Xerxes
XERXES
SHE WAS brEATHTAKING to watch. And it wasn’t just the way her features were fit together or the way nature had blessed her with an hourglass form, an elegant neck or the crown of hair on her head that would always capture anyone’s attention.
The joy for me came from watching her walk into the house. The way her heels had clicked a staccato cadence on the limestone that comprised the front steps. Those heels had promptly been exchanged for the slippers she’d brought for all of us. It made me wonder if this was a realtor thing, if she’d done research on Persian culture, or if she was part of the subset of southerners who didn’t allow shoes in the house. Either way, I appreciated it and I didn’t even own this house yet.
Her voice echoing throughout the marble-floored halls made me feel like this place was more home than any place I had ever lived once I left my parents. It was the way her face lit up as she pointed out each feature that would delight her once she lived here permanently. It was refreshing to see joy on someone’s face. The type that didn’t come from greed or money but from deriving a simple pleasure in taking pride in what they did. Of what they were viewing. Seeing something and being able to marvel over it. Like a child, unabashedly staring at a toy with their face pressed against the window of the shops. Longing for something they weren’t guaranteed to get. It was just beyond their reach protected by the glass. Their only hope was Santa. And they would make their lists and send it to him, hoping their behavior would secure them their heart’s desire. That the gift would be under the tree.
I would happily be the Santa clause in Vanya’s life if it meant that she would smile with this same type of delight every time she walked into this house. I could not wait to gift it to her. I was happy she was going to be the recipient of the deed and the commission for this place. Having both would bring her double the joy.
“This is probably the best part of the house.”
I knew she felt that way because of how her face lit up. The way her voice elevated with glee. Even her hair seemed to be a brighter shade of red against her vanilla-ice cream-colored skin.
“Is it a vault?”
Her steps faltered slightly and she turned, looking like she’d made a mistake.
“Um, there actually is one in the basement. Would you prefer to see that first? I’m sorry, I was caught up in showing you the things I liked. I apologize for my lapse in professionalism—” She was retreating into her place of rigidity. One where progress between us on a personal level wasn’t allowed to flourish. The peaceful space between the two of us becoming disturbed yet again.
“Zibā, I want to see zhis house zhough your eyes. Zhe appreciation zhat you have for it, zhe dedication zhat you took to find somezing zhat could embrace every aspect of my cultures, I have cleared zhe next two days to explore it at lengz.”
“Two days? You think it’s necessary?” She looked truly shocked that I wanted to spend that type of time with her. I’d drag this process out as long as I could and purchase land I didn’t currently have a use for, if it meant spending time with her.
I shrugged because we’d already been through the upper level and were making our way through the main. Quentin and Shoaib were doing their sweep to ensure all was well. Despite wearing a thobe today, it had a discreet slit in the side that would allow me to reach the gun that was at the small of my back. I was not helpless and would never be unarmed when I was without them. Especially not when my heart was here with me.
“If not, I am sure you and I can find somezing far more interesting to do. Shopping at zhe little mall on Sharon Road, perhaps. Or sustenance is always a necessity. Zhere is still zhe business of zhe land we discussed. I am well at my leisure and at your disposal.”
“As long as you don’t mind me being detailed, we could be here all day.” She laughed like she was making a joke sending her freckles dancing across her cheeks, but what she was saying was music to my heart.
“Again, tell me everyzing. I want you to be zhorough. Where are we going?”
“Check this out.” She turned to me smiling over her shoulder as she stood in front of two large paneled doors. She swung them open flooding the hallway with the light of the window and pushed each door back until they were secured into a niche in the wall. My brows rose at that feature loving how the door incorporated into the design of the arched entrance of the room but was functional at keeping it private as well.
We walked into the large two-story library that was off of the main office. It was paneled in what looked like African Blackwood. I’d become familiar with the wood because of my cousin when he had it imported for his office in Vegas. He’d ordered an entire wall of the wood and then purchased land to regrow more to make up for what he’d used. Given the amount used in this office, I would have to do the same to combat how many had been cut down. The rich tones of the ebony wood heightened the luxurious feeling of the room. The marble floors continued into this room only through the entrance and then lighter wood floors with an emblem balanced the darkness of the panels. The wood was used to build the library shelves that lined the walls upstairs and downstairs as well. The space was wide enough to hold a meeting and deep enough to have multiple zones of interest including a deep window seat where I could envision myself finding Vanya curled up with a book this winter.
“Zhis is a lot of shelves to fill. How big is zhe library?”
