Chapter 9
9
ZARA
There is something about his tone, raw and emotional, that makes me agree to stay up and speak with him. “Give me a moment to change out of this dress.” Changing into my sweatpants and a T-shirt, I remove the jewelry and carry the dress to the living room, hanging it on the rack. “What are you going to do with all these gowns?”
“Did you try them on to see if they fit since you’ll be wearing all of them?”
“All of them?” How long do we have to play this game?
“If they are not your style, then go shopping, and I’ll give you my card to pay for them.”
Give me his card . He makes it sound so easy. Instead of being grateful, I’m annoyed. “I’m sure I’ll find something. Please thank your stylist for me.” Tonight is not the time to express myself. I need to make peace if we’re going to live together for one week a month. It’s not a big ask, and I need to show him more gratitude .
Part of my frustration is not being in a financial position to make decisions with the ease he does. I assumed by coming to London, I would gain control over my life, and yet again, I’m leaning on him to help me until I find somewhere else to live. I’d heard London was an expensive city, and I now know why multiple people live in those tiny townhouses.
Tomorrow at work, I’ll start asking for advice on the best places to live and if anyone knows of someone looking to house share. Thank God my new job provided free rent in the hotel to help me settle in. However, I’m excited to have a beautiful kitchen to start cooking meals in instead of ordering takeout most nights.
Walking around the couch, I take a seat beside him.
“Sweatpants?” he asks.
“Don’t judge me. There’s nothing better than sweats at the end of the day when you want to relax.” He raises an eyebrow, staring at me like he can’t relate. “Wait… you don’t own any?”
“I have worn some to train or run in, but no, they are not lounging attire, although Byron would beg to differ.”
“If we are going to be a couple, then you need to wear sweats. Couples who dress down together stay together,” I joke.
“I don’t think that’s a thing,” he mutters.
I backtrack fast so he doesn’t get the wrong idea. I know we’ll never be a couple. We are opposites in every way, and we frustrate each other equally. “Luckily, we don’t need to worry about it, so you can laze around in your designer suits.”
He’s staring as though he wants to say something but pauses as if deciding against it. After a heavy pause, he finally begins, “We need to discuss some other matters. I can arrange for a chef to speak with you on meal preference if that’s what you’d like. It will make nights easier for you.”
“My nights…” I’ll be alone and have plenty of time to cook for myself. “Thank you for the offer, but I’d rather arrange my own meals and shop for my own food.” He nods slowly, and whatever is on his mind, I wish he’d say it. “Anything else?” I press.
“We should set some ground rules for appearance’s sake so there are no loopholes to be caught out.”
“Loopholes?”
“If we’re together, then we act so in public even when we’re not. If either one of us behaves badly and is photographed, there is every chance Sir James will see the images. So let’s prevent that entirely. And before you say anything, the man has contacts.”
“Contacts like spies?” I say in jest.
“Yes. So when you’re with your friends, please act as though you have a boyfriend.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “For how freaking long? I didn’t come here to be locked away, pining for my man to come home.”
“Please be mindful, that’s all I ask.” He sips his whiskey and stares toward the terrace.
“You need to follow the same rules,” I bite back. “Even when you’re in LA because if either of us are going to be photographed in public, it’s going to be you.”
Jobe turns and holds my gaze. His intense mood crackles the air between us. “I have every intention of honoring my end of the agreement. This business deal is my priority over everything else.”
I swallow hard, understanding the meaning of his words, and clarify, “No casual sex, not even in your home, because you could be photographed. ”
“Let’s see how long we both last,” he mumbles into his glass before taking a sip.
“Piece of cake for me,” I shoot back. “My record is six months, thirteen days, and eleven hours.” I grin, hoping he finds some humor in my sad sex life, though I can’t tell him about my current time since he was my last.
Instead, his eyes round. “Months, not weeks?”
I laugh. “One of us is going to suffer more than the other. But since you’re the one to gain the most, I think it’s a small sacrifice.” I push up from the couch. “Anything else?”
“None that I can think of. Hayley will email you with some more instructions.”
Email me…
“I’m looking forward to signing the fun contract,” I mock. Move over Fifty Shades, Jobe Hendricks has reinvented the pleasure wheel.
“Night, Zara.” He sips his whiskey without turning my way.
“Night, fun-slayer.”
The following day, I’m having lunch with my coworkers, and the conversation leads into the weekend. I want to hang out with them, but I’m going to have to figure out a way to drop hints about the fact I’m seeing someone. If I’m going to play this game for him, it needs to appear real.
I mull over that for a moment.
