Unwanted Heat

Nicholas

“I’m sorry… you did what, Nicholas?” Alex asks.

“I suggested that Kenzie and I terminate our contract with Bridget and enter into a new arrangement privately.”

“One in which she agrees to marry you?”

“Yes.”

“What did she say?”

“She hasn’t given me a decision yet; she asked for some time to think about it.”

“Why change things? I thought what you had was working.”

“The press, Alex-plain and simple. They won’t fucking leave me alone, and now it’s affecting my business. Our employees don’t have confidence in me; if I don’t change things fast, I’m afraid they are going to start looking for jobs elsewhere. You know we can’t afford to have everyone suddenly quit; it would destroy our business. It’s taken me too long to build PFS up to where it is today. A mass exit of employees will bring me back to square one. I will lose all the ground we’ve gained in this industry; I will lose everything-”

“I’m sure not everything-”From NôvelDrama.Org.

“Everything! We will become the little man that the larger companies eat and spit out. We won’t have anything to offer that’s different from other companies when we present our proposals. I won’t be able to continue the charitable donations that I have promised to various places. Last week alone, I just donated two hundred thousand dollars to the pediatric unit of the hospital. What do I say the next time they call when PFS begins to go belly up? I’m sorry, I can’t help the sick children get the medications they need because I can’t keep a woman happy?” “Nicholas…” For once I believe Alex is speechless.

“This isn’t just about me, Alex. If it were, I would stop taking a paycheck, if it meant I could continue with the promises I have made. But this isn’t about me. This is about hundreds of people losing their jobs and charities having to go without because I can’t afford to make a donation. I had no choice-I needed to do something to get the press off my back and to leave PFS the fuck alone.”

“And you think marrying Kenzie will accomplish this?”

“For a time, yes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not fucking stupid. I know this isn’t going to solve my problems forever. I need a temporary fix; just long enough for them to back off so I can come up with another plan. I think someone is feeding the press lies about me or maybe they’re pushing the press to focus on me. I can’t be sure, but it takes time to dig into something like that. I need the press to leave me alone so PFS can be successful while I try to figure everything else out. I think marrying Kenzie will get me that time.”

“You trust Kenzie enough to let her move in with you?”

“I do.”

“You’re not worried?”

“No, I told you I trust Kenzie.”

“It’s not a bad idea… besides who knows, maybe it’ll develop into something more. You might not want things to end when the time comes. She’s better for you than-”

“There’s no emotions involved, Alex. I mean, sure we care about each other as friends, but that’s it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Does she feel the same way?”

“I… I think so. I mean, she agreed that she saw us as friends and not just as a business arrangement. The weekend she spent with me when I was sick brought us closer.”

“What if she starts feeling more towards you? Living with someone day in and day out can change things. What happens then?”

“It won’t; you don’t know her. You don’t know what she’s been through. She’s sworn off men just as much as I’ve sworn off women.”

“You’re right, I don’t know Kenzie. I just want you to consider the chance that one of you could develop feelings towards the other beyond friendship.”

“Won’t happen.”

“We’ll see. So, when is she getting back to you about this marriage idea?”

“I don’t know. She asked me for some time. I don’t want to bug her about it, but I’m hoping she decides soon. We’re attending a charity event tomorrow evening, so I know I’ll at least see her then.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Nicholas. This could backfire, and you both could end up getting hurt. It took a long time for you to get your head out of your ass after Harper; I don’t know that I can pull it out if it happens again.”

“It won’t.”

I barely get anything done the rest of the day; I can’t focus on anything except what Kenzie might be thinking about. I keep wondering if I should have added more to the prenup agreement-maybe she’s expecting more in it. I purposely did not include a lump sum payment at the dissolve of the marriage as I thought she would find that insulting. Instead, I stuck with material items that I could give her that would help her reach her dreams. She had two goals, she told me as the reasons she entered into the contract with Bridget: finding a safer place to live and going back to school. Those were the two things I’ve included in the prenup agreement, but now I’m second guessing myself.

Should I have offered a weekly “paycheck” for her to spend on whatever she wants? I didn’t include that because my thought was she would use my account for any purchases she wanted to make, but maybe she would want to keep her independence and maintain her own bank account? I’ve offered to change anything in the prenup she wants; hopefully she will feel comfortable enough to ask for those things if that’s what she wants.

