Summer Fire
Page 109
“Hi, Chastity, this is Jayden. Could you call me back when you get this?” Beep.
“Chastity, this is Kayla. If you’re home, please return my call.” Beep.
“This is Jayden again. We’re a little worried about you. If you could give me a jingle, I’d really appreciate it.” Beep.
“This message is for Chastity Newberry. This is Cameron Barron. Please call me at your earliest convenience. Ask for extension 4651. It’s my direct line. Thank you.” Beep.
Chastity almost vomited at the sound of his voice. “What the hell do you want?!” she yelled. Flinging off the covers, she unplugged her phone, then threw it with all her might against the sofa. It bounced off and landed hard on the floor. “I should have applied at the damn restaurants!” Being this tense was causing her leg to hurt more, so she stripped off her clothes, turned on the shower and climbed inside. But while Chastity rinsed off her face, she began to sob. She struggled every day to make her life better, and now it was ruined.
Dance with the CEO, she thought while she bawled. How can that happen when he can’t even stand the sight of me? Cameron Barron had summed up exactly how she felt about herself with just a few words. She slid down the tile until her butt rested on the cold ceramic tub. Chastity stared at her plump rolls and the ugly scar on her leg, until the water turned cold.
*
Cameron banged his palm against Jayden’s desk. The ringing wasn’t going to go away, regardless of how he tried to ignore it. Finally, he snatched up her phone. “Cameron Barron!” he answered loudly. If one more person called to ask if they could bring a guest to the stupid dance, he’d raise the roof. A copy of the invitation was sitting on Jayden’s desk. It clearly stated, ‘plus one guest,’ right on the front. Instructions were given to RSVP on the enclosed card, but that obviously wasn’t good enough. ‘Can I bring my boyfriend?’ The calls were endless. Trying to do his job, plus his secretary’s, was going to kill him. While rifling through her desk, he finally found a list of department numbers and returned to his office.
“Human Resources, Toni speaking. May I help you?” Her voice wasn’t very pleasant, and Cameron immediately wondered if it was because she hated being here. He couldn’t blame her if she did; personally, he would rather be picking up the trash along I-75.
“Find me a secretary, please, like yesterday!” Cameron came across harsher than he’d intended, but his mood would take a dive every time he saw Jayden’s empty chair.
“…Sure, I’ll jump right on that. Who are you?” she lazily asked, angering him even more.
Cameron didn’t answer her. He knew she could tell which extension the call was coming from. He’d give her a few seconds to register the obvious and stop wasting time. It was a must for him to have a secretary right now, who already knew what the hell she was supposed to do, because he didn’t know squat about Evil Jayden’s duties, other than the fact that she should be here doing them. In L.A., he had a secretary, who had an assistant, and she had a few others underneath her. If someone called in sick, or went on leave, there was no problem. Cameron cursed Mark for not having any safety nets in place. But then again, there wasn’t any money to do more hiring at the Detroit location, because it was all lining Mark Twiller’s pockets.
“Oh, Mr. Barron! I’m so sorry,” Toni blurted with a shaky voice. She paused, probably to absorb her shortcoming, so Cameron remained silent. Finally, he heard her clear her throat and talk again. “Jayden Borski is the only administrative secretary.”
“She’s no longer here. It’s why I’m calling you.” Jayden’s phone was ringing again, irritating him to the hilt.
“Hmm…I don’t show that her position has opened up. If you could send me her resignation letter, or—”
“I don’t have one!” he snapped. “She left, as in walked out. I’m the only one manning the phones. Please, find a competent replacement.” The ringing was giving him a headache. He quickly hung up so he wouldn’t blow a gasket.
Besides answering Jayden’s phone, he spent the rest of the day trying to figure out her system, and find the necessary files on her computer. It was an exhausting task. His brain felt like mush, and his eyes were burning. Despite his many attempts, he still couldn’t locate any pertinent documents. He was tempted to call Toni again, and put some fire under her ass, but he refrained. If Cameron could, he’d close the building, hop on the next plane to L.A., and spend a week on the beach. As stubborn as he normally was, he weakened, swore loudly, then called Jayden. He tried to be patient and pleasant, but as soon as she answered, he began speaking rapidly.
