Page 60 of Her Billionaire Boss
(Charlotte)
Visiting someone’s house for the very first time is always a little strange, but when it’s an actual compound, it’s slightly more intimidating.The word conjured images of weirdo religious cults, so I was greatly relieved when we arrived in Sagaponack and found that the “compound” was a huge parcel of land housing stables, a guest house, and the biggest, most fuck-off mansion I’d ever seen in my life.
It made Matt’s mom’s house look like a two-bedroom ranch in a blue-collar neighborhood.
“How many people live here?”Matt asked as he pulled the car around the circular drive to the front door.Even he, owner of a sky palace, sounded intimidated.
“There’s the throuple, and two kids.”I added, “There was a third, but she moved out for college.”
“Packed house.I wonder how they cope in such a tiny space.”
I rolled my eyes.“Don’t pretend you’ve never been somewhere like this.I mean, it’s not that far off from how you grew up.”
He put the car into park and didn’t argue.
To my surprise, it wasn’t a butler who met us at the door, but Sophie, dressed in a cute sundress with a blue pattern that would match a china teacup, with big, floppy blue bows atop her shoulders.She clapped her hands in delight and hopped up and down on the balls of her bare feet as she waited for me to come up the few steps.
“You’re here!”She threw her arms around me in a bear hug.
Usually, if someone became that friendly in such a short time, I would keep my distance, but I never got a sense that it was a red flag with Sophie.Maybe it was because she was from the Midwest—I’d heard tales of what people were like out there—but she seemed genuinely happy to have made friends with me.And I got it; making friends as an adult was hard.I imagined it must have been a lot harder living in such an isolated location.Though there were plenty of rich people on Long Island, and the country’s largest metropolitan area was an hour or so away depending on traffic, the Scaife-Elwood-Ati home felt like a far-off kingdom.
“Come in, come in,” Sophie urged us, waving me through the door and hesitating to wait for Matt, who took our overnight bag from the trunk of the car.
“Sorry, we don’t have a butler.I don’t like having too many people around.”She motioned him ahead of her, and we stood in the towering foyer, taking the place in.High above the octagonal room was a skylight that flooded the space with cheerful light.The brightness continued as we moved into a sitting room with phenomenal views of the ocean and far more couches and chairs than a family of five could fill up at once.
“This must be great for entertaining,” I said, openly ogling the white-painted beams overhead.Despite its monstrous size, the house seemed to be under the impression that it was a seaside cottage.
“It is,” Sophie agreed with a decisive nod.“Although, we don’t get to do a lot of that, lately.Most of Neil’s friends are based in London, and El-Mudad hasn’t lived in the U.S.very long.He’s kind of a loner, anyway.And my friends have all started families, so they’re super busy.”
That would explain why she was so willing to bring someone new on board.
“But you have kids,” Matt pointed out.
“I don’t,” Sophie said quickly.“We have El-Mudad’s girls and Neil’s granddaughter, and we raise them together, but I’m not what you could describe as maternal.Oh, you can put your bag down anywhere.We can take it up to a guest room later.”
Aguest room.Nottheguest room.Most people I knew from my old life either had a single spare place to host overnight guests or none at all.
“Neil and El-Mudad are outside setting up lunch,” she went on as she opened one of the patio doors.We followed her onto a stone veranda with a fancy firepit and fashionable outdoor furniture that was nicer than anything I’d ever had inside my own house.A blue pool of crystal-clear water sparkled like topaz in the emerald lawn.
A pool.Right next to the ocean.
A concrete path lined with neatly clipped ornamental shrubs led around the corner of the house and behind a berm that enclosed a smaller patio.A large dining table set for five with real china, crystal, and silverware awaited us, as did a brutally attractive man standing at the grill.His clothing was ridiculous; Irecognized the obnoxious print of his short-sleeved, silk button down as a designer’s hallmark, but it was paired with knee-length board shorts.Somehow, he managed to be hot despite looking like the guy you’d avoid at the club.His devastatingly sharp cheekbones and silky dark hair swept back from his face were a large part of his ridiculous beauty, and a golden tan made his brown skin almost glow.He turned to us with a dazzling smile and put down the spatula he’d been using to flip burgers.
It was his smile that triggered my memory.The banquet-slash-gangbang at Ascend Red.
I lifted my index finger in a point of recognition.“I know you.”
“Biblically, as the saying goes, but we’ve never been formally introduced.”He put his hand out.“You must be Charlotte.”
“Charlotte, this is my husband, El-Mudad,” Sophie said as he and I shook hands.“And El-Mudad, this is Charlotte and Matt.”
“We’ve met, as well,” Matt said, repeating the gesture.
The French door to the house swung open and a voice said, “Darling, you forgot the blue cheese,” in a posh English accent.
I knew this guy, too.He’d been introduced to me as Leif on the island, but here he was Neil, Sophie’s other husband.He halted at the sight of us and set the plate he carried on the table before hurrying over.“Matthew, good to see you again!”
They also shook hands, but Neil pulled Matt in for a brief hug, as well.
