Chapter Eighteen

Vincent Luciano (P.O.V.) 

Rain pattered against the window in my living room, and I tried hard to focus on it and not the young woman who was currently soaking in the Jacuzzi tub in the room above. I sat on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, drumming my fingers on my knee. After so many years of solitude in my house, it felt strange to have another presence around. Liam usually only stayed for a couple hours when he came over, but Riley stayed the whole night. 

I looked down at the couch where she would probably be sleeping. Riley was small, but I do not think she would be able to lie down comfortably on it. I remember why I bought this couch, and it was not to serve as a comfortable place to relax. I had mostly bought it for the sake of the design in my living room and the fact that it was a good brand, it was not meant for sleeping on. But what was I supposed to do? Offer for her to sleeping my bed with me? I know that if I did that I would most likely get slapped- and I definitely was not going to be the one sleeping on the couch. She has been through a stressful situation, I scolded myself. I should not be selfish at a time like this.

I was not sure what drove me to invite her over, but I knew I could not leave her alone. She seemed to be handling it well, but she also seemed like the person to not show it if she was not handling it well either. The only glimpse I had gotten was when she found out the dress I had bought her had gone missing. 

"It was not even a big deal," I muttered to myself, resting my elbow on the armrest of the couch, and plopping my chin onto my hand. Yet she cried over it.

A silly dress.

Did she really care about it that much? Was it because I bought it for her? Or was it because she thought that it was a waste of money to have it stolen?

I sighed heavily.

I could not figure her out. 

What I did know, though, was that she did not want to rely on me at all. I thought I was a rather reliable person and yet she did not want my help. I did not understand. Were all girls this hard to understand? Or was I too used to the girls who wanted any attention from me because of my status and wealth? Riley did not care about that at all. 

A sharp pain throbbed behind my eye, and I winced, bringing a hand to it. Tonight, was not the night for one of my migraines to make an appearance. I debated on waiting it out. Then I felt that dull pulse of pain and decided it would just be better to take some pills.

Sighing, again, I pushed myself up from the couch and headed to the master bathroom. It has almost been a week since my last headache. Why return now? The last thing I wanted was to be throwing up all night when Riley was here. That would be embarrassing. 

I pushed open the bathroom door, my hand still over my forehead. There was a small gasp and then a splash of water and I stopped dead. I turned before I even realized what I was doing and came face-to-face with a wide-eyed Riley, who had sunk down to her chin in the water. My mouth went dry, and I tried to utter an apology but all that came out was,

"umf." 

"W-what?" she said, her eyes never leaving my face. 

My gaze swallowed to the cloudy water that hid her body then it snapped back up and I felt my cheeks warm.

"Sorry, I forgot you were in here. I am just not used to-" 

"It is okay," she interjected, her voice a couple pitches higher than normal.

"It is your house after all. Do what you need to." 

I swallowed, not sure where to look. There was something sexy about Riley when her hair was wet, and I really did not want to be having those thoughts about her while she was staying at my house. Or in general.

I had to act confident.

"I just have to grab something." 

"Sure," she answered as I forced myself over to the medicine cabinet. 

I hunched my shoulders as I searched for the right bottle. My head did not feel too bad, so I did not want to use any of the more expensive prescription pills. However, I also did not want to be in here any longer, so I grabbed the Excedrin bottle and made a beeline for the door. 

"And you said you would not walk in on me," Riley taunted as I stepped out. 

I closed the door maybe a little harder than I should have and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. In this situation, should not Riley be the one to be more embarrassed than me? Just what kind of girl was she? 

My head throbbed again so I returned to the kitchen and got a glass of water, downing two of the pills. Hopefully, they would be enough. I have been doing well with keeping my headaches at bay. Maybe it was because Riley was over? Although I do not feel stressed by her. Well, that was an underestimation. I was a little on edge. I must admit. 

I fell back onto the couch and closed my eyes, trying to rest. That lasted about three seconds before my phone started ringing. Groaning, I pulled it out of my pocket and noticed the screen read that someone from work was calling me.

"What?" I answered flatly. 

"Mr. Luciano!" he cried in such a dramatic manner, making me wince from him loudness. 

"What?" I repeated. 

"This is bad! Really bad!"

I could pretty much imagine him biting his nails as he spoke.

"Our construction team for the Hawaii resort have announced that they are cancelling our contract!" 

I immediately sat up straighter in my seat.

"What?" 

"I contacted your mother, but she said this is your responsibility. You need to talk them back into it!" 

"How did this happen?" I demanded.

I thought things were going fine. Construction was supposed to start next week! 

