Chapter 7: Jesse's Scolding and a Failed Apology
1950 Words
-Jafaar's POV-
“Have you seen the rival’s new structure on the other side of town?” I asked my best friend, Kamal Singh. He wasn’t an employee of my company, but he did know the ins and outs of what was going on. He was my lawyer after all.
“They are scared Jaff. They think surrounding you will intimidate.”
I scoffed. “Well, I’m not intimidated. They need to focus on the business inside instead of building empty structures,” I muttered as I waited for the elevator to get to the top floor.
“So, I have a question,” said Kamal “Not about the job-or well, kind of, but not really.”
“Alright,” I replied with suspicion and slight impatience. “Out with it then.”
“Word around the street is…you have a new employee.”
“What?” I was caught off guard by the random question, as there was no new employee. “What the bloody hell are you on about?”
“I heard you have fresh meat in the office. Pretty little thick chick.”
Journee Woods.
“I hear she’s a bit homely-lil on the frumpy side, but has potential. Maybe, I could see about-”
“Why? Why do you insist on trying to screw every woman you see, Kamal?”
“Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? I’ve not seen this one yet, and I still might want to screw her. So, see? I’m an equal opportunist!”
As annoyed as I was by his blatant disregard for respect concerning the opposite s*x, or the blatant rejection of his own morals, I did find a chuckle in what he said.
“I am not in the mood for you today, Kam,” I said.
“Yeah? Is it because of said new chick?”
“No!” I said a little too quickly and far more…defensively than I maybe should have.
“Oookay,“ Kamal replied after a moment's silence. I could almost see the expression on his face when he said this; clear confusion and blatant suspicion, I’m sure.
“I’ve just had a long day is all.”
“You always have a long day, bud. Because you don’t know how to take time off.”
“I do take time off, but I’ve just been busy is all.”
“Yeah, especially busy, I’ve noticed, since the whole Princess debacle.”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I hissed.
My former fiancé cheating on me two days before we were set to be married still left a bad taste in my mouth, one that I was not particularly ready to revisit again so soon.
“Gotta talk about it some time, Jaff,” retorted my best friend.
Maybe he was right, but that didn’t mean I would listen to him.
The elevator finally dinged the top floor, and the door started to open. “Even if that is the case, I choose when to talk-”
I immediately stopped talking when I saw Jesse, my assistant, sitting down next to Journee Woods…and holding…the baby.
“I have to call you back, Kam.”
“Which means I’ll speak with you tomorrow,” he said, knowing that I really wasn’t going to call him back so late. “Alright, man, I’ll-” I hung up the phone before he could finish.
“What the bloody hell is going on here?”
While Jesse seemed to respond calmly to my aggravation, as he’d always done, Journee Woods’ eyes widened, like a startled deer in headlights, however.
She jumped up from the couch and took a step back. Fortunately, she didn’t have the baby, or she’d have certainly gotten whiplash from her mother’s aggressive and quick movement.
“I-” Journee Woods started to say. “He-I-Mr. Holmes was-I was just asking him to-” she was completely fumbling over herself, trying to find an explanation.
It was kind of…cute.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hayes,” she finally said. “I know that you only cleared access to my room and-”
“Oh, sit down, dear,” Jesse interrupted her. He then regarded me, and dismissively, might I add.
I was very offended.
“I just wanted to inform Ms. Woods of her daughter’s whereabouts as well as the more intimate details of her childcare to ease her mind.”
“You don’t trust me?” I looked at her with a raised brow.
I knew that she was trying to choose her words wisely, so…I waited. I'd have been lying had I not secretly confessed to how fun it was to tease her like this.
“I-it’s-it’s not that-”
“I mean, because you know, it’s a bit late in the game to be thinkin’ about whether you can trust me or not after blindly handing your kid off to me this morning-”
“I know that!” she hissed, her frustration apparent. I could tell that this frustration wasn’t necessarily geared towards me, however. She felt guilty.
“I…I’ve been…thinking about that…all day, Mr. Hayes.”
She was really beating herself up over this. I almost felt bad for the woman. I did feel bad for the woman. So, I left it alone, for the time being.
“Uh, well, I should be getting home to the Mrs.” Jesse quickly stood to his feet, and smiled, gently handing the baby off to her mother. “It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Woods, and I certainly hope that it will not be the last time, that I see you.” He then looked down at the bundle in her arms. “Or you, little Miss.”
“Same time tomorrow?” Journee Woods asked him with a small smile.
