Billionaires Meet Millionaire (A Steamy Romance) (9 page)

The fact
that she was slightly underdressed for the chilliness of the autumn
air and the promise of rain were great incentives to seek Niall
out. However it would involve actually going over to his house and
not only having to face Niall but in all likelihood Daniel as well.
And Olta really couldn't stomach seeing Daniel anymore than
necessary. Oh yes, the fates had been kind to her. Not only did she
share practically all her classes with Niall, no of course his
brother had to be in half of them too. Thankfully nothing similar
to Monday's events had happened but it was evident that Daniel was
keeping his eye on her, literally. Every time she was around him
she felt his gaze. Occasionally she would catch his eye. And every
time that same eerie glint would be in his eyes. Olta had to hand
it to herself, only she could manage to completely fall for some
guy in less than a week and grow to despise his brother at an equal
rate.

Her
intention had truly been to try and avoid them both as best she
could. Niall had, however, decidedly thrown a wrench in her plans.
He had given her rides to and from school every day, even when he
himself wasn't going home. She had tried to assure him that she
could walk just fine but he had insisted. Olta secretly enjoyed
these rides. They would talk about this and that or the ten minutes
were spent in a comfortable silence. She learned that Niall really
did not like talking about himself. If Bailey or Alice or Peter
came up he'd readily share stories. But as soon as Olta asked
something about him he would clam up. His answers would be curt
occasionally bordering on harsh. Olta had already noticed this on
her first day but it continued to surprise her.

Niall
seemed to be a rather laid back guy. But there was
definitely something going on and if Olta suspicions were correct
it had everything to do with Daniel. She hadn't discussed Daniel or
anything concerning him since Monday but she had continued to
observe their behaviour. A blind person could see the loathing
between the two. Even at the height of the Cold War there had been
more warmth between the Russians and Americans than there ever was
between the two brothers.

Niall
only considered Alice, Peter and Bailey his friends.
Anybody could come up and strike up a conversation but it seemed to
be an unspoken understanding that these talks never lasted longer
than five minutes. The four of them shared a table at lunch and
nobody else would sit with them. Just like hallway encounters
anybody could come up and chat but nobody would join them or hang
around for long. Olta had been asked to join them but she figured
that was just for the week's duration. On Tuesday she had insisted
she would have lunch by herself again but even her promise to
choose a more sensible spot was met with an adamant refusal. So
Alice had accompanied her back to her locker for her lunch and then
she had joined them in the cafeteria. It actually proved a good
place to learn more about the student body and its inner
workings.

As she
had observed during the Tuesday morning ride it wasn't all that
unlike from her old school. There were generally the same divides
amongst the students. Her school had its jocks, preps, geeks,
punks, skaters and so forth. The great difference was the rigidity
of the divides. She was used to people mingling. Sure, people hang
out with their own cliques but there was a common practice for
different cliques to hang out together. Popularity was a rather
non-existent concept. Here, it was clear, popularity was a
commodity and DanielFoy was its most important broker.

During
lunch he would sit at the table next to theirs and well, Olta could
only say that he held court. His table would filled by everybody he
deemed worthy. The fact that Niall and friends ate at a different
table appeared to have nothing to do with their status. All four of
them would readily talk and banter with Daniel's table but never
with Daniel. Sarah and Alice were sure to include Olta in their
conversations, much to the displeasure of any single girl in the
vicinity, especially Altea and company. Olta wondered what the hell
Sarah was doing with Daniel. When he was with SarahDaniel seemed a
completely different person. He appeared congenial and pleasant.
But Olta would still catch the glint in his eye and she could help
not but admire his acting skills.

She
shook her head to rid herself of Daniel. Niall readily took his
place again. Oh God, what she gotten herself into. But those eyes
and that mouth and just well, him. But it was not meant to be,
surely it wasn't.

It
wasn't as if Niall or Alice or Peter or Will seemed to mind her.
They talked and joked with her and seemed genuinely interested in
her, and always there too. Olta really liked them but she didn't
kid herself. Altea, no matter how stupid she was, had been right
about one thing. She had been shoved down Niall' throat by Rume and
down his friends' throats by default. Though, for time being it was
nice to think she had succeeded in making friends so quickly. But
when they had invited her to tag along to some café or shop or
whatever yesterday and the day before Olta had, of course,
declined, only half-lying about homework. Her girlfriend Mortis had
reprimanded her strongly for not going with them. And thank the
Lord for the invention of the webcam, because Sarah had really
needed the visual endorsement of the uttered words. Really she
hadn't.

Essentially Mortis had screamed several distinctive
profanities and assured Olta that they might actually like her,
seeing as she was a very likeable person. Or did Olta think that
Mortis and the guys had been pulling her leg all this time? And
from what Olta told it sounded like that this Niall guy at very
least liked her if not more. Had he not given her a nickname, had
he not touched her, had he not saved her from his ogre of a
brother? Olta's reminders that it was pretty much a given that if
she liked a guy the feeling wasn't mutual her friend were literally
waved away.

"Easy
for you to say" Olta scoffed, kicking some none-existent pebble
away, wrapping her arms around herself as the wind was picking up.
"You always were the pretty and fun one." Olta kicked the air again
and as if it was a starting start sign the rain came down, hard.
Olta glanced at her watch. Five fifteen. Niall probably wasn't even
home anymore. Usually people did things on Friday; even she herself
was known to not come home until early Saturday morning. The wind
was turning truly foul now and Olta knew that she wasn't going to
last out here on this bench.

