Jade was thinking it couldn’t have gone better, even if she had planned it that way.
“Sure, I’d love to. I haven’t had any good soul food in a long time. All they got up here is West Indian food. It’s good sometimes, but I gotta tell you, I’m sick to death of curried goat, jerk chicken and oxtails.”
“Then, follow me. Once you eat at this place, you won’t want soul food from anyplace else.”
The restaurant was nothing to brag about. It had unleveled, cheap wood chairs and tables to match, with plastic tablecloths. But, the food was slammin’. Jade had smothered chicken, macaroni and cheese and collard greens. Greg had barbecued spare ribs, yams and string beans. They both ordered sweet iced tea and had peach cobbler for dessert.
“So, Jade, you married?”
“Why?”
“I’m feelin’ you and I figured if you felt the same, maybe we could see where we can take this.”
“No. I’m not married.”
“You got a man?”
“Not really,” she lied.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with the men in New York. Back in North Carolina, where I’m from, brothas woulda definitely snatched a sista like you up by now.”
“Maybe I don’t wanna be snatched up. You ever think about that?”
“So, it’s like that, huh? Well, I guess I don’t blame you. If I was a sista and I looked like you, I wouldn’t worry about gettin’ snatched up either. Can I get your number? Maybe give you a call sometime. Have dinner again or something else.”
“Something else, huh?” Jade joked.
“Nah. Nothing like that. I want to get to know you. That’s all.”
“So, you just want to get to know me?”
“Don’t get me wrong now. I wouldn’t kick you outta my bed, but there’s no pressure. We can kick it as friends, if you like.”
“Okay, Greg. You got a pen or your cell phone? My number is 646-555-3825.”
As they left the restaurant, Greg assured her that he would be calling. Jade didn’t doubt that for a moment.
Over the coming weeks, Jade saw more and more of Greg. She wanted to have someone inside McDonnell that she was close to, in order to keep an eye on Bridget and David McDonnell. Not only that, she found Bridget was distancing herself more and more from her and she was losing her hold. More than anything she wanted an opportunity to get more involved with McDonnell & Simpson in some capacity. Thanks to David, she had managed to hook up with a number of his clients and colleagues alike.
She now had a “Bridget-like” replacement named Divine, who had an addiction to crack, and Jade used that to get her cut of whatever Divine made. For all intents and purposes, Jade was her pimp. And, between the men she blackmailed; the “introductions” she made between David’s colleagues and other girls; Divine and the money she made and working here and there for Big Rob; she was able to live quite a comfortable living. Somehow, though, it still didn’t seem to be enough. She wanted more, much more.
“I’ve got some business to take care of in Atlantic City. I’m gonna stay the entire weekend. You wanna come along?” Jade asked Greg one day.
Greg was ecstatic. Somehow, despite the fact that they were going out and spending time together, he got the impression that she wasn’t feelin’ him the way he was feelin’ her. On more than one occasion, he had tried to get with her, but she had always found a way to keep from sleeping with him.
Greg had no problem with getting women. He had a creamy caramel complexion, washboard abs, beautiful black wavy hair and deep-set dimples that women always seemed to comment on. He was about six-five tall and talked with a very slight Southern drawl. He wasn’t as full of himself as he could have been, but he knew what he was workin’ with. The reaction of women walkin’ down the street, and the reaction of the female (and some male) staff at McDonnell when he first started working there, also told him that. No, he had no problem getting women, but Jade was another story altogether. He had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to work to get her between the sheets. But, somehow, he thought it would be well worth it. Jade had a sensual quality about her that was sexy and dangerous at the same time. Yeah, he had known from the beginning that he would have to be a patient man if he were going to get between her legs. And it seemed as though that patience might soon pay off. He couldn’t remember when he had been more excited about screwin’ somebody. Then, he realized it was probably exactly what people always said: You always want something (or someone) that much more when there’s the possibility that you might not get it.
“Do I wanna come along? Baby, you don’t even have to ask that question. Nothing would keep me away. So, what time do we leave?”
“I was thinking Friday night, around seven or eight, after you get off from work. That good for you?”
“Hell yeah. I’m looking forward to it!”
