CHAPTER THREE

Her mom lay frail on the bed, her opened eyes glazed and unfocused, looking worse than she's seen her yet.

"Mom, I'm here now." She watched for the barely there twitch of her fingers that usually indicated she was heard but it wasn't there.

She took the too thin hand in both of hers.

"What happened, Maria?" She asked the middle aged nurse who took care of Meghan during her office hours.

"I found like this on the floor, her skin all pale and eyes glazed up like that."

Jojo pinched the bridge of her nose, hard.

This wasn't as bad as any of the mental images her mind had conjured up after she'd read that text. Everything was going to be okay, she tried convincing herself.  

"One thing I'm sure of is that she's getting worse. And you have a lot on your hands. Don't you think it's time you paid what I've been suggesting a thought?"

"I'm not taking her to some home leaving her in the care of people who don't even know her! People who probably wouldn't care if she lives or dies!" She snapped. 

Maria cringed at the intensity of that outburst.

Jojo took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Maria, I shouldn't have sounded that way but I'm not doing it. I'm not taking her anywhere, nursing home or not."

"Just give it a thought Jocelyn. I'm not saying you should right away but you should give it a thought for the long run. I can't always be around her for every sixty minutes that makes an hour and anything can happen anytime. Please."

"Maria... "

"I'm not even qualified enough to be handling a case as delicate as hers. Take a look at her girl, she still won't speak."

"I don't know." Jojo let out with exasperation, her voice laddened with unshed tears.

"Can we not talk about this now, please. I will do better I promise, I just need a little more time." She ran the heel of her left palm under her eyes, wiping off the annoyingly insistent tears.

Maria dropped the issue and left her alone after that.

"Riley?" Jojo asked.

"I made her go to Annie's. It wouldn't do to let the little one see her mother at her worst."

Jojo nodded. "Thank you, Maria.".

The older woman smiled at her.

"It's nothing. I love taking care of her. You make it good."

She kissed her mothers forehead even though the older Colleen showed no sign of noticing that.

"I love you mom, Riley does too and we know you can do better for us. She needs you. I do too.... " The tears threatened to fall again so she upped and left the room.

It was almost dark before Riley came bounding into the house, giving her enough time to gather her flying emotions.

"Hey there baby girl." she cooed, wrapping the small body thrown at her in her arms. "Finally decided to come home I see."

"Hey, I was giving Maria enough time to tidy mom up and make her look like she didn't just take a 180 degree turn for worse."

Those little shoulders lifted and dropped in a shrug.

Jojo wasn't surprised she knew that. The girl have always been perceptive and always acted more grown up than her age of ten.

"You weren't supposed to know that." Jojo chided her.

"Is she always going to be like that?" Those questioning mocha brown eyes filled with fear of what her answer would be and quiet resignation brought her to her knees.

"No baby, she won't. We don't pray that she does, right?" The frantic bobbing of that pretty head brought a ghost of a smile to Jojo's face. 

She wrapped that little figure up in hers again whispering positive nothing's in her ear.

When she drew back after a while, she fixed a smile on her face,

"Tell you something, why don't you run along and have your bath while I fix us something to eat."

Riley's face lit up at the mention of food. A wide smile graced her adorable face before she bounded away.

Always happy at the mention of food, that girl ate more than any ten year old she knew and yet she was almost too small for her age.

She set about making dinner hoping to be done before the ball of energy that was her sister came back out.

Riley helped her set the table when she was done and after that dinner pretty much passed in a blur.

While she nibbled her food with loads of thought going through her head, Riley wolfed down her own and then bared her teeth in a smile in hopes for more.

Jojo read that look correctly so she put on a convincing face and then asked, "I don't think I'm really all that hungry, wanna have my plate?"

"You sure, Jo?" Those brown eyes searched her face.

"Very." She pushed her plate to Riley while she made an exit from the makeshift dining room.

"Put the dishes in the sink, I'll do them later before bed." She called over her shoulder, going down to her mom's room.

"I can do the dishes, I'm not a baby anymore!" Riley's voice shot back.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly. She keeps forgetting that Riley is a self proclaimed big girl of ten. A strong and beautiful one at that.

Her mom was still asleep when she checked on her so she took a detour to her own room.

Flopping down on the small, borderline uncomfortable bed that graced her room, she fell asleep almost immediately already calculating where her next paycheck was going.

Just a couple hours of sleep before she'll have to go keep vigil over her ailing mom.

Jojo woke up late the next morning having stayed up half the night taking care of Meghan.

Why the hell did her alarm not go off?

Because this isn't your room, her subconscious snarked.

Then where was her back up alarm?

She searched for the disappointing piece of technology that was her phone and found it off.

She put it on, the battery wasn't even flat so why on God's given earth would it betray her by going off?

She left her mom's room as quiet as she could manage, trying not to stir the sleeping woman.

She practically ran to her room as her messages and notifications poured in.

