On 4/19 (On 4/19 and Beyond 4/20) (7 page)

When he asked her about losing her funding for school, she told him about her grandfather and how close they always were. “He loved
us all, but for some reason, he and I were especially close. He said he saw tremendous potential in me.” Her granddad had always made her feel special.

“I can believe that. I think you show great promise.”

There could be no greater compliment from someone so accomplished in business. “I think it was more of a matter that I was the only one who showed any interest in leaving the farm. The others are happy staying there.”

“But you wanted more?” He understood that. He had left nearly thirty years before and was still chasing that
more
that beckoned him as a young man.

The subject was enough years behind her that it no longer carried the sting it did early on. Even two years before, she would never have been able to talk about it. “I didn’t decide to leave until my senior year. Before that, I always thought I would settle down on a farm too.” The reminder of how Tuck felt called to go out on the mission field came to mind, but she decided not to mention that part of her former plan for life. If she did, it would likely bring tears to her eyes. So much was lost, more than
their
future, his call to missions was shipwrecked.

“What changed your mind?”

Unwilling to tell him about Tuck, she altered the occurrence of events a bit. “My granddad encouraged me to get out and see how the other half lived.” Smiling, she added, “Those were his words. Little did he know…” What she related was true, but that conversation came only after Tuck decimated her heart, and she realized there was nothing left in town for her but embarrassment over how things ended between them.

During the remainder of the flight, their conversation flowed just as easily. Each felt eerily comfortable with the other. John guessed that with such a vast difference in age, they felt safe being themselves when they were together. There was no pressure of a budding romance. They could simply enjoy each other as friends. Chelsea, on the other hand, never did come up with anything that made sense of her comfort with him, but it didn’t concern her. She was simply happy with the way things were, and overthinking them would likely complicate everything.

John delighted in Chelsea’s expression as she entered their suite. The room was magnificent and the furniture was modern, but in a retro kind of way. For him, it was furniture from his childhood. For her, retro. He had to chuckle to himself at the thought.

Taken back at first that they would share a suite rather than having separate rooms, when she saw that their bedrooms were on opposite sides of the massive suite, she felt no concern. John was always polite, and she was confident she had nothing to fear from him. If anything, what she discovered about John so far was that he was the most intelligent man she had ever met. Even compared to her professors, he amazed her with his way of thinking. It was no surprise he had built an empire as vast as KI. During the flight his phone rang often, and to hear his side of the conversation, the way he directed people and situations astounded her, she remained in awe of him. John’s focus was strictly on business. Clearly he had no hidden agenda, as in getting her out of town to try to seduce her. He had too much at his disposal to go to such an effort for a struggling college student.

“What do you think?”

She turned to him, exclaiming, “This is the nicest place I’ve ever been in my life!”

Happy that she was happy, he told her, “I’d love to stay and enjoy the room with you, but I need to be downstairs in a meeting,” Pausing, he looked at his watch. “Within the next few minutes.” Glancing back up at her, he grinned at the way she moved around the room in such awe of her surroundings. “Would you like to go shopping or to the pool while I’m away?”

Having no money, she knew that shopping would be pointless. There was nothing worse than shopping while broke. “I have finals coming up. I think I’ll sit by the pool and do some reading.”

“Would you like for me to walk you down?”

“No. I’ll be fine.” Smiling, she added, “Thank you, though.” Normally ultra-independent, she found that she liked the way he watched over her. He was extremely considerate of her. On the heels of that thought, she was not at all surprised when he took her bag from her and carried it into her bedroom. Following him into the room, she gasped at the grandeur
of it. The bed was much larger than a standard king. The bedding was luxurious and plush. “I feel like a princess.” With that, she sailed onto the bed.

Amused by her excitement, he promised, “This is only the beginning.” Walking over to her, he bent at the waist and kissed her on the cheek. “Stay out of trouble, little girl. I’ll call you in a while.”

