Echoes & Ink: Raven by Emily Rose
Chapter Five
RAVEN
“Hey,” Ash says brightly as I climb into her car. She looks positively radiant and I want to curse at her. Why the hell did I let her talk me into seeing this place so damn early? I walked Falcon to school, much to his annoyance, but I refused to be swayed. I didn’t need him getting lost or deciding to skip because he doesn’t want to go. I didn’t walk in with him, just to the front of the building, and gave him the note that said I would be there to pick him up at three-thirty when he was done.
I would have loved to go back home and get a few more hours of sleep, but instead, Ash picked me up and we’re on our way to look at a potential apartment. I don’t know how she found one so fast, but it’s eased a bit of my worries. To say I slept like shit last night is an understatement. I put on a decent amount of make-up to cover the dark circles under my eyes, but I still feel the headache brewing behind them.
I glance in the back at Knox’s car seat, and smile when I see his sleeping face in the little mirror on the back of the seat, even as a pang hits me in the chest. Ash smiles at me and then pulls out, heading for our destination. A destination I know nothing about.
“So are you going to tell me anything about this place or am I supposed to read your mind?” I ask her dryly as I settle back in my seat.
“Nope,” she says cheerfully. A little too cheerfully, if you ask me. “I want you to go into it with an open mind.”
I frown at that. “Ash,” I say warningly, “tell me you didn’t find some place that I can’t afford?”
“You can afford it,” she assures me. “It’s just probably not something you’re expecting.”
I relax a little bit, but I’m still not sure how to feel about this information. “As long as it will appease that stupid social worker then I can work with anything,” I tell her. It’s true. I’m not fancy, and I don’t need much.
“It definitely will,” she promises. “How is Falcon settling in?” she asks, changing the subject.
I shrug. “He seems fine. We’re still feeling each other out, though. He doesn’t trust me yet, but he hasn’t tried to stab me in my sleep, so I guess that’s something. He didn’t want to go to school today though. He put up a bit of a fight about that.”
“He’s probably overwhelmed,” Ash reasons. “I mean, the kid went from one state to another and is living with someone who is a virtual stranger to him. I wouldn’t want to face a school of judgmental teenagers either.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I know, but the social worker wouldn’t like me not putting him in school, so he has to go.”
“Did you speak with the principal?” she asks as she turns down a side street.
I roll my eyes, thinking about the sleazy man that spent more time eyeing my tats and my boobs than listening to me. “Yeah,” I grumble. “He promised that he would have someone with Falcon to adjust and work on his sign language too, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”
“Why not?”
“He spent more time eyeing me than listening to a word I said. He was probably trying to think of a way to make me blow him to get even that.”
Ash wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Gross. Well, if he doesn’t have someone to help Falcon, then go back in and make a stink about it. But make sure you’re not alone with him.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I can handle the prick, but I’d like to not have to find Falcon a new school either. The kid needs stability, and the bitch Ms. Liscumb would have a field day with it.
Before I can reply to her, we pull up in front of a large building and I feel my stomach sink. There is no way that she’s taking me to this place, is she? Because if she thinks I can pay rent in a place like this, she is sorely mistaken.
The building is fifteen floors, with big windows, a gray stone exterior, and spans most of the block on both sides. It’s huge. I take in the balconies that go all the way up, tastefully done so that they don’t detract from the overall design. The place looks like it belongs in a magazine.
I look over at Ash and give her a narrow-eyed stare. “Just keep an open mind,” she tells me. “I promise, everything is good. You can afford this place.”
“How’s that?” I ask her dryly. “Am I going to make my rent payment on my back?”
Ash rolls her eyes at me. “God, you’re dramatic,” she gripes. “And don’t you think that would be weird of me to do considering my family owns the building?”
Why am I not surprised? It would explain why Ash thinks I can afford this place. I give her a leer and look her over slowly. “I haven’t been into girls before, but I could give it a try for a woman like you,” I purr.
Ash snickers. “Get out of the car, weirdo,” she orders me. “Sloan is meeting us, and he’s probably already wondering where the hell we are.”
"Oh well, we wouldn’t want to keep His Highness waiting,” I say sarcastically as I reluctantly unbuckle my seat belt and climb out. Ash gets Knox out of his car seat and tucks him into some sling thing quickly and effortlessly. Personally I think it looks like a pain in the ass, but the baby looks perfectly content in it.
Ash leads me inside and smiles at the doorman, an older man with kind green eyes and a full head of gray hair. His face has a few wrinkles, laugh lines, and a wide smile when he sees us. “Ms. Lincoln,” he says warmly as we approach. “Mr. Lincoln told me to expect you.”
“Lovely to see you again, Leonard,” Ash says with a warm smile of her own. “How’s your wife?”
Leonard’s eyes warm even more at the mention of her, and even a jaded person like me can’t help but soften at the obvious devotion. “She’s off visiting her sister right now, but she’ll be home tomorrow,” he says.
Ash winks at him. “Just enough time for a party, right?” she teases.
He chuckles, eyes twinkling. “Exactly.”
Ash chuckles herself. “Leonard, this is Raven, she’s going to be viewing the space today. Raven, Leonard has been with us since the building opened, and he’s an angel if you need anything.”
“Nice to meet you, dear,” he says, holding out his hand to shake mine.
“You as well,” I say with a warm smile of my own.
Ash’s phone chimes and I see her look at it, then roll her eyes. “Sorry, Leonard, we’re going to have to head up. My brother is being his normal impatient self.”
Leonard just smiles and nods. “I’ll see you when you leave then. Nice to meet you, Ms. Raven,” he says to me as well.
