Page 23 of Zimyra

“No. I didn’t know you were there until I walked in. Should I have left, your majesty?”

“Ugh…don’t do that.”

He smirks. “Don’t do what?”

“The sarcasm. It’s unbecoming.”

“Only because you don’t like me, but it is what it is.”

“Look, Axel—”

“Oh!” he butts in. “It’s okay for you to call me Axel, but I have to beprofessional.”

“Okay…Mr. Jennings—I don’t want any issues out of you or Mauricio. Both of you can start tomorrow, but if y’all don’t pass the background check, you’re both out on your tails. I will call the police if I have to. Got it?”

“There you go again threatening somebody with the cops.”

“Got it?” I ask, ignoring his rant.

“Yes, ma’am!” he says and salutes me, then an evil-looking smile forms on his radiant face as he lowers his hand.

Ugh.

“Can you leave now?” I asked, but it came out more like a demand.

“I’ll walk you out.”

My face contorts. “You’ll walk who out?”

“You.”

“I don’t need you or anybody else to walk me out.”

“Okay, Ms. Independent.”

“Leave before I change my mind about giving you a job.”

He doesn’t move. He just stands there staring at me. The silence is so loud, I can hear thetick, tick, tickof the large round clock on the wall.

“What happened to the cordial, sweet woman I met last Monday.”

“You screwed her over and now she no longer exists…for you, that is.”

“Okay, well if we’re going to be working together, Ms. St. Claire, I think we need to start with a clean slate. I apologize for wasting your time. Going forward, I will be more considerate of your time.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Can we shake on it?”

Yeah…anything to get you out of my office.

I reach to accept his hand. He squeezes mine with his large, strong one. His handshake is firm and impressive, but I had no reason to think it would not have been. Everything else about him is impressive. Well, physically. I’m not sure what’s going on in that head of his.

I pull my hand back when I realize he has no intention of releasing it.

He says, “See you tomorrow.”

“Yep. Nine o’clock.”

---