Declining on her Terms

"Miss Raymonds, you have a call on line two" Annabelle, Jade's secretary informed her over the intercom, shuffling of papers sounding in the background.

   "From?" Jade asked, tapping her pen on the desk and searching for files with the other hand, the telephone cradled between her ear and shoulders.

   "Mr. Freeman."

   "Hold the call, and put me through line three in ten minutes time, I'm trying to contact Chloe here."

  "Okay ma'am" Annabelle replied, and pressed the said button.

   Jade dropped the pen in frustration, wondering where she had dropped the document she was looking for. She was sure she had seen it before leaving the office the previous day, or had she not? Seeing that Chloe's line  wasn't connecting, she dropped the telephone and stood, running her hands on her plaid skirt to get rid of the creases and walked out of her office. Pushing the door open, she faced Annabelle who sat with her legs crossed, taking a call and giggling while fiddling with her hair.

   "Oh shit! I'll call you back." Annabelle muttered, slamming the phone and standing guiltily.

   Saying nothing, Jade made herself comfortable on the seat assigned to clients while waiting for their appointments, with a smug look of mischief on her face.

   "It's not what you think, seriously." Annabelle defended herself, shaking her head in denial. When Jade didn't make any move to reply but kept staring at her with a sly grin plastered on her face, she heaved a sigh. "Okay, I'm with Jason now. You can get that smug off your face."

   Jade laughed, throwing back her head." Annabelle, you are just such a terrible liar. Couldn't even keep up with your lie for a minute. Anyway, I didn't come to look into your love life, although I would do well to scold you for abandoning your duties to flirt with my business partner..."

   "Oh Shit! You make it sound as though..."

   "Whatever, Annabelle. Did you see the big brown envelope I collected from Mr. Freeman yesterday?"

  Annabelle narrowed her eyes to slits trying to remember. "You mean before you and Mr. Mears locked yourselves in your office and..."

   "You complete that statement young woman, and be ready to kiss your job good bye." Jade interrupted, feigning seriousness.

   "Wasn't going to say anything boss!" Annabelle made a mock salute, and continued, pulling the drawers open. "I think you left it with me along with the Jewelry deal contract documents. Erhmm, good, I've got it."

   "Great! Just great! Thought I would go crazy. You're the best, Anna." Jade exclaimed, raising her hands in exaggerated gratitude.

   "Does that mean I don't get to kiss my job goodbye any time soon?"

  Rolling her eyes, Jade replied "As long as you don't talk about how hot Mr. Mears is,  or try to matchmake me with anyone."

   "Okay boss! Will do those."

   "Will do or won't do?"

   "Will, won't? Now I'm confused, what was I going to say before?"

   Rolling her eyes again, Jade took the document from her and muttered "crazy woman" before going to her office.

  "I heard that you know!" Annabelle screamed behind her. Giving her a middle finger, Jade replied in the same loud whispering voice "whatever."

   "Says the queen of professionalism. Saying fuck you isn't professional!"

  "I learnt from the best. And by the way, I didn't say fuck you, I only demonstrated with my finger. Focus on your work, and connect me to Mr. Freeman now. Chloe's gone incommunicado." But before Annabelle could reply, the door to the CEO's office slammed shut, and she was left alone.

     * * *

  "Alright, thank you Mr. Freeman, bye." Jade dropped the receiver, reclining back in the rocking chair to stare at the most recent picture in her office with pride, a gigantic portrait of her in a business suit. Who would have thought she could achieve this within three years? She wondered, closing her eyes to inhale breaths of satisfaction. Recalling how far she had come in the business world while maintaining anonymity from the press and the previous day's events involving a certain young man, she chuckled quietly. The look of astonishment on his face at the realisation that J.K. Raymonds was a woman was unforgettable in her memory.

   The intercom buzzed, and Annabelle began. "Ma'am, your eleven o'clock appointment is here, Mears corporation representative."

  Making brief prayers for the person to be anyone but the arrogant man himself, Jade replied "Alright" and adjusted her suit, pushing documents aside.

