"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere but here. I'm going to Garrett's."
"Okay. Text me to let me know you made it safely. I love you."
I nodded and walked through the revolving door. City noise, idling engines, and honking horns blared in my ears, shaking me from my daze.
The mid-morning sky was now gray; the temperature had dropped ten degrees in the two hours since I'd arrived. I shivered a little when the late summer, lakefront breeze whooshed through me. Hooking my purse on my shoulder, I pulled the ends of my navy cashmere cardigan closer and raised my hand to flag a cab.
"Ontario and Dearborn, please,” I spoke to the driver and rested against the seats. He floored the gas, launching us into traffic, taking me faster and faster away from my past and directly to my future.
Jasmine
I tumbled out of the car where Garrett stood waiting and fell into his arms.
"Lilah texted that you were on the way. Are you sick?" Concern painted his face as he looked me up and down. "Are you okay?"
"I'm not okay. They fired me."
His chest fell, and he wrapped me in an embrace as we walked inside the building lobby. I inhaled his male scent as we walked to the elevator and were whisked to the top floor of his building. He didn't let me go until we were in the quiet and solitude of his condo.
"Parker called me into one of the conference rooms. I thought we would sync up on yesterday's meeting and discuss the next steps. Well, color me surprised when he started a teleconference with the director of Human Resources. He explained the company evaluated staffing levels and found there was too much fat in middle management. Because of recent reports of client dissatisfaction, they fired me."
"What was their reason for laying you off?"
"Not laid off. Fired. Either way, they escorted me from the premises and pushed me out the door." I tossed the manila envelope on the table. "This is my parachute. Let's find out if it is golden or leaden."
The phone rang and vibrated on the coffee table. I knew it was Lilah, and I wasn't in the mood to talk. I pressed the Sleep/Wake button on the side of my phone and ignored the call.
"Dammit. Looks like I am back in the job market. I better call a headhunter."
"Why don’t you take some time for yourself? A break could replenish your energy before you start the next job."
"I can't afford to take off. What if my skills get stale?"
"Two to three months? Not gonna happen. New budgets go into effect at the start of the new year. Why not wait until after the holidays to search for a job? Why not take a bit of time for yourself?" He pulled me into his chest. "Let's go on a real vacation. I'll book us a few days at a tropical resort where we'll spend our days lounging in a cabana and dancing at night. You'll wear an enormous hat and a yellow bikini. A thong. Definitely a thong. We'll shop for souvenirs, kiss inside a cenote and make love on a secluded beach. The ocean waves will crash around us as I smash into you. We'll return tanned and rested. What do you say?" He squeezed his arms tightly around me, and I squealed and threw my head back with a laugh.
"That sounds wonderful. I want to see you in a pair of tiny swim trunks."
"I'll do whatever you want. Just go with me."
"Okay."
"You mean it? You'll go?" He smiled so brightly and looked at me through hope-filled eyes.
"We'll fly to Atlanta. We'll have Sunday dinner with my family. You'll meet everyone, and they'll pull you into the fold. Best part is that you'll eat some of the best food prepared by loving hands: cornbread, green beans, fried pork chops with brown gravy, and caramel cake. We'll go back to my townhouse and make mad passionate love. You'll be too fat and full to move, but I'll do all the work."
He leaned in closer. I parted my lips and let his tongue in. With our lips meshed together, I forgot all of my troubles. The only things that mattered were Garrett and me. Together.
We kissed for an eternity, until I was out of breath and dazed. Slowly, real life returned to focus. The unopened envelope on the table beckoned. I needed to open it and find out what my future was worth to ER Wallace.
I nodded to it. "You do it. I trust you. I need a drink. Do you have any red?" He hadn't answered before I walked to the kitchen and looked in the wine fridge.
He tore open the envelope and read over the stack of paper.
"Jazzy, get a bottle of champagne. ER Wallace offered a year and a half salary and healthcare. You'll receive a separate cash payment for your estimated annual bonus and unused vacation. They’re giving you six months of outplacement assistance and executive career coaching."
My heart thumped in my chest. That was almost four hundred thousand in cash. Why would they offer such a package to an associate? Someone had taken the time to make me an offer worth my while. They didn't want me to sue.
I wondered if they felt that I had the justification to sue.
"What do you think? Should I take it? They advised me to consult an attorney to review it. I'll sue. There was bias in this decision. Do you think I should?"
"I'm no attorney, but it wouldn't hurt to speak with one."
"I'll talk with Alexandra. She'll help me out." I nodded and took a seat next to him. "I need you. Make me feel better."
I'd gone through three days of uncertainty, not knowing the twists and turns of office politics would leave me wounded and exposed. Reliance on others made me vulnerable to their whims. But there in his arms, I felt safe.
Slaying mythical beasts was something that I took on alone. I wasn't a woman that relied on a man to fight my battles or expected a handsome prince to shield me from harm. I fucking rode the dragons. Hell, I was a dragon. Each day I set out in the world determined to conquer it, unafraid to do what was right. I did that, and I did it without feeling or being obligated to anyone.
But damn, having muscular arms supporting me felt good and filled me with optimism. Being fired was a temporary blip in my lifeline. This moment would fade until it disappeared. The only thing I would remember is how I bounced back from this.
My grandmother's wisdom echoed in my head.
This too shall pass.
I pushed him against the sofa cushions. He fell back with a soft thud. Straddling his lap, I sank down against the hard lines and muscle while cradling his head and gazing into his eyes. My hair curtained around us, blocking us from the outside world.
His eyes stared straight into my soul. Adoration spilled from his honey brown irises. We sat like that for an eternity, until our breaths fell into the same rhythm, and our hearts beat as one.
"Fuck. You're so pretty." Eyes softening, he reached out, grabbing a stray tendril that fell onto his cheek. He stroked the strands between his fingers. "You're magnificent. Any company would be happy to have you. I'm glad that you're here with me."
I unbuttoned my cardigan and shrugged out of it. He rubbed his growing erection against my clothed pussy, making me dizzy.
"Take this shit off." His fingers fumbled for the button to my navy trousers, and I pulled off my open-toed platform shoes. My fingers reached for his t-shirt and pulled at the hem, yanking it over his head. Using my fingernails, I ran them along his exposed chest and stomach down to his waistband. I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and stood to step out of my trousers and panties.