Jade realized weeks ago that she had to step up her game with Greg. Yet, it wasn’t the same as with Big Rob. Big Rob was one of the few people she actually had some measure of respect for. And, Jade learned that she couldn’t have sex with someone she didn’t respect, at least not sex for enjoyment. But, Greg would be just another one of her marks. It wasn’t about gettin’ off; it was about her runnin’ game and achieving the desired effect. She planned to pull out all the stops. If there was one thing Jade knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was what men wanted. She could look at a man and, within two minutes, know exactly what got him off. Greg was no different. There had only been one man she hadn’t been able to do that with and that was David McDonnell; at least not yet.
“You want me to drive?” Greg asked.
“Sure, why not.”
If Big Rob could see this pretty boy sitting behind the wheel of his vehicle, both he and Jade might have been dead. Jade told Big Rob that she was heading down to A.C. to scout out some new clients. Big Rob had been making so much money since he hooked up with Jade, he had no intention of getting in her way. He let her use the car and anything else that might help her do her thing. The ninety-minute drive was completely devoid of quiet. Greg was more animated and talkative than she had ever seen him. Even though Jade enjoyed sex with Big Rob, she was still in awe of the effect sex, or even the prospect of sex, could have on most people. Greg was a good case in point. His animation was clearly the result of his anticipation of having sex with her.
In order to completely blow his mind and possibly shut him up, Jade decided to give him a brief preview. She unzipped his pants and took his dick out. He was about average size, but she was amazed at how quickly he grew in her hands at the slightest touch. She wrapped her entire hand around his dick and began to slowly slide it up and down, increasing her motions with each moan that escaped his lips. To further intensify the moment, she moved closer to him and began nibbling at his earlobes, darting her tongue in and out of his ear, and licking and sucking his neck.
“Oh, baby,” he moaned between breaths.
“You like that?” she asked. “Stay with me, baby. There’s more. I wanna taste what you’ve been savin’ up for me. I want you to blast my mouth full of my sweet reward. Can you do that for me?”
“You know it, baby,” he breathed.
And, with that, Jade lowered her head and slowly and system atically began sliding her glossed lips up and down his dick. She intermittently licked the tip of his dick and the underside of his balls, all while Greg continued to drive. When she thought he couldn’t hold it any longer, Jade locked her lips tightly around his dick and slid her lips faster and faster from the very end to the very tip—faster and faster and faster until Greg, gripping the wheel tightly, exploded in her mouth, his leg trembling and battling to maintain a safe driving rhythm. Jade was amazed they hadn’t gotten into an accident.
“How about we pull over and change places? I’ll drive. You rest.”
“Okay,” he responded weakly. “Jade, that was unbelievable.”
If nothing else, Jade thought, she had shut him the fuck up. Greg sl
ept and she drove the rest of the way to Atlantic City in silence.
They spent the entire weekend in Atlantic City in their hotel room. Jade was surprised to find that he had the stamina to keep up with her. By the end of the weekend he was hers—lock, stock and barrel. He was poised and ready to do whatever she wanted him to do. She had lost Linda, but the hold she’d be able to keep on Greg would be much stronger. He would provide her all the information she needed about McDonnell & Simpson.
Meanwhile, David was knee-deep in work and without an assistant. Everyone at the firm was shocked to learn of Linda’s departure. Despite David’s efforts to make it clear that Linda had resigned, there were, of course, rumors. Most everyone at the firm, except for David, had noticed that Linda was using something. So, it came as no surprise when she was suddenly gone. And, thanks to the folks in accounting, who were aware of her theft of company money, everyone filled in the blanks. Right up until the time that Linda left the firm, Bridget had noticed that David was cool at best with her, from the moment he hired her. She missed the earlier ease they maintained in talking with one another, before she started working at McDonnell. She was eager to help him when she found that he was at a loss for someone to get his work done. She would pitch in whenever and however necessary. Where some of the girls in the word processing department had rules about what they would and wouldn’t do, Bridget filled in, in whatever capacity necessary. So, it followed, that when things got especially overwhelming for David, he enlisted Bridget’s aid. And her assistance proved to be well worth her presence at the firm.