   The door was pushed open slowly, within which she was filled with sudden anxiety, wishing with her heart that Ricky wouldn't come himself. However, when a bespectacled young man in cream coloured suit came into view, disappointment replaced the feelings of anxiety, much to her surprise. No, she hadn't been expecting him, she convinced herself again and again.

   "Ma'am?"

   Fixing a polite smile on her face, she stood to shake hands with him, and walked over to the couch where she usually had meetings with the visitors.

  "Make yourself comfortable please" She said, sitting and crossing her legs. He seemed nervous, constantly adjusting his spectacles, although it suited his nerdy look perfectly.

   "Thank you ma'am." He replied, perching himself to the edge of the seat in a way that made Jade imagine how he would fall if she made a move that would unnerve him.

Annabelle knocked and came in as soon as they say down bearing a white tray containing coffee. As she was about to place it on the table, the young man shook his head twice, an unrelaxed smile on his face.

"Should she get a drink instead? Wine?" Jade offered, but he declined and maintained that nervousness usually messed with his appetite.

Jade nodded in understanding, and Annabelle dutifully carried the tray out with her.

  "So, your boss sent you?" Jade began, and then suddenly wondered why she had asked the obvious. Could he have come of his own accord to perhaps sell his company secret for some silver?

  "Yes ma erhm, it is concerning the recent deal that was stole... I mean taken from our company. The board of directors negotiated and decided to make you another offer, if you agree to give us that deal." He was pulling out a file as he spoke, opening and flipping through the pages.

  "What offer?" Jade asked, pretending she hadn't heard his choice of words that suggested she had stolen what she wasn't supposed to.

  "This ma'am, to partner with the Mears corporation in production of solar cooking stoves and irons, including..."

   Jade listened to him with keen interest, quite impressed with the way he expressed himself and explained the merger deal proposition to her. When he at last stopped speaking and laid the file on the table, she uncrossed her legs and spoke "Tell them I reject the offer."

  "What!" It came out harsher than intended, but the situation the young man found himself in made him unable to think of an apology at the moment. For Pete's sake, Mr. Mears would fire him as soon as he opened his mouth to throw up that he had not succeeded. Had he missed something while explaining to her? Something like perhaps, the revenue she would get, the publicity along with it, or maybe how her business could be expanded to South-Africa too? Had he missed telling her that she could supply her recently launched make up products for black women which hadn't sold so well in Europe to Nigeria, Tanzania and Gabon? Where had he gone wrong?

  As though sensing his thoughts, the CEO added, "I'm okay the way my corporation is progressing now, and I want nothing to do with the attention of the press, we aren't lacking money either so, I beg to decline."

  "But ma'am, can't you think it through and..."

  "No young.. Sorry, what is your name?"

  "James Carter ma'am."

  "Good. Carter, there is nothing to think through. I am not interested, no need wasting your time."

  Defeated, Carter stood, his shoulders slumped in sadness. He was about giving his pleasantries for the sake of politeness when Jade added. "And do tell Mr. Mears that the Hungarian investors contacted me last night, and I accepted their offer. I already know this is his ploy to kill two birds with a stone. I will partner with the Mears corporation because I said yes to the investors, not because of the opportunities you have memorised and recited out so well to me. And, he can forget about getting back the Michael Kors deal now. It's been signed already."

   "Yes ...ma'am" Carter stuttered, wondering if he could remember all she had just said and if he had succeeded or not.

  "Tell him his company should contact my secretary to know when I would start attending the meeting. That will be all." She shook hands with him, and he suddenly felt disappointed when her moist hands left his.

  "Thank you ma'am"

  Smiling, Jade replied. "It's Jade Kimberly by the way."

  "Ma'am?" Carter was obviously confused.

  "If we meet outside, you can call me by my name. The whole ma'am thing makes me feel old."

Carter laughed uncontrollably, although she had said nothing funny, showing the gap between his teeth.

  "Thank you then."

When the doors finally closed, Jade stared at it, wondering if she had made the right decision accepting to work with Ricky. Suddenly chiding herself, she walked to her table and rang Annabelle "You know that document I told you to go through? I need it now, don't worry about going through it, I will do it myself."

  If work was going to take her mind off him, then work she must.