Chapter 22: Chapter 22

×

Thank heavens for Jenson. Thank God he called.

She didn't expect the guy to actually come to her rescue right this second, but her performance seemed convincing enough to the other guy.

Armand no longer gripped her forearm. And he was no longer smirking at her like a certified creep. He might've finally accepted that she had no intention whatsoever of hanging out with him tonight. Or ever again.

"My boyfriend. Sorry. We're going somewhere." Jessi frowned and zipped up her hoodie. The cool, windy weather just made her shiver.

They stood still on the sidewalk as people walked past, plainly ignoring them, unaware of the real situation.

With a faint nod, Armand mustered up a small, rather polite smile despite his obvious disappointment. "Somewhere nice, I hope."

"Next time?" She feigned another grin. She might not be the best actress of her time, but the guy seemed convinced that she was indeed waiting for her man to pick her up.

"He's from around here?"

"Yeah."

Armand nodded weakly after a short pause, his brows furrowing a bit. His hands rested on his hips now.

Relieved that he was no longer rudely occupying her personal space, Jessi glanced up to meet the guy's curious gaze. "He owns a house here. Gated subdivision."

"Ah. Cool." Armand nodded weakly. He no longer looked that pleased to see her but he didn't scowl at her or anything. Obviously he still wasn't used to having his alpha male advances thoroughly refused.

"Yeah. Cool guy. Works too hard, but, really nice."

"Great." Armand cleared his throat. "But, just out of curiosity, why'd you move out of Boston? After you quit." Armand stared into her eyes, his muscular arms folded below his broad chest. His muted tone sounded authentically curious, as if he didn't remember harassing her for weeks on end. Especially after their summer fling.

Ugh. Her skin crawled at the mere thought. Just to forget the memories and avoid him for good, she even blocked his numbers. Never replied to his emails after she resigned as his executive assistant. She immediately changed her phone number, too. Just to be sure.

"Why'd you just leave like that?"

"Got another job. Nearer to my parents' place," she lied in a calmer voice, before clamping her mouth shut. This philandering dickhead need not know she suffered from constant anxiety that spiraled into depression after working for him.

He didn't need to know she cried about it for weeks. Months. Ugh. It was years ago. She was past it. Sought counseling and all that. She outgrew the experience. She shouldn't come off as the weak, vulnerable, naïve girl who didn't know better.

"Blocked me on Insta, too." Armand scratched his brow and took another step closer to her. "You hated me that much, Jess?"

"No," she replied with another fake smile. "Get lost and go fuck yourself!" was what she really wanted to say.

Was he just playing dumb? Was he visually challenged? Couldn't he see his mere presence disgusted her?

She near winced when he touched her arm again. Her breathing halted at the sudden physical contact. Despite the nerves, she stared at him as calmly as possible. Her heartbeat stayed painfully fast, though. The entire time he stood too close, her heart pounded like it wanted to jump out of her chest. Her hands felt drenched in cold sweat.

"I apologized, didn't I?" Armand scowled and leaned in again. The tip of his nose almost touched her head.

His warm breath reeked of cigarettes but it wasn't what bothered her most. It was his grip on her arm that froze her entire body. "Let go, Armand." Jessi took a step backward, but she wasn't going to back down. Not that easily.

They were in a public place. She was relatively safe. He should know better.

"You're hurting me." She glared at him, fighting off the growing urge to hit him and slap his face away from hers. But no need to make a huge scene.

With all these people around them, he wouldn't do any serious harm. This self-serving prick wouldn't dare.

"Armand. Let. Go."

"I said sorry. Twice." He scoffed. "Did you forget?"

"Don't make me hit you. Let go."

"Hey, babe! Over here!"

She glanced behind, seeking the familiar voice. Her much-needed rescue.

Thank heavens.

Just a couple feet away, a tall guy in a sweatshirt and black pants just got off his motorcycle. An old baseball cap matched his dark face mask.

