Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I delivered Konni’s coffee while he was on the phone, then went back to my desk to rename the group chat with them to “K’s Keepers.”
Edi saw it first. They loved it.
“We should come up with something for the other group,” Bomir said.
“What other group?” I asked.
Marius shot Bomir a look as Edi slowly turned his chair toward me.
“There’s another admin group that Mr. Steele uses after hours when he needs something. The three of us take turns being ‘on-call’ so that we don’t have to be available twenty-four-seven all of the time.”
“Makes sense. So what’s with the mood? Are you afraid I’m going to throw a fit once I’m up to speed enough to be added?”
“No. We already know you’re not the type to throw a fit about anything. It’s just—”
“Mr. Steele said not to add you,” Marius said.
“Ever?”
“Ever,” Edi confirmed.
I considered what that meant. Konni wasn’t treating me like his other employees. But I’d already known that. Nothing he’d done had been obvious or over the top—just subtle preferential treatment.
So far.
I knew what he had planned for me, what he wanted. And having me at his beck and call was definitely on his list, but not in the same way he had the rest of his keepers on call.
“Sorry,” I said finally. “It would have been better if the fourth member of this little Snack Pack had been—”
Bomir squealed in laughter and covered his mouth.
“Snack Pack?” Edi repeated.
“I love it,” Bomir said from behind his hands.
“It does have a lovely ring to it,” Marius said. “I’m changing it.”
“Wait, what?” I asked.
“He’s going to think twice about contacting his Snack Pack after hours,” Marius said, sniggering.
I looked at Edi. “You don’t resent that I’m not pulling my share of the work?”
“Having you here is more help than we’d expected. There’s nothing for us to resent.”
“More help than you expected? Why?”
“Ms. Elmantas,” Konni said, making me jump. “Would you mind getting me another coffee, please?”
I popped up. “Sure.”
The group was deadly quiet behind me, and I had a good idea why.
I waited until we were in the car with Harlow and headed to the more affluent shopping district to confront Konni.
“The secretariat was meant to be three people, wasn’t it? You made a fourth position because you wanted to keep me.”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “However, that doesn’t mean your presence isn’t a welcome benefit to the team and the company.
Bomir and Marius are anticipating taking a vacation together for the first time in three years as soon as you’re up to speed.
More hands to take on the work make for a more relaxed work environment.
Employee well-being is a priority for Steele Corporation.
And the Snack Pack is very excited that you’ve joined them. ”
Harlow snorted, then coughed to cover it.
“Edi said that Snack Pack was your idea,” Konni added.
I shrugged a little. “I work with a group of good-looking men.”
The car veered, parked at the curb, and Harlow was gone while I was still trying to figure out where we were.
“Sophia.”
The clipped way Konni said my name had me turning my head to take in his glittering, golden gaze and elongated pupils.
“Who do you think is good-looking? Edi? He’s happily married. Bomir? Marius? They’re gay and together.”
Understanding hit me. “You’re jealous?”
“Insanely. Come here.”
“No way. We’re parked on the side of the road in a busy area, and I’ve already had one picture of me on your lap taken without permission.
It’s not going to happen again. But I’ll give you the reassurance you need.
The Snack Pack is full of attractive men, but only one of them does anything for me, and he’s the one who made me want seconds this morning. ”
His expression remained tense for two more seconds until what I said sank in. Then he blinked and slowly smiled.
“Now tell Harlow to get back in here so you can keep being a perfect unofficial boyfriend.”
His smile grew, and he rolled down his window to call Harlow back.
When we reached the shopping district, I pointed out the shops I’d visited and why. Then he insisted on going into the ones I hadn’t visited to dissect why.
“That’s easy. They’re priced competitively, but without a name to justify it. Shoppers want the prestige that comes with owning the name.”
“Perfect. Then we should look to see how they’re trying to build their name and see what’s working and what’s not so that we can apply those concepts to the Southside build.”
Seeing his point, I let him pull me into the first store.
The clothes were appealing but very limited in size and style options to suit a wide range of body types.
We went to the next one, specializing in men’s watches that only catered to male clientele by offering a gift cigar with purchase.
The man behind the counter spoke directly to Konni about what he was looking for, never once looking at me.
