jack jameson

carter mcintyre

Five months later…

I have absolutely no idea why I went in thinking that working for Jameson Suites would be a piece of cake. I mean, I’ve heard plenty of horror stories from various assistants of wealthy men like Jason but he seemed like such a laid back guy.

After going through months of hardcore labor, traveling everywhere with him, and firing a few people, I decided that he was no longer the laid back guy I met. Not to mention the fact that he completely ignored me half the time. It was like our previous relationship never happened.

That’s what I wanted, right? But dammit if it didn’t bother the hell out of me. I would catch him stealing a few glances from time to time, but that was it. Every time I caught him, he nearly broke his neck trying to act like he wasn’t looking.

Everything we had to do together was awkward because we only talked about business. Type this, type that, go here, go there. There were even days where I had to work all alone at the office because he was taking care of business somewhere else. I wouldn’t call him a horrible boss, but I could tell that he definitely was not used to having an assistant. He would forget that I was there half the time and end up doing things all for himself.

Working damn near seventy hours a week and having to basically eat, breathe, and think Jason Jameson without actually dating him was a nightmare. Sometimes I wished that I never took the job, but it had its benefits. I had the opportunity to travel all around the country and getting a salary of $200,000 didn’t hurt the least.

Jason offered Lauran something like ten grand to keep her mouth closed about our relationship. He also made her sign some sort of contract concealing the deal. She graciously took up the offer and did as he said. Alicia knew nothing about what was going on. She knew that I was his assistant and of course she felt bittersweet about it. At first she was jealous and probably still is. She had the nerve to think that I fucked him to get the job. You know, only Alicia’s logic would make that up. And then she felt grateful because me being his assistant guaranteed her a job.

 “Come to my office please.” I read the IM Jason had just sent me out loud in a whisper. What did he want this time? I had just got finished scheduling an event for him. One of those black and white party kind of things.

I closed my laptop, got out of my chair, and pulled my skirt down. His office was directly across from mines so I walked over and knocked on his door. He waved me in while he finished up a phone call. Jason looked extremely tired as he sat at his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening” He ended the phone call and gazed at me. “Close the door.”

I nodded my head, closed the door to his office, and walked closer to his desk. Like his condo, he had floor-to-ceiling-windows and you could see nearly all of New York from them.

“Take a seat.”

I sat down in one of the plush leather chairs and crossed my left leg over the right one. “What’s with all of these commands?” I said, with a little humor in my voice.

“…my apologies. I’m a little frustrated.”

“Why? What happened?”

Jason sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I need you to do a huge favor for me.”

“Jason, I’m your assistant. I’ve been doing all kinds of favors for you. What is it?”

“California” was all he said. Like I was supposed to know what the hell he was talking about.

“California? Didn’t you say something about your family being there?”

“Yes. This weekend you are going to be with me and my family in Malibu for the family gathering.”

My eyes involuntarily widened at the thought of having to meet with his family. Also because where did all of this come from? I thought we weren’t even on speaking terms.

“I know this may seem short noticed, but I have to bring someone…and-“

“So I have to meet your family?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to do that.”

“See, it’s not really an option.”

“It sounded like an option about two minutes ago.”

“But it’s not” he said with a serious tone.

I rolled my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Everything is paid for of course. Just think of it as a paid vacation…and please. Don’t roll your eyes at me.” After about ten seconds of me not responding and giving him a blank look, he spoke again.  “I’ll give you more information tomorrow. But for now…you can go back to your office.”

There he goes…treating me like a little kid again. “Asshole” I muttered under my breath and slowly lifted myself out of the chair.

He looked up at me with a smirk on his face. “Thanks for the ‘compliment’. It’s nice to know that I’m not too nice on you.” I could tell if he was being sarcastic or for real.

“Yeah whatever…you know, I really hate the way you’ve been treating me lately. That’s why I’m so confused with this whole thing. You’ve barely spoken to me since I got hired and now you bring this shit up.”

Jason got up from his chair and stalked towards me. He came so dangerously close to me that I had to take a step back. “What would you like for me to do Keyshia? Sweet talk you?” He clenched his jaw and stared straight into my eyes, something I had to get used to because I hated eye contact.

