Taking her shoulders, he looked at her, remaining calm though he wanted to rip apart whoever or whatever was causing her pain. “Sweetheart, talk to me. What happened?”
“They…” She sniffed. “They fired me, Axel. Victor Hayes overheard me talking to you on Tuesday, and he immediately fired me.”
Another bout of crying started, and he pulled her into his arms again, rubbing her back and allowing her time to let out all the emotion. He couldn’t believe this had happened on Tuesday and he’d only now found out. He would have come sooner—in the middle of the night—if he’d had any indication she was suffering.
When she finally calmed down, he went into the kitchen and brought back a bottle of water. She gratefully drank half before setting it on the table in front of them.
“Explain to me exactly what happened.”
“I tried to talk to him and explain it was unfair to expect me to remain loyal to Byron, but that didn’t work.” Her voice trembled on every word. “Then I told him about Byron’s infidelities, but he called me a liar and said I was tarnishing his good name to save my reputation.” She laughed bitterly. “The funny thing is, I think he knew.”
“About Byron’s cheating?”
Naphressa nodded. “Something about the way he responded—surprised, but not really surprised. Upset, but not really upset. He knew Byron had stepped out on me but was determined to pretend otherwise and protect the reputation of the hero, his beloved only child. Anyway, he said he needed to consult with Kathy, but that was a delay tactic. Everybody knows Victor makes all the major decisions in the company and doesn’t need Kathy’s permission for anything. Thirty minutes later I was being escorted from the premises by security. It was humiliating.” She picked at her fingernails.
Axel took her hands in his. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry you went through that. What can I do? How can I help?”
“There’s nothing you can do. I have to accept that I’ve lost my job and move on.”
“What about the Brixton project? Who’s going to finish that?
“Probably Victor. I can’t see him passing it on to someone else because it’s too important. It’s the biggest and most important project the company has ever undertaken.”
“All the more reason why you should be involved. You helped them get this project, and to cut you out isn’t right.”
She gave him a watery smile. “He has every right to fire me if he wants to, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, I don’t know that I want to do anything about it. The most important part is that the buyout goes through and the employees’ jobs are saved.”
They both fell silent while the wheels turned in Axel’s brain. “That’s not good enough for me,” he said grimly.
Naphressa looked at him. “What do you mean? This has nothing to do with you.”
“Losing your job has everything to do with me, and I’m not going to sit here and do nothing while you suffer.”
Her fingers tightened on his. “Whatever you have planned, get it out of your mind. I don’t need you to do anything.”
“Can’t do that. You told me before that you suspected you would lose your job if Victor and Kathy found out that you were with someone. They did, and you lost your job. What do you think is going to happen next? How did Byron threaten you, very specifically? Your livelihood.”
She thought for a minute, and then her eyes widened. “They’re going to blackball me.”
Axel nodded. “Exactly. But we’re not going to let them get away with this.”
“But what can you do? What can I do?” Her voice was shaking again, and he squeezed her hands to reassure her. “Let me handle it. I need a bit of time to think, but I’m sure that I can come up with a solution.”
“Your firm represents them in this transaction. Wouldn’t it be a conflict for you to get involved?”
“There are ways around every potential obstacle. Like I said, let me handle it. In the meantime, when was the last time you’ve eaten?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I barely remember. The past couple of days have been a blur. This morning, sometime, I think. I ate a bag of corn chips. I haven’t wanted to eat or do much, to be honest.”
“Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to go upstairs and take a shower and comb your hair.”
Her face softened. “I look like crap, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you kinda do.” He smiled and dropped a kiss to her forehead. “While you’re getting ready, I’ll make reservations for dinner. I’m taking you out of here, putting some food in your belly, and making sure that you take care of yourself for the rest of the day, okay?”
“Okay,” she said reluctantly.
“You can’t let them get you down. You’ve worked too hard to get to where you are, and you deserve every accolade and to celebrate every accomplishment. You’ve earned them through hard work, not by the way they want to make you think you earned it—only because you were their daughter-in-law. They’re about to have some serious growth because of your hard work. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
She gulped and nodded. Her shoulders straightened and she lifted her head higher. “You’re right.”
“That’s my baby. Now, go upstairs, and let me make some calls.”
She rose from the sofa. She took two steps and then turned around and looked at him. “I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you.”
He smiled, and she disappeared down the hall.
Axel pulled out his phone and dialed the number of a friend who worked in employment law at another law firm. Victor and Kathy Hayes thought they could mess with his woman? Hell, no. He was about to handle their asses real quick.
When his friend answered, he said, “Hey, Jocelyn, I need your help with something…”
20
Axel rang Naphressa’s bell and waited for her to come to the door. After a few seconds, she arrived, greeting him with a wide smile and looking much more relaxed and happier than when he’d seen her on Thursday.
