Page 29 of Bearing Secrets
Cars of all types were parked there. Exotic sports cars, including several Aston Martins, a Koenigsegg or three, a Lotus, and Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Jaguars and Mercedes—all beyond counting. There were also more run of the mill cars and tons of huge SUVs, along with big pickup trucks.
“Good lord. This is a car guy’s garage. These are all yours?”
“I wish. No, these belong to various members of my family. Some of them are mine, the ones over here.” The car rolled to a halt, and she noticed that the lines on the ground were painted orange there. Looking around, she saw that the color on the ground sectioned off the cars.
“Still. You can invite me over anytime,” she said, staring down the gorgeous lines of a Jaguar C-X75. “I won’t bother you, I’ll just hang out down here.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He parked the car and gestured for her to follow him out.
“I can’t believe you own all of this, Kirell. I…that’s more money than I can conceive of.”
He coughed politely. “I don’t.”
“You don’t what?”
“Own it. Not exactly. It belongs to the family.”
She nodded. “Right. The family.” A thought occurred to her. “Wait. So, are you telling me that you still live at home with your parents?”
Kirell didn’t answer. Glancing up at him showed he was looking straight ahead, blinking rapidly. “It’s not like that,” he said at last.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. There is a lot you don’t know.”
“Well, we’re here now. I know you’ve got more money than anyone I’ve ever heard of, and that you live in a gorgeous house. With your parents. Can you start telling me more of these secrets?”
He smiled tightly. “Yes, but first let’s get you changed. You look amazing in that dress, but comfier clothes are probably for the best. You’re going to want to be as relaxed as possible.”
Looking down at the dress and smiling, Natalia let herself feel good. Clearly, her choice of outfit was having the effect upon Kirell that she’d been going for when she chose it. He looked pretty sharp himself, she was forced to admit, walking by his side as he showed her to an elevator.
An elevator. Only rich people have elevators in their houses!
Then his words sank in.
“Uh, Kirell? I don’thaveany other clothes with me. And if you think I’m just going to get naked in front of you, you’re wrong. It’s going to take more than a kiss before that happens.” She’d meant to sound like she was joking, but her voice came out harsh instead.
The doors to the elevator opened and he stepped out, looking around before moving aside so she could follow. It was empty, save the various paintings and art objects on tables. It was wide, easily triple the width of a standard household hallway. It felt more and more like a palace with every bit she saw.
“That’s not what I meant,” Kirell said, continually glancing around before showing her to a blank wall panel. “Do you mind sweatpants and a sweatshirt? We, uh, have a lot of those lying around.”
She frowned as he pressed on a piece of the panel and it popped open to reveal a much narrower passageway. He motioned for her to go in, staying close behind as he looked up and down the hall before pulling the panel shut behind them.
“Sweats are fine, but Kirell, why does it feel like we’re sneaking around? This feels like a secret passage.”
“Itisa secret passage. I love them. It’s so much fun.”
Right.She shook her head, staying silent as she followed his directions. A palace with a car garage out of her fantasies, secret passages and bigger than some convention centers.
I always joked about being a trophy wife to some rich man, but this is way more than I ever even dreamed about.
Eventually, he pushed open another part of the wall, revealing a room beyond.
“Bringing me into your room already?” she joked. “Don’t you think you’re getting a little presumptive?”
“Am I?” he murmured into her ear, causing her to jump and bite her lip all in one motion.
Kirell didn’t wait around for an answer. He strode to a monstrous wardrobe and took a pair of ugly brown sweatpants from the top, flinging them at her. She caught them and a moment later, did the same with a matching hooded sweatshirt.
