by Cam Johns
Me:
Kevin, where are you?
He doesn't reply or call back. I decide to put my playlist of slow jams on and have a quiet dinner alone. As I start to clean up, Carl Thomas Baby Maker comes on. Jackson. A smile appears over my face thinking of our impromptu dance in the parking lot, and my mood changes instantly. There used to be a time when Kevin was the only one who could make me feel like this. That actually began to change after he cheated and he was right, I do get angry quick. Maybe he's just not the person I thought he was. Kevin and I may actually be done. I leave a plate covered for him in the fridge with a note that says I tried before finishing the cleanup and head upstairs to rest.
About one in the morning, I hear someone walking around the bedroom. I turn slightly to see Kevin creeping into the bathroom. He takes a shower then climbs into bed assuming I'm asleep. What an asshole. Fellas, piece of advice, you come home late you better be ready to use your tongue down there to shut our asses up. Rather than argue, I just fall back to sleep.
The next day, the sun blaring into the bedroom wakes me before my alarm does. I turn to see Kevin still asleep next to me. I can’t deal with him right now. I shower, dress for work and head downstairs for breakfast, deciding on toast and egg whites. As I sit to eat Kevin finally makes an appearance.
"Good morning stranger." I say sarcastically. He walks over to me with sad tired eyes.
"Good morning. I'm sorry for last night."
"Well, doesn't matter now...you enjoy your dinner when you made it in?" I say still not looking at him.
"Yes, I did...thank you." I don't respond, and finish my breakfast instead. He walks over to me and tries to hold me.
"Don't!" I snap finally looking at him angrily. "I'd like to finish my breakfast alone please." I say looking back down. He waits a moment before leaving the kitchen. I smile proud that I stood up for myself, then clean up my mess and gather my things for work.
Once on the top floor, Julia is the first face I see. Ugh. She smiles surreptitiously. I wonder what that's about. The woman has never been nice to me. I smile at her and head down the corridor.
"Good morning Michael." I say brightly, smiling as I enter my office. He jumps up from his desk and heads into my office behind me.
"Would you like coffee or tea?" He asks taking my things from me to put away.
"Oh yes, coffee would be great Michael." After a few minutes he returns with the coffee and my schedule for the day. As we're going through it, Jonathan knocks at the door.
"Good morning, Karisma. Michael." he says assertively entering my office.
I stand to greet him. "Hi Jonathan, how are you?"
"I'm doing well. Michael, can we have a minute?" He looks over at me getting my approval, then walks out closing the door behind him. Jonathan looks at me quietly for a moment, looking like he's going to say something disheartening.
"Jonathan, is everything ok?" I ask softly.
He lets out a sigh. "Karisma, I have to show you something." He gestures for me to sit at my desk as he takes out a thumb drive. I get nervous and a little frightened. "I wouldn't be showing you this at all, but I have to show Jackson. You deserve to see it first."
"What is it?" I ask cautiously.
He opens the folder he's looking for and presses play. Initially I just see a bedroom and don't understand. After a moment I hear a familiar voice and I instantly know why he's showing me this. Kevin walks into the frame kissing another woman while being pushed onto the bed. Jonathan abruptly pauses the video.
"Do you want to continue?" Jonathan asks softly.
I smack his hand away and press play. I can't see the woman but I see Kevin clearly. Jonathan moves to the chair on the other side of my desk to sit. Tears start to fall down my face, but I refuse to turn it off until I see the bitch's face. I watch him remove her clothes and his, then fuck the shit out of this woman. At no point does the asshole hesitate. Finally, at the end after he leaves, the woman comes to turn off the camera and I see it. Her face. "That bitch!" I belt out. I recognize that stupid smirk anywhere, even with the cheap wig. It's Julia. I jump out of my seat and go charging for the door. Jonathan grabs and pulls me to keep me from leaving.
"I'm gonna kill this bitch! Get off me!" Michael storms in seeing him struggling. Thank goodness these offices are sound proof for security reasons.
"Michael, close the blinds and go back out! Don't let anyone in…including Jackson." Michael does as he's told.
