Just take a peek!
Get ready to meet Zeno and Ayasha very soon! I hope y'all are ready! (Copyrighted & Unedited)
Zeno
I stood in the window of my office and stared outside at the many vines of grapes and hills in the distance. It was one of the reasons I never had a problem coming into work before the sun rises. The way the sun hit each vine and hill was something to praise and be thankful for.
A knock at my office door interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in, Anna!” I yelled so she could hear me in the distance.
The door opened and Anna walked in with her face practically in her clipboard, glasses against the tip of her nose in a disheveled appearance. I leaned against the window seal and crossed my feet at my ankles.
“Yes.”
Anna opened her mouth to speak then closed it. Her chest arose and fell visibly. I couldn’t understand why she was always so damn nervous. I wouldn’t consider myself a mean boss. I just expected you to be prompt and to follow every rule the way I have them laid out.
My father started Kings Dynasty Resorts and created every handbook. When he was alive the business excelled under his leadership, so I never understood the reason to change anything. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and I always felt it would be disrespectful to his memory and legacy. Since I am the oldest son I was given the first resort and my siblings got the others.
“Uhm, Ricardo quit— sir.”
I pushed off the wall and walked over to my desk.
“Did he mention why?”
“According to him. He is not going to be micromanaged and unable to use his talents because you want the level of the vineyard to stay in the past.”
A smirk arose as I moved some papers around my desk. I could not care less how he felt I was running my business it did just fine. We even kept a waiting list of guest who wanted to visit. I peered up from my paperwork to see Anna still standing in front of the door with wide eyes.
“Did you set up interviews yet?” I asked with a raise of my brow.
I know Anna expected me to comment on what Ricardo had said but it would not happen. He wasn’t the first and I am sure he wouldn’t be the last to comment on how I ran my business. I was even more particular when it came to how the Vineyard was ran because it was my father’s favorite part of the resort and he fought hard just to get it to where it was.
If I truly admitted it, it was my favorite place too. Out of all my siblings I enjoyed the outdoors more. I appreciated the peace that my resort brought to me and other people. Which was why we had spas, Italian restaurants, and the Vineyard. It was a place built for relaxation.
“Of course, sir. I have someone scheduled for an interview today. Her name is—” she started before I interrupted.
“Her?” I asked with a raise of my brow.
I didn‘t have a problem working with women, but they just tended to be big distractions to me. I just didn‘t need someone coming here and not understanding that I ran a tight ship. Not to mention I usually didn‘t get women applying for that position.
“Yes, sir. She is extremely qualified and I figured we needed something new around here. You know the usual person you find for this position is a man and you clash with them. Maybe, a woman will have a different approach to the job. Uh, I can just call and cancel it.”
Anna continued to fumble around with her clipboard. I didn‘t want to say too much because I wasn‘t sure how I wanted to handle the situation.
“Unnecessary. What time is she coming in?”
Anna fixed her glasses and smiled for the first time since she had stepped into my office.
“She will be here in the next half hour sir. I figured you would want to get this situation resolved as quickly as possible. I moved some of your other meetings around to accommodate the change.”
I nodded and smiled because that was the way you handled a situation. My new assistant was proving to be just what I needed in this office. When she got over this nervousness I knew we would get even more done.
“That works. Just let me know once she is here and I will come out to greet her,” I responded.
Anna nodded and turned to head out of the office when I called her name.
“You’re doing a good job. No need to be so nervous.”
Anna smiled and closed the office door behind her. I turned on my computer and went to my emails to see Anna had over all the details regarding the woman I was set to interview. The name Ayasha Black was in neat bold letters.
Her name alone, rang bells for me. I felt as If I had heard it before but I couldn‘t pinpoint where. I continued to scroll through her accolades as Anna had said she was extremely qualified for the position. Until I reached her previous employment.
Empire industries. They were our competition in every sense of the word. Which made me even more concerned with hiring her. Was she here to peep how I ran my shit so she could take it back to her boss? Thoughts swarmed my head more than I would have liked them too.
It was as if it made this interview even more interesting to take. It seemed as if time passed by quickly. Before I knew it Anna was calling to let me know Ms. Black was indeed here.