“The landing upstairs will hold just under six hundred books. There are formal library ladders with enough clearance for it to not be a hazard. The library can open to the upstairs hallway but the door is currently locked from the library side.”
My eyes went back up noting the coffered ceiling was also done in African Blackwood. “I didn’t see anything when we were up t’ere.”
“It is a hidden panel in the hallway, just like down here. I thought it would be a pleasant surprise to see it from the ground level first.”
“You were right. It makes zhis place seem ozerworldly to view from zhis angle. I’m sure it is just as magnificent from zhat angle as well. You truly are gifted at showcasing a home’s features.”
Color infused her cheeks and she smiled before she went back into professional mode. “There’s enough space for you and Sho and Quentin to work within these two rooms without bumping into one another. I measured after we spoke and you could fit up to five workstations within this space even with you having an executive sized desk.” She was pointing through to the connected door that would give access to the office from the library.
Since Quentin and Sho would rather walk over hot coals or swallow glass than sit behind desks, this office would be exclusively for her to use.
“You zhink I would need such a grand desk?”
She folded her arms and gestured at me as though I were the proof that my words were ridiculous. Playful Vanya kept me smiling and I had to admit that I enjoyed it. It made me feel far lighter than I normally did. Vanya always had a way of lifting my spirits. It was just her being that made everything feel far brighter than it normally did.
“I didn’t think you did anything by half measures. Based on your taste and your ego, I can’t see you with a toddler-sized desk. That doesn’t evoke the same power and control that your presence gives.”
It was my turn to blush ‘cause she really had a way with words. Her tongue was sharp when she didn’t like me but was even more potent now that she did. “Flattery. I’m already buying zhe house, azizam .”
“That’s nice to know. But I am not a flatterer. I feel like most people’s egos are already falsely inflated. It just so happens that yours isn’t.”
My hand went to my chest a la Fred Sanford and I braced myself against the wall like I was about to slide down it. “ Wallah , I might need to find somewhere to sit wiz de amount of kindness you are showing me.”
“There are stairs right behind you.” She was laughing at me again but I listened to her and sat down on the steps studying how right she looked in these walls. It was refreshing seeing her in this place, the joy she was feeling, how easy she seemed to move throughout this place that would be my home. Our home. The pretty yellow skirt was the color of a daffodil paired with a sleeveless, cream-colored silk blouse.
“I zhink you have granted me every desire of my heart wiz zhis home, zibā. If you are not honored as zhe top broker I would have to call zhe game rigged.”
“Even if I don’t win this year, you’ve set me up to be in the running again for next year.” Her humility made me want to reach out and caress her but I kept my hand to myself.
“Or we shall claim zhat you will win back-to-back years. I like the sound of zhat much better zhan either or.”
“Greedy?”
“Determined. And you’ve worked hard for what you have achieved. From the way you have found this location to be more than I expected, I would say that you are worth every penny.” Her eyes, the pools of cool-toned burnished bronze that threatened to keep me forever under her spell, shone with such joy.
“Speaking of pennies. You haven’t asked the price.” Her hands went to her hips as though she needed to brace herself to hear me rebut the costs of this place. Since it was in Charlotte, it was probably already half the cost it should’ve been. Especially since the construction started long before the supply chain issues occurred.
“I’m a man who can afford a lot. If I didn’t already have a general idea of how much zhey would want, I would have given you a budget.”
I tried not to sound like an asshole, but I couldn’t help it. My need for her to understand I could provide her any type of future she wanted was driving my insecurity around money. The last thing I wanted her to think about was money when she was with me. I was coming into our life together to expand her shine. I refused to be a man who put financial stress on a woman. And my father would disown me if I ever did.
“So if they are requesting twenty million dollars?” She folded her arms defiantly and I was about to show my hand earlier than I wanted.
I stood tall as my arms went behind my back and I kept my face blank. “I would ask if zhey wanted it wired in zheir preferred currency, transferred in bonds, gold, jewels or in some ozer asset.”
She gulped that look of unease back on her face and my mind fluttered back to her revulsion of rich people. “You just have twenty million dollars lying around?”
“Of course not—”
Relief flooded her face at my words, “Good—”
“If my accounts got zhat low wiz zhe way my ancestors have instilled zheir work ezic in me I zhink zhey would rise and beat me wiz zheir shoes.”
“So you’re like... the type of wealthy that laughs at rich people?”
