Fallen Woman

by Stephie Walls

  “I’m walking out the door now. What’s going on, Gianna? Hang on.” I heard him talking in the background but couldn’t make out what he said. “I’m back. Is this Jase related?”

  “How long will it take you to get there?”

  “Gianna, you’re freaking me out a little here. Why is Jase calling me over and over?”

  “I don’t know. Answer it and find out. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” I hung up before he could say anything. If I’d been smart, I never would’ve told him to answer Jase’s calls, but I didn’t have the wherewithal to think straight. I needed a stiff drink.

  I chose a booth at the back of the bar so I wouldn’t have to deal with people and ordered a Jack and Coke. I’d put one down and was on my second when Holland came strolling in the door, followed by his partner in crime. Damn. Just once, I needed Holland alone, and that one time he’d hooked up with my arch-nemesis.

  “Damn, Gia. Why’d you storm out of the office?” Jase chastised me, but I glared at Holland.

  “Thanks, Holland, you Benedict Arnold.” I sneered his name unfairly.

  He held his hands up. “I have no clue what the hell’s going on. I got a call from you on the verge of tears.” Jase snapped his head to stare at Holland who seemed to have just shared that tidbit for the first time. “And one from Jase about to rip someone’s head off at work. You both seemed like you needed a drink, and when Jase asked if I knew where you were, I assumed it was appropriate to bring him to you. If that was wrong, forgive me.”

  “Sit,” Jase barked at his friend.

  He ordered and then directed his attention back to me. “Wanna tell me why you stormed out of my office when I told you to wait for me?” The rage in his eyes hadn’t calmed down, and his cheeks burned a crimson red to further illustrate his mood.

  As calmly as I could manage, I replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t storm out of your office.”

  “Seriously, Gia? Are you sitting there waiting on me and I missed it? Allison said you guys were talking, and then you got up and raced out.”

  “I bet she did,” I muttered low enough I didn’t think he’d hear me. Wrong.

  “You have beef with Allison on top of Dale?”

  I didn’t know where his attitude was coming from, but I was about to send it packing. “This”—I waved my finger between myself and Jase but talked to Holland—“is why I didn’t invite Jase. This is why I called you.” Adjusting myself in the seat, I then turned to Jase to break things down for him. “I don’t have beef with anyone. I simply had a question I posed to Dale, but before I could respond to his answer, you took it upon yourself to come play Billy Bad Ass.” My head might have swayed with a little more sass than I’d intended, but he’d gotten my point.

  “Let’s get something straight, Gianna. Everything in that building is my business, and I’ll handle it the way I see fit. If you don’t like the way I conduct business, you’re welcome to find employment elsewhere.”

  My jaw came unhinged. I couldn’t believe what he’d said. My lip quivered, but I refused to lose control. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. “Is that what you want, Mr. Lane?” At the sound of my formality, he jerked his head up from his drink. “Stings a little, doesn’t it?” I tried to push Holland out of the way to get out of the booth, but the mammoth of a man wouldn’t budge.

  “You two need to calm the fuck down. What happened today?” He posed the question to both of us, but I leaned back, indignant. Gnawing on my bottom lip, I crossed my arms and waited on my boss to answer Holland’s question.

  Once Jase was done telling his side of the events, which included Dale being terminated, I sat quietly next to Holland on the opposite side of the booth.

  With Holland acting as our mediator, he asked me, “So what about that has you upset with Jase?”

  “Nothing.” That was true. None of what happened with Dale had me the least bit bothered. I was disappointed I didn’t get the job, but that wasn’t where my issues lay.

  Jase slammed his hands on the table, causing the glasses to shake. “Then why the hell did you leave?”

  “Holland, could you ask your friend to stop screaming at me? Not everyone in the bar cares about our day.”

  Holland didn’t have a clue how to handle Jase or me. He was lost, and I didn’t care.

