The Billionaire’s Crush
Page 19
“And you became a billionaire almost overnight,” Abby said emotionless, crunching on a fry.
He looked at her for a moment and sensed the disapproval in her tone. “What do you have against rich guys?” he asked her quietly.
“I just figure that people with money expect those without to jump through hoops for them and they are expected to be treated differently.”
“That’s not fair Abby,” their eyes clashed. “You’re a child of God and you’re not supposed to dislike people because they appear to be different.”
“I don’t dislike,” she told him coolly. “I just do not have the tolerance for that sort of thing.”
“I treat all my employees equally and fairly,” he told her. “They are given stock options, excellent health benefits and their salaries are way above what other companies pay. In return I expect to be given a full day’s work and I think that’s being very fair. I am still the same person I was when I had just a couple of dollars in my account and a maxed out credit card. I give away a lot to charities because I feel blessed and want to share the blessings.”
“Very commendable,” Abby inclined her head regally and David could not help but think that she was a queen bestowing a small favor on her lowly servant. The feeling rankled.
“Let’s go I have a call to make,” his voice was unnecessarily harsh and Abby recoiled as if he had struck her.
“Yes let’s,” she put her seat upright and with a moment of despair David realized that they had gone back to square one.
Chapter 3
“Just get it done dammit!” he said tersely and hung up the phone. Abby had done her best to stay out of his way ever since that Sunday afternoon when they had left the fast food restaurant. She had barely spoken to him, only when necessary and that had been a week ago. They had a lot of things to do and he had been mostly over at the church yard seeing to and helping out with the construction, sometimes coming in after she had gone to bed.
She had been spending time doing community walks with several of the members and inviting people to come out to church. Talking to the work men to construct something in order for them to have a soup kitchen. The last Sunday they had been able to have refreshments served after church and she was very happy at the progress going on.
She certainly did not have time for his pouts and his temper tantrums; it was not her problem.
She had spoken to Pastor David and gave him a progress report and he told her he was pleased with what was going on. He said he had spoken to David last night and he had told her that there was somewhat of a hitch in the delivering of some items from the hardware. Abby made a mental note to talk to him about that – he could have said something about it to her; they were supposed to be working together.
She saw him later that evening. Mrs. Larkins had gone for the afternoon and had left the evenings meal on the table. This time it was red pea soup and it smelled heavenly. She was wondering if she should wait for him to start eating when he came through the doorway, his gray T-shirt clinging to his muscular frame. His hair was tousled and his face was shiny with sweat.
“Are you going to be eating now?” she asked him politely.
He stopped and stared at her, a frown heavy on his brow. “I figured you would have already eaten and run off to bed,” he said rudely.
“As you see, I have not so the question remains, are you eating now?” she refused to be rattled by his mood.
“Whatever,” he told her coldly, striding to his room and slamming the door shut behind him.
He came back a few minutes later and pulled out a chair. She had dished out his meal and put it on the table and was already seated. He was about to put the spoon in his mouth when she spoke. “I have to say Grace,” she told him.
“What?” he looked at her askance, the spoon suspended halfway to his mouth.
“I have to tell God thanks for the meal,” she clarified.
“Go ahead,” he replaced the spoon and closed his eyes in obedience. Abby gave a brief prayer of thanks and he mouthed Amen.
They were way into the meal when she spoke. “I spoke to your father earlier today and he told me you were having some problems with the delivery from the hardware.”
He shrugged not looking at her. “Nothing I cannot handle.”
“I would appreciate you informing me if there are problems and I don’t have to hear it from Pastor David,” she told him coolly.
He put down the spoon and gave her his full attention; his blue eyes smoldering. “I know what I am doing. I run a multi-billion company.” He told her tersely.
“I am well aware of that David but this is not your company, this is the church and these are simple people you are dealing with.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” his voice could have drilled holes in steel.
“Excuse me?” she stared at him.
“I have been trying every single time to be nice to you but to no avail, what exactly do you want me to do here lady?”
“Who told you that you have to be nice to me?” Abby asked him furiously, pushing out her chair and standing up. “We are here to do a job and that’s all there is to it. We don’t have to be friends.”
He had also stood up and Abby saw him fighting for control and for one minute she wondered if she had gone too far. The fact was that she was alone in the house in a strange country with a man she did not know and for the first time she wondered about the wisdom of it all.
“Who gave you such a burr up your butt?” he asked her rudely ,advancing closer to her.
“I beg your pardon?” she asked huskily, her heart jumping a little inside her.
“Obviously somewhere in your little puritanical life something went horribly wrong,” he persisted. He was standing right in front of her. “What did you catch him with another woman or was it another man?”