“I didn’t say that. Just stop talking to me like you’re my father and we won't have a problem!”

He smirked and licked his top lip. “I’m your boss…and you’re already getting off easy by saying half of the things you say to me.”

“You can't make me go on this trip. It’s personal and nowhere near business-related.”

“You’ll enjoy yourself.”

Since the trip was on such short notice, I barely had time to prepare for it. I didn’t even know what to wear! We’re supposed to be staying at a ranch. I think that’s what he said. He didn’t really give me as much information as he promised. I had to look online for the weather in Malibu to prepare myself because the weather in New York was way different. It shouldn’t be that hard to find something. I happen to be very fond of my wardrobe; the thing was that it didn’t have any name brand items in it. Some of my clothes had a few rips and tears in them, nothing that would make me look like a bum, but enough to make his family look at me crazy. I wanted to impress these people. Didn’t really care for them, but I’d still like to make a good first impression.

Jason was supposed to pick me up in an hour and I only had the first day of clothes picked out. I was getting hopeless. For a second, I thought about recycling a few of my good outfits and mix matching them? Nooo…oh man. I should have gone shopping.

While I stood in deep thought leaning over my suitcase, a car honked outside. I looked through the living room blinds and sighed. A big black Escalade was parked out front and I saw Jason get out. Even though he was dressed in something that disguised him, I could tell by the way he walked that it was him. Two guards stood outside the car as he walked towards the door to the apartment complex. I ran over to the door and opened it, waiting for him to climb the stairs. Why the hell was he so early?

A pair of pale blue skinny jeans covered my legs and a yellow-green shirt hung off of my right shoulder. My hair was in a messy bun. “Why are you so early?” I said to him as soon as he stepped up to my door.

“Ah, you should know me already. I show up early to everything” he said, walking past me and into the apartment. I closed the door behind him and faced him.

“I’m not ready yet. Give me another hour.”

“No…we’re leaving now. Where’s your bag?”

“We can't leave now! I only have two outfits out.”

“We can buy the rest on the way to the airport. C’mon.”

I walked over to the open suitcase, zipped it up, and handed it to him. “You’re buying everything. That’ll be your gift for rushing me.”

“Of course” he flashed a smiled and got a better grip on the suitcase.

After slipping on a pair of black sandals, we headed out of the door. While we walked to the truck, I stole a little glance at him. Damn how could he pull off that rough out of bed look so easily?

The ride to JFK was a little weird…I felt a bit guilty for spending nearly a thousand bucks on the clothes I needed for Malibu. I knew it was pocket change for him and although he kept pressing me to get whatever I wanted, I still felt some kind of way. Spending other people’s money was not one of my favorite things to do.

“Hey.”

I looked at Jason and lifted my right brow. “Hm?”

“Thank you for coming.”

“I didn’t really have an option, now did I?”

“Nope…but I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself” he said with a chuckle.

“Does everyone know I’m coming?”

“Everyone doesn’t need to know.”

Three hours later and we were halfway to Malibu, flying in his private jet. Furnished with a full bedroom and a luxurious bathroom, living room, and a captain’s cabinet, I was beyond amazed. While he typed away on his Mac computer, I gazed out of the window. On the inside, I praised myself for not getting sick like the first time I rode with him on a plane. That was a disaster and mad embarrassing.

One thing that I did feel was being nervous…exceedingly nervous. Meeting his family is something so huge. Something that I should be looking forward to, right?

“Everything okay?” Jason asked, looking up from his computer.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You look a little sick.”

“Oh…I’m not. You don’t have to be worried. That was a onetime thing.”

“Nervous?”

“A little…” I waited a few seconds to speak again. “Actually a lot.”

“Why? It’s just my family.”

Yeah, one of the richest families in the world. No big deal. “Are you bringing me as your assistant…or as a date?”

“As my assistant” Jason said, scratching his head and closing his laptop. After placing it beside him, he got up and sat beside me. “I’m just as nervous as you.”

“Keyshia…wake up. Keyshia!”

I groaned and blinked twice, trying to wake myself up from my apparent deep sleep. Jason sat over me shaking me.

“Where are we?”

“Malibu.”