  “I’m not screaming, but I don’t understand why you left, Gia. You didn’t even wait for me to resolve the situation.” His words came out breathlessly as he tried to lower his voice.

  “You’re not listening. This isn’t about Dale,” I hissed the words in his direction.

  “Then what the fuck is it about, Gianna?”

  Too embarrassed to even say the words out loud, I stared out the window.

  “Talk to me, please.”

  I just shook my head, unable to compile coherent sentences.

  “If it’s not about Dale, then what happened with Allison?”

  “Who the hell is Allison?” Holland asked, clearly unable to put any of the pieces together.

  “That girl who brought her kid to the water park,” Jase answered without ever turning away from me.

  “Okay,” he dragged out the two syllables. “But who is she to Gianna?”

  “No one. She’s a non-issue.” Jase answered Holland again, curtly.

  “Is that what we are to you? Non-issues?” I was fuming.

  Jase threw his hands in the air. “You’re fucking crazy, Gianna. I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Allison is a non-issue. You’re my best friend. So why are you putting the two of you in the same category?”

  “Because we’re both your projects, Jase!” The tears erupted at the mention of his name. I couldn’t keep them at bay, and there wasn’t enough liquor in the world to make me feel better right now. I was embarrassed and ashamed.

  “Whoa, what? My projects? What the hell did she say to you?”

  I shook my head, knowing snot bubbles would be forming soon and the hiccups would ensue. This tirade was about to get ugly, and I didn’t want anyone in this bar to witness it. “It doesn’t matter, Jase.” I tried to scoot out, but Holland wasn’t having it, and Jase gave him a death stare that said if he let me up he was a dead man.

  “Please, just let me go home.” My words were shaky, and my hands trembled.

  “Fine. You tell me what you’re talking about, and I’ll let you leave.” Jase slammed his hand on the table emphasizing his last word.

  He wouldn’t let me go without getting the answer he wanted. “Do you guys have a contract for her, too? Does she fetch a higher nightly rate than I do?”

  If I had anything in my glass other than ice, I’d throw it in his face for laughing at me right now. None of this was funny.

  “Babe, really?” The worried lines disappeared from his brow, and the storm in his eyes calmed. “You think Allison is in your league?” When I didn’t respond, he stood from the table and peered down at Holland. “Haul ass. I’ve got this from here.”

  Holland hesitated before getting my confirmation. I was reluctant to give it but told him I’d call if I needed him.

  “First of all, when did my friends start to value you more than they do me?” The humor in his voice reflected in the crinkles around his eyes. “He’d take a bullet for you; you know that right?” He waited for an answer he didn’t get, and then he kept talking. “Holland loves you. So does Max. Drake’s a self-absorbed idiot so we’re not sure what he’s doing, and Willum’s scared of his own shadow, but my group as a whole is fiercely protective of you. That, in and of itself, puts you in a whole league of your own, so don’t forget that while you explain to me how your head got so twisted.”

  He listened patiently without interruption before correcting my thought process. Allison had indeed started in the mailroom, but she’d been promoted twice and was his grandfather’s secretary at the time he’d retired. Instead of letting her go, Jase had taken her on as his assistant. He frequently gave her passes to take
her son to the movies, or gift cards for staying to work late, but the water park was the first time he’d ever seen her outside of work, and that was only because he’d had her buy my kids, and Derrick, swim stuff and reserve the entire waterpark. “I felt guilty not asking her to join us. She doesn’t have anyone, Gia.”

  “Tell her to find her own friends,” I pouted under my breath.

  He poked me in the side. “Someone’s a little jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous. I don’t want to be one on a list of whores you and your friends pay to hang out with.”

  His eyes flamed with anger, again. “I don’t now, nor will I ever, think you’re a whore, and it pisses me off that you try to put yourself in that category. You don’t sleep with any of us or perform any favors. My friends buy your time. Plain and simple. Think of it more of an acting gig versus a paid escort. You get to be whatever character you want that night.”

  “Nice try, Jase.”

