It was the first time Ryan had ever heard a woman turn down one of his offers, and he wasn't used to it. He was sure she'd change her mind once he showed her a few penthouses.
“Okay. Whatever you want.”
“Why do you feel lonely sometimes?” she asked, but then she regretted it.
“What do you mean?”
“You told me when we stopped to look at the house after I'd arrived that you get lonely sometimes.”
He let out a sigh. A half-naked woman came outside. “Come on, Ryan, I want you in the pool.”
He waved her away and concentrated on the question Alina had asked. “I find it hard to trust people. That's why I'm not married.”
She didn't know what to say. She fiddled with her hair and drank some more. “Why do you think that is?” The look he gave her made her sit up straight. “Sorry, Mr. Jacobson. It's none of my business.”
“Ryan. Call me Ryan. It's okay. I'm just not used to opening up to people; that's all.” But she was different, he told himself. She wasn't like the girls in the pool. He could never imagine her wiggling her tits around and being frivolous. She was the real deal. Beautiful, serious, good-humored, and he imagined one day a perfect wife. “My dad left us when I was six, and my mom couldn't cope. She killed herself when I was ten.” Now it was his turn to down his champagne in one go. “I shouldn't have burdened you with that. Just ignore it.”
But how could she? He was now even more attractive to her. A man with such a terrible upbringing, a virtual orphan, who had managed to drag himself out of such a horrendous situation and become one of America's richest men. She was sure most people would have turned to drugs and violence. “But that doesn't mean it will happen to you. I'm sure you could find a woman who would be faithful to you. In fact, I know you could.”
“Maybe. Perhaps one day. But hey, there's still plenty of life left in the old dog before I need to get tied down,” he said, his face suddenly brighter. Alina saw through the pretense, though.
*****
On her first day at work, Alina couldn't believe her luck. She was working in beautiful surroundings with a great salary and an important position in the company. Steffi was kind to her, as were all her other colleagues.
“Why do some people say Mr. Jacobson is bad to his tenants?” Alina asked when they sat down for a cup of coffee.
“It's the nature of his business, I'm afraid,” Steffi said. “It's just economics, and sometimes some poor unsuspecting people get in the way. But that's life.”
“I understand he buys dilapidated buildings and refurbishes them, then charges higher rents.”
“That's right. It’s just, sometimes some people don't want a better apartment where they have to pay more. He's not a bad man, just very driven and focused on his business.”
“I know he's not a bad man. In fact, he's a very kind man indeed.”
“Are you two talking about me?” Ryan asked. “Caught you.” He was in good spirits; Carl had just called to tell him the papers were ready at the solicitors.
“No, Mr. Jacobson, we aren't,” Steffi lied.
“Alina, can you come to my office?” Alina wondered what she'd done wrong. She followed him. When he sat down, he noticed how great she looked. The perfect PA. In fact, he was turned on by her. She was dressed simply but stylishly in a black skirt, blue blouse, and black jacket. Any woman wearing stockings and heels, as she was, was a likely target for his attention, and his eyes soon drifted to her legs. “I wondered how you were doing on your first day?”
She sighed with relief. “Very well, thanks. Steffi is great. We're getting along just fine.”
“Great. Steffi will be here another four weeks to help you. By then I expect you to know most things. Okay?” He was different at work, far less relaxed. But of course he was. He was the boss of a multimillion-dollar business. There was no time for fooling around.
“Go ask Steffi if there are any messages, please.”
Alina disappeared for a moment and came back with the news that a woman named Cindy had rung, and that the mayor of LA wanted to speak to him about the development of the old post office.
“Whose Cindy?” Alina asked when she got back to her desk.
“I don't know, but she rings up a lot. I think she's one of his conquests,” she whispered.
The next four weeks flew past, and Alina suddenly found herself alone, the PA to a very important man. She was still living at Ryan's house. Every weekend he'd thrown a party on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Some she attended, some she didn't. But she always left around the time it got rowdy or overly sexual.
One Sunday morning, Ryan took her in the Rolls Royce to a luxury apartment building he owned in downtown LA. He took her to the top floor and showed her two of the most expensive apartments in the city. Both were open plans with floor-to-ceiling windows, and great views over the city. “You can have either,” he told her. “Free, on me.” He almost pleaded with her to take one.
“What's you're motive?” she asked.