Page 20 of BillionHeir

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Chloe

“You want to go out, for the first time, in this weather?”

Max turns away from the table where we just finished lunch and looks out the window of the living room to the absolute deluge of rain that is pouring down, then shrugs. “Why not?”

“For one thing, you could slip and reinjure yourself, and I don’t fancy going to the emergency room when you fall,” I answer, ignoring his sarcasm.

He winces unconsciously at the thought but doesn’t let up.

“With an expert nurse like you at my side, I am sure I will be just fine.”

“It is really coming down out there, and if the weather report is to be believed, it is going to get much worse.”

“How bad can it get?”

As if on cue, a loud boom of thunder shakes the entire house. I raise my eyebrows at him.

“Okay, fine. What if we go for a swim instead?” I look out at the pool which is nearly overflowing with all the water that it is receiving right now. “The indoor pool. Downstairs,” he clarifies.

“Even though I am sure we are safe from the lightning down there, I still don’t feel comfortable swimming during a thunderstorm.”

“What about the game room?” he asks as if he is only just remembering the room himself. This house is so big that I wouldn’t be surprised.

“I suppose some games would be alright as long as we don’t get too rough.”

“I can’t make any promises,” Max says brazenly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

If only he knew just how willing I would be to get a little rough with him.

* * *

“Ha!” I shout at the top of my lungs, my breathing labored and sweat beading on my forehead. “I got you! ”

“Damn!” Maxwell shouts as the puck clinks into his goal, just as invested in the game of air hockey as I am.

We have been upstairs in the game room for the last four hours, and the time has simply flown by.

When he mentioned his game room, I imagined gaming consoles and big screen televisions.

It never crossed my mind that he would have a full-blown personal arcade.

There is basically every game you could imagine, including air hockey, skee ball, ping pong, foosball, darts, shuffleboard, you name it.

Not to mention the rows of retro pinball machines and arcade cabinets with classic video games like Tetris, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders.

I never took Max for such a playful man, but he clearly has a passion for these games.

The only break we have taken so far was when Max went down to the kitchen to get us some water. It was odd how insistent he was, quickly stopping me when I offered to go instead. I assume it is just him wanting to do things on his own again now that his body is recovering.

I grab one of the bottles he brought back for us and take a long drink of the cold water as he does the same.

“Another game?” I ask once I am done drinking.

“I have another idea actually,” Maxwell says.

“What is that?”

“I would like to take you on a date. If you will have me, that is. ”

“A date?” I ask somewhat breathlessly, taken totally off guard.

“A date, but only if that is what you want,” he says, looking nervous as he waits for my answer.

I take a second to consider if this is, in fact, something that I want. There is no doubt this has every chance of going sideways with one or both of us ending up hurt. But there is something there between us that neither one of us can deny.

And I am tired of fighting my feelings.

“Okay,” I say, straightening my shoulders in confidence.

“Okay?” he asks as though not quite believing it himself.

I smile at the worried look on his face and meet his eyes, nodding. “But I am not sure I am ready.” I look down at the leggings and fitted T-shirt I chose this morning as I imagine what state my hair is in after our afternoon together.

“Right,” he says. “Let’s meet at the top of the stairs in . . .” he looks down at the watch on his muscular arm. “Thirty minutes. Is that enough time?”

“That is perfect.”

We leave the game room and head to our respective bedrooms where I find a gorgeous black mid-length dress laid out on my bed.

It looks exactly like something I would choose myself which delights me to no end.

I assume it is from Max. I don’t know how he did it, but he really has thought of everything .

I don’t have time to linger on his thoughtfulness though.

Time is of the essence! I dash into the bathroom and turn on the shower, smiling as the steam from the hot water starts to fill the room.

I quickly undress and tie my hair up into a bun on the top of my head.

I won’t have time to wash and style my hair, but I can still wash off the sweat from our little competition earlier.

I smile to myself as I step into the cascade of water. I saw a side of Maxwell Banks that I am quite sure only few have seen before. He was fun and energetic. His mood was contagious. I can’t remember the last time I had such a great time with someone. Being with him is just easy.

