Jasmine's POV
Oh my goodness, he actually fired her. He actually fired Miss Rhino, his COO and second in command. I counted my lucky stars that I hadn't been previously fired as well.
After the meeting and the firing of Miss Rhino, I went back to my desk and found a tall, blonde haired woman standing there. She had bright blue eyes, cream skin and wore an expensive suit. She had to be one of Mr. Hollen's girlfriends because she was not wearing a company name tag or a badge. She was also too overly dressed to be an employee.
"Hello, can I help you?" I asked her.
"Yes. Is Evan in?" she asked.
I knew Evan was Mr. Hollen's first name. His father and mother called all the time asking to speak to Evan-- their son.
"Yes he is, but he's not in his office. He should be here any minute now."
"That's fine. I'll wait in his office."
"No, you can't," I said.
"Excuse me?" she asked, turning around at me and giving me an awful look like "who the hell are you to tell me I can't?"
"Sorry, but Mr. Hollen doesn't like anyone in his office without his permission or knowledge," I said in a low tone, being careful not to upset her more than she already was.
She made her way back to my desk and hovered over me. Her eyes latched onto me with anger and nuisance. I felt like her vulnerable prey.
"Listen to me, I'm his woman so I have all the permission in the world to wait in his office. I don't need his pathetic assistant to tell me what to do when I'm here. My parents own half this company, so you better watch yourself. I could have more than just your job for this if I wanted to!"
"I'm sorry," I said and turned my face back to my notepads to double check the notes-- proofreading and correcting-- and shield myself from her wrath altogether.
After a minute or so, Mr. Hollen walked past my desk and entered his office. I listened attentively to hear if there was any shouting but there was nothing.
She must really be his girlfriend. The real one.
~
At lunch I went to a nearby diner. I sat around a table by myself, stuffing my face with a hamburger and a soda. I felt like something in me was dying and the feeling always came to me when one of Mr. Hollen's girlfriends came to his office. I knew I liked him, I knew I felt something for him, but I couldn't show it and let it be known to him under any circumstances. He did not felt the same way about me and he never would. He never dated his employees and not in a billion years would he ever think about dating me-- his black assistant.I only dreamt about my boss. What it would feel like to get lost in his luminous grey eyes. What it would feel like to kiss his lips and be wrapped up in his arms. How would I feel being woken up every morning in bed with him. Having his children and getting married.
I heaved a long sigh at all of the things that were automatically out of my reach and out of my league.
I finished my lunch and headed back to work. When I got to my desk there was a folder that needed Mr. Hollen's signature on its contents. I took it off my desk and knocked on his door with the folder in my hands.
"Come in!" a female voice called out through laughter.
What the hell?
I opened the door and found the rude woman sitting on Mr. Hollen's lap while he had his face buried in her fake chest.
Yeah, I was jealous! And hurt.
"What is it?" he asked, raising his head and looking at me.
I found myself giving him a cold glare as I threw the folder onto his desk.
"These need your signature," I said to him. I turned my back on the upsetting sight in front of me and went back to my desk; I heard her giggling on my way out.
I sat down at my desk and began responding to emails from other investors on his behalf. He seemed to be too occupied to get that done now.
My line rang.
He wanted me back in his office.
"Yes sir," I uttered, pushing in the door and standing in the room.
The She-Devil was still on his lap.
"I was the one who actually needed you. I'm a bit jet lagged, can you get me some coffee? Little sugar, lots of cream," she insisted.
"I'm Mr. Hollen's assistant and not yours!" I wanted to scream at her, but I threw on one of my best fake smiles ever and nodded yes. I fetched her coffee. The little devil at the back of my mind telling me to spit in it, but I brought it back to his office in once peace and placed it on his desk for her.
"Oh, ummm, what's your name again? Was it Black woman...or?" she began.
"My name is Jasmine Blackman not 'black woman'," I corrected her sharply.
She knew my name. I was wearing my name tag, after all, but she must have had a racist side to her.
"Right, 'Blackman'. I don't want the coffee anymore. Can you just get a glass of water instead?"
I growled lowly to myself and looked at Mr. Hollen.
He had his focus on his computer and he was busy typing on the keyboard.
"There's a water fountain right there," I said to her and pointed in its direction, which was less than ten footsteps away from her.
"Well get me a glass then," she retorted.
I took a plastic glass and filled it. Bringing it back to her, I deliberately spilled its content onto her clothes. She flung up from Mr. Hollen's lap with a loud squeal and began dusting her clothes off, as if that was going to help her. I laughed silently to myself.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," I lied.
"You clumsy... You unprofessional... You... You...!!!" she screamed at me, lost in names to call me.
Mr. Hollen looked at her then at me. He shook his head and stood up, going to her side.
"It's okay, it was an accident," he said to the woman.
"No it wasn't. She did this intentionally!" she shouted.
"It's water, it will dry off," Mr. Hollen said, trying to compose her on my behalf.
"I'm leaving. Call me later?" she asked him, wrapping her long arms around his neck, drawing him in.
"Yep," he responded before their lips locked together.
I rolled my eyes at them.
She walked passed me, brushed my shoulder and left the room.
"White roses?" I asked him, hoping she wasn't the one.
"No," he answered and walked out the door after her.
I stood there, feeling my heart being shattered into a million pieces.
It was officially possible to get heartbroken without being in a relationship.
