She managed a jerky nod. “Okay.”
As Zack walked towards the lobby with Matthew, he glanced over his shoulder to see Renee staring after him. He hated leaving her alone after the trauma that she’d been through. But she was shutting him out, preferring to deal with her pain alone.
How could he convince her that she didn’t have to deal with all the hurts and blows by herself now, that he was here for her and he would do anything, even give his life, for her?
“...and we will have to state our position clearly. If necessary, we will cut our losses and just...” Matthew was droning on as they stepped into the elevator.
Zack listened as his capable CFO gave him a succinct rundown of the situation.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Renee glanced at the clock at the bottom of her computer screen and saw that it had been more than four hours since Zack left the office with his CFO, Matthew Saks.
After lunch, Renee managed to clear quite a lot of work. She felt a lot calmer now, having pushed the incident with Trafford to the very back of her mind. She was just about to grab a cup of coffee from the pantry when the phone on her desk lit up.
Renee pounced on the phone and picked it up on the second ring. The call came from the reception desk.
“Mr Howell’s office,” she said automatically.
“Renee?” Andrew said, sounding flustered. “There’s a woman here who wants to see Mr Howell.”
“Mr Howell has left the office for a meeting.”
“That’s what I told her,” Andrew said. “But she refuses to leave. She insists that Mr Howell will see her.”
“Mr Howell doesn’t have any meetings scheduled this afternoon,” Renee answered with a frown. “What’s her name?”
“Karina Eve,” Andrew said, lowering his voice.
“Hmmm.” The name sounded familiar. Renee clicked on the list of Zack’s business contacts on her computer and scrolled through the names quickly. Miss Karina Eve wasn’t on the list. “Which company is she from?” Renee asked.
“She, um, she said she’s a personal friend. She’s...Karina Eve.” Andrew emphasized the name.
Renee frowned. Was that name supposed to mean something? Where had she heard it before? The knowledge was there, at the periphery of her mind but it just slipped out of her reach.
“Mr Howell may not be coming back to the office today. It’s a long meeting, so it’d be pointless for her to wait,” Renee said. “Maybe...”
“Right,” Andrew said quickly. “I’ll tell her that.”
A second later, Renee winced as she held the phone away from her ear. She could hear the woman shrieking at their poor receptionist. “You’re lying! Zack told you to say that, didn’t he? Why is he avoiding me? I’m going to see him right now!”
“Miss Eve! You can’t...”
“Andrew,” Renee barked into the phone. But there was no response. It sounded like Andrew had failed to contain that hysterical, screeching woman in the reception area. He was probably chasing her down right now.
Barely a minute later, Renee heard a commotion at the front of the office. Poor Andrew hadn’t managed to stop the woman after all. Somehow she had managed to steamroll her way past the glass doors that separated the posh reception area from the rest of the office.
She seemed to know her way around the office, Renee observed.
Renee walked briskly forward to meet the tall, stunning woman who was striding haughtily towards Zack’s corner office. Some of the staff poked their heads out of their cubicles and there were some raised eyebrows and frantic whispers.
But no one made any effort to stop the woman.
Renee’s eyes widened when she saw the woman’s face.
She hadn’t recognized the name, but she certainly recognized the face.
Karina Eve was the daughter of the Mayor of the city, Georgette Eve. Karina was often photographed partying with the rich and famous.
The papers also reported that Karina was an aspiring actress, but Renee had only seen her on screen once. Karina had spoken only one line before her character was killed off.
Karina Eve was tall and slim, with platinum blond hair. She was dressed stylishly in a designer dress and her face was flawlessly made up. From what she’d read, Renee knew that Karina was in her late twenties. But the way she was pouting and swearing as she stormed towards Zack’s office made her look and sound like a petulant teenager.
“Where is Zack?” Karina demanded loudly. “Zack!”
Renee hurried forward. “Hi, I’m Mr Howell’s PA. My name is Renee. How may I help you, Miss Eve?”
