by Cynthia Dane
Monday came too soon.
Jasmine went to work, since she couldn’t come up with a good excuse to stay home. Even then, she would have to go and face Ethan sometime. But she did not dress up in anything special, nor did she plan to heed his advances should they come.
They didn’t. From the moment Ethan walked in that morning, later than usual, he largely ignored Jasmine and went straight to work with the office door latched shut. It wasn’t until the mid-afternoon, when a meeting with an investor was to commence, that Ethan came out and politely asked Jasmine to come in and take notes.
“I got you something.” He reached into his desk and produced a small tablet with a detachable keyboard. At first Jasmine assumed it was purely for work… then she flipped it over and noticed a flower engraved into the leather case protecting it. Her heart dropped. “It’s meant for business, I thought that maybe…”
The investor arrived before he could finish his thought. Jasmine took her place while the meeting commenced, trying to focus on her work instead of staring at the back of Ethan’s recently trimmed head. Thought that maybe what? Dwelling on it would only lead to more confusion and heartache.
It was Friday before Jasmine heard more than administrative orders from Ethan. By then her heart was beginning to harden again, thanks in part to having a rip-roaring Thursday night at Juan and Selena’s place, complete with a huge meal and enough Guitar Hero to make anyone forget their work and love problems. But when Ethan asked to see Jasmine in his office shortly before lunch, she groaned, unprepared for what he was probably going to ask of her. I don’t know if I can do it. She got up, closed her laptop, and trudged to his office before he had to ask for her twice.
Ethan asked her to have a seat in front of his desk. Oh, I’m probably being fired. No bonus. How terrible.
“Would you like to go out later tonight?”
Jasmine looked up from her lap and into Ethan’s blank, emotionless face. He’s trying so hard to not look either way. Not too expectant, not too flippant. It was the same business face she saw every time he was in a meeting with anyone but Jackson Lyle, who had stopped by that Wednesday to laugh it up while Monica haunted the main office. Does she act that way because she feels like me? Was that what Jasmine would turn into if she stayed with Ethan for too long? A ghost?
“I don’t know.” It was an honest answer.
Ethan’s demeanor did not change. Like looking at a robot. The more Jasmine was around this man, the more she realized how messed up he was – hiring women to be his sub aside. No wonder many of them didn’t last long. “I have a dinner meeting with some colleagues right after work, but I thought I would pick you up sometime around nine and…” There was almost a hint of that self-satisfied smile on his face. “But if you don’t want to, it’s fine. It would be after your hours are up for the day anyway.”
“Indeed. And what did you have planned?”
“I had a surprise in mind for you.”
“Oh, goody!” Jasmine bit her tongue after that. Don’t be consumed by anger, come on. A whole week of it wasn’t good for her heart. But every time she looked at this man, she wanted to kick him under his desk.
Finally, Ethan scooted forward, folding his hands and letting his eyes soften in concern. “Did you get my text message the other night?”
“Yeah.”
“And the voicemail?”
Jasmine glanced away, crossing her arms and legs as if to put up a barrier between her and Ethan Cole. “Never listened to it.”
“I’ll say it again then. I’m sorry things ended the way they did a week ago. I had some things I had to sort out. I didn’t think you would be so bothered by me asking you to leave. I always assume that you would be more put out by me asking you to stay. I’m sorry.”
He could say it one million times and Jasmine would still not be impressed. Ethan would not be the first man to try to apologize to her after pissing her off so badly. Over the years Jasmine had realized that she was not a forgiving person. She couldn’t really explain why. Perhaps she was afraid that getting too close to a man would be emotionally dangerous. Especially a man like Ethan Cole, who had so many mistresses over the years that Jasmine was surely just another blip in his existence. After the six months were over, Jasmine had already decided to move on with her life. Even if she liked the office and her coworkers, she couldn’t stand the idea of being around Ethan for much longer. The way he pulled her into different directions was mind numbing and catastrophic to her well-being. I thought I would be okay with it. That was before she realized she was developing feelings for him.
“Yeah, sure. We can go out tonight.” Jasmine stood up from her chair. “I guess I’ll get dinner at one of the restaurants downstairs. Come pick me up in the bar around nine. I’ll see if your surprise is any good.”
She went back to work without being properly dismissed. By that point she really didn’t care if she angered Ethan. He should know damn well he was not going to get any that afternoon. He would be lucky to get anything later that evening. He would have to have the surprise of the century. Jasmine sat down at her desk and tried to work. She began by opening up her homepage, which happened to be Ethan’s Wikipedia page.
It was her job to look it over every day to make sure that nobody had made any nefarious and libelous edits. So far in her tenure there she had only seen one or two that needed changing. Even though the page was locked down, some competitors still managed to get their cronies in there to make outrageous claims, from saying that his father was a terrorist or that he had connections to South Asian sweatshops. But Jasmine only skimmed these articles. Rarely did she actually sit and read any of the text in front of her. Strange, considering she didn’t really know anything about Ethan and his background.