“The Mrs. wouldn’t have it any other way,” he chuckled. “You have a good night.”
“Thank you. You do the same, and tell Mrs. Holmes, that I’d love to thank her in person one day for this.”
“No problem sweetheart,” he said.
Ms. Woods glanced at me, a grimace gracing her flawless brow before she rushed off to her bedroom, shushing and rocking the half-asleep baby.
When the door closed, I felt the energy in the room shift completely. I was in for a talking too.
“You-you ought to be ashamed of yourself!” He hissed, not even sparing me a glance as he watched Journee Woods, softly close the door behind her.
I didn’t say anything at first. I heard what he had said, but I just, she really did have a nice arse on her. Pretty little thick chick, was the term that came back to mind.
“And then you have the nerve to gawk at the woman! After humiliating her?” he exclaimed irately.
With an exasperated sigh, I finally turned my attention to Jesse. He was right. “You’re right,” I verbalized. “I’m sorry.”
“I wonder how your mother would feel about this? Your father!?”
“I said I’m sorry, Jesse-”
“You’re apologizing to the wrong person.”
Again…he was right.
“You don’t even know her,” I tried(miserably, might I add) to defend myself. “Why are you taking her side?”
“You don’t either!” he snapped back. “And yet you’ve randomly taken a stranger into your home-and one with a child no less-a woman! Now who's the i***t trusting someone blindly?” he said. “She could make your life a living hell if she chose to.”
“She signed an NDA.”
He laughed, and rolled his eyes at me as if I had something amusing. “You think a damned contract will fix every single thing in your life, Jafaar, and that is what’s the matter with you now.”
Jesse Holmes was not a man of profanity. If there was any doubt of his upset towards me, it was gone at this point.
“I apologize for upsetting you, Jess-” he started to rebuttal. It was clear that he didn’t want my apology, but I gave it to him anyway. “I know, I know,” I interrupted him. “I know that I need to apologize to her, but I also need to apologize to you as well. For being so dismissive. There is no justification for my actions.”
I hesitated before I said the next part, however.
“But I have to ask…do…do you really think that she’s the type of woman who would go out of her way to make my life a living hell?”
He stood there in the elevator, holding the door open and staring at me. “Do you?”
I didn’t need much time to think about it before I shook my head. This seemed to relieve Jesse a bit.
“Jafaar, the only thing that that young woman seems to be concerned about is making sure that that beautiful baby is safe. The circumstances of you coming across her are suspicious-to me at least, but despite the mystery, I do believe that Journee is simply trying to survive right now, and I’m glad that you’re helping her.”
Jesse took a step back and allowed the elevator door to finally close. “Now, go apologize.”
After he left, I sighed, eyes to the ceiling. I shook my head and headed toward the door of her room..
I started to knock, but hesitated. I knew that I was wrong but…it was easier said than done to apologize. I knocked. She didn’t answer.
I wish I’d have thought better of it, because as soon as I did, soft cries could be heard through the other side.
Dam, I woke the baby.
The cries continued, and I didn’t hear Ms. Woods comforting her. Immediately, paranoia crept in, and I’m not sure why. It was clear that the mother was in the same vicinity, but, the baby was alone.
I opened the door, just a peep, and saw that the light was dimmed, and the bathroom door was closed.
The baby was alone. But she was safe, as Ms. Woods surrounded her with plush pillows to make sure, I’m assuming, that she didn’t roll.
Still, just to be safe, I stood there and watched, as the baby wriggled and writhed with discomfit. I wasn’t sure, but I guessed that she wanted to be held.
My…daughter?
I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. But it was hard not to watch her.
“You’re causing a lot of trouble, little one. I need you to hush.” My voice, stern but soft. I didn’t want to anger the little thing.
“Oh!”
The sound of Journee Woods shrieking, forced me to jump back. When I finally met her gaze, she was staring at me in horror, a towel draped around her naked body.
“What-what are you-”
“I’m sorry, I” I quickly rushed to the door of her room.
“I-the baby-she was…I was just making sure-I’m sorry!”
Suddenly, I was verbally stumbling like a bloody bumbling fool. Our raucous made the little lass even more discomfited.
“I’m sorry!” I said one last time, and slammed the door behind me. Geeze, I wish I hadn't slammed the door. The child screamed out into a bloody fit.
“Oh wow, good job, Jaff.”
Well, that could have gone better. I headed to my room, deciding that I’d revisit this apology thing tomorrow. Second time’s the charm, after all.
Right?
- Writer