Karina rolled her eyes. “I’m here to see Zack, not his PA.”
“Mr Howell is out of the office today,” Renee said. “Maybe I can book an appointment...”
“I don’t need an appointment! Get out of my way,” Karina snapped, shoving Renee aside. Renee stumbled, but one of the secretaries caught her and saved her from twisting her ankle.
Karina marched straight to Zack’s office and slammed the door open.
“Miss Eve!” Renee ran after her. “You can’t barge in...”
“Oh. He’s really not here,” Karina said, looking around. She looked both relieved and disappointed. “He’s not avoiding me. I knew he wouldn’t ignore me,” she whispered under her breath.
Karina strolled to Zack’s desk and ran her fingers over the polished surface. Ignoring Renee’s protests, Karina sat in Zack’s large chair and swiveled round to face Renee.
“Miss Eve, please,” Renee said politely but firmly. “Mr Howell’s office is out of bounds. You may wait in the reception area.”
“I’ll wait for Zack here.”
“Miss Eve, I have to ask you to leave. I can’t allow you to...”
“I don’t need your permission,” Karina scoffed. “Who the hell are you anyway? Oh right. You’re his PA.”
“Yes I am. Miss Eve, I’m going to...”
“Get out,” Karina said with a shooing motion. “Get lost, will you?”
“What?” Renee could hardly believe the woman’s gall.
“You heard me,” Karina said dismissively. “You can’t be as stupid as you look.” She sighed. “Really, Zack should have picked a more presentable PA. But I guess having a fat, frumpy PA has its advantages. At least Zack won’t be distracted.” She gave Renee a smile that was both pitying and victorious.
“Excuse me?” Renee sputtered, her temper rising.
Karina put her pale, shapely legs up on Zack’s desk. “I’ll wait for Zack here. Close the door behind you,” she ordered Renee.
Renee approached the desk resolutely. She’d had quite enough. She would drag the Mayor’s bratty daughter out by her hair if she had to. “Miss Eve, I’m sorry but I have to insist that you leave...”
“Is this the way you speak to your boss’s fiancee?” Karina slammed her palm down on the desk and screeched.
“What?” Renee gasped. “What did you say?”
“Are you stupid or deaf?”
“F-fiancee?” Renee stuttered.
“Yeah.” Karina folded her arms and smirked. “That’s right. I will soon be Mrs Howell. Your boss’s wife.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Zack stepped out of the elevator and almost bumped into his wide-eyed, panicky receptionist.
“Mr Howell!” Andrew squeaked. “Thank God you’re back! She just...I tried to stop her, Mr Howell, but...”
“Slow down. What’s going on?” Zack demanded.
“Miss Karina Eve is here,” Andrew stammered, pointing towards his office. “Renee tried to stop her, but she...”
Zack scowled and rushed into the office. He could see that the door to his office was wide open and he heard Karina’s shrieks and Renee’s measured, controlled voice wafting out of the room.
As he pushed past his nervous staff, he heard them debating whether or not to call security. His staff didn’t know what to do with Karina. She was the Mayor’s daughter, and they didn’t dare offend her. She h
ad no right to be in his office, but no one wanted any negative publicity for the firm. This whole thing could blow up in their faces if they weren’t careful.
Even before he entered his office, Zack could see Karina’s high-heeled shoes on his desk. He could hear Renee saying clearly, “Miss Eve, I will ask you once again to leave. If you don’t, I will have you physically removed...”
“Are you threatening me, you fat bitch?” Karina screamed.
Renee whirled round as he stepped through the doorway. The color was high in her cheeks and she looked beyond angry.
Zack snapped his eyes to Karina. “Get. Out!”
Karina got to her feet. “Zack...” she whined.
“You heard Renee. She told you to leave.”
Karina glared at Renee. “I will not take orders from her,” she said, flicking a finger contemptuously in Renee’s direction. “Just who does she think she is?”
