Jaded (13 page)

But here there was only silence. The entire neighborhood was comprised of luxury buildings, upscale stores, museums. Drivers were forbidden from using their horns. Central Park would hum in the summertime with the easy-listening rhythm of a professional orchestra and solo artists hoping for a break that only a magical city like New York could deliver. And now, in the lobby and in the elevator, a whisper could echo. Syeesha felt as though there was a civilized dignity in the quietness, but still she was uncomfortable.

When the digital display announced her floor, she hurried from the elevator, nearly knocking down a man getting on.

“I’m so sorry, are you okay?” she asked.

“It’s fine,” he responded, pulling his baseball cap lower on his head and avoiding eye contact.

He and three others scrambled onto the elevator. He looked up. Syeesha was rooted in place, her mouth wide, her diaphragm working hard to push out the air that would support the words stuck in her throat. She pointed at him and managed to get out, “Aren’t you . . .” before the elevator doors closed the distance between her and his grinning face.

Jade’s apartment was easy to find. There were only two penthouses on the floor. The heather-gray carpet muffled her footsteps. Soft, recessed lighting enhanced the sand-colored walls. Although she had been announced, Syeesha rang the doorbell. The thick mahogany door opened soundlessly like a door to a vault.

“Hi, I’m Syeesha Green.” She extended a nervously quivering hand to the middle-aged Latina who answered the door. “Jade’s new assistant.”

“Yes. Miss McCann is expecting you,” the woman replied in a thick accent, ignoring Syeesha’s outstretched hand. She was tall and slender beneath her baggy, white hospital scrubs. Syeesha thought it an odd choice of attire for a housekeeper and for some reason that eased her tension a bit.

While the woman hung her jacket in the closet, Syeesha took in her surroundings. The walls were painted a glossy peach that contrasted with the muted elegance of the hallway. A chunky chandelier, a tad big for the small area, hung from the cathedral ceiling. When Syeesha swung her eyes back around she realized the woman was looking at her.

“Shoes.” She stood with one hand outstretched.

“My shoes?”

“Rules of the house.”

Syeesha slid off her small heels. “I can put them away. Just show me where they go.”

The housekeeper looked at Syeesha as though she was testing her, waiting to see what she would do so that she could report back to the McCanns. After a moment she tilted her head toward the rack inside the coat closet. Syeesha placed her shoes next to a pair of smudged tan Keds.

The housekeeper finally extended her hand tentatively.

“Maria.”

“I guess I’ll be seeing you every day.” Syeesha pumped her hand, feeling as though she had broken through a barrier. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“You are Ms. McCann’s . . .?”

“Personal assistant. I was hired to help her organize her busy life.”

“What happened to Kim?”

“Kim?”

Maria nodded slowly as though understanding the situation more clearly. “She did not tell me she was hiring anyone to work in the house. I’m surprised.”

“Why?”

“Kim never worked here. Only with Jade on assignments.”

Maria openly appraised her, rolling suspicious dark eyes over Syeesha’s professional slacks, short-sleeved blouse, and her long, thick hair tamed into a ponytail. Her eyes pulled back up to meet Syeesha’s.

“Bet she’ll have a uniform for you, too.”

Uniform?

“Look at me.” Maria continued, resting one hand on her hip. She was in her early forties but she had cared for herself well. Her skin was as supple as a toddler’s. The V-neck shirt of her hospital scrubs had two pockets near the waist, one of which had a thin, green plastic cord stick out. The matching pants were baggy but did little to hide her shapely body. Maria’s feet were covered in soft-soled, white cotton slippers that fitted her feet snugly. “She insists I wear this as my uniform. She doesn’t say why, but I know.”

“Why?” asked Syeesha, baffled.

