Michael
Finally, we were settled in after traveling. I know I had business I needed to attend to and get my lawyers on the phone, but Jasmine's welfare comes first. I had to give her the tour of the house so she'd be aware of everything on those occasions I'd be away from home. But I think we needed food first because the three hour flight has me starved. I glanced over at her as we slowly walked in unison. Her smiled glowed as she looked at everything in the house for the first time. I saw such an amazement on her face. It was an appreciative smile and I could sense that she'd love it here once she's been here for a few weeks. I had huge plans for her especially when it came to Bad Records, I hope she can accept the job offer, but I'll ask her much later. As we continued walking through the corridor I introduced her to the staff members that were present. I instructed them to cater to the needs that she has,and that she's not to want for anything. She glanced over at me with a disapproving look shaking her head, but I meant this and I wouldn't budge on that. She had to be comfortable and this is the job choice my employees made so I expected them to follow through within the requirements of their position. I'll later explain to Jasmine that I wasn't demeaning them, because my employee's are like family, and I wouldn't mistreat anyone. Lunch was set up out at the back of the house in the large gazebo. It was special made just for occasions like these and today was beautiful enough for us to enjoy this moment for the first time. I took her hand in mine and we walked down the stone steps, and down the multi-color brick path until we reached the steps of the Gazebo. She entered first and I followed just at the heel of her feet. After pulling her chair out and she sat down comfortably, I sat opposite of her on the other side of the table.
" We can handle it from here." I nodded with a smile speaking to my employee Rosalyn.
Jasmine looked up at me with her huge eyes and she glanced over at Rosalyn as she smiled and nodded leaving the gazebo.
" Are you all right, Jasmine?" I only ask because of the way her eyes flickered when I spoke to Rosalyn.
" I am, but I'm not use to any of this. They shouldn't wait on me hand and foot." she says using the pump on the hand sanitizer massaging the clear liquid in her hands. Once she was complete she took her napkin sitting it on her lap.
"And I assure you Jasmine, I don't have my employee's doing anything that's not in their job description. I care for each and everyone of them. I'm not one of those type of bosses that looks down upon people. Jasmine, I can assure you that all ten employee's here are treated with dignity and respect." I exclaim and she smiles slightly.
" I'm overreacting, huh?" She shrugs her shoulders.
" A little. But I swear it's attractive." I grinned staring at her. "So how does it feel to be here?"
"It feels odd. You have real palm trees, Michael!!" She said with so much excitement in her voice as she smiled. "I've only seen them in the movies. It's so beautiful here."
" It's so much more to see and I can't wait to show you around." I say rubbing in the hand sanitizer in my hand and afterwards I began filling my plate with food.
" You seem so calm now. Are you still worried about your father and your company?"
She cared which was all the hope I needed for us.
" My father is a strong man, and he's wanted the company for quite a while now. He's had issues with money, and damn near lost all that he and my mother built. I can handle him, but it's irritating. I don't want you worried about that. You're here to start anew." I say promptly taking a bite of my bacon.
" I'm nervous especially about you helping me with my career. Are you sure that your friend or is it friend's, will help me?" She says with a little hesitation in her voice.
" I can guarantee that you'll be prosperous in your job search. As long as you're comfortable they can help you." I looked at her plate and she's hardly taken a bite of anything. "Are you enjoying the food?" I ask.
" I am." She says sitting her fork in her plate. " I'm a little tired and really want to settle in. Take a long bath and gather my thoughts about everything. I know you really need to take care of business at your company. You don't have to babysit me."
"Jasmine." I took in a breath. She was simply everything and more. Her kindness made me weak and pleased all in to one. "I have to make sure you're comfortable before I do any of that. My company can wait, besides the meeting doesn't start for another hour an a half." I say looking down at my watch.
" You're stubborn, Yaknow." She giggles shaking her head. "Are you going to be Mr. Obnoxious all over again?" She laughed.
I chuckled. I truly loved her personality. "You give me such a hard time Jasmine. We have to retire that name soon." I grin staring a her. Jesus she takes my breath away with her blatant expressive words me. It's just what I need.
" Maybe, Michael." She clasped her hands together then smiled beautifully. "I told you no special treatment. You have business and I don't want to get in the way of that. I can find my way around here , besides there are plenty of friendly people here I'm sure that's willing to help me."