“David, I noticed that this letter you’re sending to opposing counsel at Baker & Little has the wrong address. They’re no longer in Little Falls, New Jersey. They now have an office in Manhattan. They’re at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. You want me to go ahead and change that for you?”
“Thanks, Bridget. Thanks a lot for catching that. Could you send out an email to everyone letting them know that Baker’s address has changed?”
“Oh, no problem. I’ll do that right now.”
“I was going to order something from that Texas Barbecue place that you like so much. You wanna look at the menu before I place my order?”
“Oh, uhm...No, I don’t know.”
“Bridget. It’s just lunch in the office. Did you eat anything yet? I haven’t seen you leave your desk to go out in the past two weeks. It’s the least I can do.”
While she looked over the menu, David couldn’t help but take the opportunity to look at her. That’s what he did; stole glances at her whenever she wasn’t looking. She was so beautiful. He couldn’t help it. He had been so angry with her when she’d first started working at the firm, but his façade melted away quickly. It was impossible to be mad at someone like her.
“I know exactly what I want,” she said. “I’ll have a pulled pork sandwich and fries and one of those slushy drinks.”
David couldn’t help but smile. One minute she was a woman and the next she was like a child. It made him want her even more. Her innocence was as intoxicating as her maturity.
For the next several weeks, David interviewed secretary after secretary after secretary. None of them seemed to measure up to either Linda or Bridget. Under normal circumstances, he probably would have hired Bridget as his assistant immediately. But, he wasn’t sure if he hired her, whether he would be doing it because she was truly the best person for the job, or because of his obsession with her—especially since he now found himself watching her every opportunity he got. He would strategize in his mind around opportunities to “bump into” her. In all his years on this earth, he had never been so absolutely enthralled with a woman as he was with Bridget—or at least not since Marie.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE PROMOTION
I wonder who’s going to get that spot working for Mr. M? I heard his assistant, Linda, moved back to Boston because her mom was sick, or her dad was sick, or something like that. And that leaves the position open. I also heard that they want to fill the position from within the firm,” Kimberly, one of the floaters at McDonnell, said.
“Yeah, right, she moved back to Boston to be with a sick relative, my ass! That’s just a story Mr. McDonnell created to save face. The last thing he needs is to look like some idiot who doesn’t know enough to keep an eye on what’s happening with company money. Because, I heard through my sources in the accounting department that the bitch was stealing a shitload of money. Anyway, you and I both know who’s going to get that position. She’s been stuck up under his ass since she started, and he’s loving every minute of it.”
Just as they were speaking, Bridget walked by. They both tried to offer a fake smile and hello, but Bridget already knew they didn’t like her—and that they were talking about her. She, Kimberly and Tania were the only floaters at the small law firm, and you would have thought that meant they would stick together. Unfortunately, it did not. Somehow, they had decided to penalize Bridget by being nasty toward her; simply because she wanted to get ahead.
Bridget would stay late whenever it was needed and tried to offer up suggestions to Mr. McDonnell, if she thought it would be helpful. All she wanted was to do a good job and ensure that he wasn’t sorry that she was working here. She knew that Jade had somehow railroaded him into giving her this job, but she had made up her mind from Day 1 that she would be a great employee and prove to him that she was more than just an annoying piece of ass. But to Kimberly and Tania, that’s exactly what she was. It seemed to Bridget that, no matter what you chose to do in life, there were always going to be people that didn’t like it.
She was on her way to Mr. McDonnell’s office. He had asked to see her and, instead of thinking about getting the coveted position that Kimberly and Tania were standing and gossiping about, she was afraid that she had done something wrong.
“Come in, Bridget. Have a seat. I wanted to thank you for all the helpful suggestions and all the assistance you’ve offered since you’ve been at McDonnell. I’ve got to admit, when you first came to work here, I was more than a little concerned, but you’ve proven yourself to be an exemplary employee.”
David noticed how noticeably fidgety Bridget became when he mentioned his feelings about her coming to work at the firm. He realized that she probably was uncomfortable talking about how she had gotten the job.
From the moment she started working at McDonnell, watching her had become his favorite pastime; first and foremost as a means to ensure that all of her dealings within his firm were on the up-and-up.
