And I Trusted You Page 11

  “No, you don’t need to call of the wedding. I am still in love with you and I do want to marry you. I just have a couple of things I need to work on before we get married. This is about me. I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, Jess. That was never my intention.” He whispered holding her hand.

  Jessica smiled and walked toward the door. “I’ll have all of my stuff out of your place by the time you get home from work.” She informed him as she opened the door.

  She said her goodbyes to Claudia and left the mortgage company. She drove straight to the apartment she and Josh had shared up until this morning. She called a moving company. They could do the packing and everything. All she had to worry about was paying them, and that definitely wasn’t a problem thanks to her father.

  Once she’d made the arrangements, she began to get her things out of the drawers. As she was reaching into the night table drawer, she found an envelope. Wasn’t something she had put there, so her curiosity got the better of her. She carefully opened it. She took out the contents, which, she can tell, are photographs. She placed everything on the bed. There are cards and letters and, yes, pictures. Josh with a woman hugging at a club, kissing in the park, swimming together. Oh, my goodness, who is this? She turned them over to check for dates. There are none. But the letters and cards are dated. Some of the dates were as recent as last week. Oh God, how could he do this? Even today, he said he loves me and still wants to marry me. Oh, god, what am I gonna do?

  She gathered everything and carefully replaced them just as she found them. She left a note for Josh. Just as she was completing this task, the doorbell rang. She went to the door to let the movers in. It only took them a couple of hours to move her stuff out. She escorted them over to Shelly’s place and they take her things inside placing them where she requested. During all of this, she was thinking about Josh, the pictures, his daily planner and the events of the last couple of weeks. There was no excuse and nothing he could say. But she needed to clear her head. After the movers left, she drove to a theater having decided to see a movie. There was really nothing good playing. She in actuality just wanted to think but she didn’t want to be alone. She had a whole row to herself, until about half way through the movie. A guy sat a couple of seats from her.

  She watched the movie and when it was done, got up to leave. The guy did the same. As he was walking out behind her, he said “Excuse me, this may sound like a line, but what is a beautiful woman like you doing at a movie alone?” He looked at her so intently that she automatically said feeling sorry for herself.” Then quickly walked off.

  When she got outside, she realized the guy had followed her. “Please don’t tell me you’re a stalker. That’s the last thing I need. This just hasn’t been a good day for me. Please go away.” Jessica said as she looked around for a security guard.

  “I apologize. I’m not a stalker”

  “Uh, excuse me, all stalkers probably say that when they’re stalking.”

  “No really. I’m not. I just noticed you sitting there and you looked so sad. I wanted to know if we could go have a cup of coffee.” He answered with his hands in the air. Taking a few steps back he adds, “Oh, you’re worried. Okay in a nice public place and you can call your friends or family or whomever you want and let them know you’re having coffee with William Donald Jefferson, employee of Midtown Mortgage. Is that good enough for you?” He asked with a slight smile.

  “Oh. I apologize. Like I said, I’ve been having a bad day. I can meet you somewhere in about thirty minutes. I can use a good cup of coffee.”

  “Cool. Where would you like to meet?”

  Jessica gave him directions to a coffee spot, which happened to be rather close to his office. That is, if he truly worked at Midtown Mortgage. True to her word, she met William there. He was already seated and drinking a cup of java when she walked in and spotted him. “Wow, I didn’t think you’d really come, so I went ahead and ordered a cup for myself. Now I feel bad.” He sheepishly said.

  “You should. You invite a woman out for coffee and then treat her badly before she ever gets there. Hummm, should I leave or should I stay?”

  “Oh, please stay. I just want the chance to put a smile on that beautiful face of yours.” He retorted pulling out a chair for her to seat herself.

  “Oh, well, give it your best shot.”

  “Why are you having a bad day?”

  “I don’t wanna talk about it. You mentioned Midtown Mortgage. What do you do there?” William told her he’d been an accountant with the company for over ten years. He was forty-five years old and on vacation. It turns out William knew Josh and had worked with him closely. He thought Josh was nice enough and an excellent businessman. He had heard the buzz around the office that Josh was getting married. Jessica stopped William. “Yeah, I heard the same rumor. I’m that someone.”

  “Then why are you so sad? You should be happy. He’s got money, a bright future and from what the women say, he’s a real man.” William said with a chuckle. “The women at the office don’t think I listen when they talk around me. You would be surprised at the things these ears have been privy to.” He said tugging on each earlobe.

  “Yeah, I know. He’s even working on some personal stuff for me. That’s how we met. But, I don’t think he’s being faithful to me. He wants to move out of our place. And I think it’s another woman.”

  “Then I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to go through that.” The two of them talked for a couple of hours. Before Jessica realized it, she had confided all sorts of information to William. He on the other hand was just happy to be in her company. They broke up their coffee break with an exchange of phone numbers. Jessica decided William wasn’t her type of man, but he was nice to have as a friend. Maybe it was the fifteen-year age difference.

