The Beginning of the Rain

Chapter 2

Opening my eyes, I had to quickly shut them as my head had felt like a used wrecking ball. Still trying to force them to adjust, I opened them to see a huge room that I didn't recognize. Quickly sitting up and immediately regretting it, I realize that I am in someone else's bedroom. Oh my god! This is why I never go out. I've heard way too many stories about girls not remembering a thing and I wanted to wait till I knew before I did anything with a man. I look down to see that I am only in a white t-shirt. I had on the same underwear I wore to the club and I don't feel sore like all my friends have explained after their first time. Hearing a knock at the door, I realize I am alone and say "Come in?". A lady in a maids uniform walks in and says "Mr. Michaels is in his study and would like to see you. I'll take you to him." I'M AT MR. MICHAELS HOUSE?? I'm gonna have a heart attack. I hope nothing went down and I hope I didn't do anything stupid with my boss. Going to stand up, I realize again that I am only wearing a t-shirt. "Do you have anything else I can wear? I'm only wearing a t-shirt." I ask covering myself again. She goes to the end of the room and opens a dresser drawer and pulls out some men's sweatpants and hands them to me. "I'll be waiting outside when you are ready". She states walking out of the room. I stand, which is also another very regrettable decision. Putting the pants on, I walked to the door and followed the maid to Mr. Michaels study. His house was huge. we went down several hallways and past a living room with a giant tv and then we finally came to a stop at two double doors. As she knocked, there was pit that had started to grow the minute I woke up, that grew worse and made my breathing hitch. "Come in."  Hearing his voice made me knees go weak and I felt like my legs were going to fail me, but I followed the maid who opened the doors for me and waited for him to see me. "Ms. Carpenter, how are you feeling?" he asks as I take a gander around the study. He had to my right, a fire place with couches and chairs around it, there were shelves of books all around the room and to my left sat another set of couches around a coffee table. At the end of the room there was a huge desk just like the one at his office that he was standing behind waiting for my response. After the two years of working for him, I had never been to his home. He only invited the business men and women and rightfully so, I was just his secretary. "I have a massive migraine" I say as the maid ushers me to walk to the desk. Walking on my own, Mr Michaels walks around the desk and leans against it in front of a chair he points for me to sit in. I sit down and watch the maid leave the room. "She's going to get you some advil for your headache." he states staring at me like he's disappointed with me. "What?" I say in defense. "You don't remember last night do you?" my face drops and I try to think back to what could've happened. "You drank a shit ton, went to get some air and a guy tried to take you home." My face fell and went back up to ask "How did you know where I was?" He scoffed and said "That's the regular club most vip's go to." "Oh" I say trying to shake the shame off. "I followed you because I was worried after I saw how much you had to drink and found that guy easing you to his car and you trying to push away but you were way to drunk to even try." Great, my boss saved me. This makes me look weak and that is the opposite of what I had wanted Mr. Michaels to see. "Look at me" he says pulling my chin up to look at him. "You just need to be careful. I'm not mad just was concerned for you." My boss was concerned for me? He never showed any concern towards the lowers.  "We didn't do anything did we?" I sputter out before I could stop myself. He laughed and went back around his desk and responded with "No, I let you sleep in my bed and I slept in here on the couch." Still trying to process everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours with a massive headache, which wasn't going to well. "Where are my friends?" "I had my driver make sure they got home safely." he says looking down at some of the books. "When can I go home?" really wanting to get out of Mr. Michaels clothes and be able to shower all these feelings away. "When your headache goes away. Your friends are wild." I sigh and wait for the maid to come back with the advil so this migraine would go away and I can be back in my comfort zone. A few minutes later, while sitting in complete silence, she finally showed up with a glass of orange juice, advil and my dress, shoes, phone and purse from last night. Unlocking my phone, I see several missed calls and several texts from Violett. Hitting the call button, she immediately picks up. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? ARE YOU OKAY?" I laugh and cringe at the same time from the headache and say "I'm fine. Mr Michaels was there and I guess a guy was trying to force me to go home with him and that's all I remember, but he brought me back to his place and I just have a massive headache. I'll be home soon." With a sigh of relief she responds "he better not have taken advantage of you." "No he slept somewhere else and I'm all intact. The same way I left." I told her I would be home after my headache went away and we said our goodbyes. When I put my phone down, Mr. Michaels laughed and said "You don't have to call Mr. Michaels all the time just at the office." I nod and realize something. "Do you know my first name?" I ask coming to realization that he had never called me by my first name. "Aivery." he says looking up from the books. We looked into each others eyes for a minute before I looked down at my hands. "Please stop hanging your head down." He says as I look at him questioningly. He read my face, but didn't respond. Instead, he got up and walked to the door. "I'll let you change and then I'll take you home." Why was he being so strange? Why did he even help me? I was just his secretary. Quickly putting on Violetts dress and the shoes, I walked to the door and opened it and found no one. I started to walk down the hall towards the living room when I heard my name, "Ms. Carpenter, are you ready?" I turn towards Mr. Michaels and followed him out to his garage, where there was several fancy and definitely expensive cars. He led me to a black audi and opened the door for me. I got in and said "Thank you." He shut the door and got in himself. The car ride was awkward and silent. He knew where to go so I didn't give him directions. When he parked outside the complex, I grabbed my purse and was just about to get out, when Mr. Michaels said "Aivery, when I meant be safe, I really meant don't get into trouble." I smiled and said "I won't this time Mr. Michaels." Turning back I heard him say "Jackson." Stepping out I responded with "Thank you for all the help Mr.- I uh mean Jackson." He laughed and I shut the door. Walking up to my apartment building was a dread. I knew the girls would jump on me and try to get me to tell them that something really did happen and I did sleep with my boss, but there was no such story. Opening my door, much to my surprise I found it empty. Walking to my room, I threw my purse and phone on my bed and walked to my bathroom. I stripped and looked at myself in the mirror. OH my god.. who changed me into the t-shirt? Please tell me the maid did.. I couldn't bare to see Mr-- Jackson if he has seen my scars. He must think something horrible of me now.. Stripping all the way down, I turn on the shower and step in. Washing away all the shame and regrets of letting myself get so drunk I couldn't defend myself. What would have happened if Jackson wasn't there? I couldn't let myself think this way. I washed the smell of alcohol and puke out of my hair and off of my body. When that was all done, I just stood there in the warmth of the water. Letting my fears and anxiety wash down the drain. 