Armand finally let go of her arm when Jenson walked straight towards her with his steely gaze directed at them.

"Sorry. Traffic was shit." Jenson reached her side in seconds. "Good to go, babe?"

"Y-Yeah."

Without warning, he put his arm around her to pull her closer to his chest. He stared at her for a moment, then glanced at the stranger standing in silence as if he didn't know what to do. "Hey, man. Joss."

A stream of profanities lingered on her tongue when Jenson held his hand out.

For a split-second, Armand hesitated before putting on an awkward grin. "Armand. Old friend of Jessi's," the liar said. He shook hands with Jenson.

All she could do was feign another smile with Jenson's heavy arm on her shoulders. His warm hand just squeezed the side of her arm.

"How you doin'?" Jenson stood right in front of Armand, faking a cheery, friendly voice.

"Used to work with him few years back," she explained in a hushed tone with her arms folded below her chest.

"Ah. Boston?" The faint crow's feet beside Jenson's keen eyes told her he was faking a smile.

"Yeah." She faced the other guy. "So nice running into you and all, but we got an appointment to catch."

"Of course." The prick backed off and propped his hands on his hips. "Good to see you again." Keeping up a half-grin, he nodded at Jenson. "Nice meeting you."

"Likewise." Jenson kept his face mask on and faintly waved at the guy. Then he grabbed her hand to pull her away. Jenson led her to his big bike parked behind a silver sedan.

Her heart went wild in her chest, the utter relief overflowing in her veins, cutting through her anxiety-ridden thoughts. She couldn't even breathe properly.

Jenson literally came to her rescue.

At the fact, she wanted to heave a loud sigh and just hug him tight. But she couldn't drop the façade just yet. They walked on with his arm wrapped around her. "Thanks," she murmured without glancing behind.

Armand might still be watching them, studying their every move. Some doubts must be making him do so. If she kissed Jenson on the cheek at least, maybe...

"Who's that guy?"

"No one important," she sighed. They stood next to the motorcycle now. She waited when Jenson grabbed the helmet, trying her best not to glance at Armand.

"He's still lookin' at us." Jenson said it like he had eyes on the back of his head. He stared at her. Then he pulled his face mask down and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

She held her breath. She almost gasped when his soft lips touched hers.

Act like lovers. All for show. Right. Just play along...

For effect, she put her hand on his nape while his warm lips pressed onto hers. It should make her cringe, but it didn't. It should worry her that they weren't alone, that they were too close and kissing in a public place, but it just didn't. She kissed him back, ignoring the misgivings, ignoring her nerves and everything else.

"You were shaking back there," Jenson murmured to her lips before pulling away. He wore his face mask again, now looking her in the eye. His voice sounded calm but more serious than his overly friendly tone with Armand just seconds ago. He was back to being Jenson.

"It's cold," she muttered, keeping up a smile. Jessi glanced down at her shoes when he just kept staring. "You told him your real name."

"No. Just my nickname." Jenson grabbed the other helmet without taking his eyes off her. "Hop on, loves."

×

"Hey, man. Back so soon?" The uniformed guard stared at Jenson and pressed the button to lift the metal barrier in front of her.

Jessi walked past the barrier after giving the older man a slight smile.

"Yeah. Gotta work hard to stay afloat in this economy, Walt," Jenson replied to the guard while he stood behind her.

"Ayt, then." The guard chuckled and gave Jenson a mini-salute.  "Don't stay in there all night, man."

"I'll try."

A smile stayed on her face as Jessi watched the friendly exchange.

"Welcome and nice meeting you, Miss Kinley."

"Likewise,"  Jessi replied with a smile and a timid wave after the cheery security personnel returned her ID.

Jenson gently held onto her wrist as he led her past the security check.

