CHAPTER 27
JENNY
The muggy weather did little to enhance my mood. In fact, the stagnant, heavy air hung like a weighted blanket pressing against my chest with each breath I took. The moment a gentle breeze passed through my open car window, I exhaled a sigh of relief. It was too hot to be sitting in this car without the chill the air conditioner offered. But I needed to conserve gas as much as possible.
As of yesterday, I maxed out the last of the credit cards Todd added me on as an authorized user. It was a small credit limit of about five thousand dollars. I glanced out the rear-view mirror again, checking to make sure no one had pulled up behind me. I’d lost count how many nights I’d sat in my car in this neighborhood. The first few times I had the misfortune of running into nosy neighbors. After almost getting caught, I changed tactics and only came around at night.
I ducked down in my seat when a car pulled up to the driveway. A young guy hopped out with boxes of pizza. I smirked at the thought of Lashawnda stuffing her fat face. Sean came to the door, body big and dominant, taking up the width of the doorway. He handed the delivery man some money and then nodded. He turned to kick the door shut, and I got a view of that firm toned ass of his. Everything about Sean was perfect, but there was something intoxicating about the way his backside sat firm in his slacks he wore to work.
The man was simply gorgeous and far too good to be with that ogre of a woman.
I wasn’t sure how long I was sitting in my car, watching their house. I left the office in a daze and drove around, unintentionally I found myself sitting at the end of their street like I‘d done a dozen times over the last few weeks. The only way for me to get a good glimpse of them was to move my car closer. Or, I could get out and peek through their windows. Snooping around while the house was empty was a chance I took often. I wouldn’t risk it now. A nosy neighbor could easily catch me and call the police.
Two weeks ago, I’d almost gotten caught. Lashawnda was in the backyard talking on the phone. She had no idea I was watching her. Her legs were bare, and she wore a skimpy tank top; showing off all that fat and cellulite. She was planning for her father’s birthday party. Whatever catering company she was using was pricy. You would have thought she was planning a wedding. When she rattled off the $10,000 quote my eyes bucked. However, Lashawnda didn’t bat an eye as she recited her credit card number to the caller.
I bet she’s spending Sean’s money, I thought furiously. That should be me. I should be living in that house. I should be the one organizing an elaborate dinner for my father; not that I’d spoken to the man in years. But still, it should be me living that life.
My fist had tightened around the crowbar in my hand. The rage was so intense that I saw the scene play out before my eyes. Me clobbering Lashawnda over the head until her brains spilled out on the well-manicured lawn. The thought was so satisfying that a moan slipped through my lips. I only brought the crowbar to see if I could use it to slip into the house, but now it was looking to serve an even greater purpose.
The barking of a dog pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned in time to see an older man walking past the house. From where he stood there was no hiding that I was spying in the yard. I pulled my hair down over my face and sprinted to my car.
Now here I was, once again sitting in my car, watching the house that I should be living in. Those nefarious thoughts had eased from two weeks ago, but after everything that happened at the office, they were slowly creeping back in. Considering my father had long ago removed himself from my life, I no longer had anyone available to bail me out of jail.
“Oh, father, you’d be so proud of what your little girl has become,” I said sardonically.
I checked the time on the dashboard. It was getting late, and I needed to get home to meet a friend. The heat from the cigarette ashes falling on my forearm again made me jump.
They were in the bedroom.
I found the schematics of the house online. When office gossip reached me that Sean moved in with Lashawnda, I had to find out as much about their living situation as I could. Imagine my shock when I saw that their house was in one of the city’s upper-class neighborhoods. The cheapest house in this part of town was about a quarter million dollars, and that was only because of the downturn of the real estate market.
Lashawnda didn’t deserve this opulent lifestyle Sean was giving her.