Why am I playing his game when all I have to do is find someone else to live with, and I won’t need to stay with him? The sooner I have a conversation with my friends, the quicker I can move out. Ugh, my stomach. It’s the same dull feeling I get when I let someone I care about down. My stupid subconscious wants to do the right thing. It’s not that I owe Jobe a thing. But I do care about Penny and Frank, and if they knew what Jobe was doing to secure the contract and I ruined it, I’d feel bad even though it’s wrong to lie about our relationship to Sir James. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. But if I had a choice, I’d choose to do it for Penny—even if she is unaware of my good deed.
Hopefully, it makes up for running out on her.
Is my happiness selfish?
It’s only for one year…
Anna and Lydia laugh out loud. Shit, snap out of it. I fake a smile and nod, listening and hoping to catch up on the conversation as it veers to the coming weekend.
“Are you in, Zara?” Piper asks. “It’s going to be fun.”
“Before I say yes, tell me more about the place,” I say, acting interested.
“It’s a beach house,” Anna adds with a shrug. “Not your average beach house, as my sister’s boyfriend is loaded. But we can stay all weekend, and go for beach strolls, and have some fun at night. Bring the booze you want to drink, and we’ll go grocery shopping there.”
“How far away is it?”
“It’s Sandbanks. So about two hours.” They stare at me again as though I should know this information.
“Sorry, I’m still learning the location of places.”
“This is prime real estate we get to stay in. Compare it to Miami.”
“Then it should be fun,” I add.
Anna turns to George who is acting far more enthusiastically than me. “Are you bringing Corey?”
“No, he’s acting like a little bitch lately.”
Anna giggles. “Then it’s set. No partners.”
Sounds like the perfect weekend.
Back at the office, we separate as we head into private meetings. I’m not sure what’s happening because after Piper returns to her desk on the opposite side of me, she slumps forward before logging back onto her computer.
“Is everything okay?” I whisper.
She pops one shoulder. “I guess you’ll hear soon enough, even though we’re told not to discuss anything with coworkers. The company is downsizing before a major change. Tim didn’t go into detail. He wanted to give us notice and an option of being made redundant. I haven’t been here long enough to reap benefits, and although I’ll have a job, it might be a different role.” She shakes her head. “I can’t afford a demotion or to lose my job. I might need to search elsewhere because I have one more year of university remaining, and I have to stick it out until I graduate,” she says in a hushed voice.
Tim appears at the front of the room and calls George to follow him into his office.
I lean closer to Piper. “Do you think anyone will lose their jobs today?”
She shakes her head and closes her eyes. “I hope not. It’s unaffordable to live here and not work.”
Hmm. “Are you from here?”
She shakes her blonde locks. “Sheffield.”
For her to move back home is out of the question. “Who do you live with?”
“A friend from university, but she graduates this year, so I’m not sure what’s happening there either. The timing sucks.”
Part of me is grateful to be with Jobe albeit temporarily, so now I can put the wheels in motion for us all to move in together. “What about Anna?”
“She lives at home. Her parents live in Croydon.”
I do a subtle eye roll.
“What? ”
“Croydon is the name of a certain ex-boyfriend.” One I have tried to forget.
“Oh. It’s okay, great for sports and if you’re a foodie. We should go there sometime with Anna when her parents go on one of their many international holidays.”
“I’m up for any travel,” I emphasize. Even to Croydon because I need a better image than the one in my head reminding me of one certain fuckface ex-boyfriend.
She smiles. “Anna wants to stay at home until she finishes university. It takes her less than an hour on the train, so it’s financially viable for her. On weekends, she stays with either George or me.”
We could all benefit from a shared apartment.
I continue reading emails until George returns to his desk, three rows ahead of me. He sits quietly and resumes working. I can’t tell if he perceived the news as good or bad.
What if I’m terminated because I’m the new girl, my role is relatively new, and before the probation time has lapsed? If I’m fired so soon after starting, my extra work won’t have time to pay off with a promotion to the human resources department.
“Zara.” I glance up to Tim standing near my desk. “Can we talk in my office, please?”
“Sure.” I sign out of my computer and follow him along a hallway, my heels clicking with every step. His assistant glances up from her desk and stares at my feet. It sounds like I’m wearing tap shoes and ready to dance when my insides feel like I’m heading to my career funeral.
He closes the door behind me, and it’s the first time I have seen his office. The walls are dark gray with timber structures accentuating thoughtful architecture. His oak desk faces the window that overlooks the London skyline.
“Please take a seat.”
“Thank you.” I sit forward in the black leather chair and cross my legs, taking a deep breath to compose my nerves. It’s not my first rodeo in a boss’s office to discuss my value as an employee. In my head, I run over reasons why I deserve to hold my position and my value to the company. Remind him of my experience.
