This

Chapter 14

Mark's sigh was full of disapproval when he saw the hotel I was staying at, which pissed me off. Just because it wasn't five star accommodation didn't mean that it was bad.

“So have you got everything sorted now?” Mark asked as I got back in the car, my bags filling the back seat.

“Well, I would have showered before leaving but you were being an impatient little shit,” I mumbled. Mark pulled away from the curb, almost hitting a cyclist.

“Jesus, be careful!” I exclaimed, gripping onto the seat. Mark laughed at my fear.

“That was careful. And you could have showered, I would have just waited on the bed,” he said nonchalantly. Inappropriate. So inappropriate. Mark realised that he was making me uncomfortable, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“But you can shower at my place. The bathroom attached to your room is needing a do-up, so feel free to use any of the other bathrooms in the place.” We drove the rest of the drive to his place in silence, aside from Mark's road rage every now and then. When we pulled into a carpark beside Mark's place, I couldn't help but marvel in awe at the building he lived in. It was huge and looked like it was made entirely from glass.

“You live in there?” I breathed as Mark locked the car with a little blip-blip of the key. He followed my gaze up the building, laughing at my expression.

“Only the top two floors,” he said, giving me a quick wink. Top two floors? Fuck me. The lobby was completely white, with a large fountain in the centre. A fountain in the fucking lobby. I started to become anxious about what his top two floors would be like.

“Mr. Walker,” the receptionist said to Mark. He was an older fellow, slightly balding.

“Hector,” Mark replied with a nod of the head, “This is Elle Fraser, she will be staying with Renee and I for the next week or so. Make sure she gets access, I can't be arsed with dealing with the other guys being a hassle and not letting her in,” he finished. Fuck, this place had access abilities?

“Of course. Miss Fraser, my name is Hector, I'm here for anything you need, just a phone call away.” I smiled at Hector. He reminded me of Joe from The Princess Diaries movies, he could pass as Joe's twin.

“Thank you,” I said as Mark led me towards the elevator, before pressing the button labelled PH.

“Of course you live in the fucking penthouse,” I muttered. A long sigh came from between Mark's lips, his eyes closing slowly.

“And I hate every inch of it. I miss my fifth floor shoebox I lived in before this place, probably about the size of that hotel room you were living in. All this space, it's so empty and... alone.” As Mark's voice trailed off, the elevator doors sprung open onto a room larger than any I had seen before, including the Harper Collins lobby. It seemed like every exterior wall was completely glass, and there was a staircase above the elevator, going up to another level.

“No front door?” I asked. Mark mimicked the way my eyebrows rose in disbelief, which only made me reach out and swat his arm.

“No actual, physical door, no.”

“So anyone could just press the button and walk into your place?” Mark laughed at my questions, the giganticness of the room making every sound kind of echo.

“You're cute. No, Elle, there is a camera in the elevator, and unless security know the person who pressed my button then they have to be buzzed in by someone in the apartment,” Mark explained. Suddenly his asking Hector to 'make sure she has access' made sense. Wait, cute?

“Renee!” Mark shouted, motioning for me to follow him up the stairs. The art on the wall as we ascended was phenomenal. It was almost as good as the likes of Da Vinci, in my opinion, the detail was beautiful.