Lalisa
I glanced down at my hand, before looking back up at Jennie. I studied the way she bit her bottom lip, and narrowed her eyes in concentration. Her gaze met mine, and she smiled, as she pushed her chips in.
"I'll raise you," she took a quick glance at her winnings. "I'll raise you a pair of socks, and..." I watched as she lifted her shirt over her head, revealing a black lace bra. I started to wonder, why I hadn't ripped that one yet. She dangled her shirt from her finger. "This here old shirt." She threw it in the middle.
I smirked. I taught her well. There was nothing old about that five-hundred-dollar shirt. I palmed my dick, which was now achingly hard against my pants. One thing I noticed whenever Jennie and I played poker, she played dirty as a distraction. She knew she wasn't a match for my skills, but I applauded her encouragement.
Dirty indeed.
But, I also knew what cards she had.
She reached for her glass of red, and took a lingering sip. She licked the remnants of the wine off her lips. I leaned forward, arms bracing the table. "Show me what you got."
Her eyes widened briefly, and she shook her head. "That's not how this works. Now are you going to call or raise?" In her attempt to look defiant, she pushed her tits out. I could see her nipples had hardened into little pebbles, and they were just begging to be sucked.
Fuck this game. I reached for her, but she was jerked back. I reached for her again, and she was jerked even further. Each time I tried, the distance between us grew. I started screaming her name, and the smile she had slowly faded.
I ran. I ran as fast as I could to get to her, but no matter what, it was never close enough...
A loud noise had me jump. I slowly opened my eyes, feeling like I had slept for a year. I looked around the room. This wasn't my room. I sat up as the beginnings of a sharp headache pierced through my head. I took a few deep breaths, and that's when I noticed I had no shirt on. I looked around the room, and noticed Claudia was also in the bed with me. Her blonde hair was spread around her, as she slept….in my shirt. The fuck? I got out of bed. I was also sans pants, and briefs. I finally saw my pants in the corner, and quickly put them on.
Claudia stirred, but didn't wake up. Why the fuck was I in her bed naked? I stumbled out of her room and got into the elevator and pressed for my floor. I leaned my head against the cool steel of the wall. The elevator finally dinged, and I walked to my room. I stumbled in, trying to figure out what the fuck happened last night.
I pulled out my phone, that was still in my pocket. I had a few missed calls from Jennie, as well as a few texts. I opened one of the messages and my heart sank at what I read.
Jennie M: Emersyn's fever spiked again. I'm taking her to the hospital.
There was a message that followed an hour later.
Jennie M: They want to keep her overnight to monitor her. I know you're busy but I wish you were here.
I called her immediately. It went straight to voice mail. Fuck! I called the pilot telling him we needed to take off within the next ten minutes. I packed up everything, then I called Chan.
"Chan! Get the fuck up we have to leave now!" I didn't even wait for him to respond. I hung up as I finished packing, all the while trying Jennie's number again. A knock on my suite had me halting. I muttered a curse as I went to the door. It was the last person I wanted to see. She was also still wearing my shirt. I pulled her into my suite.
"What the fuck happened last night?"
She pulled her hair to the side of her shoulder and crossed one long leg in front of the other, as if she was trying to get comfortable. She cocked her head. "You don't remember?"
"If I remembered, then I wouldn't be fucking asking," I said through gritted teeth. "What the fuck happened last night?"
She took a step back and frowned. "You're scaring me when you're like this." Her hand started to go up my arm, and I flinched back.
Another knock on the door, and I walked to it, opening it up. Chan.
He walked past me into the room. "Fuck Lis, you couldn't let me sleep in?" He stopped when he saw Claudia standing there, in just a shirt. My fucking shirt. She looked between both of us, as she played with the hemline of the shirt.
I started to speak, and he held his hand up. We all stood there, as I watched Chan contemplate whatever his next move was, or whatever the fuck he was about to say. Either way, nothing good will come from it.
Finally, he spoke. "Lisa. Is that your shirt she's wearing?" I cringed. I could lie. I could totally fucking lie. "Because, I don't know too many people that wear eight hundred dollar Brunello Cucinelli Italian shirts." He turned to face me. "Do you?" Before, I could answer he spoke again. "And, I'm sure it's not a coincidence that someone else in this hotel is wearing that same brand." He wagged his finger toward me. "It's not uncommon, but rare."
"Lisa slept in my room last night, and…"
"Claudia, shut the fuck up! Get out. Now."
She looked shocked as she tiptoed out the room. I waited until the door closed before facing Chan again. Before, anything could come out of my mouth, Chan had me by the collar and slammed me into the wall. "What the fuck was that, Lisa?!" I've seen Chan mad. Seething even. But here and now, Chan would actually kill me and not think twice about it.