I sat up, wiped my eyes, and looked out of the window. Huge mansions, beautiful palms trees, and expensive cars were lined all up and down the street. From the looks of it, I magically appeared in the car from the jet.

“How did I get in the car?” I faced Jason with a quizzical look on my face.

“I carried you. You were knocked out cold and almost punched me in the face when I tried to wake you up..soo…”

I turned back towards the window, attempting to hide the smile that appeared on my face. Just thinking about his strong arms carrying me made me all hot and bothered.

“We’re about to pull up at the ranch.”

My heart began to pound out of sheer nervousness. What if they don’t like me? Oh God.

Jason touched my shoulder and gave me a reassuring look. “Everything’s going to be okay. You look beautiful.”

“Thanks” I blushed and fixed my hair.

“You’re welcome” He leaned forward and spoke to the driver. “Pull around the back please.”

I sat in absolute shock as we drove up to the place that I would be staying at for the next week. The “ranch” literally looked like a resort. First thing I noticed was the main building. I guess it was the house, but it looked more like a hotel. To the right of the hotel house was a road leading us towards the back.

“Wow…” By this time, my hands were glued to the window while I looked out in amazement.

I could hear Jason smiling behind me. “I see you like it.”

“I love it.”

When we got around to the back of the house, my mouth nearly fell. Not only did the house have many stories, it was also stretched out, making it even bigger; like a castle. I spotted an enormous in-ground pool with a Jacuzzi and waterslide attached to it. Further back was a large field, a horse stable, and a rather large guest house. Fancy, expensive cars were parked consecutively along the driveway. Trees were everywhere and I was in awe from how amazing the landscape was. Everything was so beautiful…shit, if I was put under the circumstances of having to sleep outside, I wouldn’t even mind. That’s how nice it looked.

“This is so amazing.”

“Ready?” Jason asked, opening his door.

“I think so.”

A man dressed in a black and white tuxedo opened my door and offered his hand for me to take. One of the butlers, I thought to myself. I slipped my hands into his and stepped outside of the car. Jason walked over to my side of the car with a bag on his shoulder. The butler silently thanked Jason for helping him out and moved on to grab the rest of the bags.

“C’mon. Let’s go in” Jason said, placing his hand on the small of my back and guiding me towards the house. I took a huge gulp and jumped a little from the warmth of his hand.

The first person to greet us was a small white woman with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked to be in her early to mid thirties. I instantly grew a liking for her even though she hadn’t said a word. The way she looked was so warm and open.

“Jason! My baby!” she ran up to him and wrapped her tiny arms around him. Jason smiled one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen and hugged her right on back, making her look like a fragile little human being.

She looked at me and her face immediately held a devilish grin. “Hello. What’s your name sweetheart?”

“This is Keyshia, my assistant...and Keyshia, this is my Aunt Katherine” Jason spoke for me before I had the chance to utter a word.

“It is so nice to finally meet you Keyshia. Jason has told me so much about you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So much!” Before she could go on, Jason interrupted her by clearing his throat.

“Okay. That’s enough Auntie Kat. We have to get settled in.”

“Aw. Okay. Get settled in. We have lots of things to do.”

She stared at me for a second before grabbing me into a tight hug. I laughed and looked at Jason. His cheeks began to tint, revealing a deep blush.

“Make yourself at home, okay?”

“Yes ma’m.”

“Call me Katherine…or Kat. Please. Ma’m makes me seem a little old.”

I laughed and nodded my head. “Okay.”

After touching my right cheek, she smiled and walked out the back door. “I like her. She’s cool.”

“I like her too” Jason said, leading me deeper into the foyer. Out of nowhere he halted, making me slam into his hard back.

“What?”

“Just a quick background. This house has twenty rooms and twenty-five bathrooms. There’s a kitchenette on each floor and the main kitchen is on this floor. We’re actually about to walk into it. After we walk into it, we’ll be in the dining room. That’s where most of our dinners will be held. Since the elevator is before the living room/parlor, I’ll show you that before-

“Good evening son.”

I slowly turned around to the sound of a cold, harsh voice. Jason moved in front of me to face his father, like he was protecting me or something.

“Aren’t you going to speak to your father?”

“Hey dad.”

“Who’s this?” he said, nodding his head at me.

