My Billionaire Roommate

No Maids

The poofing thump of textbooks closing filled her ears as she did the same, tucking the book carefully into her bag as if it were the most valuable thing in the world. 

Which in some ways, they were to her.

Despite how difficult she grew up, she kept up her grades and as soon as she got the scholarship in the mail, she packed what little she had into a small backpack. University books were expensive, even on the internet, and she would hate to ruin it just because she was not being careful.

Thankfully, the classes today only went over the syllabus for the course and gave out reading assignments. Reading was a pastime for her, even boring textbooks, so it should be a breeze for her.

After leaving the classroom, she started in the direction of the library where the coffee shop was, hoping she wouldn’t have to wait long for her potential new roommate while there. She normally loved libraries, but for some reason, college students around here used it as a dating platform rather than a learning center.

Stepping into the bathroom, she went before the mirror and combed her fingers through the bangs of her hair to straighten it, only to pause. 

Why was she preening herself? He was going to be her roommate, not her boyfriend.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she looked over her reflection anyway since she was already there. While she could be her own worst enemy when it came to her own looks and personality, she thought she looked rather average. 

She was not thin or skinny, but she was not overweight, but what she had extra gave her curves to her body. She had curly dark auburn hair that fell below her shoulder blades normally, but 9 times out of 10 was up in a high ponytail like now. Her eyes were crystal blue that darkened towards the outer edges of the iris and framed by dark thick lashes, making them stand out from her soft pale skin.  She had a button nose with soft freckles along the bridge onto the apples of her cheeks where they faded along the curve.

On her face were black framed rectangular glasses that seemed to give her a nerdy bookworm look.

It wasn’t too far off of the truth, but she hated stereotyping, though she knew she was guilty of doing the same.

Exiting the bathroom, she finished making her way to the coffee shop, noticing the time was 10 minutes before she agreed to meet him. Purchasing a coffee with some pocket change, she thanked the barista and started towards an empty table she had spotted as she came in.

“Bree!” Her name being called caused her to practically inhale the hot coffee.

Sputtering and thanking every god out there that she didn’t spit the coffee out, she looked towards the culprit, “Ashton.”

“You’re early.” He approached the table and sat across from her, setting his own small coffee on the table, “Do you want to finish your coffee here or do you want to head on?”

After practically drowning herself in the coffee, she was okay with getting settled into her own space, “We can go. Should I follow you in my car?”

“The apartment is within walking distance.” He motioned a direction, “Only about five minutes from the main campus.”

Standing, she picked up her bag again and brought the coffee to her lips to take an actual swig, “I’ll leave it here for now then.”

He only nodded to her and stood to lead her out of the coffee shop and outside. They started down the walk and peculiarly enough, the silence with him was comfortable.

That was until he started walking up to a skyscraper building that had a posh looking doorman, who greeted her new roommate, “Mr. Knightly.”

“Mr. Edmund.” Ashton stopped by the man, pivoting himself to gesture to her, “This is, hopefully, my new roommate, Bryleigh Hart.”

“Welcome to The Cadence, Ms. Hart.” He greeted her formally.

“T-thank you, Mr. Edmund.” She was still stunned by their location, her eyes wanting to drift and admire the architecture rather than look at the man.

The Cadence was an upscale apartment building that only the rich and prestigious could afford. She had only heard of the place before, never seeing the inside or associating with anyone who had.

Mr. Edmund smiled politely and opened the door for them to go in and she wavered behind Ashton, suddenly thinking of her decision to live with him.

The lobby had a rosy golden hue with white marble floors and golden chandeliers with dangling crystals looping between the arms. Red carpets were along the floor with Grecian columns separating parts of the lobby and lit fireplaces accenting the sides of the room. The smell was even pleasant, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what the scent was.

Ashton bypassed what looked like a check-in desk she would see at a hotel and went straight to a set of golden elevators. He didn’t seem human to her until he mashed the button several times as if it would make the cars faster.

Loading into the elevator, he pulled a card from his pocket to slide it in and out of a slot. The response was the doors closing, the finish on the doors showing their reflection as well as the mirror from the bathroom at school.

Looking up at him from the corner of her eye, she gave him a once over, “Are you sure you’re not in the mafia or something?”