When I glanced out at the sidewalk, where the majority of shoppers were women, I understood why we were the only ones inside.
We left that place, and Konni talked me into a store I had visited. We walked through the racks together, and it wasn’t until we reached the back of the store that I realized someone was behind Konni with an armful of clothes that I’d looked at.
I shot him a look.
“Research,” he said, turning me so I would follow her to the fitting room.
“I want to see each one,” he called before I closed the curtain.
He was sitting in a chair right outside when I came out in a new skirt and blouse set.
“What do you think?” I asked.
His appraising gaze raked up my legs.
“It’s perfect.”
If I thought he’d say that to every skirt set, I was wrong. He had a discerning eye, and only three additional items received the same approval. I walked out with all of them.
The next one was a men’s clothing store. We did the same thing, but for Konni this time. I loved picking out his clothes. He looked amazing in everything, of course. But the brown suit with pin-stripes was my favorite. It just drew attention to his shoulders and his eyes.
Before I knew it, we were back in the car with Harlow, who had stowed our bags in the trunk.
“What did you conclude from this?” Konni asked.
“That I shouldn’t go research shopping with you in the future. You just used it as an excuse to buy me things.”
He chuckled, proving that I was right.
“But I did notice a lot that could help the Southside project. Customer appeal and experience directly tie to a shop’s success.
The watch place catered directly to male shoppers, even though the majority of foot traffic was female.
I’m not saying they need to sell women’s watches or anything, but they didn’t do anything to pull in women buying for the men in their lives.
They skipped a large demographic by offering only cigars as a purchase incentive.
A complimentary glass of champagne would have established a positive customer experience for me while you browsed and brought me back in when it was time to purchase something for you as a gift.
“But I can see why they’re still there. They recognized an unmet need. Of the downtown shops, few are for men.
“So when we come up with the final marketing pitch, we should propose a diverse sampling of shops, appealing to a varied customer base while still meeting the client’s expectations.”
I kept thinking out loud all the way to Seventeen Twenty-One. And Konni listened to everything, asking questions and showing his genuine interest.
Harlow opened the door for Konni, who got out and turned to offer me a hand. Still wrapped up in my thoughts, I accepted and kept talking. It wasn’t until we’d almost reached the door hand-in-hand that I realized what I’d done.
“This isn’t being perfect,” I said, tugging my hand from his.
He flashed me a quick grin.
“You were too tempting, kitten. You were shining so brightly, I couldn’t stop myself.”
“Pretty words won’t save you. You’re just delaying your probation.”
But he wasn’t. Not at all. He was still being perfect; I just wasn’t ready to be with him openly yet, like he wanted.
The hostess nodded in greeting as we veered to walk upstairs, where another host waited.
“Your order is in and will be ready shortly,” the man said when he opened the door to Konni’s private room.
“Thank you,” Konni said.
The second that door closed, Konni picked me up and carried me to the lounge, where he settled me on his lap and cuddled me.
“Thank you for today, Sophia. For letting me spoil you. For sharing your thoughts with me. I love listening to the way you think.” He kissed my forehead and hugged me closer. “I want more of all of this.”
“You’re greedy.”
“I am.”
Shaking my head, I hugged him back.
“How long are you going to let me keep you as my dirty little secret?” I asked.
“As long as you need.”
I snorted.
“I’ll try to help you move past it, though,” he said with a grin. “But even if I’m unofficial and have to date you in private, it’s worth being with you.”
“Smooth,” I said.
“Only for you.”
He kissed me tenderly. It conveyed his devotion and made me crave more. From him. For him.
I deepened the kiss, and he groaned into my mouth, switching from sweet to savage in a second. Threading my fingers in his hair, I held on for dear life as he stole my will to resist what was growing between us.
Affection.
A real relationship.
It still terrified me even though I was trying not to let it.
I broke off the kiss, panting. His mouth trailed to my neck, teasing and nipping my skin until it felt like my heart was going to beat its way out of my chest.
“We need to stop,” I said when his hand slid up from my knee to my thigh.
“I’m so hungry for you, Sophia.”
“No. Not here.”
“I know. Let’s skip the dinner and the meeting and go to my townhouse. It’s not far from here.”
“No,” I said firmly, even though I wasn’t stopping that hand that was slowly sliding up my thigh to my hip.