Chapter 11 Jess #2
Nadir takes one breath, and everyone bows at his mercy. His presence is electrifying. I see the way people look at him, how they act when he’s in the same room. Men and women alike stiffen when they see him, rolling back their shoulders, fixing their posture, anything to look more presentable.
Nadir earns people’s respect without doing anything.
People pledge allegiance, no questions asked, and overcompensate just to win over a slice of his attention.
I see it in the canteen—the ladies have his coffee order ready before he even steps in through the door.
And when he does step through those canteen doors, people stop eating.
If it’s an office he’s entering, people type faster.
I glance down into the atrium now and catch a few people looking up at us in the elevator. We’ve been hanging in the air together for a while. That has to raise a few suspicions.
Nadir shoots them a glare and they get back to typing immediately.
Holy hell.
Do people act this way out of fear? Or is it just because of who he is?
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nadir has been caught previously. He’s so rich and powerful that it has to raise at least a few suspicions.
Not mine, of course.
But I’ll bet someone has investigated him in the past, like a whistleblower, a PI.
I’m not the only one who wants to see rich and powerful billionaires like Nadir pay the price. When you’re at the top of the world, people like to bring you down. A lot of the rich parents I used to nanny for told me that.
I look back into Nadir’s devastatingly handsome eyes. He’s still here, standing strong, and is probably more unbreakable than the city we’re living in. His building is made out of glass, for fuck’s sake. He plays with fire and still wins.
Maybe I really can rest assured knowing that we’ll never get in trouble with the cops. Those guys are the ones in trouble if they ever find out anything about who he truly is.
Nadir keeps his gaze fixated on the open workspaces, continuing to shoot down anyone who dares turn our way.
Ding.
The elevator is back in action again, and we ride up to the top floor in silence.
“I have three children,” I finally admit as he grabs the door for me into his office.
He doesn’t need to know they’re his. But maybe it’s best he knows.
Nadir watches me as I enter his office. Summer sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the room with warmth—and making my boss’s eyes look even more petrifying.
“See?” His expression lightens as he steps in after me. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He steps into the room, not bothering to take a seat. “You must have your hands full with three children.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I say, on guard, waiting for the next comment.
Nadir’s gaze lowers to my ring finger. After inspecting my hand, he returns to my face. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Don’t you know enough about me already?”
Nadir dishes me that sinful look again, which has me regretting I even asked. “Answer my question.”
“No, I don’t.”
I hold my breath, hoping he leaves it there instead of pressing for more. I’m terrible at lying under pressure, and will have to excuse myself to the bathroom if he asks me any questions about the father.
He doesn’t.
At least for now.
“I can help you protect your children.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re hiding from someone,” he states.
“Huh?”
“I can tell from the way you were looking over your shoulder today while you were on break.”
“Oh, great. So you’re a mafia leader, and a stalker?”
“Miss Rawcliffe, please.”
“Why were you watching me?”
Nadir levels me a look. “Because I can. Who were you speaking to?”
“A friend.” I tense up.
This is when I find out Nadir has superhuman hearing and heard my full conversation with Savannah.
“Who are you hiding from?”
Jeez, he’s asking me some tough questions today.
“Miss Rawcliffe, you need to tell me.”
“You saw me glance over my shoulder one time and are now running with the narrative that I’m hiding from someone?” I snort. “Perhaps you should do some inner healing. It sounds like you’re projecting your paranoia of getting caught onto me.”
“There is no need for me to feel paranoia,” Nadir says. He steps closer, and I can smell his cologne, notes consisting of spice and bergamot and sex.
My skin prickles again.
Nadir slides his tongue over his lip, drawing attention to the area. “If you’re hiding from someone, you need to tell me.”
“Of course,” I drawl. “We wouldn’t want it affecting your business.”
“Yes, and my employee.”
Nadir doesn’t need to know about my ex. Sure, I still hold my breath when I turn a corner just in case he spawns out of nowhere, but our relationship is in the past. It doesn’t matter.
But Nadir is looking at me like it sure does.
I bite my lip and weigh up the pros and cons of telling him. The pros outweigh the cons by miles when I think about Taro’s size in comparison to Nadir’s…
“Fine,” I huff. “I’m hiding from someone.”
“Are you going to tell me who, or will I have to pry that out of you too?” Nadir steps in, and now we’re inches apart. His hot breath is everywhere, on my neck, my face. Somehow I feel it between my thighs. I have to clamp them together.
“What will you do to get the information out of me?” I arch a brow.
“Hmm,” he moans. “I could do a lot.” He slides a finger under my chin, catching me. “Tell me now.”
“It’s my ex.”
Nadir’s eyes turn to poison, like he’s already figuring out a way to kill the bastard.
I wish he’d hustle and do it already.
Telling Nadir about Taro may actually work out in my favor.
He takes a step back. “You’re gonna need to elaborate, Jess. Why are you hiding from your ex?”
“Because,” I say, “he’s an even bigger stalker than you.” I press my lips together and debate telling Nadir this next part. “Do you remember on the flight six years ago when you said I looked nervous?”
“Yes.” Nadir clenches his jaw.
“I was running away from my ex. I broke up with him because he was being…odd and he wouldn’t leave me alone.
He knew where I lived, he knew where I went to the gym, even though I kept switching to different ones.
” I sigh. “He even knew which houses I was nannying at. I was in deep, and I couldn’t report him to the police. ”
Nadir pins me a look. “How deep?”
“Deep, like, I left a child alone for thirty minutes to confront him, and she almost knocked over a candle and set the place on fire.” I nibble my lip, ruining the red lip combo I spent twenty minutes this morning perfecting.
“He has evidence of the whole thing unfolding, and was threatening me with the recording, saying he was going to show it if I kept refusing him.”
“So you ran away.”
“Yeah. To Miami.”
A muscle flexes in Nadir’s jaw. “Who is this man?”
“Well, that’s the problem—I never really knew who he was. I called it quits with him because he was being distant.”
Something flickers in Nadir’s eye, like he can relate to my ex this way.
“What is his name?”
“Taro… K—something. I could never get his last name right. I think it’s Belarusian.”
Nadir has already checked out of the conversation. His pupils expand and his mouth opens slowly. This has to be the most I’ve ever seen his face move.
“Taro Kozhikov?”
“Yeah.”
“You and your children will be moving in with me tonight.”