CHAPTER 5
Jackie was vibrating with anger as she drove to the lunch spot.
She’d tried to calm herself down with breathing exercises, but it was no use.
She felt hot—feverish with the need to allow Antonio to kiss her and simultaneously pissed off that she’d almost allowed it.
Why did he affect her this way? Just his presence, the way he called her that damned ridiculous nickname…
it brought back feelings of nostalgia and embarrassment.
For Jackie, lovers came and went. No big deal.
It wasn’t fair for one person to have a hold on her this way.
By the time she pulled into the parking lot of Thuk Thai, she was seething. She practically threw her keys at the valet, stomping past the hostess stand to find her best friends. She found Tanika, Bronwyn, and Mya in a large, half-moon-shaped booth in the corner, looking at the menu.
“Sorry I’m late,” Jackie said as she slid in next to Bronwyn.
“We know,” they all said in unison, not looking up from their menus.
Jackie rolled her eyes. Okay, so maybe she was always late. But this time she had a valid excuse. “Look, I would have been on time had it not been for the latest round of bullshit at the office.”
Tanika was the first to set down her menu. She put her chin in her palm, resting her elbow on the table. “What is it now, Jack?”
“Let me guess,” Mya chimed in. “Some deal fell through? Someone called you ma’am again?”
Bronwyn gave Jackie a once-over, eyes narrowed. “No. That’s not it. Your aura feels off. I feel some kind of emotional imbalance. Something or someone’s upset you. Seems personal. Very personal.”
Jackie pursed her lips. “Listen, that aura nonsense may have worked for Tanika, but that don’t work on me.” She wasn’t about to be a part of Bronwyn’s neo-soul, pseudo-psychic ways today.
“Hey now,” Tanika countered. “Bron’s ‘aura nonsense,’ as you call it, landed me a fiancé. Your wonderful cousin, to be specific.” She playfully waved her diamond ring in front of Jackie’s face.
She didn’t want to smile, but Jackie couldn’t help it.
Tanika and Gideon—through the strangest, most magical of circumstances—had found each other.
If Jackie was a person who believed in love and happily ever after, then Tanika and Gideon would have been on the Mount Rushmore of such fairytales.
She was delighted for them. But that wasn’t going to be her story.
She’d learned that a long time ago.
“Well, Bron was right in your case,” she said, grinning at Tanika. “But my mood has nothing to do with auras or emotional imbalance. Just a weasel of a man who keeps popping up in my life!”
“Jackie, who are you talking about?” asked Tanika, pushing up her glasses.
Jackie was riled up, completely ignoring Tanika’s question. “I have no idea why he’s even here! He’s like a festering sore. Like a bad case of diarrhea.”
“Girl, not when we are about to eat!” Mya waved off the commentary.
“He just gets under my damned skin! It’s like he was brought into my life to torture me! To remind me that I’m never going to have a lick of peace when he’s around! I rue the day I met him! He just—”
“Jackie,” Bronwyn placed a calming hand on her forearm. “Slow down, love! Who?”
Jackie rubbed her temples. She had to take a few deep breaths before speaking his name. “Antonio-fucking-Steele.”
“Ooooh.” The entire table groaned with understanding.
“I think we are going to need some drinks,” Tanika said as she flagged down a waiter.
“Strong ones,” Mya added.
Jackie dropped her head on the table with a bang.
“I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY THREW YOUR FAMOUS BAKED beans on the man!” exclaimed Tanika.
“Yep,” Mya confirmed. “All over that fine man’s white linen, too!”
The ladies were on their second round of mango mai tais. Jackie took a deep sip of her drink. “And I’d do it again! How dare he just show up! And then had the nerve to not even tell me that our agencies were merging.”
“Here’s a thought,” countered Mya. “Maybe he was trying to tell you the truth before you decided to bean him!”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “No way! It’s just like Antonio to be sneaky and conniving. The truth and Antonio Steele don’t belong in the same sentence!”
Tanika shook her head as she twirled her pad thai.
“I don’t get it. Every time I’ve met the guy, he seems really sweet.
No ego. No weird, inappropriate vibes. And that’s saying a lot for a guy who’s a former athlete and an agent.
” As a long-time sports reporter, Tanika had known her share of creepy men. “No offense, Jackie.”
“None taken. I’m sure Antonio put on his best performance for you. That’s how he sucks you into his web…with all that charm and charisma.”
“Sucks you in? You make him sound like a vampire,” Tanika said.
“He is.” Jackie bit the inside of her cheek, trying to calm herself all over again. “Dracula himself.”
