“Will you need breakfast, sir?” he asks.
“No, I’ll be ready to leave in ten minutes,” I confirm.
“You may want to check your email when you have a moment.”
“Any email in particular I should focus on? I’m sure I have dozens right now.”
“From me, sir; it contains a link to something Asher found online about you this morning.”
Is New York’s infamous playboy single again?
It’s been more than three weeks since Nicholas Parker and Mackenzie Rose were seen together; has their time together ended already? Did she run like all the other women in his life? Did she find out the dirty secret that he tries to hide from everyone? Once again, we have to wonder if Nicholas Parker can’t keep one woman happy, how on earth can he keep hundreds of employees and clients happy? How much longer will PFS be successful at this rate?
Chapter 29
Kenzie
This week is turning out like nothing I could have expected. I’ve had to take some time off from the bakery because the press has been hanging out there, trying to talk to me. It started the day after the article came out questioning whether or not Nicholas and I are still together. The first day the press was manageable; Hunter was able to keep them out of the bakery but by the second day, the number of press there had doubled. Even after Hunter requested additional security from Carter, they were barely managing. Even worse, the reporters were keeping away some of the regular customers.
“Kenzie, dear, can I see you for a moment?” Ginny asks just as I’m about to take my break.
“Of course.”
“Look, Kenzie… I don’t know how to say this…”
“What’s wrong, Ginny? Is everything okay with your daughter?”
“Oh goodness…. yes, thankfully everyone is fine.” She takes a deep breath before continuing, and in my gut, I know this isn’t good news. “Kenzie, I want you to know how happy I am for you. You deserve the best life has to offer, especially after… everything. I’m so glad that you finally let someone in, someone who can make you happy. I haven’t seen you smile this much in all the times I’ve known you. I’m really happy for you.”
“Thank you, Ginny.” I feel a big but coming on.
“The thing is… the press…”
“I know. I’m so sorry that they won’t leave; I don’t know how to keep them away.”
“Unfortunately, Kenzie, I’m sure you’ve noticed that they’re keeping our business away. If it were up to me, I would just ride this out and wait for them to leave. Unfortunately, this isn’t only about me. The sale was finalized just the other day, so I have to think about the new owners. While they aren’t aware of what is going on yet, I’m sure once our numbers start coming in for this week, they will question the drop in sales. What I’m trying to say is… I think it might be best if you took some time off—“
“Are you… firing me?” I gulp even saying the words.
“NO! Of course not. No matter what happens, you will always have a job here as long as I have a say in the matter. I’m just suggesting that perhaps you need to take some time off until this all dies down. Maybe just a few days until they move onto a different story? I’m really happy that you found someone who loves you, really I am. I just wish the press would stop following you around to report your every move.”
“I know, I feel the same way, but unfortunately the press seems to love reporting everything in Nicholas’s life… including me right now.”
“I wish I didn’t have to ask this of you, but—“
“No, it’s fine. I understand, really.”
“Hopefully, in a few days, this interest in you will disappear and you can come back without the press.”
I never expected this whole thing with Nicholas to impact my job at the bakery. I never thought the press would hound me the way they have been this week. I guess up until now I’ve been lucky that the press had left me alone. After the article earlier this week highlighting the fact that Nicholas and I haven’t made a public appearance together in a few weeks, the press just started hounding me nonstop. More articles have been written this week, actually reporting what each of us do every day. Tonight, Nicholas and I are going out for a business dinner, and I’m sure there will be press there. Tomorrow, I’m going shopping with Cara, and Hunter has already let me know that we will be bringing additional security with us since there will be two of us and only one of him.
The one thing I don’t understand is why the press gives a shit about what Nicholas does in his personal life. I gave up reading most of the articles, and just skim the headlines now. Some of them hint the reason Nicholas is pictured with so many women is because he is actually gay and hasn’t come out of the closet yet. That one doesn’t make sense to me at all since there are so many pictures of Nicholas with his ex. Does the press think that was all for show or that he discovered his sexual preference after her? Some articles suggest he is hiding something that causes women to run away when they find it out. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what they think Nicholas is hiding. They act like he is a horrible monster in private, when just the opposite is true.
Knock knock
Shit! I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t realized the time.
“Would you mind coming in for a minute? I just need two more minutes—I’m running a little late.”
“Of course, take your time, Kenzie.”
With Nicholas in the living room, I quickly dart into the bedroom to put on my strappy sandals. Tonight, I’m wearing a simple black fitted dress that has a few large red roses on it. I have a red wrap that will cover my bare shoulders in case it gets chilly tonight. I’m not sure what tonight’s dinner is about, but the dress seems like the perfect mix between business and casual.
“Sorry about that, I’m ready now.”
“You look very pretty.” Nicholas puts his hand on my back as he leads me out of the apartment.
“Thank you.”
“I heard the press was bothering you this week,” Nicholas says once we are seated in the SUV.
“They seem to have really come at me full force this week,” I admit. “I was really surprised that they followed me to work.”
