Chapter 4: The CEO

Nat descended from his Cadillac Escalade, draped in a black  suit and sunglasses. He walked into the reception of the towering Wolfe group building. His secretary Margaret welcomed him

“Morning Nat” she wore a blue suit, had a low-cut and big glasses with a scarf on her neck that made her look slightly like an air hostess. She was busty and wide hipped. Nat had tapped her once, twice in the coffee room but that was a long time ago. The memory dissolved into nothingness. She looked like Amber Rose.

“Morning Paula” was his response

“What’s my day like?” he asked. He began walking while she tried to catch up with his pace explaining his details for the day.

“A meeting with the board at 10 and I scheduled 5 appointments to come after that”.

“Cancel all my appointments” he said briskly. “Won’t be available for them today”

“But Sir—“

He cut in sharply. “You heard me”

“Yes sir” she typed into her Ipad.

“And for the board meeting get the shareholders ready. I’d be seeing them now”.

The meeting room had an oval conference table, with padfolios on each seat, the window outside overlooking the view of the city. Nat sat down.

“Shall we begin?” he said.

They were all gathered. Serious-faced people in tight suits.

“We just lost our top client, PrimeCore” began Cynthia Rourke the firms largest shareholder. “We should be asking you where we begin from”

“Yes and we all know we are going to get them back” he said calmly

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Harold Lancaster, old, harried, wrinkled and coffee skinned in his 50s asked.

“I’d work it out” Nat said, waving away his freight.

“Why did they leave us in the first place?” came Clay who was in a boxy suit and a contrast collar. He was a middle-aged lawyer from one of the DC’s top firms. He was the busiest of all shareholders and far from the city. He was clueless.

“Failure to represent our top client in front lining their new building project for their new extension, Cynthia explained for him.

“That project was worth billions. And, again how couldn’t you easily negotiate that?” she asked. This time more vile.

“Cause they don’t respect our values”. he said.

“Values?” Janet quipped. She was one of the youngest shareholders

“They expect us to go on with the building and constructions project that would sabotage the lives of people, demolishing houses, ravaging neighborhoods for their greed. Of all places, why expand in a land already occupied by a community?”

“But they get new homes don’t they?” and compensation”. Janet replied

“Yea! but what happens to their childhood homes, the memories and legacies, the rows of shops owned by the locales which by the way are their sources of livelihoods. Besides, I know Banks very much. They people there would be much reluctant to leave—

We simply won’t be carrying out such an unfair project” he concluded

“We’re with you on this sir”. It came from the quiet men at the back—Bennett and Javi. They supported him from the start. In fact, Bennett himself had advised him to turn down the project.

Nat sat up, and nodded affirmatively to them, glancing at the faces of the other  shareholders.

Clay cut in “Well, I equally understand but our monies are on the line”.

“Exactly. Don’t try to pacify us Mr. Nat. We’d draw back if you don’t get them back. And you know what that means” Cynthia replied.

Her and Clay were a force, a weapon fashioned against him.

Nat smiled coyly. Then said in a very calm tone

“If you wanna draw back that’s fine but don’t come back when we win them over and give them far more profitable options”.

He stood up and straightened his suit.

His dark shades was back on. Now if you’d excuse me I have some business to catch up. Thank you”

He went back to his car. He called Zara. She finally answered.

“Hey, what you doing?” he asked right away.

She told him she was at work at a mall for a day shift.

“Quit that job and come be with me” his tone was as authoritative as the arrogant billionaire that he was.

Zara laughed. “Cause you pay my bills?”

“I could change your life” he said firmly. “Let’s meet this evening, at the club”.

“Well, if you say so”, she couldn’t refuse. After all, she had her shift to do and he would see her anyway.

“See you there” he hung up and lit a cigar in the back of the car and tapped it in on ash tray. His mind went into the distance, thinking of everything that just happened at the meeting. Zara on the other hand replayed his statement over and over in her head. She wondered if he hadn’t already changed her life a bit. With his brain-shifting dick power, how it made her feel things she could not articulate clearly. Nat the bulldozer. Perhaps he could well change her life. Her obsession with his Alpha male dominance was unhealthy. But she knew it was requited. Because he was equally obsessed with her.

“Damn” she muttered to herself. She was smiling now. Her face glowed beneath the bright white light of the store.

But maybe it was all a sham, and she would become one of the many other women he had used and dumped in the past. She went back to rearranging clothes and dresses on the shopping rack.