Page 14 of Seduction
Penina Ross
Sparrow’s friend’s place, which had all the accoutrements of a five-star hotel, was only six blocks away, standing where the financial and warehouse districts merged. The neighborhood was way more upscale than the one where I lived. I checked the address three times.
“Is this an apartment building?” I whispered.
It didn’t look like one. One side of the ground floor was a bank. I hadn’t reached the main entrance yet, but I was sure Sparrow had sent me to a place where it was too late to enter. I didn’t know if it was my distrust of him or my instincts, but I wanted to turn back and just get a room at the W Hotel or something. However, I wasn’t the type to give up without following all the way through. Plus, Sparrow was an attending. If he asked why I hadn’t stayed at his friend’s place, I wanted to be able to say that I’d tried but wasn’t able to gain access.
I made it to the front doors, and to my surprise, they did have a doorman, who was wearing a red suit with yellow tassels on his shoulders. He smiled when he saw me, as if he was indeed expecting me. Then he pulled the door open.
“You must be Dr. Ross,” he said.
“I am,” I said quietly.
He pointed toward the lavish lobby, which had black marble floors with gold swirls throughout the grain. The walls, the chandeliers, the French carved gold leaf mirrors, and furnishings were all finished with real twenty-four-carat gold.
“This way, ma’am.”
As soon as I walked inside, he took fast steps to position himself ahead of me. I followed him past the ivory columns and white marble statues of Frenchmen from centuries past. But it was the ambiance that got to me. It felt as if I were walking across the bridge that led to heaven. The air was the perfect temperature, not too cool because of the warm night.
“This is your private elevator, Dr. Ross,” the doorman said then asked me to press my finger on a touch pad and not remove it until the outside of the mechanism glowed green.
Even though I noted that he sounded as if he thought I would be back, I did as he asked. The doorman programmed a string of numbers and letters into a keypad, the outer ring of the touch pad beeped and turned green, then I removed my finger.
“You’re all set, Dr. Ross.”
My head felt woozy and my mouth, heavy. The environment was so comfortable that I wanted to fall asleep where I stood. I didn’t have the energy to explain that I would only be spending one night in wherever I was going, so we said our final good nights.
The elevator smoothly climbed up the building. The numbers counted upward to the penthouse floor, and when the doors slid open, I was taken aback by the sheer scale and extravagance of the space.
* * *
I’d been walkingdown marble-floored hallways with high ceilings, passing signed contemporary art pieces that looked expensive. I peered into four enormous bedrooms, which contained large beds made-up with fluffy and luxurious bedding, sleek furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows, which showcased killer views. Next, I peeped my head inside a grand salon that had a full bar with its own illustrious city views, a fully equipped home theater, a dining room with a huge table and leather chairs and a crystal chandelier above it. I made it to the kitchen, which nearly took my breath away. It had expensive appliances, tall white cabinets, two side-by-side subzero refrigerators and chef’s ovens, warming drawers, a cappuccino station, a tall wine refrigerator a and a long marble island with a tall arrangement of fresh flowers on top. A card with my name on it stuck out. I pressed my hand over my mouth and gasped into my palm. After a moment of being immobilized, it was as if I’d been given a shot of adrenaline as I darted over to open the envelope. A handwritten note was inside, but it wasn’t Sparrow’s writing, because I had observed his handwriting earlier while reading his charts.
Thank you for saving a life. Please make yourself at home. In the main living room by the telephone, there is a menu for twenty-four-hour room service. Order whatever you like. Personal essentials are in each bathroom. However, if you find that something is missing, please call the concierge, and they will accommodate your requests. J. Sparrow.
I couldn’t pick my jaw back up, at least not yet. What a surprising turn of events. But the jury was still out on whether he was a dick or not. People were complex. Every bad guy had a good side, and every good guy had a bad side. It was the percentages that determined their character. Something told me that in the upcoming days, I would get to learn all there was to know about Dr. Sparrow. Yet for the moment, I chose the bedroom with the white duvet on a king-size bed with a cherry wood frame. The room also had luxury carpeting, two cozy upholstered chairs in front of an electric fireplace, and a long dresser with a large mirror above it. The space felt inviting, as if it called my name, which was why as soon as I stripped out of the clothes I had put on in a rush, I climbed into the bed, curled up under those luxurious sheets, which felt like heaven against my skin, and went straight to sleep.
* * *
I gasped and sat upright,hand against my chest, catching my breath. I thought I’d heard something and felt a presence near. However, as I looked around the room, I had no doubt I was alone. I’d slept so hard that I had to take a moment to remember exactly where I was and how I’d gotten there.
“Sparrow,” I whispered.
I had bitten the bad witch’s poisoned apple, or in the case of Jake Sparrow, the wizard’s apple. I wanted to crawl back under the comfortable linens and close my eyes, allowing the fuzziness to ease out of my head, but I was so eager to go on a deeper exploration of the penthouse that I pushed the covers off me and sat up on the side of the bed.
“Whoa, Nelly,” I said and sat still until the wooziness went away.
When it was gone, I opened the curtains to let the afternoon light in. Wow, what a magnificent view of the city it was. I stood there for a while, watching traffic shoot down the street and the river flow in the distance.
Then my phone beeped, alerting me that a text message was waiting for me. I located my cellphone in the bottom of my purse. I had a text from Jamie, informing tenants that the fire had been started by an electrical issue, and because of that problem, we wouldn’t be able to return for at least another twenty-four hours. She apologized for the delay but would make herself available to answer any questions.
I groaned as I rolled my eyes. Truth be told, I wasn’t missing my place much after the night of sleep I’d had.
Then I saw a second text message from Dr. Sparrow. It wasn’t shocking that he had my number. I was sure he’d found it on the list of neurosurgical residents.
Stay as long as necessary. J. Sparrow.
I wanted to respond with the first thing that came to mind, which wasYou must have very rich friends.
