Color Me Grey

by Michelle Janine Robinson

  “Okay. Done,” he said. “But could you do something for me?”

  “Fire away, baby.”

  “Just answer me one question: Whose idea was this? Bridget’s or yours?”

  “Whose idea do you think it was? You and I haven’t met until tonight. It sure as hell wasn’t my idea,” Jade lied.

  As far as Jade was concerned, she’d be damned if Bridget was going to have Mr. Moneybags walking around acting all doe-eyed over her. She was going to get all the info she needed about him, his colleagues and his business, and Bridget was going to help. But, she would ensure that neither Bridget nor David would

  enjoy the time they spent together. Her response guaranteed that David would hate Bridget.

  CHAPTER SIX

  OBSESSION

  When Bridget returned from the wild goose chase that Jade had sent her on, Jade continued on her lying streak. She led Bridget to believe that David had shown up on Hunts Point with such goods new for Bridget that he couldn’t wait to see her in person. Instead, he had asked Jade to pass the news on.

  “Are you sure, Jade? He wants me to come to work at his firm. Are you sure that’s what he said?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t make this shit up. He told me how disappointed he was that he missed you and that he had some really good news. There’s an opening in his company. It’s an entry-level position in the word processing department, but there would be an opportunity for advancement.”

  “I don’t believe this! I kept wishing something like this would happen, but I never thought it actually would. A real job! See, I told you he was a nice guy.”

  “Yeah, real nice,” Jade whispered under her breath.

  “Huh? Did you say something, Jade?”

  “I was agreeing with you. He does seem nice. This is what you’ve wanted all along. I didn’t think you could pull it off. But, that’s my bad; I was wrong. You did it. Congratulations!”

  “Did he say when I should start?”

  “Monday. Also, he mentioned that you probably wouldn’t be meeting once a week like you’ve been doing, since you’re going to be working at the firm now.”

  Bridget was a little disappointed. She had come to enjoy her weekly meetings with David. He really was very nice to her; nicer than anyone she had ever known. And she was somehow able to get through her obligation to provide sexual satisfaction with him better than any of the other men she had encountered on Hunts Point. She felt he deserved to feel good. It was somehow a reward from her to him, for being so nice to her and treating her like a human being.

  “Oh,” Bridget said. “But, that’s okay; we’ll be working with each other every day. We’ll still get to see each other.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it. Don’t forget how the two of you met. He’s probably going to do his best to keep a very low profile. It wouldn’t do for his hoity-toity colleagues to know that he spends his nights trolling Hunts Point. Besides, it’s his firm and you’ll be a part of his staff. So, don’t be too surprised if he gives you the cold shoulder.”

  “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

  “He gave me the address and everything. The office is at 750 Lexington Avenue, on Fifty-ninth Street. His office is on the sixteenth floor; McDonnell & Simpson. So, Ms. Corporate Big Wig. You workin’ tonight, or you off to swim with the big fish?”

  Bridget couldn’t believe she had asked her that. The last thing she wanted to do was work. She finally had a real job. As far as she was concerned, she was done with the streets.

  “I was thinking I’d go back home, and try to get ready for Monday,” Bridget responded meekly.

  “Get ready for Monday. It’s only Wednesday. How much time do you need to get ready? You can knock off on Friday night or, better yet, Saturday night. You know Friday and Saturday are our biggest nights. Besides, we got bills to pay.”

  “Okay,” Bridget answered. “But Friday is my last day. I’m gonna need the weekend to get my head right for the job. It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of office work.”

  Bridget’s week was grueling. Jade made sure that every car passing through Hunts Point was pointed in Bridget’s direction. By the time she laid her head on her pillow Friday night, she was exhausted. Yet, as she slept, she knew that she would never have to live that life again. For the first time in a long time, she slept soundly, with no dreams of Mannersville, or johns, or even Buster.

  Bridget arrived at the offices of McDonnell & Simpson bright and early at 9:00 a.m., even though she was told to get there at 9:30. She was so excited the night before that she could barely sleep. She must have tried on the suit David had bought her ten times on Saturday and Sunday; anxious to look her best.

  When she arrived, there was a human resources person waiting to escort her around the offices. When it was time to fill out the legal forms required for employment, she was happy to see that David had made sure that his assistant, Linda, took over. She wasn’t sure what had been worked out, but she did read the portion of the application that required a social security card as well as proof of identity. She was sure that she was not going to be able to take the job. However, everything seemed to work itself out. Linda never asked for any of the identification requested on the application. Once again, it appeared, David had come through for her.

  It took Bridget a while to figure out where things were and to reacquaint herself with the things she had learned when she was in school. Between the training the company offered on the computer and everything else she already knew, she proved herself to be invaluable by always pitching in when needed, staying late, and working weekends. Despite David’s desire to loathe her presence, he couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t lying about having some knowledge of working behind a desk. In fact, she had more than a passing knowledge. She was good at what she did and was more than eager to learn anything she didn’t already know. Her work ethic was impressive to anyone that witnessed it.

