4. ~ X A N D E R ~

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

I stood at the reception, just staring at nothing for a good two minutes, thinking about what my stupid grandfather had come up with to make sure that I settled down.

He went too low, even for him, with this.

"Do you have a reservation?" A pear-faced woman with eyes so wide apart that she looked like a fish, asked me as she approached me.

I raised a brow at her. "Do I?" I asked her instead.

Her fish eyes blinked rapidly. "Under what name, sir?"

"Maybe you should find out." I smirked, watching the confusion in her face.

If Sterling was here, she would have given me a disapproving look and made some smartass comment about how not everyone knew who I was.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

Well, Sterling was NOT here. And she should not be here because I was here to have lunch with my girlfriend.

Girlfriend.

Why the hell was I thinking about my average-looking... okay, maybe above average-looking PA when I was here to wine and dine my supermodel girlfriend?

"Sir?" The woman seemed like she didn't know what to do. What was her supervisor even training her for if she did not know how to manage in situations like this and simply stood there like a deer caught in headlights?

"You won't find me in the reservation list." I grunted out, looking around for Talia, the manager of this branch.

"I am so sorry, Sir, but if you don't have a reservation then I apologize but we can't accommodate you. The place is fully occupied." She spluttered out as if it was something she had read out off her palm.

I was already pissed and this fish-eyed woman was pissing me off even more. "You will find my name on the sign of the restaurant though." I finally said, spotting Talia who spotted me as well from across the room and was bee-lining for me.

"Mr. King!" She exclaimed with a smile so wide that it looked like she had swallowed a watermelon. "Right this way!"

Fish eyes looked like she was going to vomit. 

Should I be satisfied that she realized who I was or offended that it was the expression on her face on finding out who I was?

"I need an updated report on the training program for the staff here." I threw a glare at Ms. Fish Eyes. "This is the King's. Not a freaking fast food chain!"

Talia nodded frantically, "Right away, Mr. King."

"Not now." I rolled my eyes. Why were people so freaking stupid? "I am here for lunch. I know my way to the private room. I want the report on my desk on Monday." 

I was so pissed that it took everything in me not to fire both these idiots on the spot. 

Sterling says I have no control over my temper. But see, she is wrong. I can rein in my temper even without her being around to keep me in check. 

Why the hell am I thinking about her again?

"Babe, you are here before me!" 

I almost flinched at the nails scratching my exposed forearm as Trisha wrapped her fingers around it. 

Talia and Fish Eyes looked like cartoon characters by the way they were staring at us. 

Damn it. 

I had not thought this through. 

If this was how my own employees were going to react, then I did not want to know about the rest of the patrons. And if shit went south, Sterling was going to feed me to some cannibals. 

"I've seen the way you two are. It's like watching an old married couple bicker. And she's good for you. Keeps you in check."

Grandpa's words came back to haunt me. 

Dammit, Xander. 

Get a grip on yourself. 

She is your employee. She is off-limits. 

"Let's get to our seats." I said and turned to Talia. "I will let you know when we are ready to take orders. No interruptions before that."

The woman stood at attention. I am sure she would have saluted me if I had asked her to.

I practically dragged Trisha to the private room, ignoring the speculative glances of the patrons.

Well, shit was going to get out anyway.

I didn't care about the pap. It was Sterling's wrath that I-

I stopped that thought right there.

"Ooh privacy..." Trisha cooed as I sat down. "Couldn't wait to get your hands on me, could you?"

I looked up at her. She was already shimmying out of her flimsy dress, wearing a tantalizing pair of lingerie underneath.

"Trisha, we need to talk." I hated that I was so freaking angry that I was not even having a reaction to the sexiness of my girlfriend. Or maybe because there was not much left to imagination anymore. I had seen it all.

"Is it about the campaign?" She asked, climbing onto my lap. "It's fine, Xander. I got you. I don't care if my sister gets the campaign."

I gritted my teeth, pushing her away gently. "It's not just that."

Her smile faltered. "Then what is it?"

I took a deep breath, trying to organize the hurricane of emotions and thoughts racing through my head. "Trisha," I started, "I think we should get married."

Her eyes widened and she squealed, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Oh, Xander, I knew it! I knew you were smitten with me the moment we locked eyes last week! Yes baby, I will marry you. A million times yes!"

Then she went on to give me an extremely sloppy kiss as her perked up boobs rubbed against my torso while she ground herself against my growing erection.

"But before you say yes," I had to physically remove her lips from mine. "I want babies."

"Of course, honey. We will get a surrogate." Her fingers started to unzip my pants.

"Not a surrogate. I want you pregnant."

Her movements froze.

"What?" She looked up. "Why?"

Her hand hovered over my zipper. I didn't miss the way she swallowed hard.

"What do you mean, why?" I asked her.

"It will ruin my figure, babe." She whined like an annoying kid. "Why should I get pregnant when we can get a surrogate?"

"Because," I leaned back in the chair, my arms folded over my chest. "I want to marry you and have a child with you."

That was not true. I could not imagine a family with Trisha, or anyone for that matter. I was too fucked up. But if I wanted to keep my inheritance, I needed to do this. 

Trisha abruptly climbed off of me. "Xander, I love you. I really do." 

I wanted to laugh. Love? She didn't love me. She didn't even know me. She loved my billions, not me. No one could love me. 

"But-" 

"I understand, Trisha." I said, feeling my anger boiling up. Not at her. At myself for this stupidity and at my grandfather for pushing me into doing it. "Get dressed and leave." 

"We could still-" 

"No." It was a hard no. 

She quickly clothed herself. Before she left the room, she turned around. "This won't affect my career, will it?" 

I sighed. 

That's what everyone wanted to know. 

"No. Leave." 

I can't believe I just got rejected. 

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||