4

A while later, a knock sounded on my door. I quickly got up and let Alex inside the room.

"Just sit on the couch, I'll get you your payment," I told him before entering my closet where my safe is.

I took sixty thousand dollars of cash out of the safe and quickly closed it. I went back into the room and handed the cash to Alex. He looked at me in shock.

"Give me the whole payment already? You have way too much trust in me." He said as he took the cash and I just shrug.

"You haven't given me a reason to not trust you," I replied.

"I haven't given you a reason to trust me as well." He said.

"Do you want to rest first or do you want me to tour you around?" I asked.

"I'd like a tour, please. Let me just put this in my room." He said as he slaps the wad of cash on his hand.

"I'll wait for you in the hallway," I said as I exit the room with him behind me.

I closed the door to my room and leaned on the wall as I waited for him to go back out of his room. He soon entered the hallway and I motioned for him to follow me.

"So uhm, this side of the floor is just rooms and the end of the hall is my office and the other side is the theater room," I said as I lead him down the hall. "If you need anything from me, most likely I'll be in this office. Or you can just call my number. Speaking of." I paused and took out my phone to send a text to Alex.

"Oh, yeah. Got it." He said as he saved my number on his phone. "Why do you have this many rooms if you're living alone?"

"I don't know. I was young and wanted to show off. Now I'm stuck with it." I said  as I lead him to the theater room.

I open the door to reveal a large flat-screen television surrounded by large sofas. There was also a mini bar at the side with cotton candy and a popcorn machine. I watch as Alex walks inside the room to take a look around. He stood in front of the popcorn machine before turning to look at me.

"Mind if I have some? For the tour?" He asked.

"Sure," I said as I approach him.

I turned on the machine and we just stood there watching the kernels pop, one after another.

"This is entertaining. Probably more entertaining than any movie that plays on that screen." He commented, his gaze not leaving the popcorn, making me chuckle.

"Yeah. It probably is." I say as I take out a small bucket and put popcorn inside. "Do you want butter or cheese?" I asked.

"Cheese." He replied.

I put the cheese powder in the bucket and shook it before handing it over to Alex.

"Shall we go on with the tour?" I asked and he nodded. "Let's go downstairs."

I showed Alex the pool area, the garden, the living area, the dining area, and for the last part, the kitchen area. I stop in my tracks upon seeing the vase of wilted roses in the middle of the island counter. Alex must've noticed as he places his hand on my back and gives me a small smile.

"Any reason why you've kept the flowers?" He asked.

"This is the first time I've been home since," I replied as I take a seat on the counter stool.

"Oh, sorry about that." He says as he takes a seat beside me.

"George always keeps fresh flowers in the vase. I never asked him to do so, but he makes sure that there are fresh roses on the counter almost every day." I said with a sad smile.

Alex leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. My face instantly turned red and I quickly turned to face the other way, earning a chuckle from Alex.

"Why are you turning away? This is part of my service." He said.

I suddenly felt disappointed, but quickly pushed the feeling away as I turned to face him again. "Oh, yeah. I just got caught off guard."

Alex looks at his watch before turning to look at me. "Want me to make your lunch?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure," I replied and he stood up to open the fridge.

He stood in front of the fridge and started pulling out ingredients. I sat there and watched as he moved around the kitchen. It's as if he's been in the kitchen many times before. He immediately got a sense of where everything was. I don't even know where things are in this kitchen. George always hands me my food whenever I ask.

"What are you making?" I asked.

"You'll see." He replied, sending a wink in my direction.

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone to entertain myself while he cooks.

"Solitaire? What are you, 50?" Alex suddenly said behind me making me flinch and I almost end up falling from my seat.

"What the fuck? Don't scare me like that." I said while trying to calm myself down.

"I never knew someone could be so immersed in solitaire." He said as he puts the plate down in front of me before taking a seat.

"It's simple and entertaining. Don't judge me." I retorted.

Alex puts his hands up in mock surrender. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was working for a senior citizen." He joked.

"Haha, keep it up and you're fired," I replied, not being able to hide the smile on my face. "Let's eat?"

...

"How'd you like the house so far?" I asked Alex as we lounge by the pool.

"It's a beautiful house, don't get me wrong. It's just, isn't it too excessive for a single man like you?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah it is. Back when I bought this, all I cared about was showing off." I replied.

"Not a good idea in the long run. You should get a dog." He said to me,

"Yeah, I really probably should. I should get a dozen." I said, making Alex laugh.

"We should adopt one tomorrow. The sooner the better. I don't think I could handle it for more than a day with just the two of us here." He replied.

"Are you saying I'm not a good company?" I asked, raising a brow.

"I mean, you pay well." He said with a shrug.

"Oh wow, it's like saying I'm the equivalent of hanging out at an ATM," I said and we both laughed.

"Maybe you're not so bad after all." He said, sending a wink my way.

I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting him to see that I was blushing. This man is affecting me in ways I've never experienced before. I turned to look at him again and gasped in shock when I saw that his face was right in front of mine. My breath hitched as he leaned in closer. I didn't know what to do so I just sat there, waiting. His lips met mine and I froze. I slowly kissed back, not even sure what I was doing when Alex pulled away.

"That was uhm, was that your first kiss?" He asked, with a teasing look on his face.

"Yeah," I replied with my gaze on my lap, feeling embarrassed that at the age of 31, I'd never had my first kiss until now.

"Oh. Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I would've made an effort to make it more special." He said, making me snap my head towards him.

"You're not gonna tease me about it? I'm in my 30s and just had my first kiss. Most people would jump on the opportunity to tease the fuck out of me." I said.

"No, no. I'm too old for that shit. It's fine honestly. People do things at their own pace. I just feel really bad that I've taken your first kiss just like that." He replies.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine I guess." I said with a shrug.

"Let me make it up to you. A date tonight?" He asked.

"Sure. Why not." I replied, making him smile.

I couldn't tell him it was my first date as well. I've been way too focused on my career for the past decade. He doesn't need to know I've never been on a date before. Let's just hope all of this ends well.