  More and more David began to find ways to place himself near and around her. If he needed assistance on the weekends, he requested Bridget. If his assistant couldn’t stay after hours to finish something up, he would call the word processing department and ask if Bridget was available. He became so enthralled with her presence, he was unaware of the fact that everyone around them knew he was attracted to her. That is, everyone but Bridget. Despite the circumstances under which they originally met, Bridget didn’t treat David like a john, or even a man that might be interested in her sexually. She saw him as her savior, even a father figure, and she would have done anything for him. In her eyes he had done everything for her.

  Despite David’s desire for her, he always kept his interactions with Bridget purely professional. However, he started to become exceedingly preoccupied with her. He spent every waking hour, thinking about her, what she was doing, where she was going, how she spent her time. And before he knew it, he had taken to following her. At first, he justified it with coincidence and his just happening to leave the office at the same time she was leaving. Then, he became fascinated with the places she went. She seemed so taken with things that he took for granted. On one particular day, he watched her watching children playing in a nearby park. The little things he seldom even noticed seemed to bring her so much joy. It made him want to know even more about her.

  From the very first day Bridget started working at McDonnell, he was angry, very angry. Yet, that anger had minimized the more he watched her work and witnessed her personality. He found it hard to believe that Bridget could have instigated the circumstances of her coming to work at McDonnell. The more he came to know about Bridget, the more he began to believe that Jade was at the helm of all of this. After all, it was Jade who had contacted him on numerous occasions, badgering him to introduce her to his clients and colleagues. More and more David was convinced that he was willing to let Jade do her worst. But whenever he thought of his mother and what a scandal would do to her, he tried his best not to lose his temper. He gave Jade wha
t she wanted, within reason.

  David had been so preoccupied with Bridget he hadn’t realized that his assistant, Linda, was finding an assortment of ways to rob him blind.

  One of Big Rob’s runners, Pookie, happened to have a cousin named Brianna who had gone from working as a temp to being hired as a permanent secretary at McDonnell & Simpson. Both Big Rob and Pookie were convinced that with the right incentive, they could encourage Brianna to give them confidential information about the firm. Maybe even find ways to siphon off a bit of cash money. They were wrong. Brianna didn’t have a drug problem, so they couldn’t ply her with drugs—and she was an honest woman, plain and simple. When they realized that wouldn’t work, Pookie used small bits of information Brianna shared early on, before she realized what her cousin and Big Rob were up to. Brianna once mentioned that David’s assistant, Linda, enjoyed herself a bit of coke every now and again. Once Big Rob and Pookie made Jade aware of Linda, she pounced.

  Although her interest was initially purely recreational, after hooking up with Jade, Linda established quite the cocaine habit. Jade needed someone inside to get her the information and possibly the money she wanted. Her first choice would have been Bridget, but she knew she didn’t have the stomach for it. Linda was just the woman for the job, someone on the edge of desperation. As with any addict, she had to come up with more and more creative ways to feed her habit. And, Jade supplied her with ways to do just that. Ways that, of course, would profit her much more than Linda.

  “Linda, could you come in here, please?” David asked Linda one day after she had gotten back from lunch. “The company that’s been catering our lunches sent me an email today. It seems they do not prefer cash as you have so frequently told me. They’ve been trying to get the majority of their clients, including us, to pay them with a check or credit card. According to their accounting department, our firm has been resistant to paying by either means.

  “Now, with rare exception, they require that all of their clients pay by check or money order, and they felt it necessary to contact me directly. I assumed they were mistaken and they were the ones who had expressed a preference for cash. Therefore, they supplied me with all of the communications you’ve had with them; along with all of our former invoices.

  “Linda, you’ve been padding these bills. There’s no mistake about it. There are bills here that were for five hundred dollars, but you got close to a thousand from our accounting department. There’s one here for three hundred and you got six hundred from accounting. Not only that, I checked all of your overtime sheets and some of the weeks when you worked thirty-five hours, I signed overtime sheets for close to seventy. You’ve done an exemplary job for me, Linda, but there is clearly a problem.

  “I’m not going to fire you, but if you don’t resign willingly, I will. No one will know why you left. We can tell everyone you went back to Boston if you’d like, which actually might not be a bad idea. I’m not sure what your problem is, but I have a pretty good idea. You need help, Linda, and I hope you go somewhere and get it.”

  David had seen Jade hanging around the office, often waiting for Linda after work. He knew it was only a matter of time before things went awry. He knew Jade also sold drugs and undoubtedly Linda was one of her best clients.

  “I’m so sorry, David,” she cried. “I don’t know what happened. I’ve been spending time with some people that I think are bad for me. I’m going to get it together. I promise.”

  Linda left David’s office, happy that he hadn’t decided to prosecute her for theft and fraud. She was eager to cop some blow.

  She was barely inches away from the building before she beeped him: 9-1-1.

  “Rob, you holding?”

  “Yeah, Jade will be here. Come on by.”

  Linda considered taking the subway, but was in too much of a hurry. She had had a horrific day and the only thing she yearned to do was escape. It was tough for her to remember what she had done with her money and her time before she met Jade and Big Rob. At times like this, when everything was going wrong and she hadn’t gotten high yet, she wondered how she could’ve fallen so quickly. But, that feeling wouldn’t last for long. She would hook up with Jade, and get herself right. Besides, she had to do something to get it together. She was unemployed now and would have to find the stamina to find another job.

