“Yeah, respect. And money. But there is one other thing.”
“What?” I say with creased brows.
“I almost hate to bring it up. You don’t want to be the latest gossip girl.”
“Oh, please.” I wave my hand at her. “It’s not like I’m dating Brad Pitt.”
~~~
I barge into the apartment on Friday morning and show Lia my bank receipt. “It’s here. It’s here!” Lia comes out of the bathroom, tilting her head to one side against a towel, her hair wet and falling over her shoulders.
I bound up next to her and show her my bank balance: $50,011.42.
“That’s shocking.” Her mouth is agape.
“I know. I never thought I would actually see it.” I smile at her.
“Not the fifty thousand. The fact that you had $11.42 left in your account.” She smirks.
I swipe the receipt across her shoulder and laugh. “I know,” I say, wagging my head at her with wide eyes. “It was pretty bad. I got this just in time. But I ain’t poor no more, Lia. Today is our day to celebrate. Shopping day,” I say in a high trailing voice.
Lia and I spend all day at the mall replenishing our wardrobes, neglected due to a serious lack of funds. She has been struggling to pay her tuition for nursing school. She has a little help from her parents, but they aren’t rich and they don’t know she was helping me pay the rent. Her dad owns an auto repair shop in New Jersey, and her mother is a beautician. She has one brother in the military. They are just keeping their heads above water, helping Lia with her tuition. Had they known she was helping me with rent, she wouldn’t have heard the end of it until she found a new roommate. But Lia stuck with me through it all, and now I am going to treat her.
If everything goes as planned, and Kalin Davis is not a kinky strange sex fiend as Lia still suspects, then I plan on paying for a large chunk of her tuition. But I want to be sure before I get her hopes up. Kalin Davis could fire me, or he could have a dark dungeon in his mansion that would leave me screaming for the hills.
Lia pulls the shopping bags from the car and strolls toward the door. Before we can open the door, the smooth roar of an Italian motorbike makes our heads turn with curiosity. The stranger roars up to the apartment drive. No one who lives here can afford bike like that. Not unless they’ve stolen it.
We are both excited to see who the tall figure is, driving the impressive piece of machinery. He sweeps his long leg over the bike and stands for a moment, pulling black gloves off of his large hands. His shoulders are incredibly broad, and his long, muscular frame dwarfs the sleek machinery behind him. He pulls his helmet off and runs his long fingers through his wavy brown hair. I recognize him immediately.
“Kalin Davis? What are you doing here?” My voice is throaty. Lia and I bump shoulders as we both glow like love-smitten schoolgirls.
Lia tilts her head slightly toward me and twists her mouth into a whisper. “Holy heaven. In his case, maybe he can stalk you.”
“I wanted to see you today,” Kalin says. “You could say I’m checking up on my investment.”
Lia gapes at me, and I shove her away.
“You mean the bonus?”
“Yes, I wanted to congratulate you myself.” He lifts the saddlebag and hands me a smaller helmet, obviously designed for a woman. “Let’s go for a ride and celebrate.” A seductive smile moves across his mouth.
“I don’t know. I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before. It could be dangerous.”
“It is dangerous, Annabelle. But I’m an experienced rider, and you’re in good hands. Just follow my lead.”
“That’s a beautiful bike, Mr. Davis. Titanium piston rods, carbon fiber bodywork, adjustable suspension and traction control, racing exhaust, two hundred horsepower. Light, fast, powerful. Not a machine for the faint of heart.” Lia smiles.
Kalin presses his fingers over his jaw in a curious expression. “You certainly know your machines, Lia.”
“My father is a mechanic. He’s worked on everything from cars to racing bikes. I spent a lot of time in the garage.” She smiles proudly.
“This machine’s power can be intimidating, and must be handled by only the best riders.” He smiles at me, and I blush. “In the normal course of things, like street riding, it must remain tame, but on the track it begs to be let loose.” I glance down and pull my knees together.
