Chapter 3: Zach

“Fuck I hate Tuesdays,” Jones, one of the guys at the office moved up beside me as I hustled down the halls.

“Me too.” I glanced over and laughed at his tie. “What the fuck is that? Polka dots? Your wife dressing you again, Jones?”

“Fuck you too, Zach.” He smiled and lifted his watch to his face. “You getting up to give your usual cheerleader speech this morning?”

“Yep.” I pursed my lips. My father liked to think that I needed a hand in the business and asked me to address the staff almost weekly. As CFO, I didn’t think that was my job.

“Good.” He popped me in the chest and turned to walk down another hall. “I like your rah-rah speeches. You’re the most entertaining financial guy I know.”

“Great,” I muttered and walked to the conference room, exhausted from the hard fuck that morning and the night of acting like I was still twenty-one. I needed to grow up, but that shit wasn’t happening anytime soon.

My father wanted me to change my personal life, but I’d do it when I was good and damn ready. He needed to get with the times and realize that the world was forever shifting.

Being a good guy, a gentleman, wasn’t doing anyone any favors anymore. At least it hadn’t done me any in my younger life, so fuck it. I’d respect women like I should, but if I found one I wanted beneath me? I’d have her, and she would love it.

I was glad my mom wasn’t alive to see who I had become. The fact that I felt that way should maybe have been a red flag to me. But it wasn’t. I was who I was and I would keep doing my thing. This was the life I was building for myself. The only time I was even remotely unhappy with who I had become was when my mom came up in conversation and my father reminded me that she might not have liked to see me this way.

The rest of the time, I was good to go.

****

After the staff meetings, I walked to his office. I shrugged off my blazer and folded it over my arm, knocked on the door and let myself inside. My father was on the phone but he waved me in so I closed the door behind me.

He mumbled into the phone a little longer. I walked across to the full-length windows and looked out over Denver. It was a beautiful city – the CBD had been under reconstruction for a while now, giving the place a facelift. It was turning out to be for the best. Without losing the nostalgia of the old times, Denver was picking up its socks.

I turned to the bookshelf on my right. Photos of my mom – alone, holding me when I was younger, and with my father – were on the shelf along with a paperweight they had apparently bought on their honeymoon and a red rose that was replaced once a week in her memory. I raised my hand to touch the rose, but my fingers only hovered above it.

“Zachary,” Ken said, finally off the phone. I rolled my eyes before turning around. I hated it when he called me by my full name. “What can I do for you today?”

I pasted a smile on my face and turned to him.

“I just wanted to have a chat,” I said. I walked toward the chairs on the other side of his desk and sat down. I made myself comfortable. Made sure my body language was relaxed and charming, friendly.

“How did the staff meeting go?”

I nodded. “Fine, fine. I asked Marianne to send you the notes from the meeting.”

He nodded.

“Did you contact the PR agency?” I asked. I kept my voice casual. I was just asking a question.

He glanced up at me.

“I don’t want to argue with you about this,” he said.

I shook my head. “No, I was just curious.”

My father continued to stare at me.

“I just think it’s unnecessary,” I added. “I’m a grown ass man. I’m not a child in the slightest, and yet you’re treating me like one.”

He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

“Why can’t you just do what you’re told and not fight me for a change? Everything lately has been a struggle with you. I know you’re a man, but you need to realize your pretty face isn’t just something you have to use against women. It’s the image of who we are. I’m invested in you, son. So we’re doing this. She’s not a babysitter. She’s a fire-fighter, for lack of a better description.”

Maybe that was because I wasn’t anything more than a pawn in his business strategies anymore. I didn’t say it, though. Talking to him had become more and more difficult.

“This is my life, Dad. It’s not like you’re asking me to do something for the Company. This is getting too close, don’t you think?”

My dad frowned. “Firstly, I am your father. Nothing is too close. You and I are all we’ve got.” Big words. “And secondly, this is for the Company. I may not agree with your lifestyle, but you are old enough to make your own choices.”

“Thank you,” I said. Finally, he was making sense.

