“It's heavy, I'm afraid.”
“Do I look like a weakling?” he asked. No, he certainly didn't, Alina thought. He looked strong and fit. His shirt was open, and when he picked her bag up, she saw his bronzed chest bulge slightly. “Heavy?” he joked. “Light as a feather.” She looked at him shyly. In the soft evening air, Alina could smell his aftershave. It made her want to put her head to his chest and breathe in the real scent of him. Jesus, stop it. He's your boss. You've only been here a few minutes, she told herself. But it would be fun, wouldn't it? Imagine him, so rich and handsome, on top of you, kissing you. She tried to banish the thoughts she was having, but they kept coming back, each time with Ryan more naked than before.
Okay, you're horny, she told herself. It's not surprising, is it? When was the last time you had a guy? She tried to remember. More than a year ago, she concluded. A guy named Jeff. She'd gone to high school with him, and he'd called her out of the blue. He'd told her he'd always liked her and that at school he'd never had the courage to ask her on a date. She'd found his excuse charming. He told her it was because he thought she was way out of his league.
“I'd have gone on a date with you, Jeff,” she'd told him. She remembered it was she who'd taken the initiative after the movie. In the car on the way home, she'd reached across for his zipper and slowly pulled it down. He'd almost crashed the car. Both of them knew the area well and decided to drive down to the creek, where they got out and made love in the cool evening air. But you didn't come, she reminded herself. He was so quick, you didn't get any pleasure out of it. Hell, even more reason to feel horny. When was the last time you came? To her shame, Alina couldn't remember.
“There, what do you think of the place?” Ryan asked, snapping her out of her train of thought.
They had just rounded a bend in the driveway, the place where the house suddenly came into view. It was the point where most visitors looked on in awe at the mansion. It was unlike anything Alina had ever seen. Sure, she'd seen such houses in magazines and on TV programs, but never with her own eyes. It was beautiful, but she also found it imposing. The great front door, guarded by two stone lions, wasn't welcoming. If she were his wife, she would take the lions away and replace them with stone troughs full of flowers. What she did like were the window shutters. They gave the place a European feel.
“Wow, it's beautiful,” she told Ryan. “It's so nice of you to put me up. I could have stayed in a hotel for a few nights until I got sorted out.”
“The place has twelve bedrooms. You could live here for years and we'd never meet,” he said. “Besides, I get lonely sometimes.” She looked at him in disbelief. A billionaire like him, lonely. How? It was quite an admission for a man of his type to make, she thought.
She caught another wave of Ryan's aftershave, and the thoughts she'd had before all came flooding back. “Come in,” he said, putting his weight against the giant oak door. “This is John. If you want anything while you are here, just let him know. You won't understand what he says though.” Alina gave Ryan a puzzled look. “He's Scottish,” he said, clearing the mystery.
“Ah. Nice to meet you, John.” She went to shake his hand.
“No. He's a butler, and apparently they don't shake hands,” Ryan said, still amused by John's standoffish nature.
“No, sir, we do not. It's not our place.”
Alina almost burst out laughing. Was he being serious? What kind of world did he live in?
“Okay, I'll let John show you to your room. I'm sure you'll want to freshen up.” After the long journey, the thought of a hot bath or shower was too much to turn down. She nodded gratefully. “When you're ready, come back down. We're having a party around the pool.”
“Sure.” Alina wondered what form one of his parties took. She didn't imagine he was the type to sit around the dinner table, drinking wine and talking politics. No, she was sure the type of party he enjoyed involved much more than that.
The room John showed her too was so beautiful, she stood in the middle of it and held her breath. So this was how the other half lived. Her room was bigger than the whole upper floor of her parents’ home. How did people get so rich? She hoped to find out in the coming weeks.