by Lexy Timms
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know.”
There was a sincerity in the way he apologized. I reached for the glass of water in front of me and took a sip as I processed what was going on. Friendly. Jimmy was trying to be friendly. Was he trying to get to know me? Wasn’t this supposed to be a business discussion?
Did he expect me to ask him these sorts of questions back?
“What about your family?” I asked. “Do they live here?”
“I grew up on the outskirts of Miami, but I don’t have a close relationship with my parents. They were very traditional, and I wasn’t. My father wanted me to be a blue-collar worker. Get my hands dirty. Earn an honest living. That sort of thing. My father was unemployed for most of his life, and it made things hard on us. My mother couldn’t work because of things she suffered with, and I resented my father a lot of the time. They did the best they could, but it wasn’t a glamorous life.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay. Not everyone has good relationships with their parents. I try to reach out when I can. Presents at Christmas and on their birthdays. Cards on the other holidays. But that’s the extent of our relationship.”
“I try to visit my mother whenever I can.”
“That’s a good thing. Are you close with your mother?” he asked.
“I’d like to think I am.”
“What part of Miami did you grow up in?” he asked.
“In the middle of downtown, actually. I hated it. The apartment was way too expensive, but my father loved it.”
“You knew the price of your apartment as a child?” he asked.
“I wasn’t supposed to, but when you’re in an apartment, fights don’t have to travel as far to get to others’ ears.”
I took another sip of my water as Jimmy locked his eyes onto me.
“How did you start your company?” I asked.
I didn’t want to talk about my family any longer. It was too painful.
“In my dorm room at college, actually,” he said. “Ross was my dorm room buddy.”
“So that’s how you two met.”
“That’s the story,” he said with a grin. “We were inseparable too. Took a lot of the same classes because we were both getting business degrees.”
“Where did you attend college?”
“University of California at Berkeley. You?”
“I got my accounting and mathematics degrees from Notre Dame.”
“Why does it not shock me that you went to one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation and got a double bachelor’s?” he asked with a smile.
“Because I’m an unfailing nerd who’s unashamed of it,” I said.
“It’s a good quality to have. People who are ashamed of who they are never blossom when the time is right. They’re always second-guessing themselves. It’s one of the main character traits that fuels a lack of confidence.”
“Are you a psychologist now?” I asked.
“I dabble. I read a lot of books based out of the subject. Ross teases me about it. Says I would’ve been a great psychiatrist if I wasn’t such a shrewd businessman.”
“I’m sure you excel in whatever you do, Jimmy.”
The conversation came to a halt when his name rolled off my tongue. It felt so natural. So uninhibited. For a moment there, I wasn’t sitting with my boss. I was sitting with a friend. A good friend. A friend I had known for years. I looked up at him as my lips parted in shock.
“I’m sorry. Mr. Sheldon, I meant.”
“No need to correct yourself, Ashley. We aren’t in a business setting right now,” he said.
“Shouldn’t we be, though? Isn’t this a business luncheon?” I asked.
Plates of food were set in front of us as I furrowed my brow in confusion.
“I don’t remember ordering.”
“This isn’t the type of restaurant where you order,” Jimmy said. “You come in and sit down, and the menu that has been planned for lunch is served to you as they make it.”
“Ah. A place with no prices on the menu. Good thing you’re buying.”
“You could buy if you took the job. Just throwing that out there,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said breathlessly. “I could. So, um, you started the company in your dorm room?”
“Yes. I did. Ross and I had this insane idea to create one of those websites that sells products directly to consumers from the warehouses. That’s how we got our start. We made this dinky little website and used a lot of precoded nonsense to make it happen. It was Ross’s salesman capabilities that got us up and running. People could go to our website and buy designer goods directly from the warehouses at much cheaper prices, and that’s how we both paid for our college educations.”
“All of it,” I said.
“Every penny of it.”
“I just got done paying off the student loans I still had to take out even after all the scholarships that were thrown at me. You’re lucky,” I said.
“I was creative. There’s a difference. I don’t believe in luck. Someone who seems lucky is simply someone who has manipulated the world around them to suit their growing needs.”
“So how did you manipulate the world to get a woman like Nina to stay on your arm?” I asked.
His fork stopped halfway to his mouth, and I wondered if I’d screwed up again. His eyes whipped up to mine, and he set his food down and then reached for his glass of water. He took a long pull from it, his eyes closing as he did. I saw the tension roll over his body, and I knew I’d messed up.
Why did I always have to mess up?
“Nina is not what you think she is,” Jimmy said.
“Is she not your girlfriend or something?” I asked.
“She is but for a purpose.”
“I still don’t follow.”