“Get out of my office, Karina. You can walk out, or you can be dragged out by security personnel,” Zack snapped. “Renee, call security now.”
Renee nodded and hurried out to her desk. He heard her pick up the phone.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Karina gasped.
“What do you want, Karina?” Zack asked, his patience wearing thin.
Karina flinched. “I came to see you, Zack. I miss you...”
Zack shook his head. “Don’t, Karina.” Don’t humiliate yourself.
He had gone out with Karina more than half a year ago. They had hooked up at a party, and had some no-strings-attached fun.
It was nothing serious. They had a good time, then they parted.
They both knew it wasn’t meant to last. They weren’t even dating. There were no promises, no commitments, so there shouldn’t be any hurt feelings.
They hadn’t even kept in touch. It had been more than six months since he last saw Karina. Less than a week after he stopped seeing Karina, he met Renee.
And that was it.
There was only Renee for him.
Karina was standing in front of him, staring at him with expectant, hopeful eyes. “You miss me too, Zack,” Karina whispered, reaching out her hand to him. “You...you haven’t been with anyone. You haven’t been out partying, and you haven’t been seen with anyone new. You miss me, just as much as I miss you.”
Zack shook his head. She had misunderstood completely.
For the past six months, he hadn’t dated anyone new because he had met the one woman he wanted for the rest of his life.
The trouble was, she didn’t want to date him. She just wanted to have sex with him. She wanted to keep their affair a secret.
Renee was the complete opposite of all the women he’d been with.
“It’s over, Karina.” Zack sighed. “In fact, we never even started. It was just...”
“No one dumps me,” Karina said, her eyes flashing.
“You weren’t dumped, Karina,” Zack said. “It was a mutual decision. We both decided...”
“No!” she screeched. “It wasn’t mutual! We were so good together! Don’t you remember? How could you do this to me, Zack? How could you!”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Karina...” Zack put up a hand to stop her.
“No! I don’t believe you. I know you miss me. You haven’t dated anyone else since we broke up! You’ve not been seen or photographed with any other woman. I check the tabloids and magazines every day, Zack. Every day! You want me back, right?” Karina said desperately, grabbing his collar. “You love me, don’t you? You’re just too proud to say it. So here I am. I’m here, Zack. I’ll take you back. I will, my darling. We’ll get married...”
She tried to kiss him, but Zack pulled away.
“Karina, stop it,” he said, holding her firmly by the shoulders.
When she started to cry, he gentled his tone and sighed. “Come on, I’ll drive you home, okay?”
Karina had an inflated but fragile ego. She was rich, pampered but lonely. They’d had fun, but Zack knew that she wasn’t the woman for him. He had never promised her anything. He made sure that all the women knew what they were getting into. It was just fun and games. And who didn’t like sex? Both parties would have gotten what they wanted out of each other. The brief relationship, if it could even be called a relationship, was purely physical. There were never any feelings involved.
Zack didn’t want to hurt or humiliate Karina. She was just a spoiled little rich girl. Immature, insincere but harmless. She didn’t strike him as the clingy sort.
Zack sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Karina.” It wasn’t his intention to hurt her at all.
“You didn’t date anyone else after me,” Karina cried, letting her tears stream down her face. “That shows that you love me, Zack! You never got over me. You do love me!”
Zack disentangled himself and stepped back. “No, Karina. I don’t love you.” He couldn’t allow her to continue imagining and hoping. It was better for her to accept the truth. “I wish you all the best, Karina.”
Zack heard Renee put down the phone softly. She had picked up the phone but she didn’t speak into it. His discreet, tactful PA had been listening in on their conversation. After hearing the truth, Renee decided that calling security would simply make matters worse.
Zack half turned towards the door. Renee was a smart, intuitive, sensitive woman. Zack knew that his capable PA frequently acted as a buffer between him and his staff and business associates. When he was in a foul mood or stressed, he could be rather blunt and brusque. But Renee knew just what to say and do to smooth over bruised egos and hurt feelings.