Abby did not think, she reacted and her hand shot out and slapped him hard on the cheek. They both stood there staring at each other, her eyes horrified and his narrowed; his jaw clenched. “Well then that’s one puzzle solved,” he said grimly and before she could move he had pulled her rigid body into his arms. His mouth came down on hers forcefully and Abby, with a token resistance, automatically opened hers. His mouth softened over hers and he pulled her closer to him with a groan; his lips moving hers and his arms molding her body to his. Abby trembled as pleasure lanced through her body. She had been kissed years before and had thought it pleasant enough but what David was doing to her was a far cry from what she had experienced before. Her arms came around his neck and her fingers buried themselves into his still damp hair. He plundered her mouth, his hand reaching up to cup the back of her head.
She came to her senses abruptly and with a shudder she realized what she had done. She pushed him away forcefully. He resisted at first and then he let her go; moving away from her; his breathing labored.
They stood there as if frozen to the spot; staring at each other. He opened his mouth to apologize to her but she shook her head and without a word fled to her room locking the door behind her.
He stood where she had left him, agonizing on whether or not he should bang on the door and apologize to her. But he was not sorry and he was sure she was not either. She had been getting under his skin with her holier than thou attitude and her beautiful yet unapproachable façade and he had not being able to think straight. He had debated telling his father that he wanted to drop the project and head back home but he had never started something and did not finish it. He had tried calling several of the women he'd had relationships with but after a few minutes into the conversation he had become uninterested.
He plowed his hands into his hair and started pacing. He did not know what to do but all he knew was that he had started to have feelings for her; of all the predicaments he had gotten himself into – he had gone ahead and was falling in love with a woman whose heart and legs were closed to him. The situation was laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
*****
She had spent her life fielding off potential suitors from church; laughingly telling them they were her brothers in the Lord and she was quite satisfied with that arrangement. She had held onto that for so long now that she had become immune to the advances of men. Now this and he was not even a brother in the Lord.
With a whimper of despair she did what she always did in the face of adversity; she prayed.
“Father Lord, I come before you right now because I am in a situation and I don’t know what to do. I come to you because you are the only one who truly knows my heart and what I am going through. I put everything before you now and ask for your guidance in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
She went to bed shortly after but was not able to sleep. She kept thinking about her dad and what her mother had gone through after the divorce and with the tears trickling down her face she finally fell into a deep troubled sleep.
*****
When she woke up the next morning he was already gone and there was an empty cup in the sink and a note saying that they were on their own in terms of food preparation as Mrs. Larkins had a sick in her family that she had to tend to.
Abby was not really hungry anyway so she made herself some coffee and called Mrs. Larkins inquiring about the sick she had. “Oh Sister Abby bless you for caring.” The woman said gratefully. “It’s my granddaughter she has the asthma real bad and we had to rush with her to the hospital last night.”
“I am sorry to hear Mrs. Larkins, take all the time you need.” Abby reassured the woman.
“No, it’s just for today and I asked Sister Grant to bring something over.” The woman said hastily.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Abby protested.
“Nonsense my dear, it’s our pleasure.” She responded.
Abby was supposed to go with Deacon Williams to and visit the children’s home and she had planned to bring them some gifts. The shipment with the various things had arrived at last and was in the spare bedroom. She had asked Sister Grant and Sister Williams as well as two more members to come over and help her sort them out.
Deacon Williams picked her up at exactly one o’clock and she still had not seen David. She told herself that she was glad she did not have to face him right now but she was far from believing it. Deacon Williams opened the passenger side with a flourish and a smile on his lined face. She had grown very fond of the people she had come to meet and had fallen into the routine of island life.
“Sister Abby you’re certainly looking healthy,” he told her as they drove off. “All that island food Sister Larkins's feeding you and Mr. David is doing you a world of good.”
“Maybe too much good,” Abby said teasingly. “I might have to go on a strict diet when I get back home.”
“We are not looking forward to that day, I tell you Sister Abby,” he said with a mournful expression on his face. “We have grown so fond of you that we wish you could stay with us.”
“I feel the same way Deacon,” Abby told him with a smile.
They had fun at the children’s home. The children there were full of good spirits even though the clothes they had on, although clean, had seen better days. A little girl of about eight years old caught her attention. Her name was Moira and she stood there in the corner of the room shyly with her thumb in her mouth.
When she asked the administrator about her; she was told that her mother had abandoned her and they had no idea of a father. She had thick dark hair that was braided and large dark eyes; and she looked very sad.
“Hi Moira, my name is Abby. How are you?” she went over and stopped before the little girl.
She shook her head and avoided her gaze.
“Would you like a doll?” Abby asked her. The little girl’s face lit up and she nodded eagerly. Abby gave her a doll she had taken out of the package and the child took it tentatively.
Abby stood and took her hand and Moira put her hand in hers trustingly and they went to get something to eat.