“Look, I’ll give you a huge salary increase! Ten percent!” He’d pull the money out of his own account if necessary. He was desperate. “Jayden, this place is going to fall apart without you…” Cameron paused, waiting for her to react positively to his suck-up, and when she didn’t, he tried a different approach. Jayden would have to get a conscience at some point. “Shit isn’t getting done, because there’s no way I can do both of our jobs.” His temples were throbbing even more.
“You mean my job.” Her reply made him want to smash the phone against the wall. “You can’t figure out my job, Cam,” she corrected.
“Fine, you win!” He began taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself. “I don’t know what else you want.”
“Did you apologize to Chastity?” she asked, almost sarcastically.
“I tried, Jayden, I really did. I left a message for her to return my call, but she hasn’t.” He was sure she’d be satisfied with his effort.
“Left a message…You have her address, Cam. Write her a letter, and mail it right away,” she directed.
“Are you kidding me? Twenty percent! That’s double my first offer.” Cameron wanted this entire Chastity problem to go away, like yesterday.
“You do realize, I don’t need money, correct?” She laughed, which sent fear flowing through his veins. “My father is loaded. I only worked there because Mark was a friend of the family. He isn’t now, obviously, but I live very comfortably, Cameron. You might be one of the most successful real estate gurus around, but Daddy owns his share of the oil industry. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m on your payroll or not. Apologize to Chastity, then I’ll come and pull your ass out of the vines.” She hung up and Cameron felt the blood drain from his face. He could almost see the demons inhabiting her soul.
Now, Jayden was playing hardball. She meant business, and he obviously had the lesser advantage. Because her job wasn’t a priority in her life, at all, he was going to have to get creative. Cameron had to find something to lure her back, without having to deal with Chastity whatever her last name is. She handed out mail for God’s sake, but Jayden made her out to be the best thing since sliced bread. The phone started ringing again. Cameron slammed his door shut.
Chapter Four
A little white lie, or three, wasn’t going to hurt anything. Frankly, it was the only way Jayden could convince Cameron, he had no choice but to apologize to Chastity. She just couldn’t let him find out a few facts: Her father owns a dilapidated gas station, and barely brings home enough money for himself to live off of. She tries to give him as much as she can afford, but he refuses her help every time she offers. Jayden didn’t know Mark Twiller from a hole in the ground, until she got promoted. She’d hired in as a receptionist through a temp agency and was later assigned to the eighteenth floor, when Mark’s previous secretary, Sandra, kept returning from lunch intoxicated.
She didn’t feel bad about lying to Cameron, because if he could buy his way out of something, that’s obviously the route he’d take. Right before his arrival in Detroit, the gossip was that Cameron Barron could either be as kind as a lamb, or meaner than a bear before hibernation. There could be some truth behind the rumors, so Jayden stayed on his good side. In return, the man spoke to her with respect and would buy her dinner if she had to stay late. To keep their relationship pleasant and productive at Barron National, Jayden avoided doing anything that’d upset him or make
him feel like his authority was being challenged. But since he pulled that stunt with Chastity, he was fair game.
No matter how upset Cameron became, she wasn’t willing to throw her friend under the bus by ignoring her mistreatment. She wasn’t going to blame this situation on the innocent, which certainly wasn’t Cameron Barron. Treating people like crap, to make yourself feel superior, wasn’t acceptable. Jayden met her fair share of despicable bosses in her time, and she’d promised herself years ago, that she wouldn’t put up with one who enjoyed sending others home in tears every day. Sure, taking a stand against Cameron risked her livelihood, but she had enough money in her savings account to hold her over for a short while. Jayden’s decision may land her in the poorhouse, but leverage was leverage, and thanks to her ex-boss, she had plenty.
