by Angel Rose
“I’m fine, Jenesis. Don’t fret over me. I cut myself on that goddamn cabinet in the front office grabbing a file. Someone should really throw it out already!” He reached for a paper towel and wrapped his hand then picked up the phone on his desk. “Yeah, Nick, it’s Dave. Take Jenesis
home. She’s walking up the corridor now,” he said as he pushed the files on his desk to the side and motioned with his hand for me to move along.
I walked out the door practically holding my breath because I didn’t want to burst into tears. Dave said nothing to me, and he was bleeding. He was hurt. My heart stung a little. I felt rejected, and I
immediately developed a lump in my throat that I knew I couldn’t swallow. I met Nick at the front of the precinct, and he then proceeded to drive me home. The ride was awkwardly silent until Nick
said, “Jenesis, you look really pretty tonight.” I could feel his eyes gazing at me from the back of my head as I stared out of the window, trying to swallow the lump that was choking me.
I turned my head to meet his handsome, flirtatious blue eyes that twinkled at me as his lips pressed together into a devious smile. I wished he would stop the car, grab me, and kiss me…hard…really hard.
“Thank you,” I whispered softly as the lump subsided miraculously from my throat.
“I’d like to take you out but…” his voice trembled nervously and his insatiable grin turned into a tight line.
“But?” I batted my eyelashes at him hoping the next words that rolled off of his tongue were “but I can’t wait…to kiss you.”
“Dave said not to mix business with pleasure and to steer clear of you.” He glanced over at me quickly then returned his eyes on the road.
“Oh, he did? Did he say why you should steer clear of me?” I shook my head not understanding why the hell Dave would say anything to Nick.
I’ve never told Dave I was interested in him. I don’t remember asking Dave’s permission to date anyone either.
At that moment, I was turned off by Nick’s lack of balls. I know Dave is his boss, but he let Dave boss him around in his personal life, too, and I was done.
“Not really,” he said, embarrassed.
“Thanks for the ride, Nick...and…thanks for the invite, but I think Dave is right.” As much as I wanted to go out with him, I wasn’t going to. I took a deep breath and gave him a peck on the
cheek. He stopped and stared at me lowering his eyes to my lips. We stared at each other for a moment, while his disenchanted blue eyes stood gleaming at me. I looked away.
“I’m sorry, Nick.” I lowered my head and got out of the car. I walked towards the building as he sat in the car waving at me. I waved back as he drove off down the street. I waited for him to turn
the corner so I could cross the street and walk over to my apartment building. I walked up the stairs and rummaged through my purse to get my keys. I wish I didn’t have to think so hard about dating
anyone. Maybe Dave was right…mixing business with pleasure always equals disaster, but it was a lonely road…and I was getting tired of being alone.
I found myself on the floor the next morning, my head buried under my pillow near the night table. I lifted myself with my hands as I prepped my body to follow. Jesus! Everything hurts, especially,
my breasts. They were sore from the apparent face first smash against the floor, and my nipples were sensitive to the touch after falling victim to the body slam. How long was I on the floor? And
how hard did I crash face first this time? I need to get to a therapist soon. Waiting might cause my early death.
I sat on my bed and reached for my laptop on the end table. I surfed the web for a therapist who was walking distance from the precinct. A list of names popped up, and I copied and saved them
into Word. I was getting tired of these nightmares, and I was afraid I wasn’t going to wake up one day from banging my head on the floor and developing a blood clot. My cell phone rang playing
the tune of, “Your boss is calling.” I glanced at it as it vibrated and shook on the end table. I rolled my eyes and picked up the phone and answered,
“Hello?”
“Hey Jen, its Dave,” he said with a disheartening sigh.
“I know who it is. What’s up? Is everything okay?” My tone was cold and low.
“Yeah, just making sure you’re…coming in…to work today,” he said softly as I heard him tapping his fingers rhythmically on his desk.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” My lips puckered.
“Well, I was a little rough on you yesterday…I mean this morning and…I’m sorry.” I could hear it in his voice, and he was sincere, but I was angry with him, not only about his little outburst in the office, but his prying into my personal life with Nick.
“It’s nothing Dave…I’m used to it…will you be there tonight?”
“Um…no I…I’m not feeling well and you’re used to it? What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing…”
“Look, I’ll be home. You could call me if anything.” His voice was raspy, and he sounded annoyed after my little comment.
“Well…I hope you feel better. I’ll call if anything. Talk to you later.”
“Yeah, sure.” He hung up the phone and I stared at mine for a moment. I never heard Dave like that before. He almost sounded disappointed, not an emotion I’m used to from him. It was Friday,
and I only had tonight to file the papers. I needed to do what I had to do. I didn’t want to disappoint him.
***
It was Sunday morning, and I lay leisurely in bed thinking about how much paperwork I filed on Friday. I just couldn’t believe all of the dead people from A to Z, especially women. I flipped through the channels, stopping at Law and Order: SVU. I quickly changed the channel as soon as
I saw a dead body near the river. I thought about what Uncle Mike said, “New York is a dangerous place to live,” and it immediately sent shivers down my spine making me glance around the room uncomfortably. My cell phone vibrated against my night table, and I reached over and grabbed it.