Chelsea sat on the bed and watched him walk out of the room. Reaching her hand up, she touched her cheek where he had kissed her. Even though it surprised her, it didn’t feel awkward when he did it. Actually, it seemed quite natural. She suspected he was beginning to think of her as a kid sister. Oddly, that thought caused a trace of disappointment to creep into her heart.

After changing into her swim suit, she grabbed her towel and backpack and left the room. Just outside the door, a man was there, seemingly waiting for her. He was a massive man, pro-wrestler kind of massive. Startled, Chelsea asked, “May I help you?”

“No, ma’am. I’m here to watch over you.”

“Watch over me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He made no other comment, and at that point, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Finally, she said, “I’m just going down to the pool.”

“Yes, ma’am. I was told you planned to go.”

“You mean you’re going with me and stand out in the sun in that suit?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sighing, she said, “You are at least ten years older than me. Please stop calling me ma’am.”

Without even cracking a smile, he replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

Feeling sorry for him, she asked, “Can’t you at least put a swim suit on?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Okay. Maybe we can find you some shade.”

In the elevator, she texted John:
What’s with the guy following me?

His reply:
Better safe than sorry. This is Vegas
.

A few minutes after twelve, Chelsea saw that John was texting. Excited, she grabbed her phone.

How is the pool?

She texted back:
It’s ultra-hot out here. I goofed and brought lotion. Can’t reach my back. Thankfully, I have “the guy.”

John’s response was quick in coming:
NO! Will be right there
.

Obviously she was kidding. She didn’t mean to interrupt his meeting, and she certainly didn’t plan on the bodyguard rubbing sunscreen on her. Immediately, she tried to call him, but her call went directly to voicemail. It was only a matter of minutes later when she saw him walking her way, looking very intentional. Standing quickly, she explained, “I’m so sorry. I was only joking. You didn’t have to come out here.”

Chelsea’s hair was pulled back into a nub of a ponytail, and her face shone in the sun. Usually, her hair draped over the right side, so it was nice to take in the entirety of her face. Breaking into a smile, he admitted, “I needed a break anyway.”

“I feel terrible. I won’t joke around texting again. I guess you can’t exactly hear my tone of voice.”

“Really, it’s no problem.” Seeing her in her bathing suit, he didn’t regret coming. She looked young and fresh and beautiful. She wore a royal blue tankini. Just as she dressed normally, her suit was more modest than most any other suit he had seen at the pool. “Lay back down. I’ve got it.”

When she lay on her stomach, she reached for her top and rolled it up in order to get a little more sun on her back. “John, I’m really sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” He sat on the edge of her chair.

“How did you find me so quickly? There are hundreds of people out here.”

“My guy called your guy.”

“What’s with that?”

He leaned down and quietly said, “When you have money, Chelsea, people will do some really cruel things to get to it.” Taking the suntan lotion, he squirted it into his hands, cupped them, and then breathed into them.

Rising up on her elbows, she turned to him. “Are you warming it up?”

“I’m no amateur. I know what I’m doing.” He reached for her shoulders and began to rub on the lotion. Then he moved to her lower back. Deciding she could easily reach her legs, and sensing touching them might prove to be a mistake on his part, he wiped his hands on her towel. He was only human after all, and no matter how young she was, she was incredibly beautiful. In order to maintain clear boundaries, he would have to be wise. “Mission accomplished.”

When he stood, she grabbed his pant leg. “Really, I didn’t mean…”

Squatting down, he leaned very near and told her, “Later, when you ask me best and worst, this will be the best, so stop apologizing.” Just as when he left the room, he kissed her cheek. “I should only be about an hour or so more. I’ll meet you in the room later.”

John made his way back toward the hotel entrance. While he would never tell Chelsea, the truth was, he left right at a crucial moment of negotiations. When he read her text, feeling some unexplainable need to protect her, if protect was at all the right word, maybe he felt a little jealous, he abruptly stood and blurted out that he needed a few minutes. The dozen or so men just stared at him as he left the room. It was good strategy in hindsight. Leave them waiting long enough, make them believe you are not quite as interested as they thought, and you can easily develop the upper-hand. Negotiations to purchase the hotel were at a crucial point and didn’t seem to be going his way. Walking away would likely change the course of upcoming discussions.

