here,” he said, startling her away from her musical envy. Which only brought her focus back to Maximilian. Every time she looked at him she felt like the place was closing in around her. He was that magnetic to her. Powerfully built, handsome, with more sex appeal than was legal, he was so far out of her league, Zeta had to wonder how in the world she was going to survive this. Yes, she now had a plan, but it was all so exhausting. Just being next to him, playing his little mind games, was akin to running a marathon. Living with him might prove to be too much for her.
Unfortunately, like her kids at the Y, Maximilian needed her. While she was still certain he was close to the devil incarnate, he was still a human being sorely in need of affection. True affection. Not the fake bullshit he got from everyone around him. Maximilian needed someone to genuinely care about him, to care what happened to him and try to make him happy. He also needed to know what it was like to care about someone else more than he cared about himself. Why in the world she felt the need to take him on, Zeta had no clue. But there it was. In that moment, she vowed to herself she’d figure out a way to make him see what true love really was.
After giving her a quick tour, he smiled at her. “I’d insist we sleep together tonight, but I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Unless, of course, you’re feeling adventurous.”
“You know, it’s really not nice to mock people.”
“No one ever said I was a nice guy, Zeta.”
“No shit,” she muttered.
“Oh, almost forgot.” He pulled a black card from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“You need clothes. An evening gown, cocktail dresses, business casual wear. That will get you anything you need. Don’t buy jewelry unless it’s the real thing, especially to go with your evening gown. If you’re in doubt, wait for me.”
“This is a black Centurion American Express,” she breathed. “With my name on it?”
“No limits,” he said, grinning. “Use it as you wish. You can purchase anything you like in addition to the items you need.”
“Wow,” she managed. “Why are you doing this?”
“Showing you what life with me will be like. Anything your heart desires.” He flashed her a heart-stopping smile before adding. “See? I’m not so bad.”
Chapter Six
The whole day had been exhausting for Zeta. God! Could the man be any more intimidating? It seemed like she’d used all her energy just keeping her head above water, and she was still overwhelmed. Fortunately, it had been worth it. She’d managed to push his own comfort zone, giving her the satisfaction of knowing the king in his castle was nearly as uncomfortable as she was.
She insisted she make dinner for him, and demanded he actually help her in the kitchen. What followed started out innocently enough, with him being his normal arrogant self, leaning against the island while she prepared a quick meal. By the time she set the meal on the table, he was jumping to do her bidding, looking as shell-shocked as she had after her father had told her about this stupid agreement. Probably because she’d learned how to be in command of the kitchen from her mother. While Max might be king of the castle, Zeta was most definitely queen of the kitchen. Something Max hadn’t had the chance to get used to yet.
“Well,” he said, wiping his mouth after their meal. “I never would have thought something put together on the spur of the moment would be so delicious. My compliments.” Instead of a regular dinner, she’d made a breakfast of bacon, biscuits, eggs, and gravy, mostly because she figured the uptight Maximilian would turn his nose up at such a meal. Surprisingly, he’d torn into it with gusto.
“There’s Southern cooking and country cooking. I never was much on fancy things, so country cooking is what I do. Basically, you make due with what you have and fry
Unfortunately, like her kids at the Y, Maximilian needed her. While she was still certain he was close to the devil incarnate, he was still a human being sorely in need of affection. True affection. Not the fake bullshit he got from everyone around him. Maximilian needed someone to genuinely care about him, to care what happened to him and try to make him happy. He also needed to know what it was like to care about someone else more than he cared about himself. Why in the world she felt the need to take him on, Zeta had no clue. But there it was. In that moment, she vowed to herself she’d figure out a way to make him see what true love really was.
After giving her a quick tour, he smiled at her. “I’d insist we sleep together tonight, but I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Unless, of course, you’re feeling adventurous.”
“You know, it’s really not nice to mock people.”
“No one ever said I was a nice guy, Zeta.”
“No shit,” she muttered.
“Oh, almost forgot.” He pulled a black card from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“You need clothes. An evening gown, cocktail dresses, business casual wear. That will get you anything you need. Don’t buy jewelry unless it’s the real thing, especially to go with your evening gown. If you’re in doubt, wait for me.”
“This is a black Centurion American Express,” she breathed. “With my name on it?”
“No limits,” he said, grinning. “Use it as you wish. You can purchase anything you like in addition to the items you need.”
“Wow,” she managed. “Why are you doing this?”
“Showing you what life with me will be like. Anything your heart desires.” He flashed her a heart-stopping smile before adding. “See? I’m not so bad.”
Chapter Six
The whole day had been exhausting for Zeta. God! Could the man be any more intimidating? It seemed like she’d used all her energy just keeping her head above water, and she was still overwhelmed. Fortunately, it had been worth it. She’d managed to push his own comfort zone, giving her the satisfaction of knowing the king in his castle was nearly as uncomfortable as she was.
She insisted she make dinner for him, and demanded he actually help her in the kitchen. What followed started out innocently enough, with him being his normal arrogant self, leaning against the island while she prepared a quick meal. By the time she set the meal on the table, he was jumping to do her bidding, looking as shell-shocked as she had after her father had told her about this stupid agreement. Probably because she’d learned how to be in command of the kitchen from her mother. While Max might be king of the castle, Zeta was most definitely queen of the kitchen. Something Max hadn’t had the chance to get used to yet.
“Well,” he said, wiping his mouth after their meal. “I never would have thought something put together on the spur of the moment would be so delicious. My compliments.” Instead of a regular dinner, she’d made a breakfast of bacon, biscuits, eggs, and gravy, mostly because she figured the uptight Maximilian would turn his nose up at such a meal. Surprisingly, he’d torn into it with gusto.
“There’s Southern cooking and country cooking. I never was much on fancy things, so country cooking is what I do. Basically, you make due with what you have and fry
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