“I’m sure your coworkers have mentioned that Warburton Investments is about to experience some changes. While these changes were in motion over the past year, the process accelerated over the last month, and a sister company will be joining us.”
“Sir, is the merger going to affect my new role?”
His eyes widen. “Yes and no.”
Fuck.
“Your role, among others, will be reduced.” He holds my gaze, and I assume the others he mentions are Piper, Anna, and me, and others. “However, in another month, we’ll have Board changes and require new executive assistants. Since you have experience in HR and have been delivering exceptional work on additional projects since you started, you are currently best suited for the position.”
What?
I’m gaping at my boss. I can’t find the words to thank him as my brain was fired up, ready to defend my value.
I never expected this.
“There will be an interview panel as we are required to advertise the position, but the Board wants you to work alongside Gretchen, who is the CEO’s executive assistant.”
I nod three times to make a point. “Thank you.” Butterflies upset my stomach. “Sorry, sir, I’m shocked. I expected my coworkers to be considered before me.”
“You’ll be privy to information not yet shared with other employees. We need it to remain confidential until a formal statement is released.”
“Yes, sir. ”
“When I know more, I’ll let you know, but right now, while I’m following the rules, I’m also a bit in the dark.”
I nod. “I understand. Will you be announcing my new position to my coworkers?” It’s the last thing I want in case of backlash or losing friendships if anything goes south.
“Not as yet, though tomorrow I’ll formally introduce you to Gretchen.”
I nod and leave the room, closing the door quietly behind me. Then I take a deep breath of relief while excitement replaces nervousness, knowing my hard work has paid off.
When I arrive home from work, I change into casual clothing and take a walk along the Thames. Finally, my life is falling into place. With an extra spring in my step, I smile at strangers as they pass. It’s not until the air turns chilly that I head back to Jobe’s penthouse, unsure whether I’ll see him tonight.
I unlock the front door and tepidly walk in, looking around for him with my every step. The apartment is quiet, too quiet.
Opening the refrigerator to decide on what to cook, I grab some vegetables, but when I turn around, I’m startled and jump, almost dropping my dinner’s ingredients.
Jobe is sitting on a barstool at the counter. His eyes meet mine, though he doesn’t acknowledge that he’s scared the shit out of me.
“Zara.”
“Jobe.”
“Are you cooking dinner?”
“Would you like me to cook you dinner? I should have asked but when I didn’t hear from you, I was unsure whether you were here or returned to LA.”
His eyes narrow at me. “I wouldn’t leave and not tell you.”
Oh.
“I had a good day, so I finished up early,” he says with his poker face, and it’s hard to tell if he’s happy about it or not. There is always someone who needs him, so maybe it’s a good thing.
“I also had a good day.” I smile as I lift the frying pan from the drawer.
“Anything specific?”
I still for a moment. I don’t want to share and jinx myself. “Nothing notable. The day went smoothly, and I had lunch with my coworkers. It was fun.”
Jobe is watching me intently. So I shoot him another smile because his stern face is not going to ruin my day. Thankfully, his cell vibrates on the counter. “Sorry, I need to take this.”
A wave a hand at him. “Go ahead.”
I start chopping vegetables, then find the condiments and dried herbs .
I mouth, Do you want me to cook you any meat?
He shakes his head and whispers, “No, thank you.”
Is he staying or going out for dinner? He’s still in his trousers and his shirt with the top buttons undone. No tie. The definition of his pectoral muscles is peeking out from his unbuttoned shirt, reminding me he has one hell of a muscled torso. I suck in a quick breath as a memory of that night together hits me. A memory of me running my fingers along his sternum, lower and lower. Oh. I’ve remembered snippets of conversation and banter. And how good I felt after . I’m feeling good now.
Jobe is suddenly beside me, reaching to the shelf for a packet of rice. He’s close enough for me to inhale his sexy cologne. I’m feeling really good. Damn the timing of my hormones. I’m staring at those hands, imagining how he could pleasure me, then I notice…
Microwave rice.
“You eat that?”
He grins. “Doesn’t everybody?”
“Noo,” I exclaim. “I cook it like a pro.”
He adds the herbs to the vegetables, and I step to the side, giving him some room. Who knew I would enjoy watching Jobe Hendricks cook? “I never took you for a two-minute rice man.”
“I think you need to stop assuming you know me.”
“Touché.”
“I hoped tonight we could talk some more.” His beautiful dark eyes hold mine captive. It’s a moment where Jobe Hendricks looks raw and emotional. Not the arrogant guy he’s known to be.
“About what?”
His eyes flick over my face as though I should know. “Us.”