Amber’s heart stopped. What did this girl want with Charles? Such a pretty delicate little thing seemed to threaten almost her entire existence with those last two words. Who was she? Was she a girlfriend or a call girl perhaps? She was too old to be his daughter… Skeptically Amber eyed her, a rush of thoughts racing in her head. She decided to go with the calm subtle approach. “I’m headed there, too.” She faked a smile. She was so good at that.
Liv seemed rather puzzled for a second. She bit down on her lips and crossed her arms, seemingly unhappy with what she heard. “What do you mean you’re headed there, too? That’s where my husband and I live.” Her brow furrowed until the creases in her forehead showed prominently. “How do you know Charles?” The tone in her voice switched from day to night in a matter of seconds. The muscle in her jaw seemed to tighten a little as she fiddled with the large diamond ring on her left hand.
Shock registered on Amber’s face. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t mean to show her surprise, but the discovery was almost too much for her to intake. “Wait a second,” Amber reached to play nervously with one of her loose strands of hair. “You two are married?” Rage began to seep in as the shock in her body leaked away. The lying bastard failed to mention this before she stripped down naked and lay with him.
She wracked her brain to images of him. She couldn’t recall seeing a ring on his finger, or even the shadow of one that he might’ve taken off after years of use. He had never mentioned a wife, or a pretty one at that. God, she was so damn gorgeous…how the hell was she able to compete with that?
Almost as if she were defending her home from invaders, Liv straightened up to an unbelievable height. Her Prada shoes dug into the floor with tiny pointed heels. “I assure you,” she emphasized the words rather deeply. “Mr. Livingston and I have been married for eight years, very happily.” She hissed.
Amber coiled up inside. There was no point in denying the one simple fact: she had just slept with a married man and her heart had undoubtedly fallen for him. She was stupid and it killed her. Not once had she even considered asking him if he was married. She just automatically assumed that he was a young rich bachelor looking for a good time.
“Oh my God.” She couldn’t look Charles’ wife in the eye. Not now. Not after she had slept with her husband only days prior. I’m such a whore, she thought, guilt plaguing her heart. She wanted to apologize but what good would it do? Admitting it to a female who already felt threatened would only hurt the situation.
She searched instead for a route to escape, some way to leave the elevator without a confrontation. Charles’ face burned in her memory, the sickly regret slowly building in her stomach.
“What,” Liv flipped the sassy attitude rather well, throwing in a Boston accent to complete her utter perfection.
She had to lie. It was the only way. Damn…She winced as the words came out. She was a really good liar, always had been. Ever since she was little, she could lie her way out of anything. Now she called on the skill to bail her out of this one.
“I’m not visiting a Mr.…who was it you said…Charles?” She pulled a confused look. “I’m visiting the Penthouse of a Ms. White. I’m her new housekeeper.” The name was randomly pulled out of the air but it would have to do. She needed to fake being lost because there was no way she blended in with everyone here. It would make more sense that someone of her class would be looking for work instead of a one-night stand with a British married billionaire.
Placing her hand almost perfectly on her heart, Liv almost gasped with relief. It was all over her countenance. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize…” she paused for a second, hoping that Amber would give her good graces. “Here I thought you were…” She shook her head. “Silly me. I’m sorry, please forgive me,” Her accent flowed perfectly off her tongue.
The field was hers. “Don’t worry about it,” Again with the fake smile, Amber reassured her. The bitch wasn’t worth her time. If only she could get her hands on Charles. There was so much emotion raging within her.
“Ms. White must not live in this building,” Liv volunteered. “I would try the condominium across the street. The Penthouse here is already taken.” At least she was trying to be helpful or seem concerned. Whether or not it was legitimate, Amber couldn’t tell.
“Thank you very much,” Amber said when the light to the Penthouse level lit up. “I’m sorry for the confusion. I hope you and your husband have a great day.” The last words came out of her mouth like cotton, dry and empty.