  Later that evening Jessica received a call from Josh. Could she come over? She agreed. She didn’t know what to expect. It was hard to gage his mood as of late and her emotional; state wasn’t helping. When she arrived, she was guarded. She sat quietly on the sofa and kept her hands to herself. Josh began by serving a glass of wine he knew she liked. He had soft music playing and she got the feeling she was being seduced. She puts the brakes on. “Josh, why did you ask me over here? I thought you said you needed some time.”

  “I do. But I wanted to see you and reassure you that I am still very much in love with you. You mean the world to me, Jess.” He said reaching for her hand.

  “Yeah well, I hear what you’re saying. Who are you spending your time with? She asked as she turned and walked into the bedroom to return with the hidden envelope. “I found this today when I was moving out. I guess now I know why you need some space. How long has it been going on? You could have told me you wanted out, you know.”

  “That’s not it, Jessica. It’s not as simple as that. She’s a client. She doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “no”. She’s making advances and I keep telling her I’m in love with you. She had someone take those pictures to blackmail me! That’s why I told you the problem is all me. I wanted to get this mess cleared up before you found out.

  “Oh, so, we can share a bed, but not important things? I get it, Josh. Well, you try to clear everything up. You know where to find me.” She said as stomped to the front door and slammed it shut.

  Over the next couple of weeks, Josh called her daily. He sent flowers and even left notes on her car. She never returned his calls. She spoke with William every day. His vacation was over and he was back at the office. During one of their conversations, William mentioned Josh was starting a company to be under Midtown Mortgage. Jessica asked how and was told he was investing the money of one of his clients. She was curious as to why William would be telling her about this until she found out who the client was.

  So, her money was being used to start a company that she wasn’t being told anything about. “What was josh thinking? I’d don’t know this man at all!” She was told who Josh’s partner would be. The name was familiar, Markita Mason. O
kay, that does it. No more playing games. Jessica met with William and he gave her the documentation she needed to show what Josh’s plans were. At first she did not know what to do. Her father had prepared her for many things, but nothing like this. William suggested they set up a meeting to speak with the president of Midtown Mortgage and inform him of the situation and show written proof. William contacted the president through company email and asked for a meeting regarding of their VIP clients. This immediately got his attention.

  They met one evening after work at the president’s home. This ensured that no one would be around and witness the meeting. Once all of the evidence was in front of him, the reaction of the president was understandable. He was appalled Josh would do such a thing. The fact that he was using the company he worked for in the scheme, made the activity not only a violation of company policy, but criminal. But he had authorized the venture. Josh had covered his tracks very well. He had gone through all the proper channels within the company and everything looked good on paper. The only problem was where the money was coming from. The timing would be perfect.

  Another week went by and Jessica finally took one of Josh’s phone calls. “You have been avoiding me. Why? I’ve told you how much I am still in love with you. When can I see you? I miss you and you know I need you in my life. Please see me.” He pleaded.

  “Tomorrow morning. I have to be near your office for a meeting at 10 o’clock. Is that okay? We wouldn’t want your crazy new client to become troubled about me seeing you, now would we?” Jessica dripped with sarcasm.

  “Don’t be like that. She doesn’t mean anything to me. I think I’m finally getting through to her. I have a meeting with her tomorrow morning. But we can meet first. I’ve been working on that project we discussed last year. I have gotten the approval for the permits and the only thing left to do is tie up a few loose ends. So, I have some papers for you to sign.”

  “Oh, that’s why you’ve been calling. ‘Cause it involves money. Hmmm. Okay, you bring the documents and I’ll be in your office at 9 o’clock. See you then. And Josh…. never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She said deciding not to warn him.

  “Okay, and wear something sexy. I’ve missed you, Jess.” He said seductively.

  “Yeah, okay.” Jessica hung up the phone. She called the bank to check the account she had given Josh access to. The funds hadn’t been removed. She put a freeze on the funds. It is a good thing she hadn’t given him total control of the account. It held over 20 million dollars of her money.

  The next morning she dressed with extra care. She donned a dove gray silk two-piece fitted suit with shoes to match. Her accessories are of white 14-karat gold. Her purse matched the suit to perfection. She styled her long tresses in a seductive upsweep and sprayed on Josh’s favorite perfume. At least, the one he said he liked the best. With her makeup cover girl model perfect, skin glistening and lips luscious, she left the apartment. On the drive to Midtown Mortgage, she thought of the possible expressions on Josh’s face. “Innocence, dismay, shock, anger, hurt. Who knew, this was going to be interesting.”

  She arrived at 8:55 a.m. Josh was already in his office. Claudia had called in with a message she is not feeling well. Jessica was glad of that. “Well, hello good looking. Did you wear that just for me? Please tell me you don’t have on anything under that gorgeous suit.” Josh commented walking over to Jessica with open arms.

  “No I don’t have anything on under here. But you have to be a good boy to see this.” She said outlining her slender frame. “Now, where are the papers you have for me to look over? I wanna get this over with. My life is changing and I’ve got to get things stabilized.” She said taking a seat.

