by Mia Ford
I smiled. “Sorry. I’m just thinking it over really fast. That’s a big chunk of news at one time.”
As we walked along the beach, I played out the different scenarios in my head, always landing on the fact that, if it started to affect us personally, I could quit and go to something different. Best case scenario, I learned a lot, picked up some serious tricks of the trade, and ended up killing it with me and Maria’s new business. It was so blatantly obvious what I needed to do, but I was nervous since taking chances on things wasn’t my normal MO. In fact, I had been taking chances on things a lot lately, and though it landed me Nathan, it also put a huge rift between me and the family. But I couldn’t think about that. I needed to think about my career and making it big in the business. I stopped and turned to Nathan, taking in a deep breath.
“Okay,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll do it. I need to put in two weeks at my other job, but I can do that first thing tomorrow.”
“Yes,” he said, smiling and picking me up off the ground.
He leaned in and kissed my lips softly, gazing into my eyes. Maybe working with this man wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Thirteen
Nathan
I was more excited than normal to be in the office as I was beginning preparations for Ronni to start with the company. I had set up the perfect arrangement where she would be considered a paid intern for the company. I figured this would allow her to go from department to department, so she could learn the ins and the outs of the business. She would also be able to travel with me when meeting with long distance clients and have a desk set up right outside of my office. I knew there would probably be some friction between her and Nick, but I figured that would die out over time. Nick was a pissy little guy, but he wasn’t usually one to hold a grudge.
I looked down at the new hire packet I had my secretary fill out and looked over and out the window as the maintenance staff carried in Ronni’s desk, filing cabinet, and computer. In all reality, if this worked out, I could have a regular intern here at the company. That way, we were giving back to the community and getting our name out there to the universities. My father used to talk about implementing this exact program, but after my mother died, it fell to the wayside.
I really wanted to do everything I could for Ronni, to really give her the experience she needed to be successful in her venture. She soaked everything in like a sponge, so I knew once she got here, she would kick ass. In fact, I slightly worried about having her be so good that I wouldn’t want her to leave. I kept trying to tell myself that placing her here was all about her learning experience, but I knew in the pit of my stomach that there was a part of me that also wanted to keep her close.
Knowing I could look out the window and see her beautiful face was extremely exciting, and I tried to keep my wits about me. Not to mention the fact that I kept imagining the late nights spent in the office. Everyone would go home, we would be working late on a client, order take-out, get naked, fuck on the desk. The normal stuff. I laughed at myself for my fantasies, knowing full well Ronni would be more than professional here. That being said, I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t stare at her ass or cop a feel in the elevator every once in a while. She was so sexy in her little professional skirts and high heels, and I could picture her now with little black glasses, her hair pinned up, and a tight ass pencil skirt, hiked up as she kneeled down under the desk to suck me off.
I adjusted my cock in my pants, taking a deep breath and trying to shift my attention. I’d never get anything done today if I didn’t get her off my mind. As soon as I thought that, I heard a loud noise and my door swung wide open. I looked in shock as my father, Noah, walked in the office, anger covering his face. He stomped over to the chairs and plopped down, taking a deep breath and crossing his legs. My father hadn’t come into the office in several years. What in the world was he doing here now? From the snarled, angry look on his face, I imagined he would have no problem letting me know exactly what he was thinking. Hopefully, Nick didn’t go purchase any stupid properties on our dime and not tell us about it. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to speak, but my father put his hand in the air.
“Don’t speak,” he said angrily. “I have caught wind of some interesting news, and to be honest, it shocked the hell out of me. I thought I raised my son with a bit of class, but apparently, that isn’t the case.”
“Speak plainly, Father,” I said, irritated by his jabs. “I have work to get done.”
“Apparently, that’s not all you’ve been doing,” he said, leaning forward. I stopped what I was writing and looked up at him in surprise. “It seems you’ve been sleeping with that little Mexican housemaid, and now you want to give your whore a job here.”
“Be very careful how you choose your words, Father,” I said slowly, standing to my feet and leaning forward on the desk.
“I still own this company, or have you forgotten?”
“That doesn’t give you the right to—”
“That gives me whatever God damn right I want,” he said through gritted teeth, standing and facing me nose to nose. “I will not allow this to happen. We are not running a daycare service for your sluts, and I am sure not going to allow you to taint this business with the likes of her.”
“Listen to yourself,” I scoffed. “My mother would be ashamed of you. She loved Ronni like family. I will not allow you to stand here and demean her like that. You may be my father, but that doesn’t keep me from kicking your ass for being a racist old fool.”
“Your mother had her play thing, but she’s dead now,” he yelled. “And I’m not here to play babysitter to every immigrant that crosses the border.”
“Again,” I said, trying to keep my anger controlled. “I would shut your mouth if I were you. Besides, I make the business decisions here. You made sure of that when you quit, running off to hide and wither away in your office at home. You are the one who gave up on life, and I won’t let you take it out on Ronni because you can’t handle Mom’s death.”