“All sucking ain’t bad,” quipped Mya.
Mya, Tanika, and Bronwyn howled with laughter. Jackie didn’t think a damned thing was funny.
Tanika cleared her throat. “Jack, I know Antonio may have overstepped when it came to PJ Dawson. But seriously, is that enough to hate the guy? Maybe he was just looking out for a young brother? Like a mentor.”
“A mentor?” Jackie scoffed. “No, he thinks I can’t do my job because I’m a woman.
Speaking of which…” She pulled out her phone to look at her calendar, which Calvin had managed to tidy up.
“I have to be in New York with PJ on Thursday for his shoe campaign. I still can’t believe the cash they shelled out for Louis St. Jean. ”
Louis St. Jean had photographed some of the biggest celebrities in the world. This was a major score for PJ.
“Seriously?” Bronwyn moaned. “You’re going to miss Thyme’s graduation from the homeopathic studies program! “
“Uhm, sorry! I’ll send a graduation gift.
” Jackie was apologetic, but honestly, she was grateful to have a legitimate excuse for missing another so-called graduation.
Bronwyn’s kids were always switching hobbies and majors and doing whatever on a whim.
Jackie was sure she’d catch another graduation when Thyme got bored of this latest thing.
“Dang.” Bronwyn’s shoulders slumped. “He’d love at least one of his godmothers to be there! What about you Tanika?”
Tanika flipped through her phone. “Sorry, babe. On Thursday I have to talk fall programming with the network.”
“You do?” asked Mya, earning her a wide-eyed look from Tanika, who happened to be her boss. Mya cleared her throat, catching on to Tanika’s hint. “Oh right, yeah, I forgot about that meeting!”
Jackie chuckled. Tanika had always been terrible at lying, and Mya wasn’t much better.
“Let’s circle back to this Antonio thing,” Tanika said, clearly eager to change to subject. “I don’t think he’s sexist like you think he is. I’ve interviewed several of his female clients. They vouch for him, on and off the record. They say he makes sure they are paid what they’re worth.”
Mya nodded. “Like that tennis player, Candi Thompson. He got her a nice contract with Wilson, right?”
“Right,” Tanika pointed. “Everyone genuinely likes the guy. Well, except you.”
“Yeah, Jackie.” Bronwyn’s freckled nose wrinkled in confusion. “You are harboring some deep-seated vitriol for a guy who by all accounts seems pretty solid. We haven’t seen you this angry since—”
Jackie held up her hand. “Didn’t we vow not to speak that name ever again?”
That “name” was Katrice Nixon, star forward for the Chicago WNBA team.
And Jackie’s former client. Katrice was the reason Jackie thought love at first sight was a joke.
She was also the reason why Jackie had spent a year on probation and in court-ordered anger management for bashing the woman’s car windows with a baseball bat.
She’d fallen hard for the sexy baller instantly, trusting her completely, only to find out Katrice was cheating on her with the team’s athletic trainers.
The car-smashing incident nearly ruined Jackie’s career, and she became a laughingstock around the office.
It all but broke her. After that, Jackie had vowed never to date a client or colleague ever again.
“Fine.” Bronwyn slumped back into her seat.
“All I’m saying is harboring such ill will is only going to mess up the healthy biomes in your body and jack up your gut health.
I do have some probiotics I can give you for that, back at the store.
” According to Bronwyn, the solution to every ailment, physical or mental, was in her flagship health food store, Thyme in a Bottle.
“Seriously, can we not talk about guts and stuff at the lunch table?” Mya whined.
Bronwyn reached for Jackie’s hand, gold bangles clinking. “Jackie, what’s the real reason that you dislike Antonio? Be honest. Free yourself from the burden of hating him.”
Jackie rolled her eyes at Bron’s theatrics. “Fine. I’ll tell you. If you promise not to talk about my colon ever again!”
“I can only promise for the duration of this lunch.”
Jackie ran a hand over her hair and scratched at her nape nervously. “Remember when I went to Vegas, about ten years ago?”
“For the sports management conference?” Tanika asked.
“Yeah,” Jackie confirmed. “I was a speaker for the conference. There were a lot of students there, and I wanted to encourage young Black women who were interested in sports agenting. I was heading backstage after giving my speech—which, naturally, brought the house down. As I stepped behind the curtain, I felt a hand on my elbow. When I looked up, it was Antonio. He smiled and said, ‘You were great.’ And I was like “Yeah, I know.’”
The ladies laughed.