"It's not what you think."
"Try again, asshole. Did you fuck her?!"
I was quiet, and his eyes widened as he stepped back as if I was on fire. He turned around seemingly disgusted with me. As he should be. "I don't know what happened last night, Chan. I swear to you. I just remember feeling weird, and Claudia brought me to her room and…" I ran my hands through my hair. "I wouldn't cheat on my wife, Chan. You of all people should know that."
We stood staring at each other when a phone started ringing. It took about five rings, before I realized it was mine and I raced over to it. "Hello? Jennie?" The call had already ended. "Fuck!"
I turned back to Chan. "I will explain what I know on the plane. I promise. But, my daughter is in the hospital, and I need to be there."
Chan reluctantly nodded as we finished gathering all my stuff.
An hour later we were in the air. Chan sat directly across from me, giving me the most hateful look ever with his hands clenched into fists. He and Jennie are close. At first, I didn't get it and was jealous, some might say. I didn't know what his intentions originally were with Jennie, or why they had such a deep bond, a bond that I'll never have with her. But, now I get it. He loves and cares for her just as much as I do and would do anything to protect her.
"Are you going to talk, or do I have to beat it out of you?"
I took a moment. "All I remember is that I felt extremely tired after a few drinks. Claudia was trying to help me to my room, but she said she had to get something from hers first." I paused, and tightly shut my eyes, trying to figure out the rest. I slowly shook my head. "All I remember is waking up the next morning, I was completely naked, and Claudia had on my shirt.
"So, you fucked her?"
"I didn't…" I calmed my voice. "I didn't fuck her."
"That you know of?"
I leaned my head back and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I think something was in my drink."
Chan didn't say anything as he stared at me. "You swore to me you wouldn't hurt her, Lisa. Don't make yourself a liar."
He got up and moved to the next row. I shut my eyes, willing myself to remember.
It's been two weeks since Paris. I made sure to avoid Claudia at all costs, which actually wasn't easy to do. Everything was seemingly going okay, when I received a call from one of my publicists Andrea Malloy.
"There's a story about you that's brewing."
"What kind of story?" Things like this was nothing new. There was always something being said in tabloids, and gossip tabloids.
She started to speak but hesitated. "It's a silly rumor, about infidelity."
I paused, because that sure as fuck had my attention. Normally stories like that, I didn't care about, because I knew shade was always going to be thrown around. "They're saying you had an affair with your coworker, and that the affair eventually turned violent."
My finger was tapping on my desk, as I tried to take in what she was saying. "What coworker?"
She sighed. "A Claudia Schaffer. Are you familiar with that name?"
"Yes," I gritted out. "Yes, I am."
"The sources claim to have proof that's set to be leaked within a matter of hours. A video of some sort."
"That's great, Andrea, what the fuck are you doing to stop it?"
"We're trying, even offering a settlement not to go to the press. So far they're not biting."
"Well, whatever you're offering them, double it. Fuck, triple it. I don't give a fuck, just do it now!"
I hung up the phone. I needed to get home. My first thought was to get Jennie out of town and secluded somewhere until this whole thing boils over. I first made a call to Glenda inquiring about the whereabouts of Claudia. She apparently has been on leave all week. I thought about going to her house, but that would only look worse.
I finally got home, and Jennie had just walked into the living room with some cleaning supplies. She looked up at me and smiled. "Hey. What are you doing home early? Magda just brought Emersyn back home from the park, she's worn out. Apparently, she likes throwing bread for the ducks to feed."
I stepped toward her. "Let's go away. Me, you, and Flick."
She looked at me strangely. "Okay…when?"
"Now."
Her mouth dropped to the floor. "Now? As in right now?"
I nodded, dragging her to our room. "Yeah, now let's pack." I stopped when we got to our room. "In fact, don't even worry about packing, I'll have new things where we're going."
She laughed, pulling her arm away from mine. "Haha, very funny, Lisa. We can't just go away." She went back into the living room and grabbed the cleaning supplies again. I had just noticed the TV was on, the volume was low but still audible. "Fine, I'll humor you. If we were to go somewhere, not that I'm saying we are, but where do you want to go?" she said, while spraying the glass table.
"Your pick. I don't care."
She smiled as she rolled her eyes and glanced toward the TV. She picked up the remote, turning the volume up. "You're in the news again. No shocker there," she laughed as she looked back to the TV. Her smile slowly faded. Fuck. Me.
"Jennie," I spoke calmly. "I need you to look at me and not at the screen."
Her gaze met mine briefly, before they darted to the flat screen behind me, where I had no doubt the video footage was playing. Her eyes grew wide, and her hand covered her mouth. She was transfixed at the scene that played out before her. I slowly turned my head to the screen, not wanting to see what I already knew was there.
