Chapter 13
ZACH
Cecil has asked his assistants to make sure I’m settled in well. He wants to please me. It’s something I’ve been used to all my life.
I’m being taken care of. He wanted me to be in one of the executive rooms. It was large and windowed with magnificent displays of the river, and on a different floor, but I insisted on having the smaller glass-walled meeting room on the floor where Maya works.
I pulled my weight. Sure I did. Because what’s the point of being in my position and not even having a small perk like this?
It was obvious to see that Maya hated the announcement.
What did I expect? She thinks I want to insert myself into her world, that I’m trying to force my way into her life. That I’m trying to make her like me again, by sheer proximity and power.
I don’t. I don’t want to force anyone to like me.
With Maya, that’s not my ulterior motive in acquiring a majority stake in Stella.
The company is clearly not doing well. Cecil and I have met numerous times prior to this morning’s announcement, and I’ve pored over the financial data until I can practically recite it in my sleep. I know exactly where Stella stands.
It’s struggling, but I’m going to change that, and in doing so, maybe the prospects will be better for Maya? I don’t expect her to see it like that, so I’m curious to know her thoughts.
A knock on the door makes me look up. My insides shrivel, yet I manage to keep my expression neutral. The advantage of having a glass wall is that it’s so easy to see who’s at the door.
Right now, it’s Maya’s boss. I nod, summoning her in, albeit reluctantly.
Katherine sashays in, her hands smoothing down her bob.
She’s the first of the managers to come and greet me personally.
Others have emailed me to congratulate me, told me they’re thrilled to have me on board, but this one wants to greet me in person, just like I expected she would.
“Mr. Knight, I just wanted to say, ‘Welcome aboard’.” Her smile is fake and plastic, and too much.
I nod but say nothing.
Standing before me, her hands clasped together, in a demure way, she continues, “We’re so happy to have you. This is the most fantastic news.”
“Glad you think so,” I say, dryly. I see Katherine for exactly the sort of woman she is. She wants to be in my face. She wants me to know she’s important. She wants to curry favor with me, but I’m not interested in her.
The announcement was a few hours earlier, and I haven’t reached out to Maya yet, but of all the reactions, it’s hers I’m most curious about.
“If there’s anything I can do, anything ...” she purrs, tilting her head, just slightly.
I sit back. “There is, actually.”
Her eyes widen, and her head rights itself on her shoulders. I notice this woman mostly wears sleeveless clothing just to show off her toned, leathery arms. “Just say it.”
“Could you tell Maya to come and see me?”
I don’t miss the flicker of surprise on her face, but she hides it instantly.
“Maya?” Her voice is unfamiliarly higher pitched than usual. “Of course.”
I wish I hadn’t said that. Katherine doesn’t like Maya, and I forgot that little fact in the moment. After the door closes behind her, I drag my hand down my face, letting out a hard exhale. That was a big mistake. I shift in my chair, feeling restless and wish I’d gone to Maya myself.
I sit and wait expectantly, but to my surprise Maya doesn’t come. After I’ve waited a good five minutes, and still there’s no sign of Maya, I force myself to look through some paperwork. But I’m clock watching.
I’m pretty sure Katherine would have told her immediately, because I know what sort of woman Katherine is.
She might be a bitch to Maya, but she’ll want to please me.
Another ten minutes pass and I know for sure that she’s deliberately dragging her feet.
I’m reading through some financial documents when I hear a knock on the door.
Finally.
I feel an unsettling mix of relief and unease as I straighten myself, and try to sit back and look relaxed. But my insides are in upheaval. My nerves are on edge. I’m happy to see her, while also wary of what she might have to say.
Her face is set hard as I get up and open the door.
“You wanted to see me,” she says, staring up at me.
“I did. Come in.”
I’m about to sit back down but feel an urge to remain standing, and then I realize I’m self-conscious.
Why am I so self-conscious every time I’m around her?
I don’t want to do things that’ll make her feel uneasy.
I always want to make her feel at peace.
I want things to be like they were when we were younger.
Back when everything was easy and effortless.
It’s all so different now. There’s an imbalance of power we’re both aware of in a way we weren’t as much before.
I want that back, even though I’ll never have it.
I want to get to the bottom of this, why she loathes me with such intensity it shakes me.
I clear my throat, before sitting down across the table from her. “I realize how this must seem.”
