The Thorn Of A Rose

Chapter Eight

I can feel my hands getting clammy, like I'm in a hot, condensed room. I'm stood in front one of the richest men in Britain and I never even knew it. How did I not know it? The signs were all there. The car, the driver, the housekeeper. I want to hit myself. For a smart girl, I'm pretty stupid for not picking up on this.

I say nothing, the silence is so loud. "Are you going to talk at any point?"

His question causes me to look from his huge building to him. He looks nervous, like telling me what he does is a big thing for him. "How did I not even realise?" I ask, more to myself than to him.

He chuckles "I didn't know how you'd react"

"I don't know how to react" I admit. He's just another person, being the richest guy in the country doesn't mean anything. Of course it means something. I'm sure that he gets plenty of fame, and attention. He has been able to have anything he ever wants, like the car he drove me home in just two days ago.

He places his hands either side of my cheeks. "I'm still Lloyd"

I raise my brows "A very rich Lloyd"

I've never known a super rich person. I've known people wealthier than me, but then again that's not particularly hard. I live in London, but most of my money goes on my flat and living. Some weeks have been and gone where I struggled to even eat for the whole week.

I don't want to focus on the fact that he's rich, I don't want that to influence any of the decisions I make. I'm not a gold digger, far from it. The thought of people throwing money around like it's nothing irritates me, so why doesn't Lloyd irritate me?

"Come on, we need to keep walking so that we make it to the meal I have booked" He lets go of my cheeks and holds out his hand for me to take. Of all the times to drop this bomb on me, he thought today would be the best one? I think about it and I realise that if he didn't tell me, I'd probably more angry. He's just like any other human, I remind myself.

We're both wearing gloves but I can feel the electricity flowing through them and I have to resist the urge to kiss him. At what point do we know whether we truly like them or whether we're just attracted to them and their sexual talents? It really is a talent when it comes to what Lloyd can do to me, it's like my body is tuned into just him and it's extremely frustrating.

"So, how many other tall buildings do you own?" I ask, breaking the silence.

He smiles down at me "Just the one tall building"

I nod "Right, so no other sky scraper with your name on it?"

He shakes his head "Just billboards"

I nod "That's where I've seen the name, of course."

"I clearly need to change who does my marketing if you've only just realised that now" He responds, his face looking slightly troubled.

"They're quite bland, just your name in big letters and a small slogan. That's not going to catch everyone's attention"

He raises his brows as he looks down "It's not?"

I shake my head. "Take it from a marketing executive, it could be a lot better"

His eyes light up a little, like he enjoys hearing me talk about my job. "You're good at what you do, aren't you?"

I nod "I am, I just don't want it to take over my life forever" I admit. I'm a hardworking person, sometimes the last in the office, most of the time I'm the first one in. It can get tiring and as much as I hate the word, it can get lonely.