Chapter 14
For the next week, Namine and Steve had spent every waking moment with each other, mostly having sex. She didn't mind it, but had come to the conclusion that he'd never want a real relationship with her. Not with all the sex he wanted to have. Before she knew it, two weeks passed and it was time for the men to leave. Namine said goodbye to Steve, wishing him well, and walked away from him. It'd been a day since the men departed and Namine was miserable as she walked out into the kitchen.
Sine was up as well, apparently feeling the same way she was, and declined the offer of some coffee. "I'm going in early." Namine informed solemnly and raked a hand through her hair, sorrow evident in her eyes. Even though it hurt, Namine wasn't surprised when he didn't ask her if they could become more than just what happened over the past two weeks. Sure, the sex was mind blowing and incredible, but Namine felt used. She'd become something she despised, one of the women her boss screwed on a daily basis.
The thought made her physically sick to her stomach, but she swallowed it down. Walking over, Namine patted her best friend's shoulder affectionately, letting her know silently that everything was going to be fine. She then headed into the bathroom to shower. Namine was leaving that following day to go back to her condo in the city and she couldn't wait, missing her bed immensely. Gas mileage was killing her driving all the way out here every day from her job, but it was worth it, especially since she loved spending time with Sine.
Sine shook her head, knowing Namine was having some troubling feelings where it concerned Steve. They seemed to like each other. What Sine couldn't understand was why didn't one of them make a damned move? She stood up, finishing her cappuccino and putting the mug in the sink, walking back to her bedroom. She was running her own errands today, restocking her pantry for one.
The guys had eaten her almost out of house and home! She also had to send off some photos to private clients. Sine wasn't looking forward to being by herself after two weeks of having people over, but she'd deal with it. She'd have Brandon during the day. After finishing her cappuccino, Sine headed down to the white room to put last minute touches on the photos she was sending out that day.
The entire time in the shower, Namine pressed her forehead to the wall and allowed the tears to flow. How could she allow Steve to take her so many times? That wasn't who she was. That wasn't the type of person she was to spread her legs for a man just because of how gorgeous he was! John was the same way as Steve, but yet, she couldn't resist the Texas Rattlesnake. Maybe it was from her admiration of him. Maybe she wanted her fantasies to come true. She didn't know.
Sighing, Namine finally stepped out of the shower, dressing in a pair of black dress pants with a black long sleeved shirt. She brushed her teeth and hair, walked out of the bathroom, and headed for the white room, knowing that's where Sine was. She told her she'd be back later on after work and slipped out of the house, heading toward her job. She'd been back at the studio for a week now and John had been nothing, but professional toward her. Hopefully, things stayed that way as she pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road toward the city.
John was going over the monthly financial reports, a pair of wire rimmed glasses on his face. He'd found out what the headaches were from and needed glasses only for reading. He didn't' like them, but he hated the headaches worse. John grinned when he seen profits were up, one of the talents Namine had signed only a month ago having released his first album a week before the report was compiled. The records were selling like hotcakes, which in turn was making him a lot of money.
Pulling into the parking lot of her job a half an hour later, Namine sighed as she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel, trying to stop feeling sick. She knew it was because of what she'd allowed to transpire between her and Steve for the past two weeks. It was also from what John had tried pulling on her, even though they'd come to a new understanding. Sighing, Namine resignedly stepped out of her car, briefcase in hand, and walked inside the building. She didn't say a word to anyone, not caring if they thought she was a bitch or not, and went straight to her office. She closed the door behind her and walked over, sitting down in her chair, and pulled out the newest deal she'd signed. Her name was Kourtney and she was an R&B/rap artist. Kind of like Ashanti, but a little more hardcore and soulful.
A knock sounded on Namine's door followed by one of the maintenance men coming in, pushing a big black leather chair inside. "Mr. Cena said you might want this, Miss." He said, looking like he'd die if he had to take it out.
