Step 6: Begin Training

The next morning Hannah pulled up outside Cody’s massive house and beeped the horn. After five minutes of waiting she grew impatient, turned her car off and stormed up the stone steps.

“If he thinks he can blow me off he has another thing coming,” Hannah muttered to herself. She pushed the pewter doorbell and listened to the pleasant chiming resonate through the house.

Cody lived in an impressive three-story New England style house. Everything was stone, white or covered with weathered cedar shakes. It was colossal compared to Hannah’s modest two-story just up the road. Her family wasn’t poor by normal standards, but compared to Cody’s family and the rest of the Goldens, she was a pauper.

Hannah stepped back to look up at the windows, wondering which one was Cody’s. She let out a low appreciative whistle taking in the beauty of his home up close. Hannah could admire the architecture, but she would never understand the need for such a huge home. From all the media coverage after his DUI, Hannah knew Cody didn’t have any siblings and he lived in this home with only his father, Thomas Matthews, a corporate attorney for a ritzy hotel chain. According to the newspaper, Cody’s mother, Tabitha, divorced after some family scandal and remarried when he was only six. She moved to New York with her new husband and had two children, whom Cody never met. The reporter’s angle was that Cody had abandonment issues that led to his reckless ways.

All of the stories surrounding Cody’s arrest whirled through Hannah’s near photographic mind as she gazed at the palatial house. She shook her head. It didn’t matter how regal the home looked, Cody would never escape his reputation in this town.

Hannah was about to press the doorbell again when she heard the locks tumbling. The door creaked open slightly and a short, thin man in a gray suit peered out at her. Not Mr. Matthews. Hannah knew his face from the news. Maybe a butler? Did people really have those?

“May I help you, miss?”

“Um, yes. I’m here to pick up Cody for school.”

The man looked perplexed as he glanced at his watch. “It’s 5 am.”

“Yes, well I have tennis practice before school, so this is what time I leave.”

The man blinked and opened the door wider. He made a sweeping gesture with his arm, ushering her inside. Hannah tried not to gawk at the lavish interior of Cody’s home but the magnificent winding staircase and massive chandeliers dazzled her. When she realized her mouth hung open in awe she quickly snapped it shut and turned back to face the sharply dressed man.

“Cody and I made arrangements to ride to and from school together for the rest of the school year.”

“Oh. I apologize, but Master Cody doesn’t usually inform me of his plans. I’m afraid he may still be asleep. Would you like to me to wake him?”

Hannah sighed. “That’s okay. I can do it myself. Can you point me to his room?”

The man’s nervous eyes grew larger, but he nodded and led the way up the winding stairs. Hannah passed several maids dressed in pale gray uniforms, dusting or polishing the obscene amount of ornamental knickknacks. Hannah noticed how sterile the house felt as she followed the butler down the echoing marble hallways. Nearly everything in Cody’s home was white. It reminded Hannah of an empty hospital. How could anyone feel comfortable here?

The butler’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Master Cody’s room is the last on the left,” he said giving a curt bow before retreating back down the hall.

Strange. Hannah thought the butler would have at least walked her to the door. With how formal everything was it seemed like he should have announced her or something. What if Cody wasn’t even home? Would she just be left to wander the house and show herself out?

Hannah checked her watch. 5:05. Not good. She was behind schedule. She would be late for tennis practice at this rate. Frustration drove her to march forward and knock on Cody’s door.

No response.

“Jerk,” she muttered to herself. It was day one and he was already pissing her off. But Hannah didn’t get to where she was by giving up easily. She twisted the knob and barged into Cody’s room.

It was pitch black inside with the curtains drawn and she tripped over piles of things that littered the floor. She heard soft snoring from the bed and muttered expletives under her breath as she made her way to the curtains.

“Rise and shine,” she called loudly as she flung them open letting the watery pre-dawn light filter into the room.

“What the—” Cody hissed, bolting upright in his massive bed.

“Good morning to you too.”

Cody rubbed his eyes like he couldn’t believe them. “Hannah?”

“You overslept and now we’re behind schedule. Grab your things and let’s go.”

“What time is it?” he grumbled.

“Time to go to school! We have a deal, remember? It starts today.”

“I remember,” he muttered.

Cody pulled the covers back revealing his toned body, his finer assets barely covered by his bright orange boxer briefs. They were the first splash of color in the house and Hannah’s eyes shot straight for his healthy bulge.

Blush burnt her cheeks and she turned away so quickly she tripped over the pile of clothes on the floor and fell flat on her ass.

Cody’s soft chuckling only made her cheeks hotter. He was standing over her offering his hand to help her up. She refused it and got to her feet herself. “Put some clothes on, please” she barked.

“Jesus, Hannah. I’m wearing underwear. Calm down.”

“We’re late,” she steamed, ignoring his comments.

“Fine. Give me five minutes.”

Cody disappeared into the adjoining bathroom suite and shut the door. She heard the toilet flush and then the shower turn on. She looked for somewhere to sit down, but just about every square inch of Cody’s room was covered in clothes. How could someone with so many maids have such a disastrous room? Hannah decided the bed seemed the safest place to wait. She smoothed the comforter and perched on the edge. A minute later the shower squeaked off and Cody emerged from the bathroom, glistening with only a towel wrapped low around his waist. Hannah averted her eyes and stood up abruptly. Mistake. Cody must’ve been walking toward her when she looked down because she smacked straight into his wet chest. She gasped as his arms wrapped around her to steady her.

“Shit, did you chug a pot of coffee before you got here or something? Why are you so jumpy?”

“I’m not jumpy. I’m just not used to being accosted by half dressed men.”

Cody snorted. “Wow, you’ve never seen a naked guy before, have you?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she shot back crossing her arms and taking a step back from him.

“You haven’t! Hannah, this is the shit I’m talking about. You’re never going to survive Harrison’s ball if you react like this every time you see a half naked guy.”

“There’s going to be naked guys there?”

“Hannah, what do you think goes on at Harrison’s parties?”

“I don’t know . . . dancing?”

Another snort. “This isn’t Pretty in Pink.”

“What?”

“Let me guess, you’ve never seen Pretty in Pink?”

“No. But it’s your job to teach me how to fit in. I’m sure if I just practice—”

“You can’t practice having a life, Hannah.”

That comment hurt more than she cared to admit. She squared her shoulders and walked to the door. “Get dressed, Cody. I’ll be in the car. And hurry up, because we apparently have a lot of work to do.”