“The fastest production bike ever made.” Lia adds.
“That’s right, Miss Marzella.”
“It sounds dangerous.” I pout.
“Don’t worry, Annabelle. We won’t be going two hundred miles an hour on the highway. It’s a racing bike, but street legal. It comes in handy when I need to commute to New York,” he says with a confident grin. He hands me the helmet. Turning to Lia, he gives her a reassuring nod. “I’ll have her back soon.”
Lia crosses her arms and shuffles her feet.
I clumsily put the helmet on, trying to figure out what goes where as Lia looks on, amused.
Kalin moves his large hands to adjust my helmet and strap it properly in place. My eyes linger on his mouth as he explains the mechanics to me. His lips are so full, firm, and sensual. His dark whiskers outline his strong jaw. God, he looks so rugged and sexy in his leather motorcycle gear. Blood courses through my veins in a mix of excitement and dread.
“Hold onto me and just follow my lead. If we take a corner, lean in with me gently. Don’t let go of me and don’t take your feet off the passenger pegs.” His eyes brighten as he checks my helmet. “You look adorable.” He smiles. “Now get on,” he commands me.
The bike looks smaller next to Kalin. But up close it’s much larger and more intimidating. I throw my leg over the seat but stop short of straddling the wide bike. Lia is bouncing with amusement now. I wrap my arms around Kalin and push myself over the bike seat, using his sturdy body to anchor myself in. “Sorry, just getting adjusted,” I say with a wince.
“Don’t apologize, Annabelle. You’re going to have to hold on to me a lot tighter than that when we open up.”
Open up? Holy crap.
Kalin presses his hand over mine against his waist, and turns his head slightly. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I bleat.
After flipping a few switches, Kalin presses a button and revs up the powerful engine beneath us. I take a deep breath and hold on as excitement tingles through my body. He pushes the kickstand up. I press against him tighter, and Lia waves at me before we zoom off onto the road.
Kalin passes cars on the road, and my fear gives way to excitement as the warm air caresses my skin. My body feels weightless as we accelerate on the road. Kalin takes the expressway heading east. The lightness beneath me makes it feel like I am flying. Pushing the bike to the left lane, Kalin opens up on the throttle, sending a rush of excitement through me. My heart is in my mouth and my pulse pounds in my ears as he accelerates faster and faster, passing car after car.
The bike bullets down the expressway faster and I hold onto his waist for dear life, leaning into him to anchor myself against a freefall sensation rushing through me.
“Where are we going?” I scream through the deep roar of the bike.
“A little place I have west of here. You’ll love it.” Kalin expertly commands the bike across lanes to an exit before slowing. My heart is beating against his body, and the sensation thrills me. I lean my head against his back and pull into him to reposition myself. Elegant homes surrounded by lush greenery, colorful flowers, sun filled meadows, gardens, winding stone terraces, and majestic trees pass through my vision. I breathe in the fresh air and sweet scents of fruit trees and flowers mixed with the pleasant, clean scent of Kalin. He turns into a drive and an electronic gate opens for us. Slowing the bike to a thundering growl, he pushes the kickstand out and plants his feet down. He turns the engine off and pushes off the bike. Turning to me, he offers me his arm, and I brace my body against him. He lifts me off with one strong pull and sets me on the ground. I lift the helmet off and sha
ke my hair out, glowing like a teenager. “That was awesome!”
“I told you. The sensation of complete freedom. The closest thing to flying.”
“It felt like we were flying,” I beam.
I feel so invigorated and alive. Kalin places the helmets on the bike, and waves of salty air drift over me. “Where are we?” I ask.
“This is my vacation spot. We are in Southampton, New York. We’re just yards from some of the most pristine beaches in America. This house has its own private deeded access to the beach.”
“You own the beach?”
“Yes, I guess that’s another way of putting it.” He smiles. “It’s motivating, isn’t it, Annabelle?”