Mark Twiller refused to let Jayden train a second secretary for the eighteenth floor. At first, she thought it was because of all the skills she’d gained over the years, but since he’d been busted for embezzling, she realized he just didn’t want an extra set of eyes on the paperwork. One thing Mark never knew, was that Jayden kept her own records of everything that crossed her desk. She never questioned any of the documents, until he’d been arrested. When she thought about her collection of data, a smile spread across her face. In order for Cameron to drive a stake through Mark Twiller’s heart, and get out of Detroit, he’d have to access all the information she had. She laughed and took a sip of wine. Jayden-1, Cameron-0.
*
Cameron opened his laptop so he could send Chastity the ridiculous letter, apologizing for something he didn’t do, to appease Jayden. To her, it didn’t matter how much agony he was in; she didn’t give a shit. She was playing gatekeeper and enjoying every second of her new role. It was obvious she didn’t care about Barron National, or the fact that his personal life had been completely derailed. Cameron would let her enjoy her little games for now. As soon as he got all the documents she was withholding, he’d fire her.
He was furious with Jayden, but that was nothing compared to the rage he felt against Mark. Cameron would kill the guy if he were standing in front of him. The bastard had been receiving kickbacks for bids, creating false expense reports, and diverting money to Barron National LLC, a similarly named account he’d had the balls to create. It was Cecil who’d found some of the missing money, but the prosecutors discovered the bogus business account.
Jayden had documented proof that would close this case, but Cameron was going to have to jump through hoops, like a circus dog, to get it. Having her hauled into court, and forcing her to hand over the files, wouldn’t accomplish anything. All she had to do was destroy the records and deny everything. Then, Mark wouldn’t be sentenced to nearly the time he deserved. The jerk had stolen millions.
Cameron shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He had to stay on task and get this damn letter written to Chastity. He couldn’t put it off any longer; no letter equaled no Jayden. He opened up a blank document and began to type, tapping on the keys extra-hard:
Dear Chastity,
I’m trying to contact you, so I can apologize for anything I did that caused you to feel upset when you came to my office to meet with me. I regret my actions and I’d like to reschedule our appointment.
He could feel his muscles tighten as his temper rose:
So, if you’d like to make that appointment with me, pronto, so I can get Jayden back to work and off my ass, that’d be spectacular!
“Shit!” he growled. He hit delete and started over:
Dear Chastity,
Please tell me what I did, or said, to piss you off. My life is going to hell because of you.
Cameron closed his laptop firmly, jumped up from his chair and began pacing the hallway outside his office. Each time he walked past Jayden’s desk, he wanted to punch something. Without thinking, he returned to his office and called the culprit behind his insanity.
“Did you write the letter?” Jayden calmly asked.
“You can write it. Say whatever you want in the damn letter, and I’ll sign it!” He was practically yelling.
“Don’t forget to e-mail me a copy before you send it to Chastity, Cameron. If it’s not heartfelt, I’m not stepping a foot inside Barron National.” She ignored his comment, then abruptly hung up.
With his shoulders slumped, feeling completely defeated, he opened up his laptop, exhaled loudly, and began to type:
Dear Chastity,
I’m trying to contact you, so I can apologize for anything I said, or did, that upset you when you came to my office to meet with me. Please call me as soon as possible. If you give me a second chance, I’ll make things right. Perhaps you’d enjoy going out with me for a wonderful lunch or dinner? After all, the dumbass dance is coming up!
Sincerely,
Cameron Barron
Right before he sent it to Jayden’s e-mail, he forced himself to backspace over the last sentence. It was a crude thing to type, but it felt good. He hit send and called the demon.
“Check your e-mail, Jayden. The letter is there for you to approve,” he spat.
“Hold on and let me read it. Don’t you dare hang up,” she warned.
If Cameron thought he could get away with it, that’s exactly what he’d do. Instead, he knew it was best to wait for her vicious critique of the letter. When she came back to the phone, he was shocked that she’d approved.
