On His Terms (The Arrangement Series Book 1)
Page 31
I’m surprised to find myself standing outside her door again, surprised that she invited me to breakfast and more surprised that I said yes. My response came without hesitation or thought, a rarity for me. I could have easily declined her invitation, returned to my apartment and began preparing for my day ahead. Instead, I’m once again standing outside the door to her apartment. I take a deep breath and knock on the door.
“Nicholas, come in. Breakfast is just about ready. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Kenzie greets me a few seconds later.
“Yes, thank you.”
I follow her into the kitchen area where she hands me a cup of hot coffee and encourages me to sit at the table in the dining room. I look around the apartment as this is the first time I’ve been here since she moved in. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been in here since before Alex and Ella came here. Looking around though, I realize the apartment looks exactly same as it did the last time I was here. The walls a bare except for a few landscape pictures that I had Melody order for the space in an effort to make it feel more comfortable to the employees who stayed here while they looked for a new place to live. The kitchen counters are bare, even the fridge is free of magnets or papers hanging up. It doesn’t seem like Kenzie has done very much with the space since she moved in at all.
“I hope you like blueberry pancakes,” Kenzie puts a plate of hot pancakes in front of me.
“I do, thank you.”
She takes a seat across from me with her plate and cup of coffee. We eat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before my curiosity gets the better of me.
“You know you can redecorate or paint in here if you wanted to,” I suggest.
“Nah, it’s fine just the way it is. Actually I’m starting to look for my own place so—“
“What?” I’m really hoping I didn’t just hear her correctly.
“I… I’ve begun the process of looking for an apartment. I have a few places that I’m hoping to look at in the next couple of weeks—“
“Kenzie, if you don’t like something about this apartment—“
“No! Gosh no, Nicholas, this place is perfect!”
“Then what is it? Why do you want to move out?”
“Nicholas… this is your apartment, not mine. This move was temporary, it was never a permanent arrangement for me. I could never afford to live in a million dollar condo like this.”
Two million, but I don’t correct her.
“Kenzie, before I moved into The Accord, I looked at a number of different places. This condo has the highest level of security available; every other building you look at will fall short.”
“I don’t doubt that,” she shrugs and sighs. “The reality is I can’t afford even a studio apartment in this building, and that’s okay. I won’t be going back to where I used to live that’s for sure. I’m hoping to find a place with decent security—“
“You won’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you; nothing you look at will compare.”
“I know that. What I find won’t be The Accord, but it will be safer than where I was before here.”
“Why do you want to move? If there is something you don’t like about this apartment we can change it—“
“Nicholas, you don’t get it,” she shakes her head as if I’m missing something obvious. “This is your apartment, not mine.”
“It’s yours for as long as you need it.”
“I needed this place after my last apartment was broken into; I can afford my own place so I no longer need this apartment.”
“Okay, need was the wrong word. This place is yours for as long as you want it, Kenzie. Stay here; the building is secure, you don’t need to worry about someone breaking in or the press bothering you and you have access to all the amenities that it has to offer.”
“For how long, Nicholas? Any way you look at it, this apartment is temporary.”
“For as long as you want to stay Kenzie! I don’t need the apartment—“
“And what happens when you do? What happens when you hire someone who needs a place to stay while they relocate?”
“We have other condos that PFS owns, so that’s the least of my concerns. I want to keep you safe, to keep the press away from you, and here I can do that.”
“And what happens when this,” she waves her hands between us, “ends? I’ll have nowhere to go; I will have no place of my own. I’ll have to settle for whatever I can find at that moment which will probably mean I’ll end up in a hotel for a little while until I find a place. I won’t do that again. If I find my own place now, then when this ends I’ll still have my own place.”
“Is that what you’re worried about? Do you really think I would just kick you out when this arrangement ends?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugs and avoids looking at me which answers my question more than her words do. I’m completely taken back that she would think I would just kick her out when we’re done.
“Kenzie…” I sigh and run my hands through my hair, trying to figure out how to convince her that would never happen. Hell, I’d fucking give her the apartment if I thought that was what she wanted but I learned my lesson the last time I tried to offer her money.
“Look, I get it… you need something of your own; you don’t want to be completely dependent on me.”
“Yeah,” she whispers but still doesn’t look at me.
“I would hope that by now you would know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t put you on the street just because our arrangement ended; I know part of you knows that.” She attempts to interrupt but I don’t let her. “But I also know because of your past, you have doubts. What if we put together a legal contract that gives you the right to stay here if we ended things? You would have a place to stay that is safe while we’re in this arrangement together but when it ends you would have the time you needed to find a place of your own?”
“You would do that?” She finally makes eye contact with me and I immediately feel relieved.
“Of course, Kenzie. I’ll have my legal team draw up a contract that says if our relationship is ended by either party that you have the right to remain in the condo for up to six months following the termination of our relationship. I want you to be safe and here is the best security possible. The press hasn’t bothered you too much yet but that could change at any time. Will you consider staying?”
“I’ll think about it,” she agrees.
Thank God. I don’t know what I would have done if she had insisted on moving out. Short of buying her a house somewhere outside of the city, no one can offer the security that The Accord Towers has. That was the reason I choose to live here after leaving her. I knew I needed top security to ensure she couldn’t access my apartment ever again. The Accord guaranteed that. Having Kenzie here means I can guarantee the press won’t bother her but also that there is no chance of anyone from her past getting to her.
“I’ve got to get going; I have an early meeting that I need to prepare for,” I realize that my meeting starts in thirty minutes and I’m not even dressed yet for the office.
“Thank you for having breakfast with me, Nicholas.”
“Please think about what I’ve said. Can I email you the contract my legal department draws up?”
“Yes, that would be fine.”
“I’ll see you later this week?”
“Yes, for dinner.”
I lean down and kiss her softly on the cheek before leaving her apartment and heading back upstairs. When the elevator doors open, Carter immediately walks into the foyer but doesn’t say anything. I have no doubt that he knew where I was since he didn’t call my phone.
“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 Seattle’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 Ginny.”
“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 can’t help but give my reply with caution. 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 the press is 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 and reporting your every move.”
“I know, I feel the same way but unfortunately the press seems to love reporting Nicholas’s every move.”
“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 evaporate 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; the press has 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 attending. Tomorrow I’m going shopping with Cara; 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 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 nice,” Nicholas puts his hand on my back as he leads me out of the apartment.
“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; 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 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.”
“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.
“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 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 began to consider our recommendation.”