Her lips upon his was something that he found himself thinking about a lot. She kissed him with just the right amount of assertive force but nothing that he would describe as forceful. Her lips were firm but yielded under the pressure from his. It was just another example of how perfect Nova was. If someone told him that they had a seen Merlin himself bring her to life from a Greek marble statue of Athena, he wouldn’t be surprised.

  “Thank you for being here, Nova.” He said with a smile that came easier and easier to his lips around her. “I have a new intern and she is learning, but there are some things that the male half of the species just don’t understand as well as women.” He looked at her with a playful but confident half smile.

  “What are you asking me, my dear?” Nova responded with an easy grace that denoted no romantic ties or implications at all.

  Kenneth smiled and handed her a credit card. She glanced down to see the word Platinum embossed on the plastic rectangle. He responded, “I’m asking you to take her shopping. She is learning how to talk without the common use of vulgarity, of which I am pleased. Her studies in business, and etiquette are going a bit slower than I would like, but she’s making progress.” Again, he paused and stood up, slowly pacing up and down his office.

  “The one area that I am making no head way in, is that of appearance and hygiene. The girl doesn’t know a thing about how to use makeup, nor does she know anything about fashion. I can rattle off the big names and I know what I find pleasing, but trying to get her to figure any of this out on her own, has been the one dismal failure of mine.”

  Nova raised a single eyebrow, “So you want me to take her shopping and give her a makeover?”

  Kenneth twisted his lips into a sarcastic smile, “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Give a woman a makeover, she looks good for a week.”

  Nova smiled, “You want me to teach her how to find her own look.”

  Kenneth smiled and nodded his head, “I would be forever grateful for your assistance in this matter, Madame.” He bowed low upon finishing speaking.

  Nova pressed her hands upon her chest above her breasts as she smiled warmly, “A request made so elegantly has but one type of response. Of course, my dear, I will teach her.”

  Kenneth sat down and took her hand gently in his, “Thank you, Nova.” He looked deeply into her deep brown eyes. Content to just sit and gaze into her soul and be happy.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She didn’t blush, but she did smile, “And just what are you looking at, my dear?”

  “A very beautiful, astute, and elegant woman,” Kenneth said calmly without reservation.

  The two of them understood each other on a deeper level than he had felt in a long, long time. Natalia had understood him, on a shallow level at least. She had been very attractive and Kenneth had wanted her, and still had, up till the day he had to kill her. But that was a mating based almost purely on a business level transaction. With Nova, he felt that he was eighteen again. His years of life told him that Nova was more than just elegant, her intelligence and grace was something that must have been gifts from the old Gods themselves. They understood each other. He wasn’t ready to commit to anything with Nova, and Nova was just as serine and introspective about what went on around her as she had been the night they had first met. So, compliments were given freely, and nothing was taken as anything other than it was, words shared by two people. If their relationship went anywhere from here. It wouldn’t be words that were spoken between them. They would just know.

  The elevator at the far side of Kenneth’s office dinged and the doors slid easily aside, revealing Kenneth’s Intern. Her black oversized sweater was hanging off a bony shoulder, revealing her white tank top underneath. Her jeans were shredded with white threads sticking out all over the place, and her blue canvas converse shoes, were untied with loose laces tucked under the tongue.

  Emily walked into the office, without the slightest bit of humility or self-consciousness. Her stringy blonde hair, was tucked loosely behind her ears and hung limply down her back. Her green eyes wandered over the office, not interested in looking at Kenneth or his squeeze. She just wanted to know for how much longer she was going to have to do this.

  Kenneth did nothing to hide his disappointed sigh as the girl lackadaisically walked towards his desk. “Emily, Emily.”

  She slowly turned her head toward Kenneth as she spoke, “Yeah? I’m right here.”

  Kenneth heaved another deep sigh, “Yes, I noticed. I was wondering if you happened to notice that there is a guest in my office and you’re late.”

  Emily looked down at Nova as if seeing her for the first time, “Oh! My Lady?! Please forgive me?!” With this, she ridiculously and exaggeratedly half curtsied, half bowed before the woman seated in front of her.

  Kenneth allowed a dark cloud of annoyance and anger to sweep across his features at the display. He took a deep, silent, breath and recomposed himself quickly. Emily was trying to get him upset. He had already signed over the farm to her. What she didn’t know, was that it was purely conditional. He could take it away from her at any time. Emily thought that if she annoyed him enough, he would send her away. He thought by now she would have learned the value in her studies and education under his tutelage. He would have to have a talk with this girl at some point.

  Not for the first time he asked himself why didn’t he just dominate her the way he had all his students and Natalia. He shook his head. The whole point of this was to teach her, for her to come to the decision on her own. The ambition was there; of that he had no doubt. But she had been brainwashed by everyone around her for so long she refused to see the value in what he was teaching her and how that related to long term gains. But then again, if it was easy, everyone would do it.