Screw him, Renee thought.
“Yeah, I’m leaving. All work and no play makes Renee a dull girl,” Renee said a tad too forcefully. “I have a life too.”
Her colleague, Sandra, smiled and squeezed her arm. “Wanna grab dinner with us? It’s been such a strange, stressful day today. A few of us are going to check out the new pizza parlor down the road. It’d take your mind off that crazy...” Sandra trailed off as someone elbowed her.
“I...I have a date,” Renee lied.
Renee knew that most of the staff had heard Karina shrieking and ranting in Zack’s office. They would have caught what Karina said about her and Zack. She had screamed that they were sleeping together, and laughed at Zack for fucking his fat, frumpy PA.
Renee didn’t know if her colleagues believed what Karina said, but she wanted to throw them off the scent. She decided to embellish her lie. “I would love to join you gals, but I’ve got to get ready for my date.” She winked and said loudly, “We’re going to watch a movie. I...I’m pretty excited.”
“Ooh, Renee!” Sandra grinned. “Finally! I was beginning to worry for you. I was actually thinking of setting you up with a cousin of mine.”
“Thanks, but I’m good,” Renee said with a wry smile. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Renee chatted as cheerfully as she could with her colleagues in the lobby and jostled into the first elevator that arrived. The doors were already sliding shut when she saw Zack sprinting towards her.
“Renee!”
She winced and wished that the doors would close faster. Zack shoved his hands between the closing doors and pried them open. Her colleagues gasped and hurriedly pressed the button to hold the doors open for their big boss.
Renee refused to move as all eyes turned to her. She stood in the elevator and stared at Zack.
“Mr Howell,” she said evenly.
“Renee, I need you,” Zack said, breathing hard.
Renee was aware of the absolute silence around them. Nobody even seemed to be breathing. Eyeballs were swiveling between her and Zack.
“It’s after office hours, Mr Howell,” Renee said. “You can’t stop me from leaving.”
There was a collective intake of breath. And it seemed no one exhaled.
Zack didn’t move. He held the doors open with his hands and stared at her. “I need to talk to you, Renee.”
“We can talk on Monday,” she said stiffly. “Have a good weekend, Mr Howell.”
Renee reached over and jabbed at the “Close” button. But Zack held the doors back, pinning her with his burning gaze.
Renee refused to look at him. She continued stabbing viciously at the button, and a choked sob escaped. “Please...”
Zack’s throat moved and he stepped back. His eyes never left her even as the doors closed.
Renee stared straight ahead. She didn’t even respond when someone called her name and squeezed her arm reassuringly.
The ride to the ground floor was the longest ride she had ever endured. Her colleagues shuffled their feet and tried not to stare at her, but their awkward silence was too much to bear.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Renee rushed out of the elevator and ran out of the building.
She didn’t look back even when she heard Sandra calling her name worriedly.
Diving into a crowd of pedestrians, Renee crossed the road and kept walking. She realized she was going the wrong way but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get away from Zack, from everyone.
Seeing a cab, she flagged it down and jumped in.
“Just drive,” she told the driver. “I just need a moment. I...I’ll let you know where I want to go in a while.”
“No problem, Miss.”
The cab sped off and Renee closed her eyes. If her colleagues didn’t suspect anything before, they definitely did now. They would have seen the heated look in Zack’s eyes, and felt the coiled, churning power of his fury and hunger.
Renee, I need you.
He had spoken to her as her lover, not her boss.
“Oh Zack...” His name escaped on a painful, shuddering breath.
She took a deep breath and straightened up. She told the cab driver to take her to the nearest cinema. She didn’t want to go back to her empty apartment.
She hadn’t lied to her colleagues. She was going to watch a movie. By herself.
Renee caught her reflection in the window and saw that her smile was sad.
“Thanks for the memories,” she whispered.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Renee walked out of the cinema, and dumped the rest of the popcorn in the bin.
She had chosen a movie at random and bought herself a ticket and a big bucket of popcorn. Then she went in and sat by herself at the back of the cinema.
It was a romantic comedy, but Renee didn’t even laugh once. Instead, she found herself crying. The hero and heroine got their happily ever after of course. But there would be no happily ever after for her. And there was no one to blame but herself. She had asked for this. She had set herself up for the fall.
Throughout the movie, she kept thinking about Zack. How could she even think that she could have sex with Zack without falling for him? She was attracted to him, and she saw him every single day. She worked with him, knew all his quirks and preferences, and she spent more time with him than with anyone else.
She was aware of her simmering feelings for him even before she started fucking him. She was both in awe of him and in lust with him. And now, she had allowed herself to fall head over heels in love with him.
Seeing Karina and hearing what she had to say had been like a knife in her gut. Karina had spoken the truth, but the truth had hurt like a bitch.
Renee glanced at her watch. It was late, and she hadn’t had dinner but she had no appetite. The popcorn had tasted like cardboard to her. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and bury her head under the pillow.
Numbly, she got into a cab and headed home.
Crying in the cinema had been oddly therapeutic. She didn’t feel so sad anymore. She just felt...empty.
