Mr. President’s

For a second, Mercedes thought she heard him wrongly. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play games, Mercedes or whatever that name is. He paused and frowned, “did you run out of names? Mercedes is a car and it confuses me every time.” he pestered her but Mercedes wasn’t amused. She was named after her godmother Mercedes who took care of her as a child. She died six years ago and right now, Nathan made her miss the former deeply.

“I’m comfortable with Miss Winters. I never disproved,” she turned cold. Nathan noticed it and didn’t continue to taunt her anymore. Everyone had personal battles.

“Okay, I’ll call you Cedes,” he confirmed but Mercedes didn’t like it either. “No, Merce or Miss Winters.”

“Merce sounds like Mercy. I think that’s better. Now, let’s come back to what I was saying. I mean, don’t pretend that nothing happened that night. Mercedes was trying to erase the memory of that night from her mind. She didn’t remember it clearly but the details were evident enough.

“I don’t deny that something happened and yes, I took a morning–after pill so can I go now?” She sounded defiant but Nathan didn’t mind. From what happened in the past, he wasn’t going to take it lightly, especially after finding out about Mercedes’s parents‘ condition. He had a check made on her and received the result before getting to the office.

Knowing that she was the breadwinner, he felt that she would do anything for money, including trying to blackmail him with pregnancy in the future. He also wondered how Mercedes coped after changing jobs so frequently, compared to the huge bills on her neck.

Something didn’t add up to him. Worst of all, Mercedes initiated everything. She was the one who kissed him first. “Don’t you think you need to get checked by the doctor?”

“Mr Legend, like I said that day and I will repeat it in case you have forgotten. I won’t carry a bastard in my womb,” she sneered but Nathan wasn’t convinced. He stood up and walked up to her. He got so close to her, she felt uneasy.

“Every woman would want to carry my child,” he taunted her.

“Good for them but I’m not every woman am I? My name is Mercedes Winters. Besides, you just ain’t my type so can I get

back to work now?”

Nathan froze for a second at the harsh words she threw at him like bullets. “Yes, Miss Winters,” he walked back to his seat.

Mercedes got to work as soon as she entered her office. She felt slightly awful for her last words and something tickled inside her to apologize but how could she? Was she supposed to tell him that he was her type? Thinking through it, she decided against it.

She set an alarm for thirty minutes before lunchtime and when it beeped, she made her way to Nathan’s office. They were just a door apart but with the size of his office and the position of his executive desk, she hardly heard any sound from there.

When she opened the door, he was having a meeting with one of the managers so she thought to come back later. As soon as she turned around, she heard his deep voice, “is there a problem Miss Winters?”

“No, I want to know what you want for lunch,” she asked politely. The manager was amazed. He never thought Mercedes would last two hours but she has survived a day and a half. Besides, she was getting along quite well with Nathan but when he heard Nathan’s next response, he knew that Mercedes was a tough one.

“Didn’t you say that you did your research on me?”

Yeah, sure. She turned to leave.

“Wait, take this card. It’s for expenses for this office.” She went back to take the card from him and bowed slightly to the manager as a form of greeting. The manager nodded in response but didn’t utter a word.

“Noted.” She said to Nathan and went back to her office. Mercedes ordered the same dishes as yesterday because she wanted to get back at Nathan.

To her utmost surprise, Nathan didn’t compliment her, and neither did he disprove her when they ate together just as they did the previous day after the manager left. It was an hour to close when Mercedes heard a knock on her door. She opened it to see a young man, who greeted her in a Spanish accent and introduced himself as Bruno.

He was holding three long dress garment bags and another bag to the side. “Good day Madam, you be Miss Winters!”

must He greeted her excitedly. Mercedes had forgotten about the whole thing but this was a vivid reminder.

“Very well I am,” she smiled, trying to match up to his excitement.

“Mr Legend asked me to help you to get ready for dinner,” he said, shoving the three garment bags into her hand.

Mercedes wondered how she was going to change with him there and where to change but she didn’t have to think for long. Nathan had already heard Bruno’s voice and made his way to Mercedes office.

“Good to see you, Bruno, she will change in the bedroom before you add the necessary accessories, Nathan said. He already has everything planned out.

Mercedes felt uncomfortable using her boss’s bedroom. He must have had it to rest when he works overtime or for emergencies. However, his words were always a command, never giving room for negotiations.

She went to the small but cosy bedroom and changed into the first outfit. It was a long shiny black evening tube gown. She liked it because she thought it was decent and more suitable for the occasion. Yet, Nathan didn’t like it so she tried the next one, a long flowy lavender dress with a long slit up to her thigh. Nathan didn’t like it as well and Bruno was already sweating. He was more accustomed to Nathan’s designs and this was the first time he was entrusted to something feminine from Nathan so it was quite difficult meeting his taste.

She wore the third dress. A long black dress with pearls woven through her midsection to her neck, leaving her back and shoulders exposed. The design made it look as if she was wearing a dress made of pearls, it kinda felt nude to her. She felt uncomfortable in that dress and took a long time stepping out, she screamed behind the door,

“This isn’t good. I can’t wear it. I’ll go with the first one” Bruno’s heart fell. He had failed Mr Legend for the first time but these wear latest designs and very expensive.

“I want to see it,” Nathan precisely said. He didn’t know what Mercedes liked and neither did she know his taste. Dejectedly, Mercedes stepped out in the dress and could swear she saw something flicker in Nathan’s eyes but it was gone as quick as it appeared. “This is perfect, he remarked. Bruno grinned, relief washing him and his excitement returned. Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“I can’t wear it. It’s too exposing,” Mercedes declined. She has never worn anything so revealing. From her waist to her leg was okay but her back and shoulders were all bare, with just a section of her stomach covered. It was too sexy and inappropriate in her most definite analysis.

“It covers your legs better than what you wore at the club. Where did you get that anyway? From a thrift store?” He taunted

her.

Mercedes was upset but since Nathan commanded, she obeyed. She agreed the dress she wore to the club wasn’t expensive but it wasn’t from a thrift store. Also, it was short but more decent because only her legs were exposed but they seemed to have different definitions for decency.

Bruno went ahead to style her hair and put on her make–up. When he was done, he picked her stilettos to put on her feet

Chapter 11

but right before then, Nathan stepped in between them. You can go now, I will do it… Mercedes felt her nerves tense.