Chapter 15 #2
Aw, she referenced us going to bed together.
Jamie wasn’t sure why that made her feel giddy.
“So, Adele …” What a strange name to say out loud.
It sounded fancy, sophisticated, but it was also an unnecessary mouthful.
A lot of people would say that about me.
“What is it you do again? Etta’s only ever told me that you’re also in business. ”
“Why, yes. We were in the same class at Yale Business School.”
“Naturally.”
“Our paths diverged afterward. She went on to create her empire with the help of the friend she met… who is unfortunately no longer contributing.” Adele inhaled, not wanting to mention Jacqueline, either.
“I began cultivating my contacts and accumulating my fortune as well.” When Jamie continued to stare blankly at her, Adele explained, “I began with investments and worked my way up. I’m used to dealing with different holdings like Etta does.
Combining our businesses will be good for both of us. She gets help, and I get…”
“She gets about $700,000,000,” Etta filled in.
“That’s it?” Jamie asked, drolly. “Not a full billion?”
“She’ll have to work for that.”
It was the sort of joke that would go over with either one of them by themselves… but together? Even Adele looked at Etta as if she should mind herself. Nobody is looking at her like I am, though. Jamie hoped that her girlfriend could feel her disdain miles deep behind her eyes.
“I have every intention of bringing my A-game to Coleman Enterprises.” Adele smiled again, her pearly white, perfectly straight teeth gracing the world with only a hint of tongue between them. “Soon to be Thompson-Coleman, as we agreed.”
“Heaven forbid my name ever come first.”
“Coleman-Thompson sounds like the kind of degenerative disease you get as a big, nasty surprise after you’re exposed to a nerve agent.” Adele looked at Jamie. “Don’t you agree? My name sounds better first.”
Jamie didn’t want to agree, but she had to. “It does sound better,” she mumbled. “Also fits your personality.”
“How so?”
“You prefer the face of the company to be someone else.” Jamie shrugged. “Why not be someone you trust? You clearly trust this woman here.”
Adele bristled, her carefully constructed facade threatening to come down. “At least you agree with me.” She pasted her glistening smile back on. “If Etta isn’t careful, we’ll become the most formidable team in her life.”
Don’t get your hopes up. Jamie was going to have a long talk with her girlfriend that night. Lots and lots and lots of talking and not much else!
“I know you’re not happy about this.” Etta sat on a couch on the far side of the bedroom, drinking scotch and ignoring Jamie’s eyes stabbing into her.
Look at me, asshole. All those words about how she was the best woman in the world…
how she had never loved someone as much as she loved Jamie…
and for what? Bullshit. Etta was good at being full of shit when it was most convenient.
Then she went and brought her ex-girlfriend-almost-fiancée in as her new business partner.
Jamie knew this jealousy was irrational, but this was worse than Amanda prancing around the office in short skirts and boosted cleavage. This was Adele Thompson.
Jamie sent herself down a toxic rabbit hole on her way home earlier, sitting in the back of the Town Car with her thumb scrolling through her phone.
“Etta Coleman and Adele Thompson,” she had punched into Google.
Sure enough, a million results came up, including high-resolution photos of a younger Etta and a glamorous Adele attending formal functions together, Etta’s hand around Adele’s waist and Adele’s hand constantly on Etta’s shoulder or, worse, her knee.
Old articles hailed them, “The best-looking couple to start hitting Page 6.” This was back when Etta made her first few million and started gaining public attention.
Now she was a billionaire, and Adele Thompson had her own Wikipedia page that listed her numerous feel-good charities and linked her to Hollywood actors and European royalty in recent years.
Adele was a beautiful woman with a shitton of money.
An article from that January predicted she would be the richest woman over twenty-five in the region by the end of the year, beating out even Kathleen Allen, who currently held the title.
“And it’s more impressive,” the writer said, “because, unlike Ms. Allen, Ms. Thompson has accrued most of her wealth on her own. Not bad for a woman who had to take out student loans to go to Yale.”
Barbarossa brushed up against Jamie’s legs as she thought this.
Right now, I’ll side with Kathleen because she took a kitten.
Speak of the devil, a kitten emerged from beneath the bed, swatting at Barbarossa’s tail and making her leap five feet in the air before hissing at the bedroom.
Neither Jamie nor Etta laughed as they usually would.
“Happy? I am happy that you found a partner to take a load off for you… I just don’t want her taking more out of you.”
“What are you talking about?” Etta drank more. “There is nothing between us anymore. This is strictly professional.”
“Like you two used to be strictly personal before?”
“She has her own private life now, as I have mine. I wanted you to meet her before it hit the press. We’re making a formal announcement on Monday before initiating the legal side of things, but…
can you blame me for going with someone I trust and know will work well with my business?
Not to mention the amount of new business she is bringing with her. I’m sure you’ve Googled her by now.”
Jamie didn’t comment.
“She has one of the biggest publishing firms on this coast. Outside of New York, anyway. International audiences. Presses, books, textbooks. It’s her passion, and I want a piece of that pie. Our current publishing house is floundering a bit.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Jamie plucked the kitten off the floor and held him out of Barbarossa’s reach.
“I’m not going to pretend it’s the happiest news I’ve ever heard, though.
You wanted me to be honest with you when we got serious?
I’m being honest with you. It makes me uncomfortable. I’ll get over it, though. Probably.”