“I know,” he sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “I wish this wasn’t my life, but unfortunately this comes with the territory, I suppose. Are they still bothering you at work?”
“No… but that’s probably because I’m not working right now.”
“What? What happened?”
“Ginny suggested I take some time off until things calm down. Unfortunately, it was impacting business; regular customers who have come in daily for years stopped because the reporters were asking them questions about me.”
“Oh, Kenzie. I’m so sorry. I’ll fix this—“
“There’s nothing you can do, Nicholas. Once the press dies down, Ginny has assured me that I will still have a job, so I just need to wait it out. I’m sure they will stop once they realize they aren’t getting anything from me.”
“I’ll start having a weekly check deposited into your bank account—“
“You’ll WHAT?!”
“For your lost wages, I’ll cover them, of course.”
“Um, no, you won’t.”
“Kenzie, you’re not working because of me; it’s only fair that I cover your lost wages.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. You have given me a place to stay completely rent free and already pay for the time we spend together, I will not allow you to give me money every week too.”
“But—“
“No. Thanks to this arrangement, I already have good amount of money saved—“
“But that was so you can go back to school—“
“And I will. I have minimal expenses and probably won’t even need to tap into my savings account.”
“I just don’t understand why you won’t let me do this. If it wasn’t for me, you would still be working at the bakery.”<
br />
“Yes, that’s true. But if it wasn’t for you, I would be living in a shitty apartment right now, that is raided by the police every other week. Where I have to step over people who are drunk or high just to get into my building and where the electricity was routinely turned off by the owner. I prefer staying here over that.”
“Kenzie… you really are like no one I’ve ever met,” he sighs heavily, but I’m not sure if it’s in frustration or anger.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I say, although I’m not sure if that’s how he meant it.
“You should.”
“So tell me what tonight is about. Bridget just said it was a business dinner.”
“It’s a celebratory dinner; we just closed a deal with this company and Alex thought it would good to take them out to celebrate. We signed with the company under the disguise that we hope to be able to help them avoid bankruptcy.”
“But?”
“Bankruptcy is inevitable: they can’t keep going as they have been and no amount of change will fix that. What will fix it though, is merging it with a larger company, and that is what we’re going to recommend in two months after we’ve had a second look at the books.”
“Why not just tell them up front that you intend to recommend they merge with another company?”
“Because then they wouldn’t have agreed to sign with us if we told them the plan ahead of time.”
“And you wanted to sign the company?”
“It made good financial sense: the company I want them to merge with is also under PFS and is in a position to offer this company’s employees higher pay and better benefits. It will also make both owners a significant amount of money long term.”
“Why didn’t they do that to begin with? It sounds like they could have walked away with more money in their pockets.”
“Most people don’t see that as an option. They were reluctant to even sell, but unfortunately, once we built the trust with them and we demonstrate that in a matter of months the banks will begin foreclosing on their buildings, they begin to consider our recommendation.”
“Sir, ma’am, just to warn you, I believe we were followed when we left the condo,” Carter alerts us.
“Reporters?” Nicholas asks.
“I believe so.”
“Unfuckingbelievable! All this over a fucking dinner.” Nicholas shakes his head.
“Think of it this way, maybe it will be the confirmation the press needs to know we are still together.”
“Maybe.”
The moment we pull up to the restaurant, reporters are snapping our picture. We barely make it out of the car before they start screaming questions at us.
“Mr. Parker! Mr. Parker! Are you and Ms. Rose still an item?”
“Why haven’t you been seen together in three weeks?”
“What are you hiding?”
“What do you say to reports that PFS is suffering because of your personal life?”
“I say that my financial reports indicate otherwise,” Nicholas snaps at the young reporter who dared ask about PFS.
Carter and Hunter lead us through the crowd of reporters who continue to snap pictures of us and question our relationship status. Nicholas’s arm is wrapped firmly around my waist, anchoring me to him as we try to make our way to the front of door.
“Ladies, gentlemen,” Nicholas addresses the crowd before we go into dinner. “Ms. Rose and I are here to celebrate a successful business deal. I am aware that there are reports that we haven’t been together in the last few weeks. However, as you can now see, we are very much still together. Now, if you will excuse us, we have a dinner reservation to keep.”
Seconds later, we are inside the warmth of the restaurant and my ears finally stop buzzing from all the questions being yelled at us. We are escorted to our table, where we are the last ones to arrive, which I know disappoints Nicholas. Had it not been for the press outside, I’m confident we would have been the first.
“So Kenzie, how are you enjoying being famous?” Alex asks as I sit next to him.
“UGH, I don’t get why they care so much about what Nicholas does.”
“New York’s youngest billionaire, who just happens to be good looking and single? Can you blame them, Kenzie?” Ella asks.
“I get that part, but still, they act like his personal life has some bearing on his business decisions.”
“That part pisses me off,” Alex agrees. “His track record should stand for itself.”