“But, the moment your personal life influences or crosses over, you’re on my turf.” His voice hardened. “And, you’re not getting away with any more of this behavior. Who knows what the next girl will do, who she will go to? We were lucky we could control the damage this time. What if the next one goes public or the wrong people see you at the wrong time?”

I rolled my eyes without hiding it. “You taught me how to keep things quiet. We’re all so private, right? Why can’t you just trust me?”

“I won’t let you run our name into the ground.” His voice had started to rise. We were heading into a full-on fight. Bring it on. I loved my father and family was important to me, but I wasn’t about to let him decide who I was going to be. I wasn’t going to let his vision for the Company become the vision for my life.

My tone matched his. Cold. “I’m not here to be controlled by you.”

“If you leave this Company you’re free to think that way. Until then, I call the shots.”

It was like the air had been sucked out of the room. We sat on opposite ends of the table, facing off against each other.

He’d never suggested that I leave. And fuck me if I didn’t respect him. He’d been through so much shit and still raised me in a loving environment. I owed him some compliance goddammit, but why did he ask so much of me?

It had been an unspoken agreement between us – I would stick around because leaving the Company would be like losing her all over again. We never even discussed the possibilities of working somewhere else once I finished studying. This had been the end goal for as long as I could remember.

I never wanted to abandon mom’s legacy. It was the only thing I had left of her. My dad, at least, had her for a while. I had been too young to know that I had to make the most out of every minute. Teenagers are self-centered – I haven’t changed much, I guess – but if I’d known I wouldn’t have her here to witness my adult life, I would have spent more time with her.

Wasn’t that always the case? Hindsight was twenty-twenty.

“It’s not that I want you to leave,” he spoke in a low voice.

I stood up and jammed my hands into my pockets. I felt like I was in the principal’s office, not talking to my own father. I had no leg to stand on and he would go ahead and reign over his little kingdom, calling the shots without asking how I felt about it.

“We just can’t afford any slip-ups, not with this campaign,” he tried again. I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to humor him with more fighting. He didn’t get to play dirty.

“Zach…”

A knock on the door interrupted us. I stepped to the side. It didn’t matter that we were in the middle of an argument or that he’d hurt my feelings. Business first, right? Always.

“Mr. Nettles?” A woman’s voice spoke and my father nodded, waving her in. A moment later, she stepped through the door. At first glance, she was a small thing, petite and slender. She looked delicate, almost breakable. Her eyes suggested otherwise, though. They were the color of the ocean. Long blonde hair framed her face, only making her blue eyes stand out that much more.

And her lips. Fuck me! Her lips were full and muted pink. Every naughty fantasy I had about deep throating a woman came roaring to life, and my cock twitched in my slacks.

Stop it. Shit.

I let my eyes run across her as subtly as I could while her full attention was on my father. She wore the classic office get-up. A peach dress suit that made her pale skin look tan and two-inch heels that were meant to be comfortable enough to stand on all day. She wore them like she was doing them a favor. Attractive. Beautiful. Innocent.

The bastard in me stretched and yawned.

She glanced at me before she looked my father in the eye.

“I’m Hailey Woods, a representative from Brand Marketing PR.”

My father nodded, a big smile on his face. Judging by his jovial attitude you would never guess we’d just finished arguing.

“Miss Woods, it’s great to meet you.” He held out his hand and Hailey took it. “This is my son, Zach. You two will be working closely together.”

She looked at me, her expression unreadable. I liked the fact that she had a good poker face. She’d keep me guessing what she was thinking. Like a game of sorts.

I held out my hand and she shook it. Her skin was impossibly soft, but the handshake firm. She was exerting power. It was cute.

“Nice to meet you,” I said and smiled at her. She smiled back, but it was a shy smile as if she were suddenly unsure of herself. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking along the same lines I was. Get some drinks, get to know each other a little more and get naked. Sounded about right.

She looked me and my father in the eye, and spoke like she was on top of the world, but it was a front. I had no doubt.

“I believe my manager has already sent over all the necessary documentation,” Hailey said. She glanced at me again, being so sweet to include me in the conversation. Sarcasm raced through me as I bit the tip of my tongue. My father was being an impossible dick, but I’d get around him soon enough. For the time being, I’d play the fucking game if it brought peace between us.