By that point, my father and I were standing nose to nose in the office, our eyes strongly fixed on each other. How dare he come in here and talk that way about Ronni after all she had been through? How dare he act holier than thou. At that moment, I realized exactly where Nick got it from, and I was utterly disgusted. I stepped forward, challenging my father’s intentions, and I watched as a smile spread across his old, angry face. He put his finger up and shoved me in the shoulder, laughing out loud.
“You are not going to do this,” he whispered. “And if you do, I’ll have you fired and cut out of the will. See how well you will do in a city where you have been blacklisted and dumped by your own father.”
“If that’s the kind of man you’ve turned into, then I don’t want your disgusting money anyway,” I said angrily.
We stood there, staring into each other’s eyes for several moments. I didn’t even recognize the man standing in front of me. This was the same man that took a scared six-year-old little girl into his lap and hugged her tightly as the funeral procession for her parents began. This was the man that loved my mother more than anything, even this company. He had changed, and it was a damn shame he had become so hateful that he was attacking his own family. He had no right to talk about Ronni in that manner, and I wouldn’t stand for it, no matter how much I had to lose.
I had made it this far just fine, and I could do it again without his help. He shook his head and turned toward the door, freezing in his tracks at the sight of Ronni standing in the doorway, tears tugging at her eyes. She had heard everything. My father grunted and pushed past her, knocking her to the side. I watched him march out of the office, slamming doors and yelling at staff as he went. He had lost his damn mind, and I didn’t know what to do about it.
I stood there, staring down at the papers on my desk, trying to collect my thoughts. I had never had a confrontation with my father like that before, and my blood boiled knowing who set him up for this. Nick wante
d to run this company into the ground, and he would do anything, including hurting his own blood to get his paws on it. It was a good thing he wasn’t here right now. Otherwise, I might throw him through the window with how angry I was. I looked up at Ronni who was standing there, looking down at the floor. I couldn’t believe that she had heard everything. It must have been so hurtful to her. She stepped forward and forced a smile, looking at me with glistening eyes.
“I, uh, I gave my two weeks,” she said, looking at her box of things. “My boss said she knew how amazing the opportunity was so she didn’t make me work those last two weeks. I was really excited so I came right over. I didn’t mean to walk in on you. I didn’t realize your father felt that way.”
“No,” I said, walking forward. “Do not apologize for anything. You have no reason to apologize. My entire family, including myself, should be the one begging for your forgiveness. We have treated you terribly. You didn’t deserve any of this, and whatever you do, don’t listen to one word my father said. He is an old fool.”
“He’s hurting,” she said, leaning into my chest. “Just like the rest of us, and I know that I am a very sore spot in his life. It’s not right, but I haven’t proven myself to be very supportive of him, either.”
“You are so sweet,” I said, shaking my head. “But he chose to push everyone away. He wouldn’t take my help or anyone else’s for that matter. All he’s done is surround himself with his rich friends and dive into his money pit like Scrooge McDuck.”
“I’m sure if I go back to my boss, she’ll let me stay on,” she said, sniffling.
“No,” I said emotionally. “I don’t care what that old tyrant says. I’m going to put you on as my paid intern and do what I promised to do. You worry about getting your head filled with knowledge, and I’ll take on the old man. I will not buckle to his pressure.”
She squeezed me tightly around the waist, and I kissed the top of her head, looking out my office window at the workers putting together her desk. I couldn’t believe what this all turned into. When we started the day, I was on cloud nine knowing I would have Ronni close to me, knowing that I would be helping her follow her dreams, and knowing that everything was going to be calming down really soon. Instead, I got my father bursting through the door, acting like a complete stranger, and having Ronni hear every hateful word coming out of his mouth. And still, even after all of that, she had the biggest heart. She sees through the hatred and anger and just tries to make me feel better. I couldn’t think of a better woman in this world than Ronni, and I knew I had to do everything I could to protect her. I wasn’t afraid of my father, nor was I afraid of going out on my own and making my own fortune. His will meant nothing to me since it would take him dying to receive anything from it, something my brother didn’t think about at all.
It was going to be a bumpy ride for the next few days, but I was determined to ride it out with Ronni by my side, whatever choice we decided to make.
Chapter Fourteen
Ronni
I could still remember the day my parents were killed. Nathan had caught me before I fell to the floor, and his mother and father had pulled me into their laps and comforted me. I could still remember that for weeks after the accident, Mr. Landers would come into my room when he heard me crying and cradle me in his arms, rocking me back to sleep.
They had all insisted that I consider myself part of their family for the rest of my life. It was what helped me get through being alone in the world. They had made me believe that they would never turn their backs on me for any reason. When Mrs. Landers died, I tried to repay the love and be there for Mr. Landers, bringing him breakfast and lunch every day, checking in on him every evening, even when I was at school and all I could do was call. Most days, he didn’t answer, but he knew I was there if he needed me. Slowly over time, he started emerging from the darkness of their bedroom, but when he did, I could see he had changed. There was an all too familiar hole in his heart that Mrs. Landers used to fill. Mr. Landers had always been strict. but he had never been cruel. That was, until I came back from college and began making a life for myself. In reality, Mr. Landers knew better than anyone, even Nathan, that I was capable of doing the job. He had seen my grades in college, read my papers, had discussions with my professors, not realizing that I would find out. But now, there was nothing but hatred in his heart.