"Get off me!" I scream at Jonathan forcefully backing away from him.
"Karisma, this is a business. I understand your anger, but we'll deal with this." I look at him still crying and angry but I calm down and walk over to sit on the couch along my wall.
"I don't understand why you even have this." I say into my hands.
"She tried to send this to everyone...to humiliate you I guess…to force you out."
"What? That makes no sense. Wouldn't she look like the ass?" He looks away from me then stands in front of me with his hands in his pockets, like Jackson does.
"Karisma, you saw the original. She made a video montage saying who Kevin is and calling you a whore who slept to the top. It was quite disgusting. Like she was somehow giving you what you deserved."
"What!" I shout standing completely insulted.
"It’s okay, what she didn't know is all companywide emails are sent to me for approval. We didn't even know she was the sender at first, but my IT guy figured it out quite easily actually. I had someone get into her house to get the original and all copies were removed from her server and here. So you're good.” I smile at him relieved and thankful.
"I'd never thought I'd say this but thank goodness for your paranoia."
He laughs. "It's not paranoia. Maybe Jackson will tell you one day." I look at him intrigued, but before I could pry, Jackson busts through the door.
"I don't give a shit Michael!" He says angrily then slams the door. He strides quickly over to me past Jonathan wiping the tears from my eyes. The concern in his eyes makes my heart melt for him. "What the fuck's going on?" I look down at my fidgeting fingers. He uses his finger to lift my head back up. "Tell me."
"Jonathan has something to show you." I say embarrassed. He grabs my hand turning to face his brother.
"So, what's up?" His brother takes out a different thumb drive and replaces the one in my computer.
"Karisma, I don't think you should see this one." Jonathan says tenderly.
I concede and slide back on the couch. Jackson smiles down at me then releases my hand to go sit at my desk. Music starts but Jonathan mutes it quickly. I watch Jackson as he watches it fastidiously, glancing at me briefly then back at the screen.
"Do we know who sent this?" He asks standing from the screen angrily.
"Yes, Julia." You can actually see the red rise in his face he's so angry. It's kind of amusing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Jackson takes a step toward the door. "Bro, I think it’s best if me and the security take care of this." Jackson closes his eyes and finally agrees. Jonathan uses my phone to call security to my office. Jackson shakes his brother's hand then comes to sit next to me grabbing my hand. Once the security comes, Jonathan explains the situation. "She'll be gone in less than five." He says smiling at me and I nod. He grabs the drive from my computer then leaves. Once they've gone, Jackson pulls me onto his lap and cradles me leaning back on the couch.
"Are you okay sweetie?" I blush through my tears hearing that for the first time.
"He said he wouldn't do it again." I whisper. I feel his chest tighten.
"Again? So, he's cheated before?"
"Yeah." Tears begin to flow faster.
"Why did you stay?"
"He was there for me after my father…I was in such a dark place…he pulled me out."
"Oh, but you deserve so much better than this guy baby. I'm sure your father would agree."
"I know." I begin to sob into his chest and he holds me tighter. He doesn'
t let me go or move for the hour it takes me to calm down.
"Listen, you have to be tired. You need to rest. Let's take the rest of the day before the benefit tonight."
"I don't want to go home Jackson."
"Come home...with me." He says cautiously. I look up at him giving him the you can't be serious look. "Oh give me some credit Karisma. I said the right way not the quickest opportunity."
I smile at him. "Okay, that's fine."
He smiles wide. "Great!" He gets up and calls Mrs. Weinstein from my desk informing her that we'll be leaving for the day, then grabs my hand. "Let's go." I follow him out of my office. Michael isn't at his desk.
"Shouldn't we tell Michael?" I say as I stop walking.
He gets his phone out. "We're leaving." He hangs up abruptly.
"That's it?"
"That's all he needs baby." He smiles. All of a sudden I'm baby and sweetie. I think I like it. Once down in the garage he opens the door for me. Oh, I forgot about my car. "Don't worry about your car, I'll take care of it." I smile. There he goes again, knowing what I'm thinking. During the ride I can't believe I'm going to Jackson's house. I've wanted to know what his life was like outside of work. I try my best not to think about Kevin and Julia…the assholes can have each other.