“It’s amazing.”
“This is all part of your training. This is what success is. I want you to look at it, feel it, smell it. When you do your job bigger and better, you get bigger and better things. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I mean, I guess so. Talk about bigger and better. This place is beautiful! My God, Kalin, how many of these houses do you own?”
“Just three. I have a place in Colorado too. Do you ski?”
“No, I never have.” I twist my mouth in a tinge of embarrassment.
“Do you play tennis?”
“Yes.” I smile, finally not feeling out of place.
“This house has a tennis court and a squash court, in addition to a sixty-foot heated pool. It is very relaxing, and a nice break from the city.” He puts his arm out. “Shall we?”
Kalin walks me through the lush green landscape. He pushes a few buttons on the security system and opens the door. The interior is warm and sunny, with large windows and a view of the waterfront to the bay. “The ocean is a block over.”
We pass through the house, lined with antique rugs and beautiful hardwood floors, to two large sliding-glass doors that open to a garden terrace.
He strolls across the gardens and lush landscaping to a boat dock. “You can hear the beauty of this place. It is so sublime.” A large luxury yacht is located in the boat dock.
“Oh, my God. Is that yours?” I ask in a quaking voice.
“I got it shortly after I bought the house. Why live next to the ocean without a boat? C’mon,” he says, clasping my hand. He extends the stairs and whisks me inside the boat. We step into a spacious entertainment room that is much larger than my apartment, with two long, modern sofas neatly facing over a sleek coffee table. Love seats, serving tables, and end tables are scattered stylishly across the luxurious room. Toward the end is a mini bar. Above is a retractable glass ceiling. The next room over has a large dining area, and up above is a spacious sundeck with a Jacuzzi pool.
“We have clients all over the world, Annabelle. This puts them in the right state of mind when encouraging them to sign on with us.” He smiles.
“This place is just like a house. I can’t feel the water beneath me or anything.” I sit on the sofa. “It’s huge.”
“It has a modern stabilization anchor. It feels like we are on land.”
“Is this where you take all of your girlfriends to impress them?” I tease.
“You’d be surprised, Annabelle. This is a business asset, used primarily for clients and business deals. We aim to impress.” He winks. “Besides, I’m not the playboy you think I am.”
“No? I find that hard to believe. Rich, good-looking, single.” I simper.
“Rich, good-looking, and engaged.”
“You’re getting married?”
He chuckles. “After the other night? No, Annabelle. But I was engaged at one time.”
“Mr. Kalin Davis, engaged?”
“Yes. We didn’t tell anyone about it, to stay out of the gossip channels. But I was madly in love, and ready to get married and raise a family.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Kalin steps away for a few seconds and turns away from me. His usual confident expression has clouded. “My fiancée was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly before we were to be married.” Kalin turns back to me, his demeanor darkened and sad. “We delayed the wedding and focused all of our resources on treatment. But it was too late. It was already spreading. There was nothing we could do.” Kalin’s strong, broad shoulders slump slightly, and I feel an aching heaviness in my chest, mixed with shock.
“Oh, my God. I am so sorry, Kalin.”
“I was in love with her, trying to save her. I couldn’t believe something could be taken away so fast. Your very life.”
Kalin glances at me with an air of sadness. “Have you ever been in love, Annabelle?”
I shrug and shake my head. “No. I’ve only been in one serious relationship, if you could even call it that. I was dating Lia’s boyfriend’s best friend. We were struggling financially, and he enlisted in the military. It really kind of ended the relationship. But I wasn’t in love with him. We were just dating. Lia’s pretty serious with Trevor, though. I think they plan on getting married.”
“She sounds like a good friend.”
“She’s been the best. She’s come through for me in more ways than I can count. She’s always there for me. She’s even helped me financially.” I dip my head down slightly. “I want to pay her back, but I want to make sure I actually have this job first.”
“Why would you say that?” His lips part slightly.
