Zachary & Ciara

Hello fellow members. Some of you have posted and emailed that you aren't happy with the length of time between updates for my stories and for this I'm truly sorry. In the future I promise not to post another story until I'm finished with it. That way I'll keep my readers happy and myself out of the dog house. Here's chapter 6 of Zachary and Ciara.

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"Is the penthouse ready?" Brie asked her assistant as she mentally ran down a list of all the things she needed to do to prepare for her sister's arrival.

"Yes, it's ready," her assistant replied.

"Let me know when my sister arrives," Brie told her. "I'll be in my office."

"Will do," her assistant replied. "You really should relax. Your sister isn't due to arrive until later this evening."

"I know I just want things to be perfect when she arrives," Brie said releasing a sigh. "I don't want her to have anything to complain to her husband about."

"I can't believe your sister's married to our new boss," Brie's assistant said.

"I can't believe it either," Brie replied.

"Did you know they were seeing each other?"

"No," Brie replied. "I found out about them at the same time everyone else did when I found out, they were married."

"I bet it feels good to have an in with the new boss," her assistant teased. Brie didn't answer her. She simply smile and made her way to her office.

'An in with the boss,' Brie thought to herself almost laughing out loud at the absurdity of her assistant's words. 'I wish that were true.'

As she plopped down onto the chair behind her desk Brie thought about the last time she saw her sister and the things she said to her. How she turned her back on her and Emilee by refusing to allow them to stay with her because her niece didn't get along with Carl.

That was the excuse she gave Ciara but the truth was she wouldn't have allowed Ciara to stay with her, even if she lived alone. The truth was she enjoyed seeing her big sister hit bottom, and she wouldn't lift a finger to help her even if it was at the expense of her niece. Brie liked being able to lord over Ciara that she was in need of her help, and she wasn't going to lift a finger to do anything for her.

A smile slowly crept across Brie's face as she thought about the possibility that Ciara was coming home because Zachary's mother had told him the truth about Emilee not being Ciara's daughter. That she was actually Emilee's aunt and that Emilee was the child of Ciara's druggie twin Cara.

'I bet he went ballistic and threw her and Emilee out of his place when he found out that Ciara lied to him about Emilee,' Brie thought to herself her smile growing bigger. 'That's probably she's coming back alone. He's allowing her to stay in the penthouse until she can find or afford a place of her own.'

Brie shook that thought from her head when she realized how ridiculous it was with her sister staying in the penthouse suite.

'If he was throwing Ciara out he wouldn't allow her to stay in the best room in the hotel,' she thought. 'He would put her up in one of the regular or cheaper rooms in the hotel. Maybe his mother hasn't told him about Emilee, yet.'

Hoping that Zach's mother hadn't told him about Emilee, Brie began thinking about all the ways she would toy around with her sister if what she was thinking was true. Like a cat playing with a mouse just before it killed and ate it, that's what she would do to her dear big sister.

'I bet she won't bounce back from this fall the way she bounced back from all the other times trouble found its way into her life,' Brie thought actually laughing out loud this time.

That one trait out of all the things that Brie disliked about her sister was the one thing that she disliked the most. Ciara's ability to seemingly land on her feet no matter what kind of trouble came her way. She hated that about her sister.

She thought Ciara had hit rock bottom this time when she found herself homeless with a child to take care of. Brie knew that Emilee was the only reason she came to her and practically begged her to let them stay with her.

Ciara wouldn't have done it if she only had herself to worry about.

Turning her sister away, thinking about her being on the street made Brie happy. It didn't even bother her that Emilee was with her. But her happiness was short lived because the next time she saw her sister she was married, not only was she married she was married to a wealthy man, not only was she married to a wealthy man, she was married to Brie's new boss.

This time Ciara didn't simply land on her feet, she soared into the sky and landed on her boss' lap. But if Brie could help it, she would be sitting there temporarily.

Brie was brought out of her thoughts when she felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket; she pulled the phone out, looked down at the screen and saw that it was Carl calling. She was tempted to not answer her phone and let his call go to her voice mail, but Carl wouldn't leave a message he would just keep calling her until she answered her phone.

