Chapter 14

“I’m not hungry.”

“Perhaps in an hour you will be.”

Williamson stood up to leave.

“Firmin will show you to your room.”

Firmin appeared out of nowhere, standing at her side. Before Williamson slipped away into the shadows, he turned to her once more.

“Oh, before I forget. I wanted to mention a few basic things about the layout of my home. It is rather easy to get lost in here, so I will give you the grand tour tomorrow, that is, if you choose to stay. The interior of the penthouse is roughly 25,000 square feet shaped like a large cross. I am at present standing in the center of the cross, where you will find our main living areas, such as the living and dining rooms, the communal kitchen, our massive library, the entertainment room, main fitness room and our guest bedrooms. The South Wing is where the staff lives. Though the South Wing is not off limits to you, I’d rather you use the communication devices Firmin will show you if you need to speak to a staff member. There are no locks on any of the doors, so please respect the privacy of the staff by contacting them first if for some reason you need to visit the South Wing. The staff is trained to attend to you in your living quarters which are in the North Wing of the Penthouse. I trust you will find them very comfortable. You will have a full-time assistant, Mrs. Maria Potcia, one of my longest serving and most trusted employees, who will be accessible to you 24 hours a day. Firmin will show you how to contact her. If you need anything, absolutely anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. My living quarters are in the East Wing and you are welcome to explore them to your heart’s content, whether I am there or not. Though you have free rein to go anywhere you wish within my home, there is one place you are strictly forbidden to enter – The West Wing. This is my private place and I ask you politely to not wander into this area, especially into the room that is distinguished by a black door trimmed in red. This is my private sanctum; it is the only place in the Penthouse which is off-limits to you.

“Is that where the bodies are buried?” Bella Lisa asked with a straight face.

“Very humorous, Ms. Mauricio. Trust me, there are no bodies. It is just the one private place I have in my home and I wish it to remain so. I don’t think you would find what happens in the West Wing half as enjoyable as I do. So, remember what killed the cat, Ms. Mauricio?

“Curiosity.”

“That is correct. So for your own protection, stay away from the West Wing. That’s about it. I think you’ll see things a lot clearer after a nice meal. I’ll see you at 6 sharp for dinner.”

“I told you I’m not hungry.”

“Come now. I can hear your stomach growling from all the way across the room. And if there’s one thing I know, Ms. Mauricio, it’s the sound of a growl.”

Williamson stared down at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her head bowed, her hands clenched in her lap. She looked unbelievably pretty and vulnerable at that moment, like a vision of the most beautiful woman his mind could imagine. He wanted to touch her, just to make sure she was real. Williamson walked back across the room, bent down on one knee in front of her and touched her for the first time, taking her limp hand in his.

“Ms. Mauricio, please try to relax in my home. I don’t wish to harm you in any way. I admit the means I devised in bringing us together in this moment of time were a trifle deceptive—”

“A trifle?”

“OK, they were deceptive, but now that you’re here, I truly wish you to have a memorable time with me for however long you choose to stay. I’ve looked forward to this moment for so long…”

After listening to his soothing and seductive words, Bella Lisa breathed out once and looked down at Williamson in his humbled position before her. He bowed his head and tenderly kissed the back of her hand, holding his lips against her skin for a long moment. The tip of Williamson’s tongue delicately touched her skin, and Bella Lisa felt a shiver run up her spine. Williamson gazed up into her eyes.

“Will you try to relax a little, Ms. Mauricio?”

Bella Lisa breathed out once more.

“I’ll try…”

“Good. Very good. Until 6 then, Ma Cheri.”

Williamson stood up and disappeared into the shadows of the East Wing. Firmin held out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

“Ms. Mauricio, would you care to accompany me to your boudoir?”

“Do I really have a choice?”

Bella Lisa stood up slowly, refusing the servant’s arm and walked beside him down a long corridor. The interior of the narrow passageway was dimly lit, with lighting inset into the walls and ceiling every few feet. Even during the daytime, she could only see just a few steps ahead of her as she walked.

“It’s dark in here. Is your boss trying to save a few bucks on the electric bill?”

“Hmmm. I’m not sure, Ms. Mauricio. I can bring up the issue at our next staff meeting,” Firmin said, totally missing the humor.

Bella Lisa felt she was entering the mouth of a dark and secluded cave, opulent and well decorated, but still a cave, 25 floors above the ground. After passing several doors and alcoves, they finally reached the end of the North Wing. Firmin held open the bedroom door for her. She squinted and shielded her hand over her eyes as bright sunlight flooded through the sliding glass doors of the wrap around L-shaped balcony, the setting sun lowering into the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The bedroom was several times the size of her college apartment, which she had once considered so spacious. It was, she could not deny, the most beautiful bedroom she had ever seen. She felt like some kind of princess, magically stepping into a glossy photograph of a magazine that showcases the homes of the super-rich. The centerpiece of the room was a large four poster bed with white lacey curtains around it, also peach-colored silk sheets and fluffy pillows inside. There was a large flat screen TV mounted onto the wall across from the bed. As Firmin stood patiently beside the door, Bella Lisa explored the room.