The guard didn't call him "Mr. Ross" or something more formal than she expected.  Like on set.  In this corporate building, Jenson was definitely one of the more important figures, but he also maintained a pleasant, down-to-earth persona even with people who weren't directly under his employ.

It didn't really surprise her.  It put another smile on her face, momentarily distracting her from the midday horror she just endured with her ex-boss.  In broad freakin' daylight.

Jenson led her into the building's quiet lobby that smelled of jasmine and soap.  Two receptionists on duty greeted them with nice smiles.  Then she approached the elevator with Jenson right in front of her, his steps rushed but still quite calm.

They rode the elevator alone and in total silence.  She wouldn't be here if Jenson didn't drive straight to his office with her, just so they could talk in private.  She couldn't say no when he asked if it was okay.

Armand might tail her and stalk her again.  The likelihood alone just terrified her.  She had to be somewhere else, not alone at her place.

It wasn't the first time she rode Jenson's motorcycle.  Back when she still worked every day for the TV show, Jenson taught her how to ride his big bike.  Just some of the things they did for fun during shoot breaks.

Darren and the other cast and crew members also hung out with them them.  She missed their company, but, she had to accept her new reality. Time to move on and forget about her short-lived career in the TV industry.  So she went to the mall to update her makeup kits a little.  Buy something for herself.  Just some retail therapy to motivate her to be productive again.

Bumping into and catching up with her former boss wasn't on her to-do list at all.  Seeing Armand Claude again in person just made her skin crawl with loathing and disgust.  It brought back memories and some unpleasant thoughts.  Bad memories mostly.

Darn it.  The douchebag still affected her this much.  He even put his pervy hands on her without her permission.  Again.  Ugh.  Hopeless case...

Her anxiety remained, but good thing she was no longer trembling in fear.  She didn't realize it was fear coupled with anxiety-driven panic until Jenson came to her rescue, efficiently blocking off Armand's unwanted advances.

"Who was that?" Jenson asked with creased brows after he sat behind a messy work desk.  Piles and piles of paperwork filled half of the desk, proof of his busy workload.

Shooting days just ended for the latest season which was still in the works.  As one of the producers,  Jenson clearly had much more on his plate than Darren and the other main stars of Road to Valhalla.

"No one you'd wanna know..." Jessi muttered, sitting in front of the crowded desk.

"Your ex?" Jenson eyed her, no longer wearing his dark face mask.  "Former co-worker?"

"Ex-boss."

"Ah..." Jenson sat back in his swivel chair, the dim lights shading off most of his photogenic face.  "When you were an executive assistant?"

"Yeah. Was supposed to be just a temp," she explained after looking away.

"Your first job after college. Right?" Jenson stared at her while gripping his phone.

She nodded and said nothing more.  Memories of her unfortunate experience under Armand's employ still disrupted her peace of mind at times.  Seeing him again in person was the biggest trigger.

"Okay. No more questions."

"Thanks. For showin' up." She glanced at Jenson and gave him a smile.  Actually she wanted to give him a hug out of relief and pure gratitude, but she didn't want to get too close to him again, or seem overdramatic.

He did rescue her from that creep, though.  Jenson gave her a quick nod in reply.

"Thanks. Really."

"No sweat," he replied with a straight face, his tone still calm.  "Nik and Zach said Steinway fired you."

"Yeah."

"Since when? Why didn't you tell me?"

She stared back at him, taking in the disappointment in his tone.  Judging by his pout and furrowed brows, she could tell he had no idea she got fired by the production company, until today.  "Friday evening. We had a sit-down with Reisenbach, Harmon and Prentiss from HR. I mean, we the newbies. They said the cutbacks were necessary."

"Reisenbach?" Jenson scoffed and glanced away.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Surprised he even showed up." He shook his head a little.  "They gave you your last pay and severance check?"

"Yeah. They said MUAs with the least experience had to go, unfortunately."

Jenson sighed and stared at his phone, his brows still creased. "Sorry. That they just axed you guys like that."

