An Arrangement of Love (5 page)

Ignoring Troy, I sipped the wine. The bitter liquid glided across my tongue with a smooth subtly.
Good stuff
. Amber light flashed across Troy’s face as a new song played. This time the electronic bass thumped at a steadier pace. A woman sung in a reggae tone about love and heartbreak. I drank some more of my wine.

“He’s watching you now,” Troy announced. I choked and coughed a little.

“His eyes are shifty,” Troy said.

“What are you trying to imply?”

“There are old guys who sit in jail for years knowing they won’t ever get released. When new men come in the old guys watch them just like your boss is staring at you.”

“You’re insane.” I swallowed a gulp of wine.

“As soon as the new men are alone the old guys hold them down and rape them.”

Vivian returned. “What have I missed?”

I pointed to my brother. “According to Troy, my boss is going to attack and sodomize me.”

“Interesting.” She glanced Chase’s way. “He’s pretty hot.”

“He’s engaged and my boss,” I countered.

“Well, he’s staring at you like a guy does right before he walks over to a lady and asks her to dance,” she said.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “You both are over-exaggerating.”

“I’m serious.” Troy chugged his rum and Coke. “Just stay on guard with that guy and let me know if I need to take care of him.”

Hell no. I’d like you to stay out of jail this time.

“Okay.” I thought about what Chase said about my brother. “By the way, my boss offered you a guard job. He said you should go to human resources on Monday.”

“Why would he give me a job?” Troy set the glass on the bar. “Does he know I have a record?”

“Yes.”

“This guy is shady,” Troy said.

“Oh stop.” Vivian patted his back. “This is great news. Plus, my dad would have never recommended Jasmine if he thought Stone Industries was dangerous. Dad loves Jasmine like his own daughter.”

It was true. Benny had done more things for me than my own mom.
Things beyond the average person’s expectations.
He’d even hidden a murder for me years ago. Troy had killed one of Mom’s boyfriends when we were twelve. While she was passed out on the couch, the guy would corner me in the hallway after I took showers, tell me to open my towel, and be quiet or he would kill my mom. So I did it. By then my older brothers were incarcerated in the juvenile center. It was just Troy and me. I told Troy about the towel incidents and he immediately began sleeping under my bed, scared the guy would sneak in and try to rape me.

One night the guy tip-toed into my bedroom and lay on the bed alongside me. I pretended to sleep. He shook me, and without any hesitation, Troy stabbed a steak knife through his neck.
I remember the blood the most.
It sprayed my face and drenched my gown. Some nights, I still wake up screaming from a dream about drowning in blood.

I didn’t even try to wake up my mom. Nothing could get her up when she was high. Like always, I’d called Benny and told him everything. Benny ordered me to not call the cops. Next, he raced across town and showed up in our crappy projects in the middle of the night with four men.

My mom slept as they cleaned up all the blood in my bedroom, took the corpse away, and coached Troy and me on how to act and what to say if anyone asked questions. Benny held us the whole time. His huge arms wrapped around our small shivering bodies and never let us go, unless it was to wipe our tears.

The next week, a homeless guy discovered the body behind an old abandoned building several blocks from our projects. The cops never questioned Troy or me. No one discussed that night again. I don’t think Vivian ever knew about that night. At times I wondered if I’d imagined it all. Everything had continued as if nothing ever happened.
But things had changed for Troy.

He’d transformed overnight from a funny science geek to cutting school every day and hanging out with bullies. A year later, he was arrested for assault and thrown into the juvenile center. Once Benny heard Troy was arrested, Benny packed my bags and brought me to his home. He never even asked my mom if I could live with them. I stayed with Vivian’s family all during high school. Mom never protested. Sadly, it took her a while to even notice I was gone.

Only God knows the type of person I would have been if Benny had never taken me out of South End.

All of my friends from the neighborhood embodied ghetto stereotypes. Half had been killed before the age of eighteen—from stray bullets to AIDs. All of them held criminal records and lived dark, depressing lives.
That could’ve been me.
Every day, I tried my best to pay Benny back for all his help. Vivian’s mother was dying from cancer during high school, so I helped out with the household activities. Once her mother died, I just made maintaining their house my full time job.