Getting out of the shower, I hear Violett in the living room. Wrapping the towel around my hair and another one around my body, I walked into my bedroom to find Violett laying on her stomach with her chin resting on her hands and her smiling at me all giddily. "Soooo what really happened?" she says making googly eyes at me. I walked over to my closet and grabbed my favorite pair of black leggings with a long white sleeve shirt. "I mean literally nothing happened. I guess when I went out to get air, a guy got aggressive with me and was trying to get me to go with him and Jackson followed me outside and saw and stopped him. He said while he was handling him, I puked all over the side walk and decided to lay down in it. The next thing I knew I was waking up in a t-shirt and underwear in his bed in his house. He slept on the couch and that was that." I walked to my dresser and grabbed some white panties and a white lace bra that matched and set them down on the edge of the bed. "So your telling me, that you slept in his bed in your underwear and nothing happened? Right, I totally believe you." she says getting up and crossing her arms. "That's your choice but you should know me better then that." I say eyeing the door for her to leave. She stood up of the bed and walked towards the door and said "I was just hoping that maybe this once it wouldn't be like that." She shut the door and I yelled back "YOU WERE WRONG". I finished wringing my hair from the towel, dried my body and slipped on the outfit I chose to wear for the day. Walking back to my bathroom, I brushed out my hair and decided to put a little make up. I grabbed my blush, my eyes shadow and mascara and applied them lightly. Liking the after math of last night, I went out into the common areas to make myself something to eat. When I got into the kitchen, V was sitting on the island enjoying some ice cream. "What do you want to do today?" she asks getting down. I open the fridge and say "Let's just stay in and have a movie day?" I grab some strawberries and close the fridge door and she says "Yeah, want to go to the movie store down the road?" I nod and set the strawberries on the counter. I walk to my room and grab my boots, and walk back to the kitchen. While waiting for V, I opened the container of strawberries and ate some of them. When she finally came out, I had finished the strawberries. Locking the door behind us, we started our walk to the movie store down the road. When we arrived, the store wasn't that busy like it normally was on Saturdays, which was odd. Walking to the comedy section, we decided to get Step Brothers and V made me get a horror movie as well. We ended up choosing Annabelle creations. Buying some popcorn, candy and soda with the rentals, we headed back to our apartment. First watching the horror movie, so that way I would be just fine to sleep later. 

In the middle of the second of the second movie, there was a knock at the door and I pressed pause while V went to answer it. "Can I help you?" she says clearly not recognizing who was at the door. "Yes does Ms. Carpenter live here? Mr Michaels sent me to drop this off to her." V grabs something from him and says "Yes I'l make sure she get it." The guy must of nodded because V shut the door and handed me a letter. "Why didn't he just call or text you?" she asks handing it to me. "I guess. He's weird." Opening the letter, V sat next to me to read it with me:

Dear Aivery, 

I am sending this letter in regards to a trip I must take to New York. This one requires your assistance. Disclosed in the envelope is a plane ticket, some cash for the trip and invitation to a banquet that I must attend. I have arranged for a dress and shoes to be delivered to you at the hotel we will be staying at. Please make sure you have everything you may need for a weeks trip. We will be hosting an event as well to get more buyers interested in my company. Please dress appropriate. We shall depart Monday morning. If you need a ride that can be arranged.

Best wishes,

Jackson Michaels

Wait, why all of a sudden am I attending these festivities? As if V was reading my mind she started asking the same questions. "Hasn't he had these before? Why is he taking you all of a sudden?" I shrug and say "I don't know. He's never really noticed me till just recently. I was just the person who did everything for him." As we both sat in confusion, V got a call and I was left on the couch in confusion.

The rest of Saturday was just binge watching tv shows and V coming and going from a drink with different boy toys. I couldn't stop thinking as to why Jackson all of the sudden wanted me to attend this trip? He's just recently taken a notice to me and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel. When I awoke Sunday, I had a text from Jackson confirming that I would be attending with him. Which I replied with "Yes, but sir why all of a sudden do you want me to be in attendance?" to which, with annoyance, I didn't get a response. V and I spent the whole day deciding what I should pack and what I shouldn't pack. I was so nervous that I hadn't eaten the whole day and I couldn't bring myself too. What was gonna happen on this trip? After what happened Friday, does he not think I'm capable of taking care of myself?