Watching him walk away, Mr. GQ in his suit, sure of himself and so unaffected, her heart was fluttering in an unusual way. Without question, he was the most amazing man she had ever encountered. That was the precise moment she first realized she may be in real trouble.

John returned right after Chelsea had finished her shower. It was late afternoon, and since she’d skipped lunch, she was starving. Wearing the most snuggly robe over her pajamas, she was settled in on the sofa eating a chocolate bar from the complimentary basket when he walked in.

Dropping onto the seat beside her, he patted her leg. “How was your time at the pool?”

“I tried to study, but that wasn’t very productive. So really, it was kind of boring.” Hopeful, she suggested, “Maybe tomorrow you can join me.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Breaking off a piece of chocolate, she offered it to him and he accepted. She asked, “What will we do about dinner?”

“It’s still early. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“What did you do for lunch?”

“I’m eating chocolate.”

Turning to face her, he asked, “Really, that’s your lunch? No wonder you’re already asking about dinner. Why didn’t you eat lunch?”

Shrugging, she said, “It’s no big deal.”

“You could’ve ordered room service or gotten something downstairs.” Considering her expression, he wondered what she wasn’t telling him. Clearly, there was something. “Chelsea?”

“If you’re going to pick on me, I’m taking my chocolate back.” Reaching for it, she took it out of his hand. Already it was kind of melty and gross.

He took it back, popped the chocolate into his mouth, and licked the melted goo from his fingers. “Is it the money?”

“It’s not a big deal. I told you.” Chelsea felt awkward for the first time with John. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel responsible for every single detail of her life. He was doing enough.

“Go get me your wallet.” He realized he had no right to ask such a thing, but for whatever reason, she complied. Taking the wallet, he unsnapped it and looked inside. There were two ones, a quarter, and two nickels. His heart sank into his stomach. She was all but flat broke. “How long have you been this broke?”

She didn’t want to answer. For the past week, she’d been running on twenty dollars. That was all that was left.

John stood and reached into his pocket to pull out a wad of bills. Without counting them, he tucked them into her wallet and sat back down. When he handed her the wallet back, he said, “As long as you are with me, you never have to go without money. Please, if you need something, you have to tell me.”

Having had money for so long, it was easy to forget what it felt like to be a broke college student. All those years ago, he lived on instant noodle soup and potato chips. He didn’t want that for Chelsea, not while she was his. As a car might do, his mind came to a screeching halt. Did he just think,
while she was his
? That wasn’t at all what he meant. He simply meant while she was with him.

“When we get back to L.A., I’ll make sure you get your first check. I’m sorry. I should’ve thought of it long before now.” Realizing what a mistake he’d made, he promised himself it would never happen again. Why hadn’t she asked for it? How could he have overlooked something so crucial? That wasn’t at all like him.

She sighed softly. To hear John say he’d get her a check only served as a reminder that this was strictly a business arrangement. For just a moment, it had somehow slipped her mind. He was so incredibly sweet toward her, it was easy to overlook the fact that she was being paid to be with him.

For a minute, he studied her. She was freshly showered and her cheeks were pink from the sunshine. In her robe and with wet hair, she seemed comfortable and relaxed. He reached out and touched the fabric of her robe. “Comfy?”

Chelsea rolled her eyes. “This is
the
most comfy ever. I may wear it the entire time we’re here. Will that embarrass you at dinner tonight?”

Un-phased, he said, “Not at all. I’ll wear mine too. Think we’ll turn a few heads?”

She assured him, “I think that’s inevitable.”

He was sure she was referring to their ages. “Does it bother you?”

“Absolutely not. It kind of makes me smile.”

“Yeah, me too.” She was so beautiful; she turned heads in every room they entered. He’d noticed. That was the main reason he’d agreed to the security detail when the hotel offered it. She would often be alone, and John didn’t like the idea of anyone approaching her.