ch 16
Ben was a man with a special charm, but since he had met the mother of his son, that charm had focused on disappearing for other women. It was not strange then that no one else paid attention to him in that crowded elevator, especially when he was wearing his cap, his head down and grumbling to Zack on the phone. His attention was on his best friend until he heard that conversation in front of him, then both he and Zack fell silent. “You have to accept it babe, these men are the ones who fuck in private and with as many as they can, but don’t think he’s going to recognize you in public. Mr. Keller must have a lover in each branch and according to what they say he has many… branches.” “Don’t fuck with me, Ben! Where the fuck is that?” he snapped furiously. “Yes, I’m already in the elevator…” Ben said casually. “I really appreciate your concern, ladies, but whatever happens between Zack Keller and I is only our problem,” he heard Andrea say and for once he was glad that she defended herself, even if it was with diplomacy. He, on the other hand, didn’t give a damn about diplomacy, so he left his office in lion mode and stood in front of the elevator door while some idiot told Andrea that one day he was going to kiss his official girlfriend in front of her. It was enough for those doors to open for Zack to reach her, pull her hand to surround her and find her mouth with the most possessive and angry kiss he had ever given a woman in his life. He heard that muffled moan of surprise that came out of Andrea’s small lips, but he didn’t care, he knew that if he lifted her by the waist she would have no way to escape so that was exactly what he did. Andrea held her breath, but Zack’s mouth was demanding and playful, and suddenly all her muscles relaxed as if they were made of butter. She closed her eyes at that sweet and sensual invasion of his tongue and shuddered, tied to that kiss with a strange intensity. For a moment they forgot about the world around them and the other passengers disappeared as if they were shadows that only faded around them. When Zack finally separated from her lips it was as if he had been taken out of reality. He then realized the deathly silence that reigned in that place, understanding that everyone present was in shock at what they had just witnessed. He smiled satisfied, lowering her to the ground, and without caring much about what people would say, he kissed her again this time with a playful expression. Thanks for reading at LeeNovelas.com. -Don’t take too long. You know that I get nervous if I don’t see you – he said, interlacing his fingers with hers. Oh, important, I put your vacation in Human Resources a week before. Andrea looked at him stunned. -But… everyone goes on vacation on the twentieth… -I know, but if we’re going to my parents’ house this Christmas,We have a lot to prepare, Zack told her. Besides, what’s the point of being the boss’s girlfriend if I can’t steal you whenever I want? Andrea blushed and let him drag her into the office while all the whispers, shocks, scares, and annoyance were left behind because Andrea Brand was not the boss’s unacknowledged lover; he had just kissed her very publicly and had called her “his girlfriend”… and on top of that he had rubbed it in everyone’s faces that she had more vacations than the others! Remember. Read this novel only at LeeNovelas.com, not on other sites. They were entering the office when they heard a… “he just missed touching her ass in front of us.” And Andrea hurried to push him into the office because she knew that he was very capable of going out and even spanking her just to annoy those women. “Get away from the door, Andrea, I swear I’ll go and tell them that I touch asses at home!” he growled angrily. -Nooooo. You’re not going to do that. Sit down… sit down! Zack sat down like a big scolded puppy and Andrea took a deep breath, trying to get the red out of her face, but it seemed impossible. -Do you want to tell me what that was? – she whispered softly. -Well, it really pisses me off when they tell you such stupid things! – he replied. -Well, I could answer them myself… in fact, that’s what I did. -Too diplomatically! Andrea raised a finger in his direction. -And how the hell did you find out? – she questioned him. -I was talking on the phone with Ben, who was following the witches in the elevator – he replied. -Well, very well with the other gossip! – Andrea hissed. -But that’s no justification for making out with me in front of people! -Well, it’s a good thing I did, because besides shutting them up, I know we have to rehearse, because that was the worst kiss ever! – he exclaimed and Andrea made an involuntary pout that sat like a stone in Zack’s stomach. -Bad kiss? – she murmured. -No, you don’t kiss badly but it’s not believable. My mother is not going to swallow a kiss if you don’t even