Then a thought hit me. Maybe it was her that was footing the bill? It would make sense. Lashawnda got paid far more than any of the secretaries at H&G, even the executive assistants who had been with the company for years. A few months after she started, I saw the request for her change in salary on one of the HR staff’s personnel desk. It was supposed to be confidential, but I went through the details and was shocked to see such a massive increase after her ninety-day probation period ended.
I nodded my head, clarity starting to take shape. Money? Could that be a reason he’s with her? Her parents were upper middle class, so I know they were probably helping her out—not that she needed it. There was no secret about the relationship Lashawnda had with her dad. I bet if she asked for a hefty down payment, he would give it to her with no questions asked.
A light flickered on the front window on the right side of the house. I looked up, seeing life inside the house again. Minutes later, I watched with fascination as the shadows of two people merged into one and then disappeared.
My body was stiff with irritation and mind racing with a plan I was finally ready to put in place. Months ago, I figured their relationship would take its natural course and these two would eventually break up. But, I see now, waiting on the universe to make this right was pointless. I needed to get Sean away from Lashawnda myself. If I could get him to see what we could have together, then I know he’d do what should have been done in the first place. He would have chosen me. It was only fair I set things right—make them exactly how they were meant to be.
“Damn it!” I exclaimed.
Hot ash from my cigarette dropped on my arm. I quickly brushed it off and sat up in the seat. I only smoked when I was highly agitated or angry. Lashawnda had managed to make me feel both emotions. It had been years since I’d felt this kind of rage. A sneer crossed my face as I thought about the last woman that set me off like this. It had been well over a decade since I crossed paths with her. It was inevitable that we see each other again at some point in the future. Lashawnda was just the appetizer; something to get me warmed up for what I had planned for my real enemy.
Earlier this evening my plan backfired when neither Sean nor Lashawnda had taken the bait over the pictures.
I watched the play-by-play between the two of them. I wasn’t sure what to make of it all. Lashawnda was acting as if there was nothing wrong with the picture of Tina sitting on Sean’s lap. And then, Sean comes over and looks at all the pictures of Lashawnda dancing with a bunch of guys, and he doesn’t react at all. After overhearing the conversation she had with her sister in the bathroom, about not putting up with infidelity, I was sure images of Sean with another woman would have made her rip him a new one.
To top it all off, I didn’t get a single reply from Sean about my video. Tina and I had fun putting together that little care package for him. It had been a while since I’d been with another woman, and it was exactly what I needed to feel like my old self again. When I told Tina about sending them to Sean, she was even more excited. She was hoping the three of us could have some fun together. But I wasn’t in the business of sharing when it came to Sean Colcord. Once I had that man, I planned on keeping him all to myself.
However, I needed to take care of the Lashawnda problem first. If she thought this was over, she was sadly mistaken.
After watching them kiss in front of me, I realized I would have to retrain Sean. His behavior put me in a mood that had me driving around town. The way he spoke to me like I was trash? Apparently, Lashawnda had corrupted his mind.
I wonder if I could just poison her? The thought took
root and blossomed in my mind. It would be simple enough. She was one of those fat pigs that was constantly stuffing food in her mouth. I saw right through her vain attempts at dieting. Complaining about her weight to get sympathy from people and then eat because she’s feeling depressed. The woman would eat horse shit if someone covered it in butter and chocolate.
Getting rid of Lashawnda might be easier than I expected it to be.
Throwing the rest of my cigarette out the window, I shifted the car into gear and pulled swiftly away from the curb, almost hitting another vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the car honked his horn and threw his hands in the air.
“Fuck off!” I hollered, sticking my middle finger out the open window. My phone buzzed, and I reached into the cup holder to grab it. The name displayed on the screen caused my face to split into a wide grin.
“Hello, Doctor.” I dropped my voice to a sultry whisper. Lightly dancing in my seat, because this was who I needed to get my plans to come to fruition.
“Jenny, my dear, you know I don’t like waiting.”
“I know, sweetheart, but I had to take care of something essential. It was all part of our plan succeeding.” I threw in the last part to appease him. What he wanted and what I wanted only intersected on a minuscule scale.