"The CEO of Manoban Towers, Lalisa Manoban, has put herself in the middle of a domestic abuse scandal with one of her employees. Sources have allegedly confirmed that Ms. Manoban and Ms. Schaffer had a previous relationship that lasted a year off and on. Sources have also confirmed that Ms. Manoban has a rather unusual taste in regards to her sexual relationships; she enjoys tormenting and being aggressive with her partners. Our sources state that their relationship started off innocent, but then Ms. Manoban made numerous advances toward Ms. Schaffer. As their relationship progressed, Ms. Manoban then became aggressive and combative. Sources have confirmed that Ms. Manoban lives a rather extreme sexual lifestyle."
It then cut to a video of Claudia in a white button-down coat with oversized glasses, hiding her face as the paparazzi crowded her. She acted like she didn't want to be bothered, but it was the smirk on her face that said she was enjoying it. A few minutes later, it showed Claudia standing next to her lawyer. "My client wishes this to be a peaceful situation, and we will do everything we can to make sure justice is served. The simple fact is Lalisa Manoban abuses women, and I'm almost certain that others will come forward. I can only imagine, the onslaught of torture that her wife goes through."
My hands balled into fists at the referral to Jennie. After a few minutes of Claudia's lawyer giving a statement, it finally went to commercial. I turned back to Jennie, who was still staring at the screen. I slowly crossed in front of her to block her view.
"Jennie," I whispered. She finally looked at me, as if she was seeing me for the first time in her life. She wasn't looking at me with love or adoration like she normally does. I couldn't read her, and that's what scared me the most. Jennie has always been good at schooling herself, but usually left a crack open for me to find my way in. This time, there was no crack. Everything was sealed shut. I stepped forward again, and she took a step back. "Jennie?"
Suddenly, she made a pained sound as she clutched her stomach, turned, and ran out the room. I was on her tail, reaching her as she got to the bathroom and lifted the lid of the toilet in time to empty everything she had for breakfast. After a few minutes, she slowly got up, went to the sink, and splashed water on her face. She reached for the mouthwash and after she spit, she finally met my gaze in the mirror.
I was on guard, because anything could happen. She wiped her mouth, turned, and stood in the middle of our bedroom. She wasn't saying anything, just standing there. I was about to reach for her when she stepped forward and went into the closet. I knew what she was about to do, and I had to put a stop to it.
She emerged with a bag and a few of her things in hand, carelessly stuffing what she could in the bag. When she turned to grab more things from the closet, I grabbed her arm to stop her and grabbed her bag, throwing it off the bed. She glared at me with such hate.
"Talk to me," I urged her on. She pulled her arm from my grasp before finally staring at the ground, taking several deep breaths.
"I keep telling myself that any minute now you're going to tell me that it's not true. That everything I just saw out there wasn't true and that it was some fucked up joke." She continued to look at the ground as she spoke, and finally she looked up at me. "But you haven't," she whispered. "Why haven't you said it? Why haven't you denied it." She wiped away a tear. "Say it, Lisa. Say that everything that was on that news channel wasn't true. Tell me you didn't…" her voice cracked as she pleaded to me. For as long as I've known Jennie, I've always promised her that I would never hurt her. I never wanted to see her in pain from something that I did. Yet, here she was barely keeping it together, begging for me to tell her I didn't just fuck everything up and break her.
I took a deep breath. "I don't remember any of it happening. We celebrated after the meetings went better than expected. We drank…a lot. She started to help me to my room, but she needed to stop at hers first and…I just remember waking up the next morning and I wasn't in my room. I was in hers." I took another step toward her.
"Is this why you wanted us to go away? Was it so you could buy yourself some time?"
"I wanted to protect you."
"You protect me by not lying to me and not trying to fuck around!" She covered her mouth, as if saying it was physically making her sick. She went back to grabbing her things out the closet.
"Jennie, what are you doing? You can't leave. We need to talk about this. I didn't fuck her!"
She exited the room, going into one of the spare bedrooms that held some of Emersyn's things, and she started putting them in another bag. Panic started to take over. She was going to leave and she was going to take our daughter with her. She started to move past me, and I blocked her way. "I need you to stay. Please don't do this." I reached out to touch her, and she froze.
"Fuck, Jennie, please! I am begging you."
She slowly shook her head. "I can't stay here with you right now. I need to think and have a clear head before talking to you. Emersyn and I will find a place to stay, until I work something out."
"I'll go." It pained me to say it. "I'll go," I whispered again. "I'll pack a few things, and I'll leave, and give you some space."