Renee stood at the door with his car keys. Zack had made it a habit to toss his car keys onto her desk the moment he arrived at the office. He always told Renee that she was free to use his car to run any errands, but she stubbornly stuck to public transport.
“Your keys,” she said softly, holding them out.
Karina jerked her head up and glared at Renee through her tears. Her eyes widened slowly as she stared at Renee. “It’s her, isn’t it?” she said at last.
Zack didn’t reply. He didn’t need to explain himself to Karina.
“It’s her!” Karina snarled. She blinked away her tears and her gaze hardened with hate and resentment. “You choose her, over me?” Karina let out a derisive, incredulous laugh. “You’re fucking the hired help? Is this your new fetish? Chubby women?”
Karina pressed a manicured hand over her chest, struggling to remain calm. “Zack, you can’t be serious about her,” Karina said at last. “You’ll make yourself a laughing stock if your frumpy, fat PA appears on your arm at corporate events and society parties...”
When Zack snarled, Renee moved swiftly to his side and put her hand on his arm to restrain him. She was the only one who could read his moods and expressions with uncanny accuracy, and she saw how furious he was
“Leave, Karina,” Zack said, his voice low and dangerous. He no longer pitied her. He despised her.
Karina jerked back when Zack moved towards her. She saw that he was about to grab her and throw her out.
“I don’t have time for this,” Karina said quickly. “Anyway, my chauffeur is waiting for me.” She scurried to the door and glared at Renee as she passed her.
“You haven’t won, bitch. Zack will tire of you soon enough,” Karina hissed to Renee. “He’s not yours. He’s mine.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Renee switched off her computer and grabbed her bag. She was going home on time today. She refused to stay and work late. Why should she make herself available? So Zack could have sex with her in his office again? They had fucked on practically every surface of his office. On his desk, on the couch, on the carpet, against the wall…
Angrily, Renee shook away the images of their sweaty, naked bodies.
She wasn’t going to round off her shitty day with some shitty sex.
Zack was such a...a…!
Renee spewed some choice expletives under her breath. This was the worst day of he
r life, and it was all Zack’s fault! She knew she wasn’t being fair to him, but she’d had it up to here. Meeting Trafford and Karina all in one day was just too much for anyone to handle.
The day couldn’t end fast enough.
After Karina left the office, Renee had tried to concentrate on her work. But her concentration was shot to hell. She made so many mistakes that she had to delete everything and start all over again.
She wished she could do that with her life.
Press the delete key and erase all the ugly bits.
When Zack called her into his office, she refused to look at him and kept her eyes on her notepad. She gave curt, monosyllabic answers and made it clear that she didn’t want to talk about what just happened. It was none of her business. She was just his PA.
But Renee wasn’t sure she could continue working for Zack. It may be better for her to leave.
Renee knew that she had no right to be upset with Zack. He’d never deceived her or lied to her. She knew what she was getting into and she had been willing to take the risk.
She thought she could remain unaffected.
She was simply deluding herself, living in a dream.
Karina Eve did her a favor today. Karina had given her a rude but timely awakening.
Karina’s words were mean and ugly, but they were true. Karina moved in the same social circle as Zack, whereas Renee was just his lowly PA, the hired help. And Zack could never take her as his partner to all those parties for the rich and famous. She didn’t belong there. She didn’t belong with him.
He’s not yours. He’s mine.
Renee swallowed hard, and shouldered her bag roughly. She walked away from her desk and joined the other secretaries who were making their way towards the lobby.
“Woah, Renee, you’re leaving with us? You’re actually knocking off on time today. Not working late?” some of her colleagues asked in disbelief. “But...your boss hasn’t left yet. Mr Howell is still in his office.”
Billionaire Boss Bear: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Bad Bears Book 1) Page 5