Ash and I make our way inside and I take in the grand foyer, with it’s marble floor and crystal chandelier. God, this place looks like it’s dripping in money. I feel completely out of place and ready to turn and say fuck it. Money means assholes, and I’m not one to put up with that bullshit.
“Give it a chance,” Ash orders me. “I can already see you getting ready to say no.”
I say nothing, a little annoyed that Ash has read me so easily. In the elevator, I watch as the numbers climb until we reach the top floor. The fucking fifteenth floor.
When we step out, I see a short hallway, with one door at the end and another closer to the elevator. Ash leads me to the one closest to us and opens the door. I walk inside and stop when I see that this place isn’t just an apartment. It’s a penthouse suite. I couldn’t afford this place even in my wildest dreams.
The floors are a gleaming white marble, and at the far side of the open concept living room and kitchen, is a wall of floor to ceiling windows that overlook the city center. With a balcony that spans the entire length of the windows. I look around the kitchen and living room and can practically see the dollar signs staring back at me.
The kitchen has dark gray cabinets, with white marble countertops, and a huge island that separates it from the living room. The appliances are stainless steel, and the latest models. I see a hallway down to the left of the living room, leading to who knows where.
Ash is in the middle of the room, looking around and beaming. “This place is perfect for you,” she tells me excitedly. “Lots of space. Sloan says it has three bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and that means that you and Falcon can each have your own private areas and not be tripping over each other.”
“We could go for days without seeing each other in a place like this,” I remark dryly, stepping inside. “Ash, this is too much.”
“Just look at it,” she urges. “I’m sure once you see the whole thing you’ll fall in love with it.”
“If you don’t, then we need to get your eyes checked,” a deep voice remarks, making me turn and give Sloan Lincoln a narrow-eyed glare as he emerges from the hallway.
Sloan is the kind of man that gets triple-takes everywhere he goes. A double-take just isn’t enough. He’s tall, built, and hot as hell. Even I can see that. He has thick, dark brown hair combed over to one side in a fashionable style, with a well kept beard cropped close to his jaw. Those two frame out a pair of startling blue eyes that can go from arctic cold to warm, sunny day with just one blink. He also looks like he was born to wear a suit, and is throwing out serious romance vibes with the gray tie he’s got on today.
“My eyes are just fine,” I retort. “That’s how I know this place might be nice to look at, but the rent isn’t going to be manageable for me. Even if I pay part of it working on my back with your sister.”
Sloan’s eyebrows hit his hairline at that, and Ash snorts out a laugh. “Do I want to know?” he asks with a sigh.
I shrug. “Told your sister the only way I could pay for this kind of place was to do it on my back, and since she said your family owns it, I told her I would try being into girls just for her.”
Something flashes in Sloan’s eyes, but then he smirks. “Well, see, Ash is right that our family owns it, but it would be me that you would be paying. And if we’re talking sexual favors, I might be persuaded. Though, I wouldn’t settle for you just on your back,” he adds with a wicked smile.
I’d like to say I roll my eyes and brush that off, but a shocking amount of heat bursts through my body at his implication. Holy hell, has the man always been this hot? The idea of him knocking on my door and pushing me to my knees is so damn sexy. God, I really need to get laid if I’m getting turned on by an asshole suit like him.
“Stop being an asshole, Sloan,” Ash barks at him, scowling. “Are you going to show her around or not?”
Sloan and I stare at each other for a moment before he says, “Sure. Follow me, Raven, and I’ll give you the tour. Ash, you and that little nuclear weapon in your arms stay out here. I don’t want to have to fumigate this place too.”
Ash gives him the finger with her free hand but stays put.
I follow Sloan towards the hallway off the living room, trying hard not to watch the way his ass flexes in his dress pants. Damn, how did I not notice an ass like that? That right there is spank-bank material.
Sloan shows me the two guest rooms and their adjoining bathrooms, and I have to admit they are stunning. Both rooms are painted plain white, with hardwood floors and plenty of closet space. I have a hard time ignoring the fact they all have their own bathrooms. All with stand up showers, expensive tile, and glass doors.
Finished with those, Sloan shows me the in-unit washer and dryer, and I have to hold back a whimper of delight. God, how awesome would it be to not have to sit at the laundromat for hours every week?
When we get to the master bedroom, I step in and try not to sigh. The room is as big as my entire apartment. One whole wall is windows, just like the living room, overlooking the city landscape with it’s own private balcony. The walls are still that plain white, and the floors are a dark hardwood, even continuing on into the master closet.
“Go ahead and check out the closet and bathroom if you want,” Sloan says, waving towards the two doors directly beside each other on the right side of the room.
I know I shouldn’t, but my feet start moving. I look in the door on the right and see it’s the walk-in closet. I nearly laugh when I see how big it is. It’s the kind of closet that Ash probably has in her place. Shelves and hangers line the walls on both sides, and in the center is a large marble covered island with storage drawers.
Stepping back out, I go into the bathroom and stop just inside the entrance. The bathroom is just as opulent as one would expect in a place like this. It’s almost as big as the bedroom, with a separate rainfall shower, a jacuzzi tub that could easily hold four or five people, a double marble sink, and a make-up vanity with a large mirror and high back white chair.
Turning, I walk back out and see Sloan waiting for me in the center of the room. I move so I’m standing only a few feet away. Putting my hands on my hips, I pin him with a hard look and say, “This place is way too much and you know I can’t afford it. So what’s your angle? And if you tell me that you expect my mouth on your dick as part of the payment, I will ram your balls up into your throat and then throw you off the balcony.”