by Nicole Casey
No matter how much I explained it to the boss, he didn’t seem to understand my issue with it. So, really, it was like talking to a brick wall. It was just sometimes I felt more compelled than others to make my move and hope that he finally would see that I wasn't any longer the woman that was fresh out of college and looking to do any job I could get my hands on. I was now a grown woman that knew her mind and wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted.
So, one day after getting the umpteenth coffee for one of the co-workers, I knocked on his office door. Max looked up and motioned for me to come in. “How can I help you Jasmine?” he asked.
I took a deep breath, before I just laid it out there. “Look. I’ve been with the company for two years now. That’s two years of filing papers, getting coffee, running out and getting laundry from the dry cleaners, and any other task that came about.”
He groaned, knowing full well where I was going with this, but I continued.
“You keep saying that I just need to give it time and eventually I might be asked to do an assignment. How much time?” I asked.
He snickered and continued to look at me.
“Jasmine, you know I think you’re a great worker and I would love to give you some field work, but come on…you’re just not ready.”
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he was still playing that card.
“What? How can you say that? I have worked just as hard as any of these other people.” I then frowned. “Is it because I’m a woman?” I asked. It was true that the majority of the people working on assignments were men, with only a couple of women. Those women just happened to have been employed with the company from almost day one.
His eyes grew wide when I asked the question. “You know I don’t discriminate. This has nothing to do with whether you’re a man or a woman. Trust me that it doesn’t.”
I knew that he was right. I didn’t see him as the type to discriminate, but I didn’t know why I wouldn’t be given a chance.
“Then why won’t you give me the opportunity?” I asked.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“The truth is that we just don’t have any more cases that aren’t being handled.” He shrugged. “If we did, then it’d be yours. I’m sorry, but things have been slow for us.”
I crossed my arms and looked at him. “When you get a call with your next project, will you give me a chance?”
He tilted his head and for a minute or so we held a staring contest. He tossed up his arms. “I’ll consider it. That’s the best I can do.”
That was better than a no, so I had to make it work. He was going to consider it. I nodded and left his office. It wasn’t quite the resounding yes I would have hoped for, but it was better than what I usually got.
I got back to my desk and was only seated for a few minutes before my phone lit up. I answered it, putting a smile on my face. “This is Jasmine.”
“Hey, it’s Roger. Will you come scan in some of my files? They’re getting backed up.”
I rolled my eyes, but was right on it. “I’ll be right there.” I hung up the call and got up from my desk.
I went down the hallway, until I got to his office. When I walked in, my eyes immediately went the stack of paperwork on his desk. I pointed to it. “Are you talking about this?” I asked.
He snickered. “Yep!” He motioned towards his wall to a cart. “That will help you transfer them to the scanner.”
“Gee…thanks,” I mumbled. I started loading the papers up on the cart, then glanced at him when I was finished. “Anything else you need?” I held back the urge to say, sir. He shook his head and never looked back up as I left his office. I pushed it back down the hallway and to the large scanner in the corner where I started diligently working, humming the words to a song to stay awake. I didn’t know how much longer I could put up with this, before I had to get out of there.
A week passed by and there were no other jobs that came into work. I went about doing the everyday tasks that had come so familiar to me and trying to forget about the fact that I might never have a prominent job within the company.
On that Saturday night, it was Sydney’s engagement party. It was the first night I had gone out since she had told us she was getting married, which was the same night I caught my boyfriend screwing another woman. So, this was a milestone. It’d been a month of spending time at work and home, leaving no time for play.
I got dressed and basically forced myself to leave the house. Driving to the club, I thought about how I had let myself go since Josh and I broke up. Last time we spoke, he apologized profusely, begging me to forgive him, to which I gave him my reply. “I do forgive you, Josh. Life is too short to hold grudges. But I’ll be damned if I let you break my heart again.” I then dropped it and was relieved after the second time, he didn’t try to get me to change my mind.
I pulled into the club and looked up at the name in lights. Mercury Wild. It wasn’t normally the place I would grace, but that was because I wasn’t a member. It was too elite for my blood, but it didn’t surprise me that Sydney was a member.
I got out of the car and headed up to the door. The door opened automatically, and I found two women standing at the door to welcome me in. I nodded. “Hello!”
They said their greeting, then ushered me to hostess podium.
When I got up there, the woman gave me a curious look, as if to point out that there was no way in hell I belonged there. She was right. There wasn’t, but I had to assure her that I was in the right place.
“I’m here for the Maxwell and…” My voice fell off, I couldn’t recall Michael’s last name. I thought about it, then it slowly dawned on me. “Oh yeah! I’m here for the Maxwell and Vandingham’s engagement party.”
“Oh yes…of course,” the woman said. She smiled halfheartedly and then directed the way for me to follow her. We wrapped around several corners, until she led me into a room.
