* Not edited *
June 21st, 2015.
Manhattan, New York.
Ivory's POV.
I can feel the sun shining brightly from behind my closed eyelids. "Urghh." I groan and roll over to burry my face into the warm pillow next to me. Wait a second, how did I end up in bed?
I replay everything that happened last night, Marshall and Eleanor, Hunter, Adam and Belle. He carried me to bed didn't he? I blush at the thought of Hunter's strong arms holding my small frame in his arms, close to his body.
A knock on the door causes me to sit up. Clearing my throat I quickly tell him to come in. At the sound of my voice, the door opens and Hunter's head pops through. He looks at me with his steely blue eyes that draw you in. "Good, you're up." He then proceeds to open the door completely and reveals a small tray with food in his hands. I sit up. "I got you some breakfast." He says and sets the tray on my lap. Wow, waffles! "Hunter they look amazing!"
"Yup, my moms recipe. They're peanut butter waffles." He exclaims happily. And with that, my smile fades. He notices and his eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. "What's wrong, you don't like peanut butter?" He asks unsurely. "Because I make mean chocolate chip waffles as well."
I smile sheepishly. "I'm allergic to peanuts. I'm sorry" I say, ashamedly looking away. I hear some shuffling and decide to look at him again, he sets the tray on the nightstand and sits on my side of the bed next to my stomach. "C'mon, let's get you some chocolate chip waffles" He says with a megawatt smile and pulls me up by my arms. I stumble onto my legs and try to keep up with his fast pace as he pulls me along.
Once we reach the kitchen, he picks me up by my armpits and sets me on one of the barstools as if I'm a child. Walking around the bar, he throws a cute smile at me.
"Are you ready to see the master at work?" He says while tying a black apron around his waist. "Yes I am." I reply and he starts mixing the batter again, mixing in some chocolate chips with his skillful hands. "Is there anything you can't do?" I mumble as he carefully pours the batter into the waffle iron. He closes the lid and places both his hands on the bar. "Thanks, but there are many things I can't do."
"Alright, what can't you do?" I question, quirking a brow. His face stays neutral as he tries to think of something he can't do. Then, his eyes light up. "I can't dance" he says, looking relieved to have found something. After his announcement, he brings his attention back to the waffles. Neatly, he piles three waffles on top of each other and throws some blueberries onto the plate. "D'you want some whipped cream?" He asks while opening the fridge.
"Yes please" I sing , unable to contain my excitement. With that, he squirts a huge tuft of whipped cream on my waffle. "Thank you" I dig in, shoving the waffles into my trap. I throw my head back and moan. He is one hell of a chef. "I presume that you like them?" He asks playfully. "Hell yeah."
****
When I'm finally done with my waffles, I wipe my mouth with a napkin and look up at Hunter. Him staring at me – once again – with his intense eyes. I raise an eyebrow in question. " A penny for your thoughts?"
He clears his throat. "Well, I was wondering how someone could throw you out like that. I mean look at you, how can someone be evil enough to throw out such a cute girl?" I blush at his compliment and mumble "I didn't pay rent for six months."
"And why is that?" He asks.
"Well, I'm currently paying off my college debt and I just graduated so I'm still in search for a job."
"That's right, you just graduated with an MBA right?" I quickly nod.
He supports his chin with both of his hands and leans forwards, over the bar with his elbows on the bar. His face only a few inches away from mine, I can feel his breath fanning my face.
"You wanna work for me?" He asks as if it's nothing.
I choke on my spit.
Trying to inhale some air, I cough a few times as he pats my back. When I finally breathe again like a normal human being I ask "What?"
He walks over to me, lifts me off of the stool and walks to his sofa. There, he throws me down and I land with an 'Oomph'. Scrambling to sit up, I see him kneeling in front of me. "Look" he starts "you have an MBA and you need a job and a place to stay. I need a temporary PA and it's been getting pretty lonely here. This is perfect."
"I couldn't possibly do that, Hunter." "Why not?" he asks looking like a child who was refused candy.
"You've already offered me a place to stay and now you're offering me a job. This is way too much, I don't deserve this. You are too good to me." I exhale.
He seems to be in deep thought because he remains quiet for a minute.
"How about this ,you pay for the groceries and cook dinner three times a week." He suggests with hopeful eyes.
The only thing I can cook is mac and cheese and pancakes, both from boxes - mind you. It'll be fine, I'll just have to buy some Jamie Oliver books and hope that I won't burn down this place.
"Alright." I agree and immediately see his eyes light up. As he is about to say something, I quickly interrupt him. "But. First I want you to give me some information about your job."
