Protected By Her Controlling Boss

Chapter 7

"Good afternoon, passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 1103 to Houston. We are now inviting those passengers with small children and any passengers requiring special assistance to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you," the intercom clicked off as Angela tearfully waved goodbye to Krista. That morning, only her father had been at home since Angelica had returned to school, and no one ever really knew what Janice was doing. At least Robert stopped watching bowling competitions on YouTube long enough to wish Angela well and say he loved her. Angela wasn't surprised by her mother's absence; Janice always enjoyed showing her oldest daughter how much she cared for her. Krista was the one who went with her to the airport. She had insisted on paying the exploitative parking fee to follow Angela as far as security before accepting that she had to leave. Unwilling to say goodbye, Angela video-called Krista from the gate. In this way, they were able to wait for boarding together.

Angela bounced her leg up and down while awaiting the first-class boarding announcement. She ensured her carry-on contained all her necessities but still scoped the area around her, not forgetting anything. Her stomach fluttered, recalling Jameson's reassurance that he'd take care of her if anything were left behind. Still, the girl was anxious; she didn't fly often. Shuffling in line, she choked down a pill for motion sickness with a swig of water and showed the flight attendant her boarding pass. With the gentle aid of the medicine, Angela drifted into a comfortable slumber the moment the wheels were up.

A flash later, the cabin lights were on. The next thing she knew, Angela was lumbering through the bustling terminal to find baggage claim. Jameson was already waiting for her, eagerly anticipating her arrival. Although he lit up at the sight of her, the couple didn't get to speak as he loaded her luggage into his car. The overhead pickup instructions, the shrill voices of people talking, and the noise of honking horns filled the cavernous structure. Passenger pickup was strictly business. Warm welcomes would have to wait until they were no longer in the airport's vicinity. Once in the car, sheltered from the frenzy outside, the pair turned towards each other, laughing at the absurdity of the chaos.

"Is it always like this?" Angela asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," he replied, still nodding with laughter. "If you think that was rough, just wait; we've still got another hour before we get to the house. Are you hungry? We can stop for something if you want."

The seatbelt clanked as Angela asked, "I thought you said the airport wasn't far from the city? Why will it take so long? I can skip a meal if it means I shower and crawl into bed." Jameson's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"She has so much to get used to here," he thought.

"Angie, the airport is in the city. Everything is in the city; the city is in the city. The airport isn't far from the house at all, but, well, you'll see. Might as well get comfy; I have some snacks in the backseat if you change your mind." With that, they finally pulled onto 59 and headed towards downtown.

A half-hour later, Angela couldn't resist asking, "Jameson, is there some sort of car accident ahead? Why isn't anyone moving?"

"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. This is Houston traffic. No accident, just a lot of people," He showed her a dazzling smile. "Welcome home, Angela; you're going to love it here." Jameson was wrong about one thing; there was an accident, so the 45-minute drive turned into an hour and 45 minutes. Luckily, she was still dazed from the flight and napped most of the time. Angela vaguely registered the sound of a beep before the telltale sign of metal on metal made her realize they must be at the house and pulling through the gate.

"What time is it," she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"It's almost 6; you were out like a light," Jameson said while concentrating on backing into the garage.

"It's the motion sickness pills; they always make me sleepy." Angela was glad to get out of the car and stretch her limbs. It had been a full day of traveling, and she felt stiff.

Jameson grabbed her bags and motioned toward the front of the house with a head tilt, "Let me show you the front entrance so you can get a feel for the place." Angela just wanted to go to bed, but Jameson looked so giddy that it was impossible to deny his request. She silently trudged through the grass in his direction, instantly sticky with sweat the moment they were outside.

"Is it always this hot so late in the day?"

Jameson grunted in the affirmative, "You know the phrase, 'it ain't the heat, it's the humidity'? This is what they mean." Angela made an "oh" shape with her mouth and nodded.

"This is it. What do you think?" Jameson beamed at her while turning to reveal his home. What did she think? The house was huge! It was much bigger than her family home. It must have cost him millions. For the first time, it dawned on Angela that despite the months of texting back and forth and planning for her to move here, she didn't know much about Jameson as an adult. From the house, she could tell he had excellent taste. She couldn't name the architectural style, but the lawn was lush and vibrant, and he had planted azaleas almost everywhere he could. The house itself was two stories, painted white and trimmed in black. She never knew the look would appeal to her, but it had a subtle-luxury feel she appreciated. Angela could not look away as she told Jameson that it was the first place she'd ever been that felt like home.

Jameson dragged her back through the garage to the side of the house, showing her a door flanked by more azaleas. He had brought her to the private entrance for her side of the house. He opened the door to a hallway and set of stairs rising to the left. The first floor contained a combined living and dining area, while the staircase took her to her bedroom and en suite bathroom. She'd never find something so spacious and safe in this area alone; she could surmise that much. This was more than three times her old place's size, which cost a ransom each month. Jameson had taken pains to ensure she had everything she needed while feeling comfortable.