The room was set up to be inviting and looked very much open to being a lively party. There was a pool table off to the side, along with its only personal bar and bartender. Plus, there were also slot machines in the corner that provided the perfect atmosphere they wanted to convey.
I looked at Sydney and she squealed and ran over to greet me. I wondered if that was how this stuffy club wanted their members to act. I put on a smile and hugged her. We hadn’t seen each other for a week, as she had gone to New York to be with Michael and his family, before both Michael and Sydney headed back to Maine.
“Good to see you!” I said, pulling her to me.
“I’m so glad you could make it!” She pulled back and she had a huge smile on her face.
I laughed. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world.”
She smiled and turned to the man that was gawking at us and looking a little awkward. He definitely looked like the lawyer type. A little nerdy, but very distinguished. He walked up to us. “Jasmine, this is my fiancé Michael. Michael, this is my bestie, Jasmine.”
He smiled and I put out my hand, expecting a handshake. Instead, he surprised me by hugging me.
“I have heard so much about you, Jasmine,” he said.
“I have heard a lot about you, too,” I said. I lied, because I figured it was the only thing to do in that moment. When we parted, I smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
He looked over at Sydney and she was beaming at him. “Likewise,” he said.
I then looked past them and saw a few people had arrived. I dismissed myself from the future bride and groom and went off to talk to some more of my friends. We chatted for about ten minutes, before we noticed staff coming in and asking to take our drink orders, then we all took a seat around the elongated table.
Michael and Sydney stood at the end of the table and Sydney tapped the glass of water in front of them. “We want to thank each of you for coming out and spending the night with us in celebration of our upcoming wedding.”
I looked around the table and all eyes were
on Sydney. She did seem overly excited as she talked about their plans on getting married. A date hadn’t been set, but she said we should all look for that to be announced within the coming weeks.
The whole time, Sydney did all the talking and when she was finished and we were seated, I surveyed the happy couple a few times to find that he seemed quieter and more reserved than she was. I didn’t know if he was standoffish, or just quiet, maybe a little bit of both, but he definitely seemed different from the friend I had grown up with.
The drinks were delivered and then they took our orders on how we wanted our steaks prepared. When the staff was all gone, we were able to talk more freely. “Are you thinking of a summer wedding?” One of the women asked.
Sydney looked at Michael and he seemed almost unfazed. She then looked back at the table. “I don’t know. We honestly haven’t really gone over it, but I think a June wedding just seems appropriate.”
I wanted to ask if she was referring to June of this year, because that would mean that in three months my friend would be walking down the aisle, but I refrained.
“June is definitely a beautiful time of year,” Mary said.
Sydney smiled, but Michael looked almost white and barely made an attempt to smile. A few more questions were fired out there and I kept wondering if Michael was really into this wedding. It just seemed like he had very little emotion about it and that concerned me. I would never say something to get in the way of Sydney’s happiness, unless it was the marriage that would eventually get in the way.
The meal was delicious. Even better than I anticipated it would be. After we ate, the wait staff came in and started clearing our dishes, as if we were the only customers they had to wait on. It was clear that this was a high society place. When the dishes were all cleared from the table and they made sure everyone still had a drink, we all went about talking, eagerly learning more about the man we had all just met.
During the course of the evening, he had opened up a little, perhaps because of the drinks he consumed, or the fact that he was getting more comfortable with everyone.
Some of the friends were reaching out to ask him questions. “What kind of law do you practice?” Brian, Mary’s boyfriend called out.
“Criminal,” Michael simply replied.
Everyone talked eagerly about how exciting that would be and he continued to mention more about his job. We were engrossed in listening to what he had to say that I barely noticed when someone else joined the room. He cleared his throat, which brought us all out of our conversation.
I looked up and at first glance, I frowned. He looked vaguely familiar, but in the moment I couldn’t place him.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. I am the owner, Trevor Wild and I do hope the party met your standards.” He was speaking to Sydney. She also had this strange look on her face as she spoke to him briefly, thanking him for the wonderful service.
He then looked around the table and when his eyes landed on mine, he had this familiar gaze. Plus, it was like his eyes lit up. He smiled and then said goodnight to us and was gone.
I sat there for a moment, sure that I knew him from somewhere, but it wasn’t until the party started to break up and I got a chance to talk to Sydney, that I put it together. “The owner,” she started. “He looked familiar.”
I laughed it off and shrugged. “You’re a member of this club, so I’m sure you have seen him many times.”
Sydney shook her head. “No. I don’t think so,” she said. She frowned, trying to place it. And then just like a jolt, it seemed to hit her.
“I think I remember,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? Do share!”
She looked at me and tilted her head. “Do you remember that night when we were at the bar?” Her whole face lit up. “It was the night we were getting together and I told everyone I was getting married.”
The recognition started to dawn on me. “I had stood up and nearly was knocked over by this man and −”
“That’s the man!” Sydney blurted out.