Maria pointed and Syeesha’s eyes followed the invisible trail that landed on a picture hanging on the wall. She hadn’t noticed it before. It was a picture of Rodney McCann. The same regal composure Syeesha had swooned over on cancelled television shows and bad action movies. She recalled that throughout one made-for-TV movie, he had worn the same costume, despite changes in time and location. He had always been too good for the roles he’d accepted. Ironically, Hollywood was the one place where someone could repeatedly produce a bad product and still make millions. She had been a good legal secretary for years, working for peanuts, and got shown the door. Syeesha caught herself staring at him. She wrapped her arms around her torso and redirected her attention back to Maria, who was saying, “Since you’re her personal assistant maybe you’ll have an easier time collecting your pay than I’m having. A week late. Again.”

Syeesha believed in red flags. She believed in the seemingly inexplicable signs that God set before humans to test the usefulness of their built-in alarm system. Would the mortal trust her gut and act upon the faint warning bell that only she could hear or would she use the power of reason to dismiss the ringing as a false alarm because it serves her purpose?

She looked about the luxurious apartment that was now her new office and the surrounding quiet that carried the promise of new opportunities in her life.

“Maybe there’s a logical explanation for it.”

“She likes to toy with me. Remind me who’s boss. In fact, it’s Mr. McCann, not her. In your case, it may be different.”

“Have you asked him?”

“Haven’t seen him. Maybe you look for me? The accountant usually sends it over in an envelope.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Maria gave her a quick tour of the place. A cream limestone floor gleamed in a high shine as Maria led Syeesha past the short bridal staircase. In the living room, a twelve-foot hand-carved stone lion’s head dominated the room. Its open mouth served as a fireplace. Above it was an oversized photograph of Jade.

God, these people love themselves.

“It’s awful, no?” Maria coaxed.

“I’m in awe,” Syeesha replied carefully. “This apartment, this building . . . I’m speechless. I think I just saw Robert Pattinson in the elevator. You know that kid from
Twilight
?”

“Likely. Apartment next door for sale.”

A sofa that looked as if it had come directly from the set of a nineteenth-century period piece like
Dangerous Liaisons
sat beneath an elaborate chandelier. The room, overly perfumed by the presence of fresh flowers, was crowded with furniture and art throughout. Twin chairs covered in a zebra pattern sat on either side of an antique table; a four-foot Oriental vase brimming with yellow roses stood near a window; Indian-inspired burgundy throw pillows and a bear rug rested at the foot of the lion’s mouth. The home was crammed with so many individually exotic pieces that, as a whole, the end result was nothing more than a beautiful mess. Syeesha wondered if the money used to decorate the penthouse would have been better spent on an interior decorator who valued old-money elegance over nouveau-riche flashiness.

As Maria guided her through the apartment, Syeesha noticed an eclectic mix of art on the wall, most of which were of African-American subjects.

“This is Jade’s office. Have a seat. She’ll be with you soon.”

“Thanks, Maria. I’ll see what I can do about your check.”

***

Alone in the office, Syeesha was taken aback by the photographs surrounding her. Models—a few she recognized as having the “super” moniker—adorned the walls in a variety of poses. The subjects were from many different ethnic backgrounds. Syeesha stepped closer to the walls to admire the gallery. Some of the photos were taken in exotic beach locations with the models purring on wet sand or emerging from the water in near-naked glory; one was of a totally nude model lying on a velvet couch with an emerald stone the size of a plum draped down her back from a diamond necklace, while a black panther lounged casually at her foot. One young girl, in particular, caught her attention. It was a close-up shot of a black girl, no more than sixteen. Her tongue seductively licked her top lip. She had one eye closed. She looked familiar to Syeesha but she couldn’t place her. Her face and body—at least what Syeesha could see of it—was as pure and unblemished as fresh cream.

“Joy Sinclair.”

Syeesha turned with a start to see Jade standing in the room in a sleeveless silk dress.

“She was fourteen when that picture was taken. Up-and-coming pop star.” Jade stood next to her beneath the striking photograph. “At the time, anyway. She’s dead now.”

