"Thank you," I said softly and grabbed the calling card he offered.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he looked at me worriedly.
"I'm fine, I think. I just need to breathe," I said softly as I took a huge intake of breath, closing my eyes in concentration. "What have I gotten myself into?" I whispered in disbelief. I tried to wrap my head around the things that happened today, but I was too overwhelmed. Everything was happening too fast. However, since I haven't passed out yet, I will try to go with the flow-for now.
Kevin chuckled at my response before he walked out of the room with the rest of the movers. When the door finally closed, and I was left alone, it finally dawned on me that I might have sold myself to the devil.
Eight
After unpacking what little things I had, I got out of the apartment and went straight to the hospital to tell my dad about what happened. Because I didn't know how to get there, I decided to ask the receptionist. She was kind enough to give me directions and even told me which bus to take to get to my new workplace. For some reason, she wasn't fazed once she found out where I worked.
When I reached the hospital, it was already past one in the afternoon. That meant I had at least three hours to kill before Kevin would pick me up for this evening's event. I entered my father's room and brought him up to date about everything that happened that day. He chuckled at my expression as I described the apartment. I was glad that he wasn't as freaked out about it as I was.
The three hours went by so fast that I was slightly disappointed to leave. My father insisted that I should go and express my gratitude to Alexandra personally. With that said, I kissed his forehead and went on my way. The ride back to my place had me thinking of tonight's event. I knew for sure he would be there. He was her brother after all.
A few blocks away from my new apartment, I stopped dead for a second then smiled. Terry was sitting on his motorcycle, looking like a killer model with his leather jacket and slick dark hair gelled up. I half ran towards him and called his attention.
"Terry! You're here!" I exclaimed. I had texted him the address before I left the hospital. I didn't know he would be here that fast.
"I did tell you I was coming," he stated with a smirk as he stepped away from his ride. "So, here I am. Now, show me your new crib," he continued once I reached him.
I smirked and gave him a quick hug. "I miss you already," I stated as I tugged his arm, guiding him towards the entryway made of clear glass.
The creamy, ivory lobby immediately caught Terry's attention. He whistled in appreciation as I guided him towards the elevator. The receptionist looked at us with a strained smile, her eyes on Terry. I softly chuckled at her reaction and walked faster towards the elevator before I could ruin her fantasy.
It didn't take long for the elevator doors to open once we reached my floor. Terry whistled and shook his head in awe when he saw the hallway. I snickered at his reaction and told him to keep walking. When I stopped in front of my apartment door, I took my time opening it. Terry let out an exasperated sigh, which made me chuckle in amusement.
"Can we get on with it?" he asked irritably.
I laughed at his impatience and opened the door. He sure didn't wait for me to invite him in. He burst inside and scanned the room in appreciation. He almost gasped when he finally saw the plasma television in the living room.
"Can I move in with you?" he asked absentmindedly as he caressed the television.
I laughed at his actions and slumped down on the couch. "Where is Andrew anyway? I thought you'd bring him along," I asked.
"He is held back by his job," he answered as he sat down beside me. He turned his attention around the room, his eyes filled with awe. "I can't believe this is one of the job perks. If I only knew," he stated softly to himself.
I lightly punched him in the arm and laughed at his words. After a few seconds of silence, I stood up and looked down at him. "You can't stay long today, I'm sorry. I have to go somewhere this evening," I said grimly. He noticed my tone and tore his eyes away from of my television.
"Where to?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"A party," I answered in finality, not wanting to add more details to it.
"What party?" he probed, raising his eyebrow at me and ignoring the tone of my voice.
I sighed dejectedly, then gave him a sad look. "Ms. Maxwell invited me to a party tonight at their mansion," I admitted and let out another sigh.
There was a short moment of silence as Terry looked at me with wide eyes. "Are you for real?" he asked, stunned.
