Chapter 29
L
iving with Lawrence was like having a roommate who also shared her bed. Spending most of the day behind closed eyelids, Jada slept through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By six o’clock Lawrence had been dressed, and all she remembered seeing was the back of his suit as he walked out the bedroom door jingling his keys. No good mornings or goodbyes. Like watching
Ground Hog Day,
the next two days were exactly the same.
Obviously, Lawrence’s real reason for begging her home had been to get her away from Wellington. Since she hadn’t answered her cell phone and barely returned his calls, Lawrence claimed she’d spent most of her time in Oakland with Wellington. Making love to Wellington had come so close their lustful friction could have started a blaze greater than the Oakland Hills fire.
Lawrence’s interest in her had fizzled. After she’d stunned him with the news, he left early for work, got home too late for dinner, and making love had been more like relieving stress. Lawrence came fast and dozed off even faster. His usual cuddles and discussions were conspicuously absent. She wanted to talk about their divorce, while he acted as if the separation wasn’t going to happen. What did he think? One morning she’d wake up, come to her senses, and change her mind. Maybe, if her left brain shifted into gear.
Jada’s situation confused her. Her heart said leave, and her head did, too; but guilt kept pressuring her to reevaluate matters over and over again. What if Wellington said he wanted her only because he thought she’d never leave Lawrence? Or what if she left an ideal relationship to chase a mirage? Even worse, what if Wellington and she were incompatible soul mates? Was there such a thing as soul mates destined to exist only in spirit? Jada simmered those thoughts on the back burner, took a long, hot shower, got dressed, and headed to her office.
Jada parked in her reserved space. The elevator was running slow, so she hiked up the stairs fifteen floors. As soon as she set foot in the door, Shannon scurried from behind her desk.
“Oh, Mrs. Tanner, you don’t know how happy I am to see you.” Shannon hugged her, then held her shoulders and stepped back as if to say, “Let me look at you.” Then she wrapped her arms around Jada again.
“Okay, Shannon. That’s enough. I missed you, too,” Jada said.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Tanner. I’m just so glad you’re back. I’ll let you get settled. If you need anything, I’ll be right here.” Shannon pointed at her desk.
Jada walked into her office and buzzed Shannon on the intercom. “Shannon, what time will Darius be in today?” Jada shifted through the pile of papers on her desk.
“He’s out of the office until Monday,” Shannon responded.
“Monday? Then, who’s acting?” Jada placed the stack of papers back in her in-box.
“Zen, until he returns.”
“Well, notify Zen I’m back. Better yet, set up a staff meeting at ten with all my directors and see if Jazzmyne can make it here by nine to meet with me first.”
“Yes, Mrs. Tanner. Anything else?”
“No. That’s all for now.” Jada hung up the phone and went to Darius’s office. The door was locked, so she used her master key. It didn’t work. Jada frowned and went to Shannon’s office.
“Did Darius have his lock changed?”
“Yes, Mrs. Tanner.”
Reaching out her hand, Jada said, “Well, let me see your key.”
Shannon shook her head. “I don’t have one.”
Jada stood silent for a moment. “Where’s his mail?”
Shannon handed Jada a yellow nine-by-twelve envelope with Darius’s name on the front.
“Thanks.” Then Shannon handed her a letter from the Center for Disease Control addressed to Darius.
“What?” Jada whispered.
“It’s probably a mass mailing,” Shannon commented, handing Jada four more envelopes. “Zen, Miranda, Ginger, and Heather received a letter from them, too.”
Jada’s eyes focused on the letters. Without looking at Shannon, Jada mumbled, “Um, I see. Thanks.” The quietness of Jada’s office door glided and then clicked upon closing. “Center for Disease Control.” Jada smoothed her fingers over the address and Darius’s name. “Why would such a letter come here?” If she opened his, that would be an invasion of privacy and illegal. Jada placed the white envelopes in the center drawer and proceeded to sort through the rest of Darius’s mail.
