Once Upon A Grump, page 10
Her eyebrows drew together. “The way I’m living isn’t your fault.”
“I didn’t say it was–I…” I clenched my fist tighter around the bottle of cleaning spray. “Do you have debts? I know your first paycheck has come through. I’m sure there are better places you could be staying.”
“Whether I have debts or not isn’t your business, Mr. Stone.”
So we were back to Mr. Stone. Apparently it took a serious state of delirium for her to see me as anything else. “I can pay you the twenty thousand bonus early, if it would help.”
“I don’t want charity. It’s only a few more days, anyway. And this place isn’t so bad. It’s bigger than what I had in Manhattan.”
“It’s also a health hazard,” I snapped. “It’s no wonder you’re sick. Who knows what fumes you’ve been breathing.”
She grinned. “Are you worried about me, Mr. Stone?”
“You’re going to move out of this place as soon as your bonus clears. Do you understand me?”
“Where I live isn’t your decision.”
“Fine.” I stepped outside and pulled out my phone. I made a few calls and then headed back in.
“What was that about? Did you need to step outside to shoot a puppy or two?”
“If you’re going to stubbornly insist on staying here, I’m having the place professionally cleaned. I have a mold and mildew specialist coming to check, carpet cleaners, drywallers who will remove and replace all the walls. A carpenter is going to replace the cabinets and I have a woman who will replace all the fabrics and furniture. And I also ordered you a new filter for your fridge.”
Lola stared. “You’re serious? What if I refuse?”
“I’m going to personally wait here until it’s all done. I don’t care if you refuse.”
She looked like she was trying to decide whether she wanted to throw something at me or shout. But after a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. “You know, if you just didn’t say everything like such an asshole, you could actually be nice.”
“I’m not good with people.”
Lola laughed. “Believe it or not, I discovered that about you pretty quickly.”
“It would make me feel better if you let these people clean up your apartment, okay? I have connections with all of these businesses, so the cost is trivial. It was really only a matter of having one of my assistants make some calls. You’re not in my debt or anything like that.”
She gave a half smile. “That was almost good. Thank you, Christian.”
I cleared my throat. Did I stop being Mr. Stone to her when I was acting more like a normal human? I felt a dangerous little thrum of excitement at the change in her–a sense that I liked being Christian to her and not Mr. Stone. But I also felt an equal share of fear when I realized how close that excitement had me to going down the same path as Hector.
“It has been four hours. You can take more medicine,” I said suddenly, moving to the counter where the plastic bags full of medicine boxes still sat.
“You’re a very attentive caretaker,” Lola noted as I handed her the pills and watched her chase them with a mouthful of neon blue sports drink. “If I didn’t know you as well as I do, I’d be worried you actually cared about me.”
I thought about responding but decided that was a dangerous topic. I picked up the thermometer and aimed it between her eyes, waiting for it to beep with her temperature. “You’re down to a hundred. That’s better than this morning.”
Lola nodded, taking another sip of her drink. “I’m just glad I haven’t thrown up again.” She fiddled with the cap on her drink, eyebrows knitting together before she looked back up at me. “Aren’t they going to miss you at the tower? You’ve been here hours. I thought you didn’t even leave, let alone stay out all day.”
“I don’t typically leave,” I admitted. “But you have a way of making me behave in all sorts of ways I don’t normally behave.”
She smiled. “I can’t decide if that’s a compliment or a complaint.”
“It’s both.”
“Well, thank you and deal with it, then.”
I grinned.
Lola smiled too, but she leaned back and rested her head against the back of the couch, eyes closing. “God. I’m so tired.”
“Then rest. I’ll keep cleaning until my people get here. Do you want to go to your bed, or would you rather stay on the couch?”
“The bed sounds nice, but I also don’t feel like crawling on all fours to my room. This will be fine.”
“Is that the bedroom?” I asked, nodding toward a door behind the couch.