“I’m only calling you because I’ve had a rough week, and I flew all the way here just to have you ease my tension for the next few days. I’m not in the business of waiting for a woman Jenny.”
Fucking gross!
I rolled my eyes at his tone. The performance I’ve had to put on to ‘ease his tension’ should have put me in the running for an Academy Award.
“I’m only a few minutes from my place,” I answered with a pout.
I checked my rear-view mirror and switched lanes. Traffic was light on the interstate this time of night. I usually make it home earlier than this when I knew he was coming over, but tonight, I was desperate to see Sean and the ogre he was dating.
“Don’t have me waiting more than five minutes,” he warned.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I’d made a deal with the devil in hopes of capturing an angel. I should regret my decision. But I was too far gone to go back. Even if I wanted to call things off, this man had too much dirt on me.
Desperate times called for shrewd thinking and precise execution. It’s something my daddy always taught me when he brought me to his office when I was a kid. Connor Reed was a hotshot attorney that prided himself on never losing any of his litigations. When he was backed against a corner, he never panicked. Instead, he outmaneuvered his opposition with his cunning wiles and knowledge of the law. Growing up, he always stressed the importance of using every possible resource to your advantage.
At twenty-six years old I had put his lessons to practice on numerous occasions. It was a shame he couldn’t see past the sham that his life had turned into to do the same. Some days I wanted things to be different. But it didn’t take much to remind me that they never would be.
Days like today, I was happy to be Conner Reed’s daughter. My night with my unwanted guest left me in a worst mood than I had been in before he came over. He spent much of the night griping about the people in his company he had a vendetta against. The other half was spent rutting between my legs. I took the hottest shower I could when he was done. Sleeping with older men wasn’t something new to me. But, with him, I always felt grimy afterwards.
“Okay, girl. There’s a goal in mind. Let’s get it done.” I amped myself up as I stepped inside the building of H&G.
The usual crowd of employees and patients were ambling around the lobby. I checked my watch and realized I had about thirty minutes to spare. Hiking up my skirt, I trotted toward the double doors and raced up the back stairwell.
It wasn’t 7:00 a.m. yet, and I was hoping Lashawnda hadn’t magically changed her routine. Before coming in, I made sure to circle the parking garage, and I didn’t see either her or Sean’s cars. One thing I could give her credit for is coming in to work on time now. I’m sure that had more to do with Sean than her.
When I rounded the corner, I saw Mallory walking past me. I greeted her in the same manner I’ve done for the last few years of working with her. A fake stiff smile with a wave that looked effortless from years as a cheerleader.
“Hey, Mal. Good morning. How’s it going?” I asked, not really hoping to get an answer.
“Jenny, good morning to you too,” Mallory replied, voice stiff with annoyance. She wasn’t even trying to pretend like she was happy to see me.
Bitch.
“Hey, is Lashawnda at her desk?” I asked.
She cocked her head back as if my words smacked her in the face. No doubt her and Lashawnda have been talking about me again. Lashawnda had this reputation as the in-house 'office therapist’ that you got great results with but didn’t need to use your insurance for. It was a cute little nickname a few people used for her. But, what I saw, was someone who loved to gossip and stick their nose in other people’s business.
I’ve overheard more than a few conversations between the two women about me. Mallory talked so much shit about me that I could always depend on her to let me know if I was about to get into any trouble with my manager. There was no doubt it was just jealousy. She’s still single and out of her prime. Seriously, what guy wants an overweight, middle-aged single mother as a potential partner? If she were nicer, I could teach her a thing or two about how to snag a man with nothing but money to blow on a hot girl.
Standing next to her reminded me of why I don’t have any female friends.
“I just don’t want to walk all the way over to that side of the building, and she’s not there,” I finished.
“Nope. She’s off today.” She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Something about finding venues for her father’s birthday party.”