I remembered it now. I was in such a hurry after getting that text about Josh and hadn’t been paying much mind to where I was going, so I didn’t notice when the man had come out of nowhere and bumped into me. But she was right. That man was Trevor Wild, owner of Mercury Wild. I remembered thinking back then that there were something intriguing in his stare and now I was even more convinced.
Sydney went back to talking to a few of the friends that were about to leave and I found myself thinking about him. He was handsome, no doubt. With the sexiest eyes I’d ever seen. He would be the perfect guy in every woman’s fantasy.
When Sydney had turned back to me, I told her that I needed to get out of there. It’d been a busy week and I was exhausted and just wanted to crash. We all hugged, with me congratulating them again. Then I grabbed my purse and left the room. I was just about to round the corner, when Trevor came the other way; we nearly crossed paths again. This time I was able to dodge him, before we collided, but his eyes went to mine.
He stopped, which only caused me to halt into place. “Hello,” he said.
I smiled. “Hello!”
It was an awkward exchange, to say the least, but then Trevor spoke again.
“Did you have a nice night tonight?”
I looked at him, my eyebrows furrowing and he explained himself. “You came from the engagement party, correct?”
“Oh! Yes!” I said, nodding.
He smiled and let me just say that it was the sweetest and yet sexiest smile. He would win contests with that smile.
“Did the party meet your expectations?” he asked.
I nodded. Truth be known, I hadn’t really been to many engagement parties, but to me the food, atmosphere, and service were top notch.
“It was very nice,” I said. I looked around. “This is a great place.”
He beamed with pride. “I’m glad you approve.”
Again, an awkwardness ensued, until I couldn’t take it anymore. “Well, I better be going. Goodnight!”
“Goodnight!” he said. I moved past him and out into the cool wind. I took a deep breath and a smile crossed my lips. I could definitely indulge in his masculine nature. He was my idea of one hell of a man that would be able to offer me all the finer things. But, sadly I was sure that it would never happen.
6
Trevor
I followed her out of the club with my eyes. The minute I saw her sitting at the table, my mind jumped back to that day I nearly ran her over in the club. Or, at least I was ninety-five percent certain she was the woman. Back then, she had her hair in a ponytail, but tonight it was flowing down over her shoulders. Yet, the same green eyes that had me captivated back then, still remained. It just had to be her.
I shook my head and headed back to the back of the bar to get in my office. I sat down at my desk and pulled up the computer. We had gone through the beer that the other bars had loaned us, at a price, and were now working on the cases that were delivered on Tuesday. They wouldn’t last forever and I surely didn’t want a replay of the past weekend. I had to do something to figure this all out and that something had to be fast.
I skimmed through pages and pages of resources that I could have possibly utilized, from other suppliers that might be a little cheaper, to corporations that would start buying out parts of the business. That part made me sick. I didn’t want to lose the bar that my dad and grandpa had worked hard to build up.
I was busy scanning pages and pages of information over the internet, when there was a knock on the door. I looked up to find Brayton standing there.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“There’s a rowdy table out there and they’re asking for the manager.” He shrugged. “Sorry, Trevor.”
I groaned and pushed myself away from the desk.
“What’s their problem?” I asked as we left my office and headed back out to the bar.
“I’m not sure,” Brayton said. “Something about t
heir service not being up to par with other bars around the town.”
Just what I needed was to have to respond to some negative feedback, when I was trying to get the bar back to the success it once was. He pointed me to a table and I rolled my eyes when I saw who they were. “Gee…thanks a lot.”
Brayton laughed. “They wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
I had no doubt that was the case. I moved away from the bar counter and to the table of the so-called rowdy table, where a few of my friends were laughing and carrying on. They looked up.
“Hey hey…the man of the hour has arrived,” Dylan yelped. “Whoop whoop!”
I rolled my eyes and then glared at him. “You do realize I have work to do, right? I can’t just come out here and jump at your beck and call.” I scanned over the table. There was Dylan, the real estate broker, Marcus, the banker, Damon, a professional football player, and Daxter, a firefighter turned professional model. Each man had passed through my life at some point when I needed a friend to talk to and through the years that brought us all together. I couldn’t imagine them not being my friends, but I was going through some tough things right now and really needed to focus on that.
“Come on, Trevor,” Marcus said. “Sit down and take a load off. You work way too hard.”
I glanced at him, then chuckled. Marcus, more than anyone should know what I was going through. He’d been on the ride of mergers and acquisitions with his business of banking. He was always on the hunt for a good deal and hoping things didn’t go bust, so it was interesting to hear Marcus being so light and carefree.
“Brayton, my man, give this boy a beer,” Dylan called out.
I groaned. The last thing I needed was to waste the beer on me. I almost objected, before Damon grabbed my arm and pulled me into a waiting chair.
“Just one beer,” I said, finally conceding.
