by Lulu Pratt
I drive back to the hotel in a complete daze. Despite how crappy things have been lately, this bit of good news almost makes everything worth it. Ray is right, I deserve to celebrate.
I park the car and practically skip over to the bar inside the lobby to order some well-deserved room service. My meal’s price is a hefty one, but I don’t care about any of that right now. This is my moment and I’m going to enjoy it no matter the cost. The folder is clutched in my hands and I can’t wait to get upstairs and start going through it.
I kick the door to the room closed behind me, slipping off my shoes as I plop down on the bed just as the hotel phone starts to ring.
That was fast. Room service must be calling to let me know my order will be up soon or that there is a problem with my order.
“Hello?”
Chapter 30
ASHER
I check my phone for the hundredth time, but there’s still no word from Nathan. Even though my world is falling apart all around me, I still mustered up the strength to go to work, sitting through one boring meeting after the next. Contracts and business deals used to consume every waking moment of my life, but right now I want nothing more than to be out looking for Jade. I can’t even pretend to care about the proposals being presented.
Nathan said he would find her, and I should just trust that he will. He’s never let me down before. I stare off into space, oblivious to the fact that my name is being called and all my colleagues are staring at me.
“Huh, what?”
“The projections,” says Joe, waving a thick stack of papers at me. “We’re still waiting on you to sign off on everything so we can move forward. Have you had a chance to go over the documents yet? We were hoping to get this squared away today.”
I flip through the huge stack of papers in front of me and my mind draws a blank. Usually, I have things highlighted, with several pages of my own notes to go over, but this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on these documents, and there’s no telling what kind of deal has been contracted.
Is it a front-loaded deal, or will there be installments? Have the inspections been completed for us to get the necessary permits? The honest answer is, I have no clue, therefore I don’t know where to start with my line of questioning.
“Um,” I begin. “I haven’t looked at these just yet, but I will. Things have been a little hectic lately, but I’ll be back on top of everything soon.”
Joe looks around the room, and I see the nervous glances being exchanged between everyone.
They’re starting to doubt me, and to be honest, I would too.
“I’m more than happy to hand this off to someone else if they want it,” I say. “It’s not mandatory that I be the one to review it.”
Let them run the numbers and panic over the possibility of failure. Right now, I’d be perfectly okay taking that chance if it takes some of the responsibility off me.
Several people cough, and others suddenly become very interested in the glasses of water in front of them.
“Um,” says Joe, interrupting the silence. “No worries, we’ll extend this project another week or so to allow you the opportunity to review everything. We value your input, and I think I speak for everyone when I say, we wouldn’t feel comfortable moving forward on a project you haven’t signed off on. Now, on to the next order of business. The McGillys have contacted us about a liquidation acquisition. The CEO, and head of their family, recently died and neither heir has a desire to continue running the company. Personally, I don’t think this will be a worthwhile move on our part, but the McGillys have been longtime associates of ours, and they really want us to be the one to broker a deal for them.”
My phone suddenly goes off, causing everyone to look around the room angrily. Under normal circumstances, phones are forbidden in our meetings, but these aren’t normal circumstances, and there’s no way in hell I was leaving my phone in the office.
What’s the use in being the boss if I can’t occasionally bend the rules a little?
I check the caller ID and realize this is the call I’ve been waiting for, so I jump up from the table, leaving my stunned business associates behind.
“Yes, hello, Nathan? Did you find her?” I ask, already making a beeline for the elevator.
“Yes, sir, I found her. She’s in a hotel, and I’m texting you the information now,” he says. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get the room number yet, but I figured you would want what I have as soon as possible.”
“What you have is fine, I’ll figure out the room number myself even if I have to knock on every door until I find her.”
I jog the rest of the distance to the elevator and hit the button several times.
“Asher, wait!” Joe calls after me. “What’s going on? Is someone hurt? Do you want us to finish the meeting or wait for you to come back?”
Right now, I don’t give a shit what they do.
“Honestly, I don’t care.”
I’m a man on a mission and I have somewhere to be. I step inside the elevator and push the button to close the doors just as Joe makes it to me. I hate to run out on everybody like this, but Jade is far too important to me and I can’t sit here waiting for the meeting to end.
I have to get to her and see for myself that she’s okay.
“Thanks, Nathan, you’ve been a lifesaver,” I say into the phone. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Any time, boss,” he says. “I’m just here to help.”
I haven’t slept well since Jade disappeared and I know Nathan hasn’t either. He’s been working around the clock to find her and I know he hasn’t billed me for all the hours he’s invested.
“Make sure you update your timesheet so I can get you squared away,” I say. “I know you’ve logged a lot of hours on this, and I’m eternally grateful.”
“Boss, don’t worry about me, worry about getting to Ms. Sinclair. You and I both know you can’t put a price tag on what the heart wants. I wanted to find her just as much as you, and now I can rest easy knowing I’ve done my job.”
“Thanks again, Nathan,” I say.
“No problem,” he says, “and good luck.”
