J
Present Day
"Jennie, dear, will you please bring me the Winston file?" Risa asks from her office.
"Sure. One second." Pushing my feet along the tile floor, I wheel my chair to the filing cabinet on the wall opposite my desk. I find the file and take it in to her. She's sitting behind her mahogany desk with her head down, concentrating on what's in front of her. The light floral scent of her perfume fills the room. She thanks me before I return to my desk.
Clarissa, aka Risa, is my boss, and we work in her home. I only travel with her on occasion. Mostly, I can do everything from here or from my apartment when she's away. She's a business development consultant. Risa provides businesses with insight on how to gain efficiency in their overall operations and improve their customer service. She helps to develop and deliver customized training content, so the companies she's contracted with can train their employees. I'm here to keep her organized.
After spending two years in community college to become an executive assistant and bouncing from job to job for three years, I finally ended up with her. I've been working for Risa for a year and really enjoy it. The job is fast-paced and never dull. Plus, working in her home means I only have a short commute since we both live in the same town. Although, Risa lives on the wealthier side, while I'm clear on the other side in my one bedroom, one bathroom apartment.
Risa gets on a call and I close her office door to give her privacy and so she doesn't hear me working. My phone rings constantly. She doesn't need to listen to me talking while she's trying to have a videoconference. The next two hours are spent with me fielding calls and trying to respond to emails. Risa is highly sought after in her field, and thus, only takes on higher profile clients who can afford her steep fees. She pays me very well, but I have my own debt to try and get myself out of. Namely, student loans, a car loan, and a credit card I use when I need to. I'm not deep in debt, but I do have bills.
The doorbell to Risa's home rings. That's one of the downfalls of working in someone's house, especially when the office is located right off the massive entryway. The home is huge and sound travels. I try to ignore it as it chimes again, but it's a little difficult, considering the way my desk is set up. I can see out of the office and notice anyone who comes into the house.
Risa's housekeeper/chef/all-around amazing woman answers the door. I groan when I see who it is. Mino. Of all the guys in town, he has to show up. Of course, his eyes land on me the second he's in the door. He smiles and walks over. His long-sleeve, hunter green shirt is tucked inside khaki shorts. He's lean but not skinny. I guess he's attractive, well, to some. Not me.
"Jennie, fancy seeing you here." He props his ass on my desk.
"I know. Especially given the fact I'm here five days, if not more, a week when Risa is, and sometimes when she isn't." I take one of my steno pads and swat him with it. "Get the hell off my desk." He jumps up but doesn't go far.
"What's the matter? Don't want Risa to see you talking to me?"
I give him an evil grin. "She'd tell me to hit you harder." Risa loves all her daughter's friends, but when they start interfering with work, they need to go. If she saw him bothering me, she'd show him the door. It's one of the things I love about her. No time for bullshit. When she's working, which is almost always, she's very focused.
The sound of heels hitting wooden stairs reaches me. Another bonus of being off the entryway; I get to hear every person who walks up and down the steps leading upstairs. God, Mino needs to get the hell out of here. I have zero interest in seeing whatever skank is coming down the stairs. I'm stuck. I can't exactly leave, plus there's nowhere for me to go unless I hide in the bathroom. I've done that repeatedly in the past, though, I'm not in the mood to do it today.
Then I see the skank...and Lisa. Her bleached blonde locks are a stark contrast to Lisa's jet-black hair. In heels, she's almost as tall as Lisa is. Tight skirt, tighter shirt, boobs barely staying in. I will never understand what Lisa sees in the women she brings home. She's only with these women for a quick fuck and nothing more.
They stop in the doorway. "Nini," Lisa greets in her deep voice. She's still the only one who calls me that. Never Jennie.
Even after all these years, her voice still does something to me. Back in high school, it used to send a chill of fear down my spine but also drew me in when she was close. Now, it makes me shiver with want, then hate myself for thinking about her that way. She's still an arrogant asshole. She might have grown up, and physically matured very nicely, but I can't forget the way she treated me. Those scars are always with me, making me doubt myself and my self-worth.