  He walked around his desk and opened a folder. “This holds all of the documentation for the investments you’ve been making. We need your signature to finalize everything, since it’s your money. This is a multi-million dollar project, Jess. Once you sign your name, you’ll be the new owner of a housing development, which is planned to start construction next week. Everything is done, except the ground breaking. So, sign your name right here and we can celebrate before my client gets here.” Josh said handing the pen to Jessica.

  Jessica stood up and flipped through the documents. She didn’t understand what she was looking at. Her cell phone rang so she answered it. “Yes. Good morning Mr. Giavonni. Yes. I did that yesterday. I am aware of that. I will be coming in to see you within the hour to make changes to that account. No sir. There is no problem. Correct. I have already left instructions. Oh, no problem at all. Thank you for a job well done. I’ll see you shortly. Goodbye.” She finished and hung up the phone.

  “Well I guess you heard. I have something else to take care of this morning. I’ll be back to look over these and sign them. It will be all right if I take these with me, right?”

  “Uh, I guess so. Those documents are time sensitive, so we much get them signed as soon as possible. Well, what time will you be back?” Josh cautiously asked.

  “I should be finished in about an hour. Is there a certain time I need to have these back to you?”

  “Well, no. It’s just that I wanted to go ahead and file the documents with the proper authorities this afternoon. The sooner, ya know. Uh, can you be back here before 10:30 this morning? The office at the city building gets busy after that time. And those people are as slow as molasses in the winter.” Josh said with a fake grin.

  “Oh, right. Okay. I’ll take them with me and bring them back signed. I’ll see you around 10:00.” She said grabbing the folder and leaving the office.

  Josh couldn’t believe it. “Okay, don’t panic. She’ll be back. Besides, she doesn’t understand what any of that stuff is anyway. Once she signs those papers, I’ll have the money to go into business with Markita. Besides, she can spare 2 million dollars with a 100 million dollar inheritance.”

  As Jessica walked out of Midtown Mortgage, she realized that she did not feel sorry for what she was about to do. In fact, she felt elated. She wanted Josh to understand that things were not always what they seemed. She realized how grateful she was to William, because if it wasn’t for him, she would not know any of this was going on behind her back. Jessica drove to the bank, parked in the reserved park, went inside and asked to see Mr. Giovanni. He immediately came over.

  “Hello Jessica. My you look exceptionally nice today.As I mentioned on the phone earlier, we have everything in place as you requested. All we need is your signature on the appropriate forms.”

  “Thank you, Ed. I’m glad my father did business with you. It makes me feel safe. I’m learning that when it comes to money, you can never be too careful.” She took a short walk to his office, bent over the desk and signed the forms to close the account she had set up for Josh. She requested to be notified of any inquiries from Josh about the account. She was told that the bank was to make a cashier’s check for $1,995,000.00 this morning from that account and have it couriered over to Josh at 10:30. Upon receiving this bit of information she smiled. Thanked Mr. Giovanni again and left to head back to Midtown Mortgage.

  Once she arrived at Midtown Mortgage she headed straight to William’s office. The president of the company, Mr. Donovan was already there. He looked over the papers she provided from Josh and made a call to his secretary. “Please type up a letter of termination for Josh Gardner, effective immediately. File the necessary paperwork with Human Resources so his pink slip will be ready within the hour. No, that will be all thank you. Oh, and if I hear anything about this before I say something about it, you will be receiving a pink slip as well.” Mr. Donovan said and replaced the phone. “Good Josh won’t know what hit him.”

  “It’s almost 10:30. Let’s go see Josh.” Mr. Donovan with excitement. Jessica, Mr. Donovan and William walked to the elevator and rode the short distance to the third floor. Claudia still wasn’t in, so someone was filling in for her. “Hi, I need to see Josh. Please tell him Mr. Donovan is here.”

  “I’m sorry, but Mr.
Gardner is in a meeting and asked not to be disturbed. I don’t see your name on his calendar for this morning, Sir. Is there perhaps something I can help you with?” Asked the receptionist politely.

  “Yes there is. You can inform Josh Gardner that Mr. Donovan, the President of this company needs to see him. On second thought, never mind.” He said as the three of them walked past the stunned girl and directly into Josh’s office. Markita was sitting on Josh’s desk facing the window with her blouse off. Josh was standing in front of her unbuttoning his shirt.

  “Well Josh. I’m glad to see you have everything under control.” Said Mr. Donovan as he closed the door behind him..

  Markita looked back and saw her audience. She hurriedly donned and buttoned her blouse as Josh did the same. “Okay Josh. Here are the forms you wanted. Hello Markita.” Jessica calmly said handing the folder to Josh.

  “Oh, how does she know who I am? Did she sign the forms?” Markita asked Josh who was looking through the paperwork with a shocked expression on his face. “Did she sign the forms?!” Markita screamed at Josh.

  Josh fell back into his chair. The folder slipped from his hand as he grabbed his head in disbelief. Markita bent down to pick up the paperwork. “There’s no need to bother, Markita. I did not sign the papers. Oh and I saw the pictures…”