I was taken aback. She thrilled my soul. She made me want more. The delegation in her tone was something I never had from any woman. I needed the strength she had. If only I would've met her sooner, but that's impossible with our age difference. She exubes peace and love. After the hurt and pain she's suffered, she still smiles. I was never this strong after my mother died and her death wasn't tragic. I can learn from Jasmine and I know we can build from each other. Still, I want to kiss her. I want to love her. Every part of me needs her, but I simply have to be patient. I've never been a patient man when I thought I loved someone, and I guess I never really loved a woman other than Katherine Jackson. She will always be the woman I truly love, but now my heart has an available spirit for Jasmine. However I'm not sure she truly understands my true feelings even though I've expressed my attraction to her. She gazes at me most of the time when I express myself and other times she gives me no eye contact. I simply wonder will her being this close make her love me the way I already love her. Jesus! I found myself staring deeply at her. I looked down quickly when she catches me staring. There was no way I could control my gaze at her. The way her smile reflected put me in a slight trance and I was stuck. Now I wonder will she call me out on it. I actually loves when she speaks her mind.
" No special treatment, Jasmine. I promise." I raise my hands in defeat. "I know I should get to my company, but I had to get you settled in here. This is a huge house and you can get lost. I don't want you to feel defeated and leave. I couldn't take it if you left me,Jasmine."
" I agreed to come here and I'm keeping my word. You told me to always come to you if I have an issue and I will. I guess that's where trust come with our friendship. I have to trust that you'll keep your word and you have to trust that I'll keep mine."
She tells me and I can't get over how mature she comes across. She's making it so easy to love her, which I already do.
" You're right, Jasmine" I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll go take care of things at Bad Records,and I'll be home soon as I'm finished. Rosalyn is very hands on with everything. Any room you want on the second floor you can have. Your bags will be brought to which ever room you choose. But please don't hesitate to ask for whatever else you may need. " I explain standing up dabbing my napkin across my lips.
She gazes up at me. "I can handle it, Michael. I grew up in foster care, and..." She says and looks down. " I...." She says becoming silent.
"No explanation until you're ready, all right?"
She nodded." Ok." She says and I can see the embarrassment she feels, but she's opening up and hopefully I can break down the rest of the wall she hiding behind.
"All right. I should go and I'll call to check in with you if that's all right with you?"
" It's your house and your phone, Michael. Soooo. If you want to call I'm fine with that." she shrugged her shoulders smiling.
"All right." I chuckled. "I'll see you tonight." I say and no matter how I talked myself against kissing her cheek, I did it anyway. I had to.
I was reluctant to leave Jasmine so soon, but I needed to prepare for this fight I would have with my father about Bad Records. Business was business as usual and when I entered the building everyone was doing the jobs they were hired to do. I met Rachel at her desk and by the look on her face I knew all wasn't all right. She had my naked juice in one hand and two red folders in her other hand for me.
" Mr. Jackson. It's good to see you under the circumstances."
" It's good to be home, Rachel. But I know that look. What's happened now?" I frowned narrowing my attention to her.
" Sir, I tried to keep her away , and your father has insisted that she comes to the meeting. They're waiting in the conference office for you."
"You mean my father called Gabriella to a meeting that doesn't concern her?"
" I'm sorry. But he doesn't listens to me. He actually told me I was fired for not giving him information on your whereabouts."
" I'll handle my father." I pat her shoulder. " After all of this is over I will give you a mini vacation. I wish I can do more, but you are quite important to me and the company."
" Thank you, Mr. Jackson."
" Oh, Rachel. I have a guest at my home, Jasmine. If you would give her a call and see if she needs anything to be sent to the house. I'm not really sure what she has or what she needs. Just be available for her if she needs anything."
" I can do that, Sir. Is there anything else?" She says.
" Get another locksmith at both properties . I thought my Gabriella issues was over. I want to be careful." I tell her and walk towards the conference office. I take a deep breath before even touching the doorknob.
"Son!" My father shouts soon as I cross the threshold.
" Joseph." I say and immediately and sit down.
" Son we can settle this all if only you marry this beautiful woman sitting to my left. You and Gabriella belong together."
"Joseph, she has nothing to do with Bad Records. I'm really disappointed in you." I sit my juice down after taking a huge gulp of it.
"Well...I'm sure that disappointment is something you've always felt." He stood up buttoning his suit jacket. "Work it out Son or I'll continue with my claim. Gabriella , I'll see you soon, lovely." My father says before planting a kiss on her cheek then leaving us to hash it out.
