[The Shifters Committee 01.0] Time Shifters

by Rebecca Foxx

  Shawnee stood staring at Jacqueline for a moment with a confused expression on her face before finally heading back to her desk.

  Jacqueline bent down and picked up the paper that she had folded and put away minutes before. She looked at the headline and the picture. Her body filled with nervous excitement once again. She thought to herself - damn you Michael, why do you have to be so fine?

  For the rest of the day Jacqueline struggled to concentrate on her work. Her mind kept drifting back to that picture in the paper and she kept hearing that name over and over again in her head. Michael Keegan.

  It had been years since they’d seen each other. But it seemed like Michael hadn’t changed a bit. He was still the same rich, handsome bad boy, big personality who had all of New York’s women lusting after him. Unlike most people who admired Michael from afar, Jacqueline knew there was much more to him than what the Page 6 headlines revealed – they had a secret history.

  Chapter 1

  Jacqueline walked out of her apartment and headed to the subway station to catch the no. 1 train. The city buzzed with an exciting Friday night energy. There was something magical and electrifying about Fridays in the city. Nights like these reminded her why she’d chosen to re-locate from D.C. after graduating from Georgetown. D.C. was great. But New York felt like the place that she was destined to live. It wasn’t easy to survive in this city, especially as a writer, but it was definitely worth it. She knew she could make it to the top on her own if she put in the hard work and tapped into her creative genius. Friday nights in NYC were the perfect environment to make things happen.

  This wasn’t just any Friday night, though. It was the opening of the Tribeca Film Festival; always a star studded event that got the city jumping. For Jacqueline the event was both work and pleasure. She would be snooping around, picking up the latest bits of gossip, as well as enjoying the films, drinks, and handsome single men. Well, she wasn’t so sure about the handsome single men part. For all the things that she loved about living in New York, the one thing that she couldn’t stand was the dating situation.

  Over the last several years, she’d tried numerous dating apps and websites: Match, Cupid, eHarmony, and even Tinder, the infamous hook up app. She didn’t know if it was something that she was doing wrong, but she was always left disappointed by the men that she ended up going out with. They were either broke guys who talked big about what the future held for them, or they were boring beta males who complained about the way women treated them. You know, the kind of dudes who say that women only want to date thugs and ballers. These men were lame, so full of go-nowhere excuses, and their game sucked the positive outlook right out of her dreams and ambitions.

  She knew it wasn’t just her having these problems. Most of her female friends, especially the African American ones, were dealing with the same issues. The dating scene was the one drawback of NYC life for black women. There just weren’t that many options. Some of her friends had begun to give up on black men, feeling that the only way for them to find happiness would be with a man of another race. In particular, they would talk about the possibility of swirling chocolate and vanilla by dating a white man in NYC. Not because it was taboo, but because of the difference in lifestyle it provided. Despite NYC’s reputation of being open minded and liberal, it was still somewhat rare to see interracial couples, especially black women and white men. Even more elusive than that was a black girl, banging a rich white man.

  Jacqueline got off the train at the Canal Street station. She looked at her phone. There was a text from Shawnee. She was waiting for Jacqueline outside the venue. Jacqueline had forgotten that she’d agreed to meet her colleague here. She would’ve preferred to spend the evening with someone who had a bit more experience at these sorts of events. But she wasn’t going to waste time worrying about that. There was too much fun to be had and she was determined to succeed no matter what obstacles stood in her way.

  “Hey, girl!” It was Shawnee’s voice. There was no doubt about that.

  They hugged and walked into the venue. The place was jam-packed. These were the kind of nights that Page 6 reporters lived for.

  “This is crazy,” Shawnee said, with a naughty mysterious tone. “So many sexy men. I hope I get a chance to meet Robert De Niro. That would be so cool – he would definitely know I was talkin’ to him, if you know what I mean, girlfriend?”

  Shawnee was referring to, and making a sexual innuendo out of De Niro’s classic line from Taxi Driver - and believe you me, Shawnee knew that Robert preferred “chocolate” for dessert, which made him that much more appealing.

  Jacqueline had been to the festival the past three years, so she wasn’t quite as giddy as her colleague. But she certainly agreed that the sexy men were out in full force.

  “I’m gonna get us some drinks,” Shawnee said, scurrying off towards the bar.

  While Jacqueline waited for Shawnee to return, her eyes scrolled around the room. What she saw nearly made her pass out.

  He didn’t have a problem standing out, even in a room packed with so many desirable men. His six five frame towered over most of the men in the room. And his impeccably tailored suit, most likely from Italy, made him the best-dressed man in the place. Damn! Jacqueline said to herself biting her lip. She’d forgotten how handsome he was. Instantly, she could feel the heat distributing from her panties and start flow all the way towards her fingertips and her toes. This type of electricity, from sexual tension, could light up the streets of New York City, she thought to herself.