  “Gia, I’d give you the world if you’d let me, but since you have refused, I’m forced to get creative. I dealt with Dale today, and I’m moving you out of the mailroom. I don’t care if you like the idea or not. Everyone in the building thinks we’re sleeping together anyhow, so how about reap some benefits?”

  I decided not to argue with him. He needed time to cool off, and I was still rather emotional from the Allison misunderstanding. I was tired and felt hung over, although two drinks hadn’t done me in.

  Jase paid the tab, and I tipped the waitress. Leaving, I asked him to take me home to avoid waiting for the bus and the dreadful ride. He dropped me off and hugged me outside the car. He’d been quiet most of the ride and still seemed a tad off, but I was too beat to care. He eyed me like he wanted to say something, but instead, he squeezed my hand.

  “Goodnight, Gia.”

  “Night, Jase.”

  Chapter Eight

  I hesitated to leave the kids with Miss Pearl. As the weeks passed by, she’d gotten worse and worse but refused to go to the doctor. I knew money was the issue, although she’d refused to admit that, and I’d vowed to give her the five hundred dollars I would get for my date with Willum tonight. I just wasn’t sure it was in the best interest of the kids or Pearl. She needed rest, but without her, I didn’t have anyone to watch them so I could go. Jase had moved me to the marketing department the Monday after my meltdown, but even with the pay increase, with three kids, I was just eking by. They were growing like weeds and constantly needed new things, and with the school year approaching and two birthdays this summer, money always seemed to be in short supply. I hadn’t even bothered to open the latest round of medical bills from Emmy’s doctor and the lab.

  It was a never-ending fight to keep my head above water, and I hadn’t even begun to touch the bad debt I had hanging out there or the lawyers’ fees that were long since past due. I’d thought making five hundred dollars in a night I’d start to plow through some of these issues to put myself in a better position to leave The Village, but with every paycheck, another week had passed, and I was barely hanging on. I could’ve used this money toward one of those goals, but I was petrified there was something terribly wrong with Miss Pearl, and to top it off, Emmy wasn’t responding to the detox or the antibiotics.

  “You sure you’re going to be all right with all four of them tonight? You look worn out.”

  Her face contorted into a little ball of anger. “Child. I been takin’ care of me longer than you’ve been alive. I don’t need you second guessin’ me. I’m fine. If I weren’t, I’d tell ya. Hear?”

  I smiled at her spunk as she ran me out the door. If she could still put me in my place, she’d be all right with the kids, but I’d asked them to be extra good just in case and left them my cell. The guy’s phone numbers were all programmed in and on the favorite list with a picture, so all they had to do was touch the name next to it to connect to someone who could help them.

  Willum was picking me up in about half an hour, so I had to rush to get dressed. It wasn’t supposed to be a long night—a cocktail party downtown and then the symphony. It seemed more like a real date, but I didn’t question it. The guys were respectful, and the money was the same at the end of the night. He had picked out a dress for me and had it sent to the office—a saucy little green number that sucked to my skin and revealed every curve on my body. I felt like a shiny, slutty leprechaun, but if this’s what he wanted, then I aimed to please. I was pretty sure I’d stick out like a sore thumb at the symphony.

  His face lit up when I opened the door—obviously pleased with what he saw. When we walked to his car, I caught him adjusting himself out of the corner of my eye, and I couldn’t help but grin. I wasn’t interested in Willum in the slightest, but it made me feel good to know I affected someone, even if it wasn’t Jase. He copped a hint of a feel of my ass, putting his hand on the small of my back as I got in the car, but I let it slide.