I looked at him and nodded. Terry continued to hold my gaze before whistling in admiration. "Wow! I can't believe how quickly you made it to the top with the A-listers," he said with a snicker, his eye twinkling in amusement.
I shook my head and grinned back. "I haven't. Don't worry," I said as I walked away from him towards the bedroom. "Can you keep yourself company while I change? I don't have much time until someone picks me up."
"Who is picking you up?" he asked suggestively, the end of his lips twitched into a smile.
"No. It's not who you think it is. And I have no idea why you would even think that. Not in a million years," I said with conviction as I opened the door of my new room. "Can you keep yourself company, please-and don't destroy anything! Turn the television on," I suggested with a smile.
"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed in excitement, all thoughts of teasing me were gone as he jogged to the living room.
I smirked at his actions and shook my head in amusement. He could be such a guy sometimes. I left him to watch shows while I closed the door of my room and stared at the dress on my bed. I hadn't moved it from where I last put it down this morning. I glanced at it for a moment before sighing dejectedly. Afterwards, I walked towards the dresser on the left side of the room and pulled out the chair from under it. I stared at my face for a second before styling my hair with a comb.
It only took me half an hour to do my hair and makeup. That was mainly because I only owned a compact powder and lipstick. With my hair and makeup done, I stood in front of the dress again, hesitant to put it on. When a minute of internal debate passed, a knock on the door brought me back to reality.
"Andy? There is a man in a suit outside the door waiting for you. Do you know him?" Terry asked. His voice was muffled from the wooden door that separated us.
"Yes. If his name is Kevin, you can let him in. Tell him to wait for a second," I called as I picked up the dress from the bed.
"Okay," he shouted as his voice and footsteps got fainter the farther away he got.
I distinctly heard Terry tell someone to get in and wait for a few minutes. I quickly put on the dress before I thought twice about backing out. After a quick look in the full-length mirror, (which was located beside the door leading to the walk-in closet), I let out a huge breath and walked out of the room.
I heard someone gasp when I closed the door behind me. I turned around, a little curious as to who made the noise, when I saw both Terry and Kevin look at me in surprise. I felt a sudden blush creep on my face as their eyes assessed me from head to toe. I was a little uncomfortable with it, so I cleared my throat to get their attention.
"Andy, you look fantastic. I didn't know you had it in you," Terry spoke up first, breaking the silence.
"Thank you," I said to him with a shy smile.
"You look lovely, Ms. Peterson," Kevin agreed with a small smile of his own, nodding his head briefly in greeting.
"Thank you, Kevin. Shall we go?" I asked, mainly because their praise made me feel awkward.
"Sure. This way please," Kevin said as he offered me his arm.
I looked at him, not really processing what to do until Terry silently signaled me to take it. I mouthed a thank you at him as I put my arm around Kevin's. Terry winked at me and chuckled softly to himself.
As we walked out of the apartment, with Terry trailing silently behind us, I felt my heart beat faster. On our way down in the elevator, once again I thought about my predicament. I couldn't believe the things I did out of desperation. This job may have been a gift from heaven, but then the person I would be working with might as well have belonged smack in the middle of hell. It was weird how your life can change in a short amount of time.
We stopped in front of the building as I waited for Terry to leave. We hugged for a second and exchanged a few jokes before he finally left. When I could no longer see his motorcycle on the street, I allowed Kevin to take me to the car, which happened to be the same SUV he drove that morning.
The drive to the mansion was long. Since the house was located just a few miles from the edge of Chestnut Hill, it took us almost an hour to get there. We drove past houses that could have been on the covers of architectural magazines. Obviously, this was a neighborhood for the rich, however, it was the huge modern-designed house, located a few blocks away, which caught my eye. It might not have been the only one in the neighborhood with its own lawn, huge grounds, possibly a pool, and a tennis court. But what set it apart was the fact that it was surrounded with trees and bushes that were shaped into different figures. As the car continued to drive towards that particular house, I had a gut feeling that it was the Maxwell's Mansion.