My father nodded. “Yes, yes. I received them this morning. I’ll have the paperwork finalized by this afternoon. Until then, there’s not really much to do, other than get to know Zach.” He glanced at me, his eyes full of warning before he cut back to Hailey. “You two will be working closely together.”

Hailey nodded and swallowed. The vein on the side of her neck beat wildly, and I smiled. She found me attractive. That or the little bird was terrified. The dual emotions of wanting to exploit her fears and protect her from them rolled through me.

Weird.

“Will you wait outside for a moment?” My father asked her kindly. “I just need to finish a conversation with my son.”

“Of course,” she said and flashed half a smile before turning to the door. I watched her move – graceful and delicate. Everything about her screamed naivety. This was going to be easier than I thought. If I steamrolled right over her this horrible business would be over before it even started.

I concentrated on the thick swell of her ass in her skirt. Granny panties? G-string? No panties. My cock twitched again. I forced myself to look back at my father. A raging hard-on over the new babysitter wasn’t going to help the convo with my old man. Fuck, nothing was.

When the door clicked shut behind her, my father turned his gaze back on me. His green eyes were serious.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said.

I frowned. “What?”

“She’s younger than I expected, too. A little green, I would say. You’d better respect her.”

I blinked at my dad and snorted. “What? I always respect women.”

“In the office, yes. In your private life? I highly doubt it.” The look of distain on his aging face should have affected me more than it did. I was used to his judgement. It was a fountain that flowed freely and often.

“We’re not going to talk about what happened before she arrived?” I asked.

“I don’t think there’s anything left to say about it,” he said.

Right. “I think I need to get going, then,” I said. “Don’t want to keep Miss Woods waiting. She must be so eager to remold me.” I walked toward the door.

“I mean it, Zach. Don’t mess with her. I don’t want a sexual harassment suit just because you can’t keep your dick in your pants. This isn’t about you, it’s for Nora.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. My mom’s name was a part of almost every conversation, like a fucking weapon of sorts. My father hadn’t been the same since she passed, and I hadn’t either, but bringing it up all the damn time was getting old. It felt like a black cloud that hung over my head all the time.

“Fine.” I took a breath and opened the door.

Hailey glanced up from her seat in the waiting room and straightened her back. Her legs were crossed and looked damn good as she ran her hands nervously over her thighs. She would look so nice beneath me, moaning and convulsing as I worked her over the edge. She looked like she needed a release, but maybe she was too innocent for a guy like me.

Naw… She was perfect.

“I’m just running to the men’s room,” I said. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

She nodded and I turned my back on her, walking languidly to the men’s room. When I got there, I stood in front of the mirror and looked critically at my reflection. I looked cold and dangerous – a businessman with a twist. Hailey seemed unsure about the job. Good. No doubt, she’d looked me up. Considering my dad had made me do so many public events lately, my face would be everywhere as something of a Samaritan. Hopefully these would have superseded the other pictures of me rolling out of nightclubs. If I put my best foot forward with her I could be rid of her in no time. She would think I was the most respectable bachelor in town, report that to her manager and my father and I would be golden.

I didn’t need this shit in my life. I didn’t need someone younger than me telling me how to live my life. God, she looked like she was barely out of high school.

I straightened my tie and pulled on my jacket. I patted my hair with my palm, ensuring the already tame strands stayed in place before I splashed some cold water on my face. Satisfied with my appearance, I left the men’s room and walked back to the waiting area. She was busy on her phone so I took a moment, lurking a few feet away, to study her.

She was beautiful the way a porcelain doll was beautiful – anything more than sitting on the shelf and she would probably break. Her legs were slim, her waist accentuated by the clothes she wore and her hair was a natural blonde – not the bottle blonde I saw on most of the women around today.

My phone beeped and she looked up. Her eyes were drowning, the kind of blue you only saw on the coast when there was absolutely no wind and the water was calm and peaceful. I cleared my throat and walked toward her, breaking the spell.

Shit. Get over it. Now.