"You took my job, and now you're working on taking my woman as well?" Cameron glared at Jax. "Excuse me..." Keesha began. "What?" Jax returned Cameron's glare. "Or are you trying to charm your way into getting secrets from my assistant." "Your assistant, then technically she would be my assistant now, wouldn't she?" "Excuse me...." Keesha said louder. "Let's go." Jax looked at Keesha. Keesha looked over at Cameron, and without another word followed Jax to the garage elevator. They got inside. "Okay...the only reason I'm here is because out of the two of you, I will give you a little more leeway than him, but..." "If you want to quit, you give two weeks notice like everyone else. Until then, you're my assistant." The elevator doors opened and Jax got out. He stood in the doorway, waiting. Keesha sighed deeply but stepped out of the elevator. "Lucky for you I was raised not to make a spectacle in public." she promised. "If there weren't people here, I would tell you where to go." "Show me to the office please." was all Jax would say. The people watched as Keesha led Jax down the hallway. Keesha watched as Jax sat down in Cameron's old chair. "How do I contact you?" "Dial # and then 10." "And your office?" "Right across the hall." Jax nodded. "I assume of course, your loyalties lie with the office, and not with whoever is sitting in this chair at the moment. I expect you to conduct yourself in such a fashion." "Yes sir." "Will you please shut the door." She did. "You don't have to *sir* me, Keesha. I'm sorry for my earlier tone, but can I please explain..." "Ms. Ward if you don't mind. This is a place of business. Sir." Jax took a breath, his eyes clouding. "Allright, *Ms. Ward*. I need for you to work late this evening." "Sorry, I can't. But I will be more than happy to come in early tomorrow if you so desire. Is that all, I have yet to take my lunch break." Jax waved her on. "Close the door behind you." Keesha slammed the door, walking down the hall. "Of all the insufferable...." People watched as she went back to the elevator, mumbling the entire way. Jax stood, going over to the window. Stupid. Kissing Keesha was stupid, and that was just confirmed. Because, now that he had, there was no way he was going to let her leave his life now. Even though she was stubborn, and switched moods on a dime, and sometimes made him want to yell in frustration. For instance, all he had wanted to do was get her away from Cameron so they could talk, but as soon as the elevator door closed, she put up that wall and started berating him. It still didn't matter. Jax picked up the phone, dialing. "Jacks." "Jer, it's me. I'll take over for at least two weeks." "Great." "I'm staying in my condo though, so don't get Mum's and Dad's hopes up." "Fine. What made you decide-the fun of it all?" "Let's just say I got a sign." he finished, hanging up. No matter what Keesha did he wasn't going to give up on her now. Keesha sat in her new apartment, watching television as she ate the Chinese food right out of the carton. By the time she got back from lunch, Jax had gone home for the day, which was good for him since all she wanted to do was strangle him and didn't think she'd be able to resist the urge. She would stay for two weeks, and then she was gone. Signs. Please. The only sign she should have taken was that he when he annoyed her, he managed to do it more than anyone she had ever known. Keesha groaned, standing as her doorbell rang. She walked over, looking through the peephole. "Yes?" she said quietly as she opened the door. "Do you have a moment?" Keesha moved out of the way and Jax walked in. "How did you find out where I lived?" "From the receptionist." Keesha made a mental note to smack Hilary. "I know you said you couldn't work late, but I need your assistance...I need you to tell me everyone's good and bad qualities so I can make a decision on who should stay and go." Keesha sighed. "How many people are you getting rid of?" "Perhaps all of them, perhaps none of them. It depends on what you say and the rest of my research. But I need this done now." Jax sat down on Keesha's couch, opening his briefcase. "Make yourself at home." "Look, can we call a truce for two weeks? It will make time go by much quicker." "Too bad you didn't think of that before you decided to order me back to work. Before you completely switched gears on me....before..." "So...you wanted me to just leave you there with your boyfriend?" "I want you to show me some sort of respect. And he's not...never mind....no...I do mind. Cameron and I are finished, and I'm not some pathetic little girl who needs you to make sure we're done. Because if we weren't, then you surely couldn't stop me from running back to him. You two stood there and basically put a claim on me and I don't appreciate it." "Jesus, Keesha I was not putting a claim on you. And I wouldn't even think of trying