Jaded Hearts (4 page)

That would not be happening again.

Vivian would arrive with a car in an hour,
so I switched my attention to getting dressed and making a good
first impression at the office. I knew I had to project the right
image since my job was literally handed to me. I decided on a
simple gray suit set with an A-line skirt. The jacket was cinched
at the waist and revealed a glimpse of my pink silk top. I slipped
on my gray pumps, and smoothed my ponytail. I think this will do.
 

The next few days were the equivalent of a
movie dream sequence. My first day at Emerge was filled with
meetings with the entire staff. I had a welcome lunch with the top
executives and a celebratory dinner with my immediate staff. I had
an assistant named Donna who was probably the sweetest person I
have ever met.  She was only a few years older than me at
twenty-seven, and was already married. Her Dominican features were
exotic, but she downplayed them with a Plain Jane style of dress,
and wore her hair in a bun every day. She sat with me and helped me
map out how I wanted to organize my files and schedule my meet and
greets for all my in-country clients.  Vivian walked me
through my client list and explained the compensation structure to
my contracts. It was almost overwhelming. I was going to have to do
audit reports to catch up on the financials.

By the time Friday rolled around I was ready
for my first client meeting. According to Vivian, he was a
distributor of tequila from South America and wanted to branch out
to the US. I was filled to the brim with excitement, and couldn't
believe this was real. I was so excited that I was beginning not to
care that I had argued with Evan twice this week, and still hadn't
spoken to Colleen for more than a five-minute chat.

Oh well, that was my old life I suppose.

*

I walked into work with my feet barely
touching the ground. I said good morning to everyone I passed on
the way to my new office, which I was in love with. Donna helped me
redecorate from the old stuffy furniture that the previous occupant
had the misfortune of having to sit at every day. We both agreed on
a sleek cherry wood desk set with frosted glass edges. She was
waiting eagerly at her desk and jumped up to greet me with our
already established morning cappuccino routine. Neither of us were
big coffee drinkers, but loved
frappuccinos
and caramel macchiatos and we shared them
as we went over the plans for that day. I think that my relief to
have someone who was so helpful, and her relief to have a boss who
was young and not sexually harassing her were the beginnings of a
great relationship.

We cut our ritual brief since the meeting
was set for 9:00 am, and I went to the conference room to prepare.
Vivian would be sitting-in as well as Donna, and Mr. Delgado was
bringing his lawyer, so my office was too small to accommodate
everyone. My nerves surged as I sat poring over my client's
background to make sure I would be well informed on his business,
and Vivian walked in with the two men.

Hector Delgado was tall, with a head full of
salt and pepper hair that framed his face. His dark serious eyes
assessed me and the tight reserve of his jaw loosened up.  I
was glad I decided on a taupe colored dress suit that had a short
bolero style jacket. He uttered a phrase in Spanish to the man
Vivian introduced as his lawyer. John Benson was an equally tall
gentleman at about six-foot two inches with short brown hair
highlighted with golden flecks; a nice tan gave him a golden beige
complexion, and warm hazel eyes that looked like I was staring into
my own. He reminded me of a mix between David Beckham and Clark
Kent. I smiled expectantly waiting for him to translate for his
client who was now also smiling at me.

"Mr. Delgado is thankful that you are easy
on the eyes Ms. Spencer," He said.

I blushed as everyone laughed at his
observation.

The meeting, which should have been
relatively brief, lasted almost two hours. It seemed as if my
client wanted to ensure that I fully understood his vision for
expanding his empire, and the translation lag did help to extend
our encounter. I was impressed not only with Mr. Benson's fluent
Spanish, but also his patience with all of his client's questions
and mine as well. I wanted to be certain of my responsibilities and
the expectations of my customer.  John had a laid back
demeanor that made me feel at ease.  After we wrapped up our
session John handed me his card.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Spencer.
I have a few clients who have expressed interest in your company. I
would like to set up a meeting to discuss the prospects. Also it
never hurts to have a lawyer on hand when you are new in town." I
took his card and we shook hands.

