Opposition: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (NYC Doms), page 16
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I’ll call my doctor and have him pay a visit.” Well, yeah. Of course, he has a doctor that does house calls. I don’t know why this surprises me.
Turning to Ben, he lowers his voice. “You alright?”
He leans over and ruffles Ben’s hair, and it makes my heart squeeze a little.
“Yeah,” Ben says quietly, but his face is all rumpled like he’s about to cry. “But what about my bag? And my Legos? And your stuff?” he says, turning to me. “All those pretty clothes you got? You didn’t have a lot of those and now they’re gone.”
“Hey, we don’t know that,” I say to him. “Maybe they put out the fire before all our stuff was destroyed,” but Liam gently shakes his head at me as if to warn me not to make promises I can’t keep.
“Stuff’s replaceable,” Liam says. “People are not.”
And hell, for some reason, just hearing him say those words? Right then, right there, I’ve broken rule number six and I know it.
I love this man. Jesus, I love him. And there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.
I told myself he was a jerk, and I really thought he was. I told myself this was just a business arrangement. I’m not sure when it ceased being one, but there’s more than a superficial exchange of power here.
“I agree with Liam,” I say to them, though my voice is wavering. They’re my brother and sister, and I’m not their mom, but it feels right having Liam by my side through this. “Liam’s right. Let’s get settled at Liam’s—” and then I remember. “Oh, Liam.” My heart sinks. “The play.” We’ll miss it now, and the knowledge makes me want to cry, but I have to stay strong. Things happen.
He reaches for my hand and gives it a little squeeze. “It’s okay,” he says. “I promise. I’ll make it better.”
Can he, though? Can he really make it all better?
I like that he wants to, though.
I watch Bailey’s eyes go wide as she takes in the luxurious layout of his car. Not quite a limo, it’s still huge inside. The backseat has two rows of seats that face each other like a limo would. Hell. Maybe this is a limo, just a slimmer model for navigating the streets of NYC.
“This is some fancy car,” Bailey say. “I kinda can’t wait to see what your place looks like.”
Me neither. It’s a little weird to me that I’ve already made up my mind I love the guy, and I’ve never stepped foot in his apartment. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go at all. He was never supposed to go into my apartment, and now here we are with Bailey and Ben and heading toward his. But life has a funny way of tricking us, sometimes. Of letting us think we have control, when we really are only along for the ride.
“Yeah, for real,” Ben says. “Do you have like servants and stuff?”
Liam smiles and strokes his chin as if he’s trying to remember. “Yeah,” he says. “I suppose I do.”
“What do they do?” Ben asks, his large eyes wide. He doesn’t seem so afraid anymore.
“Whatever I tell them.”
Bailey gives me a smirk and I narrow my eyes at her to tell her not to even think about saying anything.
“I’ve got someone who cooks for me,” he says to Ben. “Someone who cleans. Someone who drives. It’s just the way it goes.”
“Woooowww,” Ben says. “Do you rent out movie theaters when you go? Do you have like a diamond on the home button for your iPhone? Have you ever owned a solid brick of gold?”
I burst out laughing at the image of any of these things. “Is that what you think rich people do?” I ask, and Liam’s laughing, too.
“Not much of a fan of movie theaters,” he tells Ben. “I like to watch movies at home. Gold bricks? No, but I’ve seen and held them. As for diamonds, I can think of much better uses for them than to bling up an iPhone.” His eyes meet mine and hold them for a second. I breathe in and out not saying anything, because I’m not sure if he meant to imply what he did or maybe he didn’t imply anything at all. Maybe I’m just lovesick and silly and I need to get myself together.
It’s a good drive to his place in uptown Manhattan, and by the time we get there, we’re all starving, and quiet, not having really processed the loss we’ve sustained, but curious what will happen next. This is a part of NYC I don’t see much of. There are no broken sidewalks or graffiti on the walls. There are no people making out on the stairs and landlords reaming people out on the street.
A few couples walk by, one dressed in casual but simple clothing, another holding hands and dressed as if they’re going to the Oscars. I feel suddenly silly in my worn jeans and sweater I had on from the bookstore.
