A Plaything For CEO Blackwood

# 102 Rebounding After the Fall Out

Sunlight shone through the half-opened curtains, reflecting on the soft carpet of the beautiful bedroom. Anna stretched her body on the bed with her eyes still closed, and the unfamiliar comfort of the large bed sank into her bones. Last night felt like a dream but the soft sheets and light jasmine smell told her it was real.

She opened her eyes and slowly sat up, looking around the room for a better view. She never thought she'd spend the night at a billionaire's house, let alone in a room that looked and felt like a royal apartment.

As Anna got up, she immediately thought back to last night when she had felt that her secret was out but it was not MB in the room, it was the vacuum machine that had fallen to the floor, one of the maids must have left it behind.

She got up and went into the bathroom, she didn’t come with a brush so she just had to rinse her mouth with water and wash her face as well, then she walked to the exit, hovering her hand over the shiny brass knob as she left.

Annabel went straight to Maxwell’s room, she didn’t even know why she was going there but she did anyway. She knocked softly on the door but there was no response. She was about to knock again when a delicious smell from the hall pulled her in like a siren song. She perceived fresh coffee, warm spices, and something sweet, like pancakes.

Didn’t he say the workers were all on break?

Annabel immediately followed the smelly trail, curiosity getting the best of her. She knew her way to the kitchen on that floor, there were three kitchens in the building but she was certain the aroma came from the one on that floor.

When she quietly walked in, she saw Mr. Blackwood, who surprised her. Unlike most times she had seen him, he was wearing a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his large muscles. He wore a black apron that stuck to his masculine body and didn't hide his forearm as he skillfully flipped something in a pan.

For some reason, she thought of Jimmy for a short time. With his easy charm and love of dirty spoons, her ex-boyfriend cooked for her a lot in their small apartment. A familiar pain from the past stabbed her in the heart, and her expression changed, sadness threatening to ruin the day that had just begun. How was she ever going to move on from him?

Mr. Blackwood suddenly turned around with the spatula in his arm, as if he could feel her. He smiled the moment he saw her standing there. "Hey… I didn’t know you were up.” He said in that manly voice that did things to her body.

Annabel smiled back, forgetting about her ex at that moment. “Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you.” She apologized. “Wow, I had no idea you cooked." She added quickly with enthusiasm as she came closer.

Mr. Blackwood laughed. "Why? Because I am a businessman? Well hey, It turns out that even billionaires need to eat once in a while. Plus, my workers are off today.” He uttered.

“Nice, it smells so good, I have no doubt that it tastes nice as well.” she teased.

“Why don’t you find out?” he chuckled, pride laced all over his tone. Of course, was she expecting him to not brag with all of the praise and ego boosting?

He sliced out a bit of the perfectly flipped eggs and quickly handed her on a plate, Anna kept her eyes on him as she slowly put it into her mouth, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh Wow, nice! Don’t tell me you were once a chef,” she teased.

“Ha! Nah, I learnt from someone. Now Please don’t ask me who,” he added quickly. There was a lot in his past that he didn’t like to talk about, a lot of people he had gotten involved with.

“Also, did you just compliment me just now? How much do I owe you for that because you never compliment me in your life?” he chuckled.

Anna huffed. “Don’t be silly, I compliment you all the time.” She laughed.

“I don’t think you do, but I will take it anyway,” he grinned. “Come on, you will have breakfast with me, won’t you?" He asked..

Annabel blushed. There was something about his tone this morning. Was it warm? Being friendly? Something else? Annabel wasn't sure how to act because she was not too familiar with this side of Mr. Blackwood. Still, the smell of the food, her grumbling stomach, and the seductive look in his eyes were all strangely appealing.

With a small laugh, she made up her mind to try something new. "I wouldn't say no to that," she said in a flirtatious tone as she got closer to him, her eyes stuck on his large muscles.

“Easy love, the fire is still on, we might just get burnt.” He smirked teasingly.

Anna made a face to hide her flushed cheeks. “Ugh! Whatever,” she rolled her eyes at him and walked out of the kitchen while he laughed behind.

Although it was a business day, they had both stayed behind at his house and had a good time. Anna took the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the mansion and he was more than willing to show her around.

Later at night after dinner, he took her down the stairs to an inner room that they had not explored. Anna was surprised when he pushed the Oak door open and they walked into a cinema. It wasn't just a home theater; it was a haven for film buffs.

The room was huge but pleasant, with warm, dark wood and rich velvet curtains. An enormous screen, wider than anything she'd seen in a commercial cinema, dominated the front wall. Rows of soft cushions lined all the way down to the end of the room. This cinema had the capacity to contain over fifty people comfortably and the emptiness scared Anna.

She was impressed by more than just the great magnitude. There were also Movie posters signed by famous directors and actresses lined the walls. A glass cabinet housed an incredible collection of historic film artifacts, including old cameras and statuettes that glinted in the mellow lighting.

"Wow," she exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to touch the rich velvet of the cushion. "This is… incredible, I didn’t know you were a movie person too."

Mr. Blackwood smiled. "Well, occasionally. I only come here once in a while.” He replied honestly.

"May I?" she inquired, referring to the soft seats.

Maxwell chuckled. “Why do you think we are here Miss Owl? Please choose any movie you want. Consider it movie night, compliments of your good friend, Maxwell Blackwood."

Anna found it funny that he talked of himself as her friend and that also made her nervous, was he starting to lose interest in her? She could not tell if he was still into her after everything that happened and she was scared of losing him.

How is it that she has been pushing him away for so long but now that he was just being a regular friend, it scared the life out of her, she wanted him to give her those flirtatious stares that made her heart flutter, she wanted that bedroom voice that makes her go crazy, why was he standing on the fence at this point?

They sat next to each other with a bowl of popcorn between them as they watched movies. One time they had both dipped hands in at the same time and he immediately withdrew his arm, apologizing to her. Anna growled within her in frustration, she hated to feel this way, unwanted by Maxwell Blackwood… Was he back to his mind games or has he genuinely lost interest in her?

Annabel couldn’t handle it anymore; she wanted to feel some closure to him. Slowly, she pulled away the popcorn bowl and pulled closer to his body, she slowly crawled into him, relaxing her head on his chest while placing her arm on his body.

Mr. Blackwood didn’t react to her move, at least not in the way she expected, he just slowly made space for her to be comfortable on his body and then his attention turned back to the screen. Anna couldn’t focus on the movie anymore, she wanted his attention, she wanted him to touch her and wet her face with kisses, why was he not paying attention to her?

“I am feeling Sleepy.” She lied, looking up to him to see his expression.

“Oh, yeah it has been a long day. I will walk you to your room.” He informed her.

“I can't walk, I am tired.” She whined. “Please carry me,” she begged, making a puppy face.

Maxwell looked at her and chuckled but she began to act like a baby, whining about it. “Okay fine, I will carry you up.” He said to make her happy.

TBC!!