Read Mine - A Stepbrother Romance for Free Online Page B

the asphalt, her stiletto heels clacking against the ground.
    “Guess I should follow her,” I said with a weak smile. Tina and Ewan gave me one last hug, and then I turned and headed towards the plane.
    It suddenly hit me that I had no idea what I was walking towards, metaphorically speaking. What would Roy be like in person? Obviously he was an incredible businessman, based on the research I’d done on his company, but I had no idea what he was like personality-wise. Was he nice, or was he a Wolf Of Wall Street scumbag? Had he ever remarried after my mother died? Did I have five annoying stepsiblings to deal with now? So many questions, so few answers. In between packing and sorting everything out to leave, I’d barely had time to wonder.
    Mentally kicking myself for not having done more research on him, I anxiously boarded the plane. It wasn’t like any other plane I’d ever seen. The seats were huge and actually looked like they might be comfortable as opposed to the cramped things they called seats in domestic planes, and there was even what appeared to be a fully-stocked bar on one side. Three elegantly-dressed flight attendants smiled at me and took my bags before gesturing towards my seat, and I returned their smile before heading towards it.
    “Look around,” Victoria said sharply as she strapped herself into her seat. “This is all going to be yours, Arizona.”
    ***
    Several hours later, I was yawning and being directed into a sleek black car at a private airstrip in Newport County. Victoria waved at a stout blond man who gathered up my bags and stowed them in the trunk, and her cell phone buzzed as the car took off.
    “Yes, sir, the trip was fine. She’s with me now. Uh-huh, she’s looking forward to it. We’ll see you soon.”
    I smiled at her, and once again she didn’t return the gesture. Jeez, what was her problem? I’d tried to ask her a few questions about Roy on the flight, and she’d pretended not to hear me.
    I looked out of the window as we whizzed past houses, trees and gardens, and I swallowed a nervous lump in my throat as the buildings grew larger and the properties more magnificent. We were definitely entering Richville, as I’d taken to calling upscale areas of any given town or city.
    The car approached a hill, and as we drove up it, I noticed that the ocean wasn’t that far away. There was a marina in the distance, dotted with hundreds of little white yachts, and I absentmindedly wondered how many boats Roy owned. Probably a lot. Wasn’t boating some sort of wealthy person pastime?
    The car finally stopped at a set of wrought-iron gates, and I felt like I’d been transported back in time to some old English lord’s manor. I’d never been to an estate before, and I marveled as the driver spoke into some sort of intercom, the gates soon sliding to either side to let us pass. Wow. This was certainly going to take some getting used to. Back in Leyton, the only form of security people had was some sort of large dog and maybe a baseball bat in the bedroom cupboard.
    The driveway was lined by immaculately-trimmed hedges, and my heart began to race as the car pulled to a final stop by a marble fountain.
    This was it. Go time.
    Victoria barked orders at someone who’d just come out of the house, telling him to make sure my bags made it safely upstairs, and then she turned to me.
    “Roy is in his study. Follow me, please.”
    The interior of the house was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The walls were paneled with dark cherry wood with accents of damask wallpaper, and I was willing to bet the gold trim that highlighted the pattern was real. I glanced at what appeared to be a dining room as Victoria led me to a sweeping staircase, and there was a full dining set laid out, obviously in preparation for lunch. There were enough crystals on the chandeliers hanging in every room to rival a Valentine’s Day sale at Swarovski, and once again I swallowed nervously. Jeez. It all seemed