His Naughty Lessons

** Harper **

Harper enjoyed the next two days of brainstorming. It felt nice, to have the freedom to dream up whatever grand plotlines she wanted and design something a hundred percent to her own liking. Though at the same time, she had to admit that it was exhausting to go into the details of such a large-scale open world game like this … And when weekend finally came, all she wanted was to turn into a cat and stretch out under the sun in a lazy, long nap.

She was doing almost that — stretching her arms out in a yawn under the dappled shades of a tree in front of her apartment — when Eli's car pulled over.

"Need an afternoon nap?" He smiled as he stepped out of the driver's seat to greet her with a hug. "Maybe I should've taken the company car instead. Much more comfortable seats for you to nap on in the back."

Harper chuckled and begrudgingly reassembled herself with some more grace. Then her eyes landed on the car he was talking about, realizing slowly that it was … still the same old Honda he had when he was in college?

"You're still driving this?" She gasped in disbelief, her sleepiness stunned away. "The heir of Sterling Trust, where is your Rolls Royce? And where is the black-suited chauffeur?"

Eli laughed out loud at the question. "Sorry to disappoint, but no chauffeurs invading my personal time on weekends. Why, should I change into a black suit myself and come back for you?" He gave his white polo shirt an exaggerated tug.

Harper pretended to not notice how good he looked in that shirt, with the form-fitting fabric bringing out all the toned muscles on his arms and chest. Tilting her head, she faked a serious and pensive expression. "Hmm … So I have the choice of seeing you in both an apron and a black butler suit today? I should ration such a rare visual treat … Maybe that calls for saving the suit for next time, so I can fully appreciate each fashion show with a fresh eye."

It took Eli a second to recall the reference to their conversation from last week. An eyebrow raised when he did. "I'm getting curious about your taste in fashion, Harper, if those two are the types of outfits you're most looking forward to seeing someone in."

Harper chuckled again. "Not just someone. Only because you are too full of contradictions sometimes." She nodded at the car as he held the door open for her. "A bigshot like you driving an ancient Honda? Or wearing an apron to make dinner for a guest? I would've laughed it off as a bad joke if anyone told me such anecdotes a month ago, so of course I'll have to keep my eyes wide open when it's happening for real."

Not that she was complaining, she thought when she finally got in the car and sank lazily into her seat. The old cushions were familiar, as was the ocean-scented air freshener that he always liked. The feeling of home closed in around her like a cozy embrace, quickly driving away all the weariness from a busy week of work.

~ ~

Eli's apartment was right at the heart of downtown, tucked into the harbor that marked the most scenic waterfront of the city. The moment she stepped into the lobby, Harper was immediately thankful that she wasn't wearing shorts this time — the shiny marble floor and spotless red carpet and huge chandeliers seemed to suggest that casual clothing wouldn't fit in at all. She couldn't help but wonder if Eli was the only person living here who dared to drive an old Honda.

Then, when they arrived at Eli's door and he opened it with his fingerprint, Harper's jaw fell to the floor.

"Luxury" and "futuristic" were the only words in her head as she stared at the living room in front of her. The first thing that came into view was the curved wall of glass at the opposite end of the space, opening up to a vast panorama of harbor view that was pure sapphire and sparkling diamonds under the afternoon sun. The lights in the entryway came on automatically as they stepped in, though there were no fixtures in sight — all of them seemed to be hidden behind artfully carved alcoves and panels of modern paintings. A surround-sound music started playing softly somewhere, the source equally elusive as if integrated into the walls.

"I know, this place is pretentious." Eli smiled when he saw the expression on Harper's face. "Unlike the car situation, I can't conveniently live in a different place over the weekend to avoid the intrusion of my luxurious work life, so here we are." He nudged her forward. "The view is nice though, so I suppose I can grudgingly accept the deal for that."

Harper peeled her eyes away from the resplendent view in front of her. "Gosh, even the most luxurious hotel I can imagine doesn't get as impressive as this." She drew in an awed breath. "It must feel like you're on vacation every single day."

She sat down at the kitchen bar — a long stretch of white marble counter with white leather stools — and saw amusement crossing Eli's face. "I think I just heard a request to fix your expectation of the most luxurious hotel," he replied. "Sterling Trust has a few partner resorts in the Caribbeans that can help with the task."

… There are places more upscale than this? Harper stared at him dubiously.

Eli only smiled as he expertly mixed a drink from the various exotic bottles lined along the bar. A sweet-looking pink cocktail was done in no time, and before he slid it in front of her, he reached up into what she thought was a shelf of decorative fake plants, plucked a leaf — which she belatedly realized to resemble mint — and dropped it into the glass.

"…" A second shock wave rolled over Harper's brain. "These are … real plants?"

Eli offered her the drink and nodded. "I grow my own herbs. Adds some life to this overly minimalist place, and it tastes much better fresh — try it." The smile on his face looked proud. "You'll be having homegrown basil for the caprese tonight as well."

Harper felt almost speechless as she stared at him, then stared at the "minimalist" place around them. She shook her head. "You really are full of contradictions sometimes," she confirmed.