A Million Reasons

Chapter Seventeen: Kept Woman

The subtle rustle of silk sheets slowly brought Liya out of her slumber as strong arms encircled her. Smiling, eyes still closed, she breathed, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Ms. Richards. Did you sleep well?" He growled as he pressed his morning wood against her backside.

"Like a baby." She breathed as she turned to face him. 

The sight of Nathaniel Greyson, first thing in the morning, was an inspiration. Wavy brown hair tossed to and fro making him look ten years younger and carefree; Liya couldn't help but smile.

Grazing the stubble on his chin, she brought her lips to his in a slow kiss—full of promise.

"Damn, woman." He breathed. "You make it hard to get out of this bed."

"Then don't." She bit his bottom lip playfully.

"Don't tempt me. You may never get out of this bed." He released her as he threw back the sheets and stood, giving Liya the perfect view of his strong naked body.

Sighing, she watched as he stalked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the steam started to fill the room, she felt as if she were dreaming; as if any minute her alarm would go off and she would be back in her old apartment. But this wasn't a hallucination. She was living with the man of her dreams in a luxurious townhome with the most breathtaking views of central park. It was heaven.

"Do you want me to make breakfast or something?" She called as she reluctantly got out of bed and wrapped a silk rob around her weary body—the previous night's festivities felt with every move of her sore muscles.

"No. William usually has something for me on the ride to work."

"Oh, ok." Liya smiled as started to make the bed—anything to feel useful.

"What are you doing?" Nate called as he stood in the middle of the bathroom, dripping wet and reaching for a towel.

Breathless at the sight of him, she smiled. "Making the bed. What else?"

"Baby." He stalked toward her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "We have a maid that does that."

"Right." She rolled her eyes. Her new lifestyle was going to be an adjustment. 

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." He kissed her on the head and made his way into the walk-in closet.

Following him, she gasped at the sight of the room in daylight. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear she just walked into an upscale men's clothing store. Alcoves for every shoe imaginable, racks and racks of tailored suits, and a wall of mirrors that reflected the dark wood of the mahogany cabinets. 

"You think there's enough room for my stuff?" She teased as she admired the hem of one of his suits.

"Your closet is in there." He pointed to a set of double doors in the corner.

Following the direction of his stare, she slowly made her way to the entry and opened the doors. Gasping, she found herself in a room that matched the size of his, only the cabinets were pure white with a crystal chandelier draped over a circular silver leather ottoman. To her surprise, the racks were full of clothing, some familiar others displaying the purchase tags.

"How? When?" She breathed.

"I had my assistant work her magic." He wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head on his bare chest.

"Nate, I can't accept all this." 

"You can, and you will." Turning her to face him, he smiled. "You don't ever have to worry about anything again. Let me take care of you, Aaliyah."

*****

Once Nate left for the office, Liya quickly showered and made her way to the kitchen. Startled by the sight of a middle-aged blond woman dressed in all black, she breathed. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Ms. Richards. My name is Alysia—Mr. Greyson's cook. I usually have breakfast on the table quarter pass six but that's based on Mr. Greyson's schedule. If you would like it later, I could arrange that. Also, there is a menu in every room if you should care to know what the meal will be. If there is something in particular that you want, I ask that you let me know the night before so I can prepare."

"Whatever you have, Alysia will be fine. I'm not hard to please." Liya smiled as she made her way to the circular glass table with a place set just for her.

"Thank you." She breathed as Alysia brought her a plate of poached eggs over guacamole spread and rye bread with a side of asparagus."

"I usually just prepare breakfast and dinner but Mr. Greyson informed me that you work from the home. What time would you like lunch?"

"I can manage lunch, Alysia. Thank you." Liya smiled as the woman stared at her blankly. "I rarely eat a big lunch when I'm working, so you don't need to go all out."

"As you wish ma'am." She smiled as she returned to the counter and proceeded to clean up. 

Liya hadn't meant to offend her, but her palate was simple—a cold cut sandwich or a salad. She saw no point in having someone do for her what she'd been capable of doing for years. No matter how much Nate insisted, this was a luxury she could never get used to.

After breakfast, Liya made her way to her office. Upon Nate's insistence, she had to wait until this morning to view the room. Her nerves were on pins and needles. As she opened to door, the first thing that greeted her was the floor to ceiling double-paned windows with an unobstructed view of the park.

"Nate. You are too much." She breathed as she walked into the sleek room with its exposed brick walls and shelves of books. In the center of the room, positioned in a manner to get the perfect amount of sunlight, was a Victorian-inspired mahogany desk with golden accents. Judging by the detail in the desk and the chair, he had it commissioned. God knows what it must have cost him.

Taking a seat, she closed her eyes and imagined herself sinking into this life of luxury with ease. He was spoiling her, and she was starting to enjoy every minute of it. 

As the low pitch digital ring of her office phone brought her out of her blissful daydream, she sighed at the sight of Nathaniel's name on the caller id.

"You are an incredibly generous man, Mr. Greyson." She swiveled in the chair and took in the view of the park.

"I thought you'd like it."

"This is too much, really."

"You deserve it, Ms. Richards and more."

"If you say so." She smiled uncontrollably.

"So, when can I expect you home?"

"Hopefully around seven."

"Good. I could use another repeat of last night." She hinted at their night of debauchery.

"Then I better work my ass off so I can get home on time."

"You do that."

He laughed, sexy and deep sending electricity down her spine.

"Oh, before I let you go. A tech from my office should be there in an hour to set up your new computer."

"My old laptop works perfectly fine."

"And your new one should work even better. Don't worry he's highly trained and will back everything to the cloud before he starts."

"Do you always get your way, Mr. Greyson?"

"Always, Ms. Richards. Now let me get back to work."