After dinner, they’d spent the evening together. The next day, he arranged for a car to pick her up and take her to a spa, where she had an entire day of pampering while he worked. When he picked her up for their Friday night date, she was in much better spirits.
He left her early Saturday morning so he and Jocelyn could hash out a contract that he believed would be beneficial to Naphressa. No way was he letting those people railroad her out of a job she loved with nothing to show for it. Especially since she’d placed the greatest deal in the history of their company right into their laps.
“Hey,” Naphressa said.
She gave him a hug, and he pulled her soft body into his, taking a moment to inhale her unique scent into his nostrils. It was getting harder and harder to be away from her. The days seemed never-ending, and the nights torturous. At some point they needed to have a serious conversation about the direction their relationship was going in.
“I have something for you.” Axel held up the envelope that contained the contract he and Jocelyn had written.
“Okay,” Naphressa said, sounding cautious.
He followed her into the living room and sat down beside her on the sofa.
“Like I told you, Jocelyn is one of the best. She discussed all the possibilities with me. At the end of the day, you’re right, they can fire you if they want to, but that didn’t sit well with me, because you haven’t done anything wrong. The only reason they’re firing you is because they wanted to keep you under their thumb a little bit longer. Maybe brag to their friends about how loyal their son’s widow was to them. So, I talked to her about some possibilities, including the fact that you’re the reason why they have the Brixton deal. She suggested you go back to them and demand a payout based on your work contribution.”
“They’ll never agree to that,” she said, flipping through the pages.
“You might be right, but would they be willing to fight you in court?”
She lifted her gaze.
“Joc
elyn and I discussed multiple scenarios, including that they would want you to keep quiet about their son’s infidelities, and the fact that they cut you out of such a huge deal. All of that is written into this confidential contract that will remain sealed. You stay quiet and they stay quiet. If they breach their side of the deal, you go to court and get paid.”
“How much?”
“Take a look at the middle of page four, under Compensation.”
She flipped to the appropriate page and her eyes popped open wider. “Five million dollars?”
“You’re in a great position. Their emotional, over-the-top reaction to you finding someone else and possibly exposing their son for the not-so-perfect person he really was, tells me everything I need to know.”
“You’re so confident.”
She deserved nothing but the best, and he’d make sure she got it. “Because I’m right. If you want to get what you deserve financially, and you want to keep your reputation in Atlanta’s commercial real estate industry, then you have to give as good as you get. And this is the way to do it. Take a look at the terms.”
He flipped the pages for her and tapped the section he wanted her to pay attention to. “If they agree—which I have no doubt they will—all of The Brixton Group employees will get a position in the newly formed company, like you asked. You’ll walk away with over a million dollars like you told me you wanted, a glowing letter of recommendation, and your reputation intact. We hear a peep of negativity surrounding your decision to leave—your decision, not theirs—and we go after them in court, guns blazing—at the end of which, you walk away with five million dollars. Frankly, based on my experience, I’m certain Victor has way more to hide than his son’s extramarital affairs. People in his position always do, and there’s no telling what we’ll find once discovery starts.”
Naphressa’s brow wrinkled and she sat for a moment in silence. He waited patiently while she mulled everything he’d said.
Finally, she inhaled and let out a deep breath. “You’ve convinced me. Let’s do it. I only wish I could see their faces when they get this.”
“If I could, I’d hand deliver it myself and sit while they read every word,” Axel joked.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Naphressa said, amused.
“Maybe a little bit. I have to be honest, I always thought you were worried about nothing. No way they’d let you go because you’d found a new man. But I was wrong. I also feel partially responsible because I was on the other end of the line when Victor overheard our conversation.”
“It’s no one’s fault. Like you said all along, it was ridiculous. They acted like…like they owned me.” She shivered.
Axel rubbed a soothing hand up and down her arm.
Naphressa smiled at him. “You kick ass, you know that? I like that my man’s a lawyer.” She climbed onto his lap and looped her arms around his neck. He readjusted his position so that she was lined up right over his pelvis.
“And you put in all this work in such a short amount of time, for little ole me. I must have really put it on you,” she said.
Smoothing his hands down her back, Axel brought them to rest on the rise of her bottom. “It’s not about sex. You mean everything to me, and seeing you hurt pissed me off. I’m not letting anyone get away with hurting the woman I love. There will always be repercussions for that.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m so glad we met. I love you so much.”
“Love you, too, baby.”
Their kiss was soft and wet and intimate.
“Mmm. Angry Axel is such a turn on,” Naphressa whispered against his mouth.
“Oh yeah? Let me get angry more often, then.”
She laughed, nuzzling his neck.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while.” Axel fished in his pocket and held up two keys on a keychain.
“What’s this?”
“The keys to my house, so you can come and go as you please. You don’t have to call first. Just come over and come in. I’ll also get you a remote for the garage.”
“That’s a big step.”
“Pretty huge, but we’re ready, don’t you think?”
