The Billionaire Next Door

CHAPTER 02

Bianca

The night had been one of those nights.

Usually, the kind of chaos we had dealt with today was typical of Fridays, but that week seemed to have started early. And all that commotion had forced me to resort to an energy drink just to get through it. Now, I was definitely far too wired to sleep, but I had to try, didn’t I? After all, I needed to be rested, because tonight certainly wouldn’t be any different.

After changing into my pajamas, I lay down in bed and closed my eyes, trying to sleep. I started tossing from one side to the other, restless. I knew I needed to sleep, but I simply couldn’t. I found myself turning over in bed for a long time until I finally opened my eyes and slowly sat up.

I grabbed my phone to check the time.

It was a little past six in the morning.

I had spent two hours tossing and turning. At this rate, I wasn’t going to sleep at all.

I got up and went to my closet to grab some clothes for a walk.

I chose a marsala set I had bought recently, a crossover sports top and high-waisted leggings. I put on comfortable walking sneakers and tied my hair into a ponytail.

That was one of the tricks I used when my body refused to do what I needed it to do. I would go to the park near my apartment and run until I was completely exhausted.

After stretching, I walked to the park and ran for about an hour. By the end of it, I was drained.

It would be absolutely impossible not to sleep now.

I dragged myself back to my building, and as I was entering the lobby, I ended up bumping into the building manager.

“Oh, sorry, Elisa,” I said, a little breathless, giving her an amused smile, which she immediately returned.

“Still having trouble sleeping, sweetheart? You should find another job. This is no way to live.”

“Now that I’ve finished my postgraduate program, I need to start looking for something else. Soon, I hope.”

“Your mother would be very proud of you,” Elisa said, giving me a knowing smile.

“She would, wouldn’t she?” I smiled at the thought of my mother, reached a hand toward Elisa and placed it on her shoulder, then continued on my way to the apartment.

I needed to sleep.

Walking literally always worked. At that point, I was done for. It was truly difficult to make it to my apartment.

I grabbed my pajamas and then walked to the bathroom. After a relaxing shower, I changed and went straight to bed.

For a moment, I caught myself thinking about that man from the club. If I had his name, I could at least try to find his social media…

Shit.

No.

I was definitely not in my right mind, because why the hell was I thinking about that?

I pulled the comforter up and covered my head, ready to sleep and forget all of it.

I definitely should not go down that road. After all, I probably wouldn’t even see him again.

Tomorrow would certainly be a new day.

[...]

Vivian looked me up and down as soon as she came toward me. When she finished her analysis, she gave me an amused smile.

“Is this in case the hottie shows up?” she asked suggestively.

“No. This is for me,” I replied.

Who was I trying to fool?

When I chose that dress, the one that fully accentuated my curves and had a completely sexy zipper down the back, I had been thinking about that man. I knew he probably wouldn’t come back, but that what if had been tormenting me, even though I knew it shouldn’t.

“Come on, Bianca. You haven’t worn dresses in ages. Your usual pattern is tight leather pants and a cropped top. Which is very sexy, I must say. But tonight, you are definitely trying to kill someone, and I’m betting it’s the hottie.”

“I don’t even know if he’ll come back,” I said, trying to defend myself, but it was impossible. She knew me far too well. “And if he does come back, I’ll stay as far away from him as I did yesterday.”

“Oh, Bianca… you don’t run from men like him. There’s no way.” Vivian smiled wickedly. “He obviously wants you, so you should enjoy it. f**k and forget.”

“That man is definitely in the f**k-and-get-f****d-over category.”

“You should stop with these paranoias, Bianca. You only live once. One f**k isn’t going to make you fall in love. Your problem is getting involved, staying longer than you should. Forget that for one night and enjoy yourself.”

I made a face at her, then walked toward the bar to serve the first customer of the night with a smile on my face.

As always, the crowd gradually picked up, and soon we were operating at full speed. The first three hours were usually the worst, and then, little by little, the rhythm stabilized, allowing Vivian and me to relax a bit.

I was talking to Vivian when a customer approached the counter.

“Hey, Bianca,” Lucian said as I walked toward him.

“Hey, Lucian. What are you drinking?” I asked, giving him a friendly smile.

“A draft beer, please.”

I nodded and turned to prepare his drink. A moment later, I handed it to him along with a copy of his order.

“I happened to find your i********: the other day and thought… we still haven’t exchanged contacts.” Lucian pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to me.

I took it right away.

“Text me on w******p. It’d be nice to keep in touch with you.” He winked at me.

I only nodded, forcing a polite smile. Then he turned and headed back toward his friends.

As soon as I lost sight of him, I glanced down at the card, crumpled it, then leaned slightly forward to toss it into the trash beneath me.