After my meeting with Alex, I head back to Accord Towers deciding to work the remainder of the day from there since I’m not getting anything done at PFS. Working from home is no different though; I can’t seem to concentrate on anything in front of me.

Are you free to meet tonight? Kenzie

Anytime Nicholas

What time do you get home? -Kenzie

I’m home Nicholas

Are you free now? Kenzie

Yes Nicholas

I’ll come up now in a few minutes. Kenzie

“Carter!” I call out, my voice mixed with excitement and nervousness.

“Yes, sir?”

“Kenzie will be coming up soon. Can you meet her on her floor and escort her up?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Julie!”

“Mr. Parker?” Julie responds just as quickly as Carter did.

“Kenzie is on her way up; I don’t know if she will be staying for dinner but I’d like you to prepare two dishes if she does.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Also, can you bring in some wine and crackers or fruit or something to go with it?”

“Yes, sir, I’ll be back momentarily.”

Just before I hear the elevator ding, Julie finishes setting up a small tray of snacks with a bottle of wine in my office. I’m not suggesting that we’re going to be celebrating anything, as I don’t want to presume to know what Kenzie’s decision will be, but I want to be able to offer her something if she’s hungry.

I was surprised last night when Carter told me she contacted him wanting to pick up a bottle of wine. Kenzie isn’t a drinker. In fact, she has never requested a drink when we’ve been out; she only accepts one if offered. I don’t know if she wanted a glass of wine to relax and help her make a decision or if she was trying to let a little of her past go. Whatever the reason, I thought it might be helpful to have some here to offer her. I probably should have done this yesterday when I first proposed this new arrangement; I was too fucking nervous to even think about that. Nicholas Parker… nervous. Nicholas Parker doesn’t do nervous; I’m in control of too much to be nervous.

“Mr. Parker, Ms. Rose has arrived,” Carter informs me just as Julie slips out of my office.

“Kenzie, please come in,” I gesture to the chair where she sat just yesterday afternoon, which for some reason seems like a lifetime ago. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Please,” she says, sitting down.

I hand her the glass of wine with a shaking hand; I can’t remember the last time I was ever this unsure of myself. If she says no to this new arrangement, I don’t know what I will do to save PFS. I can only hope that she isn’t saying no; maybe she just has questions or wants something else besides the condo and her schooling paid for. At this point she could ask me for anything and I would give it to her if it meant she would agree to the arrangement.

“So…” I have no idea how to begin this conversation.

“I had a couple of questions…” she rings her hands in her lap letting me know that she is just as nervous as I am, although I’m not sure why she would be nervous seeing that I’m the one with everything riding on this proposal.

“I thought you might,” I can’t help but smile as I try to break the tension between us. “Let’s start at the beginning. Are you in agreement to the length of the proposed marriage?”

“Yes… I mean it seems to make sense. We need to stay married for a minimum of eighteen months unless it is mutually agreed upon that we divorce prior to that time.”

“Correct, essentially it leaves an opening if my team is able to resolve the issue with the press, but if we can’t, the marriage still appears long enough to not raise suspicion. I want to point out, though, that it’s a minimum of eighteen months; it’s very possible we would need to maintain this arrangement longer.”

“I understand… but I would like to add a clause that enables the arrangement to be ended prior to the eighteen month time frame.”

“What sort of a clause?”

“I… I want an out clause,” she says so quickly that I barely understand what she said.

“An out clause.”

“Please… don’t take offense to what I’m asking. This… this is just something I need.”

“Okay… what would this clause entail?” I’m still nervous but at the same time I am moving into business mode. Negotiating contracts is what I do on a daily basis; if Kenzie wants to negotiate the prenup, I’m all for it because that means she is more likely to agree to the arrangement.

“I want it noted that I can walk away from the marriage, but still retain the condo, under certain conditions.”

“What would those conditions be?” My interest is piqued as to what conditions she would see the need to end our arrangement prior to the agreed upon time frame. One thing I won’t agree to is ending this arrangement if she fell in love with someone else. It’s selfish, I know, but how would it look if my marriage suddenly ends and she is seen with another man? I can’t have that-

“If… if you intentionally cause me physical injury or if you are arrested for a violent crime,” her voice is barely above a whisper and her eyes are glued to the floor.