  In a weird kind of way, this type of nervous excitement made her feel more confident in herself. Sure her gut reaction was to be nervous, but deep inside she could feel this definite sense of personal empowerment.

  But now what was she to do – what kind of game would she employ on Michael?

  Jacqueline knew her look and style improved since they last they saw each other. However, Michael could make a supermodel feel inadequate, just because of how big his bank account was. She knew Michael’s weak spot was more than skin deep – he liked a girl with brains and a sharp tongue. Despite that, Jacqueline still had to look the part.

  She quickly took her pocket mirror out of her purse. She applied her lipstick and fixed her hair. She adjusted her bra to make sure her candy-sized cleavage made a statement. If she’d known that he was going to be here, she would have taken more time to put on her makeup. She sighed as she contemplated her next move. What if he didn’t recognize her? That would be so embarrassing. Here she was mildly infatuating over him, and then again, there was a possibility that she would have to remind him who she was - even thou they had history together. It had been almost seven years since they’d seen each other.

  It was really him. But she knew that it was silly of her to be so surprised. Of course, he was there. And he would surely be taking at least one naïve young woman home at the end of the night only to leave her heartbroken in a couple weeks after he’d filled her head with a thousand sweet sounding promises. That’s the kind of guy he’d always been. He had so much potential, if only he would grow up.

  She sighed. He was like so many other guys in this city, who had so much to offer but just couldn’t shake their boyish tendencies.

  She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She was going to do this. It was only Michael. They’d known each other since childhood. There was no reason for her to be getting carried away like this. When she opened her eyes and looked across the room, he was gone.

  What? Where the hell did he go? Ah!

  Jacqueline looked around the crowded room frantically. He was gone, nowhere in sight. She’d lost her opportunity. Her stomach felt like a big empty pit. All of that foolish worrying! She cursed herself for not rushing across the room right when she saw him.

  She exhaled in disappointment and started walking towards the bar. She didn’t feel like waiting any longer for Shawnee and she needed a drink, a strong one, to calm her nerves and free her mind.

  She felt
a big hand lightly tugging on her arm. She turned around, ready to give a cold stare to whomever felt the need to put their hands on her. Not cool! She would be sure to give them a piece of her mind.

  But when she turned around and saw whose hand it was, her mouth gaped open. It was him! Michael!

  She covered her mouth and stared directly into his gorgeous green eyes. They were the type of eyes more powerful than a Hollywood celebrity, a grand seducer, whose gaze could light your panties on fire. They were eyes that any woman could see her wildest fantasies’ in.

  “Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?” Michael said with a confident, self-assured smile.

  Jacqueline removed her hand from over her mouth and took a deep breath, and she could literally smell his pheromones and feel them take over the naughtiest parts of her body. She was doing her best to control her emotions, but she wasn’t going to be able to completely fool Michael. He had known her for too long.

  Without thinking about what she was doing, she opened her arms wide and gave him a big hug. He wrapped his rock-solid arms around her and pulled her close. His breath on her neck made her quiver with enchantment. It felt so good to be held by a man of elite stature and reputation.

  “Long time no talk, maybe we should do ourselves justice and step outside for a bit more privacy,” Michael said.

  Jacqueline angled her head to the side with sexy intentions and smiled. “I’m sure you’ve used that line on like a 100 girls before,” she responded.

  “A lot more than that –but honestly, with them, it’s just a pick-up line and with you it’s a fact” Michael said with a sarcastic tone, but with just the right amount of confidence to know he wasn’t joking.

  All Jacqueline could do was stare at him. With a lot of guys that sort of claim would have seemed ridiculous but when Michael said something like that it was hard not to believe him. And that was just one of the reasons that she had never tried to pursue anything romantic with him. His arrogance was something else, and there was no way she would let a man get the upper hand on her. In no way would she put herself in the position to be a play toy.

  Jacqueline’s motto was a bit naughty, but simple enough that it merited integrity.

  ‘If you desire to pleasure my clit…you better want to commit.’

  Michael interrupted Jacqueline’s internal dialogue, “You know I am all about the shock value, what I say makes me more money in an hour than most people make in 10 years.”

  “I’m not surprised. Not surprised at all,” Jacqueline said. “Every day people in the office are talking about the crazy stuff that you post on Instagram.”

  “Instagram?” He said. “It’s interesting that you mention that.”

  “Why?” Jacqueline said.

  “Because I noticed that you don’t follow me. That’s kind of weird.”

  Jacqueline didn’t quite understand where Michael was going. There were lots of famous people who she chose not to follow on Instagram and yes, he was one of them. But it was hardly a big deal. She didn’t mean it as a personal insult. She just got tired of seeing him pull the same sorts of stunts, even if he did look incredibly sexy in almost all of the pics that he posted.

  “Does it bother you that I don’t follow you on there?”

  “No,” Michael said firmly. There was bite in the way he said that, a hint of cockiness.

  Jacqueline knew him too well to coddle his ego.