“That happened about two years ago,” Syeesha recalled. “I’d forgotten about that.”

“She had four popular songs on the radio and then decided she liked her hits up her veins. Too much money is squandered on the young.”

When she was finally able to refocus her attention, Syeesha took in the rest of the office. The individual pieces of art—vases and statues—were elegant, but the clutter spilled over into that room as well. The beauty of the tall vases, nude statues, and printed throw rugs were lost among the abundance of things. As Syeesha followed Jade to the sofa, she glimpsed the desk. A closed laptop peaked out from beneath paper like a pinecone buried in snow.

“Would you like any coffee? I’m sure Maria didn’t even bother to ask.”

“She did, but no, thanks. Did you do the makeup of all of these models?”

“I did. Let’s get down to business. I want to show you around the house–“

“Maria just did. It’s very . . . eclectic.”

“Good. Saves time. The majority of your day will be spent here, ordering supplies, keeping my calendar. . . . Write this down.“ Jade tossed the yellow notepad she was carrying on the table. Syeesha fumbled with a pen and began writing as Jade continued, “Responding to e-mails, answering my business line, that sort of thing. Do you have plans for tonight?”

“I have class and–”

“Cancel. My husband will be home for dinner and I think it would be the perfect opportunity for you to meet him.” Jade walked toward her desk.

Syeesha felt her throat tighten. She opened her mouth and heard the words quiver as she spoke. “Jade, about my classes. I told you–”

Jade whipped around on her high heels, apparently breaking her own house rules.

“Syeesha.” Her voice oozed honey. She took a seat next to Syeesha and clasped her hands. “I’m so glad you accepted this position. I knew when I was in that room with you that you were a special kind of woman. Anybody can see an opportunity but it takes a lot of guts for someone to go for it. Most people are too scared to take on new challenges. Most people aren’t like us.”

Syeesha wasn’t sure if the comparison was a compliment. Jade’s demeanor had vacillated from sweet to stinging to sweet again in the space of a nanosecond.

“I know you don’t see it yet but this job is going to open you up to a whole new world of possibilities. But you have to be brave enough to step into the light, so to speak.”

“Law school is a priority for me.”

She hoped Jade couldn’t hear the doubt in her voice. From the hint of a smile on Jade’s lips, Syeesha guessed that she had.

“Maybe my husband will be able to help you with some of those priorities. He’s a very influential man and could probably get you into a law office of your choosing when you graduate. Please stay for dinner tonight.”

There was something about Jade that intrigued her. And it wasn’t just her lush lifestyle or obvious talent that made her remarkable. Jade looked at her with eyes so endearing, Syeesha almost felt as though she had no real choice in the matter.

“Sure. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to use your computer to e-mail my teacher.”

“Later.” A broad smile dawned then disappeared again. Jade curled her forefinger in a gesture for Syeesha to join her at the desk. “Invoices here. A couple might be overdue so I’ll need you to get on top of that. You know how to use QuickBooks, right?”

Quick what?

“Yes,” she replied. “I didn’t know I’d be privy to your financial information.”

“I can trust you, can’t I?”

“Of course,”  Syeesha replied quickly, then shut her mouth.

Jade wrestled with a small file cabinet. After a spirited fight with the latch, Jade freed the drawer. Every drawer was stuffed with papers. She touched the bottom drawer with the toe of her shoe.

“This one is locked. Or stuck. Eventually you’ll need to figure out how to get it open. I’m not even sure what’s inside.”

“Kim never took care of this for you?”

“Nope. She just went on assignments with me.” Jade sighed and looked at her desk. “Is it that bad?”

Syeesha nodded.

Jade laughed. “You were hoping for something a little sexier?”

“A bit more challenging, maybe.”

“You might be in luck on both fronts. Here’s the checkbook.”

Syeesha opened it and glanced inside. The last check had been written over two months ago. And that was assuming that all the checks had been correctly noted on the ledger.