Dinner goes well, I chat with Alex and Ella while Nicholas talks with the owners of the company. I try to make small talk with them, but they aren’t very talkative, so I stick to chatting with Ella and Alex, who make me feel very comfortable. Less than two hours after we arrive, dinner is over and everyone says goodbye. Unlike when we arrived, Nicholas and I are escorted by Hunter to a rear entrance where Carter is waiting with the SUV. The press doesn’t see us leave, and we’re back home without being followed.
“Thank you for coming to dinner with me tonight, Kenzie. I’m sorry the press has been bothering you so much,” Nicholas says as we stand outside the apartment door.
“Well, at least the food was good,” I joke.
“That it was.”
“Oh, I’m not sure if you remembered, but I’m going shopping with Cara tomorrow—“
“She has made sure I haven’t forgotten,” he chuckles.
“Oh?”
“She’s texted me several times this week reminding me that you two planned to go out tomorrow. She’s very excited about it.”
“I hope you don’t mind; when she asked me—“
“No, it’s fine. I mean, if I’m completely honest, I wasn’t expecting so much overlap between this arrangement and my family.” I nod in agreement because I knew he wasn’t expecting it. “But my family really likes you, so if this makes them happy, then I’m fine with it. Unless you mind—“
“No! Not at all,” I quickly interrupt. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone shopping with someone, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Here’s my card.” He pulls a black American Express card from his wallet, and hands it to me.
“What’s this for?”
“For tomorrow.”
“I’m not following… ”
“Kenzie, you’re going shopping for the charity dinner this weekend, right?” I nod. “Normally I would be paying for your outfit for the evening anyway, so Bridget sends me a bill for your purchases and I pay for them. However, since you can’t very well tell the store to charge it to Bridget, here is my credit card for the purchase.”
“Nicholas… I don’t know that I feel right having this.”
“I trust you with it. Buy your outfit for the weekend and treat my sister to lunch. She’ll be expecting you to whip out my credit card for the dress anyway.”
“Why would she expect that?”
“She just would. You’re going with me to the dinner, so it’s only natural that I would pay for your outfit.”
“I could pay for it myself.”
“You could, but you won’t, and she won’t suspect anything. If you paid for it yourself, she would probably flat out ask you why I’m not paying for it. Don’t worry about it. It’s no different than when you go to Stacy’s and have it charged to Bridget.”
“I guess.”
“Stay with Hunter and Ben tomorrow. I have no doubt that the press will follow you when you shop. If it gets out of hand, just come back here. I can always have someone send over dresses for you to shop from home and not have to deal with the press. In fact, maybe we should do that instead.”
“Nicholas, we’ll be fine.”
“Just stay with them, please, I don’t trust the press.”
“I will.”
“I’ll pick you up on Saturday?”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Good night, Kenzie.”
“Night, Nicholas.”
When he leans down to kiss me, the air seems to shift
between us; his eyes lock onto mine and his face stops only inches from mine. He moves a piece of my hair to just behind my ear, a sweet move that surprises me, just before his lips find mine. The kiss is soft at first, but his lips become firm against mine as he wraps his arm around my lower back, pulling me against him. My arms go around his neck, my fingers weaving through the back of his hair as I completely lose myself in the kiss. I gasp in surprise when I feel his tongue against my lips. He cautiously enters my mouth, almost as if he is afraid of my reaction, but I don’t push him away or stop him. I am completely caught up in this, just as I think he might be. I can’t remember the last time I was ever kissed so… passionately.
Ring ring
“Fuck.” Nicholas pulls away at the sound of his phone ringing from his pocket.
The phone stops a few seconds later. Our heavy breathing is the only sound that can be heard in the hallway, which is when I suddenly remember that we are standing in the middle of the hallway. What’s worse is that Carter is only a few feet away at the elevator, thankfully though, his back is toward us.
“Kenzie… ” His eyes find mine, and I’m pretty sure I see regret in them.
“Good night, Nicholas.” I kiss him on the lips softly one last time before I turn and enter my apartment.
I lock the door, reset the alarm, and collapse on the loveseat, trying to make sense out of what just happened. Things seemed to have been going well between us tonight. But then why did Nicholas suddenly look like he regretted kissing me? Did he regret blurring the lines? Did he think he made a mistake? Did he think I didn’t want to kiss him?
I couldn’t just stand there; I knew the next words out of his mouth would have been an apology. I didn’t need to hear him tell me he was sorry for kissing me. Not when for the first time in years, I felt… alive. No one has ever kissed me like Nicholas just did. No one has ever made me lose myself in a kiss. I’ve never felt like I did a few minutes ago, and I couldn’t stand there and let him apologize for that. I didn’t want to hear that he regretted what just happened because of the stupid rules of the contract. I reread the contract the other week after I had kissed him, and it does not say that we can’t kiss. The only thing it exclusively prohibits is sex, so we have done nothing wrong. I’m sure Nicholas, being the knowledgeable businessman that he is, would know this. If he regretted kissing me, it wouldn’t be because he was worried we violated some part of the contract.
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