Chapter 7 - Dinner or Date? (II)

“I’m kidding. It’s just a dinner, I promise. You said to keep it simple and simple doesn’t show the gratitude I needed it to. I know girls like these things, though I am a little rusty in the female department, so I had to ask for help. And in return, I’ve been told to make sure you know Keiran was the one that helped organize all this” Zach rolled his eyes, making me laugh.

“Hopefully, all this shows you how appreciative I am for what you did for me.”

“You need to stop. I honestly didn’t do much. It was just good timing and an Epipen.” I protested.

“I wish I could tell you how much more it was but all in good time. Come, let’s have dinner” Zach put his arm out for me to take, and I shook my head.

Physical touch was definitely a no-no.

He laughed and instead waved his arm, motioning me to go first.

I walked past him and towards the beautifully decorated table. The closer I got, the more exquisite it looked. The flower arrangements had red, white, and pink roses. There was a golden bottle of champagne sitting in an ice bucket and a cheese platter on the table. The table was covered with a white lace cover and had already been set up with plates and cutlery.

Once we got to the table, Zach quickly pulled out a chair for me.

“What a gentleman. Thank you.” I giggled, sitting down.

“Suck on that, Keiran,” Zach snickered before sliding into his chair.

I saw movement from the corner of my eye, and soon an older-looking man was walking toward us with a tray.

“Good evening Mr.Masters, Miss Rover. My name is Terence. I will be your butler tonight.” he bowed and smiled.

“Terence here has been with me for how long now?” Zach looked up at the older man.

“Since you were walking around in a diaper.” Terence grinned.

Zach laughed.

“So you would know where all the bodies are buried?” I laughed.

“Given that I’ve buried all the bodies, yes, I do. Tip of the day, I take cash in return for telling secrets” Terence winked at me, making me laugh.

“Wow, there’s no such thing as loyalty, huh” Zach rolled his eyes. His lips curled into a sexy smile.

“Thank you, Terence, but if I want to keep my job, I think I should stay away from Zach’s secrets.”

“I will tell you mine if you tell me yours” Zach smirked.

He wanted to know my secrets? I laughed internally. If only he knew my whole life was built on the ability to keep my mouth shut.

“I thought you liked how mysterious I was” I laughed nervously.

Zach laughed and nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Champagne?” Terence asked, reaching for the bottle.

“Yes, please,” both Zach and I said in unison. Alcohol would help calm my nerves.

Terence filled our glasses and left us to graze on the cheese platter while dinner was getting prepared.

“So I assume we won’t have a home-cooked meal tonight?” I joked.

“Not tonight. That can be a mystery we can unfold another night. That’s if you’re okay with it.”

I laughed. “Yeah, one dinner is enough association between us.”

“My company that bad?”

Zach’s company wasn’t bad at all. But I had to stay away from him.

“No, it’s not that. You are a delight and very sweet. I just don’t want anything more. Not with you or anyone else. If it weren’t for your desire to thank me, I would never have agreed to this” I looked down at my glass, trying to avoid eye contact.

“In that case, I’m glad I had an allergic reaction.” Zach laughed, sipping on his champagne.

“That’s not something to joke about. You could have died,” I scolded.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. But this can’t be the last time you have dinner with me.”

“Why are you so interested in me? I’m a maid. I literally clean toilets and trash.” I sighed.

“Where does it say maids aren’t allowed to date or have a life? It’s just a job. It doesn’t define who you are”

“You have no idea who I am.” I looked up at Zach.

“How about you tell me about yourself then?” Zach sat back on his chair and smiled.

He wasn’t going to let this go, was he? A big shot millionaire interested in the office maid didn’t make sense. If this had happened in my previous life, I would have called it my luck, but it was a nuisance right now. I had to find a way to stop him from wanting to see me again.

“What would you like to know?”

“Everything. But let’s start with where you are originally from?” Zach pressed.

“Chicago. I grew up there.”

“Ah, right. Too cold for my blood, but I’m sure you have other thoughts. So, then you went to the University of Chicago?”

“Yeah, a freshman when I dropped out.”

“What were you studying?” Zach leaned forward and started picking up bits from the cheese platter.

“LLB,” I smiled, reciting the cover story in my head.

“Really? With how composed you were last night, I was certain your studies were in the medical field.”

I gave Zach a tight smile and grabbed a breadstick to nibble on.

No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t let go of my years of training. Derek kept telling me someone would pick up on it if I weren’t careful. Guess the day had finally come when I had made a mistake big enough for someone to notice.

“What about siblings? Got any?” Zach asked.

“No, I’m an only child. What about you?”

Maybe if I distracted him, we could get the limelight off me.

“I have a stepbrother. My dad remarried when I was 16. My step mum had a son from her previous marriage” Zach cleared his throat, looking a little irritated.

“You guys don’t get along?”

“We’re civil. She only loves money and herself.”

“Wait, Keiran said something about you guys not having money when you started this business. Right of path for your fathers?” I recollected the conversation from this morning.

“Ass! He can’t keep his mouth shut.” Zach rolled his eyes and clenched his jaws.

Damn it! I hope I didn’t get Keiran into any trouble.

“Well, yes, he wasn’t wrong. My dad passed away when I was 19. I was in England studying when I received the call. By the time I got back to America, Cruella had taken over everything, even my trust fund how she had managed that, I still don’t know. I was basically a burden and given peanuts for an allowance. When I asked for money to start my business, she told me I could get fucked. Keiran and I both had the same dream and drive, so we worked every job we could find and saved every cent. Here we are today. More successful than my father was. Now Cruella is asking for her share in my business. She’s claiming her emotional support to my business, plus her relationship with my father gives her the right to ask for shares. I would rather walk into a thorn bush naked than give her anything.”

