Jimmy

“Hello, Jimmy.”

“Nina. How’s your morning going?” I asked.

“Going well,” she said with a yawn.

“Are you still in bed?”

“Does it matter to you where I am?” she asked. “What do you need?”

“I’m calling because I’m meeting with a client today. A very important one. And I need you to meet me here so we can go to him.”

“Ah, one of those clients. But I can’t today.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“I have plans that I’ve moved three times because of you. I can’t move them another time. Otherwise, they’re going to be very upset.”

“Then I’ll call them myself. But I need you here.”

“Jimmy, I can’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“With all due respect, if you want your money, then you’re going to have to come help me. This is the nature of our arrangement. You knew this going in.”

“I know that,” she said. “But I didn’t realize how much you would need me all the time. It’s getting to be a bit much.”

“Then we can end our arrangement, and you can go find a job,” I said.

“Or you could increase what you’re giving me a month.”

“This negotiation doesn’t happen right before a meeting, and before you ask me why the answer is ‘because I said so.’ I need you here at five o’clock dressed in something sharp. This client is huge, and if I can nail him, then it—”

“Fine, fine. I’ll cancel my plans for the fourth time. But if they’re upset, I’m sending them your way.”

“Good. It’ll be nice to know who’s more important than your job,” I said.

I hung up the phone and put my head in my hands. No? Who in the world did Nina think she was? This was the sum of our relationship. She got a free ride through life on my dime if she came when I called. And she felt like she could say no? She’d never said no to me before. What the hell had changed?

What made her think she was the one running this show?

I tried to distract myself with work for the rest of the day. I rushed Ashley’s paperwork down to Human Resources and told them to put an urgent priority on this. I wanted Ashley working her new job by Monday with the adjusted salary in place. I wanted all hands on deck for when I walked out with my win this afternoon.

Because with Nina on my arm and a shark on my tongue, there was no way I was losing this.

I heard Nina’s high heels clicking around the corner. She walked into the room, and I could feel her heated gaze on me. I pointed to the chair in the room, and she sat down. Then, I finished up what I was doing before I looked up.

“That a new dress?” I asked.

“I bought it in New York, yes,” she said.

“I like the white jacket. Looks like you killed your children’s puppies to have it made.”

“Anything to make me look intimidating, right?” she asked.

“Come on,” I said. “We’re meeting this client for dinner, and he doesn't like to be kept waiting.”

“Who is it?” she asked. “The client, I mean.”

“The owner of a massive hotel chain that could put us on the map in smaller luxury goods. You ready?”

I offered my hand to her, and she took it, rising up delicately from her seat. Nina walked with a poise that was unprecedented, but she still had that defiant look in her eye. I hoped she could keep it under wraps for this dinner. If I blew it with this client, I only had one more shot at breaking into the hotel chain industry.

And Ross had worked hard to score me these meetings.

The ride to dinner was silent. I could tell she was still angry with me, but I didn’t care. There was no formal contract between us, but I kept our emails back and forth at the beginning of this. There was a paper trail of what was expected of her. And what was expected was that she came when I called, no questions asked.

“Why does everyone insist on eating at Zuma?” Nina asked.

“Because the atmosphere is calm and quiet, a great place to do business,” I said.

“But there’s nothing on the menu I enjoy from there, and their salads are lacking in anything decent,” she said.

“Then don’t eat. That’s how I assume you keep your figure. But we’re already late for this meeting, and I don’t want to keep him waiting any longer.”

She glared at me as I held my hand out for her. A few cameramen standing outside started taking pictures, and I put on my best smile. Nina was a professional at smiling for the cameras. She could turn from Satan to Santa in a heartbeat. I threaded her arm around mine, and we gave them a few smiles before I led her up the steps and into the restaurant.

One more hour of conversation and I could consider this client sealed.

“Jimmy! Nina! How nice of you to finally show.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Devotee, but work kept me held up,” I said.

“Nonsense,” Nina said. “He simply lost track of time.”

I shot my eyes over to Nina as she smiled at our client.

“Honesty! Now there’s a novel idea in the world of business. Miss Black, you look lovely as ever. Lends a charm to Jimmy’s stoic face.”

“He never smiles,” Nina said. “Probably because he isn’t getting enough lately.”

I gripped down onto her arm as I led her to the table. I bent my lips down to her ear to kiss the side of her face. I placed my hand lovingly behind her chair as she slid her furry fucking coat from her arms, and then I growled ceaselessly in her ear.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.

“Playing ball,” Nina said. “Don’t you want to step up to bat?”

I had no idea what the hell she thought I was doing, but she needed to reign it in. If she thought I was going to pay her for this kind of attitude, she was sorely mistaken.

“Mr. Sheldon, I’m the kind of man who wants to get right to it.”

“I don’t blame you, Mr. Devotee. I, myself, enjoy that tactic as well.”

“In all areas of his life,” Nina said under her breath.

“What was that?” Mr. Devotee said.

“Nothing,” I said. “Nina’s having a moment. You’ll have to excuse her.”

“Women. I get it. Can’t live with them, and we certainly can’t live with them,” he said. “Your partner tells me you’ve got some things you could offer my hotel to spruce it up a bit.”

“That I do, sir. In addition to our big play toys, we’ve got smaller ones as well.”

“Which suit him perfectly,” Nina said.

I shot her a look, no longer hiding my anger with her as our client looked between the two of us.

“Should I give you guys some privacy?” he asked.

“Not at all,” I said. “I guess it’s time I come clean, though. Nina and I don’t have a perfect relationship.”

