Chapter Four
She was angry at him. He wasn't a needy mechanic so she didn't owe him anything. She wouldn't go out with him. She kept fidgeting around till 7 o'clock in the evening. The doorbell rang and she didn't know where to hide as she chopped vegetables for dinner. Scarlett opened the door and greeted a dashing Jayson, leading him inside, to where Karen was, chopping vegetables. He just stood and stared at Karen, speechless.
"Let's go?" He asked with surprise at seeing her behind the kitchen counter when she should have been ready for their date. Yes, it was meant as a date and he had taken out time for it. In fact, he cut short an important meeting and escaped the client just for Karen and here she was chopping tomatoes in a pair of shorts and tank top.
"I'm not going, I'm busy," she said, not looking up. Scarlett excused herself and escaped upstairs.
"What do you mean, you're busy?" He said, coming closer.
"I c can't go," she stammered as he kept coming closer. It was clear from his formal crisp white dress shirt and black slacks that he had come directly from work.
He took everything from her hands and kept them on the counter. Then he picked her up on his shoulder and started walking towards the door.
"Hey, where are you taking me?" She yelled as he walked out of the door outside to his Mercedes. Aunt Chloe had gone to the neighbour's house to catch up on the town's gossip while uncle Phil hadn't returned from his evening walk.
He placed her on the passenger seat and fixed her seat belt, staring into her eyes silently, daring her to disobey him. Going around he climbed in and started the car.
"This is wrong. You're not a needy mechanic, I don't owe you anything. So no outing," she said, irritated at being man handled.
"It's not an outing, it's a date, " he said and she looked at him with an open mouthed expression at his statement.
"I'm not a mechanic, but I sure am needy," he said, glancing her way as he manoeuvred the car efficiently.
"What needy? I didn't ask for your help. Ok, only once. So I don't owe you anything, " she said as she checked outside where they were heading to. It was an unknown place and she was scared. Was he kidnapping her? Why would he? He was loaded. He didn't need ransom money.
Relegating all her wayward thoughts to the back of her mind, she tried to focus on how to escape. "Stop the car right now. I don't want to go anywhere with you," she said trying to open the car door but it was locked.
"You have agreed to go out with me as a favour for fixing your car," he said patiently.
"Ok, but I'm not appropriately dressed," she said, looking at her denim shorts and top.
"It doesn't matter," he said, shrugging his shoulders as he turned towards a huge white iron gate and went inside a huge, sprawling property. Driving down the path, he stopped in front of a magnificent and beautiful mansion..
"Where are we?" She asked, looking around at the place in awe.
"My home," he said quietly and she turned and looked at him. He looked so tired. He might have had a hectic day yet he took out time for what maybe he thought was a date.
She just got down and followed him inside his house. Floor-to-ceiling windows blurred the boundaries between inside and out, with the beautifully lighted yard and fountain views of the outside becoming part of the house. Karen had never seen such contrasting textures of limestone, metal, copper, and Brazilian hardwood come together to create a zen ambiance, with surfaces illuminating at night.
He led her to a U-shaped lounger sofa with beige velvet upholstery and light grassy green velvet cushions, looking so comfortable and inviting.
She sat down and looked towards him as he asked,"Beer or wine?"
"Beer," she answered and he got two cans of chilled beer and sat down beside her, almost too close.
"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, looking around.
"I don't want to be the talk of the town. If we went to any other place, we would be hounded by the local reporters. Do you want that?" He asked, sighing.
"No," She said. He was the highest paid lawyer in the whole of Texas. That meant he was the best at his job. Maybe that's why he was so famous.
"So won't you introduce me to your family?" She asked looking around to see if anyone else came out to greet them.
"They don't live here with me," he said, finishing his drink.
"You live in this huge place all alone? Don't you get bored?" She asked and he chuckled.
"Yeah, so I need you to join me for dinner. See, am I not needy?" He asked, lowering his head and looking into her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess you are, " she agreed. If she had to live here all alone, she would have died of loneliness. Maybe Jayson was lonely, that's why he immersed himself in work. "Why don't you live with your family?" She asked curiously.
"It's a long story for another day. Tell me about you," he asked, looking at her all the time. She could feel him close to her, his gaze upon her, so she didn't even dare turn her head to look at him.
"I'm not at all interesting. I live in Austin in a two-bedroom rented apartment. I used to work as a personal assistant at Farrell Corps. I don't have anything to do so I came here to help Scarlett with her wedding," she said, thinking about what she would do once the wedding was over and she had to return.
"Why did you leave your job?" He asked curiously.
"The new CEO sexually harassed me. He clearly told me that to keep my job I had to please him," she said, looking at her hands.
Jayson clenched his hands into fists. "Why didn't you sue the as*hole?" He asked her.
"I don't wish to cross his path. He can stoop to any level," she explained and Jayson sighed.
"So, did you apply elsewhere?" He asked curiously.
"Yeah, but no luck so far," she said.
"Why don't you join my law firm as my personal assistant?" He asked and she stared at him with her jaw dropped.