  “Don’t you think it gets a bit old posting the same sort of pics every weekend? Don’t you think that your parents would want you to grow up – don’t you ask more of yourself, knowing your true potential?”

  Jacqueline knew that she’d stung Michael with that. They hadn’t seen each other in so many years, yet she still had the ability to cut through all of his BS. She could see past all the superficial friends and distractions that he stuffed his life with. So much of his antics stemmed from boredom and loneliness. This led him to seek out all the wrong company, people who had no interest in him as a person. All they were interested in was leaching off his immense wealth and his celebrity status. For a few months, they would manage to convince him that they really cared about him, that they were different from all the other hangers-on. They had genuine feelings for him. But whenever the friendships were tested, whenever he actually asked for them to repay in a simple way, a small fraction of what he’d done for them he’d find out how they really felt about him. Phone calls and text messages would go unanswered for days, weeks, sometimes even months. And then out of the blue, certain that the crisis had passed, the friend would show up anxious to begin the cycle of leaching and insincerity all over again. Michael found this kind of life extremely draining. He wanted out but he didn’t see how that would be possible. He felt trapped, a prisoner of his own wealth and good looks. He masked his empty void with supermodels, actresses and do-nothing-bitches. Deep inside Michael wanted a woman that had the strength to fix him.

  “You’ve always known just the right things to say to me, Jackie,” Michael said, tilting his head back and finishing off his glass of champagne.

  “Somebody has to,” Jacqueline replied. “I know all those bimbos are only going to tell you what you want to hear.”

  “You‘re just jealous,” Michael said playfully.

  Jacqueline felt the resentment welling up in her chest. She didn’t like the way he was staring at her. She didn’t mind if he looked at other women with that conquering, domineering look. But he better not try to pull that stuff with her.

  “I don’t know who you think you’re talking to Michael Jeffrey Keegan, but I never have been nor will I ever be jealous of any of the women that chase you around and inflate your ego. All for the great privilege of being in your presence.”

  “Jackie, that’s not what I was even talking about, as a matter of fact, I don’t even want to go down that road with you.”

  “What?” Jacqueline changed her demeanor.

  Had she said something wrong? Had she revealed something about herself that she would have much preferred to keep hidden? A strange feeling came over her, as she stared into Michael’s smiling eyes. She felt naked before him, a bit exposed.

  Why? She couldn’t quite figure it out as of yet. But she suspected that it had something to do with the way that he stared at her, fixing his intense green eyes on her, and not allowing even the slightest movement, twitch, blush, smile, or change of tone, to escape his attention.

  In this city, and probably many others as well, it was very hard to find a man who would be so present, undistracted by the world, giving all of himself to his woman. It was the kind of feeling, or maybe a connection that Jacqueline had only read about. The men she covered on a daily basis for the gossip section seemed unable to focus on any one thing for more than about five minutes. Their wealth and celebrity and sophistication caused them to become easily bored. They dealt with their boredom by running after newer and newer pleasures, the more expensive and exciting, and the better.

  Michael had plenty in common with those type of men. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that he was one of them. But there was more to him than what he exposed for the world to see. He just needed to find a woman that would make him feel that it was okay to show some vulnerability. A woman who would help him realize that there was no need to be constantly competing with other men in his foolish quest to be the top dog in every aspect of life.

  That’s what he so desperately wanted in life: a soulmate.

  He was still young but if he continued living that playboy lifestyle, he would begin breaking down soon. And when that started happening all of the people that liked to be seen in his company and liked to enjoy the luxuries that his money could buy, he would move on to someone younger and fresher. Jacqueline had seen it happen several times before.

  “What I am really trying to get at, what I really want you to understand, is that you know the old me,” Michael said. “It would mean a lot to me if you would just give me the benefit of the doubt here.
”

  “Look, I have a proposition for you or at least some insight into your life. I know that this journalism gig is just a stepping-stone for you. I know that ultimately you want to be working the red carpets, microphone in hand, interviewing celebrities.”

  Jacqueline lowered her head and smiled. Just when she was set on staying angry with him, he reminded her how much depth there really was to him. They hadn’t seen each other for years but he could still remember her childhood proclamation that one day she would be just like those reporters on the red carpet, and she would eventually host her own celebrity gossip show.

  But in order to make it to the next level she would have to pull off a big time story for the tabloid paper, something that could go viral on social media and also generate a lot of print sales.

  Jacqueline’s phone began ringing. She pulled it of her purse. It was Shawnee calling from inside the venue. Jacqueline put her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe that she had left her colleague inside for all this time. She wasn’t sure how best to handle the situation. There was no way that she would allow Shawnee to find out about her relationship with Michael. There was no telling how she would react to the news. She might be upset that Jacqueline hadn’t revealed the relationship earlier, when they were chatting in the office. And even if that mood soon passed, it would still be dangerous for a person as gregarious as Shawnee to be in possession of such personal taboo information.