I end the call just as the elevator reaches the lobby, and I sprint to my parked car. For days now, I’ve kept Ed on notice to stay right out front just in case I need to make a quick getaway.
Luckily, most of the reporters who’ve been camped outside the building have somewhat dissipated, leaving only a handful of stragglers behind.
“Mr. Jordan, where are you going? Where’s the mystery blonde?”
“Give us a smile for the cover story!”
I brush through the small crowd, ignoring the questions they’re firing at me.
“Do you have a lead on you know who?” asks Ed in a hushed voice. He flicks his cigarette butt on the ground, and crushes it with his foot.
“I sure do, Ed,” I say, sliding into the car. “Let’s go get her, but I want you to shake these reporters off. The last thing I need is them interrupting what’s bound to be an awkward reunion.”
I give him the address and hold on to the armrest to keep from falling over as he speeds off into traffic. He cuts this corner and the next, making last-minute turns to help keep the press at bay.
While I know he’s driving as quickly as he can, I still count the passing seconds as they grow to long agonizing minutes. We get closer to the hotel with each passing moment, and I find myself transforming into a ball of nerves. Part of me wants Ed to stop the car for a little time to rein in my frazzled nerves, but I know that’s not possible.
What if she won’t see me? What if she starts yelling and screaming that she hates me and never wants to see me again?
I can’t allow such thoughts to invade my mind, not right now, because Jade should see me, she has to. Once I fully explain what happened and get everything off my chest I’ll force myself to accept whatever decision she makes.
Damn it, I should have gotten flowers.
We pull up to the hotel at the same time a car resembling Jade’s pulls in.
It is Jade, and she looks just as stunning as the first day I ever laid eyes on her.
“Do you want me to pull up next to her?” asks Ed. “Or should I stay out of sight?”
“Let’s definitely stay out of sight. I don’t want her to see me and drive off. Just give me a second to pull myself together,” I say reluctantly. My palms are sweaty and my stomach is doing a series of backflips. I wasn’t this nervous when I closed my first million-dollar deal, but now I’m sitting in the back of my car sweating bullets.
I watch Jade step out of her car as she practically skips inside the hotel with a thick folder tucked under her arm with a wide grin spread across her face.
She looks so… happy. For a split-second I consider just leaving her alone. Maybe she’s better off without me?
The thought is fleeting, because deep down I’m selfish, and I know I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t at least try. I always proclaim not to give up easily, and I’m not about to start doing it now.
If nothing else, she deserves to know the truth, and the chips can fall where they may.
I take a deep breath and prepare myself to exit the car. She needs to know everything, and she needs to hear it from me firsthand. It’s the least I can do considering the hell I’ve put her through.
“Good luck, sir,” says Ed. “I hope you get her back. Ms. Sinclair is a very special woman.”
I nod and pull my lips into a tight line, praying luck is on my side. I close my eyes, exhale again and stroll into the lobby like I own the place. Confidence is key when you need someone to do you a favor.
“Hello there, Mr. Jordan, I don’t believe we have a reservation on file for you,” says Barbara, the concierge behind the desk. She searches for my name and checks the clipboard in front of her. “If you’ll give me a few moments, I’ll get you booked into the penthouse suite in no time. I hope one of our newer employees didn’t goof on your reservation, if so, please accept my apologies.”
“No,” I say. “That won’t be necessary, I’m actually here to surprise someone and I’m hoping you’ll be a doll and give me the room number for a Ms. Jade Sinclair.”
“Oh, Mr. Jordan, that’s against hotel policy. I can lose my job if I give that information out, it’s private.”
I lean over the counter and flash Barbara my widest smile. I hate to do it, but I’m not above flirting just a little to get what I want. She obviously knows me well from my previous reservations, and while I’d typically never ask such a favor, I’m sure she can fulfill the request.
“I’d never want you to lose your job, but my heart is on the line, and I certainly won’t tell if you don’t. I’d never wish to go against hotel policy, but I’d certainly appreciate a favor just this once. Besides, I conduct a lot of business with this hotel, so I’d never do anything to harm that relationship on purpose. I swear to be on my best behavior if you can find it in your heart to do this for me.”
Barbara sighs and looks around nervously. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jordan, I can’t tell you anything about the guests here in the hotel, but if you look around, you may stumble across something useful.”
Her finger taps the notepad in front of her where she has scribbled a room number in red ink.
“Thank you,” I say with a wink. “You’ve helped me out tremendously.”
Barbara smiles and promptly discards the tiny slip of paper into the paper shredder.
It pays to be well known and connected sometimes.
I pull out my phone and call Jade’s room, hoping she’ll pick up. The only problem is, I’m not exactly sure what I’ll say if she does.
Do I immediately apologize? Ask her to meet me in the lobby?