“Don’t worry. Those cameras can’t fool us,” Mr. Devotee said. “Anyway, your guy said something about steam rooms and luxury hot tubs? What constitutes a luxury hot tub?”

“Most hot tubs have two components. Grooved edges for people to sit on and jets. A luxury hot tub expands upon that. The grooves are padded with waterproof pads to make the sitting more comfortable. The power of the jets is adjustable. You can choose the number of jets you want for the hot tub as well as add things like drink holders and such. But a top-of-the-line hot tub has—”

Nina let out a bombastic yawn, interrupting the conversation I was having with my future client.

“Are we boring you?” I asked.

I watched as Nina took off her heel and then brought her foot into her lap as she began to massage it. My client was mortified, and so was I. If we hadn’t been in a crowd of people, I would have fired Nina on the spot. What the fuck was wrong with her? What the hell was she doing?

“Sorry. My foot hurts. Heels are murder on my feet lately,” Nina said.

“Mr. Devotee. Why don’t we go get a drink at the bar? My treat. We can talk there while my love ... gathers herself,” I said.

“I know, I know. Always wanting me to be someone I’m not in public. It really is a drag, though. I can be a lot of fun,” she said.

“What’s she talking about?” Mr. Devotee asked.

“Nothing. We had a fight earlier about her coming to the meeting. I wanted her to meet my newest client in person,” I said with a grin.

“Well, I can assure you that client isn’t me. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I expected something a little more formal.”

“Mr. Devotee, if we slip away and get a drink at the bar—”

“I’m hungry. I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m eating dinner. The two of you can leave now. And make sure she gets her shoe back on.”

I was mortified. Absolutely mortified. But more than that, I was angry. What the hell was Nina trying to pull? Did she think the money I made to pay her simply grew on trees? I cleared my throat and stood up from the table and then reached my hand out to her.

But instead, she snubbed it and walked off with her nose jammed in the air.

“My apologies, Mr. Devotee. I hope that in the future, should you choose to outfit your—”

“I’ll find someone else, thanks. And let this be a lesson for you. Women have no place in a conversation about business, Mr. Sheldon.”

I was beginning to think he was right.

I saw myself out of the restaurant and made my way to the car. Nina was sliding in like she owned the damn thing, and I was ready to toss her out and make her walk home. I waved at the cameras still snapping pictures of us as people gave us weird looks. Shit. I knew I was going to see this debacle in the papers the next morning.

I slipped into the car and slammed the door beside me. I couldn’t stand to look at her. I was fuming, and I knew if I turned to her, I couldn't be held responsible for what happened next.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“A lesson,” Nina said. “I don’t have to do anything for you. Big Steps is not my company, and I’m not the one devoted to it. And I resent the comment you made earlier.”

“You will definitely have to specify,” I said as I whipped my head to her.

“I don’t have a job because I can’t get one,” she said. “I don’t have a job because I don’t want one.”

“I never said anything about—”

I drew in a deep breath and calmed myself until my driver could get us out onto the road.

“If you think the money I hand you grows on trees, then you are sorely mistaken. I’ve got one last shot to nail this thing, and rest assured, you won’t be accompanying me to it.”

“Good,” she said.

“And you won’t be getting paid either.”

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“If you think for one second that ruining a client for me is going to get you paid, then you overestimate the nature of this relationship. If you don’t want to come when I call, that’s fine. Your pay goes down because you're willing to work less. But if you think that intentionally screwing up a client for me is going to get you paid at all, then you’re as delusional as I think you are. I’m not paying for you to galivant around the world and giving you a monthly stipend so you can crash the business I worked hard to build. You might not be dedicated to this company, but I am. I did this without you. I got to a certain point without you.”

“But you didn’t get here without me, Jimmy. You didn’t get to be the best luxury company in the world without me. I have kissed so much ass for you in parties I would’ve never been caught dead in. Turned down dates with good men to stay on your arm. Forwent any sort of future I could’ve ever had so I could dig myself out of debt. So, if you think for one second you own me, Jimmy, you take a good hard look in the mirror. You’re the one who sought me out. You remember that.”

The rest of the ride back to her place was silent. She slammed out of the door, rocking the car on its chassis. I told the driver to leave before she got up to her apartment, and I could tell he was worried.

But I didn’t give a shit.

Not anymore.

The drive back home was lonely. She had blown the best chance Big Steps had at getting into the hotel chain business. Ross had told me this guy was a sure thing, that he had done all the work and what I had to do was close the deal. And Nina ruined that.

She ruined that for my company.

This other guy was going to be harder. Ross was talking with him every day, trying to abate his fears and answer his questions. Clients like him were the hardest, the ones who didn’t know what they wanted and always wanted to change their minds. I didn’t want to get into business with someone like that, but I couldn’t turn down this opportunity. I couldn’t snub it after all the hard work Ross had done to get me to these meetings.

But if Nina was going to act like this, then maybe it was time I stopped using her services. If she was going to be this much of a problem and be this self-entitled, then maybe a public breakup would be easier to field than a tanking company. It would set my image back. I’d probably have to throw a great deal of money at her to get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement. I would need something to take to court in case she ever disclosed the nature of our relationship to the media.

Though she wielded all the power. She didn’t have anything to lose, and I had it all.

I raked my hands through my hair as the driver pulled into the parking garage. I released him for the night to go home to his family, and then I made my way to the elevator. My head hurt. It felt like it was getting harder to breathe. Guilt was pooling in my chest as I pressed the button to summon the elevators because only one thought was going through my head.

The one thought I couldn't afford to have.

Ashley wouldn’t have done that. She would’ve been perfect.