Billionaire's Best Friend

XXVI. Working Class

Nina’s POV:

A warm hand pushes me back and forth, “Short Stack, wake up.”

“Five more minutes,” I mumble, pulling the covers over my head. Immediately the covers were removed away along with the comforting heat. I let out a loud walrus groan as Matt carried my dead body to the bathroom, placing me on the cold counter. He pinches my cheeks several times to wake me up.

My forehead fell on his chest. “Time,” I said groggily.

Why can’t I sound like Matt in the morning, sexy and seductive? My voice sounds like a cross between a lazy howling dog and faint frog croak.

Matt said he likes my morning voice; it sounds cute to him. I told him to go to the Otolaryngologist. He went to prove that his hearing is perfectly normal. I went with him, and it turns out I have a mild hearing loss. Of course, there are more things wrong with me.

This is why I don’t go to the doctor. You waltz in thinking you’re perfectly healthy. A good three hours later, you walk out with a list of health concerns and the price.

I can feel his arm moving up, looking at his absurdly expensive gold watch. “7:02 am.”

“Take me back to bed,” I groaned out.

“Work started at 7:30,” he said, planting both hands on my face and making a duckface.

I sniffed and pushed him back, walking towards the toilet. “Turn,” I said with a yawn. He grabs the toothpaste and toothbrush, turning towards a corner.

“I swear, one day, I’m not going to turn,” he mumbles before putting his toothbrush into his mouth.

I release a low snicker and flush the toilet. I stood up, stretching my tense muscles. Matt hugs really tight at night; it’s suffocating. I told him to stop doing it, but he refuses to listen.

One night, I got irritated and kicked him off the bed. Throwing a pillow on the ground, I told him to stay there. He jumped back into bed, wrapped his arms around me, and rolled down towards the ground. I attempted to crawl back, but he said I have to stay down there with him.

The next morning, I woke up with a numb leg and a pissed-off attitude.

Matt put the toothpaste on my toothbrush and handed it to me. We stood there, brushing our teeth in comfortable silence. When he finished, he placed a kiss on my cheek and left.

I walked back to my room and started changing. When I finished, I stood there, staring at myself in the mirror.

I am sexy.

I am confident.

I am intelligent.

I can do this!

I mentally fed myself all those lies, enabling me to get ready for my first day. “Ready?” I heard Matt yell from the living room.

I scream back a yes and grab my strap purse, jogging out. I saw him leaning over the counter, sipping nearly black coffee in a white button-up shirt and black pants. Unlike usual, his hair styled back very nicely. Matt took a few weeks off to help me transition to the New York lifestyle, so today is his first official day.

I walked towards him; my eyes trail down towards his striped necktie. “Want me to tie it?” His body froze for a second as he placed the cup of coffee down. Glancing up, he gave me a single firm nod. I walked towards him, but my hands halted. I’m about to tie Matt’s necktie for the very first time.

With shaky hands, I pop his collar, feeling the skin of his heated neck. I can feel his eyes burning holes in the top of my head. I can smell his morning coffee breath after going on my toes to adjust the tie - the beating in my chest increases, realizing that I have nearly zero experience in tying neckties. Biting my lips, a single sentence roams my mind: Hands don’t let me down!

On the last step, a broad smile makes its appearance. I’m incredibly proud that I did it without messing up or what I deemed moderately acceptable in society. I looked up, and a pair of dazzling blue eyes were staring at me. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked, feeling slightly depressed.

“No, you did everything well. Mind helping me tie it tomorrow too?” He asked as he bit the edge of his lip.

My head unconsciously bobbles up and down.

My fingers cautiously move downward, feeling the silky tie, halting when a hand covers it. I can see Matt’s eye trailing downward, away from my eyes, past my nose.

My phone rang instantly, catching our attention. “Oh! Let’s go, Matt! We are going to be late for work!” I retracted my hand and sprinted towards the door.