"Hello Carl," Brie said managing to keep the tiredness she was feeling out of her voice.

"Hello babe," Carl replied. "How's your day?"

"It started out pretty shitty," Brie replied.

"When I arrived at work this morning, and I sat down at my desk and checked my email, I found one telling me that Ciara and Emilee would be coming home today, and I've been instructed to prepare the penthouse for her majesty's arrival."

"You're kidding," Carl replied. "Why didn't they call you to let you know they would be coming home today?"

"I don't know," Brie said. "I guess she felt that the email was enough."

"I think Ciara's trying to get back at you because you wouldn't let her, and Emilee stay here when they didn't have a place to live," Carl suggested.

"Ms. Goody-two-shoes wouldn't do something like that," Brie told him. "Ciara isn't into seeking revenge. She's not an eye for an eye type of person."

"She might've been that way before she adopted Emilee," Carl said. "I bet she's changed since you, not only refused to let her stay but Emilee too."

"No Ciara wouldn't change because of that," Brie her tone assured. "She wouldn't want to set a bad example for Emilee."

"If she's not like that explain to me why she didn't call you to let you know she was returning today?" Carl asked.

"If you recall I was late getting to work this morning," Brie said a smile appearing on her face when she thought about how she and Carl spent their morning. "She could've called and I didn't answer."

"Don't give me that," Carl said. "Ciara knows your cell phone number. If she wanted to talk to you, she could've called your cell, she knows you never turn it, off, and even if she called your office, and you didn't answer she could've left you a voice mail."

Brie went silent thinking about what Carl was saying and trying to come up with a logical explanation for Ciara not calling her, unable to think of one she decided that Carl was right, her sister was trying to make her look bad.

"If her intention is to try to make me look bad she's going to fail," Brie said. "The penthouse is going to ready when she gets here, and I'll still do all of my regular duties. There won't be anything for her or anyone else to complain about."

"That's my girl," Carl said glad he'd gotten Brie to see things his way, "show that bitch she can't rattle your cage."

****************

"Do you have everything you need?" Zach asked Ciara as she and Emilee prepared to board the plane that would take them back to Atlanta.

"Yes, I'm sure I have everything," Ciara assured him.

"Are you still coming to visit us in two weeks?" Emilee asked.

"Yes, I am munchkin," Zach replied bending down to speak with Emilee. "I'll be there on the fastest plane I can find."

"I'm going to miss you Zach," Emilee said a tear falling from her eye.

"Now, now," Zach said pulling a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiping away the tear that had landed on her cheek, "you promised to be a big girl."

"I am being a big girl," Emilee said. "I'm just a sad big girl." Zachary and Ciara laughed.

"I'm going to miss you and your mother," Zach said. "But, thinking about see the two of you again in two weeks helps me not to be so sad."

"But two weeks seem so far away," Emilee whined.

"It's fourteen whole days away."

"How about if I call you every day before you go to bed and say goodnight?" Zach said. "Would that make the time seem to go faster?"

"Yes!" Emilee replied her eyes lighting up.

"Then that's what I'll do then," Zach said. "It'll make the time seem to go faster for me too, and I won't feel so sad about missing you and your mother."

"We're ready for you and your daughter to board Mrs. Collins," a stewardess came over and told Ciara.

"Thank you," Ciara replied about to get behind Emilee's wheelchair towards the boarding ramp. "Would you help my step-daughter aboard the plane please?" Zach asked the stewardess. "I need to have a word with my wife."

"Gladly," the stewardess replied. "Are you ready to go little lady?"

"Yeah," Emilee replied sadly.

"See you later munchkin," Zach said giving Emilee a kiss on her cheek.

"Bye," Emilee said throwing her arms around Zach's neck giving him a hug just before she was wheeled towards the plane.

After Emilee and the stewardess left them alone Zachary and Ciara stood in the middle of the airport departure area silently staring into each other's eyes, acting as if they were two teenagers coming to the end of a first date, wondering how they should say goodnight, if they should kiss or shake hands.

Zach was about to speak to Ciara when he looked up and saw Jonas Porter the man, he and Ciara hired to two weeks ago to help Ciara take care of Emilee.

