Chapter 10 #2
“They must have baby toys in the back. Definitely stuffed animals. Let’s go inside!”
Jamie followed them in. The mother and pregnant daughter went to the children’s books first, while Jamie meandered down the stuffed animal aisle.
She didn’t know what she was looking for. She searched the mountains of stuffed dolls and animals. Perhaps a good five minutes went by, with other parents coming and going, some children begging for this doll or that. Who knew? Jamie was lost – literally and figuratively.
Finally, her hand snatched something. She held up a stuffed white cat, sitting primly with a smile on its face and a loose tail wagging back and forth with the movements of Jamie’s hands. A marble in its head made it sound like it was purring.
Clutching it, Jamie took it up to the counter without even looking at the price tag.
“Where to?” her driver asked fifteen minutes later.
Jamie stared into the toyshop bag, looking into the smiling eyes of the stuffed cat.
I love cats… would my kids love cats? Or would they be like Etta, who was completely indifferent…
even if she were a cat magnet? The kind of woman who claimed to not care but was soon taking care of a hundred kittens as if it were a matter of course?
Does she want kids? Are we gonna have kids one day? Jamie stared into the bag while the driver waited for an answer. Can I even have kids if I really have reproductive cancer?
“Let’s go to Etta’s office,” she blurted.
The driver pulled the car out of its parking space.
I don’t know why I’m going there. The hormones were making her do it.
She wanted a hug from her girlfriend while she was in town.
Maybe she would suggest going to the penthouse that night so they could be alone.
And cuddle. I want to cuddle her forever.
Etta would probably fall asleep in two minutes, but that was okay.
The concierge on the ground floor nodded at Jamie as she walked by, one shopping bag in hand.
The elevator attendant gave his greetings.
Jamie didn’t even have to ask to go to the executive offices.
The attendant recognized her, not only from her days of working there but from being his boss’s girlfriend.
The office was relatively quiet when she arrived. All she heard was the fountain by the elevator and the occasional ring of a telephone. Natasha sat behind her receptionist’s desk. As Jamie approached, that head of blonde glanced up, double taking before sucking in her breath.
“Hey,” Natasha greeted, her white teeth glistening. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I was in the neighborhood.” Jamie clutched her two bags. “Is Etta in?”
Natasha dropped her smile. “She is, but…”
“But?”
“She’s in a very important meeting and doesn’t want to be disturbed unless it’s an absolute emergency. Like… you’ve got your entrails dragging behind you kind of emergency.”
“I see. How much longer?”
“I don’t know. She’s been in there for about an hour now. I think they started with lunch and moved here.”
Jamie squared her shoulders. “Is it a partnership interview?”
Natasha nodded.
“Then I’ll make sure not to bother her. I’ll hang out for a while in case it ends. If she asks… it’s not an emergency.” Just my feelings going haywire. Nothing new.
Jamie turned and saw someone sitting at the desk she used to occupy. She then turned back to Natasha and asked in a whisper, “That’s Amanda, right?”
“Yup.”
“She’s not in the meeting taking notes?”
“Nope. Ms. Coleman hasn’t been wanting anyone in there for those meetings. Super hush-hush.” Natasha slouched. “Don’t give Amanda too hard of a time. She’s nice and has a special someone. Who isn’t Ms. Coleman.”
“I heard that.”
“You were supposed to.”
Jamie scoffed. “You two friends, huh?”
Shrugging, Natasha said, “We have lunch. You’re funnier, though.”
That was good enough for Jamie. She fluffed her hair and checked her balance in her heels as she walked over to the personal assistant’s desk by the window.
“Oh… hi.” Amanda jerked back in her seat when she caught sight of Jamie. Naturally, she looked her up and down, seeing the high-class opulence that Jamie now almost took for granted. She should see me when I give a damn. “Can I help you?”
“Just thought I would properly introduce myself since we haven’t met before. I’m Jamie.” She didn’t think she needed any other introduction.
Amanda cocked her head, her dark blond hair threatening to fall out of the bun on top of her scalp. Her thin arms flapped like chicken wings as she scooted back in her chair and dropped her pen. “Oh, Jamie! You’re the Jamie, huh?”
“The… Jamie?”
“Ms. Coleman talks about you all the time. At least once a day she asks me to write a reminder regarding you.”
“That so?”
“Wow… you’re really pretty.”
Jamie cleared her throat. “Is she taking good care of you? I used to have your job. It wasn’t easy.” Ahem.
“Oh, Ms. Coleman is a dream to work for. Brutal, sometimes, but I got into the swing of things pretty quickly.”
“Naturally.” Jamie couldn’t help it. Whenever she came into this office, she thought of many things…
primarily having sex with Etta. They usually did it in her office, but the supply closet was not off-limits.
My tits have been on that copying machine.
As far as she knew, Etta still kept a copy in her bottom desk drawer.
So how could she not assume that Amanda saw it the same way?
A place she fucks my girlfriend. She knew that was foolish.
Irrational. Etta was not cheating on her. She would be a total dumbass to do so.
Having attempted the bare minimum of niceties, Jamie detoured to the women’s restroom. By the time she emerged, Natasha waved at her from the receptionist’s desk.
“Her meeting is over. I told her that you were here waiting to see her, and she said to give her a few minutes to ‘sort things out.’ You can go in about another two.”
“Thanks,” Jamie said, already heading to the double doors leading to Etta’s office. “I’ll go in now. I’ll make sure she knows it’s not your fault.”
Etta sat behind her desk, bent over the trash can and dumping shredded documents. She glanced up when Jamie entered and latched the door behind her. By the look on her face, she was not impressed to see her girlfriend waltzing in ahead of time.