She scrolled to the top of the page and squinted until she could make out all of the words.
“Ethan Adam Cole, born September 6th…” He was a Virgo? That explained everything. “Attended Harvard University on a full scholarship…” Did Harvard offer full scholarships? Jasmine had no idea. Not like she was ever going to get into that kind of prestigious school. The article went on to say that Ethan had graduated from Harvard with honors, going on to the business school that led to multiple internships until he decided to go with another startup. It was all quite boring to someone like Jasmine, who had heard it one-hundred times – minus the full ride scholarship to Harvard – except in Ethan’s case it ended with him partnering with Jackson Lyle, a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He provided the capital, and Ethan went on to be the brains of the outfit. Within three years they had built an empire quicker than anyone else in recent years. And now Ethan sat in his large office at the top of the large building, contemplating his large existence.
The article talked about his philanthropy, and how generous he was with his money to organizations around the country. By all accounts Ethan must have been the most charitable man in the universe, since there wasn’t a cause he wouldn’t throw money at. From soup kitchens to veteran affairs, from no kill animal shelters to donating money directly to inner-city schools for computers and textbooks, Ethan seemed like the kind of man everyone would love.
Then she reached the part about his personal life.
The article claimed that Ethan had not been in a public relationship since a woman named Adrienne Thomas over five years ago. Long before he became a billionaire. Even a millionaire. Wikipedia didn’t say why they had broken up. Any speculation as to why he had been single for so long was also scrubbed clean, only leaving a mention that he was often nominated as the most eligible bachelor by women’s magazines. How exciting for Jasmine.
By the time her coworkers were leaving for the weekend, the only work Jasmine had done was typing up notes for Ethan’s dinner meeting that night. She sent them to the printer and got up long enough to fetch them, putting them in a pristine manila envelope to slide underneath his door. On the way back to her desk to pick up her purse, she en
countered Nadia who expressed relief at finding her.
“Oh, hey.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulder. It was almost weird to see her walking around normally now, since she long-lost the brace on her leg and the crutches that went with it. Nadia still hobbled a little, but most would attribute it to the heels she wore. “Got any plans tonight? I was thinking about getting a drink downstairs, and was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
Jasmine’s ears perked up at that. “Drink, you say? Is it a Friday night and I had a shitty week? Yes. For the love of God, let’s go right now.” She snatched her purse from her desk and followed Nadia out of the office.
I’m going to wait for him down there anyway. Jasmine would find a way to fill the three and a half hours between getting off work and being picked up by Ethan later. Originally she was going to get some food at one of the restaurants in the building, but changed her mind with this invitation. She had never gone out with Nadia before at all, minus their shopping trip. So it was refreshing to sit down at the bar downstairs and get to see a more casual side to the receptionist. As one of the most beautiful women in the building, Nadia got all sorts of great deals. She was even on a first name basis with the bartender, a young man who checked out her cleavage every chance he got. Meanwhile, Jasmine only got a few side glances from him, like an afterthought.
But being with Nadia meant that they got their drinks for half off. It wasn’t even happy hour yet, which meant Jasmine’s drink budget just went up.
“I noticed you’re a little out of it this week,” Nadia said as she sipped her cocktail. “Boss isn’t giving you too much trouble, is he?”
Jasmine snorted into her drink. The fruity flavors were a delight to her tongue after such a long day of brooding like a billionaire. Within moments she could feel the warmth of the alcohol making its way through her body. It reminded her of the kind of warmth Ethan gave her whenever he was tender in private. This is better, though. The worst alcohol would do to her was make her throw up. “Working for him isn’t so bad. It’s a lot better than I thought it would be.”
“Really? Most of his assistants complain.”
“How so?”
Nadia shook her head as if she had said too much. “Nothing in particular. They’ve all had really different personalities, so every time was an experience. I remember that girl Samantha, the one I said filed a sexual harassment claim, always freaking out about something or other. That girl had no experience. I have no idea why he hired her to be a personal assistant of that capacity, other than the fact she was hot.”
Bingo. No mystery there. “What about the others?”
“I remember this other woman named Celeste. She was really nice, like you. Talented, too. She and Mr. Cole seemed to get along really well. He was upset when she left. You know he’s the kind of man to bottle that sort of stuff up, so to see him visibly upset for so many weeks afterward was unnerving. Maybe that’s why Samantha wasn’t happy. She was the one hired to replace Celeste, and I think she knew it. He must’ve put a lot of pressure on her. Poor girl.”
Jasmine finished her drink and ordered another. “Hey, I’ll let you know that he doesn’t make it any secret that we’re replacing each other. I don’t think he expects me to last more than a few more months.”