“Yeah, why?”
I bent to scoop Lola up from the couch. I was surprised by how light she felt in my arms, even as she wiggled and weakly tried to shake me free. “Hey,” she said. “I didn’t ask to be delivered.”
“Too bad,” I said. I carried her across the room, enjoying the moment she stopped struggling and simply went limp in my arms. Her skin felt far too hot, and I wished the damn medicine would work better. I leaned to set her on the bed as carefully as I could and nearly tipped over when she didn’t let go. She’d wrapped her arms around my neck as we walked, and she tugged my head down as I set her on the bed. She looked like she was already asleep.
I carefully unthreaded her hands from behind my neck and set them beside her on the bed. She felt too hot to need blankets, but she clutched her kid’s blanket tighter around herself and curled up like she was cold, so I pulled the comforter over her and found a few spare blankets to set beside her in case she woke up and needed more.
I thought about going back to clean more and decided I should keep an eye on her. I took a seat in a loveseat couch by the window and leaned back. Within minutes, I felt more tired than I’d felt in weeks. I thought if I closed my eyes, I’d almost certainly fall to sleep–to real sleep, the kind of sleep that didn’t come in spurts of thirty minutes at a time and leave me feeling more groggy and cranky than when I’d laid down.
I don’t know how long I sat there with my eyes open, but at some point they drifted closed to the sounds of Lola’s steady breathing and the hum of her ceiling fan.
19
LOLA
I rolled over in my bed and groaned. I winced and rubbed at my throat, which felt like it had been dusted with hairspray. My head felt like it was stuffed with wet wool, and I was pretty sure I could’ve gone right back to sleep. Instead, I looked for Termite. God only knew how long it’d been since she was outside. I probably had a few nasty surprises waiting for me around the apartment.
I eased myself up on the bed and my bleary eyes shot wide open when I saw a massive, sleeping man sitting by the window in my bedroom. His arms were crossed over his lean stomach as he took deep breaths with his head rolled to the side.
Termite perked up at my movement, putting her snout right in my face. I scratched her distractedly, then met her eyes and mouthed “what the fuck?”. Termite licked my nose and then started doing a little tap dance at the edge of the bed. She definitely needed to pee.
I dragged myself off the bed and scooped her up under my arm, grimacing and pinching the bridge of my nose as the headache pulsed with every movement. I took one more confused look at Mr. Stone sleeping in my freaking bedroom before I headed to the front door with Termite. I slid on my slippers and shuffled down the stairs and to the closest patch of grass where Termite let out a legendary amount of pee. She immediately squatted to poop right after.
“Did you hold that all day, girlie?” I asked.
She followed me back up the stairs, sticking protectively close to my feet as we walked. I went back inside the apartment, halfway expecting to find that I’d hallucinated Mr. Stone sleeping in my room.
My memories of yesterday were a little hazy, but I definitely seemed to remember him taking care of me. Weird. Being taken care of by Mr. Stone felt suspicious–almost like a creepy old lady in the woods suddenly force feeding you sweets and calories while she pre-heated a suspiciously large oven.
But maybe it wasn’t so weird. I mean, he did need me, right? From the sounds of it, Max had been a nightmare to every tutor before me. He probably just wanted to make sure I didn’t die so he wouldn’t need to worry about finding a replacement. But why the hell was he sleeping in my room? Wouldn’t he be missed at work?
I tiptoed through the living room and stuck my head in the bedroom.
Yep. Mr. Stone in all his unfair hotness was definitely not a hallucination. But I should make sure. After all, I could still be hallucinating.
I inched into the room on my tiptoes. I leaned close to his face, taking in the details. There was a faint diagonal scar that started from his forehead, brushed the bridge of his nose, and finished at the corner of his mouth. I’d never noticed it before, but it was so thin and faint I wasn’t exactly surprised.
He smelled very good. Did hallucinations have a scent?