Today she's wearing a black t-shirt, which is tight over her arms and a little loose in the stomach. I know from seeing her in nothing but shorts that she is chiseled perfection. Broad chest, powerful arms, rock hard abs, which lead to the sinful of her waist. Perfection I have no business admiring. My body is a traitor to my mind, as are my eyes. I can't change the way I react to her and believe me I've tried.
She leans against the doorway and crosses one ankle over the other while her arm is thrown over her slut's shoulders.
When my eyes reach back to Lisa's, I notice her eyebrow is cocked at me in question. She doesn't say anything about me checking her out. Ever since I started working for her mom, she stopped being a dick to me. Stopped talking to me almost altogether, as a matter of fact. She'll say my name in greeting or a singular word here or there, but that's it. Don't get me wrong, she's still a colossal douchebag, but I'll take minimal words instead of the bullshit she used to pull with me in high school.
I flip her off. She barks out a laugh then nudges her flavor of the day toward the front door.
Mino winks at me and says, "See you later, sexy."
Lisa's head whips around to give Mino a hard glare. I ignore it and respond, "Only if by later you mean when you're daydreaming of me with your hand wrapped around your dick."
"Damn straight," he laughs. Lisa shoulders him, pushing him out of my office.
Years have gone by and I still can't figure out Lisa. The time between graduation and when I started working for Risa, I never saw her. Then my dad got a job transfer to Florida. I had the choice to move with them or stay here and take over my mom's job. I chose to stay. I'm not completely sure why. Yes, I know the area, having lived here for years, but there is nothing holding me here with my parents gone. Yet, here I am. There was something in my gut telling me not to go. Luckily, I had enough money saved to put a deposit down on an apartment.
Risa emerges from her office. "Did I hear Mino?"
"Yup."
"Then Lisa must have been here as well."
"Yeah, she was."
"I wish she would find someone nice and settle down. It's time she stopped bringing home a different girl every night. She's never had a serious girlfriend."
"Never?" I ask. I would have thought at some point she would have been with the same woman for longer than a couple of days.
"No. I don't think she's found her yet. Or, she has and doesn't realize it." She gives me a pointed stare.
"Oh, no you don't. You know I wish her no ill will, but that is never going to happen."
"I've seen the way she looks at you."
I laugh. "You mean with utter distaste?"
"No, it's something else entirely. She only does it when you're not looking. Like she's cataloging everything about you. It's very intense." She turns to go back into her office. "I've asked her about you, but she immediately shuts down. Maybe you'd have better luck talking to her."
"Maybe a unicorn will knock on my door and ask me to ride it to a faraway land," I mutter.
"What was that?" she calls from her office.
"Don't forget you have a call in fifteen."
"Thanks for the reminder!"
"You're welcome."
I spend the rest of the day nailing down her itinerary for her trip early next week. She's going to California for five days and always likes to see a list of her meetings in advance of her leaving. I go over my own checklist to make sure I've got everything arranged, from car services to flights to the hotel reservation. I like to do this days in advance, so if changes need to be made there is time.
Risa begs me to stay and have dinner, since she knows there is only something frozen waiting for me at home. After repeatedly telling her I can't, I give in. There's no use arguing with her. I don't have a clue why I try every time she invites me to stay, which is usually twice a week when she's home and not traveling. Hell, even when she is traveling she tells me to drive over here for a home-cooked meal. With my parents far away, it's nice to have someone looking out for me. Someone to make sure I'm not wasting away, eating a three-dollar meal from the frozen section of the grocery store.
We take a seat in their large dining room. There's a long, wooden table that seats eight. Risa sits at the head while her husband, Everett, takes a seat at the opposite end. He's not always here when I stay for dinner. More times than not, he's working late. He smiles warmly at me and makes small talk. He's a partner in an accounting firm. I think they've been married fifteen years or so. She doesn't share his last name. Risa had already been well into her career when they married, and she didn't want to change her name. She kept the last name of her first husband, who was Lisa's father. He died when Lisa was three years old. I always wondered how Everett felt about that. Did he care that his wife didn't share his name? Then again, times have changed, and women don't always take their spouse's name.
Dinner is being served when Lisa walks in. She pauses for a moment when she sees me. It's not the first time we've eaten dinner at the same table, but it's certainly not common. She's absent more than Everett.
"Well, isn't this cozy?" Lisa sneers at no one in particular as she takes a seat.
