Chapter Three
“Just Got Paid” Johnny Kemp
Champagne walked into her office, excited to start her day; only to find her boss, Charles Jackson, chilling in her space, behind her desk, like he belonged there. This irritated the hell out of her. She stopped in her tracks and started to curse his ass out but had to remind herself that him paying her was what paid her bills.
She loved her job. Maybe not where she worked and who she worked for, but she enjoyed doing what she did. She made people more famous than they already were. She came up with different ideas to do so, such as press conferences, dates with other stars, and magazine interviews. She also helped throw parties. Basically, she did what she had to do to get her clients more recognition.
In return she also received gifts, trips, and recognition, not to mention the friendships she developed with quite a few well-known actors, actresses, and singers.
Champagne started working for Jackson Publicity seven years ago as an assistant, and had worked her way up to becoming one of the top publicists. She would have gotten there even sooner, had she slept with her boss, who'd tried on numerous occasions, only to have her turn him down. But, like a true trooper, he wouldn't give up.
“Champagne,” Charles Jackson said.
“Jackson,” Champagne replied. When she'd first started working there, she called him Mr. Jackson but he kept insisting that she call him Charles, which was too personal for her liking, especially after his advances. Tired of the back-and-forth banter in regards to his name, she finally settled on calling him Jackson. “Do you mind if I take my seat?” she asked in a tight tone that let him know she was annoyed.
“Oh, of course not.” He stood up and moved from behind her desk, brushing up against her in the process. She knew he did it on purpose and just wasn't feeling it today. Actually she was getting tired of it. Champagne looked at him with contempt. “So, what can I do for you?” She wanted him to get to the point of his visit and out of her sight. She knew there was a point, because he didn't come into her office often.
“Well, I'm getting you a partner.”
Champagne looked at him.
“What?” She'd heard him, but wanted him to repeat it. He knew she worked alone.
The other publicists had assistants and interns but she didn't because she liked the flexibility of doing what she wanted, when she wanted, and not having to look over someone's shoulder or have them look over hers.
“I said, I'm getting you a partner.”
“I've told you before, I don't want a partner.”
“No, what you've said is that you don't want an assistant; there's a difference.”
“I don'tâ” She was getting ready to say understand but decided not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset.
“The person's name is Camille Ferguson, and she'll start in one week. On your desk is her resume and an outline of what I want you to show her.”
“Fine. Whatever.” Champagne knew in her gut that if she'd slept with him at the last conference they attended, this shit wouldn't be happening.
“Do you have a problem with my decision?” he taunted.
“Yes, Jackson, I do. I don't think I have to tell you that.”
* * *
A month earlier, Champagne, Charles, and Tiffany Sweeps, one of the other women in the office, attended a Minority Business Conference in Washington, D.C., where they took a number of workshops and networked extensively. On the second night there, they joined a few other participants for drinks, and everyone got a little past tipsy.
Champagne knew this wasn't kosher and decided to head back to her hotel room to get some rest. She told the others that she would catch up with them tomorrow.
“I'll grab a taxi and head back with you,” Jackson said. “It'll be my treat.”
“Oh, no, you don't have to do that.”
“I know I don't have to. I want to.”
Champagne thought nothing of it and accepted.
In the car, only a few words were exchanged. When they arrived at the hotel, she said good night and started heading toward her room, only to find Jackson following behind her.
She turned around. “Are you following me?”
“Yeah. I was hoping we could stay the night together.”
Jackson was less than a foot from her, and for the first time that night, she realized just how drunk he was. “I don't think so.” She placed her key into the keyhole.
“Why not, Champagne? You know I want you and have been waiting for quite some time.” He was up in her face. “No one has to know. It'll be our little secret.”
She knocked his hand down as he groped her breast. “I told you I'm not interested.”
“Aw, come on.” He leaned over and tried to kiss her. “Don't you know how far I can take you?”
She pushed him away. “You know this is sexual harassment, and you've been doing it for quite some time. I'd advise you to stop.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Do I have to?”
He took a step back. “Why are you so high and mighty? Just because you got a rich boyfriend don't mean shit. I've got almost as much money as he does.”
“Please, just go away and leave me alone.”
Jackson started walking away. “You know I can get pussy anytime. Don't think yours is special.”
Champagne didn't feel a need to respond, she just shook her head, went into the room and avoided him for the rest of the conference. She spoke to him only if necessary.
When they returned to New York, the air was tight with tension, so she knew this was payback. It couldn't be anything else. She worked her ass off for him and got him the best clients possible. Even when he continued to be an asshole, she recruited for better clients and basically made his company the success it was today.
* * *
The time had come and Champagne knew what she had to do. It was time to move on. She'd been thinking about starting her own business anyway, and he'd just given her the opportunity.
She didn't want to react emotionally and up and quit in that moment. She had to sit down and plan her shit out. She wanted to take two clients with her, and she needed to prepare them.
Just knowing in that instant what her plans were calmed her down. She looked at Jackson and surprised him with, “Do what you have to do. If you think I need a partner, so be it. Now, if you don't mind, I have some phone calls I need to make.”
Jackson was thrown off. He just knew she would be pissed. All the other women in the office kissed his ass but not Champagne, not even after all these years. He figured he would have worn her down by now. He was in love with her, and was angry that the love wasn't being returned.
“I'm planning on having a staff meeting the end of this week before Camille starts, so check your schedule.”