“When Ross and I built our headquarters in Miami, we dug ourselves into a lot of debt. We knew it would take several clients in order to dig us out of the loans we had to take out for the place. So I sat down one evening and started thinking about some of my idols in the business world. Mark Cuban. Daymond John. Warren Buffett. I started a list of all those things those men had in common, and then I made a promise to make sure I had all of them before I went out to find more clients. And one of the things they had in common was a wife. Or a girlfriend. Or some sort of woman they had dedicated themselves to.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure how this doesn’t make Nina your girlfriend,” I said.
“Nina and I struck up an arrangement of sorts. She was fun to be around and had some debt she needed to pay off, and I needed a date for an event that was around the corner. I saw how well she worked in that environment, and we continued with our arrangement. We spend time together in public, and we cultivate a relationship, but it’s based on two needs we have that are separate from the other person.”
“So, you pay Nina to go with you to these functions and play your girlfriend?” I asked.
“I have to show these clients and the businessmen of this world that I’m a commitment kind of guy. Nina provides that, but that’s the extent of our relationship.”
“And you pay off her debts or whatever in return,” I said.
“I do.”
“Sorry, just trying to process?”
“Is that a question?” he asked.
“Is it bad that I don’t feel as bad about our night spent together anymore?”
“I didn’t realize you felt bad about it in the first place.”
“You didn’t realize that after our encounter in your office?” I asked.
“Maybe I understood it a little bit, but it wasn’t like I could catch you. You disappeared pretty quickly before I could explain myself.”
“I was overwhelmed, to say the least.”
“And you have every right to be. I’m sorry for coming onto you like that. You’re a beautiful woman, but that didn’t negate the requirement for me to be a gentleman. There were many things I didn't agree wit
h my parents on, but how to treat a woman was not one of them.”
“Your apology is accepted. I think it was in there somewhere,” I said with a grin.
“Ashley, we need you. Our company is about to dive into a venture that could get us in way over our heads. And if it goes well, the investors are going to need an accountant they trust. Someone who only has access to them and only deals with what they need. And if you take this job, if you let me file this paperwork you’ve already signed, I won’t ever put you in another position that makes you feel uncomfortable. You have my word on that.”
I turned my eyes back out to the ocean as the fury of the storm encompassed us. The wind whipped along the windows and howled against the side of the building. The entire conversation was overwhelming. It was comfortable and tangible. It was sweet and playful. And then it smoothed into the one thing that would solve all my immediate problems with the grace of a swan.
It greatly contrasted the anger raging beyond the window of our table.
“If the job is still on the table, then I’ll take it,” I said.
The smile that grew on Jimmy’s face made my heart flutter.
“To a wonderful new partnership,” he said as he raised his water glass.
“To a wonderful new journey,” I said.
Then we clinked glasses, ate our first course, and dove back into our conversation. And not once was work mentioned again.
Chapter 15
Jimmy
“Hello, Jimmy.”
“Nina. How’s your morning going?” I asked.
“Going well,” she said with a yawn.
“Are you still in bed?”
“Does it matter to you where I am?” she asked. “What do you need?”
“I’m calling because I’m meeting with a client today. A very important one. And I need you to meet me here so we can go to him.”
“Ah, one of those clients. But I can’t today.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“I have plans that I’ve moved three times because of you. I can’t move them another time. Otherwise, they’re going to be very upset.”
“Then I’ll call them myself. But I need you here.”
“Jimmy, I can’t make it. I’m sorry.”
“With all due respect, if you want your money, then you’re going to have to come help me. This is the nature of our arrangement. You knew this going in.”
“I know that,” she said. “But I didn’t realize how much you would need me all the time. It’s getting to be a bit much.”
“Then we can end our arrangement, and you can go find a job,” I said.
“Or you could increase what you’re giving me a month.”
“This negotiation doesn’t happen right before a meeting, and before you ask me why the answer is ‘because I said so.’ I need you here at five o’clock dressed in something sharp. This client is huge, and if I can nail him, then it—”
“Fine, fine. I’ll cancel my plans for the fourth time. But if they’re upset, I’m sending them your way.”
“Good. It’ll be nice to know who’s more important than your job,” I said.
I hung up the phone and put my head in my hands. No? Who in the world did Nina think she was? This was the sum of our relationship. She got a free ride through life on my dime if she came when I called. And she felt like she could say no? She’d never said no to me before. What the hell had changed?
What made her think she was the one running this show?
I tried to distract myself with work for the rest of the day. I rushed Ashley’s paperwork down to Human Resources and told them to put an urgent priority on this. I wanted Ashley working her new job by Monday with the adjusted salary in place. I wanted all hands on deck for when I walked out with my win this afternoon.
Because with Nina on my arm and a shark on my tongue, there was no way I was losing this.
I heard Nina’s high heels clicking around the corner. She walked into the room, and I could feel her heated gaze on me. I pointed to the chair in the room, and she sat down. Then, I finished up what I was doing before I looked up.
“That a new dress?” I asked.
“I bought it in New York, yes,” she said.
“I like the white jacket. Looks like you killed your children’s puppies to have it made.”
“Anything to make me look intimidating, right?” she asked.