"I am not sure. I received the call today and I have been trying to solve any issues, but they refuse to agree to anything. You need to speak to them. You are going to have to come to the office tomorrow." 

Go to the office?

"I cannot do that right now," I told him, thinking about Riley.

I could not let her return to her apartment alone tomorrow. I did not even want her going back there period. It was too dangerous. 

"Mr. Luciano, I do not mean to be rude, but you have been away almost all week. I have been doing what I can in your absence, but I need you to sign some paperwork and remember our accountant started her vacation, so payroll needs to be done." 

"Have my mother handle it," I told him. 

"Your mother has made it clear that you are in charge." He paused. "S-she told me to tell you that your brother would have-" 

"Do not start," I snapped, my whole body tensing.

"Did I not tell you not to mention him? How can you use that against me?" 

The guy sucked in a deep breath of air and tried to recollect himself.

"I am sorry, but I am only just repeating what your mother said to tell you." 

"Do not associate with her. I am the one who pays you so do not worry about losing your job if you do not listen to her," I told him, trying to lighten my tone, even though my skin was crawling.

It was not his fault. My mother was a very intimidating person; she could make almost anyone bow down to her.

"What kind of mother would use that against her own son?" 

"I am sorry I did not want to repeat it," Henry said apologetically. "It is just that your mother is just very serious about this and has noticed your absence this week. This is a crucial moment in your career, Mr. Luciano." I clenched my jaw.

Unfortunately, he had a point. The Hawaii project was my project. I could not try to pass it onto anyone else. What kind of example of my leadership would that be? My employees were supposed to respect me, but who could respect a lazy employer? 

"I really wish I could do more to help you," he added quietly. 

His words pacified me, and I let out a quiet sigh. He was a good worker and a better person, and I probably did not deserve him. It was not right to take my frustrations about my mother out on him.

"I will come in tomorrow. How long do you think I have to be at the office for?" 

"I would request you stay for a couple hours to satisfy Ms. Luciano, but I hope that everything will be settled quickly." 

"I will be in," I promised reluctantly.

"Thank you for all your help." I said to him. I could not remember his name, but I had hoped my words would come off as grateful, nonetheless. 

"It is no problem. I have a feeling you are going to make this group even greater than it already is." 

"Mm, that is some pressure there," I returned light-heartedly.

"Have a good night. Come in late tomorrow." 

He gave a slight chuckle.

"Even if I come in late, I will still be in the office before you." 

I pursed my lips.

"You should treat me with more respect than that." I scolded.

"Oh, sorry. I will be in before you tomorrow Sir," he corrected himself and then there was a click as he hung up on me. 

I shook my head.

He was something else. It took guts to tease your boss like that, but I appreciated it. No one would be brave enough to speak like that to my mother. She would fire them on the spot. I never would. I was different than her. For example, I would never use my brother's name to force her into doing something. It was cruel.

How could she bring him up? Did she want to lose two sons instead of just one? It was like she did not care. I smiled wryly, putting my head in my hands. She probably did not care. She cared much more about the hotel than her own sons. Her sons who were too stressed out to handle so much at once.

Which was why Nathaniel... 

"Vincent?" 

I straightened back up quickly in surprise, turning to see Riley coming down the stairs. There was a frown on her face as she hiked up the pajama bottoms I had given her in order to not trip as she descended. The shirt I lent her was also too large, so the sleeves flapping as she walked. My current thoughts dispersed, being replaced by just one: Cute. 

"Thank you for letting me borrow your clothing," she said as she grew closer, shoving the sleeves of the shirt up to her elbow. After a couple seconds, they rolled back down. I was never one to be at a loss for words, yet around Riley, I found it happening quite often. Especially when she was wearing my clothes.

"Problem not," I said after a moment, tripping over my words. 

"Okay, Yoda," she responded with a little laugh. 

I pressed my lips together tightly and grimaced inwardly. Smooth. She dawdled by the side of the couch as if unsure if she should sit or not. Her hair dripped at the ends, sending droplets of water onto the expensive leather. I immediately stood up and reached for her, thinking of tucking her hair into the towel around her neck, but then yanked my hand back when an overwhelming feeling of shyness came over me as I took in the exposed part of her throat and her collarbones. Her eyes widened slightly, and she shifted.

"What?" 

"The water," I started, but stopped myself.

Was I really going to complain over a few drops of water? It would only make her more uncomfortable than she probably already was.

"Dry your hair properly," I said instead. 

She pulled at the wet strands.

"I prefer not to towel dry my hair if I do not have to. It makes my hair frizzier." 