Jonas Porter stands six feet tall and weighs two hundred pounds, his body a temple of muscles that he kept in shape by going to the gym four times a week whenever he could, his face a handsome collection of chiseled features that never failed to garner him the attention of the opposite sex no matter where he went.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said to Zach and Ciara lugging his carryon bag over his shoulder, "I overslept."

"How did you manage to do that?" Zach asked him, "Especially when you knew what time you were expected to be here."

"Stanly took me out to dinner last night so that we could spend some time together," Jonas said a blush spreading across his face. "We stayed out later than we planned because we lost track of time."

"Forget about it," Zach told him not wanting to hear the details about how Jonas spent his evening. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again. I expect you to spend the majority of your time helping Ciara take care of Emilee. I'm not paying you to cat around."

"I promise you it won't happen again," Jonas said.

"Emilee is already on the plane," Ciara told Jonas. "Would you go see that she's alright?"

"I'm on it," Jonas said saluting Ciara has he left her and Zach heading towards the plane to see about his little charge.

"I'm going to join them," Ciara said turning to go board the plane.

"Wait!" Zachary said walking towards Ciara. Ciara stopped.

"Promise you'll call me when you and Emilee reach the hotel," Zach said as he came closer to Ciara.

"I promise," Ciara replied raising her chin so that she could look into Zach's eyes.

"And promise me you'll both be careful," Zach said looking down into Ciara's eyes putting his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. "And you'll allow Jonas to do his job and help you with Emilee. That is what he's being paid to do."

"I will," Ciara replied.

"I'm going to miss the two of you so much," Zach said as he tightened his arms around Ciara's waist hugging her to his body.

"We're going to miss you too," Ciara said returning his hug.

"Please don't cry," Zach said when he noticed Ciara's eyes tearing up.

"Too late," Ciara said as a tear rested on her cheek.

"You should go," Zach said noticing the impatient look the flight attendant was giving him and Ciara.

"Alright," Ciara replied.

Neither of them moved out of the other's arms.

"Goodbye," Zach said as he leaned down and gave Ciara a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye," Ciara replied as Zach eased his arms from around her waist and she moved towards the boarding gate.

"We're going to talk when you come back to London or when I come to Atlanta in two weeks," Zachary said as Ciara continued walking away from him.

Zachary smiled and waved at the confused look that appeared on Ciara's face at his last statement.

"What do we ...?"

"Think about it?" Zachary told her. (((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))

Ciara opened her eyes after replaying her goodbye to Zach at the airport in her mind. She still couldn't figure out what he wanted to talk to her about. Ciara thinking about the kiss Zach gave her on the cheek brought her hand up and rubbed the spot where his lips came to rest. Smiling as she remembered how his lips felt on her face.

'That's the second time he's kissed me on the cheek,' she thought to herself still rubbing the spot.

Wondering if his lips feel the same if he kissed her on the lips Ciara brought her hand up and gently touched her lips.

'No,' she mentally chastised herself removing her hand from her lips. 'I can't go there,' she said shaking her head to dislodge the thought from her mind. 'Developing romantic feelings toward Zachary Collins wouldn't be a smart thing for me to do. Our relationship can't move pass friendship. It would be silly of me to think of it has any more than that.'

Jonas sat in the seat across from Emilee and Ciara. He saw that his employer was deep in thought, conflicted about something that he was sure involved Zach his other employer. He wasn't sure if they'd had an argument or if she or Zach received some upsetting news. But he knew that something was wrong because he'd never seen a married couple behave the way they did.

They seemed to be very uncomfortable around each other. Seemingly afraid to get close or touch each other the way normal married couples did. It was as if someone or maybe one of them had drawn an invisible line between them that they weren't allowed to cross and both of them were being very careful not to cross that line.

'Maybe neither of them liked public displays of affection,' Jonas thought to himself. 'Even though a blind man could see that they were dying to kiss each other.'

Jonas couldn't see going away and not kissing his Marilyn. He didn't care what other people thought about them kissing in public, he wasn't going to forgo an opportunity to give his woman a big wet one on her lips when he or she wanted one. Even though he had to wrestle one from her this morning because she was angry with him, Jonas wasn't walking out of that door without a kiss.