I ignore her and start eating. The faster I swallow all this food, the faster I can get the fuck out of here. While I eat, I focus on the off-white wallpaper with its subtle swirls. That or the crystal chandelier overhead. Anything really except Lisa. Never her. Not while I have Risa on one side of me and Everett on the other. The tension in the air is palpable. It's like I'm in the middle of one gigantic time bomb, waiting for it to explode.
It's well known that Lisa and Everett don't get along. I've heard enough from my mother, when she was working here, and the tiny amount I've picked up since I've been employed. They fight and it's the kind of arguments where there is yelling, and it makes me uncomfortable. My parents never fought loudly. When I misbehaved, I would get a stern talking to. That was it.
Deciding the best course of action is to focus strictly on my food, as not to catch anyone's gaze on me, I take bite after bite. I'm almost done. Only two pieces left. Two perfectly cooked pieces of prime rib. Too bad I'm so uncomfortable I can't enjoy it.
"Stop it," Lisa growls. My head snaps up as I look at her across the table from me. With my eyes on her, I know she's not watching me. No. It's Everett she's warning.
"I don't know what your issue is, but I suggest you calm down," Everett tries warning her back, but by the look of Lisa's face, there's no way she's going to relax.
"Do it again, and we're going to have a problem."
Everett places his napkin on the table and pushes his chair out. Before he can stand, Risa speaks up. "That's enough from both of you. Stay seated in those chairs, and eat your dinner. We have a guest, remember?"
Everyone shifts their focus to me. Oh, hell no. I shove the last piece of meat into my mouth and chew like I never have before. With as much politeness as I can muster, I place my napkin on the table, thank Risa for dinner, and bid everyone a good night.
I practically run from the dining room. When I reach my desk, I grab my purse and make the short dash to the front door. I'm out of it in seconds, not wanting to make the walk to the garage. I wanted to be outside as fast as possible.
Four steps from the house and I hear the door open behind me. So fucking close. I don't turn around. I honestly don't want to know who it is. My car is calling to me, and the road in front of Risa's house has never looked so good. I keep walking, ignoring whoever it is.
"Nini, stop." Son of a bitch. Lisa came after me? Really? Risa couldn't have held her ass in the house until I was safely down the driveway?
My feet stop at her voice, although I don't turn toward her. I stay staring down at the pavers—the path which will lead me to my Jetta. So close and yet so very far. Should I respond to her? No, I'm not the one who has something to say.
She walks around me until she's standing less than a foot from me. Her black hair hangs on to her forehead. She brushes it back, giving me unrestricted access to her crystal blue eyes. In all my twenty-four years, I can't remember seeing eyes so beautiful on anyone. I send a silent thank you to whomever created Daylight Savings Time. If it were winter, I wouldn't have been able to see her so clearly, since the sun sets far sooner. She quickly averts her eyes.
"I just..." she starts, then rakes a hand through her hair. "He shouldn't have..." Why is she having such a hard time completing a sentence? Also, this is the most she's said to me in months. I wait for her to continue; however, she's far too upset to do so. She keeps looking around me, out to the street, behind her, anywhere but my face as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other.
"I really should be going." I'm not sure what else to say. Lisa and I don't talk. We don't have conversations, and this is awkward as hell.
She nods but doesn't step off the path. Okay then. I move to step around her. At the same time, her hand reaches up to gently catch my arm just below my elbow. I tense as chills race up my arm. Her eyes are focused on the ground behind me. "I'm sorry."
It takes a second for me to compose myself. The chills are still there; my hair stands on end where her fingers gently hold my arm. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
She drops my arm as if I'm toxic and takes a step away. "I do."
Despite her retreat, I stand in place and don't run to my car. "It was only dinner. It's fine." It wasn't fine at the time, and none of this is fine right now, but I need to say something to end this awkwardness. I'm not sure which is worse. Whatever the hell happened at dinner, or standing outside with Lisa.
"That's not the only thing I'm apologizing for," she whispers.
The meaning of her words slams into me with the force of a freight train. I'm transported back to high school. Back to every horrible moment I had, thanks to her. My heart starts to race as panic sets in.
When I can finally form words, I open my mouth but she's gone. That's my cue to get in my car and try to figure out what the hell just happened.