Page 8 of Quarantined with the Billionaire

Chapter Three

A large lawn already turning green, showing signs of life with spring just starting, was adorned with massive trees that would look lovely covered with leaves. The massive area in front of the house seemed too big to be called a yard, but that was what it was. Bordered by a wrought-iron fence with large brick posts at the corner, the yard was decorated with various plants starting to come to life. The house itself took my breath away. As the car made its way down the drive, I examined the home made of pale brown brick. At first glance, it appeared to be two-story, but I could see there was a basement and possibly an attic.

I’d never been in a house this large, so I wondered what the hell anyone would need that much space for. I’d been inside museums that were smaller.

What did this say about the mysterious Maddox Steel? I was about to find out.

The driver pulled the car around to the back of the house, parking next to a garage. The drive circled back out around the house but, as we got out of the car, I took in the yard itself. There were trees everywhere and, in the corner opposite the garage, what looked like half a basketball court. Lining the higher fence in the back were shrubs and flowerbeds that I had no doubt would make this homestead an oasis in the summer. As we approached the house itself, I saw a door over on the far end but we walked up a stone path toward another. To the side, up against the larger end of the house was a pool, covered at the moment, next to an array of outdoor furniture and more lawn and plants. Trying to keep a sober look on my face, I wondered how badly I was failing, because I didn’t want my slack jaw and wide eyes to be a turnoff to the driver—or Mr. Steel.

The entrance to the back wasn’t just a door. It was a huge entrance—small hand-size squares of glass surrounded by wood all came together to create a door, but the little windows that made up one big window matched the windows next to it in the wall, almost creating the illusion of not being a door at all. The knob and number pad gave the door away. From inside, the view of the yard in the summer would be spectacular—and that thought made me wish we weren’t in the earliest days of spring. At the door, the driver punched in a code before opening it, waving me in first.

If I’d been impressed by the outside of the home, I had an even bigger surprise entering it. Of course, it was just as lush and spectacular but in a different way. The floor appeared to be white marble, lustrous and glossy, but when I stepped on it, I didn’t feel like I was going to slip. The room was gargantuan, with two curved earthy-colored sectionals facing each other, circling a mammoth coffee table. On the wall across was the longest television I’d ever seen in a home and, to one side, a fireplace and an entrance to another room. On the other side was a small bar with two stools and another entryway.

Hoping my expression didn’t display my lower-middle-class background, I moved aside so the driver could lead the way but, as he closed the door, he said, “To your left.”

My heels clicked on the marble until I reached the doorway. In that room were beautiful hardwood floors and several windows, but there were various chairs and a small loveseat, all in the same color as the sectionals in the previous room. There were lots of bookshelves full of more literature than I’d probably ever read in my lifetime. One of the windows framed a variety of plants, and I wondered if I’d continue feeling awestruck with every single room I walked through.

“The desk in the corner is where you’ll be working.” My eyes followed his direction, and I tried to hide the slight disappointment I felt because it sat against an interior wall, meaning if I wanted to look outside, I’d have to turn around. At least at the office I was able to look outside from my cubicle and, even being on the phone, I could often glance at the city life below or the skies above to keep me focused and serene.

I thanked him just the same.

“I can take your coat and bag if you’d like.”

My purse? No way. It had my phone, my lip balm—my whole life of necessities outside my apartment. He’d pry that out of my cold dead hands. As I shrugged the coat off my shoulders, I said, “I’ll keep my bag.”

“As you wish.”

My eyes kept taking in small details of the place, and I couldn’t wait to tell Elise. Sure, she’d be jealous, but the dirty details would help her get over it.

“You can have a seat,” the driver said. “Mr. Steel will be in shortly.”

Normally, with people like good ol’ Jeeves there, I would have been as sarcastic as ever, making wisecracks to deflect my unease, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy with really polite manners. I couldn’t bring myself to be an asshole with him.

It wasn’t until he left that I walked across the room, not sure if I’d check out the books or the view first. As I approached the window and stared out at the expanse of manicured beauty, I could hear a voice coming through the closed door that the driver and I had not gone through.

It only took a moment for me to realize it was Maddox Steel’s baritone notes coming through the doorway. Part of me felt guilty that I could hear him, but the rest of me was too curious to care. I had to strain to make out the words, but I had no problems, considering there was no sound coming from outside or anywhere else inside the house.

“…if they need to stay home due to illness, and add how many employees we have working remotely now. At this point, we’ve got the bare minimum and our workers need to know that. You might also let them know what we’re doing as far as ensuring the staff remaining in the building are safe.”

I caught myself almost nodding and stopped, feeling somewhat comforted that Mr. Steel was doing what he could to make sure workers were safe. There were some businesses that assured customers they were taking every precaution to keep people safe without letting us know if they were taking care of their workers, and that was every bit as important to me.

Hmm. Mr. Steel just fell one notch on my asshole scale. Interesting.

It sounded like he might be wrapping up his call, so I moved farther away from the door toward a bookshelf. The sun had felt warm on my skin where I’d been standing, but I didn’t want to seem like an eavesdropper.

Sure enough, Mr. Steel walked through the door shortly after, and I turned my head, immediately regretting the slight gasp my mouth made. Instantly, I felt overdressed. Mr. Steel wore a blue-gray sweater that made his lovely azure eyes seem darker. But there was a sparkle in them, a glimmer of what looked like amusement. The cleft in his chin seemed more prominent.

If I’d thought Maddox Steel seemed delicious in a suit, I’d had no clue.

He wore jeans as well and casual brown shoes, looking like a model on a clothing website. Except hotter.

Blinking my eyes and swallowing the saliva that had accumulated in my mouth, I nodded my head as he spoke. “Ms. Bernard, thank you for your willingness to help me today. I appreciate it more than you know.”

My brain didn’t know how to process all the information coming in. Mr. Steel was supposed to be a rich jerk. An uncaring boss. An unmitigated asshole. And here he was, shattering all my misconceptions—and my smart ass side couldn’t handle it any longer. I’d been too polite all morning long. All systems were overloaded and something had to give. “I don’t know if Customer Service can hold down the fort without me.”

Without a beat, he replied, “I’m sure they’ll do just fine.” I wasn’t sure if he was simply ignoring my sarcasm or trying to get down to business, but I found it hard to keep looking into his intense eyes. I was starting to feel like he could see my deepest, darkest thoughts. “Didn’t Jeffrey tell you we’re not worrying about the dress code at the moment?”

“This is what I was wearing when he called, and he didn’t mention I should dress down before coming here.”

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