Chapter 26. A confession
Jackson Johnson
Johnson Mansion
Isidora Johnson's Birthday
I wasn't sure if what I heard from her mouth was real or if my mind was playing tricks on me.
"Fucking attractive?" She nodded without shame, not embarrassed to admit her words to my face, to her boss. "But we're not working, Jackson."
"Or don't you feel that way?" she asked at my silence. I cleared my throat and had no immediate words to give her a response. "Wow, Jackson..." she said, surprised, leaning in closer when she saw my uncomfortable gesture at hearing how she had addressed me. "I know you're my boss, but we're not during work hours, so if I remember correctly, you told me at that dinner, and I quote your own words: 'Talk to me informally when we're outside the company, you make me feel like I'm a fifty-year-old man.'" I really tried not to smile, but I couldn't help it.
"You have a good memory, Lilly." She showed her pride, and she looked truly charming as she smiled.
"Well, you're right, I did say that." I cleared my throat again. "So, you're saying I look fucking attractive?" She nodded without taking her eyes off me.
"Jackson! I thought I wouldn't see you at your own mother's birthday!" When I heard her voice, I tensed up. It was Georgina Vans. I looked in her direction politely.
"Georgina." I used my coldest tone; I didn't like her, especially knowing she had manipulated my best former agent Solange into buying an apartment behind my back.
"Aren't you going to introduce me? I've been watching you from my table, and I don't recognize her." Georgina wanted to know who Lilly was. I was going to refuse to introduce her, but Lilly was more polite than me.
"Lilly Bradley." She extended her hand to introduce herself respectfully. Georgina raised an eyebrow, but Lilly smiled.
"Georgina Vans." She gave her a blatant once-over. Lilly must have seen how I reacted because she placed a hand on my knee to stop me. "I suppose you're not from around here, judging by your English accent."
"That's right, I'm English."
"So, you come from..." Georgina irritated me more. I removed Lilly's hand from my knee and stood up.
"Why all the interrogation, Georgina? Are you writing a report?" She raised an eyebrow at my tone. When she couldn't give me a response, I looked at Lilly. "Shall we dance?" She nodded, somewhat surprised by the change of scene. She took my hand, and I elegantly led her to the dance floor. Apparently, I was walking in strides because she had to quicken her pace. With a movement, I placed my hand on her waist beneath her coat and pulled her close to me.
"That was rude, Jackson," she murmured through clenched teeth, looking in the direction where Georgina was, who was glaring at us.
"She deserves it, and it's nothing compared to what I've done." She had her hand on my shoulder and returned her gaze to me as we moved on the dance floor.
"But that doesn't mean you should stop being a gentleman. If your mother saw what you did, she would be upset." I snorted.
"You sound like her." She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, amused by my response.
"It's better to be polite and chivalrous." I pressed my lips in disapproval.
"I don't tolerate that kind of people, especially wasting my time." I spun her around, noticing Michael Bublé's song "Love" playing in the background. I discreetly looked for my mother and found her on the stage where the DJ was, watching us. "Are you messing with me?"
"What's wrong?" Lilly asked when she saw me stop, her brown eyes looking expectantly.
"Sorry, I can't do this." I then left the dance floor, leaving her in the middle among the guests. I didn't want to look back; I didn't want to look at my mother, who seemed to be trying to create a romantic atmosphere between Lilly and me. That pissed me off to no end, not letting things flow naturally.
I entered the mansion and headed to the bathroom under the stairs. I went in and locked the door, loosened my bow tie, and when I couldn't, I yanked it off and threw it on the sink. Then I stopped...
"Not letting things flow? Really, Jackson? Are you seeing your employee as a possible future date?" I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm myself. Someone knocked on the door. "It's occupied!" I exclaimed angrily, but the handle began to move. Someone insisted on coming in. "It's occupied, damn it!" The tone I used made the other person desist. When I looked back at the mirror in front of me, the handle made more noise. I unlocked the door and opened it. It was Lilly.
"Found you." She entered, and I automatically stepped back. She closed the door behind her.
"What are you doing? Get out, wait until I come out and..." She tilted her head, and there were her brown eyes looking at me intently, as if she wanted to see beyond me. "What?"
"Georgina was coming after you, so I got ahead of her to save you."
"Oh," I didn't know what to say.
"Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable..." she began to apologize. I furrowed my brow. "...like leaving me like a jilted bride at the altar." I raised my eyebrows.
"What?" She laughed when she saw my reaction.
