Page 4 of Eleazar

Andrew felt a wave of unease wash over him as he stepped inside. The interior was just as luxurious as he’d remembered, but there was something unsettling about the way the air felt charged with electricity. Shayde led Andrew through the house until they reached a heavy oak door.

The same door Andrew had entered through yesterday evening.

“Mr. Bancroft is waiting for you inside.” Then Shayde walked away.

Andrew steadied his nerves before pushing the door open. Mr. Bancroft was seated behind his desk, looking every bit the professional businessman. He glanced up when Andrew entered, and his eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light.

“Good evening, Mr. Wendell. Please, have a seat,” Mr. Bancroft said, gesturing to the plush armchair Andrew had been sitting in for his interview.

Andrew sat. “If it’s not too unprofessional, please call me Andrew.”

Mr. Bancroft smiled, and in his smooth and velvety voice, he said, “Then call me Eleazar.”

God, that voice. Andrew was in so much trouble, because he’d thought of nothing but Eleazar all last night and today.

And for a brief moment last night, he even thought he’d felt Eleazar in his head, which was ridiculous because no one could invade someone’s mind.

“As my assistant, you will be shown to personal quarters.”

“Wait.” Andrew sat forward. “You want me to live here?”

That hadn’t been discussed last night. Andrew would have remembered.

“Of course,” Eleazar said. “You will be at my beck and call, Andrew.”

That seemed like something that should have been discussed during his interview. Eleazar had just thrown it out there like Andrew wouldn’t have a problem uprooting his life like that.

He sat forward, too, and his broad shoulders strained his suit jacket. Eleazar wasn’t classically handsome. If Andrew were being honest, he looked more like a mobster. But he was still downright gorgeous.

“But I can’t break my lease.”

“I will pay your full lease so you are free of it,” Eleazar said. “Shayde will show you to your room, but I must insist that you do not wander around. At least for now. There are others who live here, men who might…” Eleazar looked as if he’d gone deep into thought. “Men who might mistake you for a snack.”

What on earth did that mean? Andrew wanted to press for answers, but he was afraid Eleazar would think he wasn’t right for the job if he became too nosy. “Um, okay.”

“If you are hungry, there is a call button in your room. Sonny will come and see to your needs. But I’m strongly warning you to stay in your room unless I or Shayde fetches you.”

The word fetch didn’t sit well with Andrew, but he let it go. “You were kind of vague about my duties, Eleazar. What exactly am I going to do for you?”

“When I need something done during the day, you will run my errands. You will have your own car, a driver, and access to one of my accounts.”

Okay. That didn’t sound too bad. “Are you allergic to the sun?” Andrew teased.

“Highly allergic,” Eleazar said with a straight face. He meant it. Wow. This was interesting.

“Okay, so never open a curtain when you’re in a room during the day.”

“Precisely. I’ll send Sonny to your room in an hour. Give him a list of what you like to eat and he’ll make sure to prepare your meals for you.”

A personal chef? A room in this fancy estate? His own car and access to Eleazar’s money? Andrew felt like swooning. He forced away his smile and nodded. “Not a problem.”

Eleazar stood, and as soon as he did, Shayde entered. Was the guy lurking just outside the office? That was impeccable timing. Creepy, but impeccable. Andrew hoped Eleazar didn’t expect the same kind of timing from him because the guy would be sorely disappointed.

“Shayde will show you to your quarters, Andrew. I’ll leave instructions for you so you can start your job first thing in the morning.”

As they walked, Andrew noticed the elegance of the home and the exquisite taste that had gone into it. He couldn’t believe that he was working in a place like this, especially since he’d grown up in a two-bedroom piece-of-shit house and his current apartment wasn’t that stellar.

Andrew pulled himself from his amazement. It was just a house. An elegant, expensive one, but just a house. He wasn’t going to get caught up in Eleazar’s wealth. He wasn’t going to get caught up in anything. He still felt like he was walking into something strange, something he couldn’t name, and if it got too crazy, dream job or not, he was out of there.

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