THE MEET.

Chapter: 6.

******

Once he came down from his car, the first sight that caught his eye was that of the beautiful boy playing fetch with Billy in the garden. Elijah's heart stopped at the boy he saw, the sound of his laughter filled Elijah's ears making his eyes wet. 

"Why, Billy?" He whispered to himself. He knew what he went through trying to cover up his forbidden act and love for Jack, both from his family and the press constantly poking their noses in his affairs and here he was, back again four years ago. 

He hasn't seen the boy's face but his heart was about if not almost tumbling out from inside his body.

Elijah made his way over to the duo and when Billy saw him, the happy dog dumped his toy and ran into his embrace. Elijah laughed and tackled the big dog to the ground. 

Adrian met his Boss's eyes for the first time and his heart flew out the gates. He thought his crushing had crashed the day he saw those pictures but he was wrong, in fact, he has never been more wrong in his entire life. His eyes lingered on the man as he took bold, strong strides towards him, Adrian was certain he stopped breathing, his eyes fixed on the man, heart thundering in his chest. Twenty-four years, twenty-four fucking years, and not once did he find himself in such a compromised situation not even his first few months on T-shots when his sex drives were over the moon, he didn't feel the way he felt now. His entire body was affected by the man. His thoughts, his body, his heart.

How can this happen in just a wink of an eye? The boy wondered worriedly.

This is bad, this is really, really bad. Adrian chanted in his mind.

"Hello, Adrian." The most soothing voice he's ever heard called and Adrian almost nearly jumped out of his skin. He tried to even his breathing and to stop his eyes from wandering, the man stood like a god, the pictures didn't do him any justice at all. With bulging eyes, Adrian stared at Elijah, he couldn't speak for the life of him. 

Standing close to the boy now Elijah knew he was in deep trouble. How is this happening to him again? Elijah forced air into his stomach. 

"Hello, I want to believe you're not deaf." The man deadpanned.

Adrian blinked in shock, he wanted to respond but he couldn't find his voice. He tried again and this time his mouth moved. "He-he-hello sir, I-I am so sorry." He whispered. Elijah stared at the boy for a good amount of time before he ignored him completely to go play with Billy. The dog has been waiting patiently on his master's legs. 

Adrian stood there like a statue. This was hands down the most embarrassing day of his life. Hopefully, his stupid behavior doesn't get him fired. His hand shook as he watched Master and dog roll about on the soft grass. This actually made him smile, but he soon smothered the expression when Elijah met his eyes once again.

What Adrian did not know was the fact that he was affecting Elijah as much as Elijah affected him, only Elijah knows how to conceal his feelings, and instead of showing what his body and throbbing heart felt his face showed no expressions whatsoever, and Adrian was starting to wonder if the man hated him.

"This is my Billy, you better do your job well and I hope you have read through his lists?" The man asked.

"N-no," Adrian replied his eyes met the green grass and he admired them. 

Elijah frowned, "You should do that right now, Billy has appointments that need not be missed!"

"I'm sorry." Adrian seems to have come down from whatever high he had been on. The man looked very angry and that was no good sign on the first day of work.

"Jessica!" Elijah ignored Adrian and went on to call on the lady that had attended to him earlier. 

The lady rushed out of the house with a huge grin on her face. "Welcome Mr. Elijah." she greeted. 

"How are you?" He asked her with a much bigger smile. 

"I'm doing very well thank you." 

"And your mother?" 

"She's well, she was actually discharged from the hospital today," Jessica replied.

"That's good news, my regards." Elijah met Adrian's eyes and quickly averted his gaze when he found the boy staring at him. "Take him to the workers' lodge and show him to his room." He told Jessica who smiled and pulled Adrian away with her. 

At this point, Adrian was convinced the man hates his guts. He has messed up big time. And speaking of the hospital he needed to visit Jonathan. He's missed the old man.

****

Elijah made sure they were out of sight before he faced his dog. Billy knew what was coming for him so he just laid down flat with his face buried in his paws. 

"Look at me," Elijah commanded but the dog refused to look. "What is this you're doing this time?" He asked and again silence. "Billy, you know well enough what happened the last time, why did you choose him?" Elijah paused to heave a long dragged-out sigh. "Agreed, that was a dumb question, I know why you choose him but you have got to stop matchmaking for me." Elijah heard the dog moan but didn't look at him still. "I don't like Adrian." Elijah blurted out and this had the dog staring at him in no time. Elijah smiled inwardly, he finally got his attention.

Billy got up and walked away from Elijah. "What? You're walking away from me?" He asked and Billy stood in its tracks for a minute before he resumed walking again. "You know that is not true, I like him too much and I don't like that I do." His words stopped Billy and the dog ran into his embrace. They both fell to the grass and Elijah laughed as the dog licked his face. 

"I'm sorry for talking to Adrian like that, I will apologize when I see him again." He kissed Billy and the dog nudge his face as if warning him to never do that again, Elijah laughed. "You are some dog. And it's high time you find your own bitch otherwise, I will have no other choice than to find one for you, it's not as if you leave me with many choices either, so why should I?" Elijah could swear he saw the dog smirk before he ran into the house. 

******

"I see you've met the Boss." Jessica smiled once they entered the beautiful gate that holds the Apartment building. Adrian admired the place, it was beautiful and if he was to pay for a place like this, he would have to work very hard to afford it. 

"How much do we get to pay for this place?" He asked. 

"Nothing!" Jessica answered bemused. "Mr. Elijah takes care of everything."

"I think he hates me." Adrian sounded like death. 