“Jazz, are you okay?” Troy waved his hand in front of my face. “You want another drink?”

The club boomed around me. I blinked away the pain and depression that came with those memories.

“Yes. Make it a rum and Coke this time.”

“Is this job worrying you?” he asked.

“No.”

“Would you tell me if it did?”

“Yes.”

“Damn, you’re a bad liar.” He laughed and ordered my drink. “Your face still gives it away.”

Chapter 5

Oh god. Why me?

Chase stood in the middle of his office, half naked and spouting orders to Lucy and me. An orange towel was wrapped around Chase’s waist. Beads of water from his shower decorated his chest. Every inch of him was sleek with coiled muscle. Not one mark or blemish existed anywhere on his tan skin. An impressive bulge pushed against the front of his towel and promised a hot night of wet orgasms. The space overflowed with the seductive scent of expensive soap and male.
He’s not sexy. He’s your boss. You don’t want to slip your hands down his abs.
I attempted to focus on anything but him.

Chase stalked over to his desk, picked up both of the coffees I’d brought, and turned to me. “Jasmine, what’s this?”

“Well, I thought I would give you a choice between your old coffee and one I believe you may like much better.”

“Did you put my food likes and dislikes in the binder?” Chase asked Lucy as he took off the lid of the new coffee I bought him and sniffed it.

“Yes.” Lucy scowled at me. “I typed in bold that you expect a large dark roast coffee and wheat bagel from Brew and Bake shop.”

I’d gone down to Brew and Bake as they opened at 6:30, bought two pairs of coffee and bagel orders for him and me. One sip of the murky liquid almost made me vomit in my mouth. The bagels were stale and at least a day old. Even worse, the cashier totaled my order at thirty dollars.
Which proves a high price doesn’t always mean better.
I raced to Mama Jane’s Pit, grabbed two regular coffees and her best baked treats.

“So you give me two coffees just in case I want another choice?” Chase raised his eyebrows. “Even though Lucy’s manual is adamant about my coffee preference.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“I also explained several times that you hate straying from your usual routine,” Lucy added.
Tattle teller.

“So then you think my coffee choice wasn’t appropriate?” He smirked.

Understatement. It tastes like the bottom of someone’s shoe.

“I just thought you might like the new one, but I promise not to change the order again, in the future,” I said.

He took a sip of Mama Jane’s coffee and closed his eyes. Half a minute passed and I teetered on the edge of nervousness.

“I should give you a raise.” He drank some more. Both Lucy and I exhaled.

“What type of coffee is this?” he asked.

“A regular dark roast,” I admitted. “But I think the problem with Brew and Bake is that they probably don’t change their coffee beans or use a good quality water. Mama Jane takes on her coffee making as if it’s a science.”

“So Brew and Bake is a crappy coffee shop?” He picked up the brown bag with Mama Jane’s image on the front, opened it, and looked inside.

“Yes. It’s crap.” I checked out his behind as he turned away and then cursed under my breath.
Do not look at the sexy boss in the towel.
Clearing her throat, Lucy turned her attention to her feet.

“You do realize my family owns Brew and Bake?” He dove his hand into the bag.

“N-no, I didn’t realize that.”
Moron.
I’ll be fired by the end of the week if I keep making these dumb mistakes.

“What’s this?” He pulled out a circular treat.

“It’s a baguffin,” I mumbled.

“What?” His lips curled at the edge.

“It’s Mama Jane’s top breakfast item, a combination bagel and muffin.” I pointed to it. “This one is called Monkey Bread.”

Lucy snorted.

His lips widened into a huge smile. “Am I to assume this is another alternative to my preferred wheat bagel?”

“Yes.”

“Because you think the bagels are also crap?”

“Yes.”

Might as well dig myself deeper into my already deep hole.

“I trust you.” He bit into the baguffin, and then took another bite. I held my breath and waited for a response. He snatched up the Bake and Brew bag with the wheat bagel and tossed it in the trash.

Two scores for Jasmine.