Dave’s name appeared, and I took a deep breath before answering it. Dammit! This guy is relentless!
“Hey, Jenesis.”
“Hi.”
“Listen, I wanted to see if you wanted to grab some brunch.”
“Brunch? Umm…I don’t know Dave. I really would like to keep a working business relationship with you.”
“For God’s sakes Jenesis, its brunch, not a date, besides, I thought you might want to talk. Sometimes, I get lonely, you know.”
“Look Dave, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I just don’t feel comfortable right now. It really has nothing to do with you. I just have some issues I need to work out.”
“Then this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about those issues…with me.”
“I’m sorry, but not today.”
“Okay…I’ll keep trying about brunch until you say yes.” I laughed silently to myself wishing that I could sit and eat with him without thinking that he wanted something else from me in return, but right now…I just couldn’t.
Monday morning came, and I had a nine o’clock class. It was eight-thirty…Oh shit! I jumped out of bed realizing I only had five minutes to get ready and get down to John Jay without being late.
I threw my hair into a ponytail and grabbed my Penn State sweatshirt and pink sweatpants to match, my coat and hat. I put on my pink Uggs, grabbed my book bag, and ran out the door and
down the stairs like a maniac. It started to rain, so I decided to hail a cab, instead of taking the train.
“Where to?” the cabby asked.
“John Jay. I hope you can fly…I’m going to be really late.” I laughed as I jumped in.
“I’ll try my best.” He took off full speed and turned on the radio to 1010 WINS news.
I listened to the news on the radio wishing he would lower it or shut it off all together. There was so much crime i
n New York…a shooting here and a stabbing there. It made me feel sick, and I just
wanted to get out of the cab as soon as possible. The traffic was heavy, and the rain started to fall and slam hard against the windows.
“We’ll be there in five minutes,” he said as he stepped on the gas, swerving and diving into traffic to get me to school on time.
“Thanks.” My cell phone vibrated in my sweatshirt. I took it out and glanced at the name. It was a private number.
“Hello?”
“Jenesis, it’s me, Mike.” His tone was cheerful.
“Uncle Mike? Wow…it’s been a while,” I responded indifferently. The nerve of him to call me now; who the hell does he think he is?
“Don’t be angry, Jenesis, I’ve been busy.”
“That’s fine. I guess you had to change your number, too. What’s up?” I said sarcastically.
“I just wanted to let you know I got a call from your Aunt Stephanie. She’s been trying to get in touch with you, and she asked me to call.” I could hear the radio in the background.
“What does she want? I can hardly hear you!” I shouted. “I thought she disowned me.” The background music faded. I puckered my lips and twirled my ponytail with my fingers, as I was bored with the conversation.
“She bought your parent’s house. I guess she wanted to give you the good news herself. She’s not angry with you anymore. Here’s her number…she just wants to talk.” I stood up straight in the back seat. My heart stopped, and I shuddered inside.
“Congratulations to her. Were you ever going to tell me? And why wasn’t I invited to the closing?” I couldn’t believe I wasn’t included in the closing, let alone the deal to begin with.
“There’s a check waiting for you at the office. I can mail it to you if you would like, certified return receipt…if you want me to?”
“Sure that will be fine. You can text me her number. Is there anything else you’d like to keep from me…oh, I mean you want to tell me?” I said sarcastically. “I have to go…thanks for calling,” I
said angrily. I hated her for pushing me away because I was selling the house and now she bought it. Should I forgive her for treating me like shit?
“Jenesis…please I’m sorry,” he pleaded.
“You know what, Mike? You were the only person I had left in my life besides Vivian…you left me alone, it’s been weeks…why did you do that?” I asked as my heart pounded and the veins in
my neck constricted with anger. My voice trembled as I felt the tears coming on strong. Didn’t he understand that I had no one?
“Look, I don’t have time for this shit. Call your aunt,” he said unsympathetically.
“Go to Hell. Tell her I’m not calling. Just mail me the check.” I hung up the phone as we were finally pulling up to the school. My heart hurt me as I remembered how Aunt Stephanie held me
in her arms at the funeral, supportive and loving. I shook away the thought as the cab driver drove up slowly to the curb in front of John Jay. I paid the cab driver.
“Thank you.” I stepped out of the cab, placed the sweatshirt hood over my head, and ran into the building as the rain fell above my head.
I pressed the elevator button and stepped in as the doors opened. I pushed on the fourth floor staring at the button that lit up. I was nearly knocked out of my pink Uggs when I saw him walk in. My
eyes followed his frame from his broad shoulders down to his expensive shoes. He wore a dark blue fitted suit with a pink shirt and a dark blue tie. The suit was made for his tall, lean body, and
it fit him like a glove. He turned and faced the elevator doors as they closed. His jacket fell nicely on the back of his perfectly tight ass. He turned around to look at me, and I was blown away by
the most stunning blue-green eyes I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen eyes that color before, and it was strange how you could see the two different colors. It was like the sky and sea mixed together. His
eyes were shining and his salacious smile took my breath away. I swallowed hard as he gave me a moment’s pleasure of admiring his perfect heart-shaped lips. He turned away slowly with a smirk
on his face. Our eyes met once more as I moved closer to the elevator doors to get ready to exit. The number four lit up, and the doors opened and we both stepped out at the same time. I walked
hurriedly to my class hoping he went in the opposite direction. I walked in and found a seat in the back of the room.