A particular message caught her attention. From her boss! Holy hell.

She had a good idea what that text was about and she dreaded opening it just like she dreaded facing him today.

She gnawed on her nails as she clicked it open, finally deciding against pretending she hadn't received it.

"You better have a good ass excuse for running out on me yesrerday without any explanation. And be in early today, I have a meeting this morning."

Of all the days to wake up late!

She rushed into the bathroom and powered through her morning routine and getting ready for work.

Riley! The kid needed to be readied for school. "Jesus Christ."

She rushed went down the hallway only to find the little girl in the sitting room drinking a bowl of cereal, all ready for school.

"I figured you were running late this morning when you didn't come to mommy me this morning so I helped myself. Told you I was a big girl but you just won't stop fussing."

"O baby, I could kiss you now."

"Eww"

That was her cue to go finish getting ready.

Riley was already gone by the time she was done and she herself was running late.

She got out as Maria walked in, promising to call if anything came up, especially with her mom.

She made it into the office scant minutes before she could officially be called late.

Talk about little miracles.

She only had time to drop her bag before she had to pick the necessary stuffs and follow a fuming Jordan down to the smaller conference room B.

He didn't spare her a single glance even as Herman Parker, the man he was meeting with, made a show of greeting her and even kissed her hand in a way that gave her creepy chills.

The meeting kicked off almost immediately and she sat taking notes of all the important details, her mind barely there.

She was already worrying about the fire that was sure to burn her through once she was locked in the office with an angry Jordan McGrath.

She did not commit just one but two offences and she could loose her job over the first one.

The meeting stretched on for hours on end as the two men debated their options and she sat their uncomfortably as the beady eyes of Herman who was seated across Jordan and herself kept straying to her breasts in a lewd and disgusting manner.

She was very glad when the meeting finally came to an end as the two men finally called a truce.

She shuffled after Jordan and into their office. Lisa's obnoxious snicker was heard as the door shut behind her. Same as in that first day, Lisa's attitude towards her haven't changed one bit. She was still all about snickers and snarls and Jojo was still oblivious to the reason why.

She tried to gave as minimal contact with her as possible which was why she usually opted for their offices own elevator.

The closed door blocked out the outside world, locking her in with the one man she dreaded facing at the moment.

He suddenly stopped walking mid stride and she almost walked into tall solid wall of muscles.

"What is the problem with you?"

His voice was icy and low as he said that.

When he turned, his eyes were the same color as the darkest shade of green she's ever seen.

She could see the gold ring that blazed around his pupils. He scared her like this.

"Does it give you Joy to infuriate me?"

The chills she was feeling now had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

His tone was angry, commanding and a whole lot of other things that should send her running for cover.

Her legs started to take an unconscious step back but his hands shot out and held her steady in place in a firm grip.

His head bent and his dark eyes stared into hers like he could see into her soul and read all her dirty secrets.

"In less than twenty four hours you've broken more of my rules than anyone in this entire building."

If she wasn't so fascinated with his alluring eyes and blood red lips, she would've been scared shitless at the fury emanating from him.

He sounded like the worst was yet to come. His breath fanned her face, alerting her of how close they were standing now. It would only take a move of her hand and she'd be touching that yummy body. A little lift of her body and she could brush his soft looking lips with her own.

Tempting.

"And back there with Herman Parker. Did you like it that he was paying more attention to your breasts than he was to what I was saying?"

Her jaw almost dropped at that one. She'd fucking loathed those beady eyes on her.

"Did you enjoy it." She was lost for an answer here, had she looked like she was enjoying it or was he just being an insensitive prick.

His grip on her loosened and his hands became caressing as they traced down her hand before snaking around her lean waist and pulling her body into his.

"Do you wish it's him touching you right now?"

His voice had lost its angry edge now, just low and seducing.

Jojo was fast drowning in this. If she didn't stop him now, they might cross a line that would be very hard to go back from.

She placed her hands on his chest with clear intention of pushing him away but the feel of his warm skin and hard muscles through his shirt rendered her helpless against him.

She tried saving her ass with her mouth as a last option before she did something totally insane.

"Please stop this sir."

Her voice didn't come out as strong and confident as she would've liked but this would do.

Only he wasn't listening to that.

"Jordan"

She didn't get him at first until he added,

"Don't call me sir. I want to hear you say my name."

How did they get here in the first place?

"But s... "

"My name, baby girl." His eyes dared her to disobey while his thumb ran slowly over her parted lips.

She felt a hot shiver of desire flood her body running down to the vee between her legs.

Compelled, she let his name roll of her tongue, her voice sultry and almost unrecognizable.

"Jordan."

He groaned, his teeth nipping softly at her earlobe now.

"Say my name again, baby girl. Just like that." He growled into her ear.

"Jordan."

The look in his eyes before he bent and took her mouth in a ruining kiss was as familiar as if she'd seen it just yesterday.

They were the eyes of her childhood best friend, Jordan.