It was the same leather chair she'd loved in John's office the previous two weeks and quirked an eyebrow. Seeing how tired the man was, Namine nodded, waving him in, and stood up from the chair she was currently occupying. She pushed the old chair away, taking the new one, and smiled when the guy started taking away her old one. "Leave it. I can use it." She stated, lying partially, but she couldn't' help, but feel sorry for the man and watched him walk out of her office, the door closing behind him. As soon as Namine sat in the chair, she was in heaven as she leaned back against it, propping her feet up on her desk, and started reading over the contract for Kourtney.
John looked up when Jen walked in, holding out his appointment book. He grunted, gesturing to his desk before waving her out, not in the mood to deal with her today. He rubbed his forehead and groaned, standing up, stretching. John looked around at his newly decorated office and grinned, liking the dark blue leather then the black. The black had been getting depressing to him. He glanced down at the appointment book, not surprised to find Namine on the agenda today. Apparently, his best agent had signed yet another star.
Running a hand through her hair, Namine finished looking over the contract and nodded, pleased with it. She was surprised by how little sum the artist asked for. That wasn't' her business to change it or worry about it as she stood up, groaning since she loved her new chair, and grabbed a pen from her desk. She walked out of her office, her eyes locked on the contract, and arrived at Jen's desk, who had a scowl on her face. "Tell Mr. Cena I've arrived for our meeting." She ordered sweetly, her midnight blue eyes never leaving the contract.
"Oh right away…" Jen sarcastically replied and rolled her eyes before pressing a button on her desk intercom. "Mr. Cena, Nami is here." She said slowly, smirking slightly at the look that flashed across Namine's face at the name she'd called her by.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, John pressed the button back and stated, "Send her in and by the way Jen, you're fired." He leaned back in his chair as he ended the message and clasped his hands behind his head.
Namine's eyes widened in shock as her jaw dropped, quickly closing it when she seen the fury erupt in Jen's eyes, and held back a snicker. She immediately walked over to John's office door and knocked on it, still blinking rapidly by what she just heard, and wondered what was wrong with him today. Taking a deep breath, Namine knocked before entering, trying so hard to wipe the smirk from her face. It wasn't happening. "I'm here for our meeting regarding the Kourtney client, Mr. Cena." She greeted, not able to mask the amusement in her voice either.
John looked up at her, an amused grin of his own spreading across his face when he seen her smirk and heard her tone. "I need a new secretary." He said casually, shaking his head. "Anyway," He paused, gesturing to a chair before his brand new desk. "Have a seat and tell me about Kourtney. How'd the signing go?"
"It went fabulous." Namine replied immediately, her eyes lit up with excitement, and couldn't sit down as she looked around his office. "Wow, nice set up." She complimented with a smile before finally setting the contract down in front of him. "Kourtney is beautiful, intelligent, but she lacks confidence. That's why I know you'll be very pleased with the sum she requested to start out making with us." Namine couldn't stop smiling, the news of Jen getting fired being the highlight of her day thus far, and finally took a seat. "Her manage, Brillian, has also requested that she have a photo shoot done to up her status and get the public to recognize her faster."
Nodding, John listened to her while reading over the contract. "Wow, that is quite a low sum." He commented, looking really surprised, but he didn't mind it. "Well then, get her in the studio as soon as possible and we'll see if we can't get her confidence up. Now as for the photo session, what exactly is…Brillian is it?" He asked, smiling when Namine nodded. "What're they looking for?" He started flipping through a small book on his desk, his eyes scanning the various photographers he used for his artists.
"Something sexy and sultry. Something to catch the eye of the audience." She answered, sitting down finally and crossing her legs, leaning back against the chair. "Believe it or not, those were his exact words. He wants to make her a huge sex symbol…" Namine trailed off, rolling her eyes before continuing. "Personally, I think she could dress in rags and do the hoola and STILL land this deal with a bang, but that's just me. That's not my area of expertise." She wasn't afraid to tell him what was on her mind or anything for that matter, raking a hand through her hair, and stared back at him.
John looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin as he listened to what she had to say. "Please don't take this the wrong way, Namine, I'm not trying to bring up ancient history, but what if we get your friend Sine and her assistant to do the shoot? What would you think about that?" He asked cautiously, not trying to offend her, but figuring if Brillian wanted to use some visual images to help Kourtney's career, Sine would be the perfect person to use.
