How the hell had she agreed to that? She'd let him have the best of it, that is it. The grip, the stare, his hot body next to hers... Aaargh!
'Damn it! He's so bossy! If I cancel and ruin this, Hopper is gonna kill me, and I can kiss my job goodbye. I have no family to help me. Nobody, at all. I can't afford to lose my job.' She was thinking, sulky. Alex had sent her home with his driver, and when she got there, she was thinking about her past.
She had lost her family when she was seven years old. Nobody had come for her, so, she was left in an orphanage. It was hard, especially because some kids were mean, and she was too shy and weak to defend herself from her bullies. She studied a lot, in order to get a good job. She knew she would be kicked out when she turned eighteen. The director was a nice woman, Miss Smith, and offered her a job there once she reached majority age. She accepted it, of course, so she could pay for her needs and for her studies. She got to earn a certificate of Marketing Analyst at the California State University Long Beach, after two years of hard studying. She would always be grateful to that good soul. Unfortunately, the woman died two years ago. Heart attack.
She didn't notice she was crying from those memories, until her teardrops had hit her hand. She wiped them off and started to pack. It was just one night. One pair of pajamas, two pairs of underwear, toothbrush and toothpaste, some makeup, and two outfits.
When everything was ready, she waited for the driver. He arrived exactly after the three hours and fifty three minutes had elapsed, as Alex said he would.
'Alex', she thought, 'As if we were close enough for me to call him that. It's Mr. Strauss, Camilla'.
Inside the car, she was lost in thoughts and didn't notice when they'd arrived at their destination. When the car door was opened, she had a feeling, a realization: her life was about to change.
"We are here, Miss." The driver said, offering his hand to her.
"Thanks, Jared. I'll take it from here." Alex was there, next to the driver. He offered his hand to her, and she took it. She looked at him while holding his hand and saw how handsome he was. Not only that, but he was being kind at that moment, without that mischievous smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Strauss. And thank you, Mr. Jared."
The driver smiled and nodded. After Alex's head motion, he left.
"Welcome to Atlantis, Miss Bakers. Today, you are my guest of honor."
Still holding her hand, he leaded her to the hall of the Hotel. Neither of them noticed that a paparazzo was just outside, taking pictures of them.
Camilla was nervous because the warmth of his hand was spreading through her body as if he was touching her all over.
"A penny for your thoughts," Alex whispered and when she looked at his face, his eyes were looking ahead, but the smirk on his face was saying he knew exactly what was she thinking about.
"There's nothing important. I'm just mesmerized by this Hotel. I had never entered such a luxurious place before." She said simply.
"Now you're not just entering it. You are a guest, here. And I, as a good host, will personally show you to your suite."
She shrugged. This man was dangerous, so she had to take care of herself. Just his presence was hard to deal with. He may be a jerk, but he was smoking hot and only an idiot couldn't see that.
"Please, give me the presidential suite keycard." Alex asked the manager at the front desk. The man, of course, looked at Camilla and he thought that she must be a very important woman, because, as much as Mr. Strauss was a womanizer, he'd never invited any of his affairs to the Hotel, let alone had he invited them to the most expensive suite they had.
"Sure, Mr. Strauss." The man turned around and picked the keycard. "Should I file her information on our database, sir?"
"No. Use my own name. She is a very especial guest for our Hotel, so, it's on me." Reaching out his hand to receive the keycard, Alex looked at Camilla with a wide smile.
He thanked the manager and walked away, asking Camilla to follow him. The elevator they were going to use was the V.I.P. one, exclusive for the Presidential Suite.
"Ladies first." He gestured for her to enter the elevator and, after she was in, he followed her. They had thirty floors to go up, until their destination.
Camilla was looking down and didn't see when Alex pushed the stop button, only coming to realize that something was off when the elevator came to a sudden stop.
"What is happening?" She asked, startled, looking at the door, but she glimpsed a shadow on her left side. When she looked at it, Alex was so close that she had to take a step back. But he kept walking ahead, until her back hit the elevator wall.
"You're so appetizing, do you know that?" His hot breath was on her face, getting closer, until his lips were almost touching hers. His arms were on each side of her head and she was afraid and aroused at the same time.
"W-What are you d-doing, Mr. Strauss?" She was trying not to stutter.
"I am going to kiss you. Since I first saw you I wanted to do that. Well, not only that. I know you're a good girl, but let me show you how to be naughty, at least once."
Before she could answer, he was kissing her hard. Her mind blew at this moment and her arms were around his neck, instinctively and for balance, otherwise, she might have fallen.
Alex noticed that she was inexperienced. He had done a little research about her and there was no information about any boyfriend WHATSOEVER, but he never thought she was like this, brand new in every aspect. She had been so focused on studying and getting a job that love affairs were out of her plans.
While they were in their own world, the pictures and news about the billionaire CEO Alex Strauss entering one of his hotels accompanied by a woman—and, not only that; they were also going to the most luxurious suite of the city—kept popping up all over the social media.