light out. He came inside and went straight to his room which was a little way away from hers, thank God.

  He did not venture back out until she had retired to her room. When she passed by his room she heard him on the phone. She quietly went into her bedroom and closed and locked her door. Pastor’s son or not she was taking no chances.

  Chapter 2

  Abby woke up the next morning to the smell of something wonderful. She had spent a restless night due to the different atmosphere and it had taken her a while to fall asleep. Plus, she had been listening to his movements from the living room to his bedroom. It had been a little hot and she had gotten up and turned up the fan somewhat.

  It was oatmeal flavored with cinnamon and vanilla with evaporated milk and toast with creamy butter. A heavy weight woman with a scarf wrap around her head was in the kitchen and the table was already set. “Sister Abby I hope I did not wake you!” she greeted Abby enthusiastically, placing the glasses with orange juice on the table.

  “No,” she smiled at the woman. She had taken a shower and had put on knee length pink shorts and a white T-shirt and twisted her heavy hair into a bun on top of her head. “Sister Larkins is it?”

  “That’s right dear, just pull up a chair.” She bustled over to pour coffee into a cup. “Ah, here is Mr. David now.” Abby willed herself not to turn and look at him but he came right into her line of vision and sat at the head of the table. His hair was still wet from his shower and he smelled woodsy and had put on a gray T-shirt and cargo shorts. He looked boyishly handsome.

  “Thanks Mrs. Larkins,” he smiled at the woman as she poured him some coffee. “So how did you sleep?” he asked her politely as he sipped his coffee.

  “Fairly well,” she shrugged. “It was a little bit hot but I survived.”

  “Good,” he said brusquely and concentrated on the hand held device he had; effectively dismissing her.

  Abby stared at him for a moment and then she concentrated on her meal. It was delicious. And she told Mrs. Larkins so; eating every morsel of the oatmeal.

  “Thank you my dear,” the woman beamed, clearing the table with the help of Abby. “Now if you’ll tell me what time you will be here, I will have lunch prepared.”

  “I won’t be here Mrs. Larkins, I have to visit the hardware and see if they will be able to deliver the supplies we ordered.” David told her with a smile.

  “And I need to visit some members so I will be calling Deacon Williams to let him know.” Abby added.

  “Okay then,” the woman said. “I will prepare something easy in case one of you pop in and need something to eat. Today being Saturday, it’s a market day here on the island and I was thinking of getting some produce.”

  David left shortly after with a brief nod in her direction and Abby acknowledged with a nod of her head. Deacon Williams came by and picked her up at ten o’clock and they went on the road. Their first stop was to Sister Grant and her family. Her husband had gone to town to sell food he had planted and she and their six children were there waiting for her. The house was small but the yard was brimming with plants of all description. There were towering mango trees, cherry plants that were blossoming and many others. She was welcomed with a hug and carted out to the ‘verandah’ as they called it and given cool melon and pineapple to eat while they talked. The children, ranging from ages sixteen to age three, were firmly told to go and play in the yard while the adults talked. Sister Grant was one of the Sunday school teachers and she had so many ideas on how to get some more young people into the church. They needed a building to host the Sunday school and to do a skills training program there as well because a lot of young people were unemployed and needed something to occupy their time. “We do a lot of farming here Sister Abby,” the woman said looking out onto the yard. They were seated on a long board bench that was slightly uncomfortable. “But the young are not trained otherwise and they need something aside from farming to keep them occupied.”

  “I will discuss it with Pastor David’s son, Sister Grant,” she reached out and touched the woman’s hand briefly. The fruits were cool and delicious and she was offered coconut water straight from the tree and she was quite full. “We are here to make sure that the ministry gets started before we leave. What time do you usually have services?”

  “This is the islands my dear and we are pretty laid back so services will start at ten o’clock and finishes at twelve noon and we will be having Sunday school right after service. I am hoping you will help us conduct Sunday school my dear.” The woman beamed.

  “I would be glad to,” Abby told her with a smile.

  They left at one and went to visit a sick member who was holed up in bed. Her name was Ethlyn Baker and she was close to eighty years old. Her fifty year old daughter Sandra took care of her. The woman was cheerful and greeted her warmly and they had tea together and prayed. After that Deacon Williams took her to his home to meet his wife, Sister Edith and their two children, Sean and Debbie ages eighteen and sixteen. Sean was doing medicine at the University and Debbie was on her last year at high school. Sister Edith was a surprise. She was tall and slim and quite beautiful and even though she must be in her forties, her face was unlined. She could see the way Deacon Williams looked at her and found to her surprise that it was a look of love.

  He then took her to the church which was walking distance from where they were staying and there were various stages of construction going on. To her surprise David was in the thick of things. He had his hard hat on and he was not only giving instructions but he was also laying blocks as well.

