PJ Harlowe
The world, according to PJ, ended when she walked out of Max’s door. He didn’t try to stop her. In fact, he said nothing. He allowed her to walk out of his life without a care in the world. He didn’t even flinch. She needed a man who would value her and fight for her. Apparently, Max wasn’t it. She would be fine, eventually. But right now, it hurt like a motherfucker.
Walking back to the penthouse felt like she was walking the green mile. Only there was no John Coffey waiting there to heal her wound.There was, however, a sweet man named Latti and a bottle of rum to do the trick.
“What the hell happened? Do I need to go over there and kill that bastard?”
“Calm down, Latti. I’ll be alright in about twenty years.”
He wrapped PJ in his arms and held her as the tears erupted. Guiding her to the couch, Latti ran to the kitchen and snagged the container of ice cream, two spoons, and the package of peanut butter cookies. Making a picnic on the coffee table, he sat down on the floor and listened to PJ bare her soul.
“Now that you have your snacks, talk to me. What happened?”
“Who are you kidding, Latti? We both know those snacks are for you. I hate peanut butter cookies.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m the one who stress eats around here. Stop changing the subject and tell me what happened before I go down the hall and find out from him.”
“I told you about the restaurant incident with his ex. We never talked about it in depth. I was too mad and would have taken his head off. So last night he tried to apologize by waking me up with his mouth.”
“Wait, what? He ate you out while you slept? Was that weird for you?”
“I mean, it’s a great way to wake up when you’re not fighting with the guy. However, I was still pissed at him, so I didn’t even want to look at him let alone have sex.”
“And tonight, what did he say?”
“We talked about things, and I told him he should take the job with his ex.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
PJ took a deep breath trying to combat the tears that had just dried up. She didn’t want to admit she was wrong but looking into Latti’s eyes was like looking in a mirror of souls. She could never fool him, so she told the truth.
“I wanted him to fight for me. I wanted to see that he really wanted to be with me. Well, it backfired because he didn’t say anything, and he just let me walk away. There was no reaction at all. I said what I said and then turned to leave. I swear to God, Latti, I walked as slowly as I could waiting for him to call my name. He never did. That let me know where I stood.”
“Damn. He didn’t say anything?”
“Nope, not even a throat clear. I got fucking crickets.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“Tell me about it.”
***
For the next six months, PJ immersed herself in her work. Latti had put her in charge of a new project that was going to be a game changer for Aston Financial. They were trying to acquire a new streaming conglomerate that included radio, podcasts, and television services. Once she finalized this merger, the company’s net worth would increase exponentially. Not only was Latti counting on her, but hundreds of employees, too.
She was ragged and tired, working fourteen plus hour days and weekends to boot. When she wasn’t working, she was sleeping. She ensured there was no time for her mind to drift to Max. Rumor had it that he had moved to Atlanta and was doing well on the national scene. PJ didn’t know if he was back with his ex or not, but it really didn’t matter. He wasn’t with her and that spoke volumes. She desperately wanted to call him just to hear his voice, but there was no way that was going to happen. PJ didn’t chase men.
“Pashen Jillian Harlowe!” Latti exclaimed as he entered her office carrying a bottle of champagne.
“I know you didn’t come in here using my whole entire name. What the hell, Latti?”
“Girl, it’s a celebrate! We are headed to a lunch meeting where I will sign the biggest deal in company history.”
“Don’t count your chicken and all that jazz. Besides, who said I wanted to go to lunch with you guys?”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me. There is no way I am signing that paperwork without you present. This merger would have never happened without you.”
PJ smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was happy that her work paid off, but with the merger closing today she would have all kinds of time on her hands. That would lead to thinking about Max. She watched as Latti popped the cork and poured two glasses of the bubbly concoction. She gladly took his offering and clinked the glass to his before drinking.