The Road to Price (3 page)

I continued
speaking, “As far as why do I do it? I am afraid that is a personal question
that I do not wish to answer.”

I didn’t want to
tell him the real reason behind my desire for the job. Cleaning was physically
exhausting work and I needed it to keep my mind busy. I needed anything to help
me forget.

It was quiet for a
couple moments. He was watching me intensely and I started to feel
self-conscious under his stare. He was looking me over and I couldn’t read his
facial expressions to figure out what was going through his brain.

God was he
gorgeous. It should really be illegal to look as good as he does.

He broke the hold
his eyes had on me and looked over a few pieces of paper that were on his desk.
He was visually scanning the paperwork the temp agency sent over. He looked up
again and started to speak.

“I see here that
you’ve had some great referrals from some clients at the temp agency. I guess
you are good at your job. This is a live in position, are you aware of that?”

“Yes Sir… I mean,
Mr. Price.” He smiled at my response.

Wow his smile was
breath taking. He shouldn’t be able to just unleash that whenever he feels like
it. I smiled back at him not knowing what else to do. I didn’t want to sit here
with a stupid look on my face. He made me anxious and I had a feeling he knew
this.

He continued
speaking as if he could read my mind.

“You seem a little
nervous and I don’t want that. I want you to be comfortable in this interview.
You can refer to me as Sebastian if that makes things easier.”

 He waited to
see my response but when I didn’t have one he continued, “When you’re around
other members of my staff I would appreciate being spoken to as Mr. Price but
when it is just the two of us you can be less formal. Does that help?”

Huh? I didn’t want
special treatment.

“If it is all the
same to you I would prefer to call you Mr. Price. It will minimize any
confusion.” I wanted to say
‘Can we get to the job details please?’

He looked at me
like he was trying to decipher his next move. I was beginning to think I was
some game to him.

“I would prefer
you call me Sebastian. If you are feeling any confusion then you can call me
Sebastian all the time. In fact… please just refer to me as Sebastian. This
isn’t a request.”

Not a request? Who
the hell does he think he is? I didn’t have time to dwell on these thoughts
because he continued speaking.

“We have that
settled…” was it settled? “so lets get to your job details. My wife and I are
the only ones who live in this home. You will rarely see us together though.
You will be working primarily for me but if she needs anything you will be
expected to help her too. You will work five days a week and have a complete
benefits package. You are free to do whatever you like on your free time but
keep in mind that you are still one of my employees. You need to conduct
yourself in a respectful manner when out in public. Would any of this be
difficult for you?”

That was humorous.
He had nothing to worry about with me. I never go out.

“No Mr. Price… I
mean Sebastian. With time you will see that I am always on my best behavior.
You will have no problems at all,” I stated hoping this interview was over
soon. I was starting to feel the heat under his stare.

He was watching me
again with a look of almost… was it… adoration? He had that look like I was the
new puppy his parents brought home or the baby sister brought home from the
hospital.

Scratch
that.  I didn’t want him looking at me like a sister.

“Are you sure it
was Jessica who sent you over for this interview?” He asked me.

What. The. Hell.

Was it such a
shock that Jessica would send me over to interview for this position?  I
have never had such an odd question asked at any of my interviews. In fact all
of my other employers seemed satisfied that I was chosen by the temp agency to
work for them.

I was starting to
get really offended.

“Yes.” I stated
with a scowl on my face, “Like I told Nancy when she asked me this question
twice, Jessica and I spoke in great detail about this position yesterday.”

I started to
fidget as my leg bounced up and down on the chair. Sebastian was dragging his
hand through the side of his hair watching me squirm in my seat.

“When you say you
spoke in great detail, did she tell you my expectations of you?” He was looking
at me curiously like there was a hidden meaning in his question.

“No she didn’t. We
spoke more about the hours of the job, where it was located, and she gave me a
little information about you. We never got around to the employee handbook,” I
said sarcastically.

There was another
long moment of silence. I swear he did this just to see my reaction. What he
asked next truly shocked me. If I knew this was where he was going with his
questions, I would have left the room already.

“Do you have a
boyfriend Mia?”

My mouth dropped
open for a few seconds I couldn’t speak. Then my anger took over.

“Excuse me?”

Was he joking? Did
he actually expect me to answer him?

“I said do you
have a boyfriend? We don’t allow guests in the staff living quarters.” He
looked agitated that he had to ask me a simple question twice.

I felt a little
silly. He just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have any unwelcomed guests on his
property. He wasn’t trying to invade my privacy. Wow, I must look really full
of myself.

“No I don’t have a
boyfriend and you will not have to worry about me having any unwanted guests. I
want this job and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it. Plus, I like to keep
to myself.” I was now starting to sweat and I could feel the nausea sweeping
over me.

Why did he make me
so nervous? God did he have to be so gorgeous? Why do I feel such a pull
towards him?

This was silly. I
just met him and I am acting like he is some God and I am his follower.

Sebastian
continued, “You will be expected to get along with the other staff members. You
will be sharing living quarters with the women… among other things. Would you
like to see where your room will be if I hire you?”

What did he me
among other things? What other things would we share?

“No thank you. I
am sure it will satisfy my needs no matter how it looks.”

I needed to leave
now. I hadn’t had a discussion that lasted this long in months. There was no
way I could take this job. I am acting like a complete fool and I don’t think I
can be around him every day.

“Well Mia, it was
a pleasure meeting you. You seem like you could be a great fit in my home,”
Sebastian said as he stood up from behind his desk.