When we got to our destination, which is only a good ten minutes drive, he hugged me goodbye. “Matt, my workplace is right across from yours,” I mumbled into his chest and pointed at a building across the street.

“I know, but I’ll miss you,” he whined, wobbling us back and forth. A few workers passed us, eyes widened, jaw-dropping as they stared at Matt and I. A worker physically hit his head on a pole, but he didn’t stop staring.

Dudes, staring is rude.

I tilted my head upward. “How about lunch?”

He placed a kiss on my forehead. “Lunch sounds good. I’ll come to pick you up?” I nodded and kissed Matt on his dimple before leaving.

As I walked towards my workplace, my feet came to a stop. Turning around, I saw Matt standing at the spot where I left him, hands in his coat. He gave me a small smile and two thumbs up mouthing: ”You can do it.”

I stood there as the car passed between up and swiftly placed two thumbs in the air mouthing: “I got this,” ending it with a frantic wave.

Biting his luscious lips, he took several steps back and walked into a building. I watched him until he disappeared before going into my workplace.

“Hello,” I said to an older lady who gave me an immediate, dazzling smile.

“Nina, right?” She spoke with a soft tone.

I nod my head and reply with a firm, yes. She told me her name is Ms.Ree and she is in charge of me. She walked me in the back and took a picture of me. Now, I wished I listened to Matt and woke up earlier.

After a few minutes, she gave me a badge, granting me access to nearly every room in the building. She explained the protocol, safety concerns, and showed me all the places.

Passing by several rooms, I saw many children playing with each other. Laughing, fighting, jumping, which immediately put a smile on my face. I stopped when I saw a little girl sitting in the corner, hugging her teddy bear.

Ms.Ree called me, but I was too focused on the little girl. “Excuse me, but who is that?”

She offers me a small but tired looking smile. “Abigail.”

“Why is she all alone?”

“She doesn’t like playing with other students here.”

“That’s quite unfortunate,” I mumble and continue the tour with Ms.Ree. When we finished, she gave me several huge packets I had to read, huge hefty packets.

When she dismissed me, I took it and headed towards my locker. As I struggled to hold all the papers, preventing it from falling, I heard a deep scream: “Abigail! Stop!”

Immediately, I felt someone hit my leg, and I fell back. Papers were scattered everywhere, and in front of me was a pair of deep blue eyes. She stood up and wiped herself off. “Watch where you’re going, lady!”

I blinked a few times, trying to process the situation. A man came up and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “I don’t want to go with you! I want my big brother!” She shrieks, but he only grabs her wrist tighter.

Again, I am not religious, but I send a short prayer to God that the man in front of me is not a deranged lunatic who likes to kidnap females and slowly torture them in the basement. I seriously need to lay off the horror movie.

I stood up and grabbed his wrist. “Let her go,” I said firmly to the scary six-foot man in front of me.

He released a low scoff and looked at my name tag. “Look, Nina seems like you’re new here. Here is a bit of advice, back off, you don’t know who you’re messing with. I need to take her home.”

I glance at Abigail, slightly red wrist. “I need to see your pass to let Abigail go,” I said in my professional voice.

“What? I don’t need a pass. Everyone here knows me,” he said firmly, pulling Abigail back.

“Everyone but me. Pass or get out.” I pointed at a random door since I haven’t memorized the building.

He released Abigail’s wrist, and I pulled her into my arms. Taking out his phone, he dials a number while pacing back and forth, mumbling some cursing words.

“Are you okay?” I whisper, checking Abigail’s slightly red wrist.

She folded her arms and proceeded with a pout.“I didn’t need your help. I could handle it.”

I rolled my eyes and pinched her chubby cheek. “Sure you were,” I said, rubbing my thumb against her wrist. Glancing up slightly, she was staring at me with a tiny smile.

The man came back and handed me his phone. Leaning back, I raised a brow, quite uncertain whether I should take the phone call. After all, I just met the man. Again, a major trust issue.

He continues tugging the phone towards me.

I hesitantly took the phone, “Hello?”