“Do you have clothes upstairs?” Bailey asks me. “Stuff in his place?”
“No,” I tell her honestly. “I’ve never been here.” But I don’t elaborate. She knows we meet at a club sometimes, but she doesn’t need to know what kind of a club it is, so I try to tell her as much as I can without revealing too much. “He has a room at the club, and I keep things there, though.”
“I see.” She lifts her brows and looks from me to him and back again. She knows there are things I don’t want to tell her, and I hope she can respect that. It’s for her benefit as much as it’s for mine.
Manuel comes around to open the door, and I’m suddenly aware of what a big deal this is for Bailey and Ben. They’ve never seen luxury. I’ve been spoiled by Liam these past few weeks, and even though I’ve taken care of them as best I can with what he’s paid me, it’s nothing like really seeing firsthand how other people live.
“Wow,” Ben breathes, his eyes widening at the sight of a gorgeous red Ferrari parked at the curb.
“Wow is right,” Bailey says, craning her neck to look to the top of his building, then moving her head from side to side to take in as much as she can. “Liam, take us in!”
“Come on. This way,” Liam says, and I can’t read his expression. Is he proud or embarrassed? Both? Or something else altogether? I don’t know what he’s thinking. I feel like we’re really invading his privacy, and I have no idea how long we’ll stay here. I’m not even sure he wants us to. We could’ve easily gone to a hotel, but for some reason he chose to bring us here. But he’s ushering us into the building, where a man in a suit bows his head to greet him so it’s not a great time to ask him.
“Mr. Alexander,” he says. “Guests tonight?”
“Yes, thank you.” We go inside the building and Ben and Bailey look at every detail with wide-open mouths. Hell, I can hardly keep my own jaw from dropping.
The foyer on the main floor has a small but beautiful waterfall, lit from behind with pale pink and white lights. Gentle strings of violin play in the background, and there’s a uniformed gentleman sitting at the main desk who waves a hand in greeting to Liam.
“Joseph,” Liam says, bringing us up to the desk, but Ben’s over by the waterfall reaching a tentative finger out to touch it. He’s completely oblivious to us over by the desk.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” I mumble. It’s bad enough we’ve come in here disheveled and a mess. I don’t need to draw any more attention to how poorly we fit in here. “Ben! Ben get over here.” But he ignores me.
Liam turns and calls out in his much deeper voice, “Ben, over here.” Ben looks at us, and trots over to join us. Bailey and I share a rolling-eye look. Ben adores Liam, and when he meets us, he stands right next to him.
“Joseph, we need to give these three access until we have a place for them to stay. They’ll be with me.”
Ok, wait. We didn’t talk about this.
“Liam, we didn’t discuss this,” I tell him. “I mean I don’t know that we need keys or access cards or whatever. I don’t want you to have to—”
He shakes his head at me. “I know, and we will talk about it, but for now, you all need to be able to get in, even if you’re just here for the night, okay?”
“Okay,” I say reluctantly. “Yeah, I guess that’s fine.”
“I don’t want to be here just for the night,” Ben protests, looking back at the waterfall and the sprawling foyer. “If it looks this nice down here, what does it look like in his place?”
Liam chuckles, but Bailey goes beet red. “Ben.”
I just sigh. I want us settled and these two taken care of. And hell, I want to be taken care of myself. I need to be alone with Liam and I’m still mentally adjusting to the change in plans.
We go upstairs on an elevator that looks like it could launch a spaceship. Ben takes in every detail in wide-eyed silence as Liam introduces us to the elevator operator.
“Why do you have someone push buttons for you?” he asks Liam. “I mean, that’s kind of an easy thing to do.”
I open my mouth to stop him, but Liam just rolls with it. “It’s fine, Cora. He’ll have a lot of questions and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Liam says something to him about tradition and service, but I’m not paying attention. There are too many questions in my mind. Too much uncertainty. And my biggest fears of Ben getting attached to Liam are now pronounced, because Liam’s wowing Ben without even trying.
