Chapter 30: Chapter: 30

ANDREA

The next morning, we left Australia with fond memories. The drive from the private airport where Nicklaus jet had landed to Nico-Tech was short, but felt like forever to me.

I was exhausted and jet-lagged. I needed sleep and a few days' rest. My plans were to take a cab to my apartment, curl up inside my blankets and spend the next few days there.

But Nick had insisted they would drop me off at my apartment, but first, he needed to grab something from his office.

I'd leaned my head on the headrest. My eyes had fluttered down with exhaustion, and somehow I'd drifted off again, when I'd next heard movements and had opened my eyes.

I was wrapped up in warm strong arms, carried like a baby by none other than Nicklaus and we were in the elevator with Logan.

My heart lurch in my throat despite my exhaustion. “Nick? Wh—what are you doing?” I mumbled, trying to scramble down on my feet, but he held me tight.

“Put me down, I can walk.”

“Go back to sleep, Andrea, it's late, you can go to your place tomorrow,” he ordered briskly.

“Why didn't you wake me?” I whispered, yawning. My voice was heaving with sleep.

“Because I can see how exhausted you are. As I said, sleep, you can go back to your apartment in the morning.”

“But…”

“No buts, be a good girl and do as you're told,” he ordered. I snickered and was about to say something.

When he arched that brow in that intimidating way, I instantly shut my mouth.

I don't know why I'm fighting this. I should be happy I'm getting closer to getting my mission done.

Besides, I was too sleepy to get into an argument with him. He was warm, and it felt nice to be in his arms, and I was just so exhausted.

I relaxed and went back to sleep. I slept for a long time. When I woke up the next day, it was past five in the evening on a Saturday.

I was fully rested, so I took a long soak in the ensuite bathroom of the room I had woken up in. Then select a pink blouse and jeans from the clothes Nick had bought me.

All of which had been brought up from the car along with my bag, which contained my things, including my phone and passport.

I vaguely remember Nick carrying me in his arms. After I finished dressing, I glanced at all the clothes Nick had bought me on this journey.

Sadly, I can't take any of them. I can't believe he bought me expensive designer clothes. I put my little things inside my purse and leave the rest in the room.

My jaw dropped open when I saw the beautiful interior of Nick's place. The penthouse atop Nicotech. It was a two-storey penthouse with a curved staircase. A baby grand piano was at the back of the stairs, close to the floor-to-ceiling wall.

The room I had slept in was on the first floor. Close to the luxuriously furnished living room with its crystal chandelier, there's a twelve-seat dining table with an array of covered dishes.

The delicious smell of steak wafting through the place was coming from the kitchen. The place was tastefully decorated; every piece of furniture screamed wealth.

“Andrea, you're awake,” Nicklaus drawled behind me.

I turned sharply toward where he was standing in his huge open-plan kitchen. Nicklaus was dressed in jeans and a V-neck white cotton shirt that stretched over his broad chest and shoulders deliciously; the jeans emphasized his strong legs and thighs.

And when he turned to carry something, I saw the jeans molded to his phenomenal ass. The drink, which I soon realized was what he'd taken, was an amber liquid in a glass, probably his favorite drink, scotch.

My mouth dried up, something twisted deep in my belly, and I felt moisture in a place drier than the desert that hadn't seen rain in forever, except for the other times a certain dark, cold, and hard man had miraculously made it wet. I shiver recalling the kiss two days ago.

This was the first time I ever saw him in casual clothes. He looked so handsome, so hot. I've heard Beth say there's nothing sexier than a hot man in the kitchen.

Now I'm a believer.

Nick gave the word "sexy" a new meaning, with the tattoos on his biceps peeking. His tousled bedroom hair. And those eyes. I internally fan myself.

“Yes, sir, I'm just about to leave. Thank you so much for taking care of me. I'm sorry if I was a nuisance to you,” I reply honestly, thankful and a little shy, trying not to ogle him.

“You're welcome, and no, you weren't a bother. Come sit and have dinner with me.” He said, walking towards me, he placed his hand on my lower back and guided me until we stopped near the dinner table. He pulled out a chair for me.

I sat down and watched as he pulled a chair and sat on the opposite side of the table. I could have refused and gotten home, but that would have negated the reason I was suddenly in his life. And I would be lying if I said I didn't want to spend more time with him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Restored, although I can't say I'm a hundred percent.” He nodded and opened the platters of food. It was steak with roasted potatoes, salad, and garlic bread.

There's also a bottle of red wine, and there's dessert, strawberry cake, my favorite.

“It's expected, you had traveled across the world, and hadn't gotten any rest. It would take a few days before you'd be back to normal.”

Nick pours wine into my glass, then we begin to eat. I cut off a chunk of steak and put it into my mouth; my ears twitched. It tastes delicious!

“Hmm, you cook this yourself?” His eyes darken, that arrogant brow arched, as if to say, "You see anything here?"

“You're good.”

“Thank you.”

“But you are okay, you didn't get much rest. At least I had slept on the plane both times, but you hadn't.” I argued, picking up on our earlier discussion, after I had finished chewing the meat and veggies in my mouth and was about to take a drink of the wine.