I am still thinking about him as I get out of the shower and dry off. As I do my makeup, I replay every moment we spent together, trying to figure out if it was just my imagination or if our chemistry really is as far off the charts as it feels in the moment.

I put on a matching black bra and panties and slip into the dress. It fits me perfectly. By the time I look in the mirror, pleased with how well I have put myself together, I am convinced that it really is just that good between us. I would be a fool not to see this night through.

I pick up my phone off the nightstand to check if I have any messages and find a notification from my bank.

Concerned, I open the app and type in my password.

My account balance looks more like a phone number.

Five. Million. Dollars. My eyes widen as I realize that our agreed upon payment date passed just a few days ago.

I can’t believe I made it this long, or that the date passed me by with so little fanfare.

When I started this whole situation, I was practically counting down the days until I got paid.

I will keep working for as long as he needs me, but I suspect this job will be coming to an end soon.

But tonight is not the night to dwell on that.

Tonight, I have a date. With a man who no longer owes me a lifetime of money. With that out of the way, maybe we could actually give whatever this is between us a chance.

I find him at the top of the stairs, just where he said he would be, looking down at his phone. I clear my throat, and he looks up at me, instantly sliding his phone into his pocket with whatever he was doing totally forgotten.

“Wow,” he says, his voice taking on a sexy, husky quality as his eyes take me in. I giggle a little before doing a little twirl so that he can look his fill. When I am all the way back around, our eyes meet, and he pins me with a look so smoldering I could swear I start to feel myself get warmer.

He clears his throat before speaking again as he holds out his hand for me. “Ready?”

“As I will ever be,” I answer before taking his hand in my own.

He leads me down the stairs and around the corner where I let out a gasp of surprise when I see that the dining room has been totally transformed.

The table has been moved out of the room and replaced with a large mattress on the floor piled high with pillows and blankets.

There is a mahogany tray for us to sit with our food and drinks in front of the window overlooking the angry ocean outside.

The buffet table along the wall is filled with an extravagant charcuterie selection: a variety of meats and cheeses, different types of breads and nuts, all kinds of fruits, and even a small chocolate fountain.

There are LED tealight candles on every surface giving us enough light to see without distracting from the main event: the raging storm outside.

“It is like a scene from a movie,” I say as I cross the room to look out the window.

The storm is still as strong as it was this morning, maybe stronger. The trees in the backyard bend under the pressure of the driving wind and rain but somehow hold steadfast in the ground. The oversized waves savagely punish the shore, crashing into the sand over and over again.

“I love watching storms here. This is one of my favorite places to be when it rains,” Maxwell says from just behind me, surprising me with his closeness.

I take in the room once more. “This is all so lovely.” I pause for a moment, feeling a little shy with this man who I spent all afternoon playing old school video games with. “Thank you.”

Our eyes catch and a hungry look passes between us. It has nothing to do with the food. Maxwell breaks the spell by clearing his throat, smoothing his shirt as he collects himself. I look down and struggle to get myself under control as well.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, gesturing to the food. “This is my personally curated spread. It has anything you could want.”

“It is amazing!” I exclaim as I move to examine the table's contents in depth. “This is honestly my favorite kind of meal. Everything looks so delicious, and this way I can have a little bit of everything.”

A loud ‘pop’ startles me as Maxwell uncorks a bottle of wine, carefully pouring us each a glass. The therapy for his arm is going so well that he is not going to need me too much longer.

Rather than wondering what I am going to do when I no longer have a job, I push those thoughts to the back of my mind. Tonight, I am just going to focus on the present. After the day we have had together, I don’t want to think about anything that might bring my mood down.

Maxwell offers me the glass and I happily take it. He lifts his own glass into the air as his eyes lock with mine.

“To new beginnings.”

“Cheers,” I say, our eyes holding contact as we sip the deep red wine. The dry taste of cherry and spice dances across my tongue, and I instantly recognize it as a cabernet sauvignon, one of my favorites. “It is delicious.”