There was a check for two hundred thousand dollars from a Korean company, another for the same amount from a Japanese firm, and a third check for four hundred thousand from a business in China. Why was Darius receiving checks from Zen’s clients? Jada made a note to address the issue in the meeting. Jada opened her middle drawer and peeped at the envelope with Darius’s name. The short buzz on Jada’s intercom startled her.
“Yes, Shannon.”
“Jazzmyne is here to see you.”
“Great. Send her in.”
Jada greeted Jazzmyne at the door. “Hey, how are you?”
“How are you?” Jazzmyne asked as she wrapped her arms around Jada.
Jazzmyne’s warm hug was comforting and spoke a million words. “Thanks,” Jada said.
“You look good, Miss Lady,” Jazzmyne complimented, and sat in the chair on the side of Jada’s desk. “So what’s so important?”
“I just need to get caught up on everything. I feel like so much has happened in such a short period of time.”
“Well, hasn’t Darius kept you abreast of the progress?”
“He hasn’t really spoken to me since I told him about Darryl.” She was to blame for lying to Darius.
“Girl, this is your business. Son or no son, if he’s not keeping you in the loop, then you need to set the record straight. As your PR person, let me say, company first, family second, because love doesn’t have anything to do with business.”
“You’re right,” Jada responded. Jada thought about telling Jazzmyne about the letters but decided against it, knowing Jazzmyne would advise her not to open them. After the meeting, Jada could call Wellington for his opinion.
“Are you sure you should be back at work so soon?” Jazzmyne said.
“Yes, I’m positive. Sitting around the house was making me depressed and insane.” Jada glanced at her watch. “We’d better get to the conference room.”
When Jada walked into the room, two persons were absent. “Where’s Heather?” Jada asked.
Ginger promptly responded, “Probably in New Orleans.”
“Where’s Darius?” Jada asked to see if anyone knew.
“Probably in New Orleans,” Ginger responded again.
“Ginger, since you obviously know something the rest of us don’t, would you please be more specific?” Jada stared at Ginger.
“I don’t know for sure. I just overheard Heather and Darius talking in the lunch room,” Ginger lied. The information in Darius’s palm pilot had him scheduled to be in New Orleans on Wednesday. Ginger had been able to cancel Darius’s reservations for Monday and Tuesday, so she knew Miranda and Zen were pissed on and off. However, Wednesday’s plans had been cancelled before she could do it. But that was all right, because she was headed to New Orleans right after this meeting. Heather had confirmed his plans hadn’t changed. After tonight, they would all have sufficient evidence to support their lawsuit. Darius had trampled over her for the last time. Starting today, she had the upper hand.
“Zen, did you change accounts with Darius?” Jada asked.
“No,” Zen responded.
Interesting. Zen didn’t elaborate. “Zen, why don’t you start and give us your update for the conference?” Jada smiled.
Zen’s report, indeed, reflected she was in control of each of her accounts. Upon request, Ginger and Miranda provided the status on their portfolios. Strangely enough, only Zen’s clients had been redirected.
“Well, that concludes our meeting, ladies. Thanks—”
Jazzmyne interrupted, “Ginger, can you stay for a moment please?”
Ginger looked puzzled. “Of course.”
As Zen and Miranda exited the conference room, Jazzmyne closed the door behind them. “I’ve done damage control for the firm for the past twenty years. I’ve worked with you for the same amount of time. I’ve sensed something between you and Darius, but after today’s meeting, I’m positive. Now, I want you to tell us”—Jazzmyne nodded in Jada’s direction—“exactly what’s going on between you and Darius?”
“Nothing.” Ginger hunched her shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”
“Okay, if you insist,” Jazzmyne said.
“Ginger. Thanks for your support. You’re excused,” Jada said.
Jada stared at Ginger as she strolled out of the room as if she owned it. “What’s going on?” Jada asked.