“That’s nice, Cam. Mail it first thing in the morning,” she directed. “Oh, and send her flowers.”
“Flowers?! You never said anything about sending her flowers. You demanded I apologize, and that’s what I did.” Cameron was willing to fight this one to his grave.
“Yes, flowers…” Jayden said firmly.
“Talk about upping the ante! I kept my end of the agreement, so you have to do the same.” Cameron couldn’t believe she had the balls to keep pushing him.
“Fine, I’ll give you some slack, because you obviously can’t handle what other men normally do. We’ll wait and see how she responds to the letter. If she accepts your apology, then all is good. If she doesn’t, you’re going to send her flowers.” Jayden clearly had the upper hand, so all he could do was hope his letter would put an end to her bullshit. “Keep me updated,” she said, before disconnecting the call.
The next morning, Cameron printed the letter, addressed it, then drove straight to the post office. He was there fifteen minutes before it opened. When they unlocked the doors, he jogged so he’d be the first one at the counter. He bought a stamp and handed the envelope to the clerk. As he returned to his car, it felt like a weight had been lifted off him. Well, that’s done, he thought. All I have to do is wait two days, three max. He smiled at his prediction. If there was any more lip from Queen Jayden, he’d raise the roof.
*
Chastity’s emotions had been all over the board since she walked out of Barron National. She’d gone between feeling hurt, unwanted, and devastated, to waking up this morning filled with nothing but anger—she was angry at everyone who’d judged her, the friends who had abandoned her, not to mention Cameron Barron. She was determined to never allow anyone else to have the power to hurt her again. It was time to stop being a target.
In the past, her poor self-esteem would have caused her to stay holed up in her apartment, but not today. As Chastity was slipping on her sneakers to go outside and exercise her leg, she saw the mailman place an envelope in her mailbox. She retrieved it, and brought it inside. The return address was Barron National’s. Chastity was nervous, but happy at the same time. Maybe it was her last paycheck. She carefully opened the white envelope, but was dismayed when she didn’t see a check inside. Chastity unfolded the letter and held it towards the window so she could see it better. Her heart thumped when she saw that it was from the desk of Cameron Barron:
Dear Chastity,
I’m trying to contact you, so I can apologize for anything I said, or did, to upset you when you came to my office to meet with me.
�
��Oh my God!” Chastity shouted. She tore the letter up in as many pieces as she could, before throwing them in the garbage. “Upset me?!” His words sent her into a rage. There was no way in hell she would allow the likes of Cameron Barron to rub salt in her wounds. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He sent this reminder, Just in case she’d forgotten about the humiliation and hurt he’d caused. Slowly, her rage shifted into a determination like she’d never felt before in her life. “I’m not giving you the satisfaction!” She’d ignore the letter and make him think it never arrived.
She splashed cold water on her face and went out the door, determined not to let him win. When Chastity reached the sidewalk, a thought instantly occurred to her. Cameron Barron wasn’t done. If he couldn’t get to her by mail, he’d show up at her door. That was an encounter she couldn’t let happen. She went back inside to the kitchen, hastily opened a drawer, and removed a spiral notebook and pen. In neat cursive, so not one word could be misread, Chastity wrote:
Dear Mr. Barron,
You’re a soulless jackass.
*
Cameron was still staring at the response he’d gotten from Chastity. He’d been ignoring Jayden’s calls, because she’d definitely make him send her flowers now, but he was way past the point of being done with that mailroom worker. Toni, in Human Resources, had sent him a new secretary from a temp agency, but Cameron couldn’t decide if she’d been put behind Jayden’s desk to cause him more stress or not. Samantha didn’t understand the phone system, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Between the number of times she barged into his office asking questions, and her poor secretarial skills, he was close to giving up. To top it off, Cameron had given Samantha instructions not to put any calls through from Jayden Borski. When his phone buzzed, he didn’t hesitate to pick up.