“Come on,” I said. “We’re meeting this client for dinner, and he doesn't like to be kept waiting.”
“Who is it?” she asked. “The client, I mean.”
“The owner of a massive hotel chain that could put us on the map in smaller luxury goods. You ready?”
I offered my hand to her, and she took it, rising up delicately from her seat. Nina walked with a poise that was unprecedented, but she still had that defiant look in her eye. I hoped she could keep it under wraps for this dinner. If I blew it with this client, I only had one more shot at breaking into the hotel chain industry.
And Ross had worked hard to score me these meetings.
The ride to dinner was silent. I could tell she was still angry with me, but I didn’t care. There was no formal contract between us, but I kept our emails back and forth at the beginning of this. There was a paper trail of what was expected of her. And what was expected was that she came when I called, no questions asked.
“Why does everyone insist on eating at Zuma?” Nina asked.
“Because the atmosphere is calm and quiet, a great place to do business,” I said.
“But there’s nothing on the menu I enjoy from there, and their salads are lacking in anything decent,” she said.
“Then don’t eat. That’s how I assume you keep your figure. But we’re already late for this meeting, and I don’t want to keep him waiting any longer.”
She glared at me as I held my hand out for her. A few cameramen standing outside started taking pictures, and I put on my best smile. Nina was a professional at smiling for the cameras. She could turn from Satan to Santa in a heartbeat. I threaded her arm around mine, and we gave them a few smiles before I led her up the steps and into the restaurant.
One more hour of conversation and I could consider this client sealed.
“Jimmy! Nina! How nice of you to finally show.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Devotee, but work kept me held up,” I said.
“Nonsense,” Nina said. “He simply lost track of time.”
I shot my eyes over to Nina as she smiled at our client.
“Honesty! Now there’s a novel idea in the world of business. Miss Black, you look lovely as ever. Lends a charm to Jimmy’s stoic face.”
“He never smiles,” Nina said. “Probably because he isn’t getting enough lately.”
I gripped down onto her arm as I led her to the table. I bent my lips down to her ear to kiss the side of her face. I placed my hand lovingly behind her chair as she slid her furry fucking coat from her arms, and then I growled ceaselessly in her ear.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
“Playing ball,” Nina said. “Don’t you want to step up to bat?”
I had no idea what the hell she thought I was doing, but she needed to reign it in. If she thought I was going to pay her for this kind of attitude, she was sorely mistaken.
“Mr. Sheldon, I’m the kind of man who wants to get right to it.”
“I don’t blame you, Mr. Devotee. I, myself, enjoy that tactic as well.”
“In all areas of his life,” Nina said under her breath.
“What was that?” Mr. Devotee said.
“Nothing,” I said. “Nina’s having a moment. You’ll have to excuse her.”
“Women. I get it. Can’t live with them, and we certainly can’t live with them,” he said. “Your partner tells me you’ve got some things you could offer my hotel to spruce it up a bit.”
“That I do, sir. In addition to our big play toys, we’ve got smaller ones as well.”
“Which suit him per
fectly,” Nina said.
I shot her a look, no longer hiding my anger with her as our client looked between the two of us.
“Should I give you guys some privacy?” he asked.
“Not at all,” I said. “I guess it’s time I come clean, though. Nina and I don’t have a perfect relationship.”
“Don’t worry. Those cameras can’t fool us,” Mr. Devotee said. “Anyway, your guy said something about steam rooms and luxury hot tubs? What constitutes a luxury hot tub?”
“Most hot tubs have two components. Grooved edges for people to sit on and jets. A luxury hot tub expands upon that. The grooves are padded with waterproof pads to make the sitting more comfortable. The power of the jets is adjustable. You can choose the number of jets you want for the hot tub as well as add things like drink holders and such. But a top-of-the-line hot tub has—”
Nina let out a bombastic yawn, interrupting the conversation I was having with my future client.
“Are we boring you?” I asked.
I watched as Nina took off her heel and then brought her foot into her lap as she began to massage it. My client was mortified, and so was I. If we hadn’t been in a crowd of people, I would have fired Nina on the spot. What the fuck was wrong with her? What the hell was she doing?
“Sorry. My foot hurts. Heels are murder on my feet lately,” Nina said.
“Mr. Devotee. Why don’t we go get a drink at the bar? My treat. We can talk there while my love ... gathers herself,” I said.
“I know, I know. Always wanting me to be someone I’m not in public. It really is a drag, though. I can be a lot of fun,” she said.
“What’s she talking about?” Mr. Devotee asked.
“Nothing. We had a fight earlier about her coming to the meeting. I wanted her to meet my newest client in person,” I said with a grin.
“Well, I can assure you that client isn’t me. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I expected something a little more formal.”
“Mr. Devotee, if we slip away and get a drink at the bar—”
“I’m hungry. I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m eating dinner. The two of you can leave now. And make sure she gets her shoe back on.”