The elevator arrives on his floor, and the operator tips his hat to us. A slim hallway stands between his entrance and the elevator, and it feels like this is sort of monumental. Liam taking me home is a far cry from him taking me to Verge. At Verge, I could at least tell myself that I am his paid submissive for the night or the week or whatever. Here, however… Here it is different.
This is welcoming me into a part of his life he’s never let me see before. This is an intimacy we haven’t yet shared, and I wonder where this will leave us as we move to the latter part of our contract.
Fucking contract.
I don’t pay attention to the opulent details of the hallway as he brings us to the entryway and opens the door.
“Holy crap,” Ben breathes, when we all step foot inside his penthouse. I say nothing, as I take in every detail in stunned silence and Ben’s sort of already voiced my own reaction.
I knew Liam was rich. But this… this is unlike anything I ever imagined.
Past the entryway is a massive living room with floor to ceiling windows, looking out on the brightly lit Manhattan skyline. Shades of lights in blues and blacks and white glitter like gems, the magnificent buildings glow, a real-life work of art. Ivory sofas face each other, modern looking crescent-shaped pieces that somehow manage to look both swanky and comfortable aside a gleaming black baby grand piano. A large fireplace dwarfs one wall to the right, and beyond the fireplace is a spiral staircase that must lead to the upstairs bedrooms. Under the staircase lies a doorway to another bedroom. Liam’s? To the left is the entryway to the kitchen, which I can’t really see because it’s cast in darkness.
I kick my shoes off and silently beckon Bailey and Ben to do the same. They follow suit, still taking in every detail they can. Liam shrugs out of his suit coat and hangs it up in a closet by the door, then takes my hand and pulls me in.
“I’ll give you the tour,” he says, with a smirk. Waving his hand around, he says, “This is it.” I giggle.
“Charming.”
“You guys make yourselves at home. I’ll get us something to eat and call the doctor to check you out. Then we’ll sort sleeping arrangements.” Liam’s on his phone already, taking charge, and hell I love that. Ben and Bailey are already standing by the large windows, so they miss the way he pinches my ass. I feel heat creeping along my neck at the knowledge that I’ll probably share his bed tonight.
It all passes in a blur. I can’t wrap my brain around Liam in the kitchen, heating up a tray of lasagna and serving it with a salad. It looks almost domestic, and it clashes with my mental image of him, but it feels nice. Natural. Homey. And I haven’t had those feelings in quite some time. It feels domestic and comfortable, and we laugh when Ben asks if the glasses we’re drinking out of are made of diamond. Still, I make sure I’m the one loading the dishwasher, and not Ben.
Ben takes one small bedroom at the top of the stairs and Bailey the other, Liam’s doctor visits about an hour after we’ve eaten, and on Liam’s instruction, Manuel brings us all pajamas and toothbrushes and chargers for our phones. When we’re settled, he calls NYPD for an update that he promises he’ll give me later, then tells us all tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep and breakfast, we’ll get more of what we need. He’s thought of everything, it seems, and he seems happy in this role, taking care of us like this. I suppose it makes sense, as he’s a dominant, and I know I’ve talked to Beatrice and Diana about how Zack and Tobias are similar. They enjoy taking charge. They’re happiest when the people they care about are well then care of.
People they care about.
Does that mean Liam cares about us?
And finally, after a surreal whirlwind of getting things situated until Ben and Bailey go to bed… I collapse on the pretty crescent sofa. Liam’s in the kitchen, pouring us each a glass of wine, when he comes to join me.
“Been a long day for you, sweetheart.”
I rest my head on his shoulder and take a long pull from my glass. “It has. God, this wine tastes good.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“What kind is it?”
“Ah, who the hell knows. If I like it, I tell Lila the chef, and she keeps me well stocked.”
It makes sense. He doesn’t have time for such plebeian things like grocery shopping.
He’s lit a fire though it isn’t that cold outside, but it lends an ambiance to the room that I like. I watch the flames flicker on the wall and sip my wine. It isn’t until then, when I’m relaxed and alone with Liam, that I really, truly feel my exhaustion. It suffuses my limbs and my eyes are heavy. Though the past few weeks have been really amazing, I’ve been going full throttle. And it wasn’t until our safety was truly in jeopardy that I felt the weight of what I’ve been carrying.