“Oh, darn. I guess I’ll see her tomorrow.” I feigned disappointment.
Turning on my heels, I gave Mallory a brief wave. I dropped my purse off at my desk and then went back to Lashawnda’s cubicle. If I knew Lashawnda wouldn’t be here, I would have saved myself the hassle of racing into the building like a madwoman. However, it was good to know her office space would be empty.
When I stepped into the neatly organized space, the hair on the back of my neck rose in awareness. Everything was color coded. Lashawnda organized binders, project folders, and meeting notes in neat little rows on her desk. Not a single piece of paper seemed out of place, even her chair was tucked neatly underneath the desk.
With the new security measures, I was having a hard time getting access to phase two of the MIND Project. Hacking into the system the first time was easy. It didn’t require much more than a good handjob and a date out with a guy that only dreamed about talking to a woman like me. I’d learned a few things about getting into secure files from digging into Todd’s financial records. But, none of that knowledge was useful in this situation. Security measures at a large research facility was much more stringent than Todd’s personal files.
I was lucky to get access to a virus that I could download on Lashawnda’s computer. The virus would scan her PC and clone her files to a remotely located account on the cloud. I wouldn’t have to worry about passwords or getting caught by one of the other employees. I logged into Lashawnda’s computer using her access information. It took a few weeks and some heavy persuasion, but I was able to get it. Slipping the thumb drive into the port, I sat back and waited for the virus to do its thing.
“Price, you’re back early? Or, were you always here? I thought you were gone for the day,” I heard Dr. Barnes yell from his office.
My ears perked up, and I put my hand on the thumb drive, ready to snatch it out of the desktop at a moment’s notice. The files were loading and were only at sixty percent. Just a few more minutes, and I will have everything I need.
“Price? Oh, fucking hell. This damned contraption is non-responsive again. Price? I need your help. Come quick,
I think I’ve killed it this time.”
Eighty-seven percent, almost there.
I rolled my eyes. This was the great Doctor Nathan Barnes? World-renowned scientist that created some of the breakthrough scientific discoveries in oncology research. The man was a bumbling idiot. Jesus, I guess only someone as annoying as Lashawnda could put up with him for all these years. I would have smothered him on one of our work-related trips or left him stranded in some remote city overseas. The man didn’t know how to use a computer, so I highly doubt he could make it back on U.S. soil on his own.
Ninety-two percent.
“God dammit to fucking hell. I quit. I’m done. Price put in a request for them to hire me a personal assistant to run this thing. Is that smoke? Price, I think it’s smoking. Where did we put the fire extinguisher last time? Price!?”
What kind of business were these two working in? A fire extinguisher? This man got away with too much. I looked back at the screen, ninety-eight percent completed for the upload and just enough time to get out of here before Dr. Barnes decided to come out of his office. I wouldn’t be as lucky to have this much free time with Lashawnda’s computer. Too many people in the office at odd hours and who knows when she’d be out of the office all day, again.
One hundred percent.
I bent down and logged out of the computer. Heavy footsteps sounded behind me, and I quickly stood up, blocking the monitor.
“Well, you’re not Lashawnda,” Dr. Barnes said loudly causing me to jump from fright. “Are you looking for something?”
“No, I was just…umm. I was just coming to grab one of those yogurts that Lashawnda keeps locked up in here,” I replied pointing at the small mini fridge. My hands were shaking out of irritation and anger at getting caught. A few more seconds, and I would have avoided running into him altogether.
“I highly doubt that death trap you call a computer suddenly has the ability to keep yogurt below 45º F. And, unless you’ve run out of idiotic excuses; then, it is obvious you’re not being honest. So, cut the crap, and tell me what you’re really doing up here,” he barked in a voice loud enough, I was sure the entire office floor heard him. I didn’t need an audience or him calling security on me. I’d come too far for things to fall apart now.
Over the Hedge: Part 2- The Finale (Lucky in Love) Page 33