  “I see young Mr. David is pulling his weight,” Deacon Williams commented with a grin.

  “He sure is,” Abby murmured as she watched the muscles ripple in his arms as he hefted the block and placed it where it should go. His shirt was damp with sweat and there was sweat glistening on his face. If he saw her standing there he gave no indication but continued working.

  It was almost four o’clock and she was starting to feel a little wilted from the heat. She told Deacon Williams that she would walk over to get some rest.

  Sister Larkins had left out dinner for them and when she pulled open the fridge to get some much needed water she saw that there was a plastic covered dish with salad and fruits. She had set the table and left the rice and steamed chicken on the stove. Abby realized that she was starving. She went to her room and immediately went into the bathroom to take a shower and this time she decided to indulge. When she came out of the shower a half hour later and put on a floral patterned cotton dress with spaghetti straps, David still had not come over and she decided that she was not going to wait on him.

  She was having her second glass of iced tea when he came in looking tanned and fit; his T-shirt sticking to his body, outlining the muscles of his taut stomach. Abby glanced away and looked anywhere but at him. “I see you have gone ahead and eaten without me.” He chided. “I had no idea it was so late and I was having fun; it’s a long time since I have done m
anual labor.”

  “That’s nice,” Abby murmured. “Would you like me to plate something for you while you go and take a shower?”

  “Would you?” he paused in the act of going to his bedroom. “Thanks.”

  He came back out a few minutes later smelling fresh and clean, his black hair curling. He had put on a white T-shirt and a cargo shorts and was barefoot.

  “With this cooking, I am going to get fat in no time,” he said with a grimace as he tasted the delicious meal.

  “I am sure that’s not possible,” Abby said dismissively. She had been about to get up and leave him to eat alone but she did not want to appear rude.

  “Why, is that a compliment coming from you?” he teased her, his disturbingly bright blue eyes staring at her.

  “Just stating a fact.” Abby told him.

  He waited for her to say something else and when she didn’t he said, “They are making great strides on the building; maybe we won’t have to stay a full month.”

  “It’s not just the physical work on the building but we have to start something for the people in the community as well.” She told him about the conversation she'd had with Sister Grant.

  “A skills training program sounds like a wonderful idea,” he had cleaned his plate and was leaning back against the chair. “I have ordered some computers as well; I can offer my IT skills to that mix.”

  “That sounds great!” she told him; her honey gold eyes lighting up, causing him to stare at her. I wonder if she knew how incredibly beautiful she was? He thought absently.

  The silence stretched out and Abby started to get uncomfortable. “I will be turning in now, we have church tomorrow.” She stood up and cleared the table.

  “I will help with the washing up,” he stood up as well and took the plate from her and headed towards the kitchen. She followed behind him hesitantly. “I’ll wash and you wipe.” He suggested.

  They worked in companionable silence until the kitchen was tidy. He placed the damp table cloth on the kitchen counter and turned off the light behind them. “How about some T.V.?” he asked. For some reason he did not want her to go.

  She shook her head no. “I am a little tired,” she told him.

  “Just an hour,” he pleaded. “I promise I won’t talk your ear off during the program.” His smile was charming and Abby found herself taking a seat on the single sofa while he lounged in the big one and found something suitable with the remote.

  He settled on a well-known comedy and within minutes she found herself relaxing and laughing along with him. They ended up watching a second comedy and Abby had curled her feet under and rested her head on her arm.

  “You look like a little girl sitting like that,” he commented, his gaze flickering to her.

  Abby did not know what to say. He had shown a different side of him and she did not think of him as the spoiled rich boy any longer and that had been her shield against him; that along with her Christianity.

  “Thanks, I think,” she said uncertainly.

  “Why did you choose this life?” he asked her curiously.

  “Why haven’t you?” she countered a little teasingly.

  “Touché,” he said dryly. He had muted the T.V. and Abby found herself transfixed by the happenings on the screen. “My parents, especially my father have been preaching to me to settle down and stop my sinful philandering ways and find myself in the church but I am always thinking that I want to have some fun first. Thinking that when I am old and have accumulated what I need to then I will do so.”

  “So in other words you want to give God the left over?” Abby asked her brows rose.

  “When you put it like that it sounds immature and foolish,” he told her sheepishly.

  “I believe in everlasting and I believe that there is going to be an accounting after.” Abby said softly. “I chose this life or rather this life chose me because I also believe that there is no better way.”

  “A beautiful woman like you, wouldn’t you rather be out there doing something else. Finding a nice rich man to take care of you?” he asked her.

  Abby laughed out loud, genuinely amused and not in the least bit offended. “I can take care of myself quite well thank you very much and I don’t need a man to make me feel complete. Those days are long gone and believe it or not, I rather enjoy what I do.”