Liam’s changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, his socked feet stretched out by the fire, crossed at his ankles.
“Happy Friday,” he says. “Not what we planned, but hell if I don’t like having you here with me. This place always feels too big. But tonight, it doesn’t.”
I don’t reply at first, because I’m not really sure what I want to say to him. Instead, I excuse myself to go check on the kids. I hand him my glass and walk up the spiral staircase.
Ben’s already fast asleep, in a pair of navy blue pjs, tucked into a queen-sized bed. God, how I wish this was his reality. How I wish we didn’t have to return to that dilapidated, stinking building with that witch of a landlord. I tuck the blanket around him, and he wakes up, blinking sleepy eyes up at me. “This is like a mansion,” he says with a big yawn. “It’s nice.” Then he’s fast asleep again. A lump rises in my throat, but I swallow it down.
Am I making a mistake? In my attempts to take care of them, bringing them to his place, will I hurt them? I don’t like the idea of them getting any more attached to him than they already are.
Sighing, I make my way to the next room. Ben’s room is a guest room, but Bailey’s is simpler. It’s a small office of sorts, with a comfortable pull-out sofa for her to sleep on. She’s sitting up, reading something on her phone when I walk in.
“Hey,” she says, smiling at me. “Wow, this place is nice, huh?”
“Yeah,” I say. “It’s pretty good.”
“I’m afraid of breaking something, though.”
“Me, too,” I say with a laugh. I look out the door. From here, I can see the very top of the large windows in the living room. “But at least we’re safe now.”
“Yeah,” she says. “Did Liam get in touch with the police?”
“Yeah. He’ll fill us in later. There were no fire alarms or extinguishers like there were supposed to be in the hallway, and I bet we haven’t heard the end of this. They’re likely going to condemn the building. But we’ll see.”
“Oh, wow,” she says. “Where do people… go… and stuff? Will we be able to get our things?”
“I don’t know where people will go, but the city has many shelters, and most people will likely stay with friends or relatives for now. As for our things, yes, we’ll be able to fetch them sometime this weekend, I’m guessing.”
“I didn’t start that fire, Cora,” she says. It isn’t until she states it that I even realize she feared that.
“You didn’t. They’re still investigating, but it was very clearly faulty lines in the stove that caused that fire.” The reality of what could’ve happened hits me in the chest, and my eyes fill with tears. “I’m just so glad you guys are okay,” I tell her, brushing her hair off her forehead gently.
“Me, too,” she whispers. “But are you?”
Am I? God, I have no idea.
“I’m fine, honey,” I lie. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Hmm,” she says, her eyes twinkling. “You get to share a bed with Liam. In his penthouse. And he looks at you like he’s found buried treasure and he’s just opened up the chest.” Bailey laughs. “There are worse things in life.”
I huff out a laugh but don’t reply.
Does he?
“Get some sleep,” I tell her.
She gets a shit-eating grin and wiggles her eyebrows at me. “You too.” I groan and shut the door behind me. When I stand at the top of the stairs, Ben and Bailey safe behind me because of Liam, my emotions stir deep inside me. He’s a good man. God, he’s such a good man. And though I’ve only just begun to get to know him, every time I reveal another layer, I think I love him a little more.
“Cora,” he calls in a playful tone when he sees me at the top of the stairs. “Are you gonna get your ass down here, or what?”
Biting my lip, I nod my head and go to him. When I first met this man, I couldn’t imagine he had a playful side, but the way he calls to me it’s as if he’s beckoning me to come out and play.
I take a look at those huge windows, and for a moment, imagine what we could do in front of them. He sits on the couch, and hell if I don’t love that disheveled look of his.
When his eyes take me in, I don’t even try to hide the fact I’m staring at him, too. The way the fire flickers on his handsome features. His glass is empty, but he still holds it between his fingers, his eyes dancing with firelight. The knowing smirk he gives me tells me he’s mentally undressing me, and hell, I’m okay with that. I agreed to this. And after tonight, I’m eager. But when I reach him, he just puts his wine glass down and reaches for me.
