“Right, just wait and watch then!” I heard Brian giving me one final warning before he got into his Lexus and drove away.
I was completely shaken over what had just happened. I didn’t know what to do. I ran inside my apartment and immediately called Tia. “T! You won’t believe what just happened,” I couldn’t help but exclaim as I kept panting.
“Wait, wait, aren’t you supposed to be on your way out of New York?” I was surprised she remembered.
“I was but…” I paused to steady my breath.
“But? What? Erika, are you all right?”
“He told me he’s in love me and when I told him I just think him as a friend, he started threatening me.”
“He what!? I can’t believe him. I thought you two were just friends.” Tia was almost as surprised as I was. I couldn’t find the words to explain to T how I felt that exact way, how appalled I was by what just happened.
“Just relax and come to the office. We’ll talk then. Okay?”
“Yes. Thanks, Tia. See you in a little bit.”
Chapter 3
Conner
I had lots of work today so I was getting ready for the office as fast as I could. As I was putting in my cufflinks, I saw Brian’s name flashing on my screen. “Hey, Brian!”
As soon as I answered the phone, I heard Brian’s voice pierce through my ear. “Where are you, Con? I need to speak to you now!”
“But, I am…” I tried to tell him that I was in New Jersey, but Brian went on and on.
“Erika broke my heart. She is a gold digger,” he said, and I could tell he was so furious and hurt. I told him to sit tight and that I’d be back home in two hours.
As soon as I hung up, I put on my coat and headed into the lobby. After checking out, both from the hotel and the receptionist, I got into my company car and headed back to New York.
Once we were on the George Washington Bridge, I headed straight for my offices in Manhattan. I called Lisa again. “Hey, do me a favor and find out what you can about this Erika girl Brian was seeing.”
Her complacent tone, as she said, “Of course, Mr. Roland. Anything else I can do for you?” was pleasing to hear.
I was again thinking how I could have her in the car, but how it would come at the risk of losing the best secretary I had ever had. “Yeah, do you happen to know what a gold digger is?”
I heard Lisa laughing, so much so I think she was on the floor. “Yes, sir. Gold diggers are people who are only interested in people because of their money. I’m surprised you don’t know, Con. I forget you’re only 29 when you’re like this.” Her tone had changed. I noticed she got more playful after I asked about gold diggers. She hadn’t called me Con in years.
“Hm, find out and let me know, Lisa.” After I hung up, I couldn’t stop myself from resting my head on the headrest and thinking about how I could’ve had a much more intimate relationship with Lisa, how I could’ve had her on top of me on this exhausting drive to Manhattan.
I was brought back to reality, awoken from a pleasurable dream, by my phone ringing once again. It was a message from Lisa. Erika Jackson, 25, born on the 22nd of July.
“It is her birthday two from today,” I thought to myself, and I decided to meet her and take her on her birthday only.
Her resume read like she worked hard and was everything but a gold digger. Top of her class at NYU, on her way to being promoted to a senior software engineer, that too at a very young age. She was beautiful. Her picture on her resume was just a tiny headshot, but the beauty on her face made me curious.
I immediately called Kennedy, my chief of acquisitions. “Buy SunLit, the tech company down the street, and get it done now.” He didn’t even bother inquiring as to the reason I wanted a software company; rather, he just said he’d get on it, and went to take care of it.
I could see the street leading to my offices now, so I began to get my papers together. I grabbed my phone and waited for the driver to open the door. I got out in front of the massive building that read “CR Capital”.
I remembered when I first started managing stocks. I couldn’t have imagined I’d ever make it to the point where my own firm ‘Conner Roland Capital’ would be responsible for several billions of dollars per annum. I wasn’t conceited when it came to work, I was confident. I worked hard for everything I had attained.
“Good morning, Mr. Roland. How do you do this fine Friday?” Peter asked with a decent and most positive smile on his face. It was always nice to see Peter. He had been the doorman since I bought the building.
“I’m doing well, Peter. How are the kids getting along?” I was genuinely interested.
“They are doing well, sir. Thank you.” Peter was also kind and respectful. He held the door open and I walked through, nodding my head at him and shaking his hand firmly. He was quite the firm man. It might have been all those years he served as a Marine when he was younger.
I walked straight through the lobby to the elevator, cordially nodding to all the staff. There were too many to remember their names. As I got to the top floor, I saw Lisa waiting for me. She looked particularly beautiful this morning. The sleek black skirt she had on did wonders for her ass. Her blouse was just the right size, tight enough to show her full figure off, but not too tight that wouldn’t be professional.
“Hey, Lisa. Morning.” I surprised her as she wasn’t expecting me to be up this soon.
“Good morning, Mr. Roland,” she said with a very concerned look on her face.
“Everything okay, Lisa?” I asked while walking toward my office. I could hear some rustling in my office.
“Your brother is here, sir.” I could tell she was slightly distressed, which meant he had been drinking. It was only around 11:30 in the morning, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he were absolutely battered by now.
“Thank you, Lisa. Please leave us, I’ll let you know if I need anything, and thank you for the information.” She just nodded graciously and began to walk away. I couldn’t help but stare at her form as her hips swayed side to side as the elevator doors closed. I knew I had to go deal with Brian.
“Brian, put the bottle down, and I’ve told you not to smoke in here.”
“Con, you don’t get it. I’m in love with her and she just wanted me for the money. When I told her that we might not get to go to the Maldives, she lost her mind.” I couldn’t tell whether he was talking about the same girl, Erika, I had gotten to know on the ride to Manhattan. It didn’t sound like she could behave this way.
“Really? Didn’t Lisa send you the money, though? Why didn’t you just go?”
“Con, right before I called you, I told her I might run a bit short, and she just began to shame me. She told me I don’t work hard enough, and that I just leach off you, mom, and dad. She told me that if I can’t take her on holiday on her birthday, then I am good for nothing.”
I was quite irritated by the tone Erika had taken with Brian. I didn’t like that anyone spoke to my brother like that. Regardless of the truth in her statements, he was still my brother, and I couldn’t believe someone would dare be that cruel to him. “I’ll sort it out, Brian. Go home.”