He laughed and felt guilty about the little white lie he told Ciara and Zach about his sexual preference. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but something he felt he had to do when he noticed that all the good-looking men or players (as they're called in the States) seemed to come out of the interview quicker than the ones who were what people would consider as not good looking, he needed this job. He needed this job, and he decided that pretending to be gay would make his chances of getting the job more favorable, and it seemed to have worked for him because they called him the evening after his interview to let him know that he was hired.

That was the reason why he and Marilyn were at odds with each other, she didn't want him to take the position, because he would be gone for possibly three months or longer, but Jonas couldn't pass up the fantastic salary job paid nor the advance Zachary had given him. He just couldn't do it.

He hoped that by the time he called Marilyn later that evening that her mood would be better because loved her, and he hated for her to be angry with him. (((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))

Ciara, Emilee and Jonas reached Zach's hotel about ten o'clock that evening. Jonas walked into the hotel carrying Emilee in his arms with Ciara walking ahead of them pushing her wheelchair.

Brie greeted them as the trio entered the hotel lobby. She pasted a smile on her face as she approached them wondering who the man was carrying her niece.

"Hello, Ciara," she said her tone nonchalant and all business.

"Hello, Brie," Ciara replied her tone just as nonplussed.

"The penthouse is ready just as Mr. Collins instructed," talking to Ciara but her eyes trained on the good-looking stranger holding Emilee.

"Thank you," Ciara replied as she made her way over to the private elevator that would take her, Emilee and Jonas up to the penthouse.

"Who is your friend?" Brie asked when it became obvious that Ciara wasn't going to introduce her to the stranger.

"It's late, Brie," Ciara said as she stepped onto the elevator. "We've had a long flight and as you can see Emilee is tired and if you haven't noticed I'm tired also, too tired to make introductions. So if you don't mind I would like to go up to my suite and put Emilee to bed and get some sleep myself."

"Excuse me," Brie replied. "I was only asking because I was curious. It was only a month ago that you left here as the new wife of my employer and you come back with another handsome man carrying my niece in his arms. You can't blame a person for wondering if there's trouble already trouble in your marriage."

"Whatever is going on with my marriage is none of your concern," Ciara told her sister. "And why are you worried about what's going on in my marriage or in my life? It's not something you've ever been interested in or worried about in the past."

"I'm worried because of your marriage to Mr. Collins," Brie replied. "People have been asking questions because it happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly."

"That reminds me," Ciara said her eyes narrowing as she looked at her sister, "I need you to come up to the penthouse when you arrive for work tomorrow. You and I need to talk about your being questioned and how you seem to be so willing to answer those questions."

"And Brie, I'm not asking you to meet with me as your sister," Ciara said the tone of her voice letting Brie know that she was serious and all business. "I want to see you as your employer, so don't be late. I expect to see you twenty minutes after your arrival to work."

"We can discuss it now," Brie said smiling and walking towards the elevator. She wasn't ready to leave her sister's presence, there was so much that she wanted to know about her sister and the man that was going upstairs with her and her niece.

"Tomorrow will be soon enough," Ciara said as she pressed the button that closed the doors to the elevator. "And don't be late."

"I'll be on time," Brie said her sounding nonchalant but anger seeped through her body at the way her sister ordered her to meet with her in the morning.

'Bitch,' Brie thought to herself as she turned to head to so that she could gather her things and head home. (((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))

"Hello?"

"We made it safe and sound," Ciara said to Zach as she made herself comfortable on the large California king sized bed in the master bedroom of the penthouse suite.

"How was your flight?" Zach asked amazed at how thrill he was to hear her voice.

"It was fine," Ciara replied.

"How is Emilee?

"Asleep," Ciara replied.

"How about you? How are you doing?"

"A little tired, a little sleepy and my feet are killing me."

"Poor baby," Zach cooed and teased.

"You're going to pay for that when I see you again," Ciara told him, a smile Zach could feel through the phone appearing on her face.

"Oh, I'm so afraid," Zach teased.

"I had to tell Jonas about Emilee," Ciara said changing the topic and mood of their conversation.