"That I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable enough to leave me alone in the middle of the dance floor," she leaned towards me. "Everyone stared when you left."
"I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention."
"Well, you're forgiven." She licked her lips, her cheeks were flushed, she looked really beautiful, but I wasn't expecting her to bite her lip. That simple gesture sent a jolt through me, reminding me of the wet dream I had in the early morning, and then my erection appeared. I immediately turned around, giving her my back.
"Please, leave." My heart raced, my face felt hot. "Please, leave. Give me some privacy..."
"What's going on? Do you have some kind of phobia?" I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"GET OUT, NOW!" I used a loud tone.
"No." I heard a firm "No." I raised an eyebrow and turned halfway, not fully facing her.
"'No'?" She smiled.
"No." Her tone was full of confidence, she walked towards me, closing the distance, not giving me a chance to think clearly about what to do.
"You must still have some alcohol in your blood. Go out and ask for a bottle of water."
"It's a joke, relax, I'll leave now," she opened the door and closed it immediately. "Shit, Georgina is on the stairs waiting."
"No way!" I exclaimed, annoyed, "but you wanted to come when Jacob suddenly said Maxine would come with Lilly." "Sorry, wait." I grabbed my phone and quickly typed a text to Richard.
"Why are you looking over there?" she asked.
"My... my zipper broke," I lied.
"It broke? Or did the pull tab come off?" Pull tab?
"Oh, yes. That," I lied again.
"You're in luck, I know how to fix it." There was a loud knock on the door.
"Get out of there! Get out! Jackson! Get out! I saw you go in!" It was Georgina, she sounded hysterical on the other side of the door. I turned to Lilly, but she stepped back from the pounding on the door, her back against my chest.
"I think she's gotten a little... hysterical," she announced.
"I have to end this."
"Wait," she stopped me. I looked at her, hearing the loud knocks on the door. "Is she a psycho ex-girlfriend?" I quickly shook my head.
"She's a failed blind date." She was genuinely surprised.
"But she's beautiful..."
"But she's shallow, opportunistic, and..." the pounding increased, interrupting me. "I'll put her in her place." I put my hand on the doorknob and opened the door. Georgina stepped back, tears streaming down her cheeks, her face red, a vein bulging on her forehead.
"You lied to me!!" she screamed furiously.
"About what, Georgina?" I tried to stay calm, Lilly stayed behind me.
"You told me you had no intention of going on another damn date or meeting another woman, that I would be the last, THE LAST!!" she screamed.
"And that's true," I reaffirmed.
"Liar! I saw how you look at her! How you touch her! Now you're here locked up with her! She's a damn foreigner!" Lilly stepped around me.
"So what? Are you afraid I prefer foreign goods or what's your problem?" I grabbed Lilly by the elbow to pull her away when I saw she intended to go at Georgina, who looked at her with disdain.
"You're English," she remarked with disgust. Lilly pulled away from my grip and was about to lunge at her, but I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her. She kicked in the air while they both shouted things I didn't understand. I just wanted to protect her from Georgina, whom I dodged as I carried Lilly up the stairs. Someone stopped Georgina from following us.
"IT'S THE 21ST CENTURY AND YOU STILL HAVE THAT SHITTY MENTALITY! I guess that's why you're still alone and stalking Jackson!" Lilly yelled at her. We reached the second floor, and I put her down.
"Breathe." She was agitated, her face flushed, her breathing uneven as if she had run a marathon. She gathered her hair with one hand and tried to fan herself with the other. "How is it possible that there are still people with that mentality? What's wrong with being English?" She was very upset.
"Ignore her," I said, not taking my eyes off her. I was surprised to see how she stood up to Georgina, not lowering her gaze in front of her. My heart pounded as I thought about what I wanted to do. "I dreamed about you last night." She raised an eyebrow, curious about my confession.
"And what did you dream?" I tried not to show my nervousness around her.
"That you caused... a lot of trouble." She smiled, amused by my words. I slowly closed the distance between us, and she backed away in the same manner until her back was against the wall. She licked her lips again.
"Can you name one of those... troubles?" she whispered, not breaking eye contact. She moved her hair, revealing a bit of skin on her collarbone. Then I looked at her cleavage, the curve of her breasts. I felt something rush through me from head to toe. My gaze traveled from her flushed face to her brown eyes. I raised a hand above her head, resting it on the wall.
"One of them..." I leaned towards her, stopping just inches from her mouth. "...is driving me crazy."