  Jade had become Big Rob’s connection with a large number of upscale customers; Linda included. Since he had hooked up with Jade, he had everyone coming to him, from secretaries like Linda, to lawyers and doctors alike; not to mention all their rich teenage children and their friends. He was making money hand-over-fist, and he had to admit that he had Jade to thank for that.

  Big Rob used to think he was focused when it came to business. But Jade was the only person he had ever met that was more driven than he was. She always seemed to be coming up with ways to make more and more money. Big Rob would watch her manipulate people so well it was fascinating to witness. He was especially intrigued by her relationship with Bridget. Often he actually felt sorry for the girl. Bridget was completely unaware of how artfully Jade was manipulating her day in and day out. He wasn’t surprised to find out that she had managed to get her a job at that hot-shot law firm. She had been playing everyone at that firm like pieces on a chess board; from the big man to his very own secretary. Jade had a gift for exploiting a person’s weakness. That was why he made sure he kept Jade at arm’s length and on his good side. Big Rob wasn’t afraid of Jade, because he was a force all on his own, but there was no sense in inviting undue hassles. As much as he was feeling her, he wasn’t about to be anybody’ s sucker. Big Rob found himself wondering what was up Jade’s sleeve next. For every one of her actions, there was always a more than equal reaction. He wondered what would come next.

  Jade knew Big Rob didn’t like anybody coming to his apartment, so she made sure she was waiting outside when Linda got there.

  “This is some real good shit I got you today.”

  “How much?” Linda asked.

  “You’ve hooked me up so much, I’ll give this to you free plus one extra, if you’ll do me a favor.”

  “What?” Linda asked.

  “I hear that there’s a guy in accounting at McDonnell that gets high. I think he’ll like Big Rob’s stuff a lot better than what he’s been getting. You gotta admit, Big Rob’s stuff is better than most. Don’t you think?”

  “Yeah. Definitely.”

  “If you’ll make an introduction for me, I’ll do the rest.”

  “That’s all you want? An introduction?”

  “Yeah, that’s it.”

  “Okay. I’ll probably be talking to him some time this week anyway. I got fired today.”

  “No! You’re kidding. How could he fire you with all that you do?”

  “He found out about me padding the bills and stuff. So, he let me go.”

  “That bastard! Considering what that firm probably makes, he could’ve let you off with a warning or something.”

  “David’s a good guy. I’m lucky he didn’t have me arrested. He’s right; I need to get it together. I’ve been getting high too much.

  “This is my last,” she said, lying to herself. “I won’t be calling you anymore.”

  Jade knew full well that Linda was full of it but she didn’t say a word. Linda was an addict, plain and simple. At some point, all addicts fooled themselves into believing they could “stop anytime they wanted to.” Linda was no different.

  “Good for you. You don’t want this stuff to become a crutch.”

  “Can I take it now and I’ll give Greg a call next week to set things up?”

  “I got my cell phone right here,” Jade offered.

  She wasn’t going to let Linda out of her sight without her doing something for her first; especially since it wasn’t really her product. It was Big Rob’s and she would probably have to replace it with her own money. Big Rob wasn’t as generous with the cash as he had been before he put her “on staff.”
<
br />   “Oh, okay,” Linda agreed. “That makes sense. I can call him now, while it’s on both our minds.”

  By the time Linda was done talking to Greg on the phone, he and Jade made arrangements to meet later on that night.

  Although Jade still kept her mother’s Westchester Avenue apartment, she had rented a more suitable place to live in the Bronx. She had no intention of sharing her first real home with Bridget. And, instead, chose not to tell her that she had even rented a new place. She continued to allow Bridget to believe that the Westchester Avenue apartment was her only residence and excused her frequent absences by telling Bridget that she was with Big Rob. After a while, Bridget stopped asking. Jade would have given the Westchester Avenue apartment up entirely, but at one point when she and Bridget were not making as much money, they had trouble paying the rent. That’s when Bridget contacted PRIMCO, the company that owned the building, pretending to be her mother. It was then that she learned the rent had been paid for many years and was still being paid by a corporation called Swerdly Enterprises. Jade was curious as hell as to why a large corporation would be paying the rent on the run-down Bronx apartment of a junkie and prostitute all these years. But every search led to the same dead-end. She assumed it was probably an obsessed client with money to burn. But, always in the back of her thoughts was the idea that there was more to the story. The new place was on Laconia Avenue. It was still the hood, but it wasn’t as bad as Westchester Avenue.

  When Greg arrived, she was happy to see that he was a brother, and she had the same effect on him that she had on most men. From the minute she walked across the street on 224th and Laconia, she could see he was feeling her.

  “I hope you’re Jade,” he said as he crossed the street.

  “That’s me. But, most people call me Red.”

  “I think I like Jade much better. You know, Jade, I’ve been at work all day and I’m hungry as hell. Have you eaten anything? There’s a great soul food place on 116th Street on the West Side. You feel like breakin’ bread with me?”