Renee stood on the curb in front of her apartment building and watched the cab disappear down the street. She didn’t know how long she stood there, just staring into the distance.
Finally, she shook herself and turned around. As she trudged up the steps, she dug into her bag for her keys. She only looked up when she bumped into someone.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“Renee.”
She gasped when she saw Zack’s stern face. Before she could stagger back, Zack pulled her to him and held her tight. He wasn’t going to let her flee from him.
“Zack...” She bit her lip hard and pushed him away. “What are you doing here?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“You turned off your phone,” he said tersely.
“Yeah. I’m off work,” she answered.
“So how was your date?”
“Great,” she snapped. “I had a great time.”
“Yet you’re home so early.”
“Yeah. It’s been a long, exhausting day for me. I had a horrible day at work. There was some drama at the office today. It was ugly, but...” She swallowed and plowed on. “It’s better to face the ugly truth than to delude yourself with a beautiful lie.”
“Renee...”
“I’m tired. I’m really tired, Zack. Excuse me, you’re blocking my way. I need to get home.”
“Let me take you to dinner,” Zack said, taking her hand.
She yanked her hand away as if he’d burned her.
“There was no date,” he said softly. “I know you haven’t eaten.”
“I’m not hungry.” Her stomach gave a loud rumble.
“You need to eat,” Zack said. “Come on. I haven’t had dinner either.”
Renee glared at him and flung out her arm. “Then go. Go have your dinner and leave me alone.”
Zack gave her a wounded
look. “You are a heartless woman, Renee. You know I can’t eat without you. You’re happy to watch me starve?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Renee bit her lip and turned away to hide a tiny smile. She wanted to stay mad at him. But how could she when he had been waiting at her doorstep for hours? He’d had an exhausting day as well, and he had to be hungry and tired, yet he had doggedly waited for her.
“Just have dinner with me, and I’ll leave you alone. I promise,” Zack said, putting his hand over his heart.
Her stomach gave another growl and Renee rolled her eyes. Her body had betrayed her, again.
“Fine,” she said at last. “Just dinner.”
Zack flashed an impish grin. Renee had a niggling suspicion that he was up to something.
“I’ll take you to my favorite restaurant,” Zack said as he led her towards his car which he’d parked just down the road.
“Your favorite restaurant? Which one?” As his PA, Renee had a list of the restaurants he frequented. She often booked his business lunches at his preferred restaurants.
“It’s not on the list,” Zack answered, reading her mind. “This isn’t a business lunch.”
Renee narrowed her eyes. “So where are we going?”
“To a very special place,” Zack said, opening the car door for her.
“Did you take Karina there?” she asked cattily. The question was out of her mouth before it could filter through her brain.
Renee scowled at herself. Why was she being so bitchy? What Zack did with other women was none of her business. He was a free man.
Zack looked a little surprised at her question. Then he flashed a cocky grin.
“Are you jealous, Renee? I thought you didn’t want a relationship,” Zack teased.
“I...I don’t.”
Zack started the engine and pulled away from the curb. After driving in silence for a while, he said quietly, “I always go to this restaurant on my own. I highly recommend this restaurant to all my friends and associates. But when I eat there, I eat alone. It’s a really great place. I know you’ll love everything about it.”
“You’ve never mentioned this restaurant to me,” Renee said. “Where is it?”
“It’s about an hour’s drive. At the outskirts of the city, away from the city center.”
“Okay.” She turned and looked out the window.
Away from the city center was good. It would be quieter, less crowded, and she would be less likely to run into anyone she knew. An uncomfortable, ugly thought crept into her mind.
Maybe Zack was driving all the way out to this remote restaurant so he wouldn’t be seen and photographed having dinner with his boring, frumpy PA.
Renee squeezed her eyes shut, angry at herself for thinking all these terrible, negative thoughts. Why did she let Karina’s words affect her so badly? She shouldn’t believe anything that woman said.
Zack took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Just relax, Renee,” he said. “We’re just having dinner. We don’t have to talk. We’ll just eat.”
She nodded glumly.
“Let me make it up to you, Renee,” Zack said quietly. “I...”
“You don’t owe me anything, Zack.” Renee sighed deeply. “What happened today, with Trafford and Karina, wasn’t your fault. It’s just my luck, I guess. I seem to keep bumping into the wrong people. Why can’t I find...” She swallowed hard.
“What are you looking for, Renee?” Zack asked. They stopped at a red light and he turned to face her fully.
Renee opened her mouth but she couldn’t find the right words. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him that she was looking for true, everlasting love. But she’d learned from experience that love was just a fantasy. People changed and love faded and died. She no longer believed in love, and yet...she yearned for it. But she couldn’t tell him that.
The lights changed while Zack waited for her answer. Horns blared behind them and Zack muttered a curse as he put the car into gear.
“I’m just looking for a nice place to eat,” she said, attempting to make a joke. “In peace,” she added and cringed.
To her surprise, Zack didn’t press further. He accepted her lame answer and said, “Then you’ll love this restaurant.”
