Mr. Big(32)

Alexander lived in a high rise building like she did, but as they entered his home from the private elevator that they used to reach it, she discovered that he lived in the penthouse. Her mouth fell open a little and her eyes widened in astonishment at the elegance and style that surrounded her as she stepped from the elevator car into his foyer. It was done in marble with gold metal fixtures, and a large crystal chandelier hung from the domed ceiling. It was easily the grandest looking home that she had ever been in, and she was completely amazed by it. Dark wood furniture graced the halls and rooms that she could see as she stepped down from the foyer into a sunken living room. The furniture was all in dark leather, and accents of cream and gold lightened the room considerably. The thick rugs placed over the marble floor were cream colored, as were the walls and ceiling. There was crown molding at the top of the walls and set into the ceiling as well, and a large chandelier hung in the living room, glowing softly.

She gazed around the room at the paintings on the walls, the vases and sculptures, and the grand piano in the corner beside a twenty foot tall glass wall that overlooked the vast stretch of Manhattan stretching out below the building.

“Do you play the piano?” she asked in curious surprise, looking at it. It was pristine.

He shrugged and smiled. “When I have time, which unfortunately hasn’t been too often lately.”

Mia bit her lip and looked at him with a shy sort of smile as her attention left the beautiful room she was standing in and focused more on the man who was standing in the middle of it watching her.

“So… I thought we were going out to dinner…” she paused, “not that I mind being here with you at all, but… are we going out to dinner?” she asked with a little laugh.

He chuckled and gave her a nod. “In a manner of speaking, we are going out to dinner, and we are staying in as well.” He walked toward her and she tipped her head at him in confusion.

Alexander held his hand out to her and she slipped hers into it. He twined his fingers with hers and walked her through the living room into a library that was walled with dark wooden shelves filled with books. There was a large desk with a Tiffany lamp on it, and an antique looking telephone. At the far end of the room there were two long leather sofas that faced each other, and in between them was a glass table with a gold base.

They walked through the library to a doorway and Alexander opened the glass door and led her through it. There was a deck with a spiral staircase, and he stepped aside and ushered her up the stairs in front of him. The air was cool, and the night was dark and inviting. She had no idea where he was taking her, but every step had shown her beauty she had never imagined, and she wanted to keep going.

As she reached the top of the stairs, there was a small gate, which was already opened. She stepped through it and found herself on the rooftop of the building, but the rooftop was unlike any other she had ever seen or imagined before. The entire rooftop was one enormous garden, complete with paths and walkways, fountains, trees, bushes, flowers, and a glass gazebo which had a raised roof and was built in the shape of an octagon.

She felt his hand on her lower back and she turned to stare up at him as he smiled down at her. “This is incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this!” she laughed in her amazement.

He nodded and shrugged. “Well, it’s hard to find a good place to put a proper garden in New York City, so I had to buy the penthouse so I could put the garden up here.”

She blinked. “You bought the penthouse so you could put a garden up here?”

Alexander nodded again and laughed as he took her hand and led her down one of the pathways that would take them to the gazebo. “I did. I like to have a natural peaceful place to get away from the madness of the world sometimes, but I don’t really want to get too far out of the city, so when I don’t mind being in public, I go to Central Park, like we did.”

They reached the gazebo and he ushered her inside. There was a table inside it, covered with a maroon cloth and set with fine china and crystal. Every thoughtful touch that could have been added to the table had been added, from the flowers in the center to the single piece of chocolate waiting for each of them on their plates.

“When I want something more private, this works best for me.” He added, finishing his prior statement.

Mia gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “I can’t believe this!” she spoke barely above a whisper. “This is the most beautiful thing… I…” she paused, unable to finish her sentence as she looked at everything around her in the glass room. It was warm, and there were candles of varying sizes and shapes placed all over the room. There were vases of the same red roses that he had brought to her, each one set at different intervals on pedestals at the perimeter of the room. It seemed to her that it must be from some kind of dream.