I wasn’t one to lie even if it was to put the woman I wanted at ease. I knew she would find out the truth eventually and her knowing now would save us from her feeling lied to later. “No, zibā. I’m zhe type of money zhat people never hear about because I do not allow my funds to be counted for zhe entertainment of zhe masses. Men like me and my friends, we laugh at zhe people who make zhe lists and zhink zhey run zhe world.”
“How is that possible?” She truly sounded shocked at my answer and I realized that people had no idea how the world actually worked. Those who were the loudest about their wealth were normally the ones on the cusp of losing it all or doing shady shit to maintain it. People like us didn’t need external validation because we were secure within ourselves and our finances.
“When you don’t depend on zhe government, stocks or ozer public means of manipulation to make your money you can keep private how much of it you actually have. It is not to brag, it is just a level of knowledge zhat no one needs to have. It’s zhe reason people don’t know how much money zhe Emiratis have. It is not anyone else’s business.” A mindset that my grandfather adapted to appear on the same level of his rivals but truly concealed how broke he really was.
“So you have Emirati money.” She was nodding like it all made sense and I had to laugh at how I was going to fuck up her perception yet again.
I smirked despite her comparison being mildly insulting. “Again, if my accounts got zhat low—”
Her mouth dropped open before she snapped it closed and held up her hands. “So you can afford the house. Gotcha. It isn’t twenty million dollars, it’s not even half that. And since there are certain aspects of the house that still need to be completed, I figured we could get them to knock off another million.”
“What is zhe purchase price?”
“Just under eight million with the last price reduction. It includes the central two-acre lot and the three surrounding lots for just under fifteen acres. Which is almost unheard of in this area.” She muttered the last part like even she was surprised and now I needed to dig deeper into the owner.
“What is zhe story?”
“The man who was building it was paranoid and valued his privacy. He purchased the land back in the late nineties but never built anything because he lived on the west coast. He started building it remotely but health issues kept him from fully completing it. The house got through all the major inspections but then he got sick. His kids took control over his finances and didn’t think it was a good idea to pour money into this place but they kept the upkeep. They’d never been granted a certificate of occupancy before they decided to sell it. With light fixtures needing to be selected, the flooring in one room in the basement and the appliances, it shouldn’t be hard to get done fairly quickly. But of course, that gives us a better bargaining position.”
I nodded but in my mind I was working a plan to get her to make the selections so that we could have the certificate of occupancy done. My room at the Warren was mine for the month, but the sooner I gained possession of this house, the sooner Vanya could help me make it a home.
I ran my hands over the Renaissance style Blackwood finial of the staircase as I leaned against it. “What do you zhink we should offer?”
She hesitated again and I wondered what had happened that forced her to constantly reconsider her position before she spoke. I made a mental note to learn more about her ex-husband so that I was prepared to love her properly despite what he might have done to her. And make him suffer for any offense he’d committed. “I’m not offending you by wanting to negotiate?”
“Zhe art of having money is knowing when to keep it. If you zhink zhere are reasons we should get a reduction, zhen put in zhe price you zhink we should pay and move from zhere. I know zhat despite your commission being based on zhe sale price, you’re going to move in my best interest. Besides, I’ve already wired your exclusivity fee to your account.”
“What exclusivity fee?”
“Zhe one zhat I decided was necessary since you are missing out on new clients by working with me.” I kept my voice light, hoping she would leave it alone but of course she didn’t let it rest.
She whipped out her phone and went to what I could only assume was her banking app. When her mouth dropped, I wondered if she was going to use it to cuss me out or to thank me.
We’d been doing so well, too.
“There is a hundred thousand dollars in my account that wasn’t there this morning.”
“You check your money daily?” I liked that she was cognizant of her finances and wasn’t frivolous. But I knew there was a reason she’d had to be so aware. I would need to have her added to all of my accounts so that she could see her constant monitoring wasn’t necessary but she was always free to do it.
“I have to. When I got away from my adoptive family I made the mistake of using a bank where someone we went to church with had access. They had them transfer my paycheck into their account to get me to come back.” She’d squared her shoulders angrily her frame rigid as though she needed to give herself the courage to be vulnerable. And I would take it as a win because she was being vulnerable with me. And far sooner than I’d expected it to happen.
“I see it didn’t work.”
Her smile was faint but it was filled with pride. “No. I cried and then gathered myself up and went to speak to the bank president. I showed them the harassment charges, the divorce decree and all the evidence I had. I told them that if I didn’t have my money back and the person fired I would be going to the news. They did exactly what I asked and then I moved my money immediately to Miller Bank and Trust.”
I grinned as I nodded my approval of her choice. “Miller Bank and Trust is a good bank.”