David was ever-mindful of how this association had been cemented. Although Bridget appeared to be doing a good job from the very first day she started, he was not a stupid man. Therefore, he never completely let his guard down.
Under different circumstances, Bridget might have actually been perceived as a “nice” girl, naïve even. Yet, he knew where she came from. Even more confusing was her association with Jade. The pair was as different as night and day. David had come to know people like Jade in all walks of life; they always had a plan or a scheme, but it never occurred to them that someone might be one up on them. People like Jade always thought they were in control, until they fell from their tower.
As David saw it, Jade was so sure she was manipulating him, that she hadn’t even recognized that he might have his own agenda and his own reasons for giving Bridget a job at McDonnell & Simpson. Late one night, he had taken yet another of his weekly drives through Hunts Point, searching for—something. Although, for what he didn’t know. For so long, he thought it might have been Marie. But, it wasn’t logical to think that after all these years, she would still be there—waiting. And that’s when he saw her. She seemed so out of place—so very much like his Marie.
“You want some company?” he had heard her say.
The words didn’t seem to fit in her mouth. Her body language wasn’t that of someone who was accustomed to this life. He was fascinated by what her story might be, but not yet ready to do anything but watch. He wasn’t�
� sure what he wanted or why he wanted to know anything about her. Yet, he watched. For months, that’s all he did was watch her. He visited his old haunt much more as a voyeur than he had as a participant. There were nights when she seemed so cold that all he wanted to do was rescue her; wrap his arms around her and keep her warm and safe from harm. There were other times when she would disappear into some car or another. He would feel that telltale ache of jealousy and wouldn’t return for at least a week but he would be right back again, enthralled with who this beautiful creature might be and how she had been sucked into such an existence.
For a moment, he thought maybe he might be losing his mind. How on earth could he be jealous of an absolute stranger? When he thought of how many women he had dated and eventually dumped that would have loved for him to be having these very same feelings about them, it almost made him laugh. His ex-wife, Caitlin, was a good case-in-point. Caitlin had been chilly at best when they were dating in high school, but after he had gotten out of rehab, there seemed to be a change in the way Caitlin responded to him. David fully believed it had to do with the bad-boy persona he had established. All those months of sniffing and boozing, flunking and carousing, somehow endeared him so much more to Caitlin than all those years as her boyfriend, the A-student.
However, after Marie and rehab and...everything, David’s feelings toward Caitlin had changed as well. There was a time when he would have liked nothing more than to have Caitlin in his bed; yet after Marie and the string of girls/women that followed, somehow David was looking for something more. However, anxious to please his mother after bringing her so much pain, David did what he believed she wanted; he married Caitlin Gallagher. As David fully expected, a happy marriage it wasn’t.
Marriage changed Caitlin. Gone was the beautiful, confident young woman he’d met when they were young; in its place was a woman severely lacking in self-esteem and more than just a little clingy. She wanted to know what David was doing every minute of the day. He knew that Caitlin wanted to have children and thought that after she had gotten pregnant, that would be the answer to both their prayers. She would get what she wanted and he would get some breathing room. Unfortunately, instead of a baby, David and Caitlin got something so much worse. Caitlin had a miscarriage in her third month of pregnancy and, because of complications, they were informed by her doctor that she would never be able to become pregnant again. Caitlin was devastated and David felt obligated to be there for her, despite the quick decline of their marriage. Eventually, Caitlin was so depressed and fed-up with the situation that she got hooked on prescription medicine. She graduated from that to coke and eventually, she was a full-blown crack addict. David divorced her with his mother’s blessing and Caitlin moved away from New York. The last David heard, she had taken up with some boy toy who was sucking her trust fund dry. He often wanted to call Caitlin, maybe try to talk some sense into her, but he realized he wasn’t ready to take on the responsibility of being her savior. Not only that, somehow Caitlin had gotten it into her head that he was to blame for her predicament. And the last time he saw her, she did nothing more than spew words at him like venom. She even blamed him for her losing the baby. David had a lot of high-profile clients, which constantly kept him in the media spotlight. The last thing he needed was a drugged-out ex-wife openly accusing him of being the cause of her miscarriage.
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