The Billionaire and the Cleaner (4 page)

John’s words came back to
Kent
. Since that night he’d not
been able to stop thinking about Lana. She’d been in his thoughts but never as
bad as it was now. He stayed behind at work to see her and waited for her to
leave. Waiting for her to speak to him was new for him. Women spoke to him all
the time trying to gain his attention. Lana did nothing. Even in the car she
hadn’t tried to instigate a kiss; she’d run from him.

Closing the blinds,
Kent
shut out the world. Tomorrow
was Thursday, and he looked forward to the end of the day more than he did the
beginning. Going to the fridge, he grabbed a glass of milk before heading to
bed. He checked his phone to see several calls and messages from the women he’d
been seeing in the last month.

Call one of
them and fuck Lana right out of your system.

He didn’t want to. Cancelling all of the messages and calls,
Kent
climbed into bed alone. He’d not been to bed alone in years.

His aversion to relationships stemmed from when he was a
teenager. The girl he’d given his heart to had crushed him by dating his
brother instead.
Kent
thought about Tonya. She was his age and had been his best friend. Tonya was
now married to his brother, and they had three children. His brother, Seth,
adored Tonya, and their relationship was strong.

Kent
’s parents
were still married and their love stronger than ever. He loved his family even
though he avoided them. Family occasions annoyed him as his parents were always
trying to set him up on dates. His parents didn’t approve of his lifestyle.

He recalled his father’s comment last Christmas.

“Son,
watching you parade a load of women around on the television is not what I
wanted for my boy. I’m proud of what you’ve done with yourself. I know you
didn’t want to be anything other than your own businessman. However, you’re
going to regret your life if you continue with this. You’re breaking your
mother’s heart. You deserve a good girl to settle down with.”

At the time he’d thought his father was nagging him again.
He wasn’t made the way his parents or his brother were. Closing his eyes,
Kent
tried to
forget about Lana. She wasn’t like his other women, but she wasn’t in his
future either.

Chapter Four

Thursday was busier than usual at the diner. Lana struggled
to keep up with the orders and the customers. Her late night was wearing her
down. She’d settled herself into a system with her two jobs, and going out to
dinner with
Kent
had disrupted that.

By four she was exhausted and ready to go home. Instead, she
finished her shift at the diner before making her way across the city to the
Anderson Corporation building. Her feet ached, but she refused to give in. Her
hair was tied in pigtails down either side of her shoulders. It was seven at
night when she got inside. She’d missed lunch and was hungry. Ignoring the
pangs, she grabbed the cleaning trolley, smiled at the security guard before
making her way over to the elevator. She pushed the trolley inside, pressed the
button for her floor and waited. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she pulled the
trolley onto the floor. The light inside
Kent
’s office was on.

Nibbling her lip, she wondered if she should go and talk to
him. Shaking her head, she went around gathering the used sweet packets and
bits of screwed up paper from people’s desk with a trashcan in her hand.

She didn’t look at the family pictures as she made her way
around the large office. Her feet hurt even though she wore flats. She’d never
worn high heels and doubted she’d ever be able to walk in them. Picking up the
duster she made her way through the office once again cleaning down the desks
and putting everything away neatly.

“You’re not even going to acknowledge my presence?”
Kent
asked.

Lana turned to see
Kent
leaning against his office
doorframe. “I’m working. I need to get this place clean.”

Getting the office clean meant she could clean and then go
home. She liked the thought of getting home and having a bath. A bath sounded
like the best thing in the world.

Kent
moved closer
to her. “We went out to dinner. You’ve been cleaning for an hour, and you’ve
nothing to say.”

Staring at her hands on the duster, heat filled her cheeks
at his assessment.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“How about hello?
Or ‘how are
you doing’ would be good,” he said.

He’d moved close enough for him to reach out and lift her
chin up with a finger underneath.

“Hello, Mr Anderson. How are you today?” she asked.

“Call me Kent. We’re past formal names.”

“
Kent
,”
she said. She’d called him Kent last night. In the office it didn’t feel right
calling him by his name.

She pulled away from his touch. “I need to clean.”

“You’re exhausted.”

Lana nodded. “Yes, I’m exhausted. I need to get this place
clean so I can go home.”

Her stomach growled. Tears filled her eyes as her emotions
got the better of her.
Kent
smiled, taking the duster from her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m going to help you get this place finished, and then I’m
going to drive you home and we’re going to eat together.”

“You really shouldn’t do that. You’re paying me to clean.” She
tried to take the duster from him.

“No, I pay the cleaning company. I want to help you. You’re
exhausted, and I’m looking forward to having dinner with you again.”

She dropped her hand. “You’re not going to let me win this,
are you?”

“No. I get my own way all the time. You may as well give
up.” He smiled down at her. Lana couldn’t help but smile back. He made her
smile.

“Okay, fine. You win. Are you sure you know what to do with
that?”

“I’ve watched you using it for months. I think I can handle
it,” he said.

He watched me?

Pleasure travelled up her spine at the knowledge.

They worked together around the office. Watching
Kent
in his
expensive business suit working a duster was one of the best sights she’d seen
all year. He went around the desk and occasionally grumbled.