Her eyes were wary and I knew she was wondering if I owned the bank. Shareholder, yes. But owned? No. “How do you know?”
“Zhe owner is a good man from a great family. He has a new son so his ezics are second to none.” I was dropping hints but she still hadn’t caught on to who owned the bank.
“You sound like you know him well.”
“It’s Yacouba so I would say zhat I do.”
“Yacouba is the one that owns a bank? Big tall man with the wife with the amazing body?” She raised her hand as high as it would go like she could mimic Yacouba's height.
“Yes.”
“He looks like a spy. But then again his so tall he wouldn’t do well as a spy.” It was crazy that we were having this conversation but whatever allowed her to stay close.
“I’ll have to break his heart and let him know his hidden desires will not be possible.”
“Well, you’re right. They’re really great about banking and privacy—wait. How did you transfer money into my account when I never gave you my information?” Her tone was more playful than anything, but I knew she still wanted her question answered.
“Vanya, zhe short answer is zhat I am me and nozing is impossible.”
Her brow quirked and a smile played around her lips. “And the long answer?”
“I am me and nozing is impossible because I’m surrounded by individuals who will bend zhe rules of polite society. Zhose rules were set in place to keep zhe masses at bay while a supposedly chosen few get fat off zhe people. We ignore rules in order to achieve our goals.” The ability to do what I needed to achieve my goals was something I would never apologize for.
“And your goal today was to buy my time.”
I didn’t like how that sounded so I stepped closer to her so she could see and feel my sincerity.
“My goal today was to ensure zhat money was zhe last worry on your mind as we embark on zhis business relationship. Between negotiations, permits and inspections, you will be busy. You need to be paid for zhe work zhat you are going to do. Since you balked at zhe number I zhrew out to you before, I figure you would be far less opposed to being paid as each step is completed. Today is step one. Showings. You have exceeded my expectations wiz zhis home so we can move on to the next step and yes expect payment for zhat. I do not believe in shortchanging people for zheir work based on my satisfaction. You deserve zhe same comfort in knowing your bills will be covered even as we work zhrough zhis process. America has everyone so messed up wiz delayed gratification. Everyone but zhose at the top. Poor people who’ve never been taught to budget get paid once a month and are told to figure it out. Middle-class people are only a step up, getting paid bi-weekly for work zhey’ve already done and told zhey should be grateful. Zhe rich have money flowing in and out of accounts hourly. Zhere is never a question about funding. It disgusts me how keeping people stressed is zhe way of zhe world.”
“So you don’t pay your employees that way?” Her question wasn’t a challenge. I could tell by the interested look on her face that she wanted insight into me and my thoughts. And I took that as a sign that the space between us had opened up again for growth to flourish.
“I don’t pay my employees wages zhat vill keep zhem in a state of stress. I want people to be happy working for me. Everyone gets paid weekly. If you work one day a week you’re paid zhe next day. Zhat’s goes from zhe people who clean our properties up to our sales executives. I do not believe in wizholding money from people zhat zhey’ve earned. It’s just a way for a business to accrue interest on payroll and make zhemselves even more money.”
My passion on the subject surprised her. From the gentle o her lips formed in surprised, to the way her eyes softened and had widened slightly. She was impressed by my passion and I prayed that each layer of myself I revealed would continue to show her that we were destined.
She cleared her throat after we’d stood staring at one another, for I didn’t know how long. The sound echoed in the high ceilings of the library startling me. “I would start at six million.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Six million for the house.” She waved her finger around the room and I’d gotten so comfortable in the space mentally, I forgot I didn’t own it yet.
“Zhat seems almost insultingly low to start two million below asking.”
“The only other people who would be in the bidding are corporations who aren’t as liquid as you are. And frankly, the heirs are looking to sell as quickly as possible since it’s been sitting on the market. The speed in getting this deal completed will be the determining factor. I say start at six million and see where they go. Completed the house is worth twelve easily, but they have seller’s fatigue and don’t want to put the money into it the way you can when you own it. What date would you like to provide for closing?”
“How soon could we get zhe deed?”
“It’s Wednesday. Typically, for cash deals, we say ten to fifteen days.” She had her phone out typing away and I was glad she was ready to get this deal done.
I could only smile because there was no way in hell I was waiting two weeks to get this house. “Tell zhem zhey have zhree and set closing for Monday.”
Vanya stuck out her hand for me to shake, her full lips stretched into a gloriously triumphant smile. “Looks like you’re buying a house, Mr. Cannon.”