I stood from my desk and buttoned my jacket before stepping out into the hall. The moment I stepped around the corner I had to stop for a moment to take in the woman in front of me. I knew who she was without an introduction needing to be made.
She sat poised in the chair in the corner with jet black hair that danced against her shoulders. Creamy pecan skin with dimples cradled in each cheek and she wasn‘t even smiling. Not to mention she had legs that seemed to go on for days in a pair of yellow pumps. I hadn‘t paid much attention to her dress until she stood at the sight of me. She wore a loose skirt with flowers adorning it and a white blouse tucked inside.
I couldn’t help but smile because she was brightening up the office. I reached my hand out to her to introduce myself.
“Ayasha? I hope I am saying your name correctly. I’m Z—”
“Zeno King, I am so sorry to interrupt. I just never imagined I would be interviewing with the owner of the company. And actually yes you’re pronouncing it correctly,” She interrupted with a smile that I knew would only bring me trouble.
“Who did you think would be running the meeting?” I asked.
Ayasha’s eyes enlarged at my question. “You know the human resource person or something or your assistant. Most CEO’s just don’t have time for these sort of things.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and smiled with a nod.
“I’m glad to hear I am exceeding your expectations. So, are you ready to start your interview?” I asked.
She ran a hand down the front of her dress and smiled.
“Lead the way.”
I turned in time so she couldn‘t see the smile on my face, her optimism and upbeat personality was contagious. I led the way back into my office and reminded Anna to hold my calls for the next twenty minutes. I held the door open and allowed Ayasha to step inside ahead of me.
I couldn‘t help the fact that my eyes were glued to her rounded hips and ass that I could tell would bounce back. I left the door open, because it was practice amongst my company to never close a door with the opposite sex. I didn‘t need any allegations swarming around our company name.
Which was why I made sure my assistant was always within ear shot of any meetings or conversations being taken in my office.
I pointed to the chair across from my desk and sat behind it noticing a folder that I was sure Anna had placed here. I opened it and pulled out the list of questions she had curated for me.
“Why do you want to work here? I am just going to get right to the point. I seen your previous employer. Is there a reason you no longer work with them?” I asked.
I was not a man who beat around the bush about any issues. If I wanted to know something I was going to ask.
“This company is one of the top in the world. Not to mention your vineyard has always been one I have admired and wanted to get the chance to work in. My previous employer and I no longer share the same interest so I thought it best to cut ties. Not to mention I am extremely overqualified for companies beneath your caliber.”
I hated that everything she said made perfect sense. Although the reason for her leaving still didn‘t sit right with me. My sisters always said I was too skeptical of everything but usually people had an ulterior motive. It was just a matter of finding out what it was before it was too late.
I nodded and continued down the list of questions that were in front of me. She answered each one exactly as I would and that only made me even more curious about her. I hated the fact that I just wasn‘t going to be able to keep her around.
Because either my dick was going to be down her throat and I don’t mix business with pleasure or she was going to turn out to be exactly what I fear, a snake ready to poison the insides of my families business. This job would only be temporary. Long enough that I had someone to fill the position and find someone even better to replace her.
“I just want to make this very clear. We run a very orderly and tight ship around here. I expect all rules to be followed with no exceptions. Especially in the part of the business you’re in. If you want to make any changes in the Vineyard, I’m going to save you the trouble, don’t. It has been running just fine without any changes needing to be made.”
Her mouth went into a tight line before she nodded her understanding.
Before I could ask about the way she was looking at me, Anna was knocking at the door with a perplexed expression.
“Yes.”
“Sir, I hate to interrupt but uh it’s a code blue problem sir.”
I stood from my desk and started grabbing my keys.
Ayesha’s brow was raised as she watched me move about the room.
“You have the job but on a temporary basis. Until you can prove your the right person for the position. I do apologize about cutting this short but Anna will take you through the paperwork and rules.”
I didn’t wait for a response before I was heading for the door.
“How do you know I even want to accept the position?” Her soft, yet determined voice asked.
I craned my neck over my shoulder with a smirk.
“I’ll see you down at the vineyard bright and early, let’s say seven in the morning tomorrow. Have a good remainder of your day Ms. Black.” I responded with a wink before rushing out of the office.
I couldn‘t stand the fact that I had to leave so abruptly because we were just getting started. But in my life family always came first.
Coming this month!