TO BITE WITH LOVE

BUSINESS AS USUAL

CHAPTER #11

“BUSINESS AS USUAL”

JADE’S POV:

Sunday was a blur for me. It was unnerving that someone had been in my room, in my bed, and I couldn’t remember anything about it. What had I done? Had I had s*x with them? My instincts were heightened and even the simplest sounds were causing me to jump. Even my cat appeared anxious, as my beloved Siamese, Ni-Hao was aimlessly following me around my condo. I struggled to get through the day. Scarlett had called me and reported how amazing the night was for everyone, everyone accept me that was, and how she was terribly bummed that I had checked out so early when everything good was starting to happen.

I was happy to hear from her, to know that my friends had had a great time, and everyone had made it home safe. It was a relief honestly, as apparently, I was the only one that had suffered some trauma, however no matter how much I wanted to tell someone, my girlfriends were not the ones I felt comfortable telling things such as this too. Scarlett would tell me I was hallucinating, and Chandell and Courtney would give me a high five for the conquest. The only person that seemed to be aware of my visitor last night was Shannon.

I went to bed, and throughout the entire night I tossed and turned. The little sleep I did get was hardly restful as the same dream came to me over and over, more of a nightmare really. I was alone in the darkness, it all seemed so deja vu in my dream, like I had been there before. A tall man, blonde, handsome was wandering into my mind, encircling me, reaching out for me. I could sense the evil surrounding this man, the unnatural aura. Something told me to stand firm, remain still because if this demon was able to touch me, he would find me.

For the third time I woke with a start, jolting up out of bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Frustratedly, I tossed back the covers and swung myself upright, planting my feet upon my throw rug. I leaned forward placing my face into my hands, wiping the sweat away as I did so.

“What the fuck.” I grumbled, both angry at the lack of sleep, and the stupid reoccurring dream I had been having all night. I glanced over at the clock and noted it was nearly 6 in the morning. I dropped my hands into my lap defeatedly and stared at the clock for a couple more minutes and exhaled loudly. My meeting was at 8 am, so I might as well get ready and just go to the office. It was time to close this deal and start the new chapter of my life.

I got up, reluctantly, and stormed into the bathroom. After nearly 30 minutes of preening, I finally gave up and rescinded that I looked like a troll with a mighty hangover, and I felt just about as poorly. That was two days in a row now that I felt like s**t when I awoke. Perhaps it was the stress of everything going on? Or perhaps my mystery man had drugged me, and I was still feeling the residual effects, and honestly, I felt option B was the greatest likelihood. I dressed quickly in a navy and white strapless halter top and a white pencil skirt. It was conservative, yet form fitting, perfect for a day at the office.

I chose a pair of strappy white 4-inch stiletto sandals, and despite my best attempts at hiding the dark circles under my eyes, I opted for a pair of my obnoxiously large sunglasses that Scarlett had purchased for me, for “those days”. I chuckled when she had handed the monstrosities to me, they were much like a 1980’s style, big and plastic, but I had to admit, I understood why she had a pair now. I had pulled my hair up into a classic ponytail with a sideswept bang. I had no intention of mussing with my hair today, in fact, I frankly didn’t want to go anywhere. I would have preferred to have stayed in bed with my cat, although I was pretty sure sleep was out of the question regardless.

I grabbed my clutch and my keys as I departed my condo and traveled down the hallway quickly. I saw Shannon open her door with her little black Italian greyhound in his spangled diamond harness. He shivered when he saw me and began whipping his tiny tail back and forth, so quickly it was simply a blur. He wriggled happily and whined, causing Shannon to glance down at him, then forward to me. As our eyes met, despite my monstrous sunglasses, I could recognize the alarm in her face. Her look of fear caused me to stop dead in my tracks.

“Jade.” She whispered under her breath. The tone in her voice was enough to make me reach out to the wall and steady myself. She closed to distance between us quickly and reached out and pulled the sunglasses away from my face. “You haven’t slept.” Her voice had a soberness I was not familiar when conversing with her. I had known Shannon for three years, as I had moved into these condos/apartments right after I had finished college and began working for my father.

“I, I, I just have had a lot of things on my mind, with the sale and everything.” I told her, although I seemed to have some difficulty forcing the words forthwith. Shannon frowned and gently placed her hand upon my temple, conversely, just as quickly took a step away from me as if I had burned her.

“Oh my.” Shannon whispered, the color draining from her lovely face. Her apprehension caused me some nervousness as well, what just happened? Why was she behaving so strangely?

“Is everything ok? Are you feeling alright?” I asked, taking a step towards my eccentric neighbor, however after a moment, she regained her lovely smile and touched my temple once more.

“Of course child, and you will be as well. May the goddess protect you.” She mumbled a few additional words that I was unable to register, then she took a step away from me and smiled faintly. “There, hopefully you will sleep better tonight.” Her tone was matter of fact, and her face and expression softened. There was something unusual about this meeting, however frankly, I didn’t have time to worry about it. I had a meeting, the meeting of my future to attend to.

I smiled and nodded as I turned away from my neighbor and proceeded down the corridor. I decided that I would speak with Gregory. Our doorman never missed a thing. He was better than a security system and I swear, the man worked eighty hours a week. He had always been kind to me, loyal and frankly, he was just a sweet human being.

“Good morning, Gregory.” I smiled as I approached him. He grinned broadly, genuinely happy to see me.

“Good mornin Miss Jade. Fine day today.” His greetings could warm anyone’s soul. I couldn’t help but smile brighter despite my exhaustion.

“Yes, it is a fine morning.” I was simply referring to the weather. I hesitated for a moment, and then continued. “Gregory, did I come home with anyone yesterday morning? After I had come home from the club?” His smile immediately faded as if he was trying to remember something and I noticed his eyes flicker unnaturally. I took a step back, clasping my clutch a little more tightly. This entire day seemed wrong, although it appeared like any other day, I knew in my heart everything was wrong.

“No ma’am, you came home alone.” He informed me, almost robotically. I frowned.

“How did I get home?” I asked forcefully, shifting my weight to my other hip impatiently. Once more, his eyes flickered, and a blank stare riddled his face.

“I don’t know senorita.” My eyes widened, he had never called me senyorita before, and although I knew he was Cuban, he had done everything he possibly could to be as English as possible, down to his name. Gregory was a loyal friend to me the entirety I had been here. He was a great man, and to see this unnerved me. It took a moment for me to register just how wrong everything was. After another moment, Gregory’s smile returned, and he opened the door for me.

“You have a wonderful day at work Miss Jade.” His voice was clear and confident, happy like always, like my question never occurred and it was business as usual.