“I think you’d better call Theo and have him do an internal investigation,” Jazzmyne replied. “I don’t trust Ginger anymore.”
Jada picked up her notepad. “Thanks. I’ll call him soon, and I’ll talk with you later.”
Trying to show Darius she trusted him, Jada really didn’t want to have her son investigated. If any of the allegations were true, she’d look like a fool for promoting him in the first place.
Jada returned to her office. She scribbled aimlessly on the paper. Slowly she opened her desk drawer, removed Darius’s letter, and slid the gold metal opener under the flap. Numbness covered her entire body. She picked up a pencil and scratched her scalp to see if her nerve endings were functional. “Ouch!” Jada couldn’t believe what she’d read. Without hesitation, Jada called Wellington at home.
“Hello,” Simone answered.
“Hi, Simone. This is Jada. I need to speak with Wellington.” Jada started rereading the letter.
“He’s busy right now,” Simone said as if Jada had disturbed them.
Jada could hear Wellington’s voice in the background. “Who is it?”
“You said you weren’t accepting calls. Either you are or you aren’t.” Simone seemed disgusted.
Jada could understand how that marriage had failed.
“Who is it?” Wellington repeated.
“Jada,” Simone responded.
“Hey, what’s up?” Wellington’s voice was the next and only one Jada wanted to hear. Especially after listening to Simone suck her teeth.
“You have a minute?” Jada said seriously.
“Always, for you,” Wellington said. “Simone, could you give me a moment of privacy, darling? Thank you.” Wellington paused, then said, “What’s wrong? I can hear the tremble in your voice.”
Tears streamed down Jada’s cheeks as she sobbed, trying not to let Shannon hear her. “I received this letter from the Center for Disease Control with Darius’s name on it.”
“So what you’re saying is Darius received a letter from CDC?”
“Yes, and I know I shouldn’t have opened it, but I did. Wellington, Darius might have been exposed to the HIV virus.”
“What! You shouldn’t have opened it, ba.”
Jada had known he wouldn’t agree; that was why she’d opened the letter before she called. “I know that.”
“Okay, does it say who reported it?” Wellington asked.
“No. But that’s not all. We also had a meeting this morning, and Jazzmyne suspects Darius and Ginger have been intimate.” Jada sniffled.
“Listen to me. Don’t tell anyone else about this. I’ll be on the next plane out of here. I’ll see you tonight. Make sure Darius is at home.”
“He’s out of town. He’s scheduled back in the office on Monday. And Jazzmyne told me to call Theo and have him conduct an internal investigation.”
“Don’t tell anyone else about this until I get there. I’ll see you in a few hours. You know I’m here for you.” Wellington’s kiss squeaked through the phone just before the dial tone.
Shannon buzzed Jada on the intercom.
Before she spoke, Jada said, “Hold all my calls, please.”
“It’s Theo, Mrs. Tanner.”
“Okay, put him through.”
Jada tried to sound upbeat. “Hi, Theo. How are you?”
“Ain’t nothing stirring that we can’t shake off like a cake mixer. You sitting down, baby doll?”
“Yes,” Jada sighed. Maybe she should have stayed at home today.
“Word has it that a multimillion-dollar sexual harassment suit against Black Diamonds is brewing.”
“Theo, I can’t afford that! I’ll lose my company! What the hell is going on?” Jada was tired of crying, so this time she didn’t.
“I don’t have all the details, but apparently your son has been playing Dick Executive Officer with each of your directors, and they all have proof.”
Jada reflected on the CDC notices addressed to each of her staff members. “If that’s true, I stand to lose everything I own.”
“You stay cool. Act like you don’t know anything, and tell Jazzmyne to do the same. I’ll stay on top of this. By the time I finish digging up their dirt, there’ll be enough to bury them twenty-four feet deep. Everybody’s got skeletons. Trust me, doll. I got this. Don’t worry your pretty little head. I’ll be in touch. Peace.”