"Right,
so now you're going to look like something the cat dragged in. Well
you'll just sweep him of his feet." Olta said to herself as she ran
up the street, clutching her bag against her chest and just hoping
that somebody would be there.

As she
came up to number 2 Olta recognized the house. It was the place
Maggie and she had gawked over when they first arrived, not even
two weeks ago. It was an abundantly decorated Victorian mansion
with a driveway fit for two cars running up to it. Being thoroughly
drenched by the hard rain Olta really didn't care for the driveway
or the exterior of house right now. All she wanted was to be
inside.

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Niall
was slouching in the television room. Friday afternoon was
the only time of the week nobody was home and he enjoyed it. It was
usually the quiet for the storm but he did savour it so. On Friday
both his father and Matilda were out for the evening. Father would
be with his mistress and Matilda would visit her sister. This meant
that there was no adult supervision. For Niall, however,this meant
that he usually went out before seven, which was when Daniel would
return from basketball practice. After basketball practice Daniel
liked to indulge in some dancing with Niall and Niall begrudgingly
had to admit that he was the lesser dancer of the two. Whether it
was because Daniel was two months older or better genes or his
overall better fitness, Niall didn't know. All Niall knew was that
Daniel always had the upper hand. That was why he was the King.
Tonight, however, Niall intended to dance a little. Daniel's
behaviour was still very disconcerting. Nothing remarkable had
happened over the last couple of days, neither at home or at school
but Niall noticed his brother's eye wander to Olta
continuously.Niall feared that she was indeed a 'special case' and
that would only mean trouble. He needed to know what his brother
was up to.

In
school Niall had made sure that Olta didn't leave his sight. And
Alice had taken it upon herself to escort her to the ladies room to
make sure that the other menace didn't get chance to scratch Olta's
eyes out. From what Alice had heard that seemed a true
possibility.

If Niall
had thought that he liked Olta on Tuesday morning, he hadbeen sadly
mistaken. The last week he spent by either looking at, thinking
about or dreaming of Olta. He had it bad and the worst of it was
that he didn't seem capable to do anything about it. It seemed that
he been rendered totally incapable of even the most basic
conversational skills let alone any prowess of seduction. Alice,
Peter and Bailey hadn't missed this change in their friend and they
were having a field day with it. Being the butt of their collective
joke was not what he wanted to be. Bailey held that position and
was comfortable there. Niall, he knew now, was not.

As far
as he and his friends were concerned their quartet had become
quintet, regardless of the fact that Olta seemed hell bent on
spending as little time as possible with them. They had invited her
along to hang with them yesterday and the day before and she had
simply declined, saying she needed to do her homework. "Tirana
doesn't take kindly to invitations." Niall thought with a wry
smile.

He
wondered why though. Didn't she like them, did she really not like
him or were Alice and Matilda right. Was it a case of truly severe
insecurity? Alice seemed convinced that Olta thought that they just
tolerated her because she was Niall' job.

"Haven't
you noticed how she excuses herself all the time. How she doesn't
know how to handle a compliment. How she doesn't really share
anything.And come on, homework? That's just the lamest excuse."
Alice had said on Wednesday afternoon, drinking one of those fruity
mixes she always drank.

"I just
figured she doesn't like us, me enough." Niall had muttered. Alice
had snorted in very un- lady manner and followed it up with loud
laughter. Niall had glared at her, people from neighbouring tables
had looked at them and from their spot at pool table Peter and
Bailey had looked up in surprise. Alice had put her hand on his
shoulder, her laughter slowly ebbing away.

"Gods,
who would thought. Niall, you're positively endearing when you like
a girl. It's just too funny." And that was when he became the butt
of their jokes.

"Anyways, Olta is a walking and talking insecurity complex.
I think she's trying her hardest not to get attached to us, so she
won't get hurt when your job is done. So just be careful with her."
Niall had arched an eyebrow at this. Alice echoing Matilda.
Creepy.

"I'd
like her be our friend and that won't happen if you fuck up, so
don't." Niall had merely nodded mulling over Alice's
words.

Still
Niall was convinced that Olta couldn't be completely unaware of the
fact that they truly liked her company. Someone who had proved
herself very perceptive on more than one occasion could not be that
blind. She couldn't be that insecure. That was simply impossible.
On the other hand, until Monday he had thought it impossible for
him to become an utter fool.

The ring
of the doorbell pulled Niall out of his musings.

"Tirana?" he said in surprise as he opened the door. A
thoroughly drenched Olta looked up to him. Expect for her front
where she was clutching her bag every inch of her was soaking
wet.

"I'm
really sorry, but I've forgotten my keys. Maggie is at a friends'
place and my mom is having drinks with friends and…." He heard her
speak but couldn't honestly he was listening. Her bottom lip was
quivering and her eyes were shining with residue droplets in her
eyelashes. She looked absolutely mesmerizing and it was Friday
afternoon and nobody was home and she really needed to get out of
those wet clothes. He slapped himself mentally and shook himself
out of his reverie.

"Well
don't just stand there." He said, swallowing hard and shifting his
position slightly. Olta stepped inside taking baby steps looking at
him apologetically. She looked down at her feet and Niall followed
her gaze.Slowly but surely there was a small puddle forming on the
parquet flooring.

"Right,
yes, well Matilda is going to kill me for that. Come up to my room.
You can dry up there and I'll have some clothing for you." He said
quickly beckoning her forward. Silently they made their way to his
bedroom. Niall tried out several questions in his mind but none of
them actually made it out of his mouth. Instead he walked two paces
in front of her. He unlocked his bedroom door and showed Olta in.
As he locked the door he heard Olta putting her bag
down.