Jimmy

It was my first Saturday off in quite some time, and I was ready to throw back some drinks with Ross. After asking him to accompany me to the rest of the client meetings, I knew he would have questions for me. I also wanted to pick his brain about how we were going to go about delivering on the promises we made to this hotel chain.

“Hey there, Ross.”

“Hey, Jimmy. Already put in for your whiskey neat.”

“Thanks,” I said. “So, I have a question.”

“If this is work-related, it can wait until my office hours,” Ross said.

“Come on. It’s a small question about the hotel bigwig we just landed.”

“I have a question about that, but it isn’t business-related.”

“Don’t ask it, Ross.”

“Why didn’t you take Nina to that meeting?” he asked.

“You’re really gonna start off that strong, aren’t you?” I asked.

“Yes, I am. It’s been on my mind ever since that damn dinner, and I want to know what happened. She blew the first meeting, didn’t she?”

“What makes you think that?” I asked.

“A hunch. And the email the man sent me after the dinner. He said to tell you to keep your playthings out of his business next time.”

“Wait, there’s a next time?” I asked.

“I’m working on it. What did Nina do?”

“Showed her fucking ass is what she did.”

“Literally or metaphorically?”

“Might as well have been literally.”

I grabbed the drink set in front of me, and I threw it back. It burned going down, and I groaned with its taste. I handed the drink back to the waitress and told her to bring me another one before turning my attention back to Ross.

“That bad, huh?”

“She went in and intentionally sabotaged the meeting, Ross.”

“Did she tell you why?” he asked.

“Because she didn’t want to go, and I made her.”

“Isn’t that the extent of your relationship?”

“Yes, and I reminded her of that. Then she reminded me of the fact that I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn’t for her.”

“What?” he asked. “The hell you wouldn’t be.”

“She’s right, though. I brought her on in the form she took because I needed her at my side to sell the product to the clientele I was targeting.”

“Nina didn’t nail you those clients. You did, Jimmy.”

“But having her on my arm to wine and dine made it look good. It painted a picture of commitment, and that’s important in this game.”

“This isn’t a game. It’s business. And whether or not you’ve got a wife or a side piece doesn’t matter,” he said.

“It does if you want to be the best.”

“Who the hell told you this shit?”

“No one. Ever successful businessman has dedicated himself to a woman,” I said.

“Yes. To a decent woman. That’s where you missed the mark with Nina.”

“Oh, come on. She’s a decent woman. At least, she was.”

“She intentionally tanked a meeting with one of the biggest clients we’ve had to date. She’s not decent anymore, Jimmy.”

“I’ve never thought about hitting a woman, but I sure as hell debated on whether or not to throw her out of that car,” I said.

“Then why are you still with her? If you can’t even bring her to the dinner events and meetings anymore, why is she still around?”

“Because the press is still watching us,” I said.

“Then break up, smooth things over, and find someone decent to put on your arm,” he said.

“It doesn’t work that way. Because of the nature of our relationship, I’d probably have to pay her off to keep her quiet.”

“Then it’s a good thing Ashley saved us millions of dollars in taxes this year,” he said. “It’s ridiculous for you to stay with a woman for any reason, much less if you’re unhappy. And I’ll admit, your thing with her worked in the beginning. But it’s obviously not working any longer. How many more clients does she have to tank before you let her go?”

“None. It’s why I asked you to come to that dinner,” I said.

“Still doesn’t solve the problem of Nina being a bitch.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do, Ross? Just tell her it’s over?”

“Isn’t that how you break it to any woman? Jimmy, you sound idiotic. There are other ways to make clients see you’re a commitment kind of guy if that’s the vibe you want to give off.”

“How?” I asked.

“For starters, you’ve been faithful to your company. You haven’t tried to start another one up or anything. And our friendship, it spans back to our college dorm days. And our clients? The ones who keep coming back for more things? You’re committed to them.”

“It doesn’t give off the same public message.”

“Well, find a woman you can stomach better and strike up the same deal. Jimmy, she’s a terrible person. She’s trying to convince you that you need her so she doesn't lose her source of income. Do you realize how abusive that is?” Ross asked.

“I can’t let my company start a downfall now,” I said. “We’ve got too much at stake with this new client. Our stock is on the upswing, and our prospects have never looked better. I’ve got all of the investors eating everything out of my hands, and having a public breakup would fuck that all up.”

“Then don’t make it public, you idiot. Do it quietly.”

“Does Nina do anything quietly?” I asked.

“She takes your money quietly,” he said. “And if she takes your money quietly now, she’ll continue to do it when you have to pay her to keep her trap shut.”

“You speak so highly of her,” I said with a grin.

“I can’t stand the woman. I never could. You’re stronger than this. You can do this without her. Nina, she’s just a pretty face with a shitty attitude who thinks she plays a larger role than she does. You’re a commitment guy because you have Big Steps, not because you have a long-term girlfriend. It takes time and care and commitment to grow the type of company you have. Stop being so damn insecure about that.”

“I can’t go back to the way things were in my life,” I said.

“And that requires Nina how?” he asked.

“She’s in the equation. People expect her to show up to things now. It’s worked for well over a year, and it’s going to have to continue to work a little while longer until we can snake our way into the hotel business.”

“We already have, Jimmy. The contracts are signed. The orders have been put in. Ashley’s taken the checks from our investors. It’s happening now. Right now.”

“And a public breakup could ruin all of that,” I said. “And if she finds a way to tank my reputation and take Big Steps along with it, I’ll never forgive myself. It took me years, Ross, years to build this thing. My father was unemployed for most of my lifetime, taking odd jobs wherever he could while we scraped by on Mom’s puny disability checks. There were nights where I was digging around in trash cans trying to find food to feed my fucking mother because my assbag of a father was too drunk to know which way was fucking up.”

“Jimmy, I know,” Ross said.

“And I told myself when I went to college that two things were going to happen. I was never going to turn out like my father, and I was going to get my mother off the streets. And I never got to do the second thing, Ross. My father took that woman under with him because he could.”

“And Nina’s taking you under with her because you’re letting her, Jimmy.”

His words hit me like a brick wall. I felt like I was bleeding from my ears. The sounds around me faded into the background as my drink trembled in my hand.

He was right.

I was allowing Nina to sink me.

“Get rid of her,” Ross said. “No matter the fallout. You’re a multimillionaire, Jimmy. You’ll never wind up on the streets again. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be emotionally and mentally unstable in the process. Nina’s playing you, and you’re letting her. She’s manipulating you, just like your father manipulated your mother.”

“If Nina takes this to the media, they’ll dredge up my past. They’ll find all my skeletons and hang them from the bridges of this country for everyone to see.”

“And we’ll tackle them one at a time. But it beats losing big clients because you can’t keep her on a leash.”

I picked up my drink and put it to my lips as my mind came to a screeching halt. Jimmy was right. Nina had to go, no matter the cost. The business was stable enough to handle its first public outcry of supposed scandal, and we would quickly bounce back. I didn’t need Nina to do this. Just like I didn’t need my father to do this.

“Okay,” I said. “Nina’s gone.”

“‘Atta boy. Another drink to celebrate?” Ross asked.

“Sure. Why not?”