Biting her bottom lip, Namine swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat and wondered what he was getting at. Yes, Sine could give Brillian exactly what he wanted and she'd done photo shoots for the company before, but now that John knew about her. Shaking herself mentally, Namine looked back up at him and took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't see what it can hurt." She finally said. "Do you need Sine's number or do you already have it?" Namine asked, the professionalism back in her voice once again.
Pointing at the business card stapled to the page Sine had given him, John nodded and replied, "I have it, but why don't you ask her? I got the impression that last time she did a shoot for me, she didn't like me at all. I'm willing to pay twice what she generally asks for." John stood up, raking a hand through his hair and sighed. "She's good at what she does, Namine. I'm not trying to start anything with you if that's what you're wondering."
"No, I don't think that at all, Mr. Cena." She replied softly and looked down at the floor, clasping her hands together as she sighed. "I'm actually," She paused, wondering if she should even be telling him this, but figured it couldn't hurt. "Thinking about quitting the photo shoot since you gave me that generous raise." She looked up at him and cleared her throat. Damn, but he was so gorgeous and his eyes took her breath away. Namine sat there as she sighed heavily, trying to get those thoughts out of her mind about her boss. "I don't want it ruining the career I'm building here and the more I think about it, it is degrading and stands against everything I'm about and that I stand for."
John's eyes widened as he studied her, raising a brow, and softly asked, "Are you sure about that, Namine? I thought you loved what you did…"
"John," She began, calling him by his first name since they were on a more personal level right now, and stared solely at the floor. "After the past couple of weeks I've had, I've had a chance to reevaluate my life and those pictures aren't what I want to be doing. I do enjoy doing them because my best friend does, but my talent is in this company. You were right. What if one of our clients came across that website and saw me in that…form? They would instantly cancel our deal without even blinking an eye." Namine sighed again as she leaned back against the chair and looked up at him clearly. "I want to be something more in this company than just another pretty face and to do that, I'll have to put more than one hundred percent into this and I'm willing to do it."
John stared at her, sitting on the edge of his desk, folding his arms across his chest as he listened to what she said. "You already are something more in this company besides a pretty face, Namine." He informed her with a slight smile, glad that she'd finally called him by his first name. "Here." He held out the financial report he'd been looking over earlier. The part where the artist she'd signed bringing in some serious revenue after only a month was highlighted.
Namine took the sheet of paper from his hand, their fingers brushing momentarily together, and felt a shiver course through her. She hid it well. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she scanned it, her jaw dropping at how much revenue she'd made for this company in just the span of a month. "Wow…" She finally breathed out, blinking rapidly, and actually grinned proudly before handing it back to him. "I didn't realize how much I'd actually done in the past month." She was floored at the moment as she leaned back against the chair and knew NOBODY had EVER made that much money for this company before. She'd broken a record in a way and felt jubilated because of it.
Smiling, John slipped the paper back into the folder before clearing his throat, raking a hand through his hair nervously. "There's going to be a party tonight in honor of that accomplishment of yours. I don't know if you got the memo or not because it was short notice." He figured she hadn't since Jen had been a bitch that morning before being fired. John cleared his throat again before continuing, "I would like it very much if you'd allow me to accompany you…if you go that is."
"There's…a party being thrown for me?" She questioned, her eyebrows remaining furrowed, and hadn't remembered getting that memo. Then again, Jen wasn't the best secretary in the world and Namine couldn't help, but grin at the thought of that bitch being fired. She deserved it. All she did was strut her shit and completely ignored her duties and responsibilities. "I don't know…" she finally whispered out and looked down, her shy side coming out, and wondered if she should take him up on his office to accompany her. It would make her look more important if she was escorted by her boss, but after everything that'd happened between them. Namine was officially more confused than ever at the moment.
John sensed how nervous she was and offered a reassuring smile. "I'll be a perfect gentleman, Namine." He promised, his tone gentle, assuring her of it. "If you like, you can consider it a business thing because there will be media present. It'll get our name out there even more than what it already is. I'd really like for you to attend."