"Well, I'm the CEO of Murray Inc. Um, our company works in the hotel sector, you may have heard of it." He tells me with a shy smile.
Murray Co. How could I not have known? He's the CEO? no way
Apparently my gaping mouth is very amusing because his face wears a charming smile. His eyes gleam with playfulness. "I guess you've heard of it?"
"Uhh, yeah, I have." I say as my cheeks heat up. That's it Ivy, just keep embarrassing yourself.
"So, would you like to be my PA?" He asks expectantly.
"I-I I'd love to." And with my answer, he pulls me into a bone crushing hug. My surprised yelp is muffled as my face is pressed into his chest. I can't help but sniff him. Hmm, what type of cologne does he use? When I realize what I'm doing, I hastily pull back. Which fails due to his contraption of arms. Oh well. And I continue sniffing him while keeping my eyes closed. How much does he work out? Damn he's ripped. I wonder if he-
My train of thoughts are broken when and feel him sniffing my hair. My eyes widen on their own accord. I haven't showered in a few days! As fast as I can, my hands push at his chest with all my might to separate us.
I stumble backwards, my arms flapping around to gain balance but it's too late. I prepare myself for a smack on back but it doesn't come. Instead, I feel toned arms wrapping around my waist. His touch is so electrifying. I'm restless in his arms. I look at him, only to meet his stormy blue eyes focusing on my lips. No way. I'm still holding onto his arms for dear life as I am still suspended above the floor.
Slowly his eyes close. Yes! That's it, kiss me! Kiss me! His forehead rests on mine and I draw a sharp breath. Do it! I myself close my eyes as well. I can feel his lips moving closer to mine.
I feel his lips lightly brush against mine. He's hesitant. I can't take it anymore, I need him to kiss me right now. Moving my hand from his arm to cup the back of his neck, I gently rub my thumb over the area where his hair meets his skin, as if telling him it was ok to kiss me.
Right before I press my lips to his, I hear the sound of the door opening and he abruptly releases me from his grasp and I drop to the floor.
My head thumps against the marble floor. "Uurgh." I groan, that's going to be a bump. I lose my breath for a few seconds when my back collides with the floor.
My sight regains itself after blinking a few times. It's still a little blurry. When everything clears up, my vision is filled by a handsome concerned face. Definitely not Hunter's.
"You ok?" the handsome stranger asks. I hastily nod as I'm unable to speak. He grabs me by my shoulders and pulls me up to set me on the couch. How long was I out for? Who is this stranger? I discretely try to stare at the young man. He runs his hand through his dirty blonde locks and walks off to the kitchen.
The sound of footsteps on my left catches my attention. I turn my head to see Hunter still standing there, frozen on the spot he stood when he dropped me, staring at me with concerned eyes. "Who is that?" I break the silence.
He walks up to me and plops down on the couch, next to me. "That's my little brother, Alec. I'm sorry I dropped you, the door opened when I was about to uhh – I-I-I'm sorry." His cheeks are covered with a rosy pink color. He stands up and scurries to the kitchen. 'It's ok, I'm nervous too!' I want to tell him. The last and first time a guy kissed me was during my first year of college. I wasn't exactly popular among the guys.
The sound of hasty footsteps interrupts my train of thoughts. Alec comes back with an – I suspect – ice pack wrapped in a small towel. He presses it against the back of my head and takes my left hand and lifts it up to hold it against the ice pack.
He holds out his right hand for me to shake. Gracefully I take it and he start introducing himself. "Hi, I'm Alec, I'm that guy's little brother. Pleasure meeting you." He says, his eyes crinkling along with his smile.
"I'm Ivory, I live with that guy. And it's a pleasure meeting you too. Thanks for the ice pack." I expect him to reply but instead I see his smile fading. His face turns stony and cold. Did I say something wrong?
"Excuse me." He murmurs as he stands up and starts walking towards the man who dropped me. "Bro, can I talk to you for a sec?" Hunter agrees and they walk off. That was weird...
I just sit there, waiting for the two men to return.
****
Finally, after ten minutes of boredom, they return. Both of them wear expressionless masks on their faces. Alec grabs his coat from the couch and heads towards the door.
"Bye Ivory, Hunter." He says without looking at us.
As the elevator doors close, I turn my head to Hunter. He looks gloomy. "What's wrong?" I ask as I stand up and walk towards him.
His face morphs into a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Nothing. Hey, it's Sunday, do you want to go on an adventure?"
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Helllooooooo
Thank you for reading chapter four of 'Loving Mr. Murray."
I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next chapter!
Have a nice day!
xx