Unwanted Heat

KenzieAll text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Finding my apartment torn apart when I arrived home from the exhibit with Nicholas was the very last thing I expected. I was just beginning to try to piece together what had happened when Carter and Nicholas knocked on my door surprising the hell out of me. I never would have thought that Nicholas would suggest, well insist, that I move out of my apartment and into a condo that his company owns. I hate the idea of having to be dependent on him for this apartment; he could terminate our arrangement at any time and I would essentially be homeless again.

As much as I hate the situation, I quickly realize I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I don’t agree to stay in this condo, anywhere I go I will be likely be bothered by the press and I risk having my next place broken into because I could never afford something with good security. Yet if I stay here, I risk becoming homeless the moment Nicholas decides to end our arrangement.

What happens if he decides he doesn’t need me any longer? I wonder if he would at least give me a couple weeks to find another place to live? If I save all my money from Bridget and from the bakery I could have enough to cover the cost of a hotel room for a few days or a cheap motel for longer until I found another apartment to rent. I think that’s what I’ll do… I’ll save as much as I can so when Nicholas does end our arrangement and I lose the apartment, I will at least have saved enough to pay for another place.

“Kenzie? We’re here,” Nicholas pulls me from my thoughts just as I think I have a plan for moving forward.

“Sorry,” somehow I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized that Carter had not only parked the car but was holding my door open. Just before I slide across the seat I realize that Nicholas is holding my hand. I’m surprised by the gesture especially considering our “date” ended several hours ago. We walk through an underground parking garage with

Carter following behind us.

“Where are we?” I feel stupid for not asking but I hadn’t paid attention to where we were driving. That in itself surprises me because I’ve never done that before. I never let my guard down so completely as to not know where I am going and where I will end up.

“We are two blocks from the bakery in a building called Accord

Towers. The condo is on the fifth floor and then I live a few floors above it

-”

“You live here?”

“Yes, however I want to assure you that you will still have your privacy. I don’t have a key to this place, only Carter does, but no one will enter the condo without your approval. This will be your place, Kenzie. It won’t change anything about our arrangement…”

“But it does…” I sigh. “It changes everything.”

“No, it just changes where we meet for our dates and where you are dropped off at afterwards. I will not come into your space Kenzie; the condo is yours,” Nicholas explains as we take the elevator from the parking garage.

But… for how long?

“Mr. Parker, Ms. Rose,” Carter ushers us through a doorway into a beautiful living space.

“Holy shit,” I gasp taking in the space before me.

The door opens to a small tiled entryway but just beyond that is a large living room completely furnished as Nicholas said it would be. There is an oversized loveseat and a larger couch in the room, plus a coffee table, two end tables and an entertainment center, yet the room still looks incredibly large. The apartment is completely open, but unlike my last space this actually has defined rooms, and several of them. There is a small dining room with a table that can seat four next to a large kitchen with what

I can tell even from here are top of the line appliances.

“There are two bedrooms just down the hall, one of which is set up as a fully equipped office. There is a guest bathroom in the hallway, then the master bedroom with a separate bathroom and walk-in closet. Feel free to change any of the furnishings while you’re here-”

“Nicholas, I’m sure-”

“The space is yours, Kenzie, if you want to paint the walls, get new furniture or anything else, please do so. The kitchen is stocked with dishes and cleaning supplies though I’m not sure what is left in the pantry from

Alex and Ella-”

“Mr. Parker, Ms. Rose, if I may interrupt,” I somehow hadn’t noticed Carter standing in the entryway just sort of watching or waiting for us. “The pantry and fridge should be stocked with kitchen essentials and there are a few prepared meals in the freezer until you go food shopping. If there is something you need in the meantime-”

“No, I’m sure whatever is in there is fine, Carter. I hadn’t expected anything remotely close to this, so thank you,” I’m taken back that all of this was somehow arranged in such a short period of time.

“The meals are delicious, Julie has a way of cooking things so they never taste like they were frozen,” Nicholas says.

“Julie?”

I know Nicholas doesn’t have a girlfriend in public, but could he have someone that he keeps out of the media spotlight? He said he didn’t have time to date but what if that wasn’t true and he was just protecting her from the media? I’m not sure why but suddenly the thought that he is with another woman bothers me but it does. Our exclusivity clause actually only applies to me. Technically I suppose he could be dating other women on the side. I’m not sure why it bothers me but the longer I picture him going home to someone tonight, the more get to me even though my brain is telling me it shouldn’t.

“My housekeeper and personal cook. She keeps my freezer stocked with prepared meals so that I don’t starve on the weekends when she is off or on the rare occasion she goes away. There should be instructions on each container as to how to heat it.”

“That’s very nice of her, please thank her for me.” Relief floods me before I have a chance to understand why.

“Of course. Is there anything else you will be needing tonight?”

“I don’t think so…” Who could possibly need anything else in a place like this?

“Ms. Rose, here is the security code to the apartment and instructions on how to change it. This key is for the ground level entrance, here is the code to the parking garage needed to gain access from the outside or from the elevator and then this is the key to the apartment. You should find a list of all the building amenities in the office, now accessible to you. I know Mr. Parker gave you my number if the press bothers you but if you need something please call me at any time. This is Hunter’s cell phone number, please contact him in the morning and let him know your schedule for the week. I ask that you not leave the building without him; he will escort you anywhere you need to go, even if it’s in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary but thank you. I’ll call him tomorrow and let him know my work schedule; it’s pretty much the same every week so it’s easy to plan around.”

“I’ll let Bridget know the details for Saturday once they are confirmed?”

“Sounds good. Thank you again, Nicholas… this… thanks for, well all of it,” I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss him lightly on the cheek. I don’t know whether I’m out of line or not; technically our date ended hours ago but I feel I need to show him my appreciation somehow.

“It was nothing, Kenzie…”

“Good night Nicholas.”

“Night.”