“Hey,” Jamie said, leaning against her desk.
It’s exactly the same as when I stopped working here.
Etta preferred minimalism in her downtown office – not like her home office was noticeably more cluttered.
Then again, she didn’t entertain other bigwigs in her home unless she was on friendly terms with them.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t make me wait long.
” She tossed her freshly trimmed hair for emphasis.
Etta dropped the trash can and sat up straight, her face fluctuating between friendly and frustrated. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
“What does that mean?”
Etta looked in the trash can. “Nothing.”
“Well… I was in the neighborhood and wanted to see you.”
At last, Etta put on her usual flirty grin and sat back in her leather chair, arms opened wide. “Here I am. Like what you see?”
Jamie rounded the desk. “Maybe. You’re not terrible to look at.”
Her girlfriend uncrossed her legs and patted her lap. “I can’t say no to you. Come over here. You’re beautiful in that dress.”
“This thing?” Came from a department store. Hardly the boutique fare women like Kathleen Allen wore. I saw it earlier. Rocking that pencil-skirt. Sigh.
“And I care because why, exactly?”
Jamie sank into her lap, happy to wrap her arms around Etta’s shoulders and kiss her cheek. “Because I am powerful enough to make your assistant quiver in her Prada heels.”
“She wears Prada?”
“Oh, shush.”
Etta was silent for a few seconds as she tapped a pen on the table, the tip coming in and out with every smack. “What’s in the bag?” she finally asked. “I can’t imagine what you bought at a toy shop. I doubt it’s the kind of toy we’re into.”
Jamie presented it to Etta, who peered inside.
“What the…” She pulled out the stuffed cat. Jamie took it from her and placed it on her desk. “What’s this about?”
She looked to Jamie for an answer. “I’ve been thinking a lot. If I’ve got cancer… maybe I can’t have kids. Like my grandma. She wanted more kids, but after my dad, they discovered her cancer just in time to treat it. It was in her ovaries, Etta. They had to go!”
“Jamie…” Etta said as if she were about to reprimand her. “We don’t know anything.” Her tone implied that she expected Jamie to stop thinking about it. I don’t have work to distract me, thanks. “I don’t think there’s a need to worry about fertility when we haven’t even…”
She put a finger on Etta’s lips. “I don’t want to hear anything about it right now.” Her arm snaked back behind Etta’s head, their noses almost touching. “Now, how about we get dinner later? Let’s stay in the penthouse tonight. I want to go to sleep looking out at the view.”
“All right. We can stay in the penthouse if you call Beatrice to let her know they have the night off.”
“I will, as soon as I leave.”
Etta tipped her chin up. “Give me a kiss before you go.”
It was the kind of kiss that could have turned into something else if she had time and if Jamie were feeling up to it.
However, they were both content with the ten seconds they had, lips tapping together and Etta’s hands dancing through Jamie’s hair.
“My flower,” she muttered. “I look forward to seeing you later. It’s been a long day already. ”
Jamie slipped off her lap and picked up her bags, making sure the stuffed cat was back inside. “I’m sure it has. Natasha told me you were interviewing a potential partner.”
She had never seen Etta look so serious before. Or was it pensive? Not distressed. Definitely not distressed. “It was an odd meeting. I still don’t know what to think of it.”
“Well, I won’t bother you with it.” Jamie blew her a kiss and twiddled her fingers. “I’ll see you later for dinner. Okay?”
“Sure.”
She showed herself out, rapping on Natasha’s desk on her way by and stealing a glance at Amanda on her computer. Before Jamie went into the hall, she heard Etta summon Amanda. The blonde shot back in her seat and scrambled to grab her tablet.
The elevator attendant nodded to Jamie again when she entered. Before the doors closed, however, a feminine voice called for it to be held. The attendant put out a gloved hand to stop the doors from closing while he pushed a button with the other.
A tall woman wearing a white sweetheart dress and a tight, black leather belt stepped into the elevator beside Jamie.
Wow. Now here’s a put-together woman. Besides the nice dress, she wore a set of diamond jewelry that glittered in the overhead light.
Her chestnut brown hair was looped in a fancy bun – far fancier than Amanda’s.
This woman’s posture, her smart makeup, and the fancy bag hanging from her hand suggested she knew what she was about. And rich. Filthy rich.
“Hi,” she said with a melodic voice. “Sorry about that. Hope I haven’t held you up.”
Her kindly face nearly melted Jamie’s heart. “Oh, it’s no problem. I’m not in a hurry.”
After making sure no one else was coming, the attendant closed the elevator doors. “What floor, ma’am?”
“Oh, ground floor, please. My car is waiting out front.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a compact and a tube of lipstick.
She spent the whole ride down touching up her makeup in the elevator mirrors, carefully stealing glimpses of Jamie – just like Jamie continued to steal glimpses of her.
This is the kind of woman I should be. I want to look this confident walking around… wearing those clothes…
“You must be Jamie,” the woman said. “You’re a lovely young lady. I’m not surprised Etta would go for a woman like you.”
Jamie didn’t have time to confirm or deny before the elevator doors opened.
The woman burst out, hustling to catch a car waiting for her just outside the revolving door.
Jamie stood in the lobby, dumbfounded, phone in her hand as she finally finished texting her driver to meet her out front too.
Who was that? The woman had looked familiar. Where had Jamie seen her before?
The wedding.
The woman who had caught Etta’s eye when dancing. Yes, that had to be her! How did she know Etta? How did she recognize Jamie?
There are more important things to think about. Jamie stood out on the sidewalk, clutching the stuffed cat and thinking positive thoughts.