Finally we pull into a very quiet manicured neighborhood. The homes are huge and well landscaped, similar to where mother lives. Eventually, we turn into this driveway blocked by a large black iron gate. He punches a code into the security box to open it and we proceed through a long winding road. As we go up a hill, his home becomes visible. It’s huge. My eyes are wide as I take in its beauty. It's even bigger than my parent's house. His is mostly glass, so you can see right through it. I've been staring so long I hadn't noticed the car has stopped moving.
"Karisma…you want to go in?" He chuckles.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Your home is so beautiful." He gets out and walks over to my side to open the door.
"It's missing something though."
"Umm...I don’t think so." He grabs me and quickly pulls me into him.
"It's missing you baby." He says softly, smiling down at me. The sincerity is beaming through his eyes.
"Very smooth Mr. Turner." I giggle.
"I'd like to think so." He kisses me on the forehead and grabs my hand to lead me to his house. I notice there are cameras at the front door. "Oh, those are all over, even where you can't see." He says winking.
In the entrance of the house is a large open space. He has the living room and dining area that you step down into. To the left is a long corridor and right looks like it leads to the kitchen.
"There's too much to show you right now, I want you to get some rest." I nod. He grabs my hand and leads me down the long corridor to stairs. Upstairs are 5 rooms. "That's my room," he points to the doors at the far end, "you can rest in here though." He walks me into a large, very white room. It’s obviously just an extra bedroom since it's barely decorated. "I'll be right back." As he leaves I notice the balcony, so I go see the view which opens up to part of the backyard. It has a very large pool, Jacuzzi and a basketball court. Jackson comes up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist.
"You like?"
"It's beautiful." I say, smiling up at him. We stare at each other momentarily before I wrap my arms around his waist. "Thanks for being here."
He hugs me. "I told you I would. Come." He grabs my hand and brings me back into the bedroom. "I brought you a pair of sweats, T shirt, and I put a cloth and towel in the bathroom. I thought you'd like to change out of these clothes."
"Yes thank you.” I smile up at him. He kisses me on the forehead again and steps out of the room shutting the door. Being in his home is calming…the sadness of the morning is slowly going away. I mean, I knew in my heart Kevin was capable of doing that again. Once a cheater, always a cheater. After I change, I go out looking for him. The door to his room is open, so I assume he's in there.
"Yes, Alyssa I’ll make sure she calls you. Damn! Relax!" I peek in and he sees me come in. "Okay. Bye."
"Alyssa being a pain I see."
"Yeah, but you'll call her after you rest." he says emphatically. He's so cute when he tries to boss me around. "Come." He grabs my hand and I snatch it back. He turns in shock.
"We're not at work Mr. Turner, you can't boss me around." I say with an astute smile on my face.
"What?" He says curiously amused.
"You heard me, Jackson." I back up from him slightly.
"Oh, we'll have to do something about that sass Miss Washington." He says with an artful smirk. I run from him and he chases me around his extra-large room. He catches me quickly, tickling me, forcing us to fall to the floor as I laugh uncontrollably. He stops finally and lies on top of me, pinning me to the floor.
"I like it when you're like this." He says catching his breath. I smile up at him staring into his blues.
"You make me comfortable."