She spoke to Mrs. Hill the administrator after. “Is she going to school?”
“I see you have fallen in love with our Moira,” the tall elderly woman said with a smile. They were in her office and Abby wanted to know more about little Moira. The little girl had tugged at her heart strings.
“I want to do something for her,” Abby said urgently.
“We have classes here Sister Abby but if you’re about special classes; then that’s different,” she told her.
“I want to invest in her education and otherwise and I would like permission to pick her up on Sundays and take her to church and the others as well.” Abby said. “We are planning on purchasing a vehicle for the church so we will be able to transport them to and from.”
“That’s a wonderful idea Sister Abby,” the woman said enthusiastically. “The poor children need all the spiritual help they can get.”
“Do they have suitable clothes to wear to church?” Abby asked.
“Not so much I am afraid,” Mrs. Hill said with a sigh. “We try our best but with twenty children to feed and shelter there is not much left over for clothing.”
“I understand and I will get back to you on that. I have an idea but I will need to discuss it with someone before I tell you about it.” Abby said getting up to leave. They shook hands and Abby left the office. Moira gave her a hug and Abby felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes. She assured the girl that she would come again to visit her and take her out for outings.
She was silent on her way back home.
“Sister Abby are you okay?” Deacon Williams asked in concern. She was silent and she looked troubled.
“I am just thinking how blessed we are and how we tend to complain,” she told him with a forced smile.
“I tell myself the same thing at times,” Deacon Williams said shaking his head. “There is real suffering going on and we tend to focus on ourselves.”
“I want to help so much Deacon Williams and I don’t know where to start,” she said passionately.
“Just do it one step at a time my dear and that’s all that’s required of us.” He told her soberly.
*****
He came home late. She had been waiting up for him and had wondered if she should call him when she saw that nine o’clock had passed and he was still not at home. Mrs. Larkins had cooked curried chicken and rice with pasta salad and had made a sweet potato pudding for dessert. She had been forced to eat when certain hours had passed and he did not come.
He came in at a quarter to ten and Abby felt the relief pouring through her.
“What are you doing up?” he asked her in surprise. He was dressed in black jeans and an old black T-shirt and Abby was hard put to identify him with the rich spoiled man that she had been used to. He had adapted to his surroundings.
“Waiting up for you. You could have called.” She told him tersely. She was sitting on the faded couch and had been idly flipping through channels. She had taken a shower and put on a loose floral dress.
His eyebrows rose, “Is something wrong?” he asked her with a frown, taking off the sneakers he was wearing and heading towards the kitchen. Abby followed him.
“I want to talk to you,” she told him. He had opened the fridge to take out a beer but pulled his head back out to look at her.
“Look, I want to apologize for last night, I don’t know what came over me,” he came towards the table and pulled out a chair.
“I am not talking about that,” she said with a note of impatience. “Deacon Williams and I went to the children’s home today and there is this little girl.”
“Ah I see,” his blue eyes twinkled in amusement, taking a swig of his ice cold beer. “And your maternal instin
cts suddenly kicked in.”
Abby opened her mouth to berate him but taking a deep breath she decided against it. She wanted something from him and she had to play nice. “Her name is Moira and she is an orphan and she needs our help David.”
“Our help?” David queried his mouth lifting in a slight smile. “Honey I don’t know the first thing about children and although I give to all sorts of children charity I just open my check book and write the check, I don’t get involved.”
“Don’t you think it’s time you did?” she challenged him, her golden brown eyes holding his. He found himself not able to tear his gaze away. The woman was really getting to him.
“How much?” he asked her softly.
“It has to be more than your money David,” she persisted earnestly. “It has to be your time as well.”
“What on earth do you want from me Abby?” he asked her impatiently, getting up from the table and heading into the living room with every intention of getting away from her.
“I want you to come with me to visit the home David and see for yourself. I don’t just want you to blindly hand out your money. Don’t you want to see what you’re investing in?” she had followed him and sat beside him on the couch. Her nearness was affecting him and she did not even seem to realize it.
“You’re not going to give up are you?” He asked her with a sigh.
“No,” she said promptly. She reached out a hand and held on to his arm. She felt him tense but was too hyped up to pay it any mind. “You have to see her David, she is so cute and she looks so lost.”
“And you want to be the one to save her?” he asked her shrewdly. He wanted to kiss her again but he dared not. He had spent the entire day and night hanging out with a bunch of workmen who had insisted on getting him drunk with beer and rum; most of which he had declined because he wanted to reach home when she was already in bed.
She shrugged delicate shoulders; her eyes clouding over. “I want to help. I see those children lacking so many things and I think of where we come from, food is sometimes wasted and my heart cries out. I just want to make a difference to them; that’s what God wants us to do too, make a difference.”