Chapter 3
She walked into her hotel room and set her hand bag on the table beside the door. Shutting it softly, she turned and looked at her suite before walking further into the living area and removing her black jacket. As she placed it on the chair beside a small desk, she turned to notice the telephone positioned in the corner blinking. “I wonder who would call me on this phone and not my cell?” she asked to herself as she reached over and pressed the blinking light.
“You have two new messages,” announced an automated voice from the machine. “First message from, Dillon Flannigan.”
She smirked as she nodded. “Why wouldn’t he text me?” she asked rhetorically as she listened to the message.
“Sulagna, I hope this finds you doing well. I know how this is odd that I’m calling you, but my hands are busy and I needed to give you a message before I step onto this airplane with Marisol. I spoke with Mina, who has also spoken with Hannah Burchfield and Robert. The plan to make Jenkins a minority owner is on, so long as we can convince him that selling the majority of his shares is the best thing for business. Hannah seems to think that if we could offer him stake in several companies to offset his loss, as well as compensate him for the shares he’d be selling to me, he’d go for it. She thinks that we will have to make it appear as if Nathanial is getting a deal that he can’t afford to turn down versus getting swindled out of his company that he let fall into stagnation. If you don’t mind, call me when you get this and let me know if Jacoby is in. Without his blessing, I’m less likely to want to go through with this deal. Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow in Sydney.”
Sulagna nodded as she pulled out her phone to message Dillon when the second message immediately started playing. “Sulagna, this is Jacoby,” said the gruff voice over the answering machine, immediately grabbing Sulagna’s attention away from her phone. “I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight to discuss the acquisition a bit more. We never really went into how everything will work and how all of the parts will move. Give me a call back and let me know if you’re interested.”
Without hesitation, Sulagna deleted the message she was preparing to send Dillon and immediately called Jacoby. Unknown as to what she would do and in what direction she would go, she knew that calling him back would at least help the transition for the company. Within two rings, Jacoby answered with a positive tone. “Good evening, Sulagna,” he announced from his end. “I was hoping you got my message.”
“Yes, I did,” she announced in affirmation, shaking her head as she realized how dumb she sounded. “I’m sorry. I know that by me calling you after… you know what, never mind.”
“It’s ok,” replied Jacoby. “I hope my message didn’t unnerve you; that was not my intention.”
“Oh, of course not, Jacoby,” she stated playfully. “Don’t be silly. You can leave me a message whenever you want.” She hesitated briefly as she realized again how silly she was sounding, almost appearing as if to have the mindset of an adolescent girl. “Jacoby, I’d love to have dinner with you this evening,” she stated calmly, honing her voice and lowering a bit as she exhaled to calm herself down. “Do you have anywhere in mind?”
“Umm, as short notice as this is, how about I call around and see what’s available and then text you where to meet me?” asked Jacoby. “I’m not a very big fan of waiting at a restaurant.”
Sulagna chuckled as she looked at her appearance in the mirror in front of the desk. “I agree,” she said. “There is nothing worse than going to a restaurant and being constantly teased by the vast amounts of food they keep bringing out.”
“I know!” exclaimed Jacoby. “It’s quite awful how they tease you. No matter, I’ll shoot you a message when I have our reservation. Is two hours long enough for you to get ready?”
“It’s plenty of time,” she replied. “Thank you, Jacoby, and I will see you soon!”
She hung up the phone and smiled as she continued to look at herself in the mirror above the desk. “Sulagna, you’ve got some work to do,” she stated as she ran her fingers through her hair. “You may need a lot more than a couple of hours to get this rat’s nest sorted out.”
Sulagna immediately turned and walked into the bedroom portion of her suite and over to the incredibly large bathroom waiting on her. She slipped off her purple dress, pulling the two straps off her shoulders and letting it fall casually to the floor before slipping off her bra and panties, then walking over to the shower. She opened the glass door and reached into the marble shower, turning a silver knob in the center of the wall allowing the water to pour from the spout on the ceiling. Steam formed inside the walls of the rainfall shower before she walked in, breathing slowly and exhaling softly before placing her right foot onto the tile surface to allow her body to start acclimating to the heat. After a few seconds, she brought the rest of her body into the shower and allowed the hot, steamy water to deflect off her dark skin.
Her mind started to dwell the moment she stepped into the shower and reached for her washcloth and soap. Her husband, Amin Patel, had passed away six months ago and she still possessed sleepless nights. Though he was taken by a disease that he out lived by several months, the pain associated with his loss was not lessened. For twenty-two years, Sulagna and Amin were incredibly close, spending hours together daily even though both of their jobs required them to be at different locales in the world. Through phone calls, messages, and finally, webcam conversations, the two grew incredibly close though painstakingly far away from each other. Sulagna traveled all over the world helping companies involved with the consortium amass larger fortunes and become more influential and successful. While Amin was a doctor, traveling the world performing lifesaving operations and practicing experimental medicine. Both were highly respected in their fields and highly sought after for their skills and expertise, but unfortunately for the couple, it kept them apart for the bulk of their time.
