Fallen Woman(32)
“That girl who brought her kid to the water park,” Jase answered without ever turning away from me.
“Okay,” he dragged out the two syllables. “But who is she to Gianna?”
“No one. She’s a non-issue.” Jase answered Holland again, curtly.
“Is that what we are to you? Non-issues?” I was fuming.
Jase threw his hands in the air. “You’re fucking crazy, Gianna. I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Allison is a non-issue. You’re my best friend. So why are you putting the two of you in the same category?”
“Because we’re both your projects, Jase!” The tears erupted at the mention of his name. I couldn’t keep them at bay, and there wasn’t enough liquor in the world to make me feel better right now. I was embarrassed and ashamed.
“Whoa, what? My projects? What the hell did she say to you?”
I shook my head, knowing snot bubbles would be forming soon and the hiccups would ensue. This tirade was about to get ugly, and I didn’t want anyone in this bar to witness it. “It doesn’t matter, Jase.” I tried to scoot out, but Holland wasn’t having it, and Jase gave him a death stare that said if he let me up he was a dead man.
“Please, just let me go home.” My words were shaky, and my hands trembled.
“Fine. You tell me what you’re talking about, and I’ll let you leave.” Jase slammed his hand on the table emphasizing his last word.
He wouldn’t let me go without getting the answer he wanted. “Do you guys have a contract for her, too? Does she fetch a higher nightly rate than I do?”
If I had anything in my glass other than ice, I’d throw it in his face for laughing at me right now. None of this was funny.
“Babe, really?” The worried lines disappeared from his brow, and the storm in his eyes calmed. “You think Allison is in your league?” When I didn’t respond, he stood from the table and peered down at Holland. “Haul ass. I’ve got this from here.”
Holland hesitated before getting my confirmation. I was reluctant to give it but told him I’d call if I needed him.
“First of all, when did my friends start to value you more than they do me?” The humor in his voice reflected in the crinkles around his eyes. “He’d take a bullet for you; you know that right?” He waited for an answer he didn’t get, and then he kept talking. “Holland loves you. So does Max. Drake’s a self-absorbed idiot so we’re not sure what he’s doing, and Willum’s scared of his own shadow, but my group as a whole is fiercely protective of you. That, in and of itself, puts you in a whole league of your own, so don’t forget that while you explain to me how your head got so twisted.”
He listened patiently without interruption before correcting my thought process. Allison had indeed started in the mailroom, but she’d been promoted twice and was his grandfather’s secretary at the time he’d retired. Instead of letting her go, Jase had taken her on as his assistant. He frequently gave her passes to take her son to the movies, or gift cards for staying to work late, but the water park was the first time he’d ever seen her outside of work, and that was only because he’d had her buy my kids, and Derrick, swim stuff and reserve the entire waterpark. “I felt guilty not asking her to join us. She doesn’t have anyone, Gia.”
“Tell her to find her own friends,” I pouted under my breath.
He poked me in the side. “Someone’s a little jealous.”
“I’m not jealous. I don’t want to be one on a list of whores you and your friends pay to hang out with.”
His eyes flamed with anger, again. “I don’t now, nor will I ever, think you’re a whore, and it pisses me off that you try to put yourself in that category. You don’t sleep with any of us or perform any favors. My friends buy your time. Plain and simple. Think of it more of an acting gig versus a paid escort. You get to be whatever character you want that night.”
“Nice try, Jase.”
“Gia, I’d give you the world if you’d let me, but since you have refused, I’m forced to get creative. I dealt with Dale today, and I’m moving you out of the mailroom. I don’t care if you like the idea or not. Everyone in the building thinks we’re sleeping together anyhow, so how about reap some benefits?”
I decided not to argue with him. He needed time to cool off, and I was still rather emotional from the Allison misunderstanding. I was tired and felt hung over, although two drinks hadn’t done me in.
Jase paid the tab, and I tipped the waitress. Leaving, I asked him to take me home to avoid waiting for the bus and the dreadful ride. He dropped me off and hugged me outside the car. He’d been quiet most of the ride and still seemed a tad off, but I was too beat to care. He eyed me like he wanted to say something, but instead, he squeezed my hand.
“Goodnight, Gia.”
“Night, Jase.”
Chapter Eight
I hesitated to leave the kids with Miss Pearl. As the weeks passed by, she’d gotten worse and worse but refused to go to the doctor. I knew money was the issue, although she’d refused to admit that, and I’d vowed to give her the five hundred dollars I would get for my date with Willum tonight. I just wasn’t sure it was in the best interest of the kids or Pearl. She needed rest, but without her, I didn’t have anyone to watch them so I could go. Jase had moved me to the marketing department the Monday after my meltdown, but even with the pay increase, with three kids, I was just eking by. They were growing like weeds and constantly needed new things, and with the school year approaching and two birthdays this summer, money always seemed to be in short supply. I hadn’t even bothered to open the latest round of medical bills from Emmy’s doctor and the lab.