9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lily

I can't believe how daring Ethan is. I can't resist the look he is giving me. It is making me weak. I can't get over what happened this morning. But I also can't get over the messages I have been getting.

"So, you're still not going to tell me why you left?" he asks.

"I told you. It was inappropriate to stay. Plus, I was going to be late for work. I don't want to be late on my second day and give a bad impression."

"The real reason, Lily. Tell me the real reason you left."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because it is obvious you didn't have to leave."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't. If it was really a problem you would have gotten up and left the second your alarm went off," his tone is serious now.

"You can't possibly expect me to be able to do that," I reply.

"Such a waste that you have left. I was making you a delicious breakfast."

"I can tell. You went online looking for recipes." I fold my arms and look at him. I have my doubts, but I will humor him.

"That's exactly what I did. And you missed it all."

"How sad. What a pity!," I say sarcastically.

"I had fresh mangos and coconut stored in the fridge. I was going to make you a fresh fruit salad."

"That sounds nice. I would have loved to try it."

"What a pity you had to miss it. It is just too bad that you left."

My stomach suddenly feels sick. It all makes sense now, doesn't it? Ethan is the one behind the messages. He is the one who sent them.

"It is a pity I had to leave, indeed," I respond.

"I could have made you a delicious fruit smoothie. You know, you look like you would enjoy that. I hear you like your coffee black, sugarless too."

"I also hear you enjoy surfing the internet a lot, don't you, Ethan?"

"You do too."

"I would be lying if I said no."

"I guess we are two people that enjoy a lot of the same things."

"And a few other things."

"Like?"

"A few other things we can both enjoy," I look him up and down. He is speaking slowly, making me utterly curious to hear the next few words coming out of his mouth.

"Like what?"

"Like having to play mind games with each other. I can see you are quite good at it, Ethan."

"Me? Playing mind games with you?"

"Of course. I can tell when someone is doing it. I don't get tricked so easily."

"Well, aren't you the little detective? Unfortunately, it won't last for too long. You can't keep your little secret for too long now, Lily."

"But I heard you are quite a fan of secrets. I can tell you a little secret too. Secrets, to be honest."

"What would you do to uncover them, Lily?"

I look at him, his eyes are piercing into mine. He is standing right in front of me, trying to intimidate me, and it is working. He is so good at it.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. There is nothing here, Ethan," I say.

"Oh, that's what you think. But we are only getting started, Lily. I will see you in a bit," he says and walks out of the office.

I am left standing there alone, trying to get a hold of myself. This is not how I imagined the day at the building would start.

I take a deep breath. It's a good thing we had a little time to talk, but the mysterious talk and the innuendos are making it impossible for me to concentrate.

"Does he know? Of course, he can't know," I say to myself. Ethan can't know that I am the one behind the anonymous dating advice.

My mind is so chaotic right now, but isn't this what I wanted to make sure of? I wanted to make sure it was Ethan behind those messages. But he can't know it is me that he is contacting.

"Hello again, Ms. Snow," I hear his advisor's voice, Alfred's, coming from behind me.

"Oh. Hello again. How are you?" I turn around to look at him.

"Good, good. Just taking a little break before I go back to the meeting room. I couldn't wait to see the results."

"Well, here you go," I awkwardly say, and gesture to the room.

"You have been here for less than two hours and have already done more work than anyone else here has."

"Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" I ask, laughing.

"Oh, of course, it's a good thing. You have worked hard. And I have a feeling that Mr. Rothschild will have a lot to say about it," he smiles.

"Thank you. I am glad you like the flowers," I smile.

He walks to the table and looks at the flowers. He picks them up and looks at me. I can tell he loves the results.

"Wolfsbane. My absolute favorite," he says.

"Those are artificial ones. The real wolfsbane is a very poisonous flower."

"I am aware of that, Ms. Snow."

"It's an extremely rare plant. Extremely hard to grow and even harder to take care of. These roses right here, though, are very much real and they match your office's wallpaper."

"They look exquisite. This is perfect, Ms. Snow. Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"It's not every day you meet someone as talented as you are. Mr. Rothschild was lucky to find you."

"Thank you. You are very kind. I must get going now and plan for the next office," I say as I gather my equipment.

"I hope you will come by again. We can continue our little chat and I can show you, my collection."

"Of what?"

"I have a rather ravishing collection of all flowers considered forbidden."

"Really? That's interesting. I didn't know that" I say and chuckle.

"Yes. I can show you whenever you're free."

"I will keep that in mind, Alfred. I am looking forward to it."

I smile at him, and as I am about to head outside the office, I am faced by Ethan again. He greets me with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Looking forward to what?" he asks, hands placed in his pockets.

"Hi, again?" I smirk at him.

"You didn't answer my question, Ms. Snow."

"Your advisor, Alfred, has a massive collection of flowers. He wanted to show them to me."

"Do you now, Alfred?"

"Did you need something, Mr. Rothschild?" he asks him.

