ESTHER

Chapter seventeen

  "Tell him that Jack Rhodes didn't come to work today. Would he like to leave a message?" I waited as the receptionist put me on hold, to talk with the guest.

   "No, he said he will come again." She said after a pause. I hung up, wondering what the main purpose of the man's visit was. Jack Rhodes seldom had visitors, not to talk of family members. It must have been a very important thing he had come to discuss. I took up my phone, about to call my boss when memories from  last evening invaded my mind. I shook my head, clearing it of the memory. The last thing I wanted to become was a stuttering idiot when talking to him.

I had to be diplomatic. I shouldn't hold back all because I felt embarrassed. I dialled his number quickly to prevent myself from overthinking.

There was a silent hesitation when Jack Rhodes answered the call, almost as if he was waiting for me to talk first. I cleared my throat.

    "Good day sir. I called just to report something that might be of importance to you." He kept quiet, and I  took that as my cue to continue.

    "A Mr Haman Rhodes came to the office, sir. He was asking of you"  The news seemed to have brought him out of his reverie.

     "Did he say why he was there?" His voice had a cautious note to it. I wondered if I should be worried.

    "No sir. He said that he will come to the office another day." Jack Rhodes remained silent, and I imagined him deep in thought.

   "Um sir, can I ask you something?"

   "Go on." He said after what felt like hours.

   "Are you okay? I do not mean to intrude, but people are surprised that you didn't come to work.  They said that you have been buried in your office ever since you gained ownership of the company." He waited for a long time, his silence so cutting it almost drove me to the edge. I knew it, I shouldn't have asked. Now I'm is going to seem like an overbearing girlfriend all because I received a kiss. I was about to tell him not to mind but he cut me off.

   "I'm not fine. I feel sick. Can't move or eat. Can't stand too." I was alarmed. It was that bad. Jack Rhodes never confided in anybody

   "Are you sure your alright sir? Is there anyone with you? I'm on my way over."  He was about to say something but decided against it.

   "I'll send you the address." He said to me.

Ten minutes later after persuading the taxi driver to drive like a mad man, I finally arrived at Jack Rhodes penthouse. I made my way towards the lobby receptionist, gave her my name and waited for her to check with Jack Rhodes. Expecting me, he made them give me access to his domain. As I made my way to the elevator, my heart started pounding furiously. I couldn't believe that I rushed from work just to check on my boss, but there was no point regretting it now. As the elevator pinged to a stop, I walked out of it, holding the key card to Jack Rhodes room. As I stood in front of it, I took a deep breath, swiped the key card across the door and opened it when granted access.

Jack Rhodes's penthouse is exactly as I imagined it -sleek and luxurious. The walls were painted monochrome grey and the furnishings were all sleek and contemporary. There was a huge large screen TV hanging on the wall, different kinds of painting screen around his living room, making the dull colour of the room seem brighter. A glass table stood in the middle of the living room, above a carpet rug, while there was a counter for eating directly opposite it. Behind the counter, there was the kitchen. By the other side of his house was a huge wall made entirely of glass, showcasing the busy streets below. His house screamed masculinity in every area.

I turned around, and there was Jack Rhodes in all his handsome glory. Even sickness could not remove that. Before I could talk, I felt my self stutter when I took on his appearance. He was shirtless. Everything I had imagined about him, was true. It was like seeing a real Adonis in front of me. He had strong lean muscles, not too much like most men were trying to have. His abdominal muscles were a sight to behold. They were so hard and tight, and I counted eight pecs which adorned them. I let my gaze linger on how his pecs gave way to powerful hips, and till they reached the dip of where his trousers hung low. I swallowed, hard. It was so strange yet arousing seeing him this plain.

   "Enjoying the view?" He suddenly said. I lifted my head, and upon seeing the smirk he gave me, I blushed, furiously. I quickly removed my eyes from him, cursing my self for giving my boss a look over in his own home. I heard movement and turned around. Jack Rhodes was making his way to the side kitchen heading towards the fridge. Opening it, he took out a bottle of water then closed the fridge, heading back to the couch. He laid down on it, placing his head gently on the armrest. He used the other hand and put it above his head, his bottle of water left standing on the glass table.

I walked over to the farthest couch, making sure to keep a respectable distance between us.

   "Are you alright now sir?" I started, carefully.

   "Jack". He said.

   " Sorry?" I asked confused.

   "While we are alone, call me Jack." He answers tiredly.

   "Okay, Jack," I said, testing it on my tongue. From the look on his face, I could tell that he was pleased.

   "Are you alright now? Have you had anything to eat?" I asked still maintaining the air of respect. Just because I could call him by his first name doesn't mean I should treat him like I would a friend. He is still my boss, we ain't that close yet, even though we've kissed.

He shook his head, wincing at the pain he felt at that action. He also had a killing headache. I stood up and walked to his kitchen. I opened the fridge and was surprised to see how well stocked he was. Uncle would have been delighted at that sight. He raised his head slightly to be able to get a better view of me.

   "What are you doing?"

   "I'm cooking dinner for you," I said, bringing out the ingredients I would need and placing them on the counter.

   "You can cook?" I paused. He sounded surprised at that revelation.

   "And why is that a surprise?' I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He gave me something close to a shrug.

   " You don't strike me as one of those homey women." Homey women? I decided not to pay attention to that. Closing the fridge, I took my ingredients and placed them in the sink, beginning by washing the vegetables.

   "You don't know me, Jack," I said to him.

   "Yeah, I don't." Something sounded odd in the tone he used but decided to brush it off. We remained quiet for a good forty-five minutes, occasionally passing out unimportant information about the office. The food was finally ready, and I set it across the glass table in the living room. I was proud of my cooking skills, and even my uncle made sure to remind me of how good I was at every opportunity he gets.

I instructed Jack to blow and eat slowly, lest he burns his tongue. I cooked A basic American dish, with a hint of Iranian recipe. Back home with my uncle, we seldom made American dishes. I looked at Jack as he took his first spoonful. Whatever emotion I was expecting to appear didn't come out. He just ate his food, a blank expression on his face. I waited a while, seeing if he may have a problem with it. When he continued eating I took it that he didn't have any.

   "How is it?" I blurted. He looked at me, amused.

  "You're a good cook." He said stoically but I could still sense the admiration in his voice. I bit down my smile and we remained quiet till he finished the food.

Time past quickly and I had gotten used to seeing him without his shirt, more like I avoided looking at him at all. I made sure he was well-rested, took his temperature and packaged leftovers in case he got hungry again. As I was about to leave, he stood up and hugged me.

   "Thank you." I was lost the moment he dragged me into his arms.