believe it, I warn you. Zero conviction, Andrea, zero conviction! – he mocked, pretending to be serious. She muttered seven times under her breath and sulked. -You shouldn’t have done it anyway – she told him. I don’t see the point of proving the witches wrong now, or do you think they won’t know in January? What are you going to do? Are you going to change my branch? -Look, that wouldn’t be bad – he replied. Ben will take care of this one, but I have to go back to the States. If you dare to expand your horizons, you are welcome to come with me. Andrea crossed her arms and sighed with resignation. He was a good man, but he had a domineering character that was sometimes frustrating. “I better go to work.” “Yes, take advantage, because we will only work two more days,” he warned her. And indeed she did. Two days later Zack refused to let her go to work and dedicated himself to telling her almost everything that his family had been up to.He didn’t bother telling her about Giselle because the truth was that his family had never met her, Zack wasn’t sure why, but it seemed that when they had the chances to meet, she always had some important event that she couldn’t miss. So he spared that particular terrible chapter and only took it upon himself to make up for Andrea both for the kindness of her parents and the hurtful nature of her sisters. “I can’t believe they’re really that bad,” Andrea told him as they packed. “It’s not that they’re bad, but my sisters depend completely on my father’s money. They run his companies, but until dad dies they won’t inherit the banks, so their favorite pastime is discrediting the rest of the family,” Zack explained. “It’s not that we care about money,Loan, Milo and I have independent businesses, but the fact that we started them without daddy’s money is already an advantage that they won’t forgive us for. Andrea sighed. She didn’t have any siblings so she didn’t know what it was like to be supported by one or to fight with one. -They are your family anyway, so we’re going to try to have a beautiful Christmas she said. -Believe me, if my mother takes over, we’ll spend fifteen days making cookies like elves – he smiled. And he really hoped that would be the case. They took the last week to arrange the passports for the baby and Andrea and by December 16th they were already boarding a private flight to Zurich and from there they took a transfer to a smaller plane to get to Lucerne. Adriana spent all those hours of flight floating from her mother’s arms to Zack’s, but when they were arriving, he pointed to the window and saw how Andrea’s eyes shone at that landscape, it really was something impressive. -God! Did you grow up here? “She asked Zack. “No, we lived in Zurich,” he replied, “but we had our holiday home here, I learned to ski here and I came here for longer and longer periods of time. When my father retired, he came to live here permanently.” “It’s a beautiful place to come back to,” Andrea told him, and he looked at her thinking that yes, it was a beautiful place to come back to. As soon as they landed, a huge van was already waiting for them and immediately took them to a huge mansion on the outskirts of Lucerne, right at the foot of a mountain. It was very easy for Andrea to recognize Zack’s parents, because Mrs. Luana hugged her tightly and smiled sincerely, and Mr. Nikola raised his arms from his wheelchair and Zack put the baby in his arms before even greeting him. “Good God! I can’t believe it! She’s the most beautiful creature in the world!” exclaimed his father. Even you weren’t that pretty, damn it! Andrea saw Zack’s slightly sad expression and when his mother finished kissing him and ran to the baby as well, she approached him. “Are you okay?” she asked him in a whisper and he nodded. “Yes, it’s just that… I didn’t expect to see him in a wheelchair,” Zack answered in a choked voice. Andrea understood him, that meant that Mr. Nikola’s condition was worse than Zack thought. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, putting an arm around his waist and Zack put another over her shoulders, but before she could say anything, they were surrounded by the madness of her brothers. Andrea laughed, half scared and half surprised because Milo and Loan both lifted her up to give her a kiss on each cheek, they greeted each other with shouts and laughter and gave each other slaps on the back that would have knocked down a buffalo. The three brothers were more than happy to see each other, but as soon as the women appeared, Andrea confirmed everything Zack had told her. However, he himself was not prepared for the poison of his sisters, because while Noémi greeted him diplomatically,Chiara turned to Andrea and clasped her hands together. “Gisselle, my dear, how you have changed since I last saw you!”Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.