Chapter 22: Joanna Gets A New Assistant
1049 Words
Sarah called Mike the minute after Kris left the building. "Mike," she said. "How's is it going?"
Mike: "Sarah, the plan didn't work. Joanna fought back, and I ended up having to fire Kris instead. Not only that, but I was forced to apologize to Joanna in front of the whole company. It was incredibly humiliating."
Sarah gasped. "That's awful," she said. She couldn't believe her ears. "The audacity!"
"My very words!" exclaimed Mike. "Sarah, Joanna is definitely not the girl we used to know. I still haven't figured out why she wanted to work for the family business in the first place. After all, she knows that nobody likes her. She would have been smarter to have kept her nose out of it, sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the royalty checks."
"She's up to something," Sarah said. "I can feel it in my bones. And I agree; she is not the girl we used to know. Thus, we need to let go of our old presuppositions and begin to deal with this new persona that she's devised for herself.
"Anyway, who are you going to hire to replace Kris?"
Mike: "I haven't given it much thought yet. Do you have any ideas?"
Sarah: "What about Steve Peck? You can arrange for him to be Joanna's new assistant."
Mike frowned. "What's so special him?" he asked.
Sarah laughed and said, "He is special and interesting - special enough to destroy Joanna, I think. With him as her assistant, we'll have her out of our hair in no time! And if she doesn't leave, Steve will ensure that her life is a living hell... f**k!"
Mike: "What's wrong?"
Sarah: "Nothing, I guess. I just wish that I could slap her face. That's all. I can't do that, though, so why don't you have Joanna work with some of your more challenging companies. Since she knows how to deal with people, why not get some use out of her."
Mike: "No problem."
Sarah suddenly thought of another person: Eric Holland, the famous "Lovelace." Lovelace was what people in business circles called him. He had his own set of rules, and as long as you played by them, you were fine, but God helps anyone who didn't. "You could have Joanna work with Lovelace," Sarah suggested.
"That could work," Mike replied. "Any other ideas?"
Sarah laughed and said, "I have tons of ideas. Here's one: It would be fun to see her working with Mr. Holland of the Blan Real Estate."
Mike laughed out loud suddenly and said, "You really are full of ideas."
***
After Kris left, Mike arranged for Steve to be Joanna's assistant, and she found him much more challenging to work with than Kris had ever been. Steve was a serious person, and he was handsome but not as handsome as Brian or Ken, and he reminded her of Jared Gross. In her previous life, Jared had taken advantage of her and abused her.
At the end of the workday, Joanna decided to sign out. There was still work to be done, but it could wait, she was tired, and she didn't need the overtime. As she took the elevator down to the parking lot, she wasn't thinking about anything specifically, and she certainly didn't expect to run into Brian, but when the doors opened, there he was, waiting for her.
As soon as Joanna saw Brian, she remembered what had happened the previous night, and her face turned red. She pretended not to see him and walked angrily past him, but he was not so easily set aside.
Brian quickly caught up to her, and he grabbed her wrists and pulled her into his arms. Joanna froze. Her mind went completely blank, and her heart began to beat fast. Finally, she pulled away. "What are you doing?" she shouted. "Let go of me!"
Brian said, "No," and he refused to let her go.
"You jerk!" Joanna snarled.
Brian laughed and said, "I may be a jerk, but you're a fool."
Joanna: "I am not a fool. You're a fool!"
Brian let go of one of Joanna's hands, and he smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair.
Brian's gentle touch caused Joanna's blush to deepen, and she no longer felt the urge to push him away. If he let her go, she decided that she wouldn't run away. Joanna sighed and said, "Please, just let me go."
"What if I don't?" Brian asked arrogantly.
Joanna: "Then I will sue you for harassment! "
Brian shrugged. "Okay. But before you do, why not go out for dinner with me."
Joanna: "No, I won't go!"
Brian: "Why not? I have saved your life and gotten hurt for you, and yet you don't even want to have dinner with me. That's not right. You owe me."
At the thought of Brian's injury, Joanna's anger slipped away. She asked, "How is your wrist?"
Brian: "It still hurts."
Joanna: "I'm sorry to hear that, but I still won't go out with you for dinner."
Brian chuckled. "Be that way," he said, and he began to drag her towards his car.
Joanna: "Brian, I said I won't go!"
Brian: "Too bad."
And so, it was that Joanna ended up going for dinner with Brian. After dinner, Brian drove Joanna home, and he was so happy when she asked him to take her to Grace House instead of the Green's villa.
They arrived at the Grace House, and when Joanna was about to get out, she found that her door wouldn't open. Brian had put on the child locks to hold her captive. She looked at Brian and said, "Brian, open the door."
Brian looked at Joanna, showed her his sensual smile, and all of a sudden, Joanna found it difficult to look him in the eyes. She lowered her head and said, "Open the door. I'd like to go home."
There was a moment of silence, and then Brian asked Joanna if she and Ken had separated. Joanna didn't know what to say to him, so she said the only thing that came to mind: "Mind your own business."
Brian unfastened the seat belt and moved closer to her. He pinched her chin and said, "Joanna, do you enjoy making me angry?"
- Writer