  I watched his lively expressions as he rambled on about the people we’d see tonight and how excited he was to hear some fantastic cello player downtown. He was animated in rare dork form. I’d never met a man who could execute nerd so flawlessly and in such a hot freaking way. He was built like an Adonis, with bright green eyes the color of grass on a spring day, blond hair women would kill for, and slightly taller than average height at just over six feet. To say he was gorgeous was an understatement, but then he started talking and you wondered if he had a favorite periodic element and how many presidents he’d met. He was the guy you’d call to translate your Latin tattoo and trace your family tree. But if you could get past all that to the person, he was funny as all get out. People loved being around him because he made them smile and laugh—holy cow he had the entire party in hysterics and women hanging off him, even though he’d brought a date.

  He ate up the attention, and ultimately, chose to entertain them rather than socialize with me, which was fine, I didn’t mind, but I wondered why he wanted me here if he had all these women at his feet. I assumed he’d be the one with the hardest walls to break down since he’d been married and divorced, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

  He sidled up next to me at the bar, where I’d had a couple more drinks than I should have. “Do you care if I call it a night?”

  I set my glass down and turned toward him. “Which one?”

  He pointed to the redhead standing against a wall. She looked perfect for him, like she’d appreciate seeing the stamps in his collection, or the shark teeth he’d gathered at the beach. Attractive but not overly so. I could see him with her.

  A grin stretched across my face. I hadn’t spent a ton of time with Willum, not like I had Holland and Jase, but he grew on me quickly. “Not at all. Have fun. I’ll call Jase to come get me.”

  “You sure? I don’t want to be a scumbag.”

  “Nah, we’re good.”

  He kissed my cheek and handed me a little change purse I assumed contained my payment. Without so much as a glance over his shoulder, he left with the ginger.

  I debated phoning Jase and opted to stay for another drink before I made that call. One turned into three as another single girl and I people-watched and made fun of the men preying on women who weren’t the slightest bit interested. It felt good to act young again, and Courtney, my new partner in crime, was hysterical. We exchanged numbers, but when I went to add hers to my phone, I realized I’d left it with the kids in case they’d needed me.

  “Crap. Crap. Crap,” I muttered to myself as I attempted to get the bartender’s attention.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I left my phone at home and don’t have a way to call my friend.” I handed the guy behind the bar a hundred to cover mine and Courtney’s drinks and waited on my change.

  “Here, use mine.”

  Sadly, I didn’t know Jase’s number by heart and mentally slapped myself for being so foolish. I took Courtney’s number on a bar napkin and hugged her goodbye. It’s amazing how close you can become to a stranger after a few drinks. />
  It was later than I’d realized, and the streets were almost deserted. The wind whipped around me, and I kept shimmying my short skirt down to cover my bottom while walking to the bus stop. This was a horrible time of night to be using public transportation, but I didn’t have much choice. I held my clutch in one hand and my hair with the other to keep it from blinding me and walked quickly through the darkened streets. As I crossed Fourth Street, not two blocks from the bus stop, the darkness of the alley seemed to pour onto the sidewalk, sucking what little illumination remained from my path. In total blackness, my heart started to race, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The alarm bells in my head told me to take off running, but in high heels, that wasn’t much of an option, and stopping to take them off was even less appealing.

  Out of nowhere, a man appeared with the brute force of an ox, shoving me against the sidewall of the building lining the street. Instinctively, I tried to brace my fall with my hands, bringing my clutch between me and brick.

  “Gimme the purse, bitch!” he seethed into my ear. The warmth of his breath made my skin crawl, and the smell made me want to puke right there.

  As I tried to pull the purse from in front of me, he slammed my head against the wall, and I struggled to hold onto consciousness. The pain reverberated through my skull. My body began to slide down, my hands still flush with the brick, being torn apart by the roughness beneath them and my weight pushing against them. He shimmied up to me before I made it to the ground, pressing his front into my back, one leg between my own.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” I whimpered.

  He pushed harder against my lower back, slamming my upper body into the wall again, knocking my temple into the building, my cheek scraping the harsh material. His knee nudged up as high as it could go, making contact with my crotch, and I begged him to let me go and prayed he didn’t actually touch my skin.

  “Shut up, whore. You don’t come out in a dress like this late at night and not offer up the goods.”