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Zeus

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

She wanted to cook.

Madison has these cravings for real food, not just a snack, even in the middle of the night.

After the explosion of fights and sex when we got home—and her declaration, which is tying knots in my brain—she acted as if she hadn't said anything significant. As if everything that happened earlier today was just part of our routine.

In a way it is, because if there's one thing I've learned about her, it's that life with my feisty girl will always be a storm, never a light winter rain.

And now, as she moves around in my kitchen, dressed only in panties and a t-shirt, indifferent to how I'm feeling inside, I try to understand what it means for a nineteen-year-old girl to be in love.

"Can we talk about the news I wanted to tell you, or are you still mad?" she asks as she cuts tomatoes for a salad.

"Do you want to fight again?"

She puts down the knife and looks at me. "Fighting is natural for me, Zeus. Nothing in my life came for free. I had to learn to fight for every little thing."

"I propose a truce. Tell me your news."

"I looked for a fashion college. I'm starting next semester."

"That's great news."

Delighted, her cheeks blush. "You're a businessman and must have some insight into business. Do you think my plan to offer personal stylist services could work?"

"Correction: I'm a banker. I mainly deal with mergers and acquisitions. My job most of the time is to break apart companies, not create them. As for whether your future business could succeed, you'd have to study the market to see, but my personal opinion—not professional, since I don't have enough data for that—is that I think the idea of offering a service exclusively for women who can't spend much on clothes and accessories is very interesting."

"Are you serious?"

"I am, yes. People don't know what they need until it's offered to them. Your idea is innovative."

She gives me a beautiful smile, and they're so rare that I have each one etched into my memory. "So then I'll be able to leave the club."

"And what if that happens sooner than you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could make that assistant contract real, and you could come work for me."

"It would never work out. We'd be at each other's throats every day, and not always in a good way." Despite what she says, she keeps smiling.

"Come here." I offer my hand.

She turns off the stove, and when she stands in front of me, I sit her on the kitchen counter, fitting myself between her legs.

"Madison, fights between us are inevitable, but I'm trying to think two steps ahead. It's a way to legitimize that contract we signed to fool the social worker and start a career where you don't have to hide from that woman."

"And what if we break up? Then what will we do?"

"Why talk about that now?"

"Because I need a safety net, Zeus. It's not just about me; it’s about Soraya, Silas, and Eleanor."

"If we break up, I'll either transfer you to one of my other companies or one of my brothers'."

"You told me you already have an assistant."

"I do, but you would be different. You'd accompany me on trips."

"All this so I stop working at the club?"

"I could lie, but I won't. Yes, I don't want you working there. Can you look me in the eyes and honestly say it's your dream job?"

"No. It never was. Even though, after a few weeks, I've almost gotten used to wearing so little clothing, and dancing is something I love to do, I don't like the way men look at me."

My instinct is to pressure her into deciding now, but I know that wouldn't be fair. Madison is an adult and can choose her own future.

"I can't leave the club all of a sudden. I'll talk to Ares tomorrow and see how many more days I need to work before I can stop."

"The suggestion to come work for me was his. I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Fine, but my commitment isn't just to your brother but also to Adriel. I think it will take at least a week to find someone to replace me."

"I don't want to force you," I begin but then stop myself because even to my own ears, it sounds fake. "Or rather, I do, because that's who I am, but I won't. I'm giving you an alternative for your future. If you accept, you'll be my girlfriend and also my employee. Can you handle that?"

She locks her legs around my waist. "Will we work overtime?"

"You can bet on it."

Days later

"I think the best thing to do is meet with the guardian in person," Ares says, sitting in the armchair in my office.

"Stubborn son of a bitch! What else could he want?"

"Assurances. But talking on the phone isn't working. I suggest we go there together."

"New Orleans?"

"Yes. When would be a good date?"

"As soon as possible. I want to sort this out."

"Have you talked to Madison about it?"

The day before yesterday, she informed him that in a few days she wouldn't be working for him anymore, and tomorrow will be her first day as my assistant. She'll keep both jobs for now.

"Not yet. I'd rather have everything resolved by the time I talk to her."

"Where are you going with this, Zeus? You’re not the same since you met her."

"I want her. Madison is the best thing that has ever happened to me. We fight all the time because we're combative and distrustful, but she's worth every second."

"If that's true, we need to settle the matter with GordonBank as soon as possible. I'll arrange the trip to Louisiana."

"Do it. Even if I have to pay ten times the value of the shares, I'll only come back once we've acquired what we need to become majority shareholders of GordonBank."

"I just talked to the neurosurgeon," she tells me on the phone.

"And what did you think?"

"He seems to know what he's doing."

"He's the country's top authority on long-term coma patients."

"He said he'd like to try an alternative treatment to wake her up, and that my sister's brain function seems normal."

"Do we agree to that?"

"We do, right? Is the decision yours too?"

"Brooklyn is part of your life, so she's also part of mine."

"You can't say things like that, Greek god. My heart is untrained for this kind of seduction."

"I thought we'd moved past this. It's more than clear we've already seduced each other."

"The body, yes, but now you're seducing my soul, Zeus."

I feel something catch in my throat as I imagine how difficult it must be for her to admit that. "I'll take care of both."

"Is that a promise?"

I understand what she's asking me. Madison knows I never make promises. I'm a man of action.

"Yes, it's a promise, baby."