" I missed you, Michael." She purses her lips.
I watch her closely. Gabriella was still very beautiful to me, but she was soulless and selfish. We had good times for what we shared, but it always lacked where my heart was concerned.
"We settled things already." I say with little emotion in my tone.
"Not really. As long as we still love one another there's always something to say. Let's have dinner and make love like we use to. I know you miss me too."
I ignored her request. It was foolish and just like Gabriella
" Doesn't it bother you that my father only wants you around so your father can invest in my company? He's only trying to make his bank account larger. This isn't about me loving you or vise versa."
" So what?' she exclaims tossing the length of her hair off her shoulders. " My father is oblivious to any of this, and he forgives you for breaking my heart because I love you. We should makeup now." She says not hearing anything I've said.
"Gabriella, I don't love you and we've talked about this. I love someone else."
She laughed. " Michael you was in love with someone else when we met. That's just you."
" Gabriella, do you hear yourself?"
" I hear myself loud and clear. I think that smog in Michigan has clouded your brain.You go there and meet some poor little soul and now you're in love. I know all about Jasmine,and believe me she's not in your league ,baby." She says standing up nearing me . She grabs the arms of the chair I'm sitting in turning it around then she sits on my lap and fondles my hair. "I know people too Michael. I know you were in Detroit and I could've come back there and told your little chubby waitress a piece of my mind, but I respected that you needed your space. But once Joseph threatened your baby; this company, I knew you would come home immediately."
Between Gabriella and my father things would probably get worse, but I never was a man to let threats hinder my responsibility. Gabriella would never change and would always use tricks to get what she wants. My father is another case all together. He's always been a man who loved the green life and women. He'd sacrifice anything to have his way especially now since mother has passed on. I lived in that shadow for too long. It made me a man with no character for so long and I'm not that Michael any longer. There was a time when I just didn't care. I'd be with whomever I thought loved me. I spent many years pretending to care less about what people really thought of me. I let them use me and I used them with my finances. I'm ashamed to say that's how Gabriella and I first met. Every other night I had a new girl, and the night I met Gabriella was no different--I was with another model. But some how it was something about her that made me think I loved her. Now that I look back, I know it was because Gabriella was so beautiful; she's still lovely in that way; however her heart is black. Now all I could think about at this point was Jasmine and our future in all of this. It was no way I would marry Gabriella when I love Jasmine. I made promises to Jasmine and my intention was to honor all of them.
"This is why I couldn't love you. This is why we never worked because of the selfishness in your heart. My father doesn't frighten me and your threats has no influence on anything I feel. I gave you the penthouse and a car. Why pretend you love me when it's my wealth that turns you on?"
" Michael." She cupped my face in her hands. " I fell in love with you the first night then making love to you not even two hours after meeting clarified everything about us to me. We are compatible and we belong together. If you'll stop thinking about your conscious you'll realize I'm right."
I couldn't stomach this conversation any longer. I needed to be home just in case Jasmine needed something. I moved Gabriella with ease out of my lap and I stood up. I picked up the red folders and my juice then walked towards the door.
"My company isn't up for grabs no matter what you or Joseph pull out of your hats. I've apologized for just walking away with no resolution about us, but when you came to Michigan we settled things. Don't be like my father, Gabriella. If you ever loved me please don't this."
" Michael, I love you with all of my heart and soul. We were supposed to be off celebrating and planning our wedding, but you ran away and broke my heart. Then you meet some stranger and now I suppose to accept that I'm just your past?"
"I can't answer that. You know the circumstance in how we met. I had a girl on my arm that night, but left with you. You knew who I was then, and you also knew that I changed months later, and that we wanted different things from that point on."
" Michael, I can't make a promise to you about any of this. Jasmine is not the type of woman who can build a man like you up. You need substance and to be led. We make a perfect team."
"If you wan to believe that I can't stop you, but I know how I feel. Walk away from this plan with Joseph."
"I can't do that, Michael. I'm wiling to fight for us even if you're not. You should reconsider having brought that child here to live here. I told you I know people too, Michael."
"Jasmine is a beautiful woman and I plan on her staying here for a very long time. I will protect her and it's nothing you or my father can do about it. "
"And I'm willing to fight for the man I still love and that I know still loves me." She says kissing my lips pulling away quickly. She stared at me and smiled grazing her thumb across my lips cleaning her lipstick she left behind.