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He hung up and strolled to the foot of the stairs. I descended, and when I was a step away from him, I stopped. He had a look in his eyes I tried to discern. It was somewhere between content and worried.
“You seem very rich. What do you do for a living?” I asked.
He searched my face, looking from one corner of my eye to the other. He jammed his hands in his pocket and bit his lip. As tiny and natural as the gesture seemed, something at the bottom of my gut quivered.
I exhaled and stepped around him landing on the cold marble floor that spread into his living space. It was beautiful. After I took in the inside of the modern interior, my eyes traveled to the wall of windows that lead out to a patio. There was a pool surrounded by lush green grass and plants blossoming everywhere.
Suddenly there was a clatter to my right, and I turned.
“I’m so sorry for the ruckus,” an older woman apologized. “This cookie sheet was hotter than I thought it would be.”
The smell of fresh baked cookies registered in my brain causing my stomach to growl.
Turning back around I met the simmering blue eyes of Julian who was leaning against the stair railing, arms folded across his chest.
“Are you some politician?” I asked.
“No,” he curtly responded holding my gaze.
A buzzing sound skidded across the floor and before I realized what was happening, my leg swung out and kicked the noise maker towards the wall. It came crashing down in pieces. My entire body instinctively crouched in a fighting position as my eyes darted around looking for more attackers. Adrenaline shot through my veins and my training kicked in. Once my eyes settled on Julian’s his mouth was agape.
It was then I realized that the device I had just smashed into the wall was a robotic vacuum cleaner. I cringed at my rash behavior.
“It’s…it’s okay…it really is. It is just a vacuum cleaner. I can get another one.”
He was trying to be kind, but I knew he had just been as shocked as the elderly lady in the kitchen. She was still frozen and her once friendly eyes were glaring at me like I had just committed a sin. Flustered, I quickly tucked my hair behind my ears and reached down to pick up the pieces, but Julian put his hand on top of mine to stop me.
“It really is okay,” he murmured as he took the broken pieces from my hands then threw them in the trash.
“I am so sorry…” My teeth clenched straining my jaw muscles.
As I looked up, his smile had returned, and his eyes searched mine. For an instant I felt safe for the first time in as long as I could remember. He held my gaze tenderly, and his hands held my wrists gently like they were delicate pieces of fine China.
"Breakfast is ready," the elderly lady cleared her throat, breaking the tension between us.
It was as if my stomach had ears and growled in response.
“Gia, this is my house manager, Juanita Caballero. She takes care of everything inside the house and keeps the outside crew on task.”
I smiled and nodded my head unsure what words would come out if I opened my mouth to speak.
“Well then, shall we?” Julian held out his hand towards the dining room.
Again, I nodded.
The table was perfectly set for two people with enough food to feed a dozen. This woman must have been cooking all night.
“Enjoy,” Juanita said as she disappeared back into the kitchen.
The room fell silent except for the scaping of forks on our plates. Julian had picked up a newspaper and was fully engrossed in it as if I was not even there. He used his other hand to slowly move the fork to his mouth. I took this time to observe the man who had rescued me. His eyes were the color of the open sky, and his hair was jet black. His hair was short on the sides and longer on top with a slight curl that caused his hair to be pushed back on its own. I cocked my head and wondered what it would feel like to run my hands through it. His forehead had a slight crease and my eyes moved down to see his full lips in a slight frown. His lips looked so soft. I wondered if the stubble on his square jaw was always there, or he had just not shaved for the day.
He must have felt my eyes on him because he looked up from the newspaper in my direction. I quickly looked away and felt my cheeks flush. Maybe I could return back to living a normal life with real emotions.
“You live in this huge place alone? No family?” I asked.
He lowered his newspaper and his jaw tightened. His eyes remained on me a few seconds before he continued eating.
“I asked you what your job was earlier…”