"Please, call me Jade. I would never turn
down a prospective client so I will have Donna set something up
with your office," I said.

He shot me an all American smile. Very
Nice.

"OK, Jade. I look forward to it," he
beamed.

I exchanged universal goodbyes with Mr.
Delgado as they walked out. Vivian turned back to me with a look of
sheer pride and a high-five.

"I knew you would be perfect for this. I
also told you that handsome available men come a dime a dozen," she
bragged.

I met her cliché with a confused glare.

"OK.... Price of tea in China, please?" I
joked.

Both she and Donna laughed out loud.

"Just keep your eyes and your options open
Jade," was her reply.

My first week was amazing, and tonight I
would celebrate it with Jackie. She could make anything a reason to
celebrate. I walked into my apartment around 6:00 pm. Just as I
locked my door my cell phone began to buzz. It was Evan. I answered
excited to share the details of my first week with him.

"Hey Evan! What's up?" There was a short
pause.

"Um, that's a good question. You tell me."
His tone was dry. My spirits dropped. It was going to be one of
those conversations.

"Well, everything is good. I had a great
first week at work." I tried to remain positive in spite of his
attitude. He snorted.

"Whoa, pace yourself Jade. It's only been
seven days. You don't want to run out of gas," he suggested
sarcastically.

Ouch!

I wasn't going to go along with his
bullshit.

"OK. Well, thanks for that, and I'm sure
things are good with you. It was good to hear your voice, annnnd I
will talk to you soon." I heard him say my name before I hung
up.

Yes, I need to celebrate.

I met Jackie for dinner and drinks at one of
her favorite nightspots. I replayed my call from Evan, and she just
grimaced. Nope, she didn't really like him. I could remember the
distinctly plastic smile that she reserved just for him whenever
she came to Miami.

We decided on hitting a few bars and then
headed to Echo. Tonight the club was just as packed as last week's
special event. We went straight to the VIP section and ordered
drinks. Thankfully there was no sight of Julian, and Jackie assured
me that he didn't usually come to Echo. He preferred another lounge
that he owned, and that the last party was a fluke.  

After we had a few drinks, Jackie wanted to
check out another after-hour spot to see if it could be used for
one of her events.  When we exited Echo, Julian and Edward
where outside waiting next to a limo. After I recovered from my
surprise, I looked at my devious cousin, and shook my head.

"No," I spat out. Jackie tried to give me
that - eyes wide, I don't know what you're talking about look, but
I wasn't falling for it. I began to walk past the limo to hail a
cab home, but was stopped short when she grabbed my arm.

"Oh come on Jade. He's my boss, and his
family has done a lot for me. We work together on a lot of
different projects, so sometimes he's going to be around," she
pleaded.

I didn't know what to say. So I said
nothing. Just stood there folding my arms, trying to act like I
wasn't excited to see Julian. He was now leaning up against the car
enjoying our little show.

"It's not a big deal Jade. We ride over with
them, I do a little business and then we go. It's not like he can
force you to do anything you don't want to do," Jackie
reasoned.

See that's what I was afraid of. I
remembered, very vividly, how my own body turned against me that
night. I wasn't as sure of myself as my cousin seemed to be.

Defeated, I headed over to the limo, nodding
politely to both men before we all got in. Part of me was excited
at the idea of spending more time with Julian, and part of me
wanted to turn and run for a cab home. Jackie didn't seem to care
one way or another. To her this is what men were for, to make sure
we never spent any of our own money. Julian sat across from me and
I tried not to make too much eye contact, but I was very aware of
him staring at me the entire time.  Julian was handsome,
powerful, and hypnotic. I sat stewing in a prison of his radiating
sensuality as Jackie chatted and laughed with Edward the entire
ride

The driver pulled in front of a place called
VI. It seemed tiny in comparison to the extra spacious Echo. We
walked in and were seated at a small table by a hostess who seemed
to know both Jackie and Julian. She was a petite Latina with the
sexiest eyes I had ever seen.