“You signed
paperwork with the temp agency saying it was okay for potential employers to
run a background check. I will run a background check and make my final
decision shortly. You will receive a call from Nancy letting you know either
way. If you are hired you will be expected to sign a lengthy contract. I will
expect you to move your things in this Friday and your start date will be next
Monday. Does that work for you?”

He was thorough. I
guess you have to be when you’re worth over a billion dollars

“Yes, Sebastian.”
I was so glad he was dismissing me. I had to get out of here before I did
something stupid like throw myself on him.

Right on time
there was a knock on the door and Nancy walked in. I stood up and shook
Sebastian’s hand. I then started walking towards Nancy to leave his office.

“Ms. Dechino?”
Sebastian called after me.

Oh God, what now?

I turned around to
face Sebastian and stared right into his beautiful blue eyes. He was silent for
a moment before he spoke again.

“It really was a
pleasure to meet you. I have a feeling we are going to get along extremely
well.”

I smiled in return
and then turned back towards Nancy to follow her out of his office. I thanked
Nancy when we walked back into the lobby of Sebastian’s office. I then walked
briskly through the hallway until I was out the front doors of the large
estate.

Michael was out
front with my car just like he said he would be. I thanked him, hopped in my
car, and pulled out of there as fast as I could. Once I was back on the public
roads I let out a deep breath.

I was more relaxed
now because the interview was over. I was sure there was no way I would get the
job. I made a fool out of myself. I’m surprised I didn’t drool all over myself.
How embarrassing.

Well if by some
chance he offers me the job there is no way that I am taking it. I like my life
the way it is. It’s quiet and predictable. I have to keep it that way for my
sanity.

I couldn’t afford
to let these emotions in no matter what. I couldn’t care about anyone. I knew
if I took this position that I would start to care for him. I had a strange
connection with him and it was a connection I was not willing to explore.

So it’s settled.
If I am offered the job I will say no.

Easy.

Now if I could just
say that and convince myself that I mean it.

*****

I arrived home a
few hours later. I had successfully gone to the grocery store and picked up the
essentials. Then I went and got the oil changed in my car. It had been way too
long since my last oil change.

I unloaded the
groceries and decided to do a little reading in bed. Hopefully this would tire
me out for an afternoon nap. I rarely got a day off and I wanted to make the
most of it.

I pulled out my
latest rental from the library and started reading. After about ten minutes, I
realized this distraction wasn’t going to work today.

Usually reading
was the easiest way for me to busy my mind. I needed my mind occupied. If it
wasn’t then I had too much time to think.

These were the
moments when I would wonder what I could have done. What if I drove that day?
What if we woke up late? What if I didn’t go to my meeting? What if I would
have bought the house on the other side of town two years ago, instead of the
house I did buy?

Would any of these
decisions change the outcome? Would he still be alive?

My eyes became
heavy and I could feel sleep taking over my body. My mind was fighting with my
body to stay awake. It was like my brain wanted to continue torturing me with
questions.

Deep down I knew
his death wasn’t my fault, but my heart and brain were not on the same page. I
wasn’t sure if the guilt would ever go away. I knew the grief wouldn’t. I felt
like a complete failure. He was the one thing I was doing right in my life and
in the end… I failed him too.

My eyes closed
again and I drifted off to a restless sleep.

8 years earlier

“Come on Chelsea!
My momma is going to kill me. My curfew was two hours ago. We need to leave
now!” I screamed at my best friend.

My best friend
Chelsea was three years older than me. We lived next door to each other our
whole lives.

Chelsea was too
busy making out with her boyfriend to care that I was going to be in so much
trouble. We were in a room with twenty other people and she was straddling her
boyfriend on the couch. She was dry humping him in front of complete strangers.

She finally broke
away from the kiss and turned toward me.

“You are already
going to be in a lot of trouble Mia so it doesn’t matter anymore. Please, just
give me 20 minutes and then we will leave.”

“Darn it Chelsea,
you don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself.”

I was super
pissed. I went to grab my purse from a vacant bedroom and left the party we
were at. 

It was late August
and Tanya Miller always had the biggest end of summer bashes. I lived about
three miles away from Tanya’s house but I wasn’t in the mood to wait any longer
for Chelsea to give me a ride home. In one month I would be sixteen and I could
get my license and be done with it. I knew Chelsea had no intention of leaving
in twenty minutes so I was going to walk home. My mother trusted me and I did
not want to ruin that trust.

To get home I had
to take the main road in town. It was one lane going each ways and the
streetlights were few and far between. It is a road that could be scary at
night but not to me. I had walked this road several times before.

About ten minutes
after I started to walk a car slowed down and pulled up to my side.

“Hey Mia, why are
you walking by yourself at this hour? Don’t you know how unsafe that is?” a man
said from the driver’s seat.

Thank God a
friendly face.

Kyle Monroe had
now stopped his car and was waiting for me to answer. I had known Kyle my whole
life. I guess that’s the plus of being from a small town. He was attractive and
a lot of women wanted him. He was nineteen and had graduated from my high school
last year but decided to stay in town.

God only knows why
because I couldn’t wait to leave here. In a little over two years I would be
eighteen and I could leave this town and never look back. The small town life
where everyone barely gets by was not for me.

“Oh, hi Kyle. I
was at a party with Chelsea but she wasn’t ready to leave yet. I was suppose to
be home hours ago so I decided to walk home.” It was sweet that he was
concerned for me.

I leaned into the
passenger side window to get a better view of him. He was dressed casually in
jeans and a black t-shirt. His car was clean for a nineteen year old and
smelled like lemons.

“Well you know
that’s not the smartest choice to make. You’re a young girl, walking by
yourself, who knows what kind of weirdo you could run into.”