“Stick with Mama Jane’s for my coffee.” He set the rest of the baguffin on his desk and headed to his office bathroom. Again, I peeked at his behind and enjoyed the delicious movement of artistically carved muscle as it flexed under the towel.

Okay. That’s absolutely the last peek.

“Find out how many calories are in the baguffin,” he called out from the bathroom.

“450 calories, 15 grams of fat. Most of it is saturated fat,” I replied.

“How do you know that?” He peered halfway out of the doorway. I swear it didn’t look like he had his towel on. A dark patch of silky black hair began inches from his belly as he leaned out.

“Jasmine?” He laughed.

Oh my god!
I snapped my concentration back to his face.
Awesome. I demand that he not sexually harass me and then ogle him on the first day of work.

“How do you know the calories by heart?” he asked. “Excellent memory?”

“No. I count calories so I won’t gain weight. I was a fat kid.” I caught him licking his lips and he turned away. “I only eat half of the baguffin.”

“Then let’s split a baguffin each morning.” He pierced me with those green eyes. A thrill bubbled in my chest.
Stop that.
He disappeared back into the bathroom. “Pick a new flavor each morning. Let’s see if you can bring back some more of this excitement to my breakfast.”

“Come on.” Lucy seized my hand and led me out of the office. “I thought you messed up, but you did great. Good idea with the new choices. Bad idea, of course, with insulting Bag and Brew.”

“Yes. That was rather embarrassing.”

We walked down a path outlined by rows of desks. Lucy continued to hold my hand, which felt awkward. I kept my hand limp in her grip.

Employees filled each desk. Some studied their computer or files. Others rushed to switch off their Facebook and Twitter pages. Whispers lingered near areas with two or more people. They studied me and continued their hushed conversation. I didn’t know if it was because I was the new girl or that I was the
black
new girl. I shook the thought away.
Stop that.
I had a tendency to be insecure when it came to race, always wondering if people were judging me based on bad stereotypes and if I was confirming those stereotypes.

“Ignore them.” Lucy made a mocking face at one woman pointing at us. “Lots of gossip happens on this level. I’ve asked Chase to move to the highest level where he can have an empty floor, but he refuses.”

“It sounds boring. He probably loves the noise and movement on this level.”

Lucy paused and gazed at me with a grin. “He actually said something like that. You’re perfect.”

Alrighty. She gets really excited about the simplest things.

Once we stepped on the elevator I had to ask, “So . . . does he always wear a towel to morning meetings?”

“Mostly. There’s a boxing gym on the third floor. He comes in early, punches things, then takes a shower in his office bathroom.”

Hopefully, I’ll start to find him unattractive when he’s half naked. Maybe like if a person eats lobster every day, and then after two months of nothing but lobster they crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“Are you okay with Chase being in a towel?” she asked. “I could tell him to stop.”

“No way.” I gritted my teeth as the elevator doors opened to the fourth floor. The last thing I needed was for him to know I couldn’t deal with him half naked in front of me. “It’s perfectly okay.”

“It’s also a nice view.” Lucy walked off. We rounded a corner on the right. Two offices with all glass walls greeted us. Thick smoke drifted from one of them. The aroma held a pungent edge to it, but still I found it somewhat calming.

“What’s up with the smoke coming out of that office?” I pointed to it.

“Sorry. The smoky office is yours.” Lucy twisted her lips to the side. “I burned some sage in it to drive out evil spirits.”

I tapped my right foot. “So … are they all gone?”

“Well, I don’t know if any were really there, but just in case.”

“Do you usually burn sage for new assistants?”

“No. I didn’t for the others.” She directed her attention to her toes. “Maybe I should have.”

A few seconds of silence traveled between us. I decided to interrupt the unease. “I’m going to go in there and start cutting a hole in this stack of work.”

“Oh sure. Let me know if you need help.”

“I will.” Smiling, I entered my office and swatted the lingering cloud of smoke away.
My office. I have an office I can call mine.
I would’ve screamed, but I feared Lucy would rush in wielding a sword of burning sage. Nevertheless, a girlish scream swirled in my core and begged to be released. I held it in and danced in my mind.