"You don't have…"
"I'm not letting you and Emersyn go when it's better if I did. I don't want her getting confused by being in a different surrounding. She should be in her home. Our home." As if sensing she was being talked about, Emersyn's cries filled the speaker, and it just now dawned on me that I had to say goodbye to her. I walked to her room and gently picked her up from her crib, hushing her.
"I can…"
"She's my daughter, too. I won't be kept from her," I snapped, then immediately regretted the words that came out. Jennie looked at us with pure anguish on her face. "I didn't mean it like that." Jennie was already retreating back as I rocked Emersyn, and she finally quieted down. I gave her a tight squeeze, kissed on top of her head, and placed her back in the crib.
There wasn't much I needed to pack. Everything I needed was at my office apartment. Jennie stood in the living room, facing the mantle, as I grabbed my keys.
"I'll stay in my office apartment for a few days." She glanced at me over her shoulder. I ran my hand through my hair. "I will fix this, Jennie. I'll get to the bottom of it, I swear." She was twisting her wedding ring around her finger, deep in thought. I walked to the elevator, and she walked behind me. I hesitated pushing the button, but knew I had to. I slowly stepped in. Jennie wouldn't look at me.
"Tell me one thing, before I go. I don't care what it is, just one thing you're thinking. I need to know you're here." I touched my chest over my heart.
She slowly licked her lips, before meeting my gaze. The elevator doors started to close, and that's when she said it. It was low, but we both knew I heard it.
"I would've spent the rest of my life with you."
The moment I drove out of the garage, the cameras started. People were everywhere, making it harder for me to leave. It didn't get any better the moment I reached headquarters. Once I got in the apartment, I texted Hawkins, I needed triple security for Jennie and Flick. I didn't give a fuck about me, being ransacked, it was them I was worried about. Hawkins was my main security. The person I trusted with my entire family. Hell, he was there when Jennie went into labor with Flick and got her to the emergency room. So, to say I owed him my life was an understatement. I tried not to depend on him too much, now that he's married to one of Jennie's best friend's Somi and they have a set of twins. My phone rang. I grabbed it, praying it was Jennie.
It was Chan. I threw the phone down. I sure as fuck couldn't deal with him right now. He protects Jennie, just as much as I do, and if there's even a thought I had hurt her in some way, Chan was there to ream my ass. Maybe this time I would actually let him win.
I sent a text to Jennie.
Lisa M: I love you, please know that. Give a hug and kiss to Flick for me and tell her I love her. I love you both.
A few minutes went by, and my phone dinged.
Jennie M: I'll tell her.
The ultimate blow. I got up - fuck sleeping - and dialed my lawyers. This shit stops now.
"I want her fired immediately."
My lawyer Francisco shook his head. "Ms. Manoban, I advise against that."
"The fuck do you mean, you advise against that?"
"If you fire her, she'll use that against you in court. You need to have a probable cause for firing her."
"Bullshit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the state of Illinois is an employment at-will state. An employer may terminate with or without any reason or cause."
"While that is true, Ms. Manoban, I strongly advise against it. She'll paint you as the bad one for firing her because of your relationship."
I gritted my teeth. "If you say the word 'relationship' again, you will be fired. We didn't have any fucking relationship!"
He held up his hands in defense. "Noted, my apologies. But, we do have to play smart. You can move her to another position, but I strongly recommend against termination. At least not now, and not yet. Not until we have everything we need."
I slumped against my chair. My other lawyer Syed finally spoke up. "We'll start with investigating her background. We'll bring up everything on her. We'll go as far back as preschool if we have to."
I mull over the decision for a few seconds, and turned to Helen Peterson from Human Resources. "Have her moved, effective immediately."
She nodded as she quickly wrote down notes. "Any particular area, or do you want us to accommodate?"
"I don't really give a shit where you put her, she can clean the fucking toilets for all I care, just get her off my fucking floor." Helen nodded, as she exited the room. I ran my hand through my hair. At this rate, I'll be bald before the end of the fucking week. I turned to Jack Devers. He was former CIA, but he could do and hack anything and everything. Nothing was a challenge for him. "I want everything, and I do mean everything, down to what food she hates, allergies, exes, family. Everything."
He smirked. "That I can do. It'll be great working for you again, although I think you only call me when there's a fuck up."
I narrowed my eyes. "You know that's not true."
He faked scoffed. "I didn't even get invited to your wedding!"
"You were in Nagano."
He looked to be pondering that before he smiled. "Yeah, that was fun. The women over there are spicy." He wiggled his eyebrows as he stood up. My lawyers followed suite and left. Jack stayed, mulling around until they left. He finally turned to me, all serious. "We'll fix this."
I took a deep breath. "We have to. I won't lose my family."