“Oh really?” she snaps.
I love it. She’s not afraid of me. She doesn’t care that I’m a Knight. She doesn’t soften her words or her tone. She doesn’t say things to please me. She speaks her mind. It’s gutsy and reckless, but so refreshing. I wish more people would risk being frank and honest with me.
“Maya, I’m here only because Stella isn’t doing well. I’m in the fashion niche. It’s one of my main areas of expertise at Knight Enterprises.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
“You think I’m here, because you’re here?”
She glares at me in silence, weighing up my words, maybe trying to figure out if I’m lying.
“Stella has great potential.” I let those words sink in, but Maya doesn’t show any emotion. I have no idea what she’s thinking, whether she believes me or not. “I could have bought the company outright,” I add, then realize that this isn’t the flex I think it is. This is Maya, and she doesn’t care.
“I’m sure you could have. That’s what you Knights do.”
“You think that’s what we do?” I feel like I’m getting somewhere, and if I keep on digging, keep on chiseling away at the surface, I’ll unearth the truth that Maya seems desperate to hide.
Chin raised, her eyes fix mine with defiance. “I’m shocked you didn’t. I expected you to walk in swinging your big dick around.”
I didn’t see that coming.
Her mouth falls open, and her cheeks turn bright red. Her anger riled her so much, she didn’t watch her words. Now I’m sitting here trying hard to suppress a smile.
At least I’m getting somewhere.
But a twitch in my pants now has me wondering what image she has of me and my big dick. I never expected those words to fall from her lips, and the idea of me swinging my dick ...
What the hell? I force myself to wipe that thought from my head.
Maya doesn’t apologize, and she doesn’t bend. I like her chutzpah. I decide to have some fun with this. “It’s okay. I won’t report you to HR for making such a cruel and inappropriate comment.”
Her cheeks flush even redder.
I’m having so much fun doing this. “If you want to talk about my dick, Ms. Santiago, I’d rather you didn’t do it in a professional work environment.”
She blinks when I address her formally. I have no idea why I did that. “My dick is none of your business, and I hope you’ll dislodge that image from your mind.”
Her lashes shutter quickly, and her lips twitch but for once she is speechless.
I love this. This is more fun than I ever could’ve imagined.
“No more dick talk, Maya.” I say, secretly pleased that I’ve managed to put a dent in her cold, hard exterior. She looks like she wants to disappear into the chair.
“I-I … didn’t mean … Mr. Knight.”
“No need for formality. Call me Zach.”
“But you called—”
“Just Zach.”
Her expression shifts. Hardens. “Are you okay for me to call you Zach? Or shall I call you something else? I can call you whatever you like. Just tell me.” Now she’s being overly sarcastic, and she isn’t afraid of letting me know as she plays at being submissive, drilling it home to me that I’m the boss, the big dog and she’s just a worker here.
This isn’t how I wanted this conversation to go.
I grit my teeth together. “Zach is fine.” I adjust my tie, giving me a moment to rein in my irritation and to choose my words carefully. “I’m here for business. Nothing else. I saw an opportunity and I moved on it.”
“You Knights are good at that.”
I frown. I feel like I’m breaking into something. The tip of what it could be. I can’t play these games anymore. “Have I done something to upset you?”
She assesses me calmly, then gives a little shake of her head. “No.”
“I don’t want to piss you off, Maya. I know what you’re thinking—”
“What am I thinking?”
“That I did this because I can and because I want to be close to you. What I want, first and foremost, is to help Stella.”
“Understood, Mr. Knight, I mean, Zach. Is that all, because I have work to do, so if it’s okay with you, may I be excused?”
She can’t wait to get away. “Yes, you can go.” I watch as she gets up and walks towards the door. “And remember, please don’t talk about my dick ever again, especially here at work.”
She has her back to me, but I see her visibly stiffen as she stops. A few strides and I’m at the door, reaching around her to place my hand on the handle. I have no idea what she’s thinking, but I find it amusing.
I hear a small sigh escape her lips. I’m standing so close now that I can feel her body heat. Smell her sweet perfume. My nose is inches from her hair, even as I reach around her, like a gentleman.
I open the door, and she steps back, then glances at me, her cheeks flushed, her eyes big and shiny. She leaves, and I quickly shut the door, letting out a gusty sigh because … what the hell was that?