I nearly walked away but figured I should really make sure this wasn’t in my head. I slowly extended a finger toward his chest and pressed against his shirt. The fabric was thin and I could clearly feel warm, hard muscle beneath. I was staring in awe at my finger when I heard a sharp intake of breath. I lifted my eyes and was met with two startlingly blue eyes staring back at me.
Mr. Stone didn’t move for a heartbeat or two, then he jumped hard enough to scoot the chair back as he let out a small, strangled yell. “–the fuck?” he muttered.
I scurried back, only realizing after the fact how terrifying I probably looked. I hadn’t showered in over twenty-four hours. I hadn’t touched my hair in longer. My eyes felt crusty and thick, and my nose was so stuffed that I was permanently mouth breathing. Mr. Stone probably thought he just woke to an image from his nightmares.
“S-sorry,” I stammered. I lifted a pillow, as if I could hide behind it. Termite was standing guard with a stiff tail at my side, ready to defend me.
“Did you just poke my nipple?” Mr. Stone was clearly still trying to wake up. He was looking down at his immaculate chest with confusion.
“Uh,” I said. “I was just trying to figure out if I was seeing things. I don’t feel…” I swayed on my feet, sticking my hand out to brace myself against the bed.
Mr. Stone rushed towards me, ignoring Termite who took a mouthful of his pant leg and started shaking her head like a pint-sized guard dog. He put both hands on my shoulders and gently guided me to sit and then lay down on the bed. He helped me scoot back until my head was on the pillow. “Have you taken any medicine this morning?”
“Medicine? I just let Termite go to the bathroom and then I touched your nipple,” I muttered.
I was definitely hallucinating, because I saw Mr. Stone flash straight white teeth in something that looked suspiciously like a smile. “Maybe you should stay away from my nipples until you’re feeling better, okay?”
“Okay,” I sighed, pulling the covers up to my chin. “Is it hot in here?”
“No.” He touched my forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re fevered. Wait here and I’ll go get you some medicine and fluids.”
“Fluids? When I touched your nipple I already made some.” I frowned and Mr. Stone paused in the doorway. I thought I heard a soft chuckle, then he headed out toward the kitchen.
I looked to Termite. “Please tell me I didn’t say that.”
Termite cuddled up against my neck.
I decided to close my eyes for just a moment. Maybe I should try to sleep. I couldn’t keep saying weird, inappropriate things if I was asleep, right?
20
CHRISTIAN
Lola was already sleeping when I got back with the medicine and her drink. I considered waking her, but I checked her temperature and it wasn’t dangerously high. I figured she was better off resting than being woken, so I took my spot in the chair beside her bed again and pulled out my phone.
I hadn’t ignored work like this in ages. I had a few emails and a missed call, but after a couple minutes I was surprised to find I’d mostly undone the damage of my disappearance. Max was old enough that she didn’t need me to make her dinner or put her to bed, but I did have a text from her asking if I was dead, because nobody in the tower had seen me all day.
I felt shitty about that. If I was going to pretend to be a better caregiver for her than Lance’s girlfriend, I needed to at least be there for her. But I’d been planning to head home late last night and check in with her. I hadn’t slept like that in months, so the last thing I expected was to pass out in Lola’s room and be gone all night.
I stretched a little in the chair, taking stock of how I felt. The headache that I’d begun to think was permanent wasn’t there. My brain felt remarkably clear, and my thoughts seemed like they weren’t being dragged through molasses. I’d forgotten how fucking good it felt to be well rested. Hell, I barely even felt like yelling at employees.
I looked towards Lola who was curled up in a ball under her blankets with her ridiculous, little dog tucked under her chin. Her hair was even more wild than yesterday. The hair-tie had broken free at some point and her blonde hair was matted with sweat and knots as it spilled in every direction. Most of her makeup had rubbed off and she was wearing the same oversized t-shirt under that blanket. I noticed last night that she couldn’t have been wearing pants beneath it, but I’d tried to be halfway decent and avoid looking too closely.
