Safe Word: Rosé

Chapter 6

Narrator-

Cara rested her head against the dark tinted window, as the black sedan cruised along the expressway. There was a soft jazz tune playing on the radio, but Jason lowered the volume until the sounds of the rolling tires almost drowned out the musical notes. Cara crossed her arms over her chest, and moved her body as far against the door as possible, maximizing the amount of space between herself and Jason.

She felt a bit of mucus lodge in her throat, but only proceeded to clear her throat as soft as possible. Upon hearing the sound, Jason chanced a side glance at Cara, then he focused back on the road. Cara closed her eyes when she felt a warm wave of tears coat her large eyeballs. She blinked multiple times, and her wet eyelashes painted thin streaks of salt water to stain the glass of her eyewear.

Cara's nose clogged, and she didn't want Jason to hear her cry. So opening her eyes, she looked out the window and tried to focus on the trees that zoomed by her line of sight. Cara hated that she folded into herself in such a defeated manner. Her father raised a fighter. At least, Cara believed that she could always be brave when her father was around, because she knew he always had her back. But now, her dad was gone. Her anchor had been taken away indefinitely, and the man who served as a crutch for her brave and outspoken nature was gone forever.

Cara felt lost. When Jason showed up in the hospital room and she stood up to him, she did this because she had someone worth fighting for. Someone she could always count on. Now, not only did Jason singlehandedly wipe away her support system, he also took her voice. He invaded her home, and rendered her helpless. Cara hated this.

She wasn't weak. She wasn't this weak woman who cried endlessly. Nor was she one to go down without a fight. Cara reminisced on when her mother passed. She had been the one to take on the role of taking care of her father. She learned to cook so that he'd remember her mother's hand. Even as a minor, she landed a job at a local bookstore to help with the bills. Cara stood on her own two feet, and took care of her father when he needed her the most. She was a caretaker, an outspoken soul, and yet here she was, stifled and defeated.

Cara acknowledged that she was alone, and apparently at the mercy of a heartless man.

Across the arm rest and dashboard, Jason gripped the steering wheel firmly. He could understand Cara's distress, but he had no interest in offering her any comfort. As far as he was concerned, Cara would just have to suck it up, dry her tears, wipe her hands, and move on. He didn't mean to be so harsh with her earlier, but something about the way Cara stood up to him yesterday had him on edge. And when he showed up to her house today, her welcome was nothing short of a deception and slap to the face. He found her huffing and puffing to be immature, and the stubbornness and her pushing the contract into his hand to be unprofessional.

Jason understood that Cara was raised in a sheltered home and protected by her father. He knows that the only reason Joe accepted the deal he offered was because of Cara. When Jason saw how much Joe fought to keep a roof over his daughter's head, he found his actions to be commendable. Jason even sought to the possibility of meeting Cara one day, just to see the daughter that Joe prized so much. And now that he's met her, Jason was unimpressed. Cara could do better in the manners department.

While Jason exited the expressway, he could've sworn her heard Cara sniffle, but just as before, he offered no consolation to her distress. Instead, he saw this as an opportunity to lay some ground rules.

Jason didn't clear his throat. He didn't have to. Instead, he just spoke.

"Now Miss Thompson, because your case of employment is special and different from a regular position, there are certain things that you will have to do that may be different to the other employees." Jason began, then he paused waiting for Cara to respond.