Zach’s words were filled with bitterness.

So Cruella was Zach’s stepmother.

“I’m so sorry. It must have been hard for you. What right of path did you have to achieve if your dad was gone?”

Before Zach could reply, Terence walked in, holding two plates.

“Miss Rover, my apologies. I didn’t ask about your dietary requirements. I hope lamb shanks, mash potatoes, and roasted vegetables are okay?”

“Yes, totally fine. I’m a good guinea pig. No issues with food,” I laughed.

Terence put a plate in front of me that looked heavenly.

“This looks amazing!” my mouth was watering from the smell.

“I hope you enjoy your meal” Terence refilled our glasses and disappeared.

We dug into our food, and the conversations became less personal. Zach asked random things about my likes and hobbies, and I did the same. Once dinner was over, Terence brought out some dessert, and we moved to the seated area.

Zach stretched out on one of the long lounge chairs, and I sat across from him.

“Why do you have so many scars on your body?” I asked absentmindedly, stuffing my face with the delicious cheesecake that was for dessert.

Zach stopped mid-bite and stared at me.

“I’m sorry if that’s a personal question. I noticed all the scars when I took your shirt off yesterday.” Fuck! Why did I even bring that up?!

“Ummm..” Zach started, his eyes widening at my question.

Did he not want to talk about it?

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” I quickly explained.

“No, no, it’s okay. I used to participate in UFC fights. Underground UFC fights. No rules, no consequences, just fight until one taps out. Keiran and I needed money, and it was the fastest way to make it. We were both strong, and some days it was a good way to burn some frustration.” Zach looked down at his plate.

“Isn’t that dangerous?!” I shuddered.

I had seen UFC fighting on TV. There was nothing safe or sane about it. The blood and bruises sometimes had lethal endings. However, what Zach described was more deranged.

“It’s perilous. But the money makes it worth every punch. The scars are from all the fights I’ve been in”

“Do you still fight?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“No, don’t need to now. Although, somedays, I would love just to go and burn the frustration. I miss that.” Zach smiled. His smile did not reach his eyes.

Was their struggle so bad that Keiran and Zach had to put their lives at risk to reach their goal?

Zach changed the topic after that, and the conversation went back to random questions.

Before I knew it, he was driving me home after an enjoyable evening.

Zach parked his car in the same spot as earlier and turned off the car.

“I’ll walk you up to your apartment,” he said and opened his door to get out before I could protest.

He walked over and opened my door.

“I think you win,” I laughed.

“As much as I like winning, you will need to give me more context,” Zach laughed.

“You are definitely more of a gentleman.”

“Ah, right. Can you please tell Keiran when you see him next? He won’t believe me.” Zach opened the building door for me.

I nodded and walked in.

“I have to ask because there will be a debate. What makes me more of a gentleman?”

“Well, you took me for dinner. Respected my request and have been very sweet” I smiled.

Zach snickered, his lips curling into a one-sided smile.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Although Keiran did help set up tonight, so technically, I don’t get points for that. He’s the one with a Ph.D. in wooing girls.”

“I know you said you were rusty, but tonight was really nice regardless of who organized it. It’s the thought that counts. Will you be mad at Keiran if I tell you that he may have told me you haven’t been on a date in a while?” I looked down at the stairs we were climbing very slowly, taking every step at a snail’s pace.

“That boy really can’t keep his mouth shut, can he?! God! Is there anything he hasn’t told you?” Zach hissed, making me laugh.

We were almost to my apartment. I pulled out my keys and twirled them between my fingers.

“So, it’s true then?” I bit my lip.

Why did I even want to know?

Zach nodded. “Yeah. I always prioritized work. My dreams of making something of myself were more important than trying to chase girls. The last time I was with someone was maybe back when I was in college.”

“Wow, that’s a long time to be out of the game. Haven’t you found someone that’s caught your attention? I’m sure gorgeous women surround you,” I commented.

Zach shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong; I have had girls in my bed. But it was only about sex. I am a man, after all. Please feel free to judge me on this, but I never had the desire to see any of those girls more than once. No girl has intrigued me enough for me to want to keep her around. Well, not until yesterday anyway.”

“Yesterday? What happened yesterday?” I gulped.

“I found a girl that intrigued me. A girl that I want to keep around and see more of,” Zach’s gray eyes bore into mine. An emotion flashed across his features that I couldn’t decipher.

My heart skipped a beat at Zach’s words. We had stopped walking. The air around us started to feel heavy. Zach’s gorgeous gray eyes were once again holding me captive. The gray in his eyes shone a lot brighter than usual. It was almost like they were glowing.

Get it together, Zads. You know better than to fall for a few sweet words

I tore my eyes away from Zach’s intense gaze and cleared my throat.

“Umm. Thank you for walking me to my apartment and for the lovely dinner. I hope we’re even now? No need to keep bringing up that I saved your life” I laughed nervously, rampaging through my bag, looking for my keys.

I quickly climbed the last few steps that led to my door. I needed to create space between Zach and me.

Suddenly, Zach grabbed my arm and stopped me. He pulled me behind him and held me tightly against his back.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I argued.

“Shh. Your door is open,” Zach whispered, staring at the door.

Using his leg, he softly tapped the door showing me it was open. The door bounced on the frame making the hinges creak a little.

Even the doorknob looked like it was pulled off and put back into place to make it seem closed.

“Are you expecting someone?” Zach whispered, still holding on to me tightly.

“No,” I whispered back, my chest tightening.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This couldn’t be happening. Had they found me?! There was no way they could find me, right?! I had been cautious. Taking every step of my life vigilantly.

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear the thuds in my ears—panic coursing through my body. I could feel sweat breaking out on my forehead.

There was no way! Derek promised I was safe…..