“No mafia lifestyle here.” He chortled, his eyes on the number that increased as they ascended the floors.

The ride was thankfully smooth and short, but when she spotted the number, she noticed they were on the 45th floor. 

The very top floor.

The well oiled doors opened to a wide foyer that opened up into an open sitting room. The floors were of dark marble within the foyer area until after three wide steps down to what looked like a sitting room or living room where dark blue carpet started. The contemporary furniture was something she swore she only saw in magazines and looked as if no one had actually sat in them or used them before.

The floor to ceiling windows made the space all the more inviting.

As she walked further into the apartment, she looked off to one side to see a kitchen separated by a breakfast bar. On the other side was a short set of stairs that led up to a second floor to the apartment. There were several other doors, but with them being closed, she couldn't tell what they had inside.

“This is not an apartment, Ashton,” She jerked around to face him, “This is a penthouse.” She gestured around widely with her arms, “You expect me to clean all of this?”

“Not all of it.” He tried to placate her, “Only the kitchen, living room, and bathrooms… and there are only two of them outside of my personal one and your personal one...”

Feeling like a fish out of water, she turned again, walking over to the tall windows, “And why can’t you afford a maid?”

“I never said I couldn't afford a maid. Let’s just say I have a bad past which includes a maid.” This was the first time he sounded so unsure, “I don’t want to get into it.”

“Still… this is a lot…” She rubbed her shoulder, readying herself to leave and head back to her car for the night.

“I’ll pay you.” He was starting to sound desperate, which softened her stance.

Being a college student working with only a scholarship, she needed money. She had worked odd jobs here and there, but a lot of places claimed to work with her school schedule, but as soon as she was hired, it was suddenly a problem.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she huffed, “Fine, though I don’t want you to pay me a lot, only what is due.” She looked over toward the kitchen, “And I only need to cook dinner?”

“Only dinner. I typically pick up breakfast and lunch on campus.” He revealed to her, “I have no allergies, but I loath mushrooms, so as long as the meal is free of them, you can cook whatever you want.”

“Do I need to shop for groceries?” She wanted to go open the refrigerator to see for herself what was in there, but waited for his answer instead.

“No, I get a delivery every Monday evening, so all you have to do is come up with a list.” He walked over to set his things on a table she hadn’t noticed, “Let me show you to the room you would be using and I’ll let you decide what to do after that.”

Escorting her up the stairs, he took her down a short hall and to a light brown door. He pushed it open to show a bedroom that nearly had her jaw dropping. While the colors were bland, only white and cream, it was spacious and already furnished.

Walking further into the room, she did a 360 to get a full view. Off to one side was floor to ceiling windows, but thankfully had curtains that could cover all of them for her privacy. In the middle of the room was a white four-poster bed with cream nightstands on each side. On the opposite wall of the windows were two open doors; one was to the bathroom, while the other seemed to be a walk-in closet.

“This is so much…” She rubbed her forehead, “You have to understand how odd this sounds for you to pay me to live here and only clean and cook…”

“Maybe,” He shrugged, “But I do need someone to do those things for me.”

“I might not hold the title of a maid, but I basically will be one.” She crossed her arms, facing him once more.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, “I hope you’re not this complicated all the time.”

“Not all the time.” She mused, cracking a smile this time, “But, you better get used to it, Mr. Knightly.”

It took him a moment to understand what she meant, but then looked relieved, “I’ll have a key made for you in a couple of days.” He pulled another key card from his pocket to hand to her, “For now you can use my spare. It works for the garage too for when you pick up your car.”

She unshouldered her bag at the foot of the bed before taking the offered card, “Do I need to start making dinner tonight?”

His green orbs glanced down at his watch, “I have a date in a couple of hours, so don’t worry about dinner tonight.” He gestured to the room, “Get settled in and you can start working tomorrow.”

She didn’t understand why she felt a little dejected by his plans on having a date, but she pushed the feeling down, “I’ll have to get my things from storage.”

“If you need help moving it in, let me know, I’ll set some time aside.” He offered before stepping back, “I’ll see you later.”

Left alone in her new room, she swallowed around the sticky feeling in her throat, wondering if she made a good decision or not.