  “Don’t you want to get married some day?” he persisted.

  Abby did not answer for a spell. “I know that I am not interested in marriage. I have seen what marriage does to people and I would rather stay single and happy.”

  “But I thought that was somewhere in the Bible.” He commented watching her closely. “Good Christian girls are supposed to get married and settle down.”

  “You don’t read your Bible do you?” she asked dryly.

  “Not much,” he admitted wryly; his charming grin spreading.

  “You should,” she told him standing up and getting ready to leave the room. “You might learn a thing or two.”

  David found that he wanted to keep her there for a little while longer but he had nothing to say; or at least not the right words anyway.

  “I would like to read the Bible with you sometime,” he said softly as she turned to leave.

  Abby turned back to stare at him; her eyes searching his. “We’ll see,” she told him before leaving the room; leaving him feeling him bereft.

  *****

  Abby stayed in bed a little later than usual that morning. She had taken a little while to fall asleep the night before because she had been thinking about the conversation she'd had with David. He was so different from what she had expected and she found herself thinking about him in a different way.

  Mrs. Larkins had come in early and made them pancakes and scrambled eggs and by a quarter to ten Abby was ready for church in a cotton red and white striped dress and medium heeled white shoes. Her hair was twisted loosely at the nape of her neck and her caramel skin glowed with health. David was dressed in dark blue tailored pants and a light blue dress shirt and looked so achingly handsome that her heart skipped a beat.

  They ate together and he tried to engage her in conversation but she kept her answers brief and to the point and he eventually gave up.

  “We’re not walking?” she asked him as he opened the passenger door for her to get in.

  “I don’t want you to mess up those nice shoes,” he told her with a grin. “And besides it’s very hot for walking.”

  She slid in the car and welcomed the air conditioning with a sigh.

  “Better right?” he asked her.

  She nodded with a slight smile as he drove off.

  Deacon Williams was the preacher and there was a choir seated on the pulpit. The Secretary of the church acknowledged their presence and there was applause as they were told to stand. Abby stared around in approval and noted that there were a number of young people. The sermon was stirring and spoke to the need to come together as people of God and be one with one cause. She was sitting beside David and his presence beside her unnerved her a bit.

  There was mingling after and Abby made a note to find a room where food was offered and something for the young people. She stayed for Sunday school and helped out while David went outside to look at the work the men had done when he had left. An hour later when she went outside, she saw him on his phone typing a message. He looked up and saw her and smiled. “Ready?” he asked, putting the phone in his pocket.

  “If you are,” she told him.

  They went to the car and she noticed that they were turning the opposite direction from home. “Where are we going?” she asked puzzled.

  “It’s a surprise.” He told her, pressing gas.

  He took them to a river that he had found yesterday. The water was clean and cool to the touch and Abby took off her shoes and waded in holding up her dress a little in order for it not to get wet.

  “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked David as he leaned against the car watching her.

 
“I am not a fan of water that looks kind of murky.” He told her in amusement. “Besides it’s more fun to watch.”

  “Oh I forgot,” she flashed him a teasing smile. “You’re used to pools and treated water.”

  David searched her face to find out if she was being judgmental and responded. “Totally,” he told her wryly.

  He would have spent the entire afternoon watching her play in the water. For once her guard was down and she was fully enjoying herself. He had a conference call with his Managing Director in the next half an hour but he was loathed to spoil her fun.

  She finally waded out and came towards him; her bare feet sinking in the wet dirt and she did not look in the least bit put out.

  “Have fun?” he asked her as he went to the trunk to retrieve a bucket he had seen there, instructing her to sit with her feet out while he went to fetch some water to wash the mud from her feet.

  “Loads,” she told him with a sigh, smiling her thanks as he pour the water on her feet.

  He put back the bucket inside the trunk and came and joined her in the car. “How about some dinner?” he asked as he pulled away and drove out to the road.

  She looked at him startled. “I thought Mrs. Larkins left us something to eat.”

  “Yes but I thought we could eat something on the road or are you getting tired?” he looked at her in concern.

  “Not in the least,” she told him with a smile. He would do anything to have her smiling like that and he realized that he was looking forward to talking to her all the time.

  They went to a fast food restaurant and he used the drive in section and ordered chicken and fries and large cups of soda.

  “Tell me about your company,” she urged. They were in the parking lot of the restaurant and she had eased back the passenger seat and was reclining and eating with gusto.

  “I became successful by chance,” he told her with a grin. “I am heavy into computers and I was always fiddling around trying to find new things that would work until I stumbled upon an app that specialized in video games. I thought to myself that I wanted to create one for myself and to my immense surprise it took off.”