“I’m going to ban personal items,” he said.

“Why? Personal items are great. They allow people to bring
their family to work. I bet if you took their personal items away, they’d work
slowly.” She turned the vacuum on and started buzzing around the office. When
they were finished, Lana took the duster away from him. “Maybe you’re in the
wrong profession,” she said.

“I’ve watched the best.”

She smiled at him enjoying his compliment.

“Right, why don’t you put this away and meet me down at the
parking lot?”
Kent
turned to her, cupped her cheek and leaned down. The air whooshed out of her at
his nearness. “And you better be there within ten minutes. If you don’t I’ll
take you over my knee and give you what for.”

Her mouth opened in shock. “Are you threatening to spank
me?”

“You bet I am. Are you going to tell the press? I can see
the headline now, notorious billionaire threatens to spank his cleaner,” he
said.

“One, I wouldn’t go to the press. Why would I? And second,
you’re a billionaire now?” she asked, smiling. She tapped his chest then moved
toward the elevator.

“Why wouldn’t you go to the press?”

“I’m not that kind of person. You don’t mean what you say,
and I don’t like causing fuss. The press turn everything around anyway. I like
your billionaire comment though. Maybe I should ask for a raise,” she said.

The doors to the elevators closed.

Should I go
with him?

Indecision struck her as she looked at her bland features in
the reflection of the steel of the elevator doors. There was nothing stopping
her and Kent from being friends. He was fun to be around and playful at times.

Lana enjoyed his company, and watching him clean had been a
pleasure.

Placing the cleaning trolley away, Lana headed toward the
parking lot.
Kent
waited for her. She was aware of the security guard giving her the once-over.
Lana knew what he was thinking and didn’t care.

****

Kent
watched as
she got in beside him. He wanted to fasten her seatbelt to have any excuse to
touch her. Settling for watching her, he waited for the guard to open the
security barricade. He gave the guard a wave and then was on the main road heading
toward her house.

“I thought I’d have to come and get you,” he said.

“Not tonight. Your offer of food is far too tempting.
Besides, you’re not a rapist or murderer, and that’s points in your favour.”
She joked with him.

“Finally the lady starts to relax.”

“Actually, I’m far too tired to argue with you. Help and
food were too irresistible to turn down.”

He chuckled, loving the banter with her.
Kent
couldn’t
remember a time when he’d spoken with a woman about anything meaningful. There
were his friends’ wives, but other than that, there was no one else he talked
to of the opposite sex.

Lana was by far more refreshing just from her conversation.
They pulled up outside her house. “I want you to go in and buzz me up. How do
you feel about Chinese?” he asked.

“I’d love some. There’s a great Chinese place a few blocks
from here.” She got out and went inside. Tonight she didn’t look back to give
him a wave. Heading in the direction she pointed, he drove until he found the
Chinese place.

After ordering half the menu,
Kent
waited a good half an hour for
his order. The box that came out made him feel good. The box was loaded with
several different dishes. He bid them goodnight before making his way back to
Lana’s house. The food made his stomach rumble. He couldn’t wait to get inside
her apartment.

Parking the car in the available parking lot around the
back, he grabbed the food before heading back to the main door.

He buzzed the bell waiting for her to respond.

“It’s open,” she said. “I’m on the third floor, fourth door
from the stairs.”

Opening the door, he walked up the stairs. She was stood
waiting for him with her arms folded. The apartment was nice but small.

“Hi,” she said. He was struck by her. In the time it had
taken for him to get the food, Lana had showered and changed into something far
more comfortable and seductive. The jeans and black t-shirt moulded to her body
like a second skin.

“Hi,” he said, averting his gaze.

“You’ve ordered enough food to feed the entire apartment
block.”

“I didn’t know what you liked. I bought enough for both of
us.” Her stomach growled at him. “And I think it’s time for us both to eat.”

She invited him in.

He noticed how clean her apartment was before he noticed the
few pictures on the wall. There was nothing personal. The artwork showed
someone lived in the apartment but not
who
that person was.

“Can I get you a drink? I don’t have any beer.”

“What do you have?” he asked, setting the box of food on the
coffee table.
Kent
noted the used appearance of the table but didn’t say anything.

“I’ve got coffee, tea, milk, juice, and water,” she said.

He chuckled. “I’ll take a coffee.”

She turned away from him. “Do you need plates?” she asked.

“No. I’m happy to eat out of the cartons if you are?”

Lana left him to go fix drinks. The sound of the kettle
filled the silence. He removed his jacket and then started unloading each
carton of Chinese food. The oriental scents were intoxicating, and his mouth
watered. He’d skipped dinner so he’d get a chance to eat with her.

She came back minutes later carrying two large mugs of coffee.

He noticed she grabbed a coaster and wiped the small
spillage of coffee from the table with a tissue. She kept a box of tissues on
the table.

“You’re not a fan of mess, are you?” he asked.

“Is it that obvious?” She sat next to him. A blush stained her
cheeks.
Kent
chuckled.

“I’m a guy. I’m supposed to notice these things.”

She laughed. “I guess you are. What did you get?” She rubbed
her hands down her thighs. He wondered if that was natural or if being with him
made her nervous.