His Treasure

A Billionaire’s Treasure

A Billionaire’s Treasure

Lola

I began to feel very drawn to Arsen as he started his presentation. Despite the fact that I was in college, I hadn’t met any other guy who had that certain type of confidence he did. I examined the way he walked, with his back straight and chin up, the way he spoke slowly making sure every word was articulate, and the way his eye contact burned holes straight through anyone’s head. He was the perfect guy, if I wanted one.

I quickly shook away the lustful thoughts and started to take notes. He went into detail about how to market your novels for the age group you want to sell to, and that’s where I struggled with my work—trying to make someone want my book in their home.

Arsen also owned a line of hotels across the country named after himself, The Lockhart. I wasn’t interested in any of that, though. The fact that this man was a novelist was really attractive to me. He told us about his daily routine and how strict he was with time for his employees. It showed how ruthless he was when it came to his work. He was stern and didn’t play with his work. He was a man who knew what he wanted and got it. What was this feeling? I fanned myself lightly and continued taking notes.

A half hour went by and the presentation was over. When Arsen went around to hand out his business card for whenever we needed to ‘contact him,’ his smile melted the hearts of all of the female students. I fell victim to this feeling, but I would never let that be known. When he handed me the card, we made eye contact and there was a tingling feeling throughout my body. He winked and I was taken aback, feeling attracted but confused. I guess he noticed because he chuckled and moved on to the next row of students.

“What was that?” Arabella asked, smiling. “He was totally just flirting with you”

I rolled my eyes and pulled my bag over my shoulder. “You’re over-analyzing things, Bella”.

“You like him!” Her eyes widened with excitement as she stared at me.

I raised an eyebrow, trying to mask my nervousness, and stood up from my seat. “I need coffee,” I forced out and left the room quickly.

I’m not sure how a simple gesture could get me to c***k like that, but it was strange, and I had never felt that before. I rushed out of the class and straight to the coffee shop to clear my mind. I started to think about Arsen again as I waited in line. His suit was so nice—form-fitting without a single piece of lint. His hair was so dark and his gray eyes were piercing.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” I heard faintly in my head. That confused me, but I ignored it. “Excuse me!!”

I snapped back into reality and realized the barista was trying to get my attention. I laughed softly. “Sorry about that. One large cup of vanilla hazelnut coffee please”.

The barista put in my order, then told me my price. As I looked through my bag for my wallet, I heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve got it, and add another large coffee. Black” I saw a man extend his arm, handing the barista a black card. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him and my body tensed up. All of my feelings from just ten minutes ago came rushing back when I turned to see Arsen standing next to me with a smirk on his face.

“You didn’t,” I spoke lightly, then cleared my throat. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, so I did.” He chuckled and took his coffee from the barista, and I did the same. “Let’s talk.”

My eyes widened, and he chuckled again and walked away to a table in the corner. Taking a deep breath, I followed him to the table and sat in front of him.

“You’re not afraid?” I asked.

“Of?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Being out in public without some sort of bodyguard or protection. You know ... being a billionaire and all.” I took a sip of my coffee and almost moaned as the warm liquid rushed down through my chest.

“I have nothing to be scared of …” He trailed off, not knowing my name.

“Lola,” I stated simply and stuck my hand out to shake his. He grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on it. I heard a girl gasp from the table behind us and I rolled my eyes.

“Too much?” He asked, referring to the kiss.

I shook my head in disagreement. “Girls here are just annoying sometimes, but why did you want to speak with me?”

He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. He licked his lips and that made my stomach full of butterflies. “I saw you taking notes and I wanted to ask you what you thought about my seminar.”

“Arsen Lockhart cares what I think?” I questioned and smiled lightly.

“I do.” He smiled and drank more of his coffee. “So tell me, Lola, what did you think?”

“I really admire how hard-working and dedicated you are.” I pushed my hair back behind my ear. “Actually … can I interview you the next time you’re available?”

“Uh. Sure. What will this interview be about?” He leaned back in his seat and crossed his hands.

“You and what made you want to become a novelist.” I stared into his eyes as he nodded.

“I should be free next Tuesday around three. I’ll tell my assistant. Don’t be late, Lola.” And with that, he stood from his seat and left.

I just sat there, not knowing what to do really. I was confused about why he decided to leave so abruptly, but after a few minutes, I shook away the thought and went on about my day. I grabbed my cup of coffee and headed back to my suite, which I shared with Anabella. When I got there, she was sitting on the couch waiting for me with a smile on her face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I chuckled and took off my jacket, hanging it on the coat rack.

“I saw you and Mr. Lockhart at the coffee shop! You totally have a thing for him, Lo”

I plopped down on the couch beside her and kicked off my shoes. “Why do you think I have a thing for him? We only spoke for like five minutes.” I pulled my feet up and looked over at her.

“That’s the reason, Lola! You never give any guy—” I cut her off.

“He’s not a guy. He’s a man. So what if I talked to him? That doesn’t mean I like him”

“You never give any guy or man the attention to even have a five-minute conversation. You’re a hi-and-bye type of girl” Anabella smiled. “It’s good that you say you don’t like him because he’s too old for you anyway.”

Too old? I thought to myself. I’m a grown woman. I can date anyone I want, however old. I mentally rolled my eyes and flashed Anabella a fake, small smile. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

Three days of normal activities went by and it was finally Tuesday. For some reason, I wanted to wear something that would catch his eye, so I decided on a black button down, a black skirt that hugged my waist and hips, and a pair of red heels. I did my makeup neutral with a bold, dark brown lip. I straightened my hair and smiled at myself in the mirror. If this look didn’t grab his attention, I didn’t know what would.

When I walked out of the bathroom, Anabelle’s mouth dropped. “Where are you going? You look so hot!”

“My interview with Arsen is today.” I smiled and grabbed my bag from the couch. “See ya’ later, babes.”

I could feel her watching me in disbelief as I left, but I shrugged it off. As I walked toward my car, a ton of guys looked my way or tried to talk to me, but I only wanted Arsen’s attention. I hadn’t been interested in a guy since I’d been in college, so the act of developing feelings for someone was new to me. Like learning how to walk again.

I pulled up to his office. It was a place I had always seen, but had never thought to research, since this wasn’t the place I was from. When I walked through the huge glass doors, my heels clicked against the marble floors. That sound made me feel bold for some reason and helped me stay focused. I was here for an interview, not to fall into the arms of Arsen Lockhart.

The walls had big, beautiful paintings on each wall. ‘The Lockhart’ was written on the wall behind the front desk. Although it was a big building, I felt as if I belonged. Like this was the place I needed to be.