Frowning, he moves closer. “You’re disappointed.”
“No, I’m not,” I lie. “You’re busy, I’m busy, we’re both….”
“Busy,” he adds, interrupting me.
“Precisely,” I reply.
“You know, I find your possessiveness kinda hot. It means you’re starting to see me as more than a friend. Now we're finally going in the right direction.”
“I’m not being possessive,” I huff.
“Sure you’re not. I know you, but I’ll let it slide, just this once. I’ll see you at home,” he replies and saunters off before I can get the last word in. I’m tempted to shout after him, but I refrain for work sake. I’ve been enough of a soap opera for these dull people as it is.
After I finish my work, I check on the remaining partners, which is just Garfield, and make sure he doesn't need anything. When he tells me he’s fine, I pack up to leave. When I get to the underground garage, I’m happy to see my car sitting there, waiting on me. As nice as riding in Tyson's Porsche is, there’s nothing like being behind the wheel of your own ride.
Traffic is light and it doesn’t take long for me to get to the townhouse. I make quick work of changing into my gym clothes and then pack my things in a couple of suitcases. I’m used to not having much so I don’t pack many things, just what I’ll need for work, gym clothes, and outfits I’ll feel comfortable lounging around in. It won’t be long before I won’t be able to wear any of my clothes and will have to go shopping anyways. I’m pulling my luggage down the hall when I hear Nichole behind me.
“So it’s true; you are going to go live with him,” she sighs like she’s so disappointed. What the actual fuck? How dare she judge me. “You know, Jade, I really thought you were smarter than that.”
For whatever reason, her words make me angry. Isn’t she the one that’s been pushing me on her husband? The same people who put a tracker on my car, and have been trying to control my life since I agreed to work for her? “Who are you to say you know anything about me?” I question, biting back what I really want to tell her. “You don’t even know me, Nichole.”
“I know you well enough, and I know you’re making a mistake.”
“Do you now? I think the only mistake I have been making was letting you and your husband dictate my life, but that’s done now. Consider this a renegotiation. I’m going to do whatever the hell I want, and when this child is born, I’ll make sure to call you.” Without hearing what else she has to say, I walk past her and out the door.
But I still hear her reply, “This isn’t the end,” before I’m fully gone. I’m sure it won’t be, but I’m too angry to argue with her anymore about it. It’s best we go to our respected corners and cool down before continuing this battle.
Maybe going to the gym after a fight with your employer was a bad thing. I did not think. I just left knowing I needed to find an outlet before I did something crazy. When I walk into the gym and over to the front desk, I ask for my new trainer. After ten minutes of waiting, I’m about to ask what the hold up is when Rob walks over to me.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Ben?” I ask, looking around his bulky body. Maybe he’s hiding behind him or something.
“Ben? You mean the trainer you tried to ditch me for,” Rob sneers.
“I didn’t ditch you for anyone. You were acting like a total ass and I already have enough of those in my life so I decided to do us both a favor by getting a new trainer. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“I’m not telling you thank you. Ben is not your trainer, I am, and the sooner you get that through your pretty little head, the better.”
“The hell you are,” I shout.
“You think I’m lying? Ask the front desk,” he challenges and I storm off to do just that.
When I walk back over, he has a cocky smile on his face, knowing exactly what I was told. That Rob is indeed my trainer and there is no other one available in the future, but they’ll keep me on the waiting list if I’m still unhappy. “You had no right,” I tell him. I know the waitlist is nothing but bullshit. I won’t get another trainer unless I go find another gym and I’m not a Planet Fitness kind of girl.
“Do I? This is my gym after all.”
“What are you talking about?” I frown.
“Oh, did I fail to mention I own this place? I guess your boyfriend isn’t the only one with deep pockets. Come on, you have a lot of catching up to do from missing yesterday,” he informs me and walks off. He doesn’t give me the chance to ask any of the million questions in my head before starting the treadmill for my warm-up, and to make sure I can’t talk, he turns up the speed, knowing damn well I’ll have to concentrate on my breathing instead of talking.
18
Jade
A month has past and I haven’t heard a peep out of Nichole since our disagreement at the townhouse. I still see McHottie in the office, but he doesn’t talk to me, nor look my way, even if we’re in the same room, and there has been plenty of opportunities for us to talk. After winning his case, he was assigned another one just as excruciating, spending many long nights in the office. He never asks me to stay; instead, choosing to have Nancy, of all people, run errands for him. If he thought referring to her would hurt me, he’s wrong. All he’s doing is showing just how much of a jackass he really is. Nancy has been over the moon about the promotion, bragging to anyone who’ll listen how she’ll soon be fast tracked off the bottom floor as an intern to Grayson’s personal secretary. If he does do it, more power to him because the bitch is annoying as fuck.
Tyson, on the other hand, has been wonderful. He’s really going for that golden boyfriend award. Granted, he works a lot, and spends a lot of long nights in the office, but at least he’s not screwing the secretary or meeting up with women and having flings like everyone predicted he would. When he is around, he makes sure to show me that I am the only one who matters, like I’m the center of his universe. It’s new territory for both of us since I never had a devoted boyfriend before with a steady job and who doesn’t do or sell drugs, and he’s just now learning the meaning of an exclusive relationship. He’s always finding ways to prove to me that he finds me beautiful and cheering me up when I’m down. I still haven’t fucked him yet, and I know it has been hard on him to deny his urges and not touch me the way he wants.
I still don’t know why I’m torturing us both. At night, I toss and turn dreaming about all the things I want him to do to me. Sometimes McHottie makes an appearance in my dreams, sometimes Rob. Then there’s the one where all three of them are fucking me at once, making me wish I can be a why choose kind of girl, and the guys in my life would be fine just fine with it like some heroine in a reverse harem book. Each morning, I wake up wrapped in Tyson’s arms, my body subconsciously seeking him out at night, realizing him holding me is the only way I find any sleep. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my distance. Now I’m at the point that I really don’t want to. Both Nichole and McHottie have shown their cards and they’re ugly. Tyson was right all along. Grayson is a married man, unavailable, and completely off limits, but where does that leave Rob?