Roses for Stella

Chapter 2-The Rider Mansion

Stella

I pull up to the big dark grey mansion after my shift at the office is over. It's absolutely huge. It has to have at least 20 rooms. The house is truly beautiful. It's stone grey, with black and grey marble pillars in front of the main door. It's covered in tall glass windows with white frames, and there's a few vines growing up the sides of the house. I drive down the long white path leading to the front of the house. At the opposite end of the path, there's a big silver gate with a big black "R" sitting at the top. It's definitely a sight to behold.

I step out of my car and a man in a white dress shirt and grey vest immediately comes to my side taking my keys and driving my car into what I assume is the garage, which is also huge. I walk up the white steps to the front door and knock twice, drawing in a deep breath. I'm greeted by an older woman dressed in a grey button down shirt and a white frilly apron tied neatly around her waist. Her long grey hair was tied into a neat bun, with a few stray hairs tucked behind her ears.

"You must be Stella, please, come in and we'll get started right away."

I follow her inside down a long marbled hallway. The inside of the house was just as beautiful and modern as the outside, with mostly white and grey furniture and marbled designs on the walls and counters.

We enter a side room towards the back of the house that appears to be an office. There's shelves of books and boxes filled with thread, ribbons, and fabric lining the back wall. A small desk and chair sits in the front of the room, with nothing on it except a laptop and mouse, and a small potted plant. In the middle of the room, there's 2 small couches and a big circular cushion between them that I'm assuming is what I'll be standing on for the woman to take my measurements.

"Please remove everything except your undergarments and step onto the cushion." She points to a foldable divider for me to change behind for privacy.

I nod and step behind it, unbuttoning my jeans. I'm almost halfway undressed with just my blouse on, when a knock at the door stops me from going any further. The woman answers the door and I can hear a man's voice. I wonder if it's the boss and if he'll take his leave once she tells him I'm currently changing, but it doesn't sound like him. The voice is younger, but just as deep. It's enough to make anyone shudder at the sound of it, but the thought of me being half-naked with nothing but this thin piece of fabric and wood shielding me from their eyes distracts me from being taken under by the spell of his voice. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I hear him say my name.

"Stella?"

"Um y-yes?"

"My name is Elijah, I just wanted to say thank you for agreeing to accompany me tomorrow night to the gala. It's my first time back in New York after spending 3 years on the other side of the continent, and I really didn't want to go alone." He chuckles awkwardly. It's....kind of cute?

I smile to myself. "It's no problem really, but I gotta be honest, you're nothing like I thought you would be."

He laughs. "What, an arrogant snob who treats everyone like dog shit? No, that's not me. My mother raised me better."

There's a minute of silence between us, almost as if he's reminiscing at the thought of something.

He clears his throat. "Well uh anyways, thanks again. I'll leave you to resume taking your measurements. See you soon."

I hear the door close and process for a minute before continuing to undress. I step out from behind the divider and cross my arms over my chest and shudder, suddenly feeling cold. The woman, who I later find out is named Marta, clasps her hands together and motions for me to step onto the cushion. I stand there with my feet spread slightly and my arms out as I was instructed to do, and she begins taking measurements.