“Miss Heart, you’re late,” my professor grumbled at me in front of the class. I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
“Ahh…Mr. Hunter, thank you for coming as our guest speaker.” The sexy god from the elevator made his grand entrance as I sunk into my seat.
“I apologize that I’m a little late, I was stuck in the elevator with, I believe with one of your students…Miss Heart?” My eyes widened, and my heart raced.
“Oh, my apologies Mr. Hunter,” my professor said as he glanced around the room to sort me out.
“I believe you owe Miss Heart an apology, it wasn’t her fault she was late,” he said as he winked at me.
“Yes, of course, Jenesis, I’m sorry…you should have told me.” My face was red with embarrassment as I stared at my professor and nodded my head.
“Everyone, this is our guest speaker Michael Hunter from the Kennedy-
Hunter law firm. He’ll be discussing forensic psychology evidence used in court as a defense for criminals allegedly accused of heinous crimes.
You’re going to want to take notes and pay careful attention. None of his clients were ever convicted.” Everyone took out his or her laptops, tablets, cell phones, and someone pulled out a small pocket recorder.
“No recorders, please; I’ll repeat anything you want me to, but please don’t record this session,” he said politely to the mesmerized student sitting in the front. Her lips parted in awe as he directed his comment towards her. He removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie. His strong back rippled
through his shirt. His back faced the class as he opened his laptop to present his PowerPoint presentation. His sexy, deep voice captivated the audience, and everyone’s eyes were focused on
him. The women in the classroom were smitten by his style. His hair was black and slicked back. His creamy, white complexion was unblemished. His chiseled face was strong and perfect…as
perfect as anyone could be. Everything about him was perfect and appealing, and I, once again, was knocked off of my feet. He spoke and spoke and not for a minute did anyone interrupt him.
Every word he said was flawless, and his wealth of knowledge kept us begging for more. I typed tirelessly on my keyboard trying desperately to record every word he said. His cases were so
violent, gruesome, and disheartening, and I couldn’t believe how some of the criminals he defended got off using the insanity plea.
“Does anyone have any questions?” he asked as his eyes shimmered under the fluorescent lights. “Miss Heart? Do you have any questions?” My heart fluttered against my chest as I scanned
through my notes to find a question to ask. I looked up at him and said, “Umm…no…not at this time.” I shook my head and died inside sinking into my chair hoping I would disappear.
“Okay…well, I guess I’m done here. Thank you for being such a great audience. This is the first time I’ve lectured and wasn’t interrupted.” He chuckled and shook his head. He wrapped up his belongings and slipped on his suit jacket. He looked over his shoulder at me and stared intensely
to get my attention. I placed my laptop in my bag and headed towards the door. I stopped and whispered to him, “Thanks for the elevator story…that was very sweet of you.” I smiled at him,
and he stopped packing his belongings, his blue-green eyes seductively scoping me out, while his heart-shaped lips puckered up to the side to a give me a slow, sensual smile. I blushed, not breaking
my gaze from his eyes until my professor called his name, and he glanced away. I stoo
d there for a split second, and then I quickly walked out.
I walked towards the elevator and pressed the down button. The elevator came quickly, and I wished he was packed and ready to get in, but he wasn’t. I got in, rode down to the first floor, and walked out into the rain and hailed a cab still hoping to see his stunning face before I went home.
He probably stood talking with the professor or signing autographs for the smitten college students who undoubtedly wished they could get his signature written across their bare breasts. The cab
stopped in front of me, and I jumped in turning my head to take one more look. I saw him rush out of the building as if he were looking for someone. Was he looking for me?
My heart was sprinting, and I wished at that moment I could’ve jumped out of the cab and into his arms, but the cabby kept driving, and his vision of beauty soon faded away. As we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the sun came out, and the rain stopped abruptly. A magnificent rainbow
appeared glowing in its effervescent colors, glistening from one side of the street to the other. My thoughts were with Mr. Michael Hunter. I was impressed, and I wanted more.
The next day I woke with butterflies in my stomach. My mind was running ten steps ahead of me, and Mr. Hunter was the frontrunner. I didn’t have class today, but I had the urge to go to John Jay just to see if I would run into him. I was hoping to bump into him in the elevator, or in the lobby,
maybe on the fourth floor, or getting off on the second floor where he had walked into my life. I made myself a cup of coffee with the Keurig, hazelnut, and sat on the windowsill. I wanted to think
of something else, but I couldn’t. His eyes were mesmerizing, and the mixture of the clear blue sky and green sea captivated me.
I walked into the precinct that night to work and saw the usual people. Cassandra was eating dinner off of her foil plate and talking on her cell phone at the same time. She waved at me and continued
to scarf down her food while she giggled with the person on the phone. Nick passed by me and winked as I walked down the corridor towards the office. The door was unlocked, and I flicked on