Renee smiled, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood and cheer her up. “The food’s that great, eh?” she said.
“Believe me, the food’s the best in the whole universe!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Zack pulled up in front of the restaurant and killed the engine. It was late, and the restaurant was closed. But he had called ahead and he knew that the side door would be opened for him.
“Dean’s Kitchen,” Renee read the sign outside the restaurant. It was the first two words she had spoken in over an hour. She had kept silent throughout the drive, lost in her own thoughts.
She stepped out of the car and stared at the restaurant. The windows were dark, and the sign on the door was flipped to “Close”.
Renee looked disappointed. “I’m afraid we’re too late,” she said. “It’s closed.”
“Nah, don’t worry. That’s just what the sign says. I assure you, it’s open, for us,” Zack said confidently.
Renee gave him a skeptical look but allowed him to lead her to the side entrance. He opened the narrow door and ushered her in.
The lights were dimmed in the restaurant and everything was neatly arranged, ready for business the next day.
A corner table was ready for them. The lit candle on the table cast a warm glow around the room. Zack heard noise coming from the kitchen and the aroma of freshly grilled steaks made his mouth water.
“Dean,” he called out. “Yo! We’re here!”
“Dean’s Kitchen,” Renee repeated the name of the restaurant. “Dean. He’s the boss. You’re friends with the boss!”
“Dean is the boss and the chef,” Zack said. “And...he’s not my friend.”
Renee was about to comment when Dean popped out of the kitchen. “Hey!” Dean grinned and gave Zack a quick one-arm hug.
Zack turned and was about to introduce Dean to Renee when he saw that she had already made the connection.
Renee’s mouth fell open as she stared at the tall, blond man in the chef’s uniform. The familial resemblance was too striking to miss.
“Dean is your brother!” she exclaimed, her gaze darting between Dean and Zack.
“Yup,” the two men replied in unison. They gave her similar lopsided grins.
“I’m Dean Howell, Zack’s big brother. You must be Renee. Nice to meet you!” Dean said, extending his hand.
Renee gaped as Dean pumped her hand up and down. “Nice to meet you too, Dean. I’m sorry to put you to all this trouble. You’re closed for the night already...” she stuttered.
“No trouble at all,” Dean said affably. “I like cooking for family. No matter how busy Zack is, I insist that he eats here at least once a week. I have to make sure my baby brother is well fed!”
Dean grinned as he hurried back to the kitchen. “I don’t want to burn your dinner. Make yourselves comfortable,” he called out. “Dinner will be served shortly!”
Zack pulled out the chair for her and whispered, “I’ll go get our food from the kitchen. I want to make sure Dean gives me the bigger portion,” he joked.
Zack went into the kitchen and saw the two plates on the counter. Dean was spooning gravy over the steaks and glanced up. “So...what’s up with you two?” Dean asked. “Did you two have a fight?”
“Are you a chef and a psychic now?” Zack groused.
“I don’t need to be a psychic to read body language,” Dean answered. “Renee seems...sad. What have you done, Zack?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
Dean arched a brow. “You’ve never brought any of your girlfriends to my restaurant before.”
“They weren’t my girlfriends.”
Dean put the baked potatoes on the plates and
continued moving around the kitchen efficiently. “So Renee is different. She’s your girlfriend.”
Zack shook his head. “She says she doesn’t want a relationship. But when Karina came to the office today, it upset her a great deal.” Zack was close to his big brother, and Dean was the only one who knew what was happening in his life. Dean was his only family now, and Dean was the only one he trusted with his secrets.
“Karina? Karina Eve?” Dean paused. “The Mayor’s daughter?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re still seeing her? I thought...”
“No! It was just a brief fling. We parted more than half a year ago!” Zack threw up his hands. “I never expected her to appear at my office and make a scene.”
Dean blew out a breath. “No wonder Renee’s upset. You’ve got to clean up your own mess, little brother.”
“I know.” Zack took the plates and smiled. “I’m not going to mess this up, Dean. She’s mine. I’m not letting her go.”
Dean wiped his hands on his apron and clapped his younger brother on the back. “Go. Feed your lady and make her feel better. I’ll keep myself busy in the kitchen. Holler when you’re ready for dessert.”
“No, you don’t have to wait on us. I can wash up and lock up for you,” Zack said.
“I’ve got work to do in here,” Dean said with a shrug. “Experimenting with some new dishes. Maybe you two can be my guinea-pigs.”
“I’ll eat anything you cook,” Zack said stoutly. “You know that.”
Dean laughed. “My baby brother is my biggest fan, and my biggest investor.” His expression turned serious. “If you hadn’t provided the capital, I wouldn’t have been able to open this restaurant. I owe you, Zack...”
“What the hell are you talking about? You don’t owe me a single thing. And it’s an investment,” Zack corrected. “Don’t forget, I’m a businessman. I only invest in ventures that are profitable.”
“It wasn’t profitable at the beginning,” Dean reminded him.
Zack smirked. “Long term investments yield the best returns, my brother.”
Billionaire Boss Bear: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Bad Bears Book 1) Page 6
