“I don’t care what Tanner said. I don’t want to be stripped. And the last thing I need right now is to be played a chorus of bells.”
“It’s actually a very peaceful way to awake from one’s slumber.”
“Nigel. Out.”
He gave me a little bow and scurried out the bedroom door.
I rubbed my forehead. Fuck. How much had I had to drink last night? It felt like there was a freight train careening around in my head.
There was a knock on the door and Nigel poked his head back in. “Sorry to bother you, but breakfast is being served in 15 minutes and Master Tanner wanted to extend you an invitation.”
I just glared at him.
“Your clothes are also freshly pressed and hanging in the closet.”
I looked over at the open closet doors. Even my socks were hung up. I was pretty sure he’d ironed them too.
“Would you like me to draw you a bath?”
“I think I can manage, Nigel.”
He nodded. “I’ll come check on you in a few minutes.”
“Please don’t.”
“Just in case there’s anything else you need. You never know when something will come up. See you shortly.” He closed the door.
Why did it seem like Nigel just wanted to see me naked again? I’d grown up with a staff, but none of them were as weird as Nigel. Where had Tanner found this guy?
I pushed the sheets off of me and practically ran to the bathroom. I showered as fast as I could and somehow managed to have a towel wrapped around my waist before Nigel came into the guest bathroom.
“Ah, you’re finished.” He sounded disappointed. “Shall I help you into your little outfit?”
Had he seriously just called my expensive suit a little outfit when he was dressed in what had to be costume lederhosen? “No, I’m good.”
“It’s no trouble, Mr. Caldwell.”
“I swear to God.” I took a deep breath, which somehow made my headache worse. “I just need a minute.”
He did a weird little bow and hurried out of the room.
I quickly changed before Nigel could get a dick pic or whatever the hell he was after. I wandered out into the hall. Just like every time I’d been here before, there were white sheets covering most of the furniture and there were even some cloths draped over what I assumed were paintings on the walls. If the décor wasn’t all so modern, it would have seemed like I was walking around in a haunted house.
Tanner had been renovating the place for years. Which was crazy because I’d completely renovated a whole house in less time. Although, this place may have had just as much square footage as my house. I walked by one of the many doors in the hall. Maybe this penthouse was even bigger than my place, because I’d just taken yet another turn in the hallway and I still hadn’t found the great room. Huh.
I looked over my shoulder to make sure that I was alone and reached out to grab one of the doorknobs so I could see just how much space Tanner had here. All I saw was a blinding white light before Nigel came out of nowhere and slammed the door closed.
He seemed completely out of breath like he’d just sprinted over to stop me. “Mr. Caldwell, you mustn’t go in there. Are you trying to get burned?”
What? “Burned?”
Nigel’s eyes bulged. “Snoopers get burned by fire. Lit up like a spark. As the old saying goes.”
Nigel’s sayings were as strange as Tanner’s. I laughed. “I was just trying to get a read on the square footage of this place.”
“It depends on the day. Now if you please, sir, the dining room is right this way.” He gestured down the hall.
“What do you mean it depends on the day?”
“Expansions.”
Was he high? I looked down at him as we made our way through the impossibly long hallway. We were on the 89th floor. The top floor of One57. Logistically it would be really hard to expand this property. And why did Tanner even need to expand? He hadn’t even properly moved in yet.
We were almost at the dining room when I had to sidestep a white sheet that was blanketing something tall and wide. Was it a tree or something? How the heck did Tanner even get something so large up here?
I reached out to push the fabric aside and Nigel slapped my hand.