Chapter 50: Unfinished Business

Zenobia's POV

I found Tiffany having a conversation and cut right into it.

"I need you right now," I told her and pulled her into another empty office, away from Jordan.

"Tiff, what the hell is wrong with me?" I asked her as I started pacing.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Why do I fall for a guy so quickly?" I asked her again, "Especially if he's handsome! God! They always have to be handsome!"I exclaimed.

I reached for her glass of champagne and drank the entire thing.

"I'm so hot. Is the air on in here?" I asked, "I'm sweating like a hot bread in a plastic bag."

"Zen, what the hell is going on with you, I left you perfectly fine and popping off on your bodyguard's girlfriend a few minutes ago. What the hell?" Tiff said.. "Wait, hold up. Does this have anything to do with him right now?"

I nodded yes.

"Zen!" she scolded.

"I know! I know."

"No. I don't think that you do, sweetie. You need to calm down, breathe and let this sink in."

I stopped my pacing, deep breaths in and out and calmed myself.

"Okay, now. I'll ask you this. Are you really falling for your bodyguard?"

I shook my head no.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. That's not what that was. I'm not falling for him. I'm just feeling sorry for him. I saw the way his girlfriend treated him and talked to him, and I remembered what happened between Jake and I and his assistant. And then the shit with Kyle. It's like I saw myself in him and got caught there for a moment," I explained and sat on the desk.

Tiffany exhaled with great relief.

"I can understand that. You don't want to be a rebound to your new bodyguard. Trust me. That's not going to end well. It appeared he loved her dearly."

"He cried, Tiff. She broke his heart."

"And you want to fix it?" she asked, crossing her arms like I usually do when I was serious about something.

"It's not mine to fix."

"And she's pregnant. With his baby. She told me when I was escorting her out. That's the last thing you need right now, is baby-momma drama."

I recalled when Jordan asked for a day-off to attend an appointment. Must have been a doctor's appointment.

"I learned my lesson," I told her.

"Good. Because low-key, I'm still rooting for Kyle."

"Tiff! Oh, come on!"

"What? Zen, you two were a cute couple."

"Yeah, well looks doesn't save shit when it's sinking. He left. And when I tried to make amends with him, he shut me down like I was nothing and no-one."

"Zen, maybe..."

"No, Tiff. I may have lost my job and my mind a moment ago but I'll never lose my pride. I'm not going to beg someone to be in my life if they don't want to be. Kyle can kiss my ass."

"Pretty sure that occurred before," she joked. We shared a light laughter, exactly what I needed.

"Are you sure about what you said?" she asked seriously again.

"I'm sure. False alarm," I assured as the walls around my heart were still intact.

"Come here."

We hugged tightly and walked out of the room. We were walking back towards where the event was in much more swing, and that was when I saw him.

My movements slowed as our eyes met each other. Dressed in a sharp red suit, stood Kyle Livingston. I stopped dead in my path as he walked over to us.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted.

"Kyle," I answered shortly.

"Hello, Kyle, how are you?" she asked him.

"I'm going good," he answered, eyes still on me.

"Okay. I'll leave you two to it. Zen, I'll be dancing with my man if you need me."

Tiff left us standing there.

"Wow. You look amazing, Zenobia."

"Thanks. You too, Kyle."

"There's something I need to talk to you about. Can I have a moment of your time?"

I hesitated.

"Please?" he begged.

"You have ten minutes. Follow me," I spoke. We headed back to the office Tiff and I were just in.

"Close the door behind you," I ordered as I sat on the chair behind the desk.

"First of, your building is beautiful," he complimented again as he closed in the door.

"What do you want, Kyle?" I asked impatiently.

"I need to apologize to you and I've been waiting on the right time to do that. From what I understand, you misunderstood what happened on that cruise. I wasn't on a...."

I raised up my hand, stopping him. "I don't care anymore, Kyle."

"Can I just please finish what I want to say?" he asked.

"Fine."

"I wasn't on a date. That woman was my boss' niece and she had a crush on me."

"Everybody has a crush on you, Kyle. Lina, LaTasha, boss' niece. Only to find later that you've actually been involved with fucking them."

"I haven't... except for one. The crap with Lina was years ago at...."

"College. Yeah, I know the story. You have five minutes remaining."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. You had a shitty afternoon on the yacht after seeing me with someone. You drank, lost your job..."

"Hold up. Who have you been talking to?" I questioned sharply.

"I don't give up my sources."

"Don't bullshit me, Kyle. It's obvious you were talking to someone in my circle. You're all up in my damn business and personal life. Who was it giving you the info?"

"Zen..."

"WHO!?" I asked, slamming my palms on the desk.

"I spoke with your bodyguard."

"Jordan? When did that little date happened?"

"A few weeks back. He was at my job waiting on LaTasha. By the way, did you know that's his girlfriend?"

"I'm aware."

"Okay."

"Back to you and Jordan."

"I asked him about you and he dragged me. He unleashed what happened and I thought it was my place to apologize to you and get this in the clear."

I reached for my cellphone and called Jordan into the office.

He eyed Kyle as he walked in and I watched as his lips quivered to say something.

"Don't even think about it, Jordan. That's not the reason I called you in here," I clarified.

"What's going on?"

"You're to keep my business out your mouth. I don't give a damn how furious you were about the situation, you don't go telling anyone outside of my circle anything. I wouldn't address this again."

"I understand and my apologies, Miss. Hollen. It wouldn't happen again," he said.

"You can leave," I told him. He left and I turned back to Kyle.

"He didn't mean any harm. That was cold of you, Zen," he said.

"Excellent. Because now I'm frozen."

"Since when?"

"Since now. I have to be because I don't want to make another mistake."

"Oh, so you put those walls up because of what happened between us? That's not the kind of woman you are, Zen."

"I know. It's the kind of woman I've become."

"Where's the Zenobia I know then?"

"You mean the one who came in search looking for you, the one who tried to get you to forgive her, the one who made you went down on her only for you to turn your ass around and act like shit didn't happen.. Like if I didn't have a WAP.. and the stupid ass Zenobia Hollen who drank herself dumb when she saw you with another woman and because of that, lost her job! You're referring to that Zenobia Hollen?" I asked, surprisingly calmly as I stood up from the desk, "She gave up," I added.

He opened his mouth to say another word but I didn't let that happen.

"Your ten minutes are up now. You can leave like the day you quit."

"Zen..I'm.."

"Bye, Kyle."