"I have to fly to New York for a few days. I will be back on Thursday night." Ezra said, as he kissed Billie's forehead.
She smiled and finished making her bed. They had separate rooms, per her insistence. Her fear of him becoming sick of her was still very much present as it all felt like a dream.
"I will miss your terrible attempts at making me coffee while you're gone." Billie said with a sarcastic smile.
"Oh I know." Ezra laughed. "I will miss you. I really will." His face became serious. "These last few weeks have been… they've been the best of my life. I can't begin to explain to you how much I appreciate and value your presence here."
Billie smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate being here. And I love… you." She said, pulling his shirt and bringing him to her for a kiss.
"I'll be back soon. Enjoy your time here. Relax. And if you need anything, let Andrew know."
"I will." She smiled and nodded again. It was a formal goodbye, one a bit awkward even. They had been living together for a month and they were still strangers in many ways. It happened fast, and in a way that prevented the natural flow of things. Her recovery took some time. Billie didn't care about that too much. She was in love, and experiencing kindness and care from a man she never had felt before. She felt like she wasn't worthy and that she was in a dream. "The best dream." She whispered to herself after Ezra closed the door.
************************************
"Sir. You should be arriving right on time." His pilot announced. The private jet was nearing New York and all Ezra could think about was getting back to Arizona to be near her again.
His private car dropped him at the Pierre Hotel, where his duplex resided. He walked into the massive Manhattan home and sighed. It was empty. The echoes of his own shoes and throat clearing made him feel sick. He sat his briefcase down and sighed. What good was any of this alone? Any of it?
He picked up his cell. "Yes. Have her here on Thursday at 6 pm. Get her a dress. A cocktail dress. Better yet, I will send one. What size? Right. 8. Ok. The jet will be there. Yes. Arrange a private car as well. Thank you." He hung up and smiled. He couldn't wait to finally have someone to fill the walls with laughter instead of empty echoes and silence.
****************************
"Good morning, Mr. Esposito." A woman said to him while handing him a cup of the worst coffee he had ever smelled. She was tall, blonde, and had to be in her late forties. Red nails, manicured perfectly and a suit that looked like it had been pressed several times to look flawless. Ezra was sitting outside of the boardroom, once again being treated like a second hand employee instead of the son of the founder and current CEO. He had requested this meeting to discuss a new idea he had and no one was on time.
"Ezra. Please. And you are?" He asked.
"Jennifer. Jennifer Fierra. I was your father's assistant here in Manhattan. And now, I am yours. Please let me know what I can do for you, sir."
Ezra looked at her in what must have been an obviously puzzled way. "Well, what have you been doing since my father's passing almost four months ago?"
She smiled and held up her finger to let him know she would be back in a minute. After 5, she came
back and handed him a laptop. He looked at her and opened it.
"I've organized every paper and hand written file your father had in his file cabinet to a digital file. Everything, every bit of work is now organized and easy to access." She said proudly. "I did a lot of the work for him in the last few years when he was ill." Ezra scanned through a few files. It was neatly organized and easy to figure out.
"Great work." He said. "Tell me more about what you did for my father."
She smiled. "There wasn't much Mr. Esposito didn't ask me to handle."
"And you are an assistant?" Ezra asked.
"Yes. One with a master's degree in business. But, your father preferred men the boardroom and women behind the scenes. I stayed because I love this company and I've been here since the beginning." She said with a genuine smile.
"Jennifer, I think it's time you had a promotion." Ezra said, smiling back. "Do you have a few minutes to chat with me?"
She nodded. "I definitely do."
After theory minutes or so, the board members began to casually file in. Franklin greeted him first. "Hello sir, I apologize for the tardiness." And he leaned forward, whispering, "I tried to get them to come on time." Ezra nodded and waved him off like it wasn't an issue. 8 men sat in Italian leather chairs and smugly chatted.
Ezra opened the meeting. "Good morning gentleman. Glad you could make it." They all barely acknowledged him. He smiled. "I have invited my attorney, James Phillips to attend today's meeting." He said, again barely being acknowledged.
"I'd like to begin with the first agenda." He said quietly. "You are all fired." Silence washed over the room.
"Excuse me?" One of the men asked.
"Oh, deepest apologies. I will speak louder now that I have your attention. You're all fired."
"You cannot fire us? We are elected board members, elected by shareholders." Another said.
"Ah yes. Well, I own 70 percent of the company. Franklin owns 15. That's 85 percent." Ezra said.
"It is 90 percent by the stipulations. It has to be a 90 percent of the shareholders decision." Another said. There was chuckling and sneering.
"Right. Of course." He hit the button on the intercom. "Jennifer, please join us." A moment later, Jennifer walked in and stood next to Ezra.
"Jennifer owns 5 percent. So lucky for me, we have the majority." Ezra looked at his attorney.
"Yes. I'm afraid he is correct." He said. Franklin liked at Ezra with a nod and a desperate plea, silently asking him if he knows what he is doing.
"So, gather your things. I expect you to feel a more sincere sense of urgency leaving than you did arriving. Also, be sure to congratulate Ms. Fierra on her promotion as you leave. She is now Vice President Fierra, and will be running the Manhattan office."
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Another man asked.
"I can assure you, it isn't a joke. Even though I am slightly amused by it." Ezra said with a smile. The men got up and made several comments about hiring a lawyer and how his father would be furious.
"Yes. But my father is gone. And I am not my father, it is my company." Ezra said. When they all finally left, he invited Jennifer to sit.
"Now, let's get to business. I have some great ideas for the future." Ezra said with a smile.