Ethan
“Selena, get in here, now.” Yes, my staff works on Saturdays. If you want to stay ahead, you have to work every day, and sometimes every night.
“Yes, Mr. Knight?” Selena walks into my office with her folder ready to take notes.
I started from nothing and worked my ass off to get where I am today and to make the kind of money I do. My father was an asshole who took all our money and left my mom for some girl half his age. I’ve hated him ever since that day.
I got my start as a young entrepreneur by selling things that my dad left behind, and I never looked back. I did what it took to get everything I wanted in life, and now I sit here with multimillion dollar shopping malls that are only growing.
I have plans to buy shopping malls all around the world. I have a meeting with my team in London tonight, about the purchase of a big shopping mall. For some reason, the finalization of the purchase is being held up, and I want to know why. I also have Emily trying to stop my children’s center because I can’t find a good enough teacher that meets her fucking standards.
“Have we found any more teachers? And have we got the emails from London yet?” Taking my jacket off, I roll my shirt shelves up to my elbows, impatiently waiting for her answers.
“No. Some teachers are already working in schools and don’t want to leave, and we haven’t received any emails,” Selena says after glancing at her phone.
“I want something by Monday. Call David and tell him I want the email sent now,” I tell her, waving my hand for her to leave, but she stands there.
“It’s five in the morning in London.” She looks at me, and I see when she realizes I mean business. “Yes, sir, I'll call him now.” Selena leaves the office with the phone to her ear.
I don’t care whether it's one in the morning or one in the afternoon. If you tell me you'll be sending an email, you damn well better send the email. You do what you say you’re going to do.
I thumb through the folder my accountant gave me with all last month’s numbers, but my head’s all over the place.
I grab the phone as it rings. “Knight,” I say, looking at the file.
“Mr. Knight, there's a Ms. Jones here to see you,” the man at reception says. “She says she needs to speak with you.”
“Tell her that she's not allowed in the building, and if she does ’t leave, I’ll call the police,” I tell him. She knows she’s not allowed here.
“Yes, sir.”
Ending the call, I stand up and walk over to the window and look down to see if I can spot her walking out. Angie, my ex-wife, is the bane of my existence.
I should have known she was only with me for my money. She always wanted to go shopping; always wondering when we would get married. There were always petty things she would do that should’ve made me more aware of what she was up to. My mother is another one that warned me about Angie, but I was an idiot blinded by her charm and good looks. It took me nine months to realize what a bitch she was.
I try to get back to business matters, but can’t focus on anything. Not on the numbers, the children's center, or the upcoming meeting. I never thought a woman would be able to take my thoughts away from work again. After the last time, I promised myself I would never allow a woman to get close enough to affect my work. I would never trust a woman again. But today, I sit here at my desk, and the only person I can think about is Lexi. One look and she had me. She has legs that even a supermodel would die for, and the red dress I chose for her made her cleavage look amazing.
I know that Jackie has rules, but I’m going to work hard to make sure she and Lexi agree to my demands. Jackie kept telling me about her rules, and how she sticks to them. She made sure that I understood her girls don’t sleep with their clients. It was mentioned at least ten times in the twenty-minute conversation I had with her. I told her I understood and not to worry about it. It’ll take a lot of trust for a woman to get in my bed, and trust isn’t something I give out easily. That may have been a lie, but she doesn’t need to know.
I might want to break the rules with Lexi, but how will I get her to want to break them?
***
Sunday is the only day I take off. I give my staff two days off a week because my mom told me they needed a break. Everyone except Selena. She's on call every day of the week. I never know when I may need her to help me with something. All I want to do today, though, is sit at home and get ready for Lexi to come over.
Hearing a knock at the door, I look over and wonder who would be coming over on a Sunday. Opening it, I see it’s my mother. “Hi, Mom. It’s nice to see you,” I say as I move out of the way for her to come in.
“Ethan,” she says before giving me a motherly kiss on the cheek. “How have you been?” She looks around the room. “Ethan, how much longer are you going to be here? If it’s long, then please get someone in here to decorate.” She turns around, and I give her a smile. My mom is my world—my rock.
“They’re coming this week to rip everything out, then I'll be talking to someone about designing it,” I say, following her to the kitchen.
“When was the last time you made dinner?” she asks. She knows me well enough to know how much I love to cook, but never really get the chance to cook for other people.
“I’m making dinner tonight.” I walk over to her and lead her out of the kitchen. “So, how can I help you today?” I ask her.
“I was talking to my friend. Her daughter is single, and I was talking about you—”
“Before you even finish that sentence, the answer is no.” I look at her.
Since I ended things with Angie a year ago, Mom has been trying very hard to get me to date. Anyone would do. Her friend’s daughter or this woman she met at the coffee shop... There’s always someone, and my answer is always no.
“Ethan.”
“Mother.” I replicate her tone.
“I just want you to be happy. When you find someone, then I'll stop trying to set you up.” She looks at me then walks over to the windows.
“Yes, Mom, and when I feel I can trust someone again, I'll take it into consideration.” Walking over to her, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to me. “There's someone I have my eye on,” I tell her. I don’t want her to come over one day unaware and see Lexi here.
She looks up at me with a smile. “Do I get a name?”
“No. I’m still working on it, but as soon as I have something to tell you, I will.” I give her a kiss on her forehead.
Tonight, I'll be working on it. I don’t know what it is about Lexi that makes me want her. It only took one look, and now I want to know everything about her.
“Is that who you're making dinner for?” Mom asks as she walks back to the kitchen. She’s not going to be leaving in a hurry now.
Following her, I sit on the stool, and I watch her look in the fridge at what I got Maria to buy for me. “Chicken wrapped in bacon, vegetables, and orange sauce,” I tell her. I know she will be happy with my choice. It’s her favorite.
“She’s lucky.” I look at my watch, wondering why Lexi hasn’t sent me a message yet to tell me she has landed. “Looks like I should get going so that you can get this meal ready.” She gives me a smile and a kiss on the cheek, then leaves.