Next to Julian's, of course.

She was dressed in a black skintight dress
with spaghetti straps that stopped mid thigh. Her wavy black hair
hung over her shoulders and rested right above her perky breasts
that were pushed out of her dress. Julian ordered drinks for our
table, and she responded to his request in Spanish as her cat eyes
studied me curiously. His response was a curt thank you. She smiled
and left our table to return to her duties.

Did he do this to all women?

The club was dimly lit with red and purple
lighting, and the music was a mixture of Latin and Caribbean
tunes.

I like!

Our drinks arrived and we all toasted to
enjoying life. As he clinked my glass Julian gave me a gaze that
was so hot I felt the familiar goose bumps pop up on my skin. There
was so much to that look, and I wasn't sure how to take it. Jackie
went off to do her business with the owner of the club, leaving me
with the two men. Against my better judgment I knocked back a
couple drinks to ease my nerves. I couldn't help but to respond to
the sexy rhythms of the music that thumped all around us.

"Do you want to put those moves to good
use?" Julian whispered in my ear. It seemed like everything he said
had a double meaning. I was still contemplating an answer as he
grabbed my hand, leading me as we danced to the fast paced salsa
tune. He seemed surprised that I could keep up with him as he spun
and twisted me around.

"Not bad, Jade. I may need to take a look at
your birth certificate. My mother said your family was Jamaican,
not Dominican!" he mused.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What can I say? I'm versatile," I
countered.

He eyed me expectantly. "I sure hope
so..."

Before I could respond to him Jackie handed
us each a glass of champagne. I gulped mine eagerly to soothe my
dry throat and growing anxiety. Maybe a little too eagerly, but I
refilled my glass anyway. Julian sipped his drink casually, and
studied the dance floor while still swaying to the music, for once
not staring at me.

I watched as two more olive skinned men
dressed in black suits approached him. One of the men said
something to him in Spanish and he frowned and barked orders at
them. He put his glass down and turned to Jackie and me.

"Ladies, please excuse me, I have some
business to attend to." Then he leaned towards me and
whispered.

"As for you Miss, don't you dare think about
running away." He gave me a smile that never reached his eyes and
stalked off.

How did he know?

I looked at Jackie, who also seemed to sense
my thoughts. She gave me a rueful smile.

"Awe, c'mon Jade. Try to relax and enjoy
yourself. Stop trying to control everything," she reprimanded.

I had no words. I guess my fear of this man
was permeating my pores.

Why was I so afraid?

I sipped another glass of champagne and
watched as he walked away. As he passed the large bar I spotted
Nina, Ms. Tall and Blonde. Maybe I wouldn't have to worry after
all. Julian just glared at her but kept walking right past her.

Oh damn!

She sat back down on her bar stool looking
forlorn. She glanced in my direction and caught me watching her,
and quickly turned away from me.

"I told you she wasn't his girl!" Jackie
said full of amusement.  

She tried to coax me to the dance floor, but
I wasn't ready for that yet, but she went ahead and found an eager
partner waiting for her. I watched the as they moved smoothly to a
merengue tune. Before I had a chance to consider my departure I
spotted another couple stepping and spinning to the music. It was
Julian and a voluptuous raven-haired partner. She had a stunning
body, with a small waist and large shapely behind. I felt a twinge
of jealousy as I watched them move gracefully with each other.

She was all smiles and exaggerated sensual
moves, but he was less enthusiastic. He didn't look at her the way
he looked at me. The way he was looking at me now that he caught me
watching him. He winked at me as he continued to move her around
and nodded to another guy on the dance floor and spun her right
into his arms. She wasn't pleased with the switch but did not
protest either. Julian motioned me to the dance floor and mouthed
come
.

I hesitated, but being full of champagne and
less conviction, I went to him. We met at the edge of the dance
floor and pulled me close to him. No, he did not dance with her
like this. He gave me a strange look as he maneuvered me to the
center of the dance floor.