“Is that something you do often?”

A rough voice invaded the space, making my entire body shiver. I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.

It was him.

I slowly lifted my gaze until I found him standing in front of me, carrying that same intensity as always.

“Maybe,” I replied, trying not to let him notice how affected I already was by his presence. “What can I get you?”

“A Grand Old on the rocks,” he said as he sat on the stool in front of me.

I nodded and turned to get it, stealing a brief glance at Vivian, who was already watching me with a wicked smile.

I turned my attention back to the drink and quickly prepared it before facing the man again. My heart faltered for an instant when I found his attention completely fixed on me.

I had the feeling my reaction to him would always be the same every time those eyes were locked on me like that, as though he were appreciating every detail, undressing me completely.

I handed him the drink, then turned to serve another customer who had just arrived.

“Good evening. What can I get you?” Vivian was faster, so the customer turned to her.

She quickly winked at me.

Just as I had imagined, she had done it on purpose, leaving me with no way out except to remain in the company of the man in front of me.

I stood there, idle, silently praying for any customer to approach. As much as that man wasn’t saying anything, his gaze on me left me completely disoriented. That was not something that usually happened, so I simply didn’t know what to do.

“Hey, Bianca,” Arthur said, drawing my attention to him. “How’s the liquor stock? Do you need anything restocked?”

Arthur’s question gave me exactly what I needed in that moment.

An exit.

An escape.

And, of course, I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass.

“Oh, yes. A few bottles are running low, but leave it to me. I’ll check and restock. Everything is fine out here,” I said, sweeping my gaze over the place and making him follow it.

“All right. If you need anything, let me know,” Arthur replied, giving me a friendly smile.

I returned his smile and walked toward Vivian, pretending not to notice that the man was still watching me.

“Vivian,” I called, drawing her attention as I approached. “I’m going to grab a bottle of Johnnie Walker and Macallan. They’re almost out. Do you want me to get anything else?”

Vivian narrowed her eyes at me.

“Just those.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Without looking back, I left the bar and walked past a few tables until I reached the storage room. It was a door with a warning sign that read: “Employees Only.” There was a security lock. I typed in the code and went inside, leaving the door slightly ajar since I would be out quickly.

With all the calm in the world, I headed toward the whiskey shelves to grab the bottles when I heard the sound of the door closing.

“Are you going to run every time I come near you?”

That rough, completely sexy voice invaded the room, making me tremble all over.

God.

Something told me I was really in trouble now.

I left the bottles where they were and turned to face him.

He had closed the door and was much closer than I had imagined.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“If I tell you, will you give it to me?” he asked in an authoritative tone, and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. “Because if you don’t, I won’t spare any effort to get it.”

Anxiety took hold of me.

I wouldn’t give in. I wouldn’t let him see it.

But that was exactly what I wanted.

Even knowing I would probably regret it later.

“I don’t think this is appropriate.”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate if you didn’t want it,” he said, moving a little closer and placing his hand on my waist. Then he pulled my body against his.

“And who said I want it?” I whispered.

“You don’t?” he asked, leaning in a little more.

Yes.

I did.

For that reason, I felt incapable of reacting at all. I was completely spellbound by everything. His lips were only a few centimeters from mine, and I could no longer bear the waiting when the sound of the door being forced open pulled me out of the trance, making me recover whatever sanity I had left.

“Bianca, is everything okay in there? You’ve been gone a few minutes, and Vivian is starting to get swamped,” I heard Arthur’s voice, muffled by the music.

Luckily, he didn’t come in. He only pushed the door open enough to speak.

“Everything’s under control. I’m coming out now,” I replied, hoping the state of disarray I was in didn’t show in my voice.

I tried to move, but he stopped me in the same instant.

“All right,” Arthur answered, and then I felt him walk away.

“Dinner,” Raphael suggested, keeping me in his arms.

“To start with, I should at least know your name.”

He arched an eyebrow at me. I could say I had surprised him by managing to react in that moment.

“Raphael,” he answered seriously, his eyes fixed on mine.

My heart faltered for an instant.

I felt far too vulnerable, and that frightened me a little.

“Well, Raphael, I’ll think about your case,” I said as I slipped out of his arms.

He didn’t stop me again. He only remained there, watching my every move.

I needed to show him things wouldn’t work that way, so I held firm, only praying he would let me go, because if he came closer, that courage would certainly crumble completely.

I grabbed the bottles I had come for and walked out the door, leaving it half-open behind me without looking back.

Lord.

What had just happened in there?

Who was that man?

How could he be so persuasive?

God, what should really worry me was…

Why had I liked it so much?