“My assistant, Key-“

“You didn’t say anything about bringing a guest.”

Mr. Jameson looked at me like I was a peasant and scoffed. “Especially this kind of guest.”

“Keyshia, can you excuse us for a second?” Jason looked like he was about to lose it.

I nodded, walked past them into the kitchen, and leaned against the marble countertop.

Jason

Giving my dad a look of pure disappointment, I growled underneath my breath.

“Don’t start with this bullshit.”

My dad smirked and shook his head. “Take her back where she came from. There’s not enough room.”

“What do you mean there isn’t enough room?! How the hell is that even possible?! There’s fucking twenty rooms in this house!”

“Watch your tone with me boy. I’m still your father.”

I laughed one of those crazy hysterical laughs, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and threw him up against the nearest wall.

“She’s staying here. Even if she has to share a room with me! I bet you if I bought a skimpy blonde in here, you’d welcome her ass with open arms!”

“Get your fucking hands off of me” he snatched away from me and pushed me back. “I saw the way you looked at her…” He took a pause before continuing with his sentence. “and I can’t believe you brought her into this house. You’re too good for that ghetto-“

By this time, I was furious. If I let him say anything else about her, he’d be walking out of here with a bloody nose for sure. “Don’t you dare say anything about her! You know nothing! She’s my assistant and that’s it…but I’ll damned if I have to sit here and watch you fucking belittle her.

I gave him one last look of hatred before walking into the kitchen. Keyshia, looking innocent, was walking around the kitchen admiring the costly appliances.

“Everything okay?” she asked, noticing my pissed off facial expression.

“Yeah.”

“Who pissed in your dad’s cornflakes?”” Auntie Kat questioned, walking into the kitchen.

“Do you have the guest list?”

“Yep…” she started to look around the kitchen “It’s somewhere around here.”

She spotted it on top of the island and handed it over to me. “Is everything okay?”

“Hm…” I searched through the list and couldn’t find Keyshia’s name. “Why isn’t there any room for her? I sent in her name months ago. What the hell? Why are so many people coming?”

“Wait. What?”

“This is bullshit. Is the guest house available? We can sleep there.”

“It’s open…but why don’t you just sleep together in your room upstairs? I’m sure there’s plenty of room.”

“Someone else can have it. I’ll be back.”

Keyshia

Jason left me behind with his aunt. For a few seconds we sat in silence.

“I wish I could tell you what’s going on. He looks pretty upset.”

“I think it has something to do with his dad. They were arguing not too long ago.”

She smirked and brushed her long hair behind her ear. “It figures. Excuse my language, but his father is the king of all assholes. Don’t worry about him though.”

“I don’t think he likes me.”

“Honey, that man barely likes anybody. Look, I don’t know much about you but I have to say that you’re the sweetest girl Jason has brought to meet me.”

“Really? Wow thanks!”

“No problem girlie. I’ll get you acquainted with everyone once you’re settled in.”

“Okay. Cool.”

Jason came back in with the butler following closely behind him. He walked past me and Miss Katherine with the same pissed off look he had on before. “Follow me Keyshia.”

I smiled at his aunt and followed him out of the house towards the guest house.

“Jason, what’s going on?” I said, tripping over my feet trying to keep up with him. He ignored me and put the key into the door of the brick house.

“Come inside.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” I crossed my arms over my chest and put all of my weight on my right leg.

Jason, tired of my shit, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the house.

“What the hell?!”

“We’re staying here.”

“Why can't we stay in the other house? I wanted to see the rest of what it looked like.”

“Make yourself comfortable”

The butler put our bags down and walked back out, closing the door behind him.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“There’s two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and a living room. Each of the rooms has a bathroom. Choose the one you want-“

“Jason…”

“What?!” he snapped, making me jump. “What do you want to hear? That my dad is a fucking asshole who doesn’t give a fuck about anybody?! Because I believe I’ve already told you that before! I can’t stand him! He took a second to catch his breath. “Actually, I fucking hate him.”

Jason noticed my somewhat scared expression and calmed down a few notches. “Sorry for lashing out on you. I-”

“…he doesn’t want me anywhere near you because I’m black. I know how it works Jason. That’s why I was so nervous about meeting your family.”