"Jameson, are you sure this is all right? This is for me? Really," Angela was dumbfounded. Jameson watched her gawk at the furnished living room. It was perfect for her. His lips curled up as he recalled picking out everything just for her.

"Oh! Come back this way, " Jameson directed while jogging back to the front door. "This is the panel for your alarm system. It's completely separate from the main house, so you can come and go as you please." Unable to resist, he kept moving, "This door over here under the stairs is a half bath so that no one has to go upstairs if you have people over." She followed him around, amazed at the youthful energy he was giving off. This person, this was the Jimmy she remembered.

"Oops," she thought, "the Jameson I remember." He explained minor details about the place as she moseyed behind him.

"Is this the pantry," she asked while opening a door in the kitchen. She was partially correct. There was a place to keep pantry items, but there was also a stackable washer and dryer next to yet another door. "Jameson? What's this door for? It has a lock?"

"That would be the door to the main house. I promised you would have your own space and that I wouldn't intrude. The key to your side of the door is hanging on the right, above the light switch. I also have a lock on my side, but I'll keep it unlocked for you to come over anytime." He winked at her.

"Funny, bossman, funny," her voice chuckled back.

"Okay," Jameson clapped his hands, "How about I carry your bags upstairs and take you for some real barbecue?" Angela rolled her eyes at him.

Shaking her head, "Oh, come on, I've had barbecue before. You were there for it occasionally, too," she reminded him, wiggling her eyebrows.

"No no no no no, listen. The stuff they have back home? That's not barbecue. That's grilling and tossing on some store-bought sauce." Jameson genuinely looked offended at the comparison. "I'm going to take you to a place that will knock your sauce off." She scoffed at his silly pun but agreed; barbecue sounded perfect.

The gravel crunched under their feet when they climbed out of their Uber. She looked up at the barn-shaped building. "What's Goode Company?" she asked him, mispronouncing it 'goody.'

"This is the place. The 'e' is silent, by the way. Goode Company is a Houston landmark. Personally, I prefer Demeris, but it's your first night in town. This needs to be an event. It's a shame there's no live music tonight, or I would take you across the street to The Armadillo, " he pointed to a giant silver armadillo sitting on the corner of Kirby and Bartlett.

After a life-altering meal of smoked turkey and Czech sausage, Jameson left Angela outside to wait for their ride home so he could wash his hands. She loitered in the warm night air, kicking pebbles as she waited.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Angela looked up. Smiling at her was a young guy with his jeans tucked into his boots. Looking side to side, she realized he was talking to her.

"Can I help you," she politely asked, brows furrowed. The young man stopped several feet from her, not wanting to scare her by getting too close.

"Hi, I'm Blake. Are you okay here by yourself, ma'am," he looked at her as though he were worried about her. Eyes wide and searching for Jameson, she realized she was indeed alone. When Jameson had left her here, there were people everywhere. Why was everyone suddenly gone?

"I'm fine; I'm just waiting for someone," she gestured toward the restaurant. "My friend stepped away, but he will return any moment."

Blake seemed to deflate a little, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I wouldn't have bothered you if I had known you were here with someone." He started to walk away, but Angela couldn't help herself.

"Why do you keep calling me ma'am?" she called after him.

The handsome blonde gentleman turned back to her, "I'm sorry?"

She cleared her throat, "Why do you keep calling me ma'am?"

"Oh, are you not from here? That's just what you call a woman you don't know, like saying, 'sir.'" Blake said this in a questioning tone, as though he wasn't sure what she was asking.

"That's something everyone does?" She took a step towards him. The positive turn in the conversation made Blake feel much more confident, so he faced her directly.

"You're definitely not from here. Yeah, I guess it's something everyone does. Some more than others, maybe. I haven't really thought about it," Blake did a snap-pop thing with his hands and took on a more flirtatious pose. "You know, if you are new here, I'd love to take you out sometime. Maybe show you around the city a little?" Angela had to hand it to the boy; he was shooting his shot. It occurred to her that this might be the most polite pickup scenario she's ever participated in. The door to the restaurant opened, letting the commotion from inside out into the night. She looked back to see Jameson holding up his phone screen to show her the Uber was seconds away.

"Um," Angela hesitated, turning back to Blake, "you know what? Sure. That sounds like fun." While Jameson walked over to her, she put her phone number into the new guy's phone. "Give me a call sometime this week." Blake smiled at her and reclaimed his phone; he told Angela he'd call her, then nodded goodbye to her and Jameson.

Jameson clenched his jaw. "New friend of yours," he asked without looking at her. Angela could sense a change between them but wasn't sure what had happened. She didn't understand why but felt something was slightly off. They were having such a good night together, eating and catching up. But just now, his attitude was on par with his behavior the night her mom had tricked her into going home.

"He just came up and talked to me. I thought something was wrong at first," Angela shrugged. Her flippant attitude seemed to make Jameson even madder as he didn't say anything else until they got home when he told her he'd see her in the morning and went into his part of the house, leaving her outside, baffled and alone.