An awkward silence settled in when I did not respond because I was not sure what to say. You might ruin the leather? What if you get a cold? It seemed a little cliché. So, I cleared my throat and slid over on the couch, gesturing for her to sit next to me. She did so cautiously, and I noticed how much space she put between us. 

The silence prolonged as neither of us spoke. I thought about putting on the television but wondered if it would offend her. Would she think I was ignoring her? Was this a common thing hosts felt when they had people over? I could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen. I bet I could hear a needle drop. 

"Sorry about today," Riley spoke, scaring me. 

I tried to cover it by stretching out.

"You do not have to apologize." I stated, feeling a little guilty for making her feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed.

"I will be out of here tomorrow," she continued, staring at her lap. 

"Riley, to be honest I do not think you should go back to that apartment," I told her, frowning.

"You should find a new place." 

She lifted her head back up, her expression shocked.

"What? Why?" 

"That apartment is almost uninhabitable. If it can be broken into once, who says it would not be broken into again?" 

"But it is the most affordable place," she argued.

"I do not want to give it up because of a minor problem." 

Minor? Does she really consider that a minor problem?

"I will find you a better place. I am sure I know someone who could offer you a good deal. I also really would not mind giving you some money to pay for it either-" 

"No," she cut me off in a hard tone.

"I am not a charity case, Vincent. If you want to give out money, give it to the orphanage." 

"I do give money to the orphanage," I said, insulted.

"I donate and fundraise multiple times a year. I am not considering you as a charity case. I am offering because I..." I trailed.

Why was I offering? Normally I would not bother with someone else's personal affairs, but I could not leave Riley alone. She appraised me for a moment, biting on her lower lip. I hesitated, unsure how I should finish. Friends helped each other right? I would help out Liam in a heartbeat. Riley was the same way.

"We are friends, right?" I said cautiously. 

She considered this for a moment and finally nodded.

"You are right. If I could help you out the same way, I would. But I am not going to accept any more money from you. I have enough to find myself a new place." 

"So, you are going to find yourself a new place?" I inquired hopefully. 

"I did not say that" she responded, but I could see that she was thinking about something.

"Maybe I will look around but in the meantime, I still have to stay there, so maybe the landlord will fix it up." 

"You can stay here," I found myself saying before I realized what exactly I was offering.

Her eyes grew wide again.

"What?" 

"Stay here," I repeated, more confidently. 

"I do not know-" Riley started before I interjected.

"Think of it as part of our contract," I suggested.

"If my mother finds out we are living together, maybe she will get off my back." 

Riley started playing with the ends of her hair, avoiding my gaze.

"I do not want to intrude." 

"Just until you find another place. I would not mind at all." 

"Your couch might get my imprint." 

So, she was aware of the value of the couch. That aside, I figured that was her giving up and agreeing to stay.

"It is fine, I can easily replace it." 

She gave me a dry smile and I felt instantly relieved.

"Okay, I will stay here for a little. One week tops. If I do not find a cheap place, I will be going back to my apartment. I still have the rest of the month paid for." 

A week? That did not seem like enough time.

"Is it not better to start looking for two-bedrooms?" I asked. "Your brother will be getting out of jail soon." 

Realization came across her face and she grinned.

"Oh, that is right! That is a good point actually." 

I found myself smirking a bit. Convincing people to do things was always one of my strong points.

"I will ask around." 

"I appreciate it, Vincent," she said, offering me a shy smile.

"It has been a while since anyone has helped me out like this. I do not exactly know how to feel, and I am not sure what to say." 

"It is nothing," I responded, holding up my hand.

I did not want the awkwardness of trying to explain my actions again. 

"If you need anything done around the place, leave it to me. Cooking or cleaning or anything really," she continued, more enthusiastic now.

"To be honest, I was a little scared of going back to my apartment. You are a surprisingly good guy." 

I nodded and then narrowed my eyes at her.

"What? Surprisingly? What is that supposed to mean?" 

"Hmm, nothing." 

"Was that an indirect insult?" 

"Hmm, maybe." 

 My mouth fell open a little.

"After I have so gracefully-" 

She burst out laughing, effectively silencing me.

"I am just kidding, Vincent. You are so easy to tease, huh?" 

I folded my arms over my chest.

"You think you are funny." 

 "I will be here all week," she retorted with a wink. 

That is right. She would be here all week.

A week with Riley.

In my house.

Living with me.

Having wet hair... 

I gave her a half-smile half-grimace, suddenly unconfident with the situation.

Oh, boy.