“You have to understand, Kalin, this is more money than I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s probably more money than I even need. So I want to help her with her tuition for nursing school.” I swallow hard and glance at my hands. “But she suspects that you may have ulterior motives in hiring me.”
“What do you mean?” he says with an amused smile.
“You know what I mean.” I furrow my brows at him.
“Oh, Annabelle, you are full of surprises. Do you want to know why I hired you?” His large brown eyes meet mine.
“Yes. I want to know why you didn’t hire an executive with decades of experience, or a hotshot Harvard MBA who knows way more about running a business than I ever will,” I pout.
Kalin takes a deep breath. “There are several reasons that I hired you. Which reason would you like?”
“The real one,” I say glancing up at him.
“Okay. The truth. The real reason…” he adds, tilting his head toward me, “that I hired you is because I trust you. I can teach you this business, Annabelle. I can teach you how to gain clients, and I can teach you the secrets to great advertising. I can teach you how to take over markets. I can teach you how to be successful. But I cannot teach you integrity, or virtue, or trustworthiness.”
Kalin pulls his eyes away from mine, and takes a few steps away from me. He moves his fingers over his jaw.
“When my fiancée was diagnosed with cancer, I took several months off from my position to try and find a treatment. From the moment she was diagnosed, we knew she didn’t have much time. I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. I didn’t want to be bothered with my company, or work, or anything else. I was entirely focused on two things: getting her the best treatment, and spending as much time with her as possible.”
Kalin suddenly turns his head and swipes at tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, now moist and red.
I straighten toward him on the sofa. “You don’t need to talk about this, Kalin.”
“It’s the only way I can get you to understand why I hired you.” He gives me a sidelong glance and peers out the window toward the water. “The board of directors felt that I was taking too much time off from the company. They felt my personal life was overwhelming my attention to the company, and voted to oust me from my position.”
My face tightens with disgust. “What? But your fiancée was dying?”
“They wanted me out of the company. They wanted more control of the company. So they voted me out, and during that time they voted for increased executive pay, including cash bonuses for executive meetings, and higher salaries. Keep in mind some of these guys work about twenty hours a month on the b
oard, and are paid several million dollars, in addition to pension benefits after termination.”
I shake my head in disbelief and look down. “That’s horrible.”
“I had neither the time nor the desire to deal with them. I was focused on getting my fiancée cured, and helping her cope. It was a sacred moment for me, really. Wanting to be with her. Wanting her to get better.”
Kalin turns to me, his eyes misty and sad. “And then, this…goddamn distraction. They knew I wouldn’t have any interest in disputing their claims. Not with everything that was happening. So they took full advantage of my extended time off, and voted to replace me with someone who was friendlier to the board members’ wishes. Of course, they sold this to the shareholders as something that was good for the company, when quite the opposite was true.”
Kalin takes a deep breath and glances down. “She died shortly after all of this transpired. Since I didn’t have my position as chairman and CEO anymore, I took some time to travel. I visited some of the places we had traveled as a couple. Parts of Europe, the Greek Isles. I just took some time to think and to grieve. I probably wasn’t able to keep my mind on business anyway.” His eyes dash to mine. “They were probably right about that part.” He steps away again. “But that wasn’t their motive. As chairman, I made sure executive pay was linked to company performance. I also made sure executives weren’t given tenure as part of their contract.”
His eyes find mine again. “I wouldn’t hesitate to fire them.” He exhales a small snicker. “I made a few enemies. Meanwhile, as I was traveling, and taking some time off to just get myself together, the company’s profits and reputation were dwindling. What made this company strong was missing. You see, Annabelle, it’s not about us. It’s about the company, the employees, the clients. We can pay ourselves exorbitant amounts of cash,” he says with a bemused smile and hands outstretched. “As long as we earn it.” His eyes bore into mine. “They didn’t earn it. And they know I would have fired them.”
Undeniably His Page 5