Evan's POVAfter work, I went to a local pub to meet up with Zack. I desperately needed a drink to digest the unforeseen feelings and situations popping up in my life and in my mind-- Jessica Hills' return and an unexplained lustful feeling for my personal assistant."Well you look like hell," Zack greeted as I walked over to him."You have no idea man." I snatched the extra beer he held in his hand."What's going on?""Remember Jessica from high school?""Yeah, umm, her sister is Regina, right?""Right.""Well what about her? Isn't she in Canada?""No. She's back and wants us to reconnect.""Dude. No.""And that's not the half of it," I went on."What else?"I knew Zack and the way he can get when told new information about my personal life and affairs so I let it go.I heavily exhaled a breath and raked my hand through my hair. A beer wasn't cut
Jasmine's POVI received a phone call from my little sister right after I stepped out from my place of employment. She needed me to come get her and take her home from a bar-- she'd had a few drinks. And by a few drinks, I mean she'd been heavily drinking and now she was intoxicated.I found the bar after walking for half an hour. She was sitting at a table surrounded by beer bottles. Her eyes were slightly closed and she was holding onto a beer bottle like she was holding on for dear life.What the hell?"Zen, what are you doing?" I asked furiously, embarrassed to see her in such an unusual state."Hi *hiccup* Jassy," she answered."Come on, get up. I'm taking you home!""No, I'm not ready yet anymore. I need to finish drinking this beer.""What the hell are you doing Zenia?" I asked angrily."Drinking this beer. I just told you that. Duh!""Zenia, listen to me. You need to s
Jasmine's POVMonday came like a blur. It took everything in me to get over what happened between my boss and I Friday evening. I wished he would have at least listened to what I had to say.What did I expect? He was Evan Hollen. One of most powerful and successful twenty five year old males in all of America. People paid homage to this man-- loved by many, hated by few, but respected by everyone.I, on the other hand, was a mediocre black woman who could only afford an apartment and couldn't save her mother's life, now that she was depending on it.I heaved a frustrated sigh as I walked up to the elevator at my work place. I gathered myself together and erased my emotions and feelings. I had to act professional and forget about what happened with Mr. Hollen.I walked out of the elevator and slowly headed to my desk. Once there, I started my desktop computer and began checking emails so I could respond to them.The doors to
Evan's POVAs the clock struck twelve, I was out of my office and into my Lamborghini and driving towards my mansion. Apart from the mansions I owned in Paris, Italy, London, Indonesia, Canada and Bora Bora, I loved the one in Brooklyn the most. I never called it home though. To me, a home was having someone or a family to go to, and I didn't.Mom had already called me three times to ask if I was ready for the trip to the Cayman Islands.Jessica roamed around the house and I headed straight for my shower. I shampooed my hair, took a long shower, and changed into a simple T-shirt and pants with sneakers.Afterwards, I dropped Jessica off at her work place. She wanted me to be intimate with her but I wasn't into her like that anymore. The feelings had faded and I was only tolerating her presence to get rid of the feelings that were building for Jasmine.I did not want to be involved with any of my employees.As I arrived at my p
Jasmine's POVAfter work on Tuesday, I went to the hospital to see my mom. I walked slowly to the room she was in. I hated hospitals. The scent of antibacterial cleaning products lingered in the halls and it always felt like the cold hands of death were reaching for me.I pushed in room fourteen and saw my mother lying down on the bed with machines attached to her to help her breathe, a mask over her nostril area to flow oxygen to her lungs, and a monitor beeping to indicate her heart rate. She looked like she was asleep. Or dead."Mom, I'm here. I know you're slipping away from me and Zenia as the days go by, but I'll do something to get that money so you can have a successful lung transplant. I can't let you die knowing I've done absolutely nothing to save you. I don't care if I have to sell my body to make that money, I'll do it for you Mommy."I buried my face at the side of my mother and I began crying bitterly. I hated seeing her like
Evan's POVI was already tired of seeing sea water and seasickness had come onto me. I just wanted to to be back in my office, in my chair, doing what I loved to do most. Work. I shouldn't have agreed to come on this god forsaken sea voyage.I laid in my cabin and tried to relax and stop having regrets.We had finally arrived at the Cayman Islands at night fall. The captain docked the boat at an island called Grand Cayman, which is the largest of the three islands.The Cayman Islands are made up of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The largest, Grand Cayman, has a cosmopolitan vibe, gourmet restaurants, world-class diving and the famous Seven Mile Beach. Cayman Brac is a nature lover's paradise with stunning diving and breathtaking walks along the rocky bluff. The smallest island, Little Cayman, is home to just one hundred and fifty people. Visitors, like myself, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and sunny sky.&nbs
Jasmine's POVWhen I got home from an exhausting day at the office, I threw myself down on the couch. It was obvious that Mr. Hollen was absent because the work load had gone into oblivion and beyond and nothing was going smoothly. Meetings after meetings were rescheduled and put off, deadlines weren't being met, and the list went on.When Mr. Hollen gets back, he's going to flip out.My cellphone rang, causing me to leap. I looked at the number.Unknown.I hated answering unknown numbers but I answered anyway."This is Jasmine," I spoke."Hello Jasmine. It's Dr. Shannon from the hospital."My heart stopped."Your mother is awake and she wishes to see you and your sister."My heart started beating again."Thank you. We'll be there as soon as possible.""Okay. Goodbye.""Goodbye."I got up and went to find my sister.
Jasmine's POV"Jasmine. I've missed you so much baby. How are you?" his voice spoke.I froze, hysteria coming over me as I tried to control my tears and emotions.Why was he calling me? What did he want?For my entire life, I had only been involved with one guy and one guy only. And that took place at my old college when I was twenty.Bradley Pittsburg and I dated for a year and a half and, when we were about to graduate, he dumped me out of nowhere, without an explanation or a reason.I was so madly in love with him, he was my first everything, but he showed himself, broke my heart and treated me like dirt. I always assumed that he was cheating all along, or he desperately wanted to move on with someone else. What ever the reason was, it still haunted me because I was such a good girlfriend to him. Since the break up, I separated myself from everyone else, especially my friends, thinking that they would eventually walk awa