THE BILLIONAIRE'S SURROGATE

CHAPTER FOUR: FATE CAN BE CRUEL

Ariel gazed at the complimentary card wearily. It had been a week since the encounter with the giant and no she did not see him the following afternoon. Her project at Lucas’s was nearly finished. There was no reason why she shouldn’t jump at the giant’s job offer yet she couldn’t bring herself to call him talk more of visiting the so called mansion. Why couldn’t she bring herself to accept the offer? He seemed rich, she was sure he would give her a handsome pay cheque. Was it the idea of a big old mansion that put her off? She had worked on large houses and offices but nothing like a mansion. A mansion was a huge challenge. She groaned inwardly. It wasn’t the idea of the mansion, it was him. Throughout the entire week a big handsome man with big beautiful hands had visited her dreams. In those dreams, he was doing things with those hands; wonderful things. This was just f*****g ridiculous. She couldn’t be having naughty dreams of a man she barely knew. She bent her head and covered her eyes with her palms. What was she going to do?

“Are you still thinking on whether or not to work for the giant”, Sesily her younger sister chimed in her singsong voice. “When did you appear here”, she asked looking over at Sesily who sat comfortably reading a book on her bed. “Long enough to know you’ve been lost in thought for some time”, Sesily replied, shutting her book and leaning over towards Ariel who was perched on a nearby chair. “Is it about the giant”, she asked again her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I think you should take the job, I could accompany you, I’ve always dreamt of a big bad handsome man”……. “Stop it Sesily, he’s not one of your fairy tale characters and if I ever decide to work for him you won’t be going anywhere near him”, Ariel snapped at her younger sister. “He seems dangerous, I wouldn’t want to be trapped with him in a big empty house”. Sesily’s eyes were still dancing, a naughty retort about to spring forth from her when Ariel’s phone started vibrating loudly. It was Diane, her boss. She took the phone and left the room hastily. If the firm had gotten a new contract, she would automatically be busy with another project and not have to think about whether or not to accept the giant’s job any longer.

Levi toyed with his rubic cube absentmindedly, his mind far away from the office in which he was. He had been expecting Ariel to call him for the past one week but she hadn’t. She hadn’t shown up at his mansion either. All week he had been on edge, waiting for warm brown eyes to appear, they never did. He could have easily asked Lucas for her number but he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t stoop so low to chase any woman. She was simply an interesting creature, one he could use as a welcome distraction during his spare time. There were all kinds of women, of different shapes and sizes that were dying for his attention. He had seen the face that matched the intriguing voice and that was it. He would put her out of his mind and start work with the new designer that Sophie had gotten from a firm.

Ariel winced as the taxi stopped at the gate of the house Diane had instructed her to survey for her team’s new project. It looked more like the entrance to a small village rather than a massive house as her boss had earlier stated. Perhaps she shouldn’t have put off the project with the giant, this looked a hundred times worse. She paid off the taxi driver and walked towards the gate where a man stood seemingly waiting for her. “Are you Miss Jacob’s”, the man said looking everywhere but at her. “Yes I am, my team has been tasked with redesigning this house, can you show me around”, Ariel replied politely”. “I assure you this is an estate and you cannot possibly redesign it all”, the man replied in a flat tone. Ariel nodded and swallowed. Her fears had been confirmed, this was a large place and it was going to be her toughest project yet. She turned to face the man again. “We weren’t informed on what part of the estate we would be working on sir, kindly inform your boss of my presence or better still let me have an audience with him”.

“The boss has requested you meet him in the office”, the weird man from earlier said, gesturing that she follow his lead probably into the said office. She nodded and followed him.

Johnny knocked on the office door and said, “Sir I have the designer here with me, may I let her in”? “By all means yes, Levi replied, his nose deep in a disarray of business papers.

The moment the door opened Levi couldn’t believe his luck. He knew it was her. The familiar smell of vanilla and apples wafted up into his nose instantly and he was convinced the Interior design firm had sent Ariel to him without him even looking up to see her. “Miss Ariel, had I known your last name was Jacobs I would have asked for someone else”, someone who was capable and not terrified of me, Levi said sarcastically, his nose still deep in papers.

Ariel froze on hearing the voice, it was laced with arrogance and confidence, much like that of a certain Giant she knew. He had called her name, how had he known it was her? How on earth could she have landed in his house after doing all she could to avoid it? Fate really was a wicked thing. He cleared his throat and that was when she realised she had not replied. “I assure you I am very good at my job and I am most definitely not terrified of you or anyone for that matter”, Ariel replied in her most assertive voice. He laughed, actually laughed. He finally took his attention off the papers he was sorting and stood up to his full height. Ariel looked at him with wide eyes. He appeared even taller than before. He was wearing a white top shirt and grey trousers. Bereft of the extra layers of clothing she was accustomed to seeing him with, she could get a good look at him. He wasn’t merely tall. He was all skin and muscle. His biceps bunched tightly against his shirt; the buttons on his shirt straining against his unbelievably broad and thick chest and his trousers held thick long thighs smugly. He was like Adonis. Merely looking at him caused her intimate muscles to clench with helpless awareness. She gulped.

Afraid she was caught starring, Ariel quickly shifted her gaze to the floor. “You cannot even look at me love, how do you expect me to believe that, Levi smirked. “In fact I think you are quite petrified of me, this should be interesting”.