"Not your fault. No need to apologize."

"So how you been?"

"I dunno. Fine, I guess..."

He nodded faintly and got rid of his frown.  He let out a sigh as he reclined in his chair.  It was dark-colored like the walls of his rather spacious office.  A couch was near the door, while a restroom was in the other corner.

"Post-production started already?"

"Next week." Jenson scratched his forehead.  "You got a new job yet?"

"Still hunting. If I don't find a good one soon, I'll probably just go back home. Can't sustain my living expenses here with that severance check."

"Not surprising. What kinda jobs you lookin' for?"

"Makeup gigs, still. Or I'll try some print modeling. I'm not genetically equipped for runway." She sat back and chuckled when he scowled at her self-critical comment.

"What d'you mean?"

"Height-wise, and my body type's not for sample sizes."

"As it should be," Jenson said with another frown.  "You look healthy. No need to go on a crazy diet or anything."

"But for runway, they want size zeros."

He scoffed and glanced at his phone again.

"Anyway, I have a model friend. She helps me find good, part-time modeling stints."

"Here in LA?"

"Yeah. And in New York. She lives there."

"Ah..." Jenson nodded slightly while his gaze focused on his phone.  "Nice that she helps you out."

"Yeah. She's super nice. But I still prefer a regular job with steady income, of course."

"Yeah. I know." He regarded her with furrowed brows again.  "By the way, I'm lookin' for a new assistant."

"Again?"

"Growing workload, as you can see," he mumbled while gesturing to the stacks of paperwork on his desk.

"What happened to the last one?"

"Kicked her out."

"Oh." She frowned at the news.

"She was pretty good at clerical tasks, and organizing, but it didn't work out." He sighed audibly.  "Girl stole from me."

"What?" Jessi gawked.

"Yeah. Used my credit card.  Shopping spree. Twice." He feigned a grin.  "Prolly thought I wouldn't find out."

"Twice?" She tutted.  "That sucks. Did you file a report?"

"Cops? Nah. Don't have the time. Got better things to do. But she's blacklisted here." Jenson itched his thick brow.  "So? You wanna be an assistant again?"

Jessi eyed him and gauged the seriousness of his tone and expression.  "You're seriously asking if I wanna work here?"

"Yeah. Got a dozen things to juggle. See?" Once more, Jenson gestured to the piles of paperwork on his crowded desk. "You know I also gotta supervise post-production, while raising funds and sorting out budgeting issues. We're also commissioning new writers soon, and I need someone to help me with that, and to make sure no violations of union regulations and all that."

Her heart skipped a beat.  His lengthy explanation sounded logical and honest, but she just didn't expect he would offer her a new job today, just like that.  Jessi covered her mouth and stared at him, the utter surprise leaving her speechless.

"What d'you say?" Jenson raised a brow at her.

"You...want to hire me as your PA?"

"Yeah. You have enough experience, and I need someone more creative than organized.  Like you.  And trustworthy," Jenson stressed, sighing afterwards.  "No background check necessary since we already worked together.  Less hassle on my part 'cause I need lots of help now. My schedule's jam-packed."

Oh geez.  She couldn't stop smiling at the news.  Her chest felt so much lighter now.  Jessi composed a short prayer of thanks in her head.  This was the answer to her prayers.

A new steady job!  Unexpectedly, she had a new job now.  She didn't even want to ask about the pay.  She told her parents she was going to find regular work ASAP, and here he was, offering her a new one without a fuss.

Instead of thanking Jenson with words, Jessi got up from her seat to rush towards his swivel chair.  She leaned forward to hug him.

Jenson stiffened up in his seat, clearly surprised by the gesture.

She didn't care.  Her gratitude and relief were overflowing at the moment.  Honestly, she could cry right now.  "Thank you. Really."

"No problem," he murmured while her cheek grew warm on his forehead.  "I really need an assistant, like, yesterday."

×