"No. Not at all. Not this time," he smiles and gestures to Alfred to leave the room, so it is just Ethan and me.

"Good. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to get going," I say, and attempt to walk outside the door, but he is quick to grab my arm.

"You're not going anywhere. Not now, at least."

"Why not? I have a tight schedule and I need to plan the decoration for the next office. I need to go," I say, trying to get my hand out of his grip. It is impossible. He is not going to let me go.

"Lily Snow. You are not getting out of here."

"Why?"

"You are going to spend some time with me. And we're going to have a little talk."

"I'm sorry. I really don't have time. I need to-"

"You're coming with me," he interrupts me as he grabs me by my waist.

It is hard to resist him. It is hard to resist his touch and the way he is looking at me with those blue-ocean eyes.

His hair is perfectly combed to the side and the suit he is wearing is a nice shade of dark grey. The white shirt underneath his suit jacket is very crisp. It is making him look hotter and sexier.

"Where are we going?" I ask as he guides me to the elevator.

"I need to take you somewhere."

"And where would that be?" I ask, turning to face him.

"It's a surprise. I can't tell you yet."

"Can't you tell me, or you don't want to tell me?"

Ethan doesn't say a thing. He just presses the button of the elevator, taking us to the parking lot. He is smiling and I can't help but ask why.

"What is that look on your face for?"

"What is it with elevators and the terrible need to make out?" he asks, completely ignoring my question.

"What?" I ask with a smile.

"It's like I want to kiss you again. You know, it's bad enough you're dressed like this."

"What do you mean dressed like this?"

"In this black dress."

"Is there something wrong with this dress?"

"There is nothing wrong with the dress," he snarls as he stands tall and towering over me, making me lean back against the wall of the elevator.

"Then, what's wrong with it?" I ask and smirk.

"There is nothing wrong with your dress. There is only something wrong with you, Lily Snow."

"What's wrong with me?"

"The secrets you keep," he smirks, and I chuckle.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't have to make sense. Nothing makes sense. The only thing that makes sense now is the urge to bite those luscious lips of yours."

"Are you trying to make a move on me, Mr. Rothschild?"

"What makes you think that Ms. Snow?"

"Well, the fact you are standing right in front of me and looking at me like you want to devour me."

"Is it that obvious?" he asks.

"Very obvious," I whisper, feeling his icy hand touching my cheek.

"I have no other choice. You have this strange effect on me, and I can't control myself around you."

"What kind of effect is that?"

"This one," he whispers, and his lips crash against mine.

The kiss is passionate. It is full of desire and want. It is intense and I love the feeling of his hands on my body. He soon pulls away again, making me crave more.

"Ethan."

"Come. We're here," he says as the elevator door opens.

"Are you going to do that every time you kiss me?"

"No idea what you are talking about, Ms. Snow," he proudly smiles and walks past me.

"Of course you don't," I say and smile, following him.

As I step outside, I see a black Porsche parked in front of the elevator. A different car than the one he drove me with the previous day.

"Do you show up with a new car every day?"

"Not really. Just when I need to."

"And this is one of those days?"

"Exactly. Hop in, gorgeous."

"God, what a show-off," I whisper to myself, but it seems like he heard it anyway by the faint way he laughs.

The interior of the car is spotless. Not a single stain anywhere. Even the black leather is perfectly clean. I can't help but wonder if this is just a show-off. After all, this is what he does best.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"Can't you tell me?"

"Not until we get there."

"Alright. You're not going to tell me. So, what are we going to talk about?"

"Everything and nothing at the same time. I just need to show you something."

"Show me what?"

"You'll see."

"You're so cryptic," I say.

"Cryptic? I think it's quite fun. You're going to like it, I'm sure of it."

"I don't really like it."

"Lily, if anyone is being cryptic, it is you with your little mysterious messages."

"No idea what you're talking about," I clear my throat and fix my posture.

"I'm talking about the little note you sent me this morning."

"Did I?" I ask, pretending not to know anything.

"I think you know what I'm talking about."

"Nope. "No idea," I shake my head and focus on the road.

"You're going to regret not being very honest with me, Ms. Snow."

"I'm sure I won't. I think I have been very honest with you," I say.

"Have you been though?"

"I think so."

"God, I love these little games you are playing with me, Ms. Snow."

"Really? How can a man love games so much?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that the past forty-eight hours have been very interesting, and it is all because of you, Ms. Snow. I keep learning more about you by the minute."

"You're not the only one learning, Mr. Rothschild."

"What is it you want to learn about me, Lily?"

"I can't tell you that," I say, looking him straight in the eyes.

He smirks, turning his attention back to the road. The car engine's purr is almost calming. I can't stop thinking about his words.

He's learned something about me. I'm curious to know what it is.

"What did you learn, Ethan?"

"Oh, you will know soon enough," he smiles.

"But that's not fair," I say.

"You know what else is not fair, Lily?" he says as he finally pulls over. I can't help but gasp at the sight outside the car window.