My heart pounds in my chest and suddenly I feel my tie is cutting off my air supply. No other woman has ever made me want to jump through such hoops to win her back. Normally, I write them off as a lost cause if I’m no longer satisfied with their company, but I can’t do that with Jade. She not the type of woman you let go without a fight, and I’m willing to risk it all and go down with the ship, all for her. The phone rings once, twice and then finally on the third ring, she answers.
“Hello?”
“Jade, it’s me, please don’t hang up.”
Chapter 31
JADE
Asher.
The sound of his voice on the other end of the phone takes my breath away, and suddenly the cloud nine I’m riding on comes crashing to the ground. My emotions collide into each other, and I’m not sure which one is right. Part of me is relieved to hear a familiar voice on the phone and the other part of me remembers everything Magdalene revealed.
Both the first and last person I want to talk to is on the phone right now, and I’m not sure what I should say. If he wasn’t the cause of my heartache, he would’ve undoubtedly been the first person I called to help comfort me, but unfortunately, he is the cause. He is the sole contributor to this disaster and he had the power to stop it at any time, but he didn’t. Asher made his bed, and he needs to deal with the consequences of his actions. He doesn’t deserve my time or my attention.
“How did you get this number? And why in the hell are you calling me?” I ask angrily.
Suddenly it’s very hard to breathe, and every breath I take feels like a labored exercise as I force myself to confront Asher yet again. My lungs are burning, but I know I’ll lose my nerve if I don’t get everything off my chest and out in the open while I still have the chance. I’ve got one shot to say what I need, because my heart won’t let me go through this again.
“You know what, don’t answer that because it doesn’t matter. We have nothing to talk about at this point. Magdalene told me everything. Believe me when I say she went through great lengths to describe how you are just using me to get back at her, and how Jacob is your son. I have no idea how Heath fits into all of this, but it’s no longer my problem. What kind of low life does such a thing to another person? You basically targeted and manipulated me into your sick little game, and I didn’t deserve this. If you wanted to play cat and mouse with Magdalene, you could have left me out of it.”
“Jade, if you’ll let me explain, you’ll see it’s nothing like you think it is,” he says. “Please just give me a chance.”
I angrily run my fingers through my hair, resisting the urge to pull it out.
Maybe the pain of that will hurt less than what my heart is feeling right now.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I argue, but even I can hear the lie in my voice. I try to choke back the tears, but a strangled sob manages to escape my lips.
“I gave myself to you, Asher. I let you into my heart and my body. All you did was use me! Honestly, there’s nothing for us to discuss. What you did was cruel and completely unforgivable.”
“You have every right to be upset,” he says. “I should have told you about Magdalene the second I found out you worked for her.”
“So, it is true? You’ve been lying to me all this time. I thought you were distant because of Heath or something dealing with your business, but I never imagined it would be because of Magdalene. Hell, I would have accepted you ignoring me once you found out I was a nanny, but this takes the cake,” I say, pacing the room. “Not to mention you’ve allowed me to care for your son, and you didn’t even say a word about that either. I cared for Jacob like he was my own.”
The thought of Jacob is like a hard punch to the stomach. I’ll never see those big green eyes again, or run my fingers through his soft dark curls. Who’s going to make sure he has his elephant and not his giraffe during nap time, or pretend to bite his toes when he first wakes up?
It’s all gone… Jacob, Asher… everything… is just gone, and my heart feels like it’s in a vise grip. I don’t wish this pain on my worst enem
y, this slow tortuous destruction. My entire world has come crashing down around me in a matter of days.
My mind screams for him to say something, anything, that will make me feel better. I want him to say it’s a lie and tell me I’m wrong, but deep down I know the truth.
“I don’t know what Magdalene said to you exactly, but I want to tackle this with a cool head. You may not believe me, but I have proof and I want you to see it.”
“Proof of what?” I ask. “I don’t need any proof to know what a liar you are and how you used me. Why didn’t you tell me from the very beginning? You took things too far, way too far. I’m not a plaything, I’m a human being with real feelings and I deserved better than that. I really thought you cared about me, Asher.”
I lose the battle with myself and the floodgate of tears flows free. The sobs are uncontrollable as I finally release the pent-up anger and sadness I’ve been holding in for days.
I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I was good to Magdalene, and even better to Jacob. If nothing else, I regret the day I confronted Asher Jordan. I should have reported him and left it at that, but I didn’t. My big mouth led to this heartbreak. I did this to myself.
“Jade… Jade, please say something,” he says. “Don’t cry, please don’t cry.”
My mouth opens and closes several times, but I can’t bring myself to say more. Instead of any words coming out, I sit there on the edge of the bed, sobbing.
This is wrong, all of it. I thought I could handle confronting him, but I was wrong, this hurts too much.
“I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry, Jade,” he says in a soft voice.
I hear him, but his words may as well be falling on deaf ears. His apology is hollow in my opinion. This is the second time I’ve been in this same position with him apologizing and it has officially gotten old.
Sorry doesn’t fix my broken heart or get my job back. Sorry doesn’t repair the shattered relationship I now have with Magdalene and Jacob. Sorry doesn’t do a thing for me right now.