"But wouldn't that make the media think we were…together?" She hesitated on that last word and bit her bottom lip again, not believing this sudden turn of events. She didn't have anything to wear knew this was going to be a formal event if she did attend. John had a point though. It would get their name out there on the market even more, but she was worried about what the media would publish about them. "How dressy do I need to be?" She finally asked, caving in under pressure, needing something to get her mind off of Steve and knew this would do it.
John chuckled softly, "Formal wear. A cocktail dress or something. If you want, I could take you shopping for something. Help you pick out something suitable." He offered, wondering if she'd ever done this before. "Or I could send one of my assistants out to get you something if you'd prefer. As for how the media will portray us, I'll make sure it's understood our relationship is strictly platonic. Does that make you feel any better?"
Grinning from ear to ear, Namine nodded, feeling much better after hearing he would do that with the media. "Yes, much better. I can handle finding my own dress, but thank you anyway, Mr.-" She trailed off and bit her bottom lip again, her eyes hesitating on whether or not to call him by his name formally or informally. 'Damn!' She thought and raked a hand through her hair. "Do you mind if I leave now so I can start looking for something to wear?" She finally asked, completely skipping over calling him anything at all.
"No, I don't…and call me John please. I told you before, hearing Mr. Cena drives me nuts. It's so stuffy sounding." He requested gently, knowing she was hesitating on what to call him, and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'm on my way out myself, have to go get fitted for my tux. I'll be wearing black with a dark blue undershirt by the way." He added, raising his eyebrows. "This way we don't clash." He grinned at her playfully, his blue eyes twinkling. "So if you show up in pink, we're going to look ridiculous in the papers. I'll send a limo for you around seven, is that alright?"
Laughing, Namine shook her head with a smile on her face, not believing how easy going her boss was once she got past the whole womanizer reputation he obtained. "I will make sure to wear midnight blue then. If I wear black, that won't look right. The dress should always match the color of the man's dress shirt." She informed, grinning when he raised another curious eyebrow at her and sighed exasperatedly. "John, this isn't my first formal party. I DID go to prom and other events in college." She winked at him playfully before standing up. "Do you know where to send the limo at?" She asked suddenly, wondering if he had her address so the limo wouldn't get lost.
"Your address is in the employee records. I'm not that incompetent of a boss." He retorted, his blue eyes twinkling amusedly, and took a step toward her without thinking about it. "I'm glad you're going to come, Namine. It means a lot to me." John softly said and cleared his throat, suddenly looking awkward, almost shy. "So I'll see you tonight then?"
"Yes" Namine replied softly and nodded her head once, her green eyes sparkling back at him, and smiled. "Umm did you want to sign the contract now or should we wait and do it later? We're running late enough as it is, but I'll wait if you want to take care of t now." She stated, always putting her work first, and wrapped her arms around herself since she was standing, a sudden chill flowing through the air.
"Leave it and I'll look at it on my way to the tailors. I'll give it to you tonight after the party if that's alright." He suggested and glanced at the clock as well, sighing heavily. "I guess you'd better go then. Time's a wastin'." He chuckled softly, knowing he had to get going as well for his fitting.
Nodding, Namine smiled back at him. "Sounds good, see you then, John." She then walked out of his office, smirking when she seen a very pissed off Jen packing up her things. She shook her head and went shopping for her dress as she packed up her things, quickly heading out. She left a voicemail on Sine's cell, telling her she had a formal affair to attend for her company that night and explained about Jen being fired. Sine always hated the whore just like Namine did so that would give them a good laugh later on.
John smirked as he leaned against the doorway of his office, watching Jen preparing to leave. "Your severance pay will be in the mail." He informed coldly, slipping on his jacket since he was on his way out. "Oh…and don't expect a good review if someone calls me asking about your work ethics. I'm afraid I might not make a very good reference." He snorted before walking out. Once in his limo, he started looking over the contract, grateful for once he decided not to drive or else he might've not had the time to read it.