Favorite Vice

Chapter Three

Jazmine's POV

We walked back to their building, and she told me to wait for her in the lobby, saying it’d probably not take her too long because he’s gonna fire her anyway. Such an optimistic girl. But, I know the DeMarco CEO is not the easiest boss to work with. Well, that’s what the rumors say.

There wasn’t anything fun for me to do while waiting, so I scrolled through my i********: feed, trying to soak up all the fanciness of internet people. What a lavish life some of them are living. Social media try to sell you all these glamorous things, yet people are still living so poorly. Behind all the glamour, people’s souls are too poor with love and empathy for other beings. Why am I thinking so deeply?

A tap on my shoulder took my wandering brain out of the deep path. “Lovely to see you again today, angel. What are you doing here?” Kurt asks.

I wonder if I got the wrong impression of him? The first time I saw him, he was scowling and there was such an icy aura surrounding him. Now, he’s like a gentle giant, smiling every time. “I’m waiting for a friend.” I turn off my phone and focus on him. There’s something that’s been on my mind earlier. “May I ask, do you work here?” His looks are incomparable, and he’s changed into a business suit rather than the plain shirt and vest he wore earlier. He looks more formal.

“Excuse me, Mr. DeMarco, Miss Cortez is waiting by your office.” A slender woman wearing an all-black business suit informs Kurt. Wait? Mr. DeMarco?

“Hold on, did she just call you…” I trailed off; the name not wanting to slip off my tongue.

He turns to me, again with his charming smile. “Did I forget to tell you, angel? Kurt DeMarco in the flesh. I’d love to chat more, but I have an important thing to do.” He’s about to leave when I gripped his hand. Confused, he turns around and clasps his hand in mine. “Need anything?” he asks.

“Nothing.” I tried to hunt for words in my blank mind to tell him not to scare Sam too much or maybe not fire her, but I know I don’t have the right to dictate him. Especially since it deals with his personal finances. “I’ll see you around.” In the end, I chose not to meddle with his business. I’ll just help Sam find a new job.

He lets go of my hand and walks to the elevator, the woman from before walking behind him. I plop down the cushion-y chair, fingers-crossed that Sam would get through this.

Kurt's POV

I couldn’t believe I would see her here. She said she’s waiting for a friend. If it was other people, I’d have thrown them out since this is my sacred workplace, but it’s Jazmine, my angel.

The elevator stops at the top floor, reminding me once again why I’m here. Another headache. I can’t believe I’ve hired incompetent people; I might as well visit the HR Department after this. “Into my office, Miss Cortez.”

Samantha Cortez. I read from the file my new secretary gave me. She’s been working here for seven years, and yet she let this mishap happen. “Sir, I…” I held up my hand, stopping her from spouting excuses.

“You know why I called you here, Miss Cortez. I see you’ve worked here long enough to know how I run this company. The thing I hate the most is incompetence.” I take a deep breath before continuing when I hear a ruckus outside. What the hell is going on?

The girl that’s been haunting my mind since that night burst through my office doors. “Wait! I just need to talk to him for a little.” She whipped her head towards me, her pure eyes glistening with determination.

“Let her go, Jessica. It’s fine.” I stood up from my seat and walked over to her. A smile threatened to break out from my face. But, I can’t show my soft side to my employees. This side of me is only for her. Yet, I couldn’t help it. I get so weak in front of her. This is unusual. “Were you that eager to talk to me, angel?”

I can audibly hear gasps from my two employees. Trust me, you’re not the only ones perplexed by my behavior. “I’m sorry for barging in. I need to talk to you,” she says and glances at Miss Cortez. Her face is full of questions. “I’ll explain to you later,” she says and holds Miss Cortez’ hand.

“Alright, you clearly know each other. Is she the friend you were referring to?” I offered her a chair, to which she mumbled a ‘thanks’.

She pulls up her phone and shows me a message from someone named Vie. “First of all, Sam asked me for help with your bank account. So, I asked our other friend who is knowledgeable in this area about what possible solutions we could make, and she told me those. I know Sam made a huge mistake and I can’t tell you what to do about it, but I hope you reconsider your decision. I promise we’ll solve this issue as soon as possible.” Her earnest promise tugged something inside me. I am well capable of solving this problem on my own, but a tiny voice urges me to see what she’s capable of.

I leaned back against my chair, crossing my arms and staring straight into her eyes. Normally, people would back down from having any eye contact with me, but she surprises me by holding my gaze. “Alright. I’ll let you handle this, but if this ever happens again, I can’t assure you, Miss Cortez, that you’ll still have your job.” I signaled for her to get out, leaving me and my angel behind. “Now, I’m quite sure you have a lot to ask.”

She takes a deep breath and looks around my office. “I never would have guessed you were the CEO of KDM.” I walked over behind her, gathering her hair away from her neck. I breathed in her exquisite scent, making her sit straight, goosebumps covering her neck.

“I try to keep a low profile when I’m out. But, I still appear on media sites, which is why I’m surprised you’re not familiar with me.” I lick her earlobes, sucking on her delicate skin and producing a red mark.

My actions render a gasp from her, her body shuddering. “I’m not familiar with the business world. Although I do have a cousin who has his own company, and also a friend, that’s the extent of my business affiliation.” I pull myself away from her, tugging her up and facing her towards me.

“Hmm, is that so? I don’t think I’ve been rewarded just now. Usually, employees who do not do their job well get fired. But, I did your friend a favor. Won’t you compensate me for that?” Uncertainty swirled in her eyes; her hands clasped together. I might have pushed a little too much. “You don’t have to do—” Her lips on mine cut me off. Her soft, plump lips robbed me of my breath. Suddenly, I felt dizzy from all the emotions circling my pounding heart.