“Good.” Etta finished her drink and tossed her empty glass on the other side of the couch. “Because you’ll be seeing a lot of her in the coming months, and hopefully years. The goal is to keep this partnership going for a long time. You know. How my last one was supposed to go.”
Jamie didn’t want to think about it, and she didn’t appreciate Etta bringing it up. “As long as it means you being home more often, and less stressed.”
“Well, I will still be busy in the coming weeks. Merging businesses as large as ours is not a simple process.” Etta rested her elbow against the arm of the couch and glared at Jamie.
“What do you want me to say? I didn’t expect this when I started looking for a new partner.
She wasn’t even the only woman who approached me, but when I heard she was back in town, I took an interest. How could I not? ”
“Indeed? How could you not?”
Etta ignored her. “She was the one who approached me first. I was just as surprised as you when she showed up at my office a few weeks ago. After I got over my shock, I was able to listen to what she was saying. She heard I was looking for a new partner to share the load and said we should talk about it. I wasn’t going to at first. Like you, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but I decided to humor her, partly because I was curious about how she’s doing now, I admit.
If nothing else, I could do our world’s version of FaceSpace stalking.
” Scoffing, Etta flung herself against the back of the couch and covered her face with both hands.
Barbarossa meandered that way and hopped up on the couch next to her.
When Etta did not pay attention to her, the cat sank with an unhappy merf.
“She immediately went into why we should go into business together. I listened. I mulled it over for weeks, Jamie. Had a lot of other interviews during that time, but none of them clicked like Adele. Probably because we know each other so well.”
“Yes. So well.”
“Stop doing that. Nothing exists between us any longer. We have both moved on. I’m with you now. Adele is a part of my past, and now a part of my future… just in a different context.”
“Yes, yes, I read all about that prince from Monaco. Or Malta. Maldives?” Jamie shook her head before she made a bigger fool of herself.
The kitten squirmed out of her arms and landed with a light plop on the floor.
Barbarossa immediately began whining. “I’m not saying you’re going to cheat on me.
Nor am I saying that she’s going to try to seduce you.
I’m sure she is a brilliant woman who has earned every penny she has.
I’m sure she will do wonders for your business, and I’m sure all of your investors and employees will love her because she’s stunning and charming.
” Jamie sighed. “Except I can’t help that it makes me uncomfortable.
I also can’t help that you sprung that on me.
I think that’s what bugs me the most. You brought me in there, knowing how shocked I would be.
No warning. Next time, give me some. I’d appreciate it. ”
The kitten tore across the bedroom and thumped right into Barbarossa’s tail as it hung over the edge of the couch.
The moment they met, Barbarossa reached down and swatted the top of the kitten’s head.
What ensued was a giant monster cat nearly suffocating a skinny kitten with her big, burly body.
Etta watched for as long as she could before cracking a smile.
“What?” Yes, it was cute, but Etta didn’t smile unless there was some ulterior thought going on in her head.
“Cat fight.”
“Ugh,” Jamie muttered, heading into the bathroom. She left the door open. “You will be the death of me.” More than likely. Statistically speaking.
Etta got up and followed her, standing in the doorway while cat carnage continued behind her and Jamie rubbed in lotion in front of the mirror.
“Let’s talk about something else.” Etta sauntered into the bathroom, one arm looping around Jamie’s midsection while her mouth went on an excursion.
“I’ve got some time off this Saturday night.
I have a function earlier, but I want you to meet me downtown for dinner. ”
“A real date, huh?”
“What are those other dates we go on, hm? Fake ones?”
“Just haven’t done something like that in a while.” Jamie shrugged. “Was starting to wonder if we were getting stale over here. Too settled.” She huffed, squeezing too much lotion from her bottle. “You’re getting bored with me.”
Etta’s hands cupped the underside of her breasts. “How could I ever get bored of this?”
Tingles flooded Jamie, but she refused to show how aroused she was getting. Nevertheless, her damned nipples betrayed her by hardening beneath her T-shirt. She met Etta’s flirtatious gaze in the mirror. “One thing I can say about you, Ms. Coleman… you’re loyal.”
“I’m a big fan of monogamy.”
“Serial monogamy.” Jamie turned in her arms. “At least when you were schtooping your personal assistants, you could say you were monogamous. What a champ.”
Etta didn’t talk. She growled, lifting Jamie until her ass leaned comfortably against the sink. Is she going to do me right here? Probably. Wouldn’t be the first time.
“I have big plans for us.” Etta lightly kissed Jamie’s shoulder before diverting to the tip of her nose. “Things are about to get interesting. In great ways.”
“I can’t tell if you’re talking about the next five minutes or the faraway future.”
She kissed Jamie, a beautiful gesture that made her peak in more places than just her breasts. “Both. I can’t contain my excitement.” She took Jamie’s hand and kissed her fingertips. “We good now?”
“We’re good. Especially if you keep making your way down on your knees, Ms. Coleman.”
Etta leered at her, sinking as promised. Her hands brushed against Jamie’s thighs, knees, and calves as her girlfriend urged her legs open, lips meeting the same soft skin fingers recently touched. “Yes, ma’am.”
When Etta’s teeth snatched the seam of her shorts, Jamie gasped, her eyes widening and her head leaning back against the bathroom mirror. Oh, yeah. They were definitely good.