“Really?” Nadia had barely touched her drink.
“Yeah, he’s messed up like that.”
“I see. Well, you know him the best out of everyone else in the office. Some of those people have been there since he has, but they barely know anything about him. Even I barely talk to him. You’re the one who is in there the most with them. I don’t know, considering how many assistants he goes through, maybe it’s for the best that I don’t know him.”
So I guess he really hasn’t slept with you before? It amused Jasmine to think of it now. Imagine, her being jealous of Ethan sleeping with someone else. She was just a cog in the grand scheme of his love life. No wonder the man needed to dominate.
Contrary to Jasmine’s original plans, she ended up spending the better part of those three hours with Nadia. It turned out that the bar also served food, so they got some for dinner and began a long conversation that started with the hilarity of high school and college, and ended with relationship drama. By then ninety minutes had passed, and Jasmine was on her fourth drink.
“There was this one guy I dated back in college,” Jasmine said with a tipsy smile on her face. “Definitely delicious. On the basketball team. Point guard. Lots of nice muscles and he took lots of care grooming.” She could still remember watching her ex stand in front of the bathroom mirror gazing at himself as a razor went over his chin. The man never once nicked himself. “Let me tell you, he wasn’t the brightest around, but the guy knew how to fuck.”
She drove herself into laughter, slapping her hand against the counter and sloshing what was left in her glass. Nadia smiled politely, and if Jasmine were more sober, she may have realized that the receptionist was not quite prepared for sex talk “That’s always a good thing,” Nadia said.
“Tell me about it. You don’t know how many guys out there have no idea what to do with their dicks. I mean, you wouldn’t think it’s rocket science, but apparently we need to start having mandatory college classes for guys. Because clearly they are not learning shit from porn.”
Nadia could only gaze at her. bored. “I suppose not. By the way, are you still seeing that one guy you told me about?”
Jasmine could have gagged on her drink. “Oh God, that asshole.”
“Not going well I take it?”
Even though she was out with Nadia, and they were talking about men and sex, Jasmine had still managed to put Ethan out of her mind for a while. Now there he was, dominating her thoughts and looking right smart in one of his many Italian suits. The man loves his Armani. Jasmine had run quite a few of his clothes to the dry cleaners and back. “I’m still seeing him. I don’t know for how much longer. It’s not serious. Just sex.”
“You don’t seem too happy about that.”
Jasmine stared at the bottom of her glass. “It is what it is. I’m not gonna lie, the sex is pretty great. But it’s definitely lacking in the emotional department.”
“I thought you said it was a friends with benefits thing anyway.”
That was it. Jasmine was ordering one more drink, even though she was swaying in her seat and the world was starting to look blurry. “I guess so.” She hailed the bartender to give her one more. He took a long hard look at her and then shook his head. Grunting, Jasmine slumped against the bar with a sigh. “And what about you? Any man in your life right now?”
“No.” Nadia looked away. “Actually, I was sort of thinking that maybe we could…”
“Jasmine?”
Nadia dropped whatever topic she was about to bring up. Jasmine sat up, glanced over her shoulder, and saw her damned boss looming over her with his jacket slung over his arm. “Well look who it is,” she slurred, one hand on the bar while the other pushed herself around so she could face him. “Mr. Big Money and his not quite as big dick.”
Ethan immediately looked to Nadia, and then put his focus back on Jasmine when he had to bat her hand away from his groin. Come on, show us what you got. Nadia got up from the bar and grabbed her things. “I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting somebody in the morning anyway.” Like a criminal on the run, Nadia darted out of the bar and left Jasmine to her fate.
“God, I was finally having a good time and you ruin everything.” Jasmine pretended that she didn’t notice Ethan counting up the empty glasses on the bar. “What are you doing here so early? I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”
Ethan put a hand on her shoulder to steady her on her stool. “Dinner finished early. I thought I would come wait for you here. I see you long beat me to the punch.”
“Sometimes a girl’s just gotta talk to another girl about dicks and money, Ethan.” The “th” in his name flapped between her teeth. “Don’t worry, I
didn’t tell her about us. That would be stupid, right?”
He didn’t say anything. But when the bartender came by and recognized him, Ethan shooed him away with a generous tip. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here. Can you walk?”
Jasmine forewent his offer to help her up and instead attempted to move on her own. Her heels wobbled on the floor, and her hands flailed in the air as she whipped her purse around in an attempt to save her life. Fuck me, I’m drunk. Four drinks had been enough to knock Jasmine right off her feet and onto her ass on the floor.
Luckily, Ethan was quick and caught her just before she hit. His hands shot beneath her arms and propped her against the stool. Both his briefcase and her purse landed on the floor.
“I’m fine!” Jasmine continued to insist this even after Ethan hauled her onto her feet and picked up both his case and her purse. What a nice color on him. “Let’s just go.”