“You know how what works?”

“Your dad’s family is stuck on being 100% white…and apparently, he sees me as a threat to that.”

“Even if we were dating, I still wouldn’t give a fuck about that. My dad’s an idiot and so are my grandfathers. It’s 2012. Race shouldn’t be an issue. Love is love, right?”

“Yeah…but-“

“Right?!”

“Yeah.”

“Okay…now go ahead and get settled in. Dinner’s in an hour.”

“Yes sir” I smiled, playfully saluting to him.

He stifled in a laugh as I walked to one of the rooms and sat down on the bed. For the next twenty minutes, I checked the room out and took a shower. The house was completely silent, making my eyes heavy and wanting to fall asleep. A loud knock on the front door quickly sobered me up.

“Jason! Get the door!!” He didn’t answer so I lazily got out of the bed and walked to the door. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the gorgeous specimen towering over me. A pair of light brown eyes met mines. His face held an arrogant smirk.

“My my my...what do we have here?” He looked me up and down and licked his pale lips.

“Who are you?” I responded, trying my best not to check him out. He and Jason had a strong resemblance. The stranger walked past me and turned around to face me.

“Name’s Carter McIntyre.”

“And what do you want…Carter McIntyre?”

“Says the lady who I’ve never seen before on my family’s property.”

“I’m here with Jason…” I closed the door and kept my distance from him.

“Wow. Jason never told me he-“

“I’m his assistant.” I cut him off before he said something rude.

“Okay…loosen up doll. I was just toying with you. Where’s he at anyway?”

“I have no idea.”

He stared at me for a few seconds, making me uncomfortable. “You can come back later I guess.”

“Why are you rushing me out so quickly? I just got here” Carter said, plopping down on the black leather couch.

“You’re making me a little uncomfortable to be honest.”

“Shit. My apologies for finding you insanely attractive.” I took in his attire and rolled my eyes. With his brown corduroy pants and navy blue cardigan, my brain judged him immediately.

“Thanks…are you his cousin or something?”

“Cousin.”

“You’re Miss Katherine’s son?”

“I wish…but no. My mother is Jack’s sister.”

“Wait. So how is Miss Katherine related to you guys?”

“She’s Uncle Brandon’s wife. Jack has a younger brother.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. How long have you been working for my cousin?”

“A few months.”

“You two ever…you know…”

“What?”

“You know exactly what I’m asking.”

Jason walked in before I could figure out what the hell he was talking about. “I see you’ve met Carter.”

“What’s up cuz?” Carter got up from the couch and greeted Jason with a hug. Jason hugged him back and looked at me.

“He’s not bothering you is he?”

“Nope. Not yet.”

“I can be charming. Let me take you out and show you.”

“No. Not happening.” Jason quickly said, giving Carter a death glare.

“Oh. So you own her now?”

“You’re not taking her out Carter. This is a family gathering and she’s here with me.”

I cut in and cleared my throat. “You can give me a tour of this place if you want to.”

Jason looked at me with his right brow lifted, confused. “I’m giving you a tour.”

“It’s okay Jason. I don’t mind him giving me one. He’s cool.”

“Yeah, I’m cool. You heard the lady.” Carter looked at me and winked.

“Get out of here man.”

Carter laughed before he walked out.

“I love how you have taken it upon yourself to dictate my every move”

“You know nothing about him” Jason calmly said, plopping down on the couch and turning the TV on.

“So?! I knew nothing about you and I slept with you on the first night.”

He looked at me and rested his elbows in his lap, leaning forward. “That was different.”

“How? He’s just going to be showing me around. Stop being so damn protective. We’re not dating anymore.”

He sat in slight shock as I walked back into the room to prepare myself for dinner. I heard his footsteps right behind me so I turned around and face him.

“Please don’t get caught up with him during this trip. Honestly, he only wants one thing from you.”

I smiled, challenging him. “And I only want one thing from him.”

Jason frowned and clenched his jaw. I could tell that he was seething on the inside. I had no plans on doing anything with Carter. Yeah, he’s attractive, but I wasn’t entirely attracted to him. I wanted to mess around with Jason’s feelings since he put me through hell these last few months. This should be fun.