to control what you do." "Aside from who I work for." "That's business and completely seperate. Now,I should have asked differently I grant, but I merely wanted to talk to you away from your ex, and I did it the quickest way I knew how...." "Marcus McIntyre is retiring at the end of the month." Keesha changed the subject. "He's worked there for longer than either of us have been alive..." her voice trailed as she went into her kitchen. "Would you like anything?" "Water please." Jax stated quietly, running his fingers through his hair. All of this was too complicated. "He's even cuter than the society pages make him out to be." "Who?" Keesha stood outside with Hilary as Hilary had a cigarette. "Who? Our new boss." Keesha sighed. "I never follow that stuff. Who really cares." "Do you know how much..." "Hilary..." "Sorry. That accent is delictable though, don't you think." "You can't judge a person on cuteness or accents, for all you know he could be the biggest jerk that ever lived...." "Who?" "Mr. Jacks." Hilary answered Marcus McIntyre as he opened the door to the building, joining them. "Then I wish more jerks were like him." he lifted his wrist. "Look at this." Hilary whistled. "Is that a Rolex?" "Yes indeed. I found it on my desk with a note thanking me for all of my years of dedication. Along with the largest bonus I've ever seen. He's a nice kid." "I have to go, my break is over." Keesha stated quietly. "I'll see you later." she went back upstairs. "Do you trust this Keesha Ward person?" Jerry asked as he and other board members looked over Jax's list of who was losing their jobs and who was staying. "She's worked there since she was what...20? That's five years of bonding with people." "She was very informative, and very matter of fact. Yes, I trust her." "And have you seen her?" Raymond Ali nudged Jerry. "I would do whatever she told me." Other members laughed and Jerry stared at Jax. "On to other items..." Jax changed the subject. "Okay...which one is she?" "You haven't met her." Jax answered Jerry as he walked to his limosine. "How do you know?" "She wasn't there the time you came through the office to yell at Cameron." Jerry stopped. "Is this the girl who caused us all that trouble to begin with...Cameron's girlfriend?" "Cameron's ex-girlfriend. And Cameron was the one who lost the money, not her...." "Rather defensive of someone you've only known for one day." "I'm not in the mood." Jax got into the car. "Your instincts, when it comes to women, is atrocious." Jerry stated matter of factly as he leaned down into the limosine. "So whatever you're thinking, please do the exact opposite and save me the headache and time of having to clean up after your stupid romantic notions. Just once I would like to live my own life..." Jerry's voice trailed off as he realized what he had said. "Jax..." Jax blinked and the pain from Jerry's words shone in his eyes. "Excuse me..." "That came out wrong..." "I never asked you to clean up anything for me...I never asked you to try and control my life...and I never asked your opinion..." "Jax..." "Just because you're a bitter old man at the age of 35 sadly enough, don't take out your life frustrations on me!" Jax reached over and Jerry moved out of the way as he slammed the door shut. "Go!" he ordered to the chaufeer. Jax looked at his watch as he went up the elevator. It was 7:30, hopefully the rest of the workers had gone home. Jerry couldn't live his life because of him? Jax stormed down the hallway. He never asked Jerry to put his life on hold. Yet obviously it was exactly what Jerry had done, Jax's anger grew as did his guilt. He went into the office, slamming the door. "What?!" he snapped as he opened his breifcase, pulling out files. "Hi." Keesha whispered as she opened the door quietly. "Bad time..." "Yes..." Jax continued to spread papers across his desk, not looking at her. Keesha nodded. "I'll just leave these here..." Jax finally looked up as Keesha placed something on his desk. "Flowers..." "I thought the office could use...okay, let's try the truth. They're to thank you, for being so nice to Marcus...as well as to..." Keesha hated that. Jax had the ability to make her flustered, and she absolutely hated that. "Never mind..." "These are for me..." "Yes." "From you?" "Yes." Jax looked at them and then stared into her eyes once more. "You are very difficult to understand." "Is that a *thank you*? Because in that case I suggest you try again." she laughed. "Thank you." he smiled. "By the way...you are very difficult to understand." "Only because I have a tendancy to misjudge you, I think. I have 8 days to work on that....Your brother left a message." "Okay." "And if there's nothing else, I'm going home." "Okay. Good night Ms. Ward." "Keesha." "Keesha." Jax smiled and watched as Keesha left, closing the door. He looked at the flowers on his desk and his smile grew. Shani