"I don't think so," Jessica told him before reaching to press the elevator button. They both got inside and the doors slide shut, Adrian watched as she pressed the number four, and then they started ascending. "Mr. Elijah doesn't hate anyone, well, no one that I know of and that is why in this building you find both workers and none workers that Mr. Elijah helped with accommodations. He's a good man." She smiled at Adrian. "My mother used to cook for him but she got sick and I had just finished with catering school so I filled in for her while she was ill and even as she is not working due to her health, she still gets paid, I never thought I would end up working for such a man but now that I am, I don't want to stop." The elevator stopped and the doors pulled open, they both stepped out and walked the short distance to the door they needed. "Here is a tip for you, avoid Mrs. Nova at all cost." She pointed at Adrian's chest while staring at the boy with a very serious expression. 

"Who is Nova?" Adrian asked. 

"Elijah's wife, that woman is trouble, and you must stay on her good side or you lose your job." 

"That bad?" Adrian's brow furrowed as Jessica swiped a key card on the door.

"Very bad, once she comes around, you will find her everywhere, she wants to be involved in everything, she is so different from her husband I tell you." 

Adrian's mouth made an O shape as they stood in the room. The place was huge and well furnished. This was literally a dream come true for him. 

"This is your room," she smiled at him. "Mine is number 201 and you know, this was the same room Jack used to live in when he first started to work here, what a coincidence!" She laughed.

"Jack?" Adrian asked. 

"Yeah, he was Billy's sitter but he died over a years ago, he got drunk and he drove into a tree." Her voice softened as her eyes went sad. "Elijah loved him so much, I think he adopted him as his brother, he even bought him a house so he didn't get to live here for too long." 

Adrian's mouth fell open in shock. "Really?" 

"I have never seen Mr. Elijah care so much about a person, I didn't work here then but my mother did and she told me all about Jack, you will find his pictures in those magazines on the table. You should read Billy's list, so you don't miss his appointments." She reminded him.

"What appointments?" Adrian asked. 

"That dog model every dog product the company ever made, he even stars in television shows, you will find all his pictures in those magazines and you will have to be there with him and sometimes get in the limelight with Billy." She winked and Adrian turned bright red. 

He looked around his big living room and then went to check the rest of the apartment. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, one visitor's toilet and another in one of the rooms. He just couldn't believe he will live here and not pay a dime. This had to be the best day of his life. 

"Make yourself at home, it's almost time to go prepare dinner for the Boss." She made to leave.

"Where are the wife and kids?" 

"They're in Los Angeles. I don't know when they will be here but since that woman can't stay without her husband, she will be here in no time. Her kids are really good although I prefer Justin to Mila, that girl is just like her mother." Jessica grimaced rolling her eyes and Adrian laughed. "One more thing." She threw a remote at him. "When you get down just press on the button any car that beeped is yours, you will need it if you need to go out, especially with Billy." 

"But, I don't know how to drive." Adrian frowned.

"You better tell the Boss." She called and left him staring at the key. 

How was he supposed to tell the man that he doesn't know how to drive? Seeing that the man already hates him. Adrian wondered. He soon pushed the thoughts aside and reached for one of the heavy magazines laid out on the table. He turned pages after pages and laughed at the pictures he saw, the dog was all over the place, he models outfits and food and all kinds of things and one particular picture had him laughing so hard. The dog wore a swimsuit and was in the pool with a ball balancing on his head. Adrian picked up another magazine and saw Jack with Billy. The boy was beautiful, and Adrian envied the boy for having captured Elijah's heart whereas he had only succeeded in making the man hate him at first sight.

Adrian soon gathered all the magazines and shoved them in a drawer under the glass table before he walked into the kitchen to search through the refrigerator and cabinets for something to eat. Nothing was there, he needed to buy food and since he had the money for it, he might as well go do some quick shopping but he didn't know if he needed to take permission before he left so he just went out of the room and took the stairs this time. He enjoyed running down the stairs and when he got out of the building he remembered the car key, he pulled it out from his pocket and pressed the remote. The loud beeping from behind him startled him and he jumped. His mouth fell open at the sight of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG he saw, Adrian ran his hand all over the black slick car, and for once in his life, he hated the fact that he couldn't drive. He shoved the key back into his pocket and walked out of the gate.

***

He had just entered the mansion and the first to greet him was Billy. The dog pulled him into the alcove where Mr. Elijah sat with a bottle of champagne sitting in front of him and a glass in his hand. 

"Adrian," the man called with a smile. Adrian was surprised, this was not what he was expecting. "Do you need anything?" He asked. 

"I wanted to go out for groceries." He actually made a full sentence without stuttering. 

Elijah smiled. "Mary!" He yelled out and Adrian saw an older lady walk into the room. "Show him to the pantry, he needs groceries." He told her.

Adrian followed the woman into what looked like a mini grocery store. "Take whatever you want." She told the dazed boy with a smile. 

"Thank you," Adrian muttered and went shopping, everything he needed was there. After he had shopped to his fill, he walked out with four bags filled. 

Quickly he rushed out of the house. He had no idea what he was running away from but whatever it was didn't work as he soon heard his name. "Adrian." The voice stopped him in his tracks. Slowly, he turned and saw Elijah standing behind him. "I heard you can't drive?" The man asked. 

"Y-yes." There he was again, back to stuttering land. 

"Whenever you need to go out, call John and he will take you. I will ask him to give you driving lessons." Elijah smiled. "One more thing," Elijah walked closer to Adrian and touched his chest slowly before he pushed a phone into his shirt pocket. "This is your working phone, my number is in there." Elijah stared at the boy deep in the eyes for a moment and then he walked away. He didn't know what would happen if he waited for a little longer. Adrian's silvery-grey eyes were piercing through his soul.

With breathing heavy, eyes blurry Adrian made his way out on shaky legs. 

Elijah's light touch on his skin still lingers.