She grinned broadly. “Yes, we are.”
Epilogue
Naphressa used her key and pushed through the front door of Axel’s house, barely able to contain her excitement.
“I got the job!” she hollered.
Last year, she took advantage of the million-dollar hush money she’d received from Victor and Kathy Hayes and took a month-long break before she started job-hunting. There weren’t a lot of available positions in her field, and fewer that interested her or offered the salary she wanted.
About six months ago, she heard rumors about a soon-to-be-available lead project manager opening. After some research into the position and the company culture, she decided this was the job she wanted and applied when they started taking applications. When they stopped advertising for the position, she was one of five candidates they called for an interview. After two intense interviews and a personality assessment that lasted half a day, Naphressa was now the lead project manager for R&J Construction Company.
“Axel?” She followed the scent of simmering spaghetti sauce into the kitchen, but he wasn’t there.
What she did find made her pull up short. Julienned basil leaves sat on the chopping board, and right next to them on the counter was a Tiffany-blue box, open to reveal a beautiful emerald-cut diamond ring.
Axel came in through the door leading from the deck with a handful of more basil leaves and froze.
“What’s this?” Naphressa asked quietly.
“Dammit, Naphressa, you weren’t supposed to see that yet! It was supposed to be a surprise, and not tonight, either. I was planning a big proposal and…” Frustrated, Axel tossed the basil on the counter and snatched up the box. He snapped it closed.
“Yes,” she whispered, answering the unasked question.
The room went silent except for the sound of the simmering sauce on the stove.
“Not like this,” Axel said.
“Yes, like this. I don’t need a big proposal. The answer is yes.”
“No. You need a story to tell your friends and your sister and our grandkids.”
“And this is the story I’ll tell them. That I came by to tell you I got the job as lead project manager at R&J Construction, and I spoiled your surprise because I used the key you gave me almost a year ago. I saw the beautiful ring you’d picked out for me, and I was so overwhelmed that I said yes before you got a chance to ask me to marry you. Our story doesn’t have to be perfect, Axel. It’s perfect for us. I don’t need the big display. I don’t even want it. If you want to ask me, you can ask me, but I already gave you my answer.”
“You got the job?”
“Yes.”
His eyes softened. “Congratulations, baby.”
“Thank you,” she said, and waited impatiently for his response—for the question that came with the ring.
Eyes locked on hers, Axel came slowly forward and reopened the box. “Naphressa St. James, will you marry me?”
“Well, I’m not sure…”
“Woman, if you don’t quit playing with me…” He tugged her close, and she collapsed into a fit of giggles against his chest.
“Yes, Axel Becker. My answer is yes!”
IRRESISTIBLE HUSBAND SERIES
Read the rest of the Irresistible Husband series and find out how Axel’s friends, Cole and Braxton, find love!
SHOW ME by Sharon C. Cooper
Just when he thought finding a wife was out of his reach…
Colton “Cole” Eubanks is laser-focused on building wealth and settling down with a special woman before he turns forty. Accomplishing one out of two isn’t bad. Unfortunately, there’s no ‘love of his life’ on the horizon, unless he counts the one woman who’s been starring in his nightly dreams—Malaya Radcliff.
After being dependent on other people for years
, Malaya has finally learned to stand on her own. There’s only one thing she hasn’t been able to accomplish—gain full custody of her daughter. Her ex-husband never fights fair. His wealth always wins. This time Malaya’s determined to come out on top. So when Cole, the man she’s been secretly in lust with for over a year, makes her an offer she’d be crazy to refuse, Malaya wants to say yes. But that means sacrificing her newfound independence. Yet, his enticing proposal has her thinking—why not?
DO ME by Sheryl Lister
Staring forty in the face, Braxton Harper is accustomed to having everything in his life fall into its precise place. Only he hasn't found that special one and he refuses to settle for anything less than a woman who is his perfect match. The moment Londyn Grant dances into his life, Braxton is convinced he's found her. Kiss by sizzling kiss, the sexy doctor slowly lets her guard down. Now, if she'd only let him into her heart...
Londyn knows heartbreak. By day, the psychologist counsels others, but she has yet to find a way to heal her own heart. The last thing she wants is another relationship. However, sensual and sensitive Braxton tempts her to open up and, for the first time in her life, she's letting passion rule. But it's going to take a little therapeutic intervention—in and out of the bedroom—to get Londyn to see that this time she's found the real thing.
Also by Delaney Diamond
For more black romance stories, check out the Brooks Family series! In A Passionate Love (Brooks Family # 1), Simone Brooks meets and falls in love with nightclub owner Cameron Bennett, but will her wealth and status drive a wedge between them? Read an excerpt below.
____
She walked over to his record player against the wall and the collection of records housed in six crates around it. He could watch her walk all day and night.
Love Me (Irresistible Husband) Page 12