“I'm used to it, I travel all the time, within and outside the state and my body has been fully conditioned.” He flashes me a dark grin as he cuts through his steak.

My heart skipped a bit. We chatted while we ate, just mundane stuff, about my life, what I thought of Australia, etc. When we finally finished our dinner, Nick placed a slice of the strawberry cake on each of the two plates and passed me one.

I took a bite of the cake with the little fork and instantly moaned, then regretted it. When Nick's dark eyes hooded, he looked at me hungrily, like he wanted to spread me on the dinner table and feast on me. I gulped and licked my lips.

“Have you always wanted to be in the technology industry?” I asked, trying to delay whatever Nick had in store for me.

He sits back in his chair, leisurely swirling the wine in his glass, his eyes glinting like he knew what I was doing. He took a drink of his wine before he answered.

“Not really, I wanted to be a doctor. Went to medical school, then quit it, in my second year, when I decided medicine wasn't for me.”

My eyes widened. I really didn't expect him to actually answer. But he did, though it was vague. I was going to fire him with another question when he asked.

“What about you, have you always wanted to be a secretary or PA? I'm sure when you were a child, you probably wanted to be an actress or a singer.”

My stomach cramped badly. I laugh all of a sudden to cover up my nervousness. Nicklaus' eyes glinted with amusement. He looked through me like he could tell I was full of bullshit. And wasn't who I was when I'm with him. But there was no way he could know that. I decided to give him a half-truth.

“Not exactly, but close enough.” His mouth quirked slightly.

“How so? Tell me.” I took another bite of my cake, which now felt like sawdust in my mouth.

“If I told you, you'd laugh at me.” His eyes brighten with interest.

“I promise you that I won't.”

I scoop up the last bite of my cake and eat it, chewing slowly. Delaying my answer, our eyes locked together, his elbow placed on the table on either side of his barely eaten cake.

“I was in third grade when my teacher, Ms. Maggie Donnelly, asked each of her students in my class to come out to the front of the class and tell her what we wanted to be in the future in preparation for career day.

You see, I had always enjoyed watching Miss Donna, our next-door neighbor, dance in her room. Through our window every evening before she leaves for her place of work. I thought she danced beautifully, and had always mimicked her dancing whenever I was alone.” I paused to see if he was listening.

Nick was watching me intently, waiting to hear the end of the story.

“I had already learned what Miss Donna's job was then; what I didn't know was what it actually meant. So when Mrs. Maggie asked me to come to the front of the class, it was my turn. I happily announce to the whole class that I'm going to be a stripper.” I ended with choked laughter, still remembering the day.

"You what?" Nick boom, true to his words, he didn't laugh, but he grinned until his straight white teeth showed, his dark eyes alight with amusement.

My breath hitched with that deadly smile. I did that. I made him smile, a real, honest-to-God smile. Not that flirting grin, or his dark sexual grin. No, this was his unguarded smile that only a few were blessed with.

“How old were you then?” he murmured.

“I was seven.” I tucked my hair behind my ear, blushing.

“What was your teacher's reaction?” I laugh. Remembering Miss Maggie's shocked face.

“There are really no words to describe the look on her face. Let's just say she was shocked.” I played with the fork in my hand, for lack of anything to do.

Nick stretched his long hand and took mine, his face relaxed from the mirth of my childhood days. I like seeing him like this. Less guarded. Like this, he looks touchable, human.

“I take it, she called your parents.” He was making small circles in the center of my palm, which I could almost swear was a direct line to my clit. I squirm, tightening my thighs.

“She did. My Mom and Dad were mortified and took the blame for everything. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the shock on my parents' faces after they came out of Mrs Maggie's office. But when we got home, my Dad actually thought it was funny; he was cool like that.”

I couldn't almost see my dad in my mind’s eye, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

“My parents didn't scold me. They sat me down and explained to me, in baby terms, why that job wasn't for me. Up until I left Parkville, Mrs Donnelly looked at me the same way she had years ago.”

"She must be such a fun person to be around," Nick murmured, voice deep and low. He was making me go crazy with the back-and-forth. His finger has now left my palm and ascended to my wrist.

My heart was pounding like crazy. His eyes were so dark and hooded that I knew the time was now. Nick's no longer waiting. I needed a distraction fast until I could get control of my racing heart. I'm not ready, I really wasn't.

My eyes fell on the baby grand. Perfect! I snatched my hand and got up, going to the piano.

“Do you play?” I run my hands over the sleek, expensive piano, trying to make up for the awkward moment.

Then I glanced over my shoulder at him when he didn't answer. Nick has also left the dining table and was coming towards me, his step confident and sure.

“Almost never, used to a lot. But I don't have the time to play music.”

“Will you play for me sometime? Please.” I didn't know what made me say that. Who am I to ask that he play music for me?

“Sure, Andrea.” He was so close, his hot breath had raised goosebumps on my nape and the rest of my body. It seems my time on the countdown clock has zeroed out.