Chapter Nine
brIELLE
Light filtered in the room, and I squinted my eyes, then heard heavy breathing next to me. I looked over and saw Jameson still asleep. And like he said last night, there was no going back now. It felt good to let myself be in the moment, enjoying what I deserved to feel. And Jameson was all man to give that to me.
Turning on my side, I watched Jameson sleep, then one eye popped open. “Why are you watching me?”
I smiled. “No reason. You look so peaceful when you sleep. How do you even sleep with this much light coming in?”
“It’s how I wake up.”
I raised up, pulling his shirt on. “Get dressed, I have something to show you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He cocked a charming grin and rose from the bed.
I headed to take a shower, and then once I was back in my bedroom to get dressed, I called Jameson’s mom, Mrs. Titan.
“Brielle. How are you, dear?”
“Hi. I was just calling to let you know I am taking Jameson to the production facilities; he can see first-hand how the job works. We won’t be in the office until mid-afternoon.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Hopefully, the boy opens his eyes.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later. And I’ll brief you.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I zipped the side of my pencil skirt, and tucked in my button-up silk top, then put on a pair of nude pumps. Once I was ready, I headed to the kitchen and made coffee.
Jameson appeared from the hallway and looked good in his black dress pants, black dress shirt, with a suit jacket over top. Sometimes it was hard tearing my eyes from ogling him, though I’ve done it countless times.
“See something you like?” he asked, breaking my concentration as I was thinking about our night together.
“Maybe. Look, I know what we did…”
“If you say it was a mistake…”
I held my hand up. “Hey!” I interrupted. “I was not going to say that. I was going to say during business hours we need to keep things professional, it’s the only way this will work. And what we do during out-of-office hours is between us. Please don’t make me regret it.”
With a smile, he nodded.
“Now let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. I already called your mom and let her know we wouldn’t be in right away.”
“You really are a boss woman.”
Smiling, I lightly punched him in his arm as we made our way to the SUV. Upon exiting the building, the driver held the door open while I slipped in first, and then Jameson sat next to me.
“You got a driver and all,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“Hey.” He nudged me with his arm.
I turned my head to meet his gaze.
“It’s likely you won’t believe me, but last night meant something to me. So I would like to explore more with you.”
“What about your bachelor persona?”
He smiled. “I was being stupid. I was being defiant, going against everything I could. Pushing the limits was my specialty. But something about you makes me want to change. That maybe a relationship with someone is possible. I haven’t felt like this in a long time, Brielle, and it’s not easy to open my heart up.”
“Why?”
“The only people that ever showed me love ere the people that worked for my family. But I couldn’t let myself trust anyone, because everyone wants something, money, fame, and fancy things.”
“I’m sorry you never felt loved, Jameson. I am. But thank you for opening up to me like you have. I know it’s not easy.”
He nodded, and I felt the car stop.
“Oh, it looks like we are here,” I told him.
Jameson exited the SUV first and offered his hand as I got out.
“Titan Manufacturing?”
“Yep. Before you throw your whole career and legacy away, I want you to meet some people who work on the front lines, producing the products. These are real people.”
He nodded, and by the look on his face, he seemed impressed by my idea. We headed forward, and a man greeted us.
“Mr. Titan, it is such a pleasure to meet you. And Ms. Delaney.” He reached and shook both our hands.
“Please call me, Jameson.”
“And call me, Brielle.”
“Alright. My name is Thomas Birdman, and I’m the manager here. Let me get you hard hats and protective glasses before we walk through.”
We followed him to an office as he handed us the gear to wear. We entered the warehouse, and everyone was busy at work. Thomas led us from the start of production through the finishing product.
Not only did I find this fascinating myself, but I wanted Jameson to see these people, how hard they work, and how good he really had it. He’s privileged.
We stayed through lunch, where unprompted by me, Jameson walked around, and we listened to several of the employee stories. One man was working as much as he could while his wife was going through cancer treatments, and one woman was recently divorced, and now a single mother. Everyone has some type of story, good or bad. One girl said the job pulled her out of homelessness, and she was able to secure an apartment for herself.
Once everyone got back to work, we returned to the office and put the hard hats, and eyewear back.
When we got into the SUV to leave, I turned to Jameson. “What did you think?”
He paused for a good while as he thought what to say. “Just wow. I never realized how impactful the company was to people.”
“Right. And if you let Titan Enterprises crumble, every one of those people would be out of a job.”
“I know. I really want to help some of those folks out. Like the girl that just got an apartment, I want to pay a year of her rent, and the man’s wife that has cancer, I’d like to arrange her transportation to and from her appointments, maybe get her some crafty things she can do while she gets the chemo. Maybe provide daycare for the single mom.”
My eyes filled with tears, and I saw how impactful this was for Jameson. That maybe his eyes are finally open. “That’s really commendable of you, Jameson. I think those are great ideas to start with. You see those folks as real people, with real lives.”
He smiled. “You made your point, Brielle. What else do I need to do?”
I smiled. “Are you actually prepared for the work?”
“I’ll try, that’s all I can give you right now.
“That’s all I’m asking.”
We were back in the office, and I leaned over Jameson’s shoulder as I directed on some things to work on. Then I headed to see Mrs. Titan.
“Knock, knock.” I smiled.