ASSISTANT ON DECK
“Knock-knock.” Adrian, Jordyn’s assistant, walked into her office without a care in the world. She was bold, loud, and boisterous. The perfect candidate for JX Consulting. Jordyn had actually hired her by accident, but over time, they grew to love each other and were able to put their differences aside to build an empire.
“What if I was in here getting my freak on or something?” Jordyn teased. “You never wait for me to actually say, ‘Come in. You just come in.”
“Oh, I know Miss Conservative ain’t doing none of that!” Adrian laughed. “You probably ain’t let a nigga smell the coochie the whole time you been in Chicago.”
She was right. No man had touched Jordyn since Mega. She was so messed up over him, Mila, and the miscarriage that she wouldn’t even look at a man too hard.
“Everything that needed to be signed, sealed, and delivered has been signed, sealed, and delivered. So I’ma take off on this good Friday night. I got myself a hot date.”
Adrian admired herself in the full body mirror in Jordyn’s office as if she were wearing her favorite freak-um dress and red heels.
She was a thick and curvy woman with a small waist and the perfect ratios. No man to call her own, but she had a lot of admirers. You know, men she used to get what she wanted.
“Did I overhear you ask your mama why she was calling you from jail?” She took a seat and made herself comfortable.
“Girl! Why are you listening to my phone calls?” Jordyn asked. “That’s not what I pay you for.”
“You said it as I was walking back from the fax room,” Adrian playfully rolled her eyes. “What’s up with Miss Pauline? She whooped somebody’s ass at bingo?”
As bad as it sounded, Jordyn wished that was all that had happened. She wished her mother would’ve given up her dream of being the queen of Philly. She wished she had never introduced her to Mega and most of all, she wished Adrian wasn’t so damn nosy.
“Not this time,” Jordyn replied. “I might have to go down to Florida for a while, though.”
For the first time since they’d met, Adrian looked intimidated. She’d always talked about starting her own business and how much freedom came with it, and even though Jordyn didn’t want to leave her franchise behind for a trip to Florida, she knew Adrian was the perfect person to stand in her place.
“What you mean for a while?” Adrian raised one of her brows. “Like, a few days?”
“It may be longer than that,” Jordyn answered. “Anyway, it don’t matter how long I’ll be gone. I have you to take care of things for me.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Now, hold on. I applied as an assistant. Not CEO. Assistant. That means I take the calls, get the coffee, schedule appointments, give tours, you know? Stuff like that. Not run the entire company.”
Adrian’s emphasis made Jordyn laugh uncontrollably. She felt like there was no time for laughing, though. Her mother was in jail, and she had to stop her entire life again to save her.
“I need you on this, Adrian. You’re the only one I trust enough to make sure we’re still standing when I get back. And plus, you been killing it with ideas this week! Shit, your vision might be better than mine right about now.”
“Well, you know!” Adrian tooted her lips and flipped her hair to one side.
“Exactlyyy!” Jordyn cheered. “I know my girl will take care of things if I decide to go.”
That moment of bliss, happiness and sisterhood made Jordyn forget about the problems she knew would come if she went to Miami. But Pauline was her mother. Her sick mother. And if the feds had her, it was for a reason. Not something small, like jaywalking or fighting at bingo.
“Hey, do your parents still take clients?”
Jordyn remembered Adrian’s parents were both lawyers. She remembered it so well because she was surprised that someone so loud and ratchet could have parents with respectable careers. She was ashamed to admit that she had judged Adrian prematurely, but she was thankful that she stuck around.
“For twenty-eight years,” Adrian smiled proudly. “I don’t think either one of them is giving that up no time soon. Why? You think your mama might need a lawyer?”
“Do they handle fed cases?”
“Fed cases?” Adrian’s eyebrows raised. “What the hell Miss Pauline been doing in Miami? Hanging out with Rick Ross and Gunplay?”
The laughter that erupted inside Jordyn’s office brought Roman, her security guard, down the hall for a wellness check. Roman was a guy she met when she first moved to Chicago. He had a huge crush on her, but because he reminded her so much of Mega, she thought they were better off as friends.
She hired him as security because she was afraid Bossy might come back around, and so he’d look the part for the judge and his parole officer, and surprisingly, Roman took that as an opportunity to leave the streets and better himself. In turn, he started his own security firm and still looked out for Jordyn on the side.
0 Comments