I felt completely betrayed by everyone except Nathan. Nick had not only done what he did on our date, but he had used me as a pawn in his game to gain control of the company. He had said horrible things about me and painted a picture in his father’s mind of a woman that I was not. The things that Mr. Landers said were uncalled for and cruel, and I could feel my whole body shaking with the pain and sadness I was feeling. And now, even after all of that, Nathan showed his loyalty to me by offering to fight for my right at the company, going as far as to offer to give up everything for me. Sure, he was a billionaire in his own right, something his father couldn’t take away. So, he wasn’t worried about the job and money, but I couldn’t help but think about his family and how they would be ripped apart, all because of me. I couldn’t allow myself to be the wedge that drove them apart, especially knowing that one day, Nathan would look at me and realize I had been the cause of all his loss.
“I will fight this, Ronni,” he whispered. “I will give everything up for you. I don’t care.”
“Don’ be silly,” I cooed, taking a deep breath. “Me working for you is not worth the fight that is brewing, nor is it worth you losing your relationship with your father.”
“Come on,” he said, grabbing his jacket and phone. “Let’s get out of here. Regardless of what you say, you are worth all of that, if not more. None of this means anything to me anymore without having you by my side.”
As we moved out of the office and down into the streets of San Diego, Nathan stopped and looked around. He checked his phone, stuck his hands in his pockets, and then stood there as if he were lost. Nathan was used to working all day, every day, with no time to do other things. He was out of his element, having left the office shortly after arriving. I giggled to myself, finding the scene actually kind of adorable. He was completely baffled by what to do next so I walked over to him, kissed his cheek, grabbed his hand, and led him to my car parked in the garage next door.
“Why don’t we take this time to relax,” I said, smiling. “We can run by my house, grab a suit, and go out on the beach for a swim. It’ll be a little chilly, but it will be really relaxing. Just the sound of the waves has a way of soothing the soul.”
“I like that idea,” he said, nodding. “I don’t have a suit, though.”
“Not a problem,” I said, smiling. “Maria was doing some test lines for men’s swimwear so you can wear one of those.”
“Okay, but if I’m going to be a guinea pig for Maria, so are you,” he said, smiling mischievously.
“Ha,” I said, opening the car door. “No problem. I’ll wear one of the bikinis from the women’s line.”
“Yes,” he whispered. “I have won.”
I laughed loudly as we pulled out of the parking garage and drove toward my house, leaving the high-rise offices in the background. It was time to force this man to let loose, have some fun, and really get some relaxation flowing through his bloodstream. Come to think of it, I couldn’t even remember a time as kids when Nathan looked like he was relaxing. He was always so serious, and even on family vacations, he was reading something, writing something, or talking to his father about business. He had been serious for most of his life, despite a few wild years in high school. It was something I loved about him, but I also wanted him to stop being so stressed and serious. Crack a joke every once in a while, run through the waves, be spontaneous. That was what life was all about. I knew better than most people how short life was and how it could be over in the blink of an eye.
We pulled up in front of the house and held hands as we walked in. I put my hurt feelings to the side and decided that today
was for relaxing and living. I went into Maria’s room and pulled out the box with all the prototypes inside. For Nathan, I picked a teal blue swimsuit with Buddhas across the bottom. I dug into the other box and found the bright red tops and bottoms that I knew would fit me. I smiled at Nathan as I exited, tossing the trunks to him and walking into my bedroom. I shut the door, knowing if we ended up naked in front of each other, we might not make it to the beach. When I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror, adjusting the strings on the top so that they were tighter. When you have big breasts, you had to be careful. Sometimes they had a mind of their own. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and put some lip gloss on before opening the door and peeking down the hall.
Nathan was standing in the living room, wearing the shorts which looked so freaking sexy. They came halfway down his thighs, fit comfortably, but definitely hugged his cock in an amazing way. It made me want to skip the beach and get him back out of the shorts. His upper body was buff as always, and I could tell he had been working out since his stomach was almost flawless. I took a deep breath and walked out into the hallway, letting him see the bathing suit. I could tell by his immediate reaction that he liked what he was seeing. My breasts bounced lightly as I walked toward him, the strings on the sides of my bottoms pulled tightly.
“Wow,” he said, looking down at my curves and walking forward with a towel. “I’m not sure if it's safe for you to leave this house like that. You might want to go back in your room and let me inspect the strength of those strings.”
“This is the only one that fits my, um, cleavage,” I said, giggling.
“I like it,” he said, leaning in and kissing me.
I grabbed the towel from him and slipped on my flip flops, taking his hand and leading him outside. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else with Nathan. Well, maybe I could, but that wouldn’t get us out in the sun. It had been a really long time since that loneliness that I had been experiencing had lifted, but as we walked across the street, laughing and flirting, I felt completely alive. Nathan filled a hole in my heart that had been there since my parents passed away, something that had grown larger and larger as the years passed. When his mother died, I felt like there was no one else in the world that cared. Little did I know that everything in life would lead me back to the Landers and ultimately, to Nathan.