As she moved the washcloth about her body, spreading the soap about her frame, she thought back on all the good moments the two of them shared as his life was drawing to a close. As a doctor, her husband had always kept a sound mind about him. Throughout his struggle, he maintained his wits and rationality as the cancer ate away at him. With his bones starting to show through his sagging skin, he always did his best to not show his weakness and tried to keep a smile on his face. “No matter what this disease puts me through, I will never let you see me weak. I will never let you see me struggle. I will never let you know how much pain I am in because I want your last memories of me to be pleasant. I want you to cherish the amazing memories we’ve made together and not dwell on any you might create seeing me in an awkward state. I want you to remember how and why you fell in love with me instead of how I left this world.”
“I wonder what he would think about this?” she thought to herself as she continued to rub her skin down with the soapy washcloth. “I wonder if he would want me to see other people?” She rubbed the cloth over her dark skin, covering every inch of her body with the soap before allowing the water to fall from the ceiling to rinse her off. With thoughts of her late husband on her mind, Sulagna’s thoughts continued to roam in various directions. She thought about the incredible moments they spent together and how he lived to make her happy. She thought about the birthdays and holidays that they would spend with family and friends and how they both raised an amazing woman in Mina.
She worried about the stigma attached to going out to dinner with another man so recently after the death of her husband and how her friends, family, and colleagues would look upon her. Sulagna was, unfortunately, always concerned with her outward appearance and how people perceived her. Because of her position in the company, she was always forced to maintain a very positive image and aura about her at all times. Even though she was still in mourning and part of her felt guilty, she knew it was best for her to attempt to move on and enjoy a night out with someone else. Though worrying about the perception, she rationalized that she could equate it to a business function and, if anyone asked, tell them not to worry about it and explain that it was purely professional.
She continued to wash herself, allowing the warm water to fall from the ceiling. With it gently pouring down her back, rolling down her dark skin and finding its way to the tile floor, she allowed her muscles to relax. Not typically tense or stressed, Sulagna’s psyche was in desperate need of a change. She reached over, grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed the contents into her hand before placing the gel into her hair and massaging it in. The warm water, combined with the thick soap, warmed her scalp, soothing it. As she rubbed her hands through her black hair, her shoulder muscles started to relax as her fingers worked on her scalp. Sulagna was in a state of bliss as the water washed the shampoo from her hair and down the drain at her feet.
With a soft exhale, she reached forward turning off the shower before turning and opening the glass door. A large pocket of steam emitted from the shower as the door opened and she took a step out onto the bathmat in front of the door. She reached to her left and grabbed a soft, white towel with the hotel’s name embroidered on it to wrap around her body before grabbing another towel to wrap around her head. Using both towels to dry herself off, she walked off of the bathmat and out into the bedroom where she would debate over what to wear for the night.
Her options were not limited, though she was incredibly picky. Earlier in the day, she wore a purple dress, and while it was her favorite color and looked perfect on her skin, she felt that purple was not the optimum color for this evening and she needed to mix it up. She opened her garment bag and started cycling through the various dresses. She held up red cocktail dress that was low cut with very thin straps that hung down to her knees. “No, that might give him the wrong idea if I wear this,” she said, not wanting to appear too slutty and make Jacoby think that she was there to seduce him, which she had not ruled out completely. She put the dress back and pulled out a navy blue dress with a red and white horizontal stripe down the center which she typically wore when she was in France at a football match. “I wonder if he’s a fan of Paris Saint-Germain?” she asked playfully as she held the dress up, referencing her favorite team before placing that dress on the bed to pull out another. She reached in and grabbed a bright turquoise dress that Mina picked out for her with thick shoulder straps and a thin white stripe that was sewn into the fabric from just above her left breast down to her right hip. “That’s the one,” she said confidently as she held it up in her right hand before placing it on a hook outside the bathroom.
She walked into the living room area with the two towels still on before walking to the mini-bar and pouring herself a glass of whisky. “For the nerves,” she said to herself as she filled the glass. With it firmly in her hand, she turned the glass up and set it back on the bar when the phone on the desk echoed through the room. As the thoughts of everything continued to plummet through her mind, she knew that things would only get more difficult as the night progressed. She walked over to the desk and grabbed the phone, putting the receiver up to her face and speaking politely into it. “Hello.”
“Sulagna, I’m sorry for not texting you, but I have good news and bad news,” said Jacoby as he attempted to be playful. “The bad news is that there isn’t anywhere in the city that has any open tables tonight. I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to go out on the town.”
“Oh, that’s not good,” replied Sulagna, thinking about how she had already gotten cleaned up for the night and now her plans were ruined. “What’s the good news?”
Jacoby chuckled. “I can cook and you’re welcome to come over and spend the evening in my penthouse.”
“You want me to come over to your penthouse?” she asked coyly. “Being a bit forward, aren’t we?”
“No, not like that, but I would really enjoy more of your company and unfortunately, nowhere in the city can accommodate us,” explained Jacoby defensively. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or feel that you have to, but I’d really love to cook for you tonight and spend some time with you if that’s alright.”
Sulagna breathed softly while holding the receiver against her ear. While she was worried before about the stigma of already eating dinner with another man, going over to his home was a completely different endeavor. “You know what, I’d love to,” she replied kindly. “Amin never cooked so having a man cook for me will be an absolute treat.”
“Great!” exclaimed Jacoby. “Can you be here in an hour? I’ll text you my address and I’ll make sure the doorman knows you’re coming.”
“Perfect,” she replied. “I will see you then.”