Page 25 of The Marriage Pact
“Come and see the rest,” he said.
There were three bedrooms, one with the biggest bed Kaitlyn had ever seen. This was their bedroom, and did, at least, have a little more character to it, with some prints on the wall, and a display case with various small sculptures arranged around…
“Oh… I recognize that,” Kaitlyn said, pointing to the piece of ceramic in the center of the others.
It was her own work, the work Alex had secretly bought from her. He smiled and nodded.
“It’s my favorite piece. I see it every day,” he replied.
Kaitlyn was touched. She’d thought he’d probably have put it away somewhere after buying it and hardly given it a secondthought, but the fact that it was there, right where he could see it, made her happy.
“I’ll have to make a twin for it. It was a nice piece,” she said, and he nodded.
“I think you should. We need a few more pieces around the place.”
Kaitlyn agreed. He showed her the bathroom, more like a spa, all marble, with plush towels and low lighting. There was a sauna and steam room, a bath as big as a small swimming pool, and his-and-her basins in front of an enormous mirror.
“It’s breathtaking,” Kaitlyn said after they’d returned to the living room.
“And if you need anything, just ring for Brett. He’ll come,” Alex said, pointing to a series of call buttons on the wall by the arch leading back into the lobby.
Kaitlyn wasn’t entirely sure why she’d need to call the butler, for that was what Brett was. It wasn’t as though she’d suddenly become incapable of doing things for herself. She didn’t want to imagine herself being infantilized, asking someone else to do the simplest of tasks.
“What do you ask him to do?”
Alex shrugged.
“He makes great grilled cheese,” he said.
Kaitlyn was more than capable of making her own grilled cheese, though the kitchen looked like something out of a sci-fi movie rather than a practical space in which to cook. But not wantingto make an issue of things, Kaitlyn simply nodded. It would take some getting used to, that was for sure.
“I suppose I should unpack,” she said.
“Let Brett deal with that. He and Miriam will have it all in hand,” Alex replied.
“Who’s Miriam?”
“Oh, she does the cleaning and all that sort of thing. She’s lovely. Filipino,” Alex replied.
Kaitlyn didn’t particularly relish the thought of someone else unpacking her clothes, but it seemed it was yet another thing for her to get used to. She was about to ask what sheshoulddo when Alex’s phone rang, and he disappeared into the lobby to answer it. Kaitlyn sat down on one of the chairs, looking out across the Manhattan skyline and tapping her fingers on her knee. It felt like she was waiting for something but didn’t know what. What did billionaires do all day?
Make money, I suppose.
The thought of the studio in Greenwich Village cheered her, and she reminded herself she’d only just arrived. It was bound to feel strange, and she knew Alex wouldn’t allow her to get out of her depth. He returned a moment later, apologizing for the interruption.
“There’s a lot going on at the moment. This Jamaican investment should’ve been easy, but it’s proving so complicated. Anyway, are you hungry? We could go out to eat. Gill’s,perhaps.”
Kaitlyn looked at him in surprise.
“TheGill’s?” she exclaimed.
Everyone had heard of Gill’s.It was one of the best restaurants in New York, famed for its three Michelin Stars and a string of celebrity endorsements. Kaitlyn had read about it in one of her mom’s gossip magazines, where pictures of a Hollywood A-lister proposing to his girlfriend had been leaked. The article had stated there was a six-month waiting list for a table. Alex nodded.
“Hilary arranged it,” he said.
It seemed Hilary could arrange anything.
“But I don’t have anything to wear,” Kaitlyn said, looking down at her sweatpants and T-shirt.