He stares down at me fervidly. "Karisma...I wanna kiss you." He looks at me patiently, waiting for me to respond. I nod yes. He slowly lowers his lips to mine. Kissing me softly once, then twice, then connects to my lips a third time. This time kissing me continuously. Lustfully. I wrap my arms around his neck then slide a hand to his hair fisting through it. He intensifies the kiss by slipping his tongue into my mouth. My heart is pounding and I no longer feel bad that I want him inside me. He flips around on his back pulling me on top of him. Now I’m laying across the length of his body, kissing him and loving it. I slide my legs up to straddle him as he grabs at my hair. I grind on him while he grabs my butt and pushes me into him aggressively. I feel him getting hard and larger beneath me. I leave his lips to begin kissing down his neck. He grabs my butt tighter, squeezing hard as I make my way to his ear. "Oh baby." He whispers as I nibble on his ear lobe sucking slowly. Before I know it we're sitting up. He looks at me with deep intensity before standing and carrying me to the bed. Shoving his tongue in my mouth, he kisses me harder, sucking on my bottom lip. He lays me on the bed and just looks at me, not saying a word. I start to lift his shirt over my head. "Don't." He says. He closes his eyes and opens them back with cautious sincerity in his eyes. He can’t be real…I’ve never seen a man turn me down like this. I’m starting to take it personally.
"Something wrong?" I ask quietly.
He lies down beside me pulling me on my side to face him. "Now...is not the right time." He says quietly.
"Seriously? Either your will power is excellent or you don't want me as much as you think you do." I say deterred.
He slides his hand down my cheek. "I want you Karisma, trust me. I just don't want you to regret it later." I look at him, happy that he's putting my needs before his. Seriously though, what man you know would do that?
"Okay, but next time you're not stopping me." We both laugh.
He stands up. "Come." He pulls me out of the bed and pulls the cover back. He looks down at me with those dreamy blues. "Lay with me." I get in his large bed and he follows. He lies on his back and pulls me across him. "Get some rest." He says kissing my forehead and holds me close. I fall asleep easily in his arms, feeling safe and where I should be.
Chapter Ten
I wake to Jackson running his fingers in my hair, slowly opening my eyes and blinking up at him. "Hey." He whispers smiling.
"Jackson." I say smiling at him.
"You sleep okay?" He asks softly, still running his fingers in my hair.
"I did. I haven't slept that well for a few days." I notice we're in the same position we were in when I fell asleep. "You haven't moved."
"I didn't want to disturb you. You looked so peaceful."
"Did I?" I say giggling, slightly embarrassed.
"It's time to get ready though."
"Oh Jackson, I have to get clothes."
"No you don't. I had my assistant get you some clothes. My housekeeper put them in the other room." How does he even know my size? "Don't worry they'll fit. She brought makeup for you
, just in case."
I sit up to face him. "Thank you." I say then kiss him softly.
I get up and head into the other room I changed in earlier. In the closet there is a rack of dresses to choose from and shoes to match. Oh my god, all these for me? This is just too much. I decide I'll choose one and be sure to keep it clean so it can be returned. I choose the long black one, and black strappy heels. I shower quickly, because I'm sure we're pressed for time. Once dressed, I walk out of the room and into Jackson's, but he's already gone downstairs I guess. I grab my shoes and purse to head down. Walking through the hall I hear voices other than Jackson's.
"I'm sorry bro, she wouldn't leave me alone." Jonathan says.
"Well where is she?" Alyssa says annoyed.
"She's getting dressed!" Jackson snaps. I start to giggle. I can tell Jackson has had it with her.
"I'm okay Lizzie." I say as I turn the corner across the front door. They are all down in the living room. I glance at Jackson whose mouth is hanging. I take it he like's my choice.
"Damn Kay, you look gorgeous." Alyssa says walking toward me.
"As do you." I say hugging her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm good. Jackson made sure of it."
"You look great Karisma." Jonathan says, grabbing Alyssa. "We'll meet you in the limo." Limo, that sounds interesting. I walk down to Jackson who's still standing in the living room ogling me.
"What do you think?" I ask, turning slowly.
"You look so beautiful baby. That dress looks perfect on you." I smile shyly. I quite like it too. It's a long, form fitting black dress with a high slit and the back cut out. "I'm glad you put your hair up."
"Why?" I ask curiously. He shows me a Cartier box. When he opens it, this diamond necklace glistens at me. It’s simple but the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen. "That isn't for me is it?" I ask timidly.
"You don't like it?" Jackson asks pouting.
"What! It's gorgeous. But this is too much...the clothes...the shoes…now this?"
"Please...wear it for me?" I look at his convincing make me do anything blues.