When Rain Falls

Chapter 10 | Boundaries (Part 1)

MUSIC: Head in the Clouds by Hayd

My phone started buzzing. I fished my phone out of my purse and saw Louie's kissy face photo on the screen. I'm glad one of my best friends decided to call me. I haven't spoken to him in a while. I swiped the mist underneath my eyes before answering his call.

"Hey, Lou. How's SterlingCorp treating you?"

"I'm doing great, girl," he said a little loudly. The noise in the background sounded like he was at a party. "Hang on a sec. Sorry, I'm at a club right now," it didn't take long before the background noise faded. "Okay, this is better. Anyway, you asked me how's SterlingCorp been treating me. Well, first off, the job's pretty easy. Lots of good benefits, I made some new friends, and I got the opportunity to meet the CEO himself, Mr. Sterling."

"Oh, wow," I rolled my eyes with a smile. "Must have been exciting."

"Girl, you should be happy for me." He gave a light chuckle.

"I am happy for you, Louie. It's just that I've known Vincent since I was a kid, so I don't really get excited to see him."

Louie sighed. "Must have been nice to have a rich father."

"Not really," I yawned. "Trust me, it's complicated. Don't worry, you're not missing out."

"Okay, so how's New York?" He asked. There was excitement laced in his voice. "Tell me what have you been up to these days."

"I... actually landed a job here at The Hamptons." I bit my lower lip, closing my eyes in embarrassment. I don't think I have the courage to explain to him why I got the job in the first place.

"Oh, my gosh," he squealed in excitement. "Shut the front door. You, got a job at The Hamptons?"

"Don't get too excited, Lou. I got a job as a maid." I let the words slip out. It was Louie. He wouldn't care.

"Wait, what?" He squeaked. "A maid? Why? Where? Who are you working for? How on earth did this happen, Raina Hart?"

I laughed nervously as I prepared the answers in my mind. "Well, originally, I wanted to spend two weeks here. But I thought about spending a little more time here since I accidentally met an old high school friend who works for your boss's cousin, Rain Sterling." I turned around and my eyes widened when I saw Rain standing at the next balcony staring at me with a grin on his face.

Ah, shit. I hoped he didn't hear me mention his name.

Louie gasped. "Rain Sterling? Oh, my gosh, you gotta be kidding me, girl? No way! The Sterling boys are just too hot to handle. They need to be served on a sizzling plate."

"Uh, Lou? I may have to call you back. Talk to you later," I ended the call and slipped the phone back inside my purse. I smiled nervously at Rain. "Hey. What's up?"

"I think I just heard my name." He pointed out.

My mouth twisted into an awkward smile. "I was just talking to a friend. He recently got a job at your cousin's company, and I was just sharing how I got a job under a Sterling company as well."

He leaned his arms over the rail. "Any regrets?"

"No," I replied. My heart started to thump loudly once again. I don't know why this man makes my heart race whenever he talks to me? "I'm actually fortunate enough to be working with you. So, why would I have regrets?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to know," he straightened up. He's still wearing his suit from earlier. "Hey. Do you want to go out and get something to eat?"

My stomach growled. It seemed like it heard Rain. "Yes, please."

*

Within fifteen minutes, I was already in front of his door. I knocked twice and he opened the door right away with his white shirt unbuttoned halfway. He looked surprised to see me.

"I'm ready." I think I might have stretched my smile so much I probably looked like a clown.

"That was fast," he motioned his head for me to come in. "Come inside."

I blushed as I stepped in. "Ah, sure."

His aftershave cologne lingered at the spot where he stood earlier. It smelled exactly just like back at the mansion. I realized I just made a mistake by coming in his room, because now I could see him taking his shirt off in front of the bed. I turned around and closed my eyes.

"You know what? I think I'll just wait outside." My face warmed up as I reached for the door.

"It's okay, you could stay," he said. His voice was soft and reassuring. "I'll make it quick."

I turned around and my eyes bugged out after seeing him in his shirtless glory. He started unbuckling his pants next. Holy mother of— I think I'm going to pass out.

"Sorry, I'll wait outside." I quickly turned around and grabbed the door knob. I started catching my breath as soon as I stepped out. What on earth was he thinking? He sure was comfortable taking off his shirt in front of me. I leaned my head back against the wall as I tried to pull myself together. My heart was beating so loud, I couldn't concentrate on relaxing. If I stayed a second longer, I'd might have witness him taking his pants off, too. Maybe I was just overthinking. Since I was there, he would probably take his pants off inside the bathroom, as how it should be.

A few minutes later, Rain stepped out in a dark blue sweatshirt and faded jeans. "Ready?"

I nodded nervously, trying to forget what I saw earlier. "Uh, yeah. Let's go."

Thankfully, my body temperature went back to normal. I was ridiculously hot as a stove earlier. It was as if I was brewing a fever.

We walked to the elevator. While we were waiting, he turned to look at me. "How come you left the room in a hurry? Did I say something wrong?"

I stared at him blankly. No, Sir, it was what you actually did. It took me awhile to come up with an excuse. "Sorry about that. I figured it was inappropriate for me to stay inside your room while you changed. After all, we are like subject and ruler. There has to be some boundaries between us, you know."