The second he left her office, Champagne was on the phone with Alexis. “Girl, are you busy for lunch? I need to talk.”
“Never too busy for you.”
“All right, let's meet at our spot in the village around one p.m.”
“I'll be there.”
For the rest of the morning, Champagne made phone calls, confirmed a few interviews, and started putting together a plan for her new venture.
What she had in mind was a dual public relations/personal assistant business that would cater to the wealthy, famous or not. If you could afford her services, she would take you on as a client. Her goal would be to make the client's life easier by arranging their schedules, setting up appointments, booking vacations. Basically managing their lives. Champagne knew this wasn't something she could do on her own and would definitely have to hire people.
Damn, I hope I'm not getting in over my head,
she thought to herself.
* * *
Champagne and Alexis met at Bojo's, a vegetarian spot. Alexis didn't eat anything that lived and roamed the earth. This cracked Champagne up because she knew that Alexis grew up on ham and bacon.
As always, they sat outside. They loved to take in the sights and talk about the people that walked by. This day, they wouldn't be doing that. Champagne had some serious business at hand she needed to discuss.
“Would you like something to drink?” the waitress asked.
“Some water and the menu,” Champagne replied.
“With lemon.”
The waitress walked away.
“So, what's up, lady? What's new?”
“Beside the fact that I'm leaving my job?”
“Get out!”
“Girl, I can't do it anymore.”
“What happened? Don't tell me Jackson came on to you again. I told you, you should have told Zyair a long time ago.”
“And I told you, I had it under control. But that's not why. He had the audacity to tell me he hired a partner for me.”
“A partner? Do you need a partner?”
“No, I don't need a damn partner. I know he's only doing this because I won't sleep with him.”
“Well, sue his ass.”
“I don't feel like going through all that. Plus, I have a better plan.”
Alexis was all ears.
“I've brought him most of the top clients, and I'm going to take them with me when I leave.”
“What about the contract you signed saying you couldn't do that?”
“Girl, I haven't signed a contract in over a year. I think it slipped his mind, because I've been there so long.”
“You've got to do what's best for you.”
Before Champagne could say anything else, the waitress placed their water on their table along with the menus.
Champagne waited until she walked away. “You know, me and Zyair had a talk.”
“The talk?”
“Yeah, girl, the talk.”
“It's about time. I was getting a little tired of you complaining to me about the same things over and over.”
“I was not.”
“Yeah, you were. You just didn't realize it. You were starting to sound like a broken record.”
“Well, how come you didn't say anything?”
“Because I'm your friend, and that's what I'm here for, to listen.”
* * *
Alexis and Champagne had been friends since childhood, going back as far as the fourth grade. They grew up in Neptune, a small town in New Jersey, and lived next door to one another.
Just as in any relationship or friendship, the two had been through their ups and downs. During their elementary, middle and high school years, you couldn't keep those two apart. They did everything together. They joined the same club, coordinated their clothes, calling each other the night before to find out what the other was wearing, and sometimes even liked the same boys. When that happened they both chose to leave it alone, because no man was gonna come between them.
Then there was the “thing” neither of them would ever discuss, playing house with one another. One would be the mommy, and the other, the daddy, and they would take turns kissing, rubbing up against each other, feeling each other's breast, and occasionally fingering each other. This went on mostly during the middle school years, until they both became interested in boys. You would never think this took place, because they never acknowledged it.
They were different in personality and looks, total opposites but both beautiful. Alexis was a yellow girl, as the boys called her, and shapely, so she usually received most of the attention. It never caused a problem because, unlike most light-skinned girls back in the day, she didn't flaunt it. She just wanted to be regular. It was already bad enough that she could barely walk down the street without some asshole yelling obscenities.
Not one to take any shit, she'd always speak up and tell someone what was on her mind, causing many fights in her youth. Things hadn't changed. As an adult, she still did this. The only change now was that she was saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Champagne felt like she went overboard with it, “The Lord this, the Lord that . . .”
It started when they went away to college in New York. Alexis met this guy called Brother. Yep, that was his real name. He wanted to be a minister and attended church regularly. When he and Alexis started dating, he invited her to church.
From that point forward, Champagne thought Alexis had joined a cult. She started being judgmental, quoting Bible verses. She'd stopped going out and drinking, acting like Champagne wasn't good enough. It was to the point that they stopped speaking for over a year.
One evening Champagne went out and was a little hungover with a headache. She went to Alexis's dorm, thinking she would find some comfort and support, only to have Alexis pray for her.
After listening to Alexis try to pray the demons out of her, she told her, “Listen, I love you and all, but I can't take you judging everything I do and say. So maybe we need to chill a little. If you really need me, I'm here for you, but other than that, our friendship has reached a point where I no longer feel comfortable. I have to watch what I say and what I do. I'm always on guard and I feel like I can't be myself around you.”
It was a heart-wrenching moment but something Champagne had to do for her peace of mind. It felt like a breakup. She cried for several days. She'd gotten used to picking up the phone and hearing her best friend's voice almost every day. Often she'd find herself picking up the phone, and dialing the number only to hang it back up. Homegirl was having withdrawal symptoms. She didn't realize how much she'd come to depend on Alexis.
It was Alexis who needed Champagne first. Brother broke her heart. She'd caught him cheating with one of the sisters in the church. At the time, Alexis still considered herself a virgin, as far as penetration. Orally, no.