I noticed her lips were moving. I set my phone down and leaned a little closer, then found myself out of the chair and moving closer to her bed. She was talking in her sleep.
“Oh,” she groaned. “Let me touch it again, Stones.”
I grinned. Was she dreaming about me?
“Nipple…” she breathed. “So hard. Muscle nipples. So strong.”
I covered my mouth and tried not to laugh out loud. I imagined how mortified she’d be if she ever knew what I’d just heard and it only made me want to laugh more. I went back to my chair and tried to focus on the few emails I needed to reply to. Occasionally, she’d mutter something ridiculous and make me laugh.
A few hours later, the first of the people I’d called in began to arrive. I asked everyone to consider her bedroom off limits so she could rest and I stuffed a pillow under the door to dampen the noise of the cleaners and carpenters working in her living room. Maybe I should’ve had the work wait until she was better, but I had no idea what sort of toxic shit was in this apartment. It could’ve very well been the reason she was sick, and I didn’t want to take the chance of letting her breathe this any longer than she had to.
I knew she was close with two of the women at the office, so I had my secretary send for them as well. Cassie was an impressively muscular woman with short-cut blonde hair and an easy smile. Her other friend, Paisley, was red haired, pretty, and usually clad in some sort of girlish outfit. I’d unfortunately become quite familiar with the two because when I checked on Lola through the cameras, they were typically not far away.
Both women arrived at the same time and seemed afraid to look me in the eye. I was aware that I hadn’t showered and was still wearing a now-wrinkled white dress shirt and gray slacks from yesterday. I’d taken my tie off, rolled up my sleeves, and undone a few buttons last night. I knew my employees were used to seeing me in a full suit and tie, so they were probably uncomfortable.
“Thanks for coming,” I said.
They made small, unintelligible noises without lifting their eyes to meet mine. Behind me, a drywaller was removing entire panels of drywall to reveal the studs beneath. The carpenter was following behind him to check the wooden studs for signs of rot or mold between installing the cabinets he’d custom-built yesterday. They were trying their best to keep the noise to a minimum at my request, but it was still noisy. The designer was on a video call with her assistant while she walked around the apartment, pointing her camera at certain areas and brainstorming ideas.
“What is all this?” Cassie asked.
“I’m just having some work done. My assistant shouldn’t live in filth.”
Cassie’s eyebrows shot up. “You know, my apartment has this nasty smell in the bathroom. I think it could be mold. Technically, I’m your assistant, so…”
Paisley elbowed her in the side. Cassie shot her a look, then glared back up at me.
“Do all your assistants get this treatment, or just… certain ones?”
I set my jaw. I could see how this looked. “Get it fixed,” I said. “Send me the bill.”
“Seriously?” Cassie asked.
I nodded. “Do you need anything, Paisley?”
“You know my name?” she asked, finally looking up.
“I know the names of all my employees.”
“Um,” she said. “I mean, my car has been having this–”
“Just send me the bills. I’ll have it taken care of. But I need you two to stay here and keep an eye on Lola for me while I run to the tower. I need to handle a few things in person, but I don’t want Lola on her own while she’s unwell.”
They shared another look.
“She’s been running a fever. If it gets over a hundred and two, make sure she takes the pills by her bedside. She needs to keep drinking, but don’t wake her if she’s resting. And make sure to let that animal of hers out to relieve itself occasionally.”
Paisley grinned. “It’s called a dog.”
“Can you two handle this?”
“Am I going to get in trouble with Griff for not finishing the report he asked for this morning?” Cassie asked.
“I’ll speak to him. Until I return, this is the only work I want you to think about.”
I left the two women with Lola while I headed to the tower. I could remotely handle most of my tasks, but I needed to check on Max. I’d sent a few texts and hadn’t heard back from her and was beginning to worry she’d done something stupid.
