When a sign for a rest stop comes into view, I follow it and exit the highway until I find a pretty secluded spot to park. Turning off the car, I lean back and close my eyes, exhausted from all the drama. I’ll get a little rest then I’ll get a room to stay the night where I can think of a plan and regroup. This will be okay. It has to be.
Tyson
“What the fuck did you say to her?” I shout as I barge into the asshole’s office. Office gossip didn’t take long to get to me and I heard all about how Jade slapped Grayson in the middle of the lobby. Unfortunately, my father heard too and is calling HR to fill her position as we speak. I’m sure I can talk him out of it but first I want to know why she did it.
“Tyson, why don’t you come in?” he replies dryly.
“Cut the shit, Grayson. Tell me what you said to her.”
“Or what? What can you do? Go along with your little threat? Well have at it. You’ll ruin Jade as well as me, but at least give me the courtesy of cleaning out my office first.” Not caring that it isn’t even noon yet, he fills a crystal glass of more than two fingers of scotch and downs the contents.
“You said something to her didn’t you? What was it? You’ve been silent for days. What exactly made you crawl out of your hole?” Then it hits me. The fucking bracelet. “Ahh, I know. Tell me, Gray, are you that threatened by a little trinket or is it because you’re afraid?”
“Afraid of what?” he answers, narrowing his eyes.
“I believe while you were fucking Jade, she got under your cold skin. You care about her, hell you might even love her. Is her cunt that good to make the mighty Grayson Hastings fall? I bet your wife didn’t expect that when she was setting you two up together.”
“Fuck you, Tyson. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he growls, but I know I hit the nail on the head. The asshole is in love with Jade.
“Don’t I? Any other woman, you wouldn’t care what I give them or that I’m pursuing them at all, but Jade, she’s different. Do yourself a favor and let her go. We both know you don’t intend to leave your wife for her, not now when you two got a kid on the way to care for.”
“You act like you care, like you’ll change for her.”
I don’t know why I even bother to respond. It’s easier for me to let him think what he wants. What everyone thinks about me, but with Jade, I wanted him to know the truth. “I admit at first it was only infatuation, but the more I talked to Jade, got to know her, it became so much more. You got pissed because you know I would never spend that kind of dough on a woman unless I really cared for them. I want Jade for more than a fuck. I want to actually be with her.”
He doesn’t get a chance to respond before a knock sounds on the door and my father walks in with a member from HR.
“Grayson, I need you to write a report on the incident so we can get the paperwork going and let Jade go,” Dad says, being his no nonsense self, oblivious to the tension in the room. I know he really liked Jade, but he’s old school and doesn’t tolerate disloyalty.
“What incident?” Grayson says, looking confused. What a brilliant liar he is.
“We’ve had reports of Jade slapping you in the lobby and then leaving,” Dad says, looking at him like he’s lost his mind.
“Oh, that. She didn’t slap me, at least not on purpose. She tripped and my face apparently caught her fall. It was all my fault, actually.”
My father and the HR rep just stares at him, not knowing what to say. Neither are dumb. I’m sure they know Grayson’s account on the incident is complete bullshit. He’s like the battered woman claiming she fell down the stairs.
“Are you sure that’s what happened, Mr. Hastings? We can gather many witnesses claiming differently.”
“I’m pretty sure I know what happened, since it happened to me. Are you trying to call me a liar?” he accuses and the HR rep quickly sputters a reply.
“Of course not, sir. We’re just trying to sort this all out.”
“Well, I’ve told you what happened.” Grayson shrugs, looking as cool as a cucumber. Lawyer 101, hold onto the lie with a death grip and never deviate, that’s how you get caught up.
“And her leaving early, how do you explain that?” Dad asks.
“She hasn’t been feeling well. The baby has been taking quite the toll on her, so after she almost fell, I told her she should go home. You know, it would look really bad on the firm if we fire someone over problems with their pregnancy. That’s a discrimination lawsuit in the making.”
“Okay, I guess we’re done here,” the HR rep huffs, agitated. Who knew termination papers gave the man a hard on? As soon as he leaves out the door, my father turns on Grayson.
“Are you sure you want to play this game? Tell me what really happened because I refuse to keep someone on who thinks it’s okay to disrespect her superiors.”
“I promise you, Garfield, it was nothing like that. I said something to her that I shouldn’t have and she reacted. Sure, it was poor judgement on her part, but it was completely justified. She shouldn’t lose her job because of me, plus she’s an asset to the company. You yourself said you've never seen anyone pick up litigations so quickly. With proper schooling, she could be fast tracked as a junior associate here. A little gem like her name, cultivated by you.” Interesting, I didn’t know that. I knew my father was interested in her work ethic, but I never knew he was grooming her to be an associate.
“Fine, as long as something like this never happens again. I expect to see her first thing tomorrow morning, keeping her nose clean. Is that clear?” Dad replies.
“Of course,” Grayson murmurs. With a curt nod, my dad leaves and I pull out my phone and call Jade, but the call goes straight to voicemail. She’s probably turned her phone off to prevent dick head over here from reaching her.
“Do you know where she would go?” I ask him.
“No. Why do you even care anyways?”
“I’ve already told you, plus you heard my father. You have until tomorrow morning to get Jade back here or her job is as good as gone. She probably thinks she already doesn’t have a job, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’s avoiding you and will continue to do so. What if she runs?” His jaw clenches. He knows I’m right. From the little I know of Jade, I do know the woman is stubborn as hell. The little minx will hold out for days before speaking to him again and her job will probably be given to that asslicker Nancy on the lower floor. She’s been trying to get in my pants for a year now. It will be pure torture to see her everyday I come to work, first thing in the morning, and what about Jade? I don’t think I can deal with never seeing her again.
“Her car has a tracker on it,” he finally replies and I snap my head up.
“What?” I roar, shocked.
“Don’t look at me like that. We bought her the car and said it was hers free and clear, but Jade isn’t the most reliable and we didn’t know shit about her